Pokémon: Starting as a Farmer Instead of a Trainer

Chapter 166 Ponpo's Christmas Present: We're All Still Kids (6000 words, please vote)

Having successfully fooled Ponpo, Mingyou and Xiaozhao both breathed a sigh of relief. Although there was a hint of deception involved, at least these children could have a fantasy.

"Mmm~"

Having earned the chance to deliver presents with Santa Claus, Ponpo was overjoyed and instinctively wanted to invite Naruto along, but then remembered that she was just dreaming and couldn't invite him.

Let's talk about it after we wake up from this dream!

However, it still had a question. Mingyou had told it about Santa Claus's appearance. Although the two people in front of it said that this was not their true appearance, the only thing that matched was their clothing.

Ponpon raised her own question.

Mingyou coughed lightly and said in a serious tone, "Don't assume Santa's age, don't assume the number of Santas, don't assume Santa's gender... Remember these three points!"

"Mmm!"

Ponpo understands!

"She's so innocent and cute..."

Xiao Zhao sighed softly, but when she thought about what the other person had gone through, she felt a pang of sadness.

Now that all the gifts except for Ponpo have been delivered, they must hurry and set off to finish Santa's work...

"By the way, where are the reindeer?"

Walking ahead, Mingyou asked in a low voice.

"It's over there!"

Xiao Zhao pointed in a direction with his eyes and continued, "The reindeer are just some frightened deer. I had the frightened deer talk to them and learned some things about giving Christmas presents."

"Um?"

"Those frightened reindeer have the special ability to pull their sleighs into the air and teleport to their destination, which is why Santa Claus can deliver presents so quickly. Although there are nearly a thousand items, it is still possible to deliver them all before six o'clock tomorrow morning."

"I see, it's so amazing... then I'm relieved."

Mingyou breathed a sigh of relief and soon saw the seven frightened deer, all wearing Santa hats and pulling a green sleigh with a messenger bird pattern behind them, piled with many gifts.

"Mmm~"

Are these the reindeer that carry Santa Claus around? They look a lot like the big-bearded reindeer, but these startled stags can fly, while the stags can't. For a moment, it's hard to tell which one is more powerful.

"Let's hurry up and finish delivering to Beishang Township first. Luckily, they don't have the custom of celebrating Christmas here. It seems there are only 5 items, so we can get it done quickly!"

"Um!"

Mingyou and Xiaozhao boarded the sleigh together, and Pengpeng followed, sitting obediently between them and holding the reindeer's rope. Mingyou then took out a Santa hat and put it on the reindeer as well.

"Set off!"

"Mmm~"

Ponpon pulled the rope, and the startled deer ended their rest, letting out a long cry in unison. Then, they leaped through the snow, dragging their sleds into the air.

Experiencing the scene before him firsthand, Mingyou almost shouted out in excitement, but she managed to control herself and whispered, "I'll get Groudon to pull the sled another day, then we can fly."

"Stop tormenting this child all the time, he's so pitiful..."

Xiao Zhao shook his head helplessly, and then in the blink of an eye, the startled deer arrived at the community center. At this time, Green Town was holding Christmas activities amidst the wind and snow, and it was very lively.

"There are so many people... I hope the people we're giving gifts to aren't inside?"

"No, only children who sleep well on Christmas Eve receive presents. But the one we're going to give a present to... what kind of child is this? We're both younger than her combined!"

Mingyou looked at the person she was supposed to give the gift to with a puzzled expression, never expecting it to be... Qishu!?

Does she really think she's a child? It's so lively outside, and she's actually gone to sleep. This is completely unlike her usual carefree persona.

The gift from the other party was a pair of specially made Magnemite headbands, the ones that Kiju usually wears, and these are even replaced every year...

This was beyond her expectations, which gave Mingyou a new understanding of the female anchor she liked. She then handed the gift box to Xiaozhao.

"Go deliver it. If you see anything that can't be broadcast, I can't handle it."

"Okay, let me do it."

Xiao Zhao understood his meaning. With the help of the Frightened Deer's spiritual power, she successfully sneaked in through the window and placed the gift box by her pillow. Out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to catch a glimpse of something amazing. She then closed the window and had the Frightened Deer lock it from the inside.

Back on the sled, she let out a slow sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness you didn't go..."

"What's wrong?"

"She sleeps in a bad position, kicks off the covers, and hasn't even buttoned up her pajamas..."

"..."

Although Xiao Zhao didn't elaborate, Ming You suddenly became curious about what she had seen, as a hint of panic appeared on her face.

I regret not going to see them... but now is not the time to talk about that, I need to hurry up and give out the rest of the gifts.

Soon, there was only one gift left in Beishang Township. Jingjiaolu led them to the rooftop of Danyu's house. The last gift was for Danyu: a life-sized earthen dragon pillow.

"What kind of big kid is this...?"

Mingyou really wanted to complain. Danyu and she were the same age, so she didn't understand why Christmas gifts were supposed to be given to children.

"So if anyone should be giving a gift, it should be the little brother, the Black-faced Earth Dragon, right..."

"He's busy preparing for his match against you the day after tomorrow, how could he waste time wishing for Christmas presents? Give me the pillow, I'll take it in."

"Um."

The two whispered to each other, but Ponpo didn't hear them. Because the startled deer was moving too fast, it didn't even have time to react before it found itself in Emerald Town... a place it really didn't want to be.

This is such an unexpected turn of events...

"Hmm..."

Ponpo looked fearfully at the scenery of Emerald Town and the people participating in the event. Fortunately, she didn't hear anyone discussing ghosts. There were some people talking about haunted houses, but that was irrelevant to her.

Mingyou watched it silently from the side, but still refrained from touching its head to comfort it, afraid of giving herself away. At the same time, she was also struggling with how to give the gift hidden in the clothes to the other person... She felt like there was no chance.

A moment later, Xiao Zhao returned. This time, nothing went wrong. Although Dan Yu's personality was somewhat annoying, once you got to know her, you would find that she was actually quite nice. When she was asleep, she was as well-behaved as a child.

"Let's move on to the next item!"

"Um!"

"Mmm~"

Ponpo snapped out of her daze; finally, it was time to leave. She then headed south towards the Kanto region…

Time flies, and before they knew it, it was already past midnight. So far, they have delivered more than 300 orders, which is one-third of the total.

I dared not stop for even a moment. I thought I could finish before the end, but there were always some small accidents on the way to deliver the gifts, such as almost being discovered by someone else's cat.

"My God... there are still over six hundred left."

Looking at the gift list, Mingyou felt a headache coming on, but there was no way around it. The two of them had to take responsibility for the mistakes they had made, and they couldn't let the children go without gifts for Christmas.

Ponpo watched the whole thing, and the anticipation and excitement on its face gradually turned into being stunned by the intense gift-giving by the two. It didn't expect that Santa Claus, who was supposed to deliver gifts to everyone, would have such a tiring job.

Just like Mingyou...

The sum of positive and negative in the world will inevitably equal zero. While these children are happy, there will inevitably be people who are working hard and toiling away.

"Mmm~"

Let Ponpon come and help too!

Anyway, I'm dreaming right now, and I want to do my part to bring joy to those children!

Hearing Ponpo's request, Mingyou and Xiaozhao exchanged a glance and nodded gently, just like parents seeing their child grow up and make a decision.

"Oh well!"

"Next stop is Golden City, why is Sabrina on the list... Never mind, let's go deliver her first. They're all adults, yet they act like children."

The startled deer pulled the sled and continued on their way.

After sending out some more gifts, we finally had an easy task to complete, which was to be delivered by Ponpo this time.

Since it was the first time, it carefully climbed through the window, walked to the child who was sleeping with his head covered, and quietly put down the gift. But children with innocent fantasies always imagine that Santa Claus from fairy tales really exists and want to meet him...

"Mom and Dad didn't lie to me, Santa Claus really exists!"

Hearing the noise, the little girl who was pretending to be asleep with her head covered threw off the covers and spoke in a childish voice, her tone very excited, which terrified Ponpo.

"Mmm!"

We've been spotted! Run!

Ponpo turned and ran away in a hurry, but the floor was too slippery and she slipped and fell...

"Santa Claus is so cute~"

"Mmm!"

In a hurry, Ponpo jumped out of the window and escaped. When the little girl came to the window and tried to find Santa Claus, he had already disappeared.

On the sled under the cover of night, seeing Ponpo looking a little disheveled, the two couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Ponpon's arrival finally brought a bit of joy to this somewhat tedious gift-giving trip.

As time continued to pass, all the gifts for the Kanto region and the Seven Islands had been delivered, and the gift-giving journey in the Orange Islands was drawing to a close.

But the second half of the journey was full of fun. Every time Ponpo went to deliver a gift, there would always be some little incidents. She was ambushed by children pretending to be asleep countless times, but this never happened when the two of them delivered the gifts.

Ponpo reacts very anxiously each time, running away in a panic, afraid that these children will turn into bad kids after seeing Santa Claus.

Unbeknownst to them, the fact that Santa Claus is actually a very cute child has already formed in their minds. They may never see him again, but they will never forget the night they saw Santa Claus with their own eyes when they grow up.

for a long time.

As dawn approached, on Little Orange Island, the southernmost island of the Orange Islands, the startled deer watched as the sled stopped on the beach. Mingyou, Xiaozhao, and Pengpeng gently placed a gift box containing a Pipi doll next to the pillow of a little girl who was fast asleep wearing a Santa hat.

"This is the last one!"

With only three minutes left until 6 a.m., they finally finished delivering nearly a thousand gifts. The burden on their shoulders was instantly lifted, and a strong sense of fatigue and drowsiness followed.

"So tired, so sleepy."

"I feel like I'm going to sleep all day today..."

Standing on the beach, the two didn't immediately get on the sleigh to go back; they wanted to rest for a bit. Being Santa Claus is really not easy.

However, Ponpo was very happy. Although it was a dream, it was an experience it had never had before. As a Christmas Ponpo, it brought joy to children all over the world, and everyone liked it very much.

This is a precious memory!

So Ponpo stepped forward and stood between the two of them, reaching out to hold their hands, just like a child holding their parents' hands, with a happy expression on her face.

If it hadn't been chosen by two Santa Clauses, how could it have had this experience?

"Mmm~"

Ponpo expressed its gratitude to the two people. It was now extremely happy and didn't need any Christmas presents.

Seeing Ponpo's smile, Mingyou and Xiaozhao exchanged a smile. Their fatigue seemed to be instantly healed by that smile. After a long night, it was all worth it.

At this moment, the sun gradually rose from the sea, and the warm and soft sunlight dyed the beach golden. The sparkling sea shimmered in the morning light. Ponpo subconsciously looked over, and her star-like eyes flickered with excitement as she was instantly captivated by the beautiful sunrise.

"Mmm~"

So beautiful!

Can you really see such realistic and dreamlike scenes in your dreams?

But Mingyou wasn't here, and no one could help her record this memory with photos... Ponpo couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

But just then, Santa Claus suddenly reached out and handed it a Rotom phone: "Use this to take a picture~"

"Mmm~"

Ponpo was full of surprise. Was this Santa Claus? He could actually guess what Santa was thinking.

Mingyou smiled calmly. How could he not know what his child was thinking?

"Mmm~"

Ponpo held up its Rotom phone, aiming the lens at the sunrise. This was its first time taking a picture, but looking at it now, it felt like something was missing…

It turned around and looked at the two Santa Clauses, wanting to take this photo with them to preserve the memories. How could it be without everyone?

"Mmm~"

"..."

Mingyou and Xiaozhao smiled at each other, then squatted down next to Ponpo and gently hugged it. Their Rotom phones automatically flew out, using the sunrise as a backdrop and pointing the camera at the "family of three".

click -

As the shutter clicked, the memory was successfully captured. Ponpo took the phone and happily looked at the photo of herself with the two Santa Clauses.

But for some reason, I always feel like these two really are Mingyou and Xiaozhao, maybe it's just that the photos look different...

Mingyou stood up, suppressing her urge to pat Ponpo's head, and said softly, "Christmas Eve is over, shouldn't we go back?"

"Mmm~"

Ponpo nodded. After having dreamt for so long, it was time for it to wake up. Then it told Mingyou about meeting Santa Claus.

He then returned the Rotom phone. Although he couldn't take the things from his dream with him, he was still very happy to have experienced capturing and recording his memories!

On the way back on the sled, Ponpo, who hadn't slept most of the night, finally couldn't hold on any longer. When they returned to the Beishang Township Manor, it was already leaning against Mingyou, a smile on its lips, and had fallen asleep.

"She's asleep, so cute~"

Xiao Zhao couldn't help but gently touch Ponpo's face, then looked up at Mingyou and smiled, "I feel that if you have children in the future, you will definitely be a very good father who takes good care of them."

"Haha, maybe... but if you change those words slightly, they'd be just as good for you."

"Ha ha."

The two, finally able to relax, joked with each other. Then, Mingyou quietly carried Pengpeng into the room, intending to put it back to rest, while Xiaozhao went to park the frightened deer and the sled in their original positions.

Back in the room, Mingyou gently placed Ponpo on the Magikarp plushie and covered it with a blanket. After watching it affectionately for a while, he took out the Rotom phone he had originally intended to give to the other person and looked at the photo of them together in the album...

Their Christmas Eve is not over yet!

A moment later, they returned to the villa and met up with Xiao Zhao. The two planned to go to the haunted house to check on Santa Claus and hope he was alright.

"You should apologize to them properly."

"Um……"

Just as the two were about to set off, a gentle and kind-faced figure suddenly emerged from beside the Christmas tree, smiling at them: "Haha, no need to go, I'm already here."

"Huh!?"

Seeing Santa Claus appear there unharmed, the two stopped in their tracks, utterly astonished. What was going on? Not only were his clothes spotless, but even his singed beard had been restored?

"I'm Santa Claus, there's nothing I can't do. I already know everything about how you helped me deliver the remaining presents."

Upon hearing this, the two lowered their heads apologetically and replied, "I'm sorry, if it weren't for us..."

"Good children are those who admit their mistakes and correct them. Besides, you spent the whole night making up for your mistakes and ensuring that all the children received their gifts on time. How could I possibly blame you?"

Santa Claus smiled gently, then took out two gift boxes and handed them over, saying, "These are your Christmas presents. It's better to give them to you in person after Christmas Eve."

"what?"

"This gift was originally for you, but I had already checked your names on the list, so I almost didn't give it to you, haha."

Santa Claus burst into laughter. This was his real purpose for coming to the villa. He just hadn't recognized him at first, and by a twist of fate, this farce unfolded.

Xiao Zhao was puzzled by this: "But we didn't write down any Christmas wishes... Besides, we're not kids anymore."

"Christmas wishes don't necessarily have to be written down. Good children will receive gifts; as long as you have the heart, Santa Claus will come!"

With that, he handed the gifts to the two of them and bid them farewell. Before boarding his sleigh and leaving, he looked at them and smiled, leaving them with his last words: "From now on, be happy every day. Whatever your wishes may be, they will eventually come true!"

As the words fell, accompanied by the ringing of Christmas bells, the frightened reindeer soared through the snow, disappearing into the vast snowy landscape with Santa Claus, leaving only a patch of fake white beard sticking on and falling with the snowflakes.

At that moment, Mingyou smiled with relief, finally understanding what was going on.

"To Santa Claus, we're all still children..."

So whether it was Qishu or Nazi, these adults still received gifts.

The two of them thought they were very mature, running around for the Pokémon, but in reality, who isn't a child at heart? At most... they just forgot.

Xiao Zhao now understood this as well, and couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. Then, looking at the gift box in her hand, she asked curiously, "But what kind of gift could it be? I don't even know what I want."

"Me too..."

Filled with curiosity, Mingyou opened the gift box, but the moment he saw what was inside, his pupils contracted and his face was filled with disbelief.

Inside the gift box was a blue-white stone slab, radiating a faint chill; without a doubt, it was an icicle slab!

At this moment, Xiao Zhao exclaimed in surprise. In her gift box, there was a strange ball that gave her a strong sense of familiarity!

"This...is outrageous!"

The two even thought it was a hallucination, but it was indeed real. Perhaps it was just a chance encounter that sparked their desire for the stone tablet and to find their companion, which Santa Claus learned of and brought to them.

"This is absolutely shocking..."

They really liked the Christmas gift, but in their excitement, the fatigue from a long night's work surged back up...

"Let's go and rest first."

"Um."

The two often shared the same ideas and got along very well, but at that moment, Xiao Zhao immediately turned around and shouted, "I'll make breakfast, you make lunch!"

"Ah! You spoke too slowly!"

Mingyou, who was about to say this, could only go back to rest after witnessing the other person's smug smile...

As noon approached, the wind and snow finally stopped, and sunlight streamed through the curtains, falling on the sleeping Ponpo's face.

It slowly opened its eyes, its gaze falling on Mingyou resting on the bed, recalling the incredibly real experience of last night... It really was a dream, but it was still very moving long after waking up.

Ponpo lifted the blanket and sat up very quietly, worried about waking Mingyou, but just then, its hand seemed to touch something.

"Hmm?"

It instinctively turned its head to look and saw a beautifully wrapped green gift box quietly placed next to the Magikarp plushie.

The ginkgo leaf and citrus pattern on it seems to indicate that this is a gift for it...

Curious, Ponpo reached out and took it, only then noticing a postcard on the gift box.

It was exactly the same as the postcard on the gift box it saw when it delivered gifts to children in its dream, and it even had a message for itself on it.

It just felt incredibly unbelievable; it was just a dream it remembered very clearly, and it hadn't wished for any gifts.

With a mixture of doubt and anticipation, Ponpo opened the gift box, and there lay a familiar Rotom cell phone inside.

"Hmm!?"

How is this possible! Why are you here?

Ponpo couldn't understand, and her movements became hurried, so she reached out and took out her Rotom phone.

The moment the screen lights up, the lock screen wallpaper that appears is a photo of it with two Santa Clauses at sunrise on the beach!

This is definitely a photo it took... but why is it appearing in reality, especially as a Christmas present? Could it be...?

Ponpo looked at the sleeping Mingyou, got up and walked over. Looking at the exhaustion on the other's face in her sleep, she seemed to guess something...

Rotom gently cradled the glowing screen of his phone in his arms, a smile spreading across his face, tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks. Whether it was a dream or not, Santa Claus was real... for everyone who still loved him.

"Mmm~"

……

(End of this chapter)