You're not allowed to play Pokémon!

Chapter 198 Teacher Yu is indeed righteous yet wicked
Gazing at the petite, solitary figure in a green coat before him, Qingyu's eyes glazed over for a moment.

Evil Phantom, the masked Pokémon.

Its base attribute is Grass.

As a unique existence in this world, even Qingyu is not very clear about the origin of the Egui Peng. He only knows that it appeared about a hundred years ago and came to Beishang Township with the man who carried the mysterious crystal.

At the same time, it is also a "ghost" in the legends of Beishang Township.

But when it was discovered by humans, this Evil Spirit, which was rumored to attack humans indiscriminately with its thorny vines, instead showed a look of terror.

"Boni?!"

Upon noticing Qingyu and the others' gazes, Egui Peng immediately adopted a wary stance, taking several steps back.

As Qingyu realized what was happening and was about to slowly walk over, the crowd that had finished watching the fireworks and was gradually dispersing also noticed its presence.

"It's a ghost! A ghost has appeared!!!"

It's unclear who shouted first, but soon many locals from Beishang Township grabbed their tools and ran over.

"You wicked brat, don't even think about disturbing our Face-Covering Festival!"

"Get out of here! You're not welcome here!"

"If you don't leave now, we're going to take action!"

Emboldened by their numerical advantage, the villagers swore an intimidating tactic as they looked at the figures under the trees in the distance.

Although they didn't know why the "ghost," which hadn't appeared for many years, had suddenly reappeared in the village multiple times during this period, their deep-seated prejudices were hard to shake, prompting them to immediately issue an "expulsion order."

As the local residents took action, many of the tourists who had been quietly observing soon joined in denouncing the "ghosts."

They were unaware of what had happened, seemingly regarding the events that had just occurred as part of the masked ritual.

It's like the "demon-slaying festival" in a traditional festival.

“Boni…”

Stared at by so many menacing eyes and feeling their undisguised malice, Egui Peng's body soon began to tremble slightly.

Even through the huge green grass mask, one could still clearly feel its aggrieved emotions.

They were labeled as "ghosts" even though they hadn't done anything wrong.

Even though they had tried their best to stay away from humans, the man who brought it to Beishang Township with its young cub...

Even the act of helping that man take revenge was described by the villagers as "Sanbao Ban stepping in to help" and "evil spirits invading the village."

Perhaps it's better if I don't appear in front of humans anymore?
but--

“Boni…”

Egui Peng raised his head, his gaze passing through the mask.

Noticing that its gaze was fixed on him, Qingyu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked back.

No, the target of the Evil Spirit isn't me, but...

A statue of the Three Jewels?

Or more precisely, it should be the remains of the Three Jewels buried under the shrine where they are enshrined.
Qingyu suddenly recalled an important plot point about Beishang Township.

The protagonist first encounters the Evil Spirit near the Treasure Plaza, where it is silently observing the statue of the Three Treasures.

Moreover, this is clearly not its first time here.

Judging from the fact that Wu Li's subsequent "Resurrection Fist" directly revived the Three Treasures, E Gui Peng must have noticed the anomaly here long ago, right?

Wu Li's punch couldn't possibly have any supernatural power, so...

It must be related to Momotaro, who has never appeared in the legends but is the mastermind behind all the events, right?

Thinking of this, Qingyu felt a pang of sympathy for the kind-hearted Egui Peng.

Even though the villagers misunderstood them so deeply, and they realized that the three treasures might revive when they were with them, they still kept watch and were on guard at all times.

Despite the risk of being discovered, they still came to Baoban Plaza to confirm the situation.

Evil Spirit, you are so gentle...

"I always felt that something was wrong with this."

Looking at Egui Peng, who had been driven into a corner by the villagers, Zhu Lan frowned slightly.

As an observer, she saw things more clearly.

"Judging from its behavior, it should be clear that it has no ill intentions towards the people in the village."

"But why do these villagers still call it a 'ghost' and even harbor such obvious hostility towards it?"

"If it's just because of some vague legend, that's going too far..."

Qingyu nodded.

"There are indeed many suspicious points, especially regarding the appearance of this ghost, which is almost the complete opposite of what I have seen."

"So, I'm going to give it a hand."

As she spoke, Qingyu had already taken her first step.

"If wearing a mask turns you into a 'demon,' then having one more demon companion shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Zhu Lan was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then quickly smiled knowingly.

She didn't step forward, but silently took out a Poké Ball from her pocket and placed it in her palm, quietly waiting for Qingyu's performance.

Although it might not be good for the Sinnoh champion to cause trouble in Kitakami Township, but...

Grandma Kikuno should forgive my impulsiveness this time, right?

"Boni?!"

Seeing that someone was already approaching him, Egui Peng panicked and was about to turn around and run back to the cave where he always lived to hide.

However, at that moment, she heard a gentle voice.

"Don't worry, Evil Pon, I am your friend."

"Boni?" Even Ergui Peng himself was stunned when no one mentioned this name for a long time, and he stopped in his tracks.

How could this human know his own name?

and……

friend?

Egui Peng turned around and looked at the man who had already put on the Foundation Stone Mask.

The gentle gaze pierced through the mask and looked directly at him, quickly making Ergui Peng realize that he didn't seem to harbor any inexplicable malice towards him like other humans.

As a sensitive and lonely creature, its centuries-long solitary existence has almost made it forget the feeling of being trusted.

A century later, besides that man, another human being stood firmly before him.

“Boni…”

For some reason, Egui Peng suddenly felt like crying, and as if possessed, he slowly walked towards Qing Yu's direction.

One step, two steps.

"Hey, guests over there, come back quickly!"

"Don't be fooled by its appearance, that thing is a vicious ghost!"

"Being with ghosts will bring bad luck!"

Behind them came the angry roars of the villagers.

Qingyu ignored him, her gaze remaining tender as she looked at Egui Peng.

"Boni!"

Ergui Peng shook his head, waving his two small, short hands in front of him repeatedly.

Although he couldn't understand Pokémon's language, Aoba quickly guessed its meaning through its body language.

You should leave now, or you will bring misfortune upon yourself!

My silly Ponpo...

After sighing, Qingyu took two steps forward and, amidst the astonished gaze of the masked creature, stood before it.

Egui Peng felt a warm, large hand touch its forehead. The strange sensation from the caress spread throughout its body like an electric current, causing its body to tremble slightly.

This feeling……

Only when it was a young child would the man who wandered around with it do such a thing.

Egui Peng subconsciously raised his head, met the gentle gaze behind the mask, and suddenly his eyes stung with tears.

Beneath the stone mask, the dark eyes were filled with gentleness and kindness, devoid of any disgust, fear, or hypocrisy.

In that instant, his image seemed to overlap with that of the man who would wear a mask every year and secretly participate in the festival.

“Boni…”

Looking at the large hand the man had extended in front of him, E Guipeng inexplicably reached out his own hand in response.

Upon noticing that the masked man had actually grabbed the "ghost's" small hand, the surrounding villagers quickly erupted in angry roars—

"Even if they are guests, it is absolutely unforgivable for them to get so close to ghosts!"

Among the crowd, Nemo and Ziyu exchanged a glance.

"I always feel that these residents of Beishang Township are a bit too extreme..."

Zi Yu lowered her voice and looked around as she spoke softly.

"Exactly! Why do people harbor such malice towards ghosts!"

Nemo also couldn't understand it, especially after Teacher Qingyu stood in front of the "ghost," she felt even less affection for these residents.

"To use Qingyu's words..."

After carefully considering his words, Piper, who was standing next to the two, spoke slowly.

"These villagers from Beishang Township seem a bit obsessed?"

"That's right!"

Nemo nodded repeatedly, while looking at the figure in front of her who stood firmly beside the "ghost," ignoring countless angry stares.

"As expected, Teacher Qingyu is so righteous; she walked over without hesitation even at a time like this!"

Even though he was wearing a mask, she could still recognize him at a glance. It was their Sunshine Dojo's star, Teacher Qingyu!

Even she couldn't help but feel fear when faced with so many villagers from the north who were more terrifying than ghosts.

But Teacher Qingyu is able to stand right next to the demon, which is so cool!
Nemo's admiration for Teacher Qingyu reached its peak once again.

"That's true."

Zi Yu smiled slightly, interlaced her fingers, and gazed at Teacher Yu's figure with admiration.

Although he can be a bit unserious during his live streams, his willingness to use potentially controversial tactics is a perfect reflection of his personality.

Sure enough, it's because Teacher Yu is so full of positive energy and has absolute respect for every opponent that people always misunderstand him as someone who likes to torture his opponents.

If only Blueberry Academy in the Unova region could have such a teacher who is both exemplary and kind!
Because of Qingyu's appearance, the group of tourists who were influenced by the atmosphere and mistakenly thought it was also part of the festival activities quickly realized what was going on.

The "ghost-hunting team" from Beishang Township, which had been so aggressive and seemed ready to charge at any moment, suddenly lost more than half its members.

Although many villagers were still in a state of impotent rage, they clearly lacked the courage to confront the "ghost" head-on and could only vent their anger from afar.

Just then, an elderly man who was somewhat bald and looked rather old quickly emerged from the crowd.

His identity is clear to both locals and tourists—

The administrator of Emerald Town, or rather...

Town mayor?

(End of this chapter)