Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

However, Xia Chen was more concerned about whether he would encounter those familiar figures from his memories.

What would it be like if Shinji, Iris, Alain, Gladion... all the trainers I admired in my past life, with their vibrant personalities and powerful abilities, came together?

Just thinking about it made Xia Chen feel excited.

He thought for a moment and replied, "Okay, I will participate. When will the competition be held?"

Yu Chaohua smiled slightly, "No rush, it'll be in July or August. You can focus on your trip first."

Chapter 241 The Legend of the Little Golden Men of Padia

Xia Chen was tricked into participating in a competition after asking for leave. Although it was voluntary upon closer examination, he was still a little annoyed.

Yu Chaohua, being a seasoned veteran, naturally understood the principle of giving a reward after a beating. After helping Xia Chen register for the World Youth Championship, he smiled and presented the school's reward for Xia Chen's victory in the Donghuang Youth Competition.

The school's rewards were nothing more than bonuses and points, things that could be bought with money, so they weren't particularly important to Xia Chen.

But something is better than nothing.

In particular, the large amount of reward points is enough to redeem the most expensive quasi-god cub in the points shop.

However, Xia Chen still had Little Dragon and the newly hatched Sticky Baby, and had no intention of cultivating a new pseudo-god for the time being, so he gave up on the idea for the time being.

Anyway, the points are there and won't disappear. I'll wait until I get back from Padiya to see if there are any new items on the shelves, or rare and valuable items.

He received a prize from the competition organizers and another from the school, winning the championship twice, which somewhat soothed Xia Chen's frustration.

"By the way, if you're going to Orange Academy, you can go find Principal Claver. He's an old friend of mine, and he'll take care of you."

Before Xia Chen took his leave, Yu Chaohua gave him a parting gift.

Xia Chen nodded to indicate that he understood, and then walked out of the principal's office and headed to the top floor, the office floor for the ghost department teachers.

The administrative building of Kyoto University has eighteen floors, each representing a different attribute.

Whether it's a coincidence or not, the Ghost type happens to fall at the most auspicious number, eighteen...

Not only that, as soon as Xia Chen went upstairs, he felt an unusually gloomy atmosphere.

Despite it being broad daylight, the corridor was eerily dark, with no windows in sight, yet a chilly wind could be felt blowing past from behind every now and then.

Inside the room, faint sounds like a baby crying could be heard, making it seem like the setting of those urban campus legends.

No preparation is needed; this is the perfect location for shooting horror movies.

It's probably Gengar or Mismagius up to their old tricks again...

Xia Chen muttered to himself, but outwardly remained calm as he walked toward Teacher Mo Lan's office.

Having dealt with a Gengar that loved to scare people, he knew that in this situation, the more fear he showed, the more likely he was to be tricked by the ghosts.

Fortunately, the Ghost-type Pokémon here all belong to the teachers, so they won't go too far with their students.

Startled twice by a cursed doll falling from the ceiling and once by Mimikyu crawling out from under his feet, Xia Chen finally reached his destination at the deepest part of the room, Ms. Mo Lan's office, without any major mishaps.

…………

And there it was again, the adorable Gengar, opening the door.

Xia Chen discovered that this Pokémon is a favorite among many Ghost-type specializing trainers, and almost every team includes one.

This is understandable; it's both handsome and capable of fighting, and it's especially convenient in the wild. Not only can it hide in the trainer's shadow to act as a close bodyguard, but it can also stuff things in its belly to reduce the trainer's burden.

If Xia Chen hadn't never met a suitable one, he would have wanted to raise one himself.

"Gengar?"

Gengar tilted its head to ask Xia Chen what he was there for, its chubby body completely blocking the half-open door, firmly guarding the trainer's safety.

Xia Chen nodded politely and smiled, "I am Professor Mo Lan's student, my name is Xia Chen. I'm here to see her about something. You can ask Professor Mo Lan, she should remember me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gengar stared at Xia Chen with its large, blood-red eyes in surprise, as if it had heard of him.

"Gengar!"

The half-open door opened, and Gengar stepped aside, indicating that Xia Chen could go in directly.

It seems that Teacher Mo Lan must have mentioned me privately, but I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing...

Feeling Gengar's cold gaze, Xia Chen felt that things were probably not going well.

That's normal, after all, Mo Lan teacher must have studied the "Ghost Eevee" that I made up back then for a long time.

As a result, Ghost Eevee became Ghost Zoroark, which means that a lot of her research over a long period of time was in vain.

With sincere apologies, Xia Chen followed Gengar into Teacher Mo Lan's office.

It's more like a library than an office.

In the dim light, all you could see were books.

Xia Chen encountered Teacher Mo Lan, whose dark circles resembled smoky makeup, in the "Padia Region Documents" section.

She looked up at the uninvited guest with a sleepy and bewildered expression, and it took her a while to realize who it was.

…………

"Xia Chen?"

From the two short words "Teacher Mo Lan," Xia Chen sensed surprise, delight, doubt, and... a slight hint of resentment.

The word "resentment" might be a bit strong, but it captures Teacher Mo Lan's emotions—like a child who was fooled into believing that Santa Claus really exists and then discovers the truth.

"Teacher, I was wrong!"

Xia Chen bowed ninety degrees in apology and presented the gift he had prepared beforehand: a chibi version of the ghost Zoroark doll.

This was specially commissioned by Xia Chen before he came to Beijing. It might be a bit childish for elementary school students, but it should be just right for Teacher Mo Lan.

"Do you take me for a child? Do you like this kind of childish stuff?"

Teacher Mo Lan's eyes shone, but her mouth remained stubborn.

Xia Chen had his own way of dealing with this kind of arrogance.

He said helplessly, "Teacher, this was specially made for you. If you don't want it, I don't know what to do."

If she were truly angry and didn't want the doll, her answer would definitely be "throw it away." However, Teacher Mo Lan delivered a standard display of tsundere behavior.

She glanced down, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly as she reached out and took the doll.

"I really can't do anything with you, so I'll reluctantly accept it..."

Xia Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Since the apology gift had been accepted, half of the purpose of his visit had been achieved.

The remaining half, naturally, was given to Zoroark himself.

While Teacher Mo Lan was engrossed in playing with the doll, Xia Chen quietly took out the Poké Ball containing Zoroark.

A flash of white light appeared, and a grayish-white humanoid fox demon with a slightly hunched body appeared in the small space.

"Zoroark the Ghost!"

Teacher Mo Lan, hopping and skipping with her doll in hand, looked like a child visiting an amusement park.

…………

"I'm sorry, Professor Moran. I said that before purely for Zoroark's sake. As you know, there are many bad people in this world, and not everyone loves Ghost-type Pokémon as purely as you do."

As the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere.

After using her three-pronged approach, Teacher Mo Lan had completely forgotten her resentment.

After all, the main reason she was angry was Xia Chen's deception, not that Ghost Zoroark was inferior to Ghost Eevee.

"Don't do anything like lying to your teacher again next time."

Teacher Mo Lan spoke as if she were teaching a primary school student not to lie, which also meant that she had completely forgiven Xia Chen.

Xia Chen also satisfied her desire to educate him, nodding obediently like a primary school student.

With the matter settled, Xia Chen relaxed and looked around at Mo Lan's "office environment," with rows of neatly arranged bookshelves reaching the ceiling.

He casually asked, "Do you usually read here when you don't have classes?"

Mo Lan didn't stop her groping hands on the furry Zoroark, and replied, "Yes, the mysteries of Ghost-type Pokémon are endless. My grandmother spent her whole life trying to figure them out, and that's my hobby and the pursuit I've worked on all my life."

"The origins of most Ghost-type Pokémon remain a mystery. For example, Treant is said to have been born from the spirit of a lost and deceased child, but no one has ever witnessed it. And then there's Froslass..."

When talking about Ghost-type Pokémon, Teacher Mo Lan seemed to transform into a completely different person, immediately becoming the most knowledgeable scholar of Ghost-type Pokémon, speaking eloquently.

Perhaps because she was usually withdrawn and didn't have many people to talk to, she would chat idly with Xia Chen whenever she got the chance.

Seeing that Teacher Mo Lan was going on and on like a flood that had burst its banks, Xia Chen quickly interrupted.

"By the way, teacher, I'm going to travel to the Parthian region in a while and won't be able to attend class. I'd like to ask for leave from you."

Mo Lan waved her hand casually and said, "Oh, it's nothing, please go ahead, let's continue talking about the Lone Sword Sheath... Wait, where did you just say you were going?"

Mo Lan, realizing what was happening, paused for a moment, then repeated, "The Padiya region?"

Xia Chen nodded, then asked curiously, "Yes, the Parthian region, what's wrong?"

After a moment's thought, Mo Lan said to Gengar beside her, "Ghost, go and get me that copy of 'The Chronicles of Padia'."

"Gengar!"

The neckless Gengar made a feeble nod, then floated up gently and flew to a relatively high bookshelf, where it took down an old and heavy book.

…………

"Thanks, Gui Gui."

Teacher Mo Lan took the book, turned to a page of the thick ancient book with familiarity, and said, "I happen to be studying the local chronicles of the Parthian region recently. Look here."

Xia Chen looked over curiously and saw a very eye-catching passage on it.

"I have heard many strange tales about the [Treasure Chest Man] in various places. They mostly appear in warehouses or antique shops. Anyone approached by the Treasure Chest Man will become involuntarily obsessed with coins, not for themselves, but to hand them over to the Treasure Chest Man. Once you encounter it, you will be controlled by it and unable to escape. Another version of the legend describes a small man carrying coins on his back, incredibly fast, who will immediately flee if anyone gets too close. I believe this [Treasure Chest Man] is also a type of monster, but it is so well hidden that it is often overlooked as mere merchandise."

Xia Chen nodded to himself. This passage should describe the rare and mysterious Ghost-type Pokémon, the Money-Grubber, from the Padia region.

Because it has no evolved form, no combat ability, and is extremely difficult to capture, almost no trainer would attempt to capture it.

Come to think of it, this book is quite old.

Warcraft... that's what elves were called hundreds of years ago, right?