Pokémon: Starting as a Farmer Instead of a Trainer

Chapter 228 Midnight Horror, The Network World of Rotom on Mobile (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Peony and Ralts made a deal. After Mingyou bought the Speaker Squirrel Man figure, Ralts also took out a Dolphin Man figure from his bag.

The craftsmanship is also very exquisite, but this one can still be bought online. The Speaker Shrimp Warrior figure is a rare, discontinued model released a few years ago, so she played a little trick from the beginning to fool newcomers to the otaku community.

Unfortunately, Ralts was so naive that even she felt a little guilty... The little guy immediately fell in love with the Dolphin Man figure after seeing it in a punching pose and agreed to exchange figures with Botan.

Mingyou watched with a smile, but upon closer inspection, she felt that something was not quite right. At first, Mudan had planned to give them this figurine directly so that they would give up the Speaker Squirrel Warrior figurine, right?

But now he's paying to buy it in exchange...

"Why does it feel like I'm losing money no matter how I calculate it?"

Although Ralts lost money on the figure, it unexpectedly became friends with Botan. They have similar personalities and share common interests. The only difference is that Ralts isn't an Eevee fan; it prefers Naruto.

Peony, who was happy to accept the figurine, then noticed that Mingyou was still there. So she pushed up her glasses and said softly, "Oh right... I don't think I've told you my name yet. You can just call me Peony."

"My name is Mingyou."

"Mingyou? Why does that sound familiar... Never mind, I can't remember, my head hurts."

Peony gently shook her head, clearly not wanting to use her brain. She was already tired enough from work every day, so she preferred to relax.

Just then, a cell phone rang.

Bui~ Bui~

"Um?"

Peony was slightly taken aback. Her Rotom phone, which had an Eevee phone case on it, flew out. It was someone else who had answered the call. After seeing the contact's name, a smile instantly appeared on her face as she answered the call.

He then suppressed his joy and said with a smile, "Xiao Qing~ I haven't seen you for a month since we came back from the Padia Pit."

"Where did that pinched sound come from...?"

Mingyou mentally scoffed, while simultaneously noticing Xiaoqing's name and the mention of their return from the Padia Pit... Interesting~

He pretended to admire the scenery, but was actually eavesdropping...

"I'm in Nimbus City right now, and I barely managed to escape from Yaji... Let's meet at the Nimbus Gym? Okay, I'm coming right now!"

Seeing her friend after so long, Mudan was unusually excited, but just to be safe, she still asked in a low voice, "Am I all alone?"

"..."

"Okay! I'll be right there!"

Having received the answer, Peony was ready to set off immediately.

She then exchanged contact information with Ralts, saying that the convention was still open the next day and they could come together then, before jogging away.

Watching her retreating figure, Mingyou felt a chill run down her spine: "Is this still just pure friendship? Even with someone of the same sex… she's a succubus!"

"Ralu~"

Ralts was overjoyed, clutching her Dolphin Man figure. Most importantly, she'd made a friend today who shares the same interests!

Seeing that it was happy, Mingyou didn't say anything more. Let's have some fun today. Before Xiaoqing contacts me, let's focus on investigating Zhenyi's matter!

That evening, back in the quiet and somewhat unsettling neighborhood, Mingyou lay in bed after taking a shower, reflecting on everything that had happened that day. The feeling of having no clues at all was truly unbearable.

And so, just as he was drifting off to sleep while pondering his problem, his Rotom phone screen suddenly lit up!

The annoying screen flickering sound instantly woke him from his sleep!

"!!!"

Mingyou, on her deathbed, sat up abruptly and quickly looked at her Rotom phone beside her pillow. Sure enough, just like the night before last, there was a new text message.

"You want to try again after failing?"

Knowing that the disappearance might be related to text messages from Rotom's phone, Mingyou is naturally no longer as vigilant as before.

He clicked on the text message and found that the content was almost exactly the same as what he had seen the day before yesterday. It still involved clicking a link to see the person destined for him.

"Then let me try again!"

Mingyou sat on the bed, quietly waiting for midnight to arrive. He had a guess in his mind that the reason why nothing happened last time might be related to Ralts' sudden appearance, which interrupted the other party's spellcasting.

So this time he'll stay here alone and see what happens in the end!

Time passed slowly, and soon it was midnight. As the countdown ended in the last second, his heart skipped a beat.

Looking at the increasingly flickering screen, Mingyou took a deep breath, reached out again, and gently clicked the mysterious blue link. Just like last time, the entire Rotom of the phone seemed to break down.

The only difference is that this time, amidst the flickering screen, a pair of scarlet eyes that seemed to have been waiting for a long time suddenly lit up!

"Dream!"

"Wh...what!?"

Hearing the shrill laughter, Mingyou instinctively threw her Rotom phone aside, but it was too late!

A sudden storm erupted from the phone screen, lifting him high into the air. Before he could react, a wave emanated from the screen, and a pair of dragon wings, like hands, gripped him tightly…

The dream demon... no, it was the Winged Demon, which actually passed through the screen of the phone's Rotom and appeared directly in Naruto's room, successfully capturing him!

"Dream~"

It's definitely faster this way!

That way I can keep you by my side forever!

Zhenyi grabbed Mingyou and was about to shove her into the still-flickering Rotom phone.

Such a small screen shouldn't even be able to fit a caterpillar, but Mingyou could feel a powerful suction force pulling her in tightly. Clearly, this was no joke!

The mystery has been solved...

Regarding the question of how those trainers disappeared, Naruto finally learned the truth: they were simply captured and put into a phone!

but……

Mingyou didn't question Zhenyi about why he did such a thing. Instead, she calmed herself down and said softly, "Can we talk? I'd like to know about your experiences over the past few years."

"Dream……"

Upon hearing this, the previously frantic Zhenyifa seemed to calm down a bit. No matter what it had become, it had still lived with Mingyou's family of three for so many years, and its feelings for them would not change.

Just as it began to hesitate, wanting to hug Mingyou and tell her about its experiences over the years, the door was suddenly kicked open, and Ponpo rushed in as if catching someone in adultery, holding a thorny vine club!

"Mmm!"

Don't hurt Naruto!

"Don't do it!"

Mingyou tried to stop them from fighting, but Zhenyifa, who had just calmed down, reverted to its previous state after seeing Ponpon and continued to stuff Mingyou into the Rotom phone.

Noticing something amiss, Ponpo forcefully threw the thorny vine stick, which struck Mingyou and sent him flying out of range. Knowing that he couldn't take Mingyou away, Zhenyifa glared at Ponpo with resentment and chose to retreat.

Watching Zhenyi disappear into the phone's Rotom and the phone screen gradually return to normal, Mingyou clutched her chest and got up... What kind of scene was that? It was a complete carnage!

"Mmm!"

Ponpo looked worried and quickly stepped forward.

"It's just a minor fatal wound, it's nothing."

Mingyou waved his hand, picked up the phone Rotom, his expression heavy, not understanding why Zhenyifa would do something like capturing trainers... Could it be that an evil organization was behind it?

Why catch trainers instead of Pokémon? It can't be the Hypnos' doing, can it?

After pondering for a long time, he felt it was necessary to take the initiative to contact Xiaoqing, inform her of these matters, and then exchange the information they each possessed.

Ignoring his injuries, he immediately messaged her. Even though it was the middle of the night, Xiaoqing replied quickly: "Let's meet at the Brewing Light Dojo tomorrow morning!"

Nothing happened that night, and Mingyou also spent almost no sleep. He didn't disturb Xiaozhao's rest or ask her to comfort him, since it was his own business.

The next morning, he rushed to the Niangguang Dojo in the city center.

In front of the dojo, which was not open for business, he saw Gu Leton and Xiao Qing eating sandwiches, and Mudan was also there.

Upon noticing Mingyou, Mudan finally understood why the name sounded so familiar. No wonder he casually made expensive fruits into dried fruit to eat as snacks; he simply didn't lack any.

"What's wrong?"

Mingyou noticed her strange gaze and couldn't help but feel puzzled. Peony replied with a hint of resentment, "Why didn't you tell me you were that rich bastard sooner? Otherwise, I would definitely... no, it's nothing."

"???"

Mingyou was full of questions. After greeting Xiaoqing and Guletun, he looked at the closed Brewmaster Gym and asked, "Has Qishu not returned yet?"

"She was caught by Ye Ci for slacking off at work and even dragging Xiao Qing, who had just become a champion, into doing live streams to ride her popularity. She's getting a scolding in Zhuotai City now, and she deserves it."

Peony spoke softly, with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Let's put this aside for now."

Xiaoqing smiled somewhat awkwardly, then coughed twice and asked, "You sent a message last night saying you were almost pulled into the Rotom on your phone by some force?"

"That's right. Although I don't know the principle behind it, and you probably won't believe me if I tell you, I saw Pokémon come out of it with my own eyes!"

Mingyou spoke earnestly, but Mudan's expression clearly showed disbelief. After all, she was a hacker, currently responsible for maintaining the cybersecurity of the Padilla Pokémon League.

After listening, Xiaoqing gently stroked her chin, pondered for a long time, and said, "Although I don't want to believe it either, Senior Pipa and Senior Nemo... I'm afraid they've simply disappeared!"

"Huh!?"

"I went to ask Nemo's father some questions yesterday, and he mentioned something in his words, which is why I came to find you..."

Xiaoqing looked at Mudan, who instantly remembered and replied in surprise, "You mean... the Rotom mobile network world!?"

……

(End of this chapter)