Pokémon travel photography: Starting with riding the wave of popularity

Chapter 351 The Tyrant Xia Mu

Although she felt ashamed, the proprietress was still very happy to see the cute Pokémon and the handsome young man saying auspicious words to her.

As a result, Xia Mu not only obtained the recipe for homemade dried plums from the generous proprietress, but also received the privilege of a free meal when checking out.

"This meal is on me, no need to pay!"

Hearing the landlady's generous words, Xia Mu became even happier.

"Kitty, come on!"

"Meow!"

The cat, who had learned magic tricks without a teacher since its evolution, flipped its hand and a beautiful rose appeared in its palm.

"Meow (For you, beautiful lady!)"

Hearing the cat's sexy husky voice and seeing the rose in the cat's hand, the landlady, who hadn't received flowers in a long time, covered her mouth and let out a surprised cry.

"Is this for me? Is it really okay?!"

"Meow (Of course!)"

The cat gently brushed the stem of the rose, removing the sharp thorns, and then the magical masked cat tenderly placed the rose behind the landlady's ear.

But the cat didn't stop there. After placing the rose behind the landlady's ear, the cat gently slid her large, white-gloved paws down the landlady's ear, along her slightly rough face from the smoke and fire, down to her chin, and then slightly lifted her index finger.

"Meow (You're so beautiful~)"

Swish!

Looking into the cat's deep, affectionate pink eyes, the proprietress's slightly dark face immediately turned bright red. The usually magnanimous proprietress revealed the shyness of a little girl at this moment, and she thanked her in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Thank you~"

"Meow (You're welcome, beautiful!)"

"6

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"6

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'

Watching the cat's actions, everyone present, including the Pokémon, stared wide-eyed, especially Natsuki, the cat's trainer. He never expected that his cat would be even better at flirting with girls than he was.

"Damn it, we lost!!"

Xia Mu knelt on the ground and pounded the ground with his fists.

Seeing this, the cat lowered its large paw that was holding up the proprietress's chin, then sat down on the high stool next to the front desk, crossed its legs, and gently hooked Xia Mu's chin with the toe of its right foot.

"Meow~"

Swish!

Xia Mu blushed.

5

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"

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L

Looking at the scene before them, Xiaoyao and the other two were unsure whether to admire the cat or criticize Xia Mu's shameful behavior.

In short.

Although she felt a little lost, Xia Mu's antics brought the landlady back to reality, and feeling her heart pounding wildly, she shyly tossed her hair aside.

"Haha, it's really hot today!"

With a slightly trembling voice, the proprietress looked around and then grabbed a handful of candy and stuffed it into the cat's hand.

"Um—I don't have much here—oh right, I have popsicles made with Moo Moo milk!"

The proprietress immediately took out several delicious popsicles radiating cold air from the refrigerator next to her and handed them to Neko, Haruka, and the others. Even Natsuki, who was being scolded by Serperior in a disgraceful tone, received this free gift.

After eating and taking some food, Xia Mu and his companions finally left Bao Canteen.

However, the group, who were laughing and chatting, did not notice that not far from them, near the corner of the wall, Aoki Tenoh, dressed in a black suit, was clutching his heart with a sorrowful expression.

"Even though I was here first, even though I always arrived first—whether it's for dining, being a regular customer, or simply because I like this place—why is it that I've never had the experience of eating and taking things away for free?"

Although Aoki knew that as a working professional, he would always follow social etiquette, he hoped that his relationship with the shops he liked would only be that of a regular customer and the owner. Even if the owner's wife treated him, he would choose to refuse, and at most he would occasionally accept a popsicle as a gesture of goodwill.

But at this moment, seeing how popular Xia Mu was with the landlady, he was still a little envious. In fact, to avoid the landlady feeling awkward after making eye contact with him, he thoughtfully hid in the corner.

But precisely because of this, Aoki suddenly felt a little envious of Natsuki's personality of acting crazy without regard for the lives of others.

"This is the price of growing up, isn't it?

Thinking back to his childhood, he used to call Stark's Wing Attack "World Destroying Spin Zero" and shout it out passionately in front of other trainers.

But now, even when he feels excited in battle, he will consider expressing his inner emotions through a restrained action like tugging at his collar when he is in adult form.

"Slurp~ That's the smell of a shady character————"

Aoki, who was reminiscing about his childhood, was startled by a sudden sound coming from beside him.

"Natsuki?"

"Yes, it's me, the universally loved Xia!"

After nodding and introducing himself, Xia Mu looked at Qing Mu in front of him and suddenly sighed in disappointment.

"I thought it was that older sister who was secretly following me and fantasizing about me because she was lusting after my body, but it turns out it was you—I thought I was going to have a romantic encounter today!"

Seeing the disappointed look on Natsuki's face, even Aoki couldn't help but say irritably, "I'm so sorry I'm not a pretty older sister!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Mu nodded vigorously.

"Good to know, so you have to compensate me with a dejected, mature woman!"

"—You haven't changed at all!"

"Hehehe, they're not that great after all—"

Xia Mu scratched his head as he accepted the white paper and ink pad that Mibrim handed him.

"Then—I'll leave the IOU to you!"

"6

Looking at the man in front of him, who had bribed him, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, with a fried rice in the past and made him do things, and now made him write an IOU because of a single complaint from him, Aoki felt admiration for Natsuki's shameless behavior.

"You're sure to have a great future!"

"Thank you, but could you write about a real, beautiful woman named Da Lei? I'm worried you'll try to fool me with a silicone doll—"

Seeing Natsuki writing furiously, Aoki blinked and immediately changed the subject.

"By the way, do you know where Qishu went?"

"Kiki, ah~ Kiki is also a big jerk, but I don't really feel like an older sister type. I was hoping to find an older sister type who's good at using Hasegawa's powerful attacks, like Anna-senpai—speaking of which, do you think the IOU should have a deadline?"

"Speaking of which, the scenery inside the Paddy Caves is actually quite nice, especially the lowest section, Zone Zero, which is filled with sparkling crystals and is sure to attract a lot of attention."

"Indeed, if the news of Aoki Tenno's failure to repay his debts gets out, the entire Padiya region will be under scrutiny!"

""

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"7

Seeing that Natsuki was completely unmoved by reason, Aoki quietly took out Staraptor's Poké Ball.

But just as Aoki decided to leave.

"Hello morning, noon, and night!!"

A vibrant voice rang out from not far away.

Looking at the strange tree not far away, talking with Xiaoyao and the others, Xia Mu's gaze towards Qing Mu became surprised.

"The Strange Tree really is here! Weren't you just making that up to change the subject? By the way, why did you suddenly take out a Poké Ball?!"

"I'm just doing some skincare!"

"Oh~"

Xia Mu nodded, but Qing Mu couldn't tell from Xia Mu's expression whether he believed the answer or not.

At this moment, Qishu seemed to have learned about Natsuki's current location from Xiaoyao and Ziyu, and after noticing Aoki and Natsuki talking, Qishu excitedly jumped over to Natsuki and Aoki's side.

"Haha, so it's you here, Aoki. I went to the dojo to look for you but heard you were out working — speaking of which, I applied for the commission to broadcast live from the Padia Crater —"

Upon hearing this topic that was giving him a headache, Aoki immediately looked at Natsuki beside him.

"Speaking of which, Xia Mu, what brings you to Jinhui Town? Are you going to Frostmog Mountain to see the snow? I can take you there with my M'K Eagle—"

"I want to see the sparkling crystals in the Parthian pits, and while I'm at it, get someone to sign an IOU!"

"An IOU?"

Qi Shu immediately looked at Xia Mu with curious eyes.

Xia Mu did not hide anything at all.

"Aoki is planning to send you away as an older sister figure—uhhhh!"

Natsuki, whose mouth was covered by Aoki, began to struggle. However, Aoki didn't care about that at the moment. He looked at the strange tree in front of him with suspicious eyes and immediately started to laugh it off.

"It's Natsuki who thinks you, Miss Kisaki, are a glamorous and mature woman!"

"Wow, Natsuki, you really have great taste!"

Miss Qishu patted Xia Mu's back with her small hands, which were wrapped in a large windbreaker, and let out a triumphant laugh. Seeing this, Aoki finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, the topic was changed!

but.

"Speaking of which, I've been looking forward to this for a long time—the live stream of exploring the Paddy Pit with Natsuki! Mr. Aoki, you can't always be so cunningly changing the subject!"

Natsuki was finally freed from Aoki's control.

"Exactly! A grown man like you always drags his feet and isn't decisive at all! Hurry up and sign the IOU!"

Aoki:

'

Seeing the two persistent guys in front of him, Aoki chose to give up struggling.

"No way. With your combined resumes, you'd definitely cause a huge problem if you went into the Paddy Pit. So, after a meeting of the pit management committee, we are rejecting your application! And besides, I will never acknowledge this IOU!"

"ruthless!"

"Unrighteous!"

Natsuki and Kiju clasped their hands together and looked at Aoki with particularly resentful eyes, accusing him of being heartless and ungrateful. Aoki, who had already made up his mind to use his dignified adult style to reject Natsuki and Kiju's harassment, remained unmoved.

Seeing the silent Natsuki and Kiju, Aoki couldn't help but raise his head with a hint of smugness.

[Hmph, now you know how powerful I am!]

However, after not receiving a response for a long time, Aoki, worried that his attitude might have been too serious and hurt the other person's feelings, couldn't help but open his eyes.

Then he noticed Xia Mu, who was quietly approaching him with an inkpad, and Qi Shu, who was also holding his breath but with excited eyes.

"—I was such an idiot to worry that you'd be hurt by my criticism!"

In short, because of Aoki's refusal to cooperate, Natsuki not only failed to obtain the qualification to livestream the exploration of the Padia Giant Pit, but also lost a disheartened and irritable older sister.

Moreover, due to the sudden appearance of the strange tree, Xia Mu and his companions had to check into a nearby hotel.

After all, compared to Xia Mu, who had some fame in the Padiya region, Qi Shu, as a live streamer, had a top-tier influence in the Padiya region. She was just like the top celebrities in Xia Mu's previous life, and Qi Shu had a large number of fans in every city in Padiya.

If Qishu were to appear in public without any attempt to conceal his identity, these fans would rush towards him, causing traffic jams, angering Officer Jenny, fines, and a decline in public opinion.

In comparison, Natsuki is now just a nobody in Padida. Forget about being adored by fans, the only fan Natsuki has ever met who has seen his videos is the arrogant and sarcastic Shinji.

"Hmph, once I win the Higaki Tournament, I'll definitely be surrounded by beautiful female fans calling me 'brother'—"

Amidst Xia Mu's resentful voice, Qi Shu led Xia Mu and the others to the luxury hotel she had booked in advance. After returning to the suite, Qi Shu released her partner, Electric Belly Frog.

"Eek~"

After the soft, bouncy electric frog became a large cushion for the strange tree, Xiaoyao, Ziyu, and Nemo each found a place to sit down and rest.

"Ah~ that feels so good————"

"I'm so tired. Even though I flew to Jinhui Town on a clay giant, I still feel so tired————"

Upon hearing this, Qishu immediately raised his head from the electric frog's large belly.

"This hotel offers massage services!"

"Yay!" 3

While the three women and Qishu were talking, Xia Mu also released the Monarch Serpent as a serpent throne, and looked at Magic Masked Cat with a serious expression, his fingers interlaced.

"Tell me the truth right now! Where did you learn that arrogant trick of lifting my chin with your foot today?! Were you secretly watching some weird TV show?!"

"Meow (I didn't!)"

Although the cat's tone was very certain, Xia Mu still keenly noticed the cat's gaze unconsciously drifting towards the top of his head.

Meanwhile, Mibrim, who was perched on Natsuki's head, also noticed this.

With a sudden jolt, Mibrim flew up from Xia Mu's head.

but.

"Galo (Don't run away!)"

The prisoner, Mibrim, who was bound by a rattan whip, also appeared in front of Natsuki, standing alongside the cat.

"Mibu!"

Mibrim glared resentfully at the unreliable cat beside her, her heart filled with despair.

As a Pokémon that developed the bad habit of staying up late playing on its phone shortly after birth, Mibriel's biggest advantage over the previous Snivy is that she doesn't have to cook and can even take a nap on Natsuki's head.

Therefore, without Natsuki's knowledge, Mibrim had long since become the team's champion of staying up all night.

Ever since Xia Mu's arrest led Mibrim to notice those strange websites, she couldn't help but visit them late at night.

Mibrim even mastered techniques such as incognito browsing and deleting browsing history, which made Serpent, the boss and the one in charge of the phone, not notice these details.

However, none of this escaped the cat's eyes.

When Mibrim accidentally kicked Natsuki in the face in the middle of the night because of a dream, and was kicked off the bed by Natsuki, and then discovered that Mibrim was staying up all night watching short videos, the cat skillfully threatened Mibrim with phrases like "You don't want Natsuki and Serperior to know about this, do you?"

In the end, Mibrim became the cat's tool for playing on the phone.

The uncultured cat asks the highly intelligent Mibrim to search for the videos and websites she wants, while the cat covers for Mibrim.

until today.

After watching, the cat, who loves to imitate, revealed her skillful flirting skills because of Xia Mu's request to create some fun. She even accidentally struck a haughty queen pose and teased the trainer.

Mibrim sensed something was wrong, but she still held onto the hope that the cat was good at acting and being cute, so it could definitely fool the trainer.

but----

Why are you so easy to understand in front of Natsuki?!

"Meow (Sorry~)"

The cat scratched its head awkwardly.

"Meow (I didn't want to lie to Natsuki before, so I would deliberately give myself away whenever I was acting in front of him. But I got into the habit and couldn't break it.)"

Hearing this, Xia Mu's heart softened.

"Kitty~"

"Meow (Natsuki, I was wrong~)"

The magical masked cat immediately pounced on Xia Mu's side and rubbed its big head against Xia Mu's thigh.

While stroking the cat's head, Natsuki looked at Mibrim.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

I accept the punishment!

The proud Mibrim held her head high, ready to accept punishment, but at that moment she suddenly noticed the cat's smug smile as Natsuki patted her.

wait?

Mibrim suddenly remembered the words Qing Teng Snake had said to the cat when she was learning how to use a mobile phone.

Because of her excessive affection for Natsuki, the cat sometimes deliberately tricks other Pokémon in order to get her attention. Although there's no malicious intent behind this behavior, the blacksmith always ends up being fooled.

Back then, Mibrim always thought that only a simpleton like the skilled blacksmith could be easily manipulated by a cat.

But now.

Would a cunning, evil cat really be so stupid as to admit everything when questioned?

However, at this time, Natsuki was unaware of Mibrim's thoughts.

"For staying up late playing on your phones, your allowances will be halved this week, and you're not allowed to use your phones for a week. If you do it again, I'll have Serpent use its vine whip to spank your bottoms!"

"Meow~"

The cat obediently nodded and accepted the punishment without the slightest resistance.

Mibrim, who was looking at the cat with suspicion, protested.

"Mibu (I object! I request double the punishment for the cat. I suspect this is all part of her plan, and I'm just a pawn in her game!)"

"Meow?"

The cat flattened its ears and looked at Mibrim with its big, star-like eyes.

What are you saying?!

Then, the cat, which was kneeling on the ground, raised its head.

"Meow (The cat doesn't understand what Mibrim is saying————)"

"Hehehe, Cat's opinion is right, Mibrim's request will not be granted————"

Just as Xia Mu was about to be bewitched by the femme fatale Mao Mao like a tyrant, a vine whip suddenly shot out from beside him.

Cat, Mibrim, and the tyrannical Natsuki—all of them were hung up by the Serpent Lord's Dragon-Slaying Whip.

"Huh?!"

"Meow?!"

"Mimibu?!!"

In the end, Serperior upheld justice, resulting in the disqualification of trainers and Pokémon, with all receiving a 100-point bounty.