Pokémon: Starting as a Farmer Instead of a Trainer

Chapter 157 The Ponpo Mask Incident, Christmas is Approaching

Knowing that a ghost truly existed in Beishang Township, Mingyou was determined to find the culprit. He then looked at Xuezhong again, wanting to inquire about some things.

"Speaking of which, sir, do you know a lot about... the strange and mysterious Ponyo?"

"Of course... after all, its four masks were made by my ancestors."

Xuezhong spoke slowly. He was the only one who knew about this matter at the moment. If the other party hadn't said that he was a friend of Danyu and Wuli, he probably would have thought about it for a while before deciding to tell them.

Upon hearing this, Mingyou and Pengpeng were both stunned. They had made the Green Grass Mask.

"What exactly is going on...?"

"My family has been mask craftsmen for generations. Back when Egui Peng was driven away by the villagers from the north for killing Bao Ban, my ancestor came out to help it prove its innocence and tell everyone the truth..."

Xuezhong paused for a moment, then continued in a heavy tone, "But no one was willing to believe it. They thought my ancestors had been bewitched by ghosts and were ultimately persecuted to death by those people. So even though we know the truth, we can't tell anyone."

"..."

Mingyou's expression was somewhat gloomy. He hadn't expected that such a thing had happened back then. But considering that hundreds of years ago, in that feudal era when Pokémon were still called "monsters," if you were the only one who was sober while everyone else was drunk, then you would be a heretic.

"But is it really okay to say these things out loud?"

Xuezhong shook his head and said, "You're from out of town, so it's fine to tell you. But it's better if you don't go out and talk about it. Even though Beishang Township isn't the same place it used to be, these rumors are just money they're using to make money..."

"It's okay, things will change soon."

Mingyou spoke earnestly, then continued to ask, "Uncle, I heard that the three masks Baoban stole were placed in Beishang Township? Is that true?"

"It's true, but I don't know where it was put. Green Town didn't exist hundreds of years ago. Judging from the situation of those people at that time, it might have been destroyed, or it might have been buried somewhere."

"I see... Thank you for telling us this."

"It's alright. The truth should be known by more people, but I'll head back now."

"Okay, take care, uncle."

After watching Xuezhong leave, Mingyou stood still for a long time. Only after hearing footsteps approaching did she reach out and touch Ponpo who was walking towards her.

"Hmm..."

"fine."

Mingyou gently shook her head, then looked at the Night Demons and the others: "I'll have to work hard these next few days. I expect a lot of tourists will be coming. If you're too busy, I'll come and help."

"Hehehe~"

Do I still need help?

They'd love to scare people like that; although they can't consume human life energy, they can feed on human fear energy.

"Alright, if the response is good after a while, we'll expand it further."

Mingyou was relatively satisfied with today's results, but how much can a haunted house earn?

Although this haunted house was built with investment from the Ether Foundation, the investment will eventually have to be returned. Ultimately, the farm will still have to sell its fruits and vegetables.

"Then we'll head back now."

As she spoke, Mingyou grabbed Simocha.

"Mmm!"

"We almost caused a disaster today. Even though I gave you permission to play in the haunted house, but..."

"Mmm..."

"This is a one-time exception!"

Mingyou said in a serious tone. He didn't like to lose his temper with Pokémon, but going too far was also not good. Using illusions to scare people in a haunted house was too dangerous and could easily leave psychological trauma.

"Mmm..."

Simocha shook the can, realizing he was wrong, um... but he'd do it again next time.

"Then there's nothing you can do..."

As she spoke, Mingyou took out a Poké Ball: "That's fine. Next time you do something wrong, I'll take full responsibility."

"Mommy~"

A smile appeared on Smocha's tea canister. He then took out a tea scoop and tapped it on the Poké Ball. "It's settled then. From now on, you'll take responsibility."

Having known each other for so long, and with the other person fulfilling their promise, my feelings for them have long been at their peak.

A flash of red light, and Smokecha was captured in its Poké Ball without the slightest tremor.

"Looks like I'm in for a lot of headaches from now on."

Looking at the Poké Ball, Mingyou smiled calmly...

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye, and Qishu's live stream continued. Last night's live stream had attracted a lot of people. Although the haunted house content broadcast today was different and no longer featured the monster, it was still quite thrilling and exciting.

This undoubtedly attracted many of her fans who wanted to come and experience it, as well as other peers and short video creators who followed the trend and tried to gain popularity.

The welcome feedback made the administrator very happy, and he even considered having two haunted houses built himself, but in the end he gave up. He didn't have a Ghost-type Pokémon employee like Naruto.

Seeing the traffic return, Qi Shu, who had been startled awake again, was also very happy. Especially after the live stream ended, tasting the fruit sent by Ming You was a real treat... Even though there was no scenery here, she planned to stay for a few more days.

That very night, inside the manor...

The manor has become much quieter recently. Although the green stone slabs have made the manor scenery as vibrant as springtime, the climate has remained unchanged.

It's still cold...

The cuckoo and the night owls have all migrated south and will probably not return until next spring. The honey-wrapping worm and the fruit-eating worm family have also chosen to hibernate, hanging on the apple tree to absorb nutrients, and will sleep for more than two months.

The same goes for Buzzwole and Noseleaf. Cold weather is dangerous for most Grass-type Pokémon, but fortunately, there is the Emerald Slate, which provides them with sufficient nutrients during hibernation.

The earth tortoise buries itself in the soil and hibernates with the grass tortoises. The pangolin family is doing well; the earth slabs have greatly helped them by changing the soil quality, and they can even help turn the soil in the backyard during the dead of winter.

As for the long-haired pigs, they will only be more energetic in winter. Apart from that, other Pokémon will not be affected much and can continue to eat and drink as usual.

The Squirrels moved right into the villa and spent all day running around with the Munchlax, stealing food and playing around. Their footprints were everywhere in the house, almost giving Mingyou high blood pressure.

The Growlithe and the others are doing fine; the living conditions on the manor are so much better than in the city that they're perfectly able to adapt to life here.

"Mopping the floor again so late at night..."

Mingyou complained softly as she took a mop and wiped away the muddy footprints left by the Snorlax and the others on the floor.

Now that it's the dead of winter, although the mutant crops won't freeze to death due to the temperature drop, they still need to be watered every day, and it must be with warm water.

Fortunately, Arcanine and the others helped out. In the morning, they would boil the water that had been collected but was frozen. However, the water would spill onto the soil, and Snorlax and the others would like to run over and stomp on it...

"Mmm~"

Ponpo also grabbed a mop and helped out. Now it was just the two of them in the living room. The other Pokémon were all huddled together in the living room, asleep with the air conditioning on. The warm environment was perfect for sleeping.

for a long time.

The last daily task of the day was finally finished. Mingyou leaned back on the sofa, feeling a little tired. Her eyes caught sight of Latias sleeping with her head on Snorlax's belly. She helped Latias pull the air conditioner blanket that she had kicked off back onto her and gently patted her head.

"Mmm~"

Ponpo watched from the side, recalling herself at this time last year, when she was still in a cave, covering herself with leaves she had picked up to keep warm, while now she could also be covered with a warm blanket.

Mingyou gave it a loving look, then looked away and took out her Rotom phone.

It's already 10 p.m. He looked at the date and murmured, "Is Christmas only five days away? It seems like we don't celebrate it here up north, but back in Niangguang City, I celebrated it every year. My parents aren't here anymore, so I'd celebrate with the neighbors..."

"Hmm?"

Ponpon looked up curiously. What is Christmas? Is it a holiday where you eat delicious food?

"Haha, you could say that, there's Christmas cake and Christmas turkey and stuff... um, and of course, the most important thing: Santa Claus!"

"Hmm..."

Santa Claus... Can I eat this?

Seeing Ponpo's confused and curious look, Mingyou couldn't help but hug it tightly. It was just too cute. Then she smiled and explained.

"Santa Claus is an old man in a red suit who rides a flying reindeer down the chimney on Christmas Eve every year and quietly delivers the gifts that obedient children want, so that children can have a happy Christmas."

"Mmm~"

Amazing!

Will Ponpon receive a gift too?

"Of course he will! Ponpo is such a good girl, Santa Claus will definitely come!"

Mingyou gently rubbed its face and continued, "So, what gift does Ponpo want?"

"Hmm..."

This is too sudden, Ponpo hasn't thought about it yet...

"It's okay, there are still a few days. Just let me know when you've thought it through."

"Mmm~"

Ponpo nodded expectantly, then looked at the sleeping Latias and the others, wondering if they would receive a gift; they were all good children.

"...There will always be good children!"

"Mmm~"

So, tomorrow, Ponpo will tell everyone and get ready to welcome Santa Claus.

"Um... no need to welcome him. Santa Claus only appears after everyone is asleep. That's the rule. If you're a naughty child who sees him, you won't get any presents in the future."

Mingyou said in a serious tone, which startled Pengpeng. She had to be a good child.

"Okay, so go to bed early, my good girl. It's getting late. I still have a few things to finish before I go upstairs."

"Mmm~"

Watching Pengpeng go upstairs, Mingyou took a deep breath. She really couldn't stop herself. But it was fine as long as the children were happy.

He gently pushed open the gate, which was not completely closed, and looked out at the quiet manor scenery as the cold wind blew in.

Just then, he vaguely saw something slowly drifting down from the sky. He reached out to catch it, watching the pure white hexagonal petals melt rapidly in his hand, sending a chill through him.

"Is it snowing...?"

……

(End of this chapter)