Growlithe Would Shake Its Head at This

Although today was already the last day of the Pear-Picking Festival, plenty of people still came to Ethereal Mountain for fun.

Every so often, trainers could be seen riding Pidgeot or other Flying-type Pokémon across Cloud Marsh Lake.

While Pokémon carrying people through the air was restricted in the city, no one really cared out in the suburbs.

Xia Chen watched those dashing trainers enviously, then lowered his head to glance at Eevee and muttered to himself.

"I wonder if there's an evolution called Flying Eevee."

"Vee?"

Eevee scratched her head with her little paw, thinking that there would only be hope after the eruption of Terastal Energy much later on.

Setting aside that wild fantasy, Xia Chen handed his ticket to the Mr. Mime at the gate and led Eevee into the Ethereal Mountain scenic area.

Although Ethereal Mountain was merely a mountain on an island in the middle of a lake, it covered quite a large area and was also the highest point within Zhijiang, this Jiangnan city.

Though it was only a little over five hundred meters tall.

Still, the mild climate made this land exceptionally pleasant for both humans and Pokémon.

Xia Chen, Eevee, and the other trainers and Pokémon in the same group followed behind the Pear-Picking Festival staff, listening carefully as they explained the rules for the event.

"Everyone is free to pick any Berries in the scenic area. If you don't want to take the Berries you pick home, you may also sell them to us."

Xia Chen was speechless. I have every reason to suspect that you only came up with this event because you were too lazy to pick the Berries yourselves.

With a thousand-yuan ticket, there was no way to earn his money back without picking Pear Berries.

And how could the scenic area not know where the Pear Berries were or how many there were?

In other words, not only did he have to pay an entrance fee, he also had to work for them—and afterward, he would have to praise the place for being fun!

Whoever came up with this event was a marketing genius. They should go find a utility pole and hang themselves!

Xia Chen grumbled inwardly, but following the Donghuang custom of "since I'm already here," he decided to let go of his utilitarian mindset and enjoy the trip.

The guide continued, "This year's Pear-Picking Festival has also added a fun treasure hunt. We hid some Pokémon items and the like in advance, so make sure to pay close attention to unusual places in your surroundings!"

"Lastly, there is a clear boundary between the scenic area and the Wild Pokémon Reserve. Please cherish your lives. Once you cross it, the scenic area will bear no responsibility."

Hmm. So this was the colorful and entertaining activity?

How very interesting!

Xia Chen turned his camera toward a Growlithe that kept shaking its head and smiled faintly.

This was great footage. It showed just how absurd this event was—Growlithe would shake its head just listening to it.

After leading them to the entrance of the forest, the staff turned back. From here on, the visitors were free to pick Berries on their own.

Xia Chen grabbed a basket and prepared to head inside.

"Vee!" Eevee tugged on Xia Chen's pant leg and pointed at herself.

"You want one too?"

Xia Chen found it rather amusing, but he still took a small cloth bag that could not hold more than a few Berries and slung it diagonally across Eevee's body.

Since they had come out to have fun together, Eevee needed to feel involved too.

Once he had taken care of that, one human and one Eevee entered the lush forest.

Most of the trees in the forest were ordinary trees.

Berries contained abundant energy, so Berry trees required more nutrients to grow than ordinary trees.

Thus, even in a forest with tens of thousands of trees, there were not that many Berry trees.

What was even more frustrating was that the Pineapple Berries around the outskirts had, unsurprisingly, all been picked by earlier visitors.

Xia Chen looked up at a Skwovet plucking the final Pineapple Berry from this tree and could only sigh.

"Vee—"

Eevee pointed deeper into the forest. Her meaning was obvious.

How could they find Berries without venturing deep into the woods?

After thinking it over, Xia Chen agreed with Eevee's suggestion.

Since ancient times, Pokémon injuring people had not been uncommon, but as long as they did not trespass on a Pokémon's territory, nothing should happen.

Besides, humans had already developed half this mountain quite thoroughly, so there should not be much danger.

The other people traveling with them seemed to share the same idea. None of them lingered around the outer edge of the forest, and Xia Chen followed them in.

Since he was also filming a vlog, Xia Chen did not hurry onward. Instead, he leisurely filmed the scenery as he led Eevee deeper inside.

Though it was an artificially developed scenic area, its natural landscape had been preserved remarkably well, and many gentle, people-friendly Pokémon lived here.

It was just that sometimes, the Pokémon could be a little too friendly.

Xia Chen picked up a Nickit that was rummaging through his backpack and scolded it. "Shoo, shoo! You're young and perfectly able-bodied. Why not do something decent instead of stealing and sneaking around?"

"Nick?" The Nickit, whose face was practically written with cunning, now looked utterly bewildered.

You humans call us Nickit, and now you won't let me steal things?

Stealing is written into my DNA!

After rattling off a lengthy lecture, Xia Chen finally let go of the Nickit, which had nearly been reformed by his words.

By then, he had gradually become separated from the crowd, and there was no longer a single person in sight around him.

Ethereal Mountain was enormous—so enormous that climbing from its base to its summit took an entire day.

This forest lay at the foot of Ethereal Mountain, stretching across the scenic area to the south and the Wild Pokémon Reserve to the north.

If he wanted to avoid going home empty-handed on the final day of the Pear-Picking Festival, heading north was undoubtedly necessary.

With the sun already hanging high overhead, Xia Chen finally found the first Berry tree that still had Pineapple Berries on it.

This Berry tree was especially tall. Perhaps that was precisely why it had escaped the clutches of those who came before him.

He had to admit that although he knew these things were not worth much, the sight of the golden fruit still brought a smile to Xia Chen's lips.

Perhaps it was the long search that made this moment's reward all the more moving.

"Eevee, go!"

The Pineapple Berry tree was tall, and Xia Chen could not climb trees, so he could only trouble Eevee.

"Vee!"

Climbing trees was something Eevee had learned not long after hatching from her egg, much less now that she had undergone training and was growing stronger by the day.

In two quick movements, Eevee climbed the seven- or eight-meter-tall Pineapple Berry tree.

Even the slender branches could not stop her.

Eevee lightly set all four paws on branches thinner than her own little paws, then began running across them as if she were walking on level ground.

Watching from below, Xia Chen was frightened out of his wits. "Eevee, slow down. There's no rush."

"Vee~ Don't worry, I'm steady~"

Her voice drifted down from the tree, followed by a Pineapple Berry larger than Xia Chen's fist.

No, judging by that color, it was a Golden Pineapple Berry!

Xia Chen happily picked it up and placed it in his basket. If he got a few more, he might really earn back the ticket price.

"Vee~ Here comes a Pineapple Berry~"

Another Golden Pineapple Berry came crashing down. Though it was a little smaller than the first, it was still worth over a hundred yuan.

"Vee~ Here comes little Eevee~"

Eevee's voice came again. Xia Chen looked up, waiting for more money to fall from the sky, only to discover that what was falling was a brown-and-cream ball of fluff.

It was Eevee!

Xia Chen had not expected Eevee to be so bold, but fearing that she might get hurt, he hurried to the landing spot and caught her.

The immense gravitational force nearly buckled Xia Chen's arms. Fortunately, humans in this world were extraordinarily resilient; otherwise, Eevee might have been fine while he ended up injured first.