Pokémon: Did you play Pokémon today?

Chapter 303 Masked Man: Did you just... see a green Pokémon?

The map of the strange tree is ridiculously short.

Without even finishing three sentences of preamble, he revealed his true intentions and extended an invitation.

"Compare?"

The mysterious Pokémon tilted its head slightly, seemingly understanding the goodwill in her words.

It flew closer gracefully, circled the little tree once, and then affectionately nuzzled her cheek.

Just as Qishu thought it had accepted its invitation, its heart pounded with excitement, and it was about to take out its Poké Ball to prepare for the "easiest legendary capture battle in history".

After rubbing against her mysterious Pokémon, he suddenly and without warning turned around lightly!

With a gentle flap of its wings, it transformed into a faint green streak of light and flew at an astonishing speed into the deeper reaches of the forest without looking back!

"Hey? Wait! Don't go!"

Qi Shu had no time to react. By the time she controlled the little Qi Shu to chase after it, the green light had already disappeared into the layers of tree shadows, leaving no trace.

"Aaaaah! How did it fly away?! I haven't even thrown the ball yet!"

Looking at the empty forest, Qishu let out a frustrated and regretful scream.

This scene caused the live stream chat to go crazy with anxiety.

Comments expressing "heartbreak" and "regret" flooded the screen.

"Qi Shu, what are you doing, Qi Shu! What are you spacing out for! Keep chasing!"

"It rubbed against you! It clearly likes you! Hurry up and throw the ball! Even if there's only a 1% chance of catching it, you have to try!"

"Kiki-chan, you missed your chance to become a legendary trainer!"

"Was that... an escape? Or was this just a special event that triggered a longer storyline?"

[It must be a special event! Teacher Xianyu's game, how could it be so easy for you to get a legendary item for free at the start?]

This is definitely a long-term foreshadowing!

"Strange Tree! Quick! Remember these coordinates! Remember this Pokémon's appearance! Green, small, can fly, like a leaf and a wind sprite!"

Accompanied by a barrage of urging comments, Qishu finally snapped out of his daze.

Immediately, he controlled the little tree and took off after it in the direction where the Pokémon had disappeared!

Parting the dense foliage, we passed through the tangled vines.

She chased him all the way into the depths of the forest.

As she rushed out of a thicket, a bright and open view opened up before her.

Ahead was a clearing in the woods, completely empty except for a few rays of sunlight filtering through the tree canopy and a few clumps of wildflowers; there was no trace of the mysterious Pokémon.

"Ah~ I lost them————"

Qi Shu looked dejected, like a deflated Pikachu.

"Waaaaah—my legendary Pokémon—my adorable little green creature—"

But soon, the anchor's dedication and indomitable spirit rallied her.

She clenched her little fists, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"No! I can't give up like this!"

"Since it appeared here and even approached me on its own initiative, it means we are destined to meet! It's fate's arrangement!"

"I must find it! I'll abduct it—cough cough—and invite it into my team!"

"Just you wait, I, Qishu, swear in the name of becoming the strongest Electric-type streamer in the future Padia region, I will definitely find it!"

Unwilling to give up, the strange tree manipulated the little strange tree to search the open space carefully several more times.

I parted every suspicious patch of grass and looked up at the branches of every big tree.

Then----

Then there is no more.

Reality proves that being a teenager is useless, and effort doesn't necessarily guarantee a return.

Qi Shu found no clues about the green figure, and a deep sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.

"Ah~ I lost them~"

She let out a dejected groan, all her energy drained away, her shoulders slumped, and her voice trembled with a pitiful sob.

"It's all my fault, I scared it away, I'm sorry————"

Her voice trailed off, filled with self-reproach.

Consequently, the game's background sound effects also become clearer.

It was the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the treetops, and—a rustling sound, like something was moving through the bushes.

Qi Shu's heart, which had sank, instantly jumped again!

She immediately straightened her back, focused her mind, and manipulated the little strange tree to suddenly turn in the direction from which the sound came!

At the edge of the clearing, a tall, dense thicket was visibly trembling, as if something was slowly crossing it from the other side.

"Hehe~ I knew it!"

Qishu's expression changed drastically, revealing a slightly smug smile as he said to the live stream viewers, "It didn't really abandon me! It's definitely playing hide-and-seek with me! Yes! That must be it! The Trial of a Legendary Pokémon!"

She gripped the handle tightly, ready to pounce on the green figure as soon as it appeared to express her sincerity.

The bushes were separated.

However, what came out of there was not the cute little green thing she had been longing for.

Instead, it was a human figure completely shrouded in a large, old black robe.

The robe almost dragged on the ground, completely covering the limbs, and the face was covered by a strange, pure white mask.

The only striking feature was the long, messy hair that cascaded down from behind the mask.

"N, NPC?"

Qishu was completely stunned, his brain unable to process the situation before him.

"How could there be an NPC dressed like that in a place like this?"

She did encounter NPCs on the main road, but they were all friendly passersby who provided basic guidance; she didn't even run into a proper trainer rival.

This is deep in the forest!

If we were to add NPCs, they should be things like trainers camping or researchers observing the ecology, right?

What's with this mysterious character who seems to have stepped right out of a horror movie set?!

Before she could recover from her shock, another unexpected event occurred!

Centered on the black-robed, masked man, a grayish-white mist suddenly emanated from the surrounding trees and spread rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the clearing in the woods and the surrounding area were shrouded in a thick fog!

Visibility dropped sharply!

Then the masked man spoke slowly in a hoarse voice that made it impossible to discern his age or gender, asking his first question.

"Masked Man: Did you just—see a green Pokémon?"

Upon hearing this!

Qi Shu's heart skipped a beat as all the clues came together!

This mysteriously appearing masked man has a clear goal: he is also searching for that green Pokémon!

Moreover, the way he appeared, and this eerie fog—

This is definitely not some ordinary incident involving a passerby!

The disappointment was instantly replaced by immense curiosity and excitement!

"Did I trigger a hidden storyline?!"

Her eyes shone brightly as she eagerly boasted to the live stream viewers, "Heh heh! I knew it! I knew there was something hidden in this forest! You guys didn't believe me before! Teacher Salty Fish really did bury something!"

The comments section was equally surprised by how things unfolded.

"Not sisters! There's actually a hidden storyline?! I thought it was just lucky to stumble upon an unknown Pokémon Easter egg!"

"From a chance encounter with an unknown Pokémon to triggering a mysterious NPC's probing questions—this plot chain is quite interesting!"

"This masked man is so high-class! He came right up and asked me directly, and even blocked off all escape routes with mist. It's obvious he's not letting anyone get away easily!"

"Since it's involved in the plot, this green Pokémon's identity is definitely not simple! Maybe it has some connection with this gloomy masked man?"

"I have a bad feeling—Kiki-chan, something's wrong, let's get out of here! This NPC doesn't look like a nice guy—"

Qi Shu smugly withdrew his gaze from the barrage of comments and looked back at the increasingly eerie and unpredictable masked man in the mist.

She did not answer the other person's question immediately.

The reason is simple—she doesn't know whether the other party is a friend or foe.

This outfit, this stage presence, this atmosphere—

It doesn't look like they're inviting that Pokémon for tea and a chat at all.

After thinking for a few seconds, Qishu decided to play dumb and test the other party's reaction and information.

"A green Pokémon?"

She manipulated the little tree to make a confused, thoughtful expression, and asked, "What exactly does it look like? There seem to be quite a few green Pokémon in this forest—"

To increase credibility and dispel any doubts in order to extract more information, she deliberately added, "I did see a few Pokémon on my way here, but I don't know which one you're referring to—could you describe it in a little more detail?"

Faced with her question, the masked man remained silent.

He stood there quietly in the thick fog, his gaze behind the mask seemingly piercing through the mist and landing on the little strange tree.

A few seconds passed in silence.

Just as Kiki was feeling uneasy, the masked man finally spoke again, his voice still steady.

But the surrounding mist seemed to be under command, and began to surge more actively, even slowly spreading towards the little strange tree.

"Masked Man: Did you just—see a green Pokémon?"

He repeated the exact same question, without changing a single word.

This time, the sense of pressure in his tone increased dramatically!

"This fog is strange—is he trying to trap me with it?"

Qishu sensed something was wrong and tried to control the little Qishu to retreat and escape the increasingly thick fog.

But all around were swirling gray-white fogs, making it impossible to discern directions and leaving no way to escape!

Just as she was contemplating whether to force her way out or try to dispel the fog.

The chrysanthemum leaf on Little Wonder Tree's shoulder jumped down and stood in front of her!

The huge leaf on its head began to swing rapidly, slightly dispersing the dense fog that was approaching it!

"Chrysanthemum leaves!"

Qi Shu was stunned. She never expected that this obedient little guy who had followed her all the way would take the initiative to protect her at such a critical moment!

A warm feeling and courage welled up in my heart instantly.

She didn't waste the opportunity created by the chrysanthemum leaves. Observing the direction of the mist that was disturbed by the airflow, a flash of inspiration struck her!

"I understand! Chikorita! Use Rapid Leaf Blade! Target—that masked man!"

Qi Shu made a decisive command, wanting to test the waters with an attack or force the opponent to reveal a weakness.

The chrysanthemum leaf gathers its strength and leaps, its top leaves shimmering with light.

Several sharp green blades shot out from the air with a whooshing sound, heading straight for the black-robed figure standing motionless in the mist!

However, what happened next stunned both Kiki and the audience.

The flying leaf dagger passed through the masked man's body without any hindrance and then disappeared into the mist behind him, causing no damage.

It didn't even cause a ripple in the fabric of her robes.

"Just as I thought!"

Qi Shu let out a soft exclamation of surprise, confirming his suspicions!

The live stream was filled with question marks in the chat.

She decisively abandoned her plan to continue the attack, and controlled the little tree to take a step forward and pick up the somewhat bewildered Chrysanthemum Leaf because her attack had missed.

"Let's go!"

She spotted a direction where the fog was relatively thin and dashed towards it!

The masked man in the fog remained in place, making no move to pursue her, though his mask seemed to slightly turn in the direction she had fled.

The strange tree dared not look back and ran for its life.

As the distance increased, the surrounding fog indeed thinned out, and the outlines of the trees became clear again.

Finally, after she had rushed a distance, the surrounding fog completely dissipated.

Sunlight streamed through the leaves again, and the forest returned to its normal appearance.

"We did it! We escaped!"

The strange tree manipulated the little strange tree to stop, its face full of pride at having solved the puzzle.

Looking at the screen filled with "???" and "What's going on?" comments in the live stream, she smiled and explained, "It was an illusion! What we just encountered was most likely an illusion!"

"That masked man, those conversations, and even some of the environmental changes were very likely mental influences or optical illusions constructed by that mist!"

"Once we realize something is wrong and successfully escape the core area of ​​the fog's influence, the illusion will naturally dissipate!"

"So he won't chase after them at all, because doing so might expose his secret or make it pointless —"

Before she could finish speaking, she caught a glimpse of the forest path directly in front of the little strange tree in the game screen.

Suddenly, another figure appeared, standing quietly.

Black robe, mask, long hair.

It was that masked man.

It was as if he had been waiting there all along.

"Masked Man: You're clever, young man—able to see through the first layer of illusion."

His voice came through the mask, still hoarse, but with an indescribable quality—

Appreciation? Or something else?

Masked Man: But that's not enough—now, answer me, where is it?

This time, Qishu did not try to run away or play dumb.

Because Chicory Leaf had once again jumped out of the little strange tree's embrace and landed steadily on the ground.

It lowered its body slightly, pointed the leaf on its head at the masked man, its eyes sharp, and it had already assumed a fighting stance!

"Not an illusion—this time it's the real thing?"

Qi Shu's heart sank slightly, and he immediately made a judgment.

The other party clearly had no intention of playing hide-and-seek anymore.

Since we can't escape it, let's face it!

Chikorita has stepped forward so bravely, so she, as a trainer, has even less reason to back down!

"Chrysanthemum leaf! Flying leaf dagger!"

Qi Shu decisively gave the order to strike first!

The chrysanthemum leaves gathered their strength and leaped up, the leaves on top of them beginning to condense energy, transforming into sharp, ready-to-be-released blades.

It was at this time that...

A dark shadow suddenly darted out from the dense shadows on the side at an even faster speed, and crashed hard into the chrysanthemum leaf that was still in mid-air and unable to dodge!

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