"There's no need to panic."
"I'm here."
Faced with the shop owner's anxious warning, Chen Mo remained completely composed.
His voice was calm as ever.
At the same time, he casually took out two Poké Balls, releasing Pikachu and Gible.
In an instant...
The elderly shop owner recalled the battle that had shocked the entirety of Zhuxia just two days ago.
"That's right!"
"With Teacher Mo here, what do we have to fear from those Pink Demons!"
Meanwhile...
Having caught the key phrase in the old man's words, the entire livestream erupted.
[Pink Demons? Is the old man talking about Jigglypuff?]
[Probably. There aren't that many pink Pokémon to begin with, and we're in the same area where little Gible saw that pink Pokémon yesterday. It's hard not to think of Jigglypuff.]
[Interesting... Did Jigglypuff hold some kind of hypnosis concert in this city? Look how scared the old man is—he's yelling for the doors to be shut the moment he hears they're coming.]
[He said "Pink Demon Legion." That means it's not one or two Jigglypuff causing trouble—it's an entire group? Do Jigglypuff even live in herds?]
To be honest...
Chen Mo was beginning to panic a little.
He had a feeling...
He'd gotten this one wrong.
Even without Eye of Detection, and without obvious anime plot cues...
Half a year of studying and introducing Pokémon hadn't been for nothing.
The reason he'd previously guessed the mysterious Pokémon was Jigglypuff...
Was largely because of the species' Abilities.
Everyone knew...
A Pokémon's Abilities were closely tied to its living environment, body structure, and overall species characteristics.
In the games...
The Jigglypuff line possessed four Abilities:
Cute Charm, Competitive, Friend Guard, and Frisk.
Among them...
Cute Charm and Competitive were standard Abilities.
Friend Guard and Frisk were Hidden Abilities.
Based on the Bureau's extensive research into various Pokémon species...
Chen Mo had reached a conclusion long ago.
Unlike the games, where Hidden Abilities required special methods or locations...
In reality...
Hidden Abilities simply represented rarity.
Generally speaking...
Within a single population, only two or three individuals would possess a Hidden Ability.
Take Chen Mo's Pidgeotto as an example.
Back when it ruled over the Pidgey flock in Hongjing Slope Forest...
It had been the only individual with a Hidden Ability.
Because of that...
Whenever Chen Mo inferred species characteristics from their Abilities...
He ignored Hidden Abilities entirely.
So in Jigglypuff's case...
He'd only considered the two common Abilities.
Specifically...
Competitive.
Although no dedicated research had yet been conducted on Pokémon with Competitive...
The name itself suggested that it likely granted a strong desire to compete.
Nearly every Jigglypuff could sing.
A competitive nature would naturally drive them to constantly compare their singing abilities.
If things went well...
Their singing would improve through friendly rivalry.
But whether human or Pokémon...
Excessive competitiveness often led to friction.
Arguments.
Refusing to admit defeat.
Eventually parting on bad terms.
Which was why...
Chen Mo had concluded that Jigglypuff wasn't the sort of species suited for large group living.
The anime had never shown massive colonies of Jigglypuff either.
...
The commotion outside gradually quieted.
Chen Mo slowly stepped out of the jewelry shop.
The street...
Was completely deserted.
The Pink Demon Legion's reputation here clearly far exceeded anything he'd imagined.
"Pi-pi~!"
"Pi-pi~!"
"Pi-pi~!"
Bright, cheerful cries echoed from the far end of the street.
Standing faithfully beside Chen Mo...
Gengar immediately turned the camera toward the source of the voices.
At the same time...
Gible, standing at Chen Mo's feet, excitedly shouted,
"Gible! Gible!"
(That's the Pokémon I saw last night!)
Ahead...
A procession of adorable little Pokémon marched neatly across the intersection.
Each possessed a round pink body...
Tiny pink wings...
And moved in perfect formation.
The livestream chat exploded.
[T-They're way too cute!!]
[Pink! Chubby! Tiny little wings! As expected of Fairy-types—they're exactly my aesthetic! My inner little girl is screaming!]
[So these are the legendary Pink Demon Legion...? They don't look intimidating at all. Every movement is adorable. Did the shop owner make a mistake?]
[I want one!!]
[Wait a second! Don't get fooled by appearances! Listen carefully—they keep saying "Pi-pi!" not "Puff!"]
[Didn't Teacher Mo originally say there were two possible species? I remember one of them was called... Clefairy?]
[...Wait. I've detected the truth!]
[Teacher Mo? Why aren't you saying anything?]
[HAHAHAHA! Teacher Mo, didn't expect this, did you?]
[Someone sounded awfully confident in the car yesterday: "It's definitely Jigglypuff." Well then... maybe our Pokémon expert isn't quite as infallible as he claims. 😏]
Chen Mo rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"My apologies."
"I got this one wrong."
"As you can see..."
"This Pokémon is Clefairy, not the Jigglypuff I previously guessed."
It wasn't the first time Chen Mo had made a mistake during his educational streams.
The earliest example had been back in Hongjing Slope Forest...
When he'd mistaken a Pidgey for a Pidgeotto before it evolved.
That had been his first major blunder.
Since then...
As his experience grew...
Such mistakes had become increasingly rare.
He sighed.
"Hm..."
"People really shouldn't become overconfident."
"Relying solely on prior knowledge isn't enough."
"I've learned another lesson today."
Just then...
The owner of the jewelry shop cautiously stepped outside as well.
Even standing beside Chen Mo...
His face remained full of fear.
Seeing this...
Chen Mo voiced the question everyone in the livestream wanted answered.
"As far as I know..."
"Clefairy are peaceful, kind-hearted Pokémon."
"So I'm curious."
"Why is everyone here so afraid of them?"
"Teacher Mo..."
"You don't understand."
The old man wore a bitter smile.
"Maybe Clefairy elsewhere are gentle and peaceful..."
"But the ones here..."
"They're demons wearing cute disguises!"
It seemed he'd finally found someone willing to listen.
The old shop owner immediately began recounting the long history between Greenfield City's residents and the Clefairy.
A story of...
Love and hate.
The "love" part came first.
Back when Clefairy first appeared in the city...
The Bureau had only recently officially renamed "monsters" to Pokémon.
It had also released that landmark documentary promoting coexistence.
Influenced by ideals like—
"Abandon prejudice. Humans and Pokémon can live together."
The people of Greenfield City began approaching the adorable newcomers.
At first...
Everything went remarkably well.
The Clefairy weren't just cute.
They were gentle and friendly too.
It hadn't taken long before many residents completely fell in love with them.
Their attitudes toward Pokémon changed entirely.
If things had continued like that...
Greenfield City might have become a model city for peaceful human-Pokémon coexistence.
But then...
After the friendship deepened...
Some younger residents—
And even a number of older ones—
Began entertaining a new idea.
"What if I caught a Clefairy..."
"And raised it at home?"
Soon...
Someone acted on that thought.
Unfortunately...
The Clefairy immediately refused.
Not only that...
Every time anyone proposed becoming their Trainer afterward...
The answer was always the same.
No.
Eventually...
The people understood.
The Clefairy had no intention of belonging to anyone.
Still...
That wasn't really a problem.
This was modern society.
The government constantly emphasized Pokémon's intelligence and extraordinary abilities.
Since the Clefairy refused...
Almost nobody attempted to force them.
Of course...
There were always a handful of stubborn idiots.
Thinking the Clefairy looked harmless...
They tried to coerce them.
The results were...
Disastrous.
Every single one ended up hospitalized.
Thus...
The relationship settled into a delicate balance.
The Clefairy were undeniably adorable.
But since they weren't anyone's Pokémon...
The novelty gradually faded.
People had lives to live.
Slowly...
Greenfield City's Clefairy craze cooled down.
Chen Mo frowned slightly.
"I have a question."
"The Bureau mentioned before that situations like yours should be reported."
"Why didn't you?"
If he'd known about the Clefairy...
Even if he couldn't have come immediately...
He definitely would've made time later.
After all...
Eye of Detection still lacked Clefairy's entry.
Had it not been for Gible's Dragon Fang...
He might have missed such a perfect opportunity.
"I only heard recently that the city government finally reported the Clefairy to the Bureau."
"The Pidove and Tranquill in the square..."
"They're here because of that."
The old man suddenly looked embarrassed.
"As for why we didn't report them before..."
"Well..."
"We all hoped..."
"One day..."
"The Clefairy might change their minds."
Chen Mo understood immediately.
The townspeople had feared...
That if the Bureau arrived...
The Clefairy might be relocated elsewhere.
Unlike the Pancham that had settled permanently in Cangqing Town...
The Clefairy here were different.
They never became deeply attached to Greenfield City.
Every morning they'd enter town.
Every evening...
They'd gather together and disappear back into the mountains.
Their relationship with the city...
Was complicated.
Nothing like Pancham's bond with Cangqing Town.
And according to Bureau regulations...
If the Clefairy themselves wished to leave after being partnered or relocated...
The Bureau would respect that decision.
For many Greenfield residents...
That outcome would've been unbearable.
But now?
The shop owner's opinion had clearly changed.
"The farther those freeloading Clefairy go... the better!"
Why?
That story began one month ago.
As the Pikachu Cup progressed...
Pokémon battles became the hottest entertainment across Zhuxia.
Greenfield City's residents were no exception.
Captivated by the incredible matches...
People gradually forgot about the local Clefairy.
Even the daily feeding sessions became less and less frequent.
"These greedy little monsters..."
"Once nobody was feeding them anymore..."
"They started stealing from pedestrians."
"And from nearby shops."
"At first they were careful."
"But later..."
"One grocery store owner realized merchandise was disappearing far too quickly."
"He checked the security cameras."
"And discovered it was the Clefairy."
"He confronted them."
"They denied everything."
"Then the next day..."
"They quietly came back and stole more."
The old man gnashed his teeth.
"Teacher Mo."
"Tell me honestly."
"Aren't those Pokémon complete little villains?"
Chen Mo's expression immediately turned serious.
"Have they ever attacked anyone?"
The old man shook his head.
"No."
"At least there's that."
"The little brats only steal."
"They don't hurt people."
"I see."
Chen Mo nodded thoughtfully.
"One more question."
"When you used to feed them..."
"Was it only food?"
"No."
The old man shook his head again.
"At first we mostly gave snacks."
"But the Clefairy seemed to have their own preferences."
"They actually liked all sorts of other things even more."
"Understood."
"Thank you."
An idea had already begun taking shape in Chen Mo's mind.
By this point...
The entire Clefairy procession had already disappeared down the street.
Then the old man suddenly remembered something.
"Teacher Mo!"
"Didn't the last few Clefairy push two enormous wooden carts?"
"They did."
The old man's blood pressure instantly skyrocketed.
"Those little beasts!"
"So they've stopped pretending now?"
"They're bringing giant boxes to rob us in broad daylight?!"
"What a bunch of shameless little monsters!"
"Not necessarily."
To the old man's confusion...
Chen Mo slowly shook his head.
Because he clearly remembered...
Inside those large wooden crates...
He'd seen Berries.
Quite a lot of them.
Judging by how full the crates already were...
They had been packed to the brim...
Long before the Clefairy entered the city.
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