Skipping his daytime "wilderness training" stream naturally left his loyal fan Iono curious and concerned.
Xia Chi didn't hide anything from her. She was the first person he shared the good news of catching Misdreavus with.
Iono: "You actually caught a Misdreavus? Excellent taste! (happy Misdreavus.gif)"
Xia Chi was a little puzzled. I'm the one who caught it, not you. Are you really that invested?
Then he suddenly remembered that Iono had raised a Mismagius herself.
That explained it.
People always felt favorably toward those who shared their interests.
He'd accidentally earned another round of affection points from Teacher Iono.
But Xia Chi no longer deliberately dwelled on that sort of thing. He replied, "I originally wanted to catch a Grass-type Pokémon, but I didn't find a suitable one. Then I unexpectedly ran into Misdreavus. Obviously, I couldn't pass that up."
Iono: "That's some great luck!"
Iono: "But you actually wanted to catch another Grass-type Pokémon? Are you planning to become a Grass-type specialist?"
Not really. I just wanted to complete a synergy bonus.
Xia Chi kept that thought to himself.
Unlike most trainers in this world, Xia Chi didn't believe that sticking with a single type was the pinnacle of training.
While it certainly saved a lot of trouble when raising Pokémon, such teams were far too vulnerable tactically. A type with a natural advantage could easily counter them.
A major reason he wanted another Grass-type Pokémon was that Sprigatito wasn't purely a Grass-type Pokémon. With its Ability, [Protean], it wasn't bound by the limitations of any single type.
Still, it didn't matter if his second Pokémon wasn't a Grass type. Misdreavus actually suited Xia Chi's team-building needs quite well.
Against opponents like Aggron, with extremely high physical Defense but extremely low Special Defense, Misdreavus would have its chance to shine.
After chatting with Iono for a while, Xia Chi endured a grueling journey back to school, transferring from a bus to the subway.
My next Pokémon-the next one absolutely has to be a Flying type I can ride!
That was what Xia Chi thought as he finally lay down on his soft dorm bed.
After lying in bed for a little "wireless charging" to recover his energy, Xia Chi let both Pokémon out.
Misdreavus, which had been resting in its Poké Ball, wasn't remotely as exhausted as Xia Chi. The moment it came out, it darted around the room curiously.
For a Pokémon that had grown up in the wild and never visited the human world, everything in the room was a novelty.
"Misdreavus, this is your home from now on."
Looking at the room, which was noticeably less spacious with another Pokémon living in it, Xia Chi amended, "Well, your temporary home, at least."
And that was with both Sprigatito and Misdreavus being small. If he caught something like a Snorlax or Rhyperior, his dorm room would probably burst at the seams.
Xia Chi rubbed his chin in frustration.
It seemed his most pressing concern wasn't catching a Flying-type Pokémon, but finding a new place to live.
Once the Shanghai Pokémon Cup is over, I'll find a suitable place off campus.
Hmm... compared with raising these two money pits, even renting a place in Shanghai hardly seems expensive.
Adding Misdreavus to the team had Xia Chi feeling like a spinning top, whipped into constant motion.
After the hospital came the Pokémon Center, followed by another trip to the Silph shopping mall.
He couldn't skip his stream, either. He had to earn some formula money for the kids.
By the time he helped one of his Admiral-tier subscribers climb from Cherish Ball tier to Great Ball tier, it was nearly eleven.
What else could he do?
After a long day of work, Master Xia could only sigh, "Thirty years of living like this," wash up, and go to bed.
Xia Chi had fallen asleep, but Misdreavus, which preferred sleeping by day and roaming by night, was wide awake.
It floated quietly beside the window, gazing out at the nighttime scenery.
Although Shanghai University wasn't in Shanghai's bustling city center, dazzling, dreamlike neon lights still shone from the high-rises all around.
The little girl fresh out of the mountains had never seen anything like it. Its clear yellow-orange eyes reflected the mesmerizing lights, brimming with wonder.
"Meow? (Want to go outside and have a look?)"
Sprigatito suddenly jumped up beside Misdreavus, startling it.
It eyed this fellow Pokémon it didn't get along with suspiciously, instinctively assuming Sprigatito was up to no good.
"Myao! (I remember now!)"
Realization dawned on Misdreavus. "Myao! (You're trying to get me in trouble! Xia Chi said earlier today that we weren't allowed out after dark!)"
Sprigatito calmly replied, "Meow. (You remembered wrong. That restriction was for me.)"
Misdreavus thought back carefully. That did seem to be how it remembered things.
Xia Chi had been speaking to Sprigatito when he said that. He hadn't included Misdreavus.
"Meow. (You're a Misdreavus. You naturally like being active at night. Why would Xia Chi stop you from going out?)"
Sprigatito spoke softly, like the serpent tempting Eve to taste the forbidden fruit.
That makes sense...
Misdreavus-now playing the role of Eve-felt increasingly tempted.
Xia Chi is so reasonable. Why would he stop me from going out at night?
"Meow. (I know a place where some really nasty Pokémon live. No matter how much you prank them, Xia Chi won't get angry.)"
The devil kept whispering.
Misdreavus finally gave in. "Myao? (Then I'm really going?)"
No, I can't laugh yet. Hold it in!
Sprigatito did its best to keep a straight face and nodded. "Meow! (Go ahead. Nothing will happen!)"
Misdreavus spun happily in a circle. "Myao! (Then I'm off!)"
Before opening the window and flying out, Misdreavus glanced back at Sprigatito's friendly smile and thought to itself.
Maybe this one isn't so bad after all.
And not long after Misdreavus left the room, Sprigatito followed it onto the windowsill.
Since I have to protect Misdreavus, who insisted on going out to play, I have no choice but to follow it.
Perfectly reasonable, right?
After Misdreavus annoys those Primeape and Mankey with its pranks, I'll have no choice but to help out and beat them senseless.
Also perfectly reasonable, right?
With those thoughts, Sprigatito quietly jumped out of the window, closing it on the way out.
Then it bounded off into the hazy night.
Xia Chi had a dream.
He dreamed that the Fear for his Dark-type synergy was rising wildly, while the system occasionally chimed, [Ding~ Your Pokémon Sprigatito defeated...]
"How strange. I actually had a dream like that. Have I already been molded into the system's image?"
After waking up, Xia Chi rubbed his hair, which was as messy as a bird's nest, utterly puzzled.
Forget it. Maybe I just dreamed about what was on my mind during the day.
Putting it out of his mind, Xia Chi got up and walked over to the two Pokémon's little beds. "Morning, Sprigatito, Misdreavus. How did you sleep last night?"
"Meow."
"Myao."
The two Pokémon exchanged guilty looks, then nodded together in silent agreement.
Why are these two acting so weird?
Still baffled, Xia Chi went to the bathroom, starting another day with his usual stint on the toilet.
He opened the campus forum on his phone, intending to see what had happened at school during his few days away.
Then a pinned featured post made his expression change.
[Breaking! The notorious Primeape Rampage Gang wiped out overnight! Who was behind it?]
No way...
Xia Chi recalled his strange dream last night and the odd way the two little ones had just behaved.
He opened the system to check the battle log.
[.] [Your Pokémon Sprigatito (lv.14) and Misdreavus (lv.19) defeated Primeape (lv.28), gaining 4.7 Fear!] [.]
Xia Chi's face darkened.
So you two went out to fight a boss last night, huh!
Before you continue