You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 196 Since the villagers don't cherish it, don't blame me for taking it away!
"Mr. Qingyu, did you see something?"

Noticing that Qingyu had stopped, Danyu quickly turned around and looked in the direction Qingyu was looking.

"Hmm, it seems to be a Pokémon I've never seen before?"

At this point, if Qingyu directly mentioned the Egui Pong, Danyu and Wuli probably wouldn't understand, so Qingyu could only try to hint at it indirectly.

(厄诡椪)

"A Pokémon I've never seen before?"

After pondering for a moment, Danyu suddenly realized what was happening.

"Mr. Qingyu, you wouldn't happen to be..."

"Did you see a ghost?"

"ghost???"

Upon hearing this, Zi Yu was startled and huddled behind Nemo.

The same was true for Gadriya, but she didn't show it as obviously. After swallowing once, she took the initiative to reach out and grab the hem of Zhulan's clothes.

It would be incredibly embarrassing if someone with superpowers were to be found out that they were afraid of ghosts!
"If Ghosts were Pokémon, they would be incredibly strong. I'd love to see one!"

Compared to Ziyu, Nemo was much calmer, and even began to fantasize about having a battle with the "ghost".

"Yes, that's a legend that's been passed down in our Beishang Township for over a hundred years."

After nodding, Danyu continued to recall the relevant information while observing the surroundings.

"It is said that a long time ago, there was a very scary ghost in Beishang Township, which lingered in the back mountain of the village and often frightened people who came into the mountains."

"One day, the demon suddenly went into a rage and came down from the mountain, causing panic among the villagers. Fortunately, the three Pokémon we call the 'Three Treasures' fought with all their might and drove the demon back to the back mountain."

"Therefore, our ancestors regarded them as heroes who saved the village and built the Baoban Square to worship them forever."

"Even tourists visiting Kitakami Township should have already seen many souvenirs related to the Three Treasures, right?"

After listening, Piper nodded.

“There are indeed many, and even the prices are very ‘precious’.”

"..."

Sensing the sarcastic tone in Pai Pa's voice, Dan Yu sighed and nodded.

“The uncles in the village have really gone too far in recent years. If this continues, it will definitely not be a good thing for Beishang Township.”

She was equally angry about this act of damaging her own village's reputation, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

After all, Danyu was just a junior and had no say in the village.

However, this point did make Qingyu look at her with new respect.

Although she was a native of Beishang Township, she did not show favoritism towards her fellow villagers.

"I think this story is a bit strange, isn't it?"

After hearing the story, Zhu Lan had been lost in thought, then suddenly spoke:
"Since this ghost is so powerful and can come down from the mountain to attack humans..."

"Then why didn't it take revenge on your ancestors when the Three Jewels were already dead?"

"Indeed, and why would such a powerful demon live in the back mountain? Logically speaking, if it is powerful enough, there should be many places in Beishang Township suitable for living, right?"

Cattleya then followed up with her own question.

“I noticed this when I was shopping before. The mountain behind the village is bare and there shouldn’t be anything there. It’s probably not suitable for living at all.”

"This……"

Danyu didn't know how to explain it for a moment, so she could only make excuses.

"Anyway, that's how the legend has been passed down..."

Pale words, utterly unconvincing.

Seeing this, Qingyu began to think silently.

Sure enough, even Danyu herself probably doesn't completely believe in the legends about "ghosts," since there are just too many suspicious points.

Even without my insider knowledge, everyone immediately noticed the numerous loopholes, let alone the locals of Beishang Township who had been passing down this story for over a hundred years.

However, since Sanbaoban had already become the face of Beishang Township, and people only believe what they want to believe...

So even knowing there might be some misunderstandings, they still passed it down without question.

Those who raise questions may even face persecution from everyone, so people dare not speak out even if they have doubts...

"Perhaps the true history is completely opposite to the legend."

Qingyu casually mentioned it, which instantly piqued Nemo's curiosity.

"That's right! So, if we want to find out the truth about this history, the only way is to ask that ghost!"

After saying that, she looked at Qingyu with excited eyes.

"Teacher Yu, let's go together to find the ghost's trail!"

Qingyu glanced at Nemo.

If I'm not mistaken...

She didn't care about history or legends at all; she just wanted to see the true power of the "ghost."
However, I was originally planning to try my luck and see if I could meet this poor Ponpo.

He was inexplicably ostracized by the villagers for over a hundred years, and even the man who made the mask for him, like his father, was persecuted to death by Sanbaoban, leaving him to live alone in the terrifying cave.

Despite being an adorable girl who's afraid of being alone, she's been forced to endure centuries of solitude and doesn't even dare to enter the village.

Qingyu felt incredibly sorry for him.

It’s hard, the fist is hard!
"It would be quite interesting to discover the lost truths of history."

Just as Qingyu was reminiscing, Zhulan quickly spoke up as well.

Before becoming the champion, Zhu Lan's main profession was a mythologist, and she was very interested in studying the history of other regions.

"In that case, I'll listen to Zhu Lan!"

Cattleya quickly followed suit and expressed her opinion.

“Me too!” Pipa naturally didn’t need to say anything more, and seeing that everyone except herself seemed to be very interested in “ghosts,” Ziyu could only sigh.

"Okay, then I want to come too!"

Seeing this, Wu Li, who had unknowingly shrunk behind Dan Yu, couldn't help but show a look of longing.

Unlike the others in Beishang Township, he actually had a rather good feeling about "ghosts".

Because ghosts, like him, are "outcasts" in Beishang Township.

But the demons were much stronger than him, so even though he was ostracized by humans, he didn't care at all and even defeated Hoban by fighting three against one!

In his opinion, he was very handsome.

If only I could go with them and see the true face of a ghost...

"..."

After a moment of silence, Danyu shook her head.

"If you want to know about ghosts, you can wait until tomorrow when I take you to see my grandfather. He knows a lot about the history of Beishang Township."

"But Grandpa has to prepare for the veiled face ritual tonight, so he probably won't have time."

"So you should stay in the village tonight and enjoy our Beishang Township's traditional festival celebration—the Face-Covering Ceremony!"

……

Following Danyu's guidance, they arrived at the Pokémon Center in Kitakami Township. While the Pokémon were receiving treatment, Cynthia approached and looked at Aoba.

"You seem to know a lot about the legend of that 'ghost' in Beishang Township, Qingyu?"

Although Qingyu didn't say it explicitly, judging from his behavior, Zhulan always felt that he probably knew some hidden clues.

"Yes, I do have a guess."

Qingyu nodded, explaining as she thought.

It's not very convincing for an outsider like myself to suddenly reveal the unknown century-old secrets of Beishang Township.

But he has a lot to say on another matter.

"Actually, there was something I was curious about before I came to Beishang Township—"

"Why is it that the Taijing ore, which should only appear in Zone Zero, is present in large quantities in the Crystal Pool of Beishang Township?"

Anyone with even a slight understanding of Zone Zero should have noticed this.

Those special crystals in the Crystal Pool are none other than the Primordial Crystal Ore from the Pardia Giant Pit!
Perhaps this is the main reason why Chairman Ye Ci chose to invest in Beishang Township.

"It is said that those who followed Hai Zhe into the Zero Zone for adventure back then are now scattered all over the world."

"So I guess that it was a group of people who came to Beishang Township back then that led to the appearance of the Crystal Pool."

"And the 'ghosts' in the legends of Beishang Township may also be related to them."

Given that the source of terrectilucent, known as the "Treasure of Zero," lies dormant in the deepest part of Zone Zero...

Why does Beishang Township, thousands of miles away, also possess a Crystal Pool and can freely use the Crystallization like Nemo did just now?

The answer may be related to the man who brought the strange creature to Beishang Township.

"I see."

Zhu Lan nodded.

"So now all the clues are focused on that 'ghost'."

"I don't know what it really looks like."

"Don't worry, at least considering that it hasn't entered the village in the last hundred years, it's definitely not a bad person."

Qingyu smiled slightly.

"If you actually encounter a ghost, it might actually be a lucky thing."

Ponpo is so cute! I'm a huge fan of Ponpo for ten years, and I'm here uninvited!
Since the villagers don't cherish it, then don't blame me for taking it away!
(I recommended the elusive and mysterious Ponyo)
……

The time soon came to evening.

It has to be said that these unruly people in Beishang Township are indeed professionals when it comes to making money.

The Masked Festival was originally a festival held to commemorate Sanboban, who stole the demon mask. After a century of development, it has long become part of the local culture.

As the region rapidly embraced modernization, the once annual "Covering Face Festival" quickly became a unique tourist attraction.

It seems that as long as you come here during a holiday, you can experience their annual face-covering festival.

After spending a fortune to buy a kimono with a distinctive style from Kitakami Township, when Aoyu gritted his teeth and walked out of the resort, Takeran had already changed into a kimono and was standing by him with a smile, waiting for him.

Perhaps because she is from Sinnoh, the kimono accentuated Cynthia's beauty, and her long golden hair fell naturally, displaying a noble demeanor.

(Something like this style?)
So handsome?
Qingyu didn't know why, but the adjective "handsome" popped into his mind first, rather than "beautiful and charming".
"let's go."

Seeing Qingyu come out, Zhulan quickly smiled and spoke.

"Please join me for today's veiled-faces festival, Ms. Yu~"

"My pleasure."

Qingyu nodded seriously.

However, his reaction surprised Zhu Lan at first, then she covered her face and chuckled softly.

A sweet, bell-like laugh reached her ears, and only then did Qingyu notice...

Was my reaction just now a little too serious?

But when Zhu Lan puts on a kimono, she really gives off a heroic and noble feeling, like an ancient princess.

As for myself...

After looking herself over, Qingyu decisively put the topic out of her mind.

Just don’t mention it!

Prior notice:
The parts about the origins of the Egui Pong and men are my own creations based on related content; just enjoy them for fun.
However, both the mask of the evil spirit and the crystal pool are related to the crystals the man brought to Beishang Township. They are clearly related to crystallization, so I gave the man an identity, though I'll only mention it once.
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(End of this chapter)