You are not allowed to be a Pokémon Trainer!

Chapter 99 Ponpo Appears! The Legend of the "Ghost" in Beishang Township (3k)

There is a law in the Pokémon world that Arceus may have established at the very beginning of creation—

Elves possess two "lives".

After suffering fatal damage, the Pokémon will enter a self-protective "stun" state, also known as a "near-death state," rather than actually dying.

As long as you don't do anything unethical like finishing off an enemy, the Pokémon won't be in any danger, and it can even be fully healed after a battle.

This is the moral foundation upon which Pokémon battles have become popular worldwide.

But there are exceptions to everything.

When the power difference between two Pokémon is too great, such as Rayquaza using Eye of the Storm against Bug-Catcher's Caterpie.

Even in the Pokémon universe, Caterpie is definitely dead.

The energy poured out is enough to blast the caterpillar to smithereens; even ten thousand resurrection coins wouldn't be enough to revive it.

In both anime and games, there are instances where Pokémon suffer incurable injuries during battles.

For example, Pipa wanted to find the secret seasoning to cure the mastiff godfather.

That's exactly what happened with the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile.

The inside of an elf's body is much more fragile than its hard outer shell.

If Xia Chi commands Tire Meow to refuse to release the vines, allowing the large burst of flames to explode inside the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile.

They will undoubtedly win this battle, but the damage they suffer will be unimaginable.

It might not leave any incurable aftereffects, but Xia Chi dared not take that risk.

It was just an ordinary friendly battle, and he didn't want Nemo's Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile to suffer any harm that could affect its future.

So at the last moment, he had Tiremy release the vines, allowing the Flame Burst to explode outside his body.

Xia Chi breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile lying on the ground alongside Tire Cat, unable to fight.

Thankfully, they just let go; otherwise, the consequences could have been quite dire.

The 3v3 battle is not actually over yet.

Nemo has one last Pokémon left, and Xia Chi also has two slots available for the battle.

However, Zi Yu, who was acting as a guest referee, stopped the match.

"Hey, why did you stop fighting? I still have one Pokémon left!"

Nemo, with her rough edges, scratched her head, puzzled.

Zi Yu frowned, speechless, and said, "Haven't you realized how dangerous the situation was just now? Hurry up and go to the medical room to check on the condition of the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile."

Xia Chi also recovered from his unconscious state and crossed the battlefield, which was still filled with thick smoke, to come to the side of the two girls.

"Let's go, we'll fight next time. Let's go to the medical room first."

Since Xia Chi has said so, Nemo has no opponent even if she wants to fight.

Completely bewildered, she followed Xia Chi and Zi Yu to the Pokémon Center at the resort.

------

Perhaps influenced by the "simple and honest" folk customs of Beishang Township, Miss Joey here is different from others, with a gentleness mixed with an indescribable strangeness.

She took the examination report from Lucky Egg and said, "Fortunately, both the Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile and Tilley Meow are in good condition, but..."

She examined the examination report carefully for a while, then added, "The giant crocodile has severe burn marks inside its chest cavity. What happened?"

Nemo paused for a moment, then honestly replied, "Because the Big Flame just exploded in my mouth."

"What did you say!"

Miss Joey used a loud roar, and it worked wonders.

"A giant flame exploded in your mouth? How can you be a trainer? This is dangerous, you know?"

"An elf's internal structure is much more fragile than its external structure; a single misstep can easily result in irreparable damage!"

"."

Miss Joy's words gave Nemo a chill. While she might not always be the most perceptive person, it didn't mean she didn't care about her elves.

Only now did Nemo realize how dangerous the situation she had just experienced in the battle had been.

Miss Joy hurriedly left with the Happy Egg to treat the Pokémon's injuries.

Nemo turned around and grabbed Xia Chi's shoulder, saying regretfully, "Waaah! I'm so sorry! I'm such an irresponsible trainer, I almost killed the Bone-Patterned Krookodile! Luckily, Xia Chi, you realized it!!"

Xia Chi shook his head and said, "It was originally my fault for insisting on winning the game this way. I hope you don't blame me, Nemo."

"How could I blame you? Choosing to step onto the battlefield means being able to bear all the consequences. This is a rule that all alliances follow."

Nemo looked at Xia Chi with teary eyes and said, "So you finally got Tiremy to let go of the vines, that's so great!"

Xia Chi simply felt that she had done what she should do. "It was just a friendly match that didn't really matter. I think if it were you, Nemo, you would have made the same choice, right?"

Nemo's face inexplicably turned red.

If I could think of it, I would definitely choose that option, but what if I couldn't think of it at all?
"Oh, Xia Chi, you don't need to be so modest."

Zi Yu waved to smooth things over, smiling with narrowed eyes, "Some things seem so natural precisely because someone like you would do them~"

She then turned to Nemo and said, "Nemo, you too. Don't worry too much. If you really want to thank her, just give Xia Chi a small gift~" When it comes to high emotional intelligence, Senior Ziyu is the best.

Nemo nodded vigorously, saying, "Yes, Xia Chi, what do you want? How about Dragapult? Dratini? Or the Padia-specific Rhyssoid? Our family has shares in the Daguo Lake breeding base, and we have all of these kinds of Pokémon!"

Xia Chi: "."

Zi Yu: "."

My first reaction upon hearing "give a small gift" was actually to give it to a quasi-god?

It's safe to say she truly lives up to her reputation as the eldest daughter of Rotom, a mobile phone company on par with Devon Group. Oh wait, I mean the second daughter.

However, even though Nemo dared to offer it, Xia Chi didn't dare to accept it.

He really didn't think he had done anything right in this matter, and felt unworthy of such a "small gift" worth millions.

Not to mention that there's already a hungry quasi-god cub at home, and we simply can't afford to support another one right now.

Let's wait until the Evil attribute bond reaches level three and the resource meter for "Fear Chest Freedom" is reversed before making any decisions.

Xia Chi politely declined, saying, "Forget about the elf. By the way, doesn't your family sell Rotom cell phones? Could you give me one?"

In comparison, the Rotom mobile phone is a more reasonably priced gift that better meets Xia Chi's current needs.

Nemo readily agreed, "No problem, I'll have my dad bring over the latest Rotom 16 Pro Max phone tomorrow!"

Xia Chi: "."

Do the world's most high-end mobile phones still have these strange suffixes?
Okay, that makes sense.

The three chatted for a while about the local customs and culture of their respective regions. Before long, Tire Cat, Babu Groundhog, and Bone-Patterned Giant Crocodile had finished healing their injuries.

It was just past eight o'clock, and for Xia Chi and his two friends, three young people from big cities, the nightlife was just beginning.

The three of them had planned to explore Kitakami Village together, but when they stepped out of the Pokémon Center, they found that there were hardly any lights on in the streets.

Occasionally, people who were out for a walk with children or elves would glance at these three obviously strangers with a strange look and then quickly walk away.

Nemo frowned and said, "What? The locals are so rude!"

Xia Chi thought to herself, "Senior Nemo, you haven't played the Azure Mask DLC for Zhu Zi. That's what really makes your blood pressure drop."

Zi Yu, standing to the side, pressed her index finger against her pink lower lip and recalled, "I did know a junior from Beishang Township at school. Before I came here, she told me that due to some historical reasons, the people in Beishang Township were quite xenophobic. I didn't expect it to be this serious."

Xia Chi was slightly taken aback. Was Zi Yu referring to Dan Yu?
There probably aren't many people who can get into the world-renowned Blueberry College from a poor and remote place like Beishang Township.

It's probably that brother and sister with somewhat twisted personalities.

Nemo, her gossip-loving nature piqued, asked, "Historical reasons? What's the situation?"

The three of them walked back to the resort, chatting as they went.

Zi Yu said, "Have you noticed the cultural and creative products featuring those strange elves that appeared along the way, such as dolls and stickers?"

Nemo nodded repeatedly and said, "It seems to be called... the guardian deity of Kitakami Village, Sanboban?"

Zi Yu gave a long "hmm" and recalled, "It seems that several hundred years ago, a man brought a strange spirit called [Ghost] to Beishang Township. Because their appearance was very terrifying, the villagers drove them to live in the mountains. Then, during a festival, the man and Ghost somehow obtained some very exquisite masks. After wearing them, their faces were not so strange, and they participated in the lively festival. Gradually, the villagers accepted them."

"But the good times didn't last long. One night, the ghost suddenly broke down the mountain and entered the village, carrying a terrifying giant thorn club, ready to harm the villagers. At this moment, three spirits named Gouzan Dog, Yuanzeng Ape, and Jizhi Chicken protected the village and drove away the ghost, but they also unfortunately died in battle."

"So the villagers affectionately called them Baoban, and built statues and temples for them to be worshipped by the villagers. To this day, Sanbaoban has become a calling card for Beishang Township to show to the outside world."

Nemo clapped her hands in praise and said, "I see! I didn't expect them to be so kind-hearted despite their ugly appearance!"

Xia Chi: "."

Nemo, you didn't spare the three treasures either.

"You agree, right, Xia Chi?"

Nemo wanted to bring Xia Chi, who had been silent for a long time, into the discussion as well.

"That's not necessarily true. There's a possibility that history from hundreds of years ago could have been altered."

Xia Chi pondered, "Just looking at this version of the story, there are quite a few suspicious points. For example, at the end of the story, where did the man who came with the ghost go? And the villagers became xenophobic because of this incident, but when the man and the ghost came, they were driven to live in the mountains. Wasn't that already xenophobic?"

"Also, what is the ghost's motive? When the villagers ostracized them, they lived a peaceful life. But when the villagers accepted them, they suddenly attacked. Are they psychologically disturbed?"

"In short, there are still many doubts."

Xia Chi finished speaking in one breath, and Nimo stared at him blankly, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Zi Yu chuckled and said, "As expected of a history blogger, very meticulous!"

"But that's just a legend, it's not important~"

Xia Chi shrugged and said, "Perhaps so, but..."

"If the truth isn't what's been passed down, that spirit called [Oni] would be very sad, if it were still alive."

The three chatted as they walked further and further away.

In the shadows of a crossroads, a petite elf removed its tattered green mask and gazed at Xia Chi's elongated silhouette under the lamplight.

The bright yellow star's eyes were filled with pitiful pain and grievances.

“Boni.”

(End of this chapter)