Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

Xia Chen suddenly had a whimsical idea, "What do you think about me applying to be an exchange student at Orange Academy?"

He immediately rejected the suggestion, saying, "That's too boring. Free travel is much more fun."

"No way, school is really fun, okay?"

When talking about her studies in Padiya, Mingyi became lively.

"You don't need to put too much effort into the courses at Orange Academy; the real focus is on the [treasure hunt] activities!"

Xia Chen asked in surprise, "Treasure hunting?"

"Yes, treasure hunting."

Mingyi nodded in affirmation, "To freely adventure in the Padiya region, and to discover treasures that belong only to you through encounters and experiences."

“These are the principal’s exact words,” Mingyi added.

"what"

Xia Chen drawled out a long, drawn-out sound as he complained, "It smells strongly of chicken soup for the soul."

"No, you haven't experienced it yourself. This isn't just empty talk!"

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely go and experience it for myself in two months. By the way, have you tamed the Liangjilong yet?"

"Hmph, who am I? Of course I've tamed you! Come out, Frostspine Dragon! Let this country bumpkin see the world!"

With their unspoken understanding, the icy, stagnant atmosphere between them had melted away without them even realizing it.

Amidst laughter and chatter, Xia Chen and Ming Yi walked noisily toward the end of the path.

Two sets of joyful footprints were left in the vast white snow.

…………

Five o'clock in the afternoon, in Xia Chen's living room.

"Everyone, come and meet our new friends!"

After a loud shout, those playing in the yard, those training upstairs, and those resting after their adventure in the spirit world all gathered around curiously.

The new friends are not Mingyi, but the new spirits that Mingyi captured in the Padia region.

Besides her old friend Serperior and the previously seen Cinderace, Mingyi introduced her new partners one by one.

"This is a frog, the one that hatched from the elf egg you gave me when you came back from the Kalos region."

"quack"

The blue frog, wearing a foam scarf, gave a curt reply as a greeting, displaying a cool and aloof demeanor, much like a ninja.

"Then, this is the Earth King, the Padia region form of the Swamp King, with dual attributes of Ground and Poison."

The chubby, brownish-red creature, resembling a small whale, blinked its beady eyes, grinned, and waved its four short little arms beside its body, looking rather honest and simple.

Xia Chen remained silent. Was this the Earth King that Mingyi had once described as being as adorable as herself?

While it's somewhat cute, is it definitely a style that matches my own?

"Finally, this is the Liangjiosaurus."

Like all pseudo-legendary offspring, the Rhyspinosaurus is small, about the same size as the Draco Mesia.

However, its appearance doesn't look much like a dragon; it's more like some kind of frog.

Its temperament is just like a frog's, silly and dull.

However, most of the pseudo-legendary baby giblets look silly. Gible always has its mouth wide open like a fool, and Toro's dead fish eyes don't look very smart either.

Perhaps due to its ice-type nature, the Coolspine Dragon has a somewhat naive and unapproachable air about it.

The curious Doronmesia watched the two elves she had never seen before, and flew around them playfully.

The Earth King was as slow as he was, letting Dorgonmesia bounce around on his broad back without reacting.

But the Frozen Spinosaurus was different; it glared fiercely at the Sheniu Xiaoduolong, as if to say, "Please keep a social distance of more than three meters from me."

Although Dorgonmesia was a bit mischievous, he was also a polite child. Not wanting to make a fool of himself, he went off to play with the Earth King.

…………

Mingyi's return brought life back to the house, which had been quiet for several days.

It sounds a bit strange that Mingyi came right after Cynthia left.

But this feeling isn't bad, is it?

However, unlike Xilona, ​​Mingyi has a home in Zhijiang, so she only visits Xia Chen during the day.

They can freeload meals, play games, or train and battle together at outside training facilities.

Mingyi's main Pokémon are Serperior, Cinderace, and Earthshaker.

After several real-world matches, Xia Chen's assessment of Ming Yi's strength was that she was at the level of the main competition of the Donghuang Youth Tournament, but whether she could even make it was still uncertain.

Although it sounds like Mingyi is a far cry from Xia Chen's championship, it's not that Mingyi is too weak, but rather that Xia Chen is too strong.

Compared to her peers who are around 18 years old, Mingyi's strength can already be considered top-notch.

As for Xia Chen, he exists in another dimension.

It's worth mentioning that, under Xia Chen's influence, Mingyi also became a Pixiv up-master, mainly posting about studying abroad in the Parthian region.

During the winter break, I went back to Donghuang, so naturally I had to film some vlogs about my life in Donghuang for my fans in Padiya.

Naturally, Xia Chen appeared in the shot.

So, Xia Chen, who had just won the championship and had a bit of a scandal with Cynthia, naturally made Mingyi's video go viral.

Of course, most people are not concerned with the actual content of the vlog, but rather with something else: the relationship between Xia Chen and Ming Yi.

As everyone knows, Xia Chen and Xiluona are very close, so close that they have stayed at each other's houses for a period of time.

Although many of Cynthia's fans find it hard to accept, it's clear to everyone that their relationship is more than just that of ordinary friends.

However, just a few days after that live stream, Xia Chen was seen in a video showing a close relationship with another girl.

Although Xia Chen and Ming Yi did not make any outrageous moves or say anything in the video, it was still possible to tell from their expressions and details that their relationship was not simple.

Scumbag!

The onlookers who rushed to the scene commented on Xia Chen in this way.

However, the true relationship between Mingyi and Xia Chen was soon uncovered by online detectives.

Childhood sweethearts, inseparable since childhood, growing up together, Mingyi even frequently appeared in Xia Chen's early videos.

It seems that Xia Chen's behavior wasn't too excessive?

However, some netizens pointed out that although Xia Chen is single, he maintains ambiguous relationships with two women at the same time, which at least earns him the title of "playboy".

In short, he's talented but lacks virtue!

…………

"Xia Chen, they all say you're talented but lack virtue."

Mingyi seemed to be in a good mood today, holding her phone with a smile that never left her face.

Xia Chen pondered for a long time before slowly replying, "Then please thank them for their praise."

At least he's talented, isn't he?

Mingyi was speechless at Xia Chen's reaction. How could this guy be so shameless?

She turned her gaze back to her phone, intending to find a more aggressive comment to mock Xia Chen, but instead saw an unexpected comment.

To be precise, it wasn't the content that was unexpected, but the people commenting on it.

Sinnoh Champion Cynthia: "You played well. We can exchange ideas next time."

When Mingyi discovered this comment, it had already been liked by countless netizens and had become the number one hot comment.

The duplexes below have already stacked up to a thousand stories.

"What does Miss Cynthia mean by this?"

Mingyi was somewhat puzzled and nervous.

After all, she was not only the number one elf in the world, but also his potential rival in love.

There are so many things that can be explained about this "communication".

Xia Chen leaned over to take a look and comforted her, "Don't overthink it. It's just about exchanging ideas on training and combat. She said something similar to me before."

Hmm... thinking about it this way, Cynthia seems pretty much like a "player" too.

That being said, how could Mingyi not take it to heart?

She hovered her finger over the screen, typing and deleting repeatedly, but ultimately didn't post a comment.

"Fine, let's leave it at that."

Mingyi threw away her phone and stared blankly at the tail of the Serpent Lord.

If Cynthia really wants to compete with me for Xia Chen, can I win against her?

Strength, appearance, and help to Xia Chen

I don't have any of these advantages. The only thing worth mentioning is the deep bond we have as children.

That's not necessarily true; in many cases, it might not be a disadvantage.

After all, they've been together for so long, and the novelty has worn off.

So annoying! It's all that jerk's fault!

Unable to find a way to vent her frustrations, Mingyi suddenly stood up, startling Xia Chen, who was sitting on the other end of the sofa playing with the Earth King.

"What are you doing?" Xia Chen had a bad feeling and asked weakly.

"Come here." Mingyi said expressionlessly.

Xia Chen sighed softly, "Don't slap me in the face."

…………

January 15th, sunny.