Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

[Great, now apply them to your body!]

The energy that had just been trained to be obedient was now being controlled by Xia Shen and flowed towards his legs.

Xia Shen immediately felt his body lighten. He tried to jog a few steps, but his feet seemed to fly, and he rushed to the orange tree a dozen meters away in a flash.

It startled a Patchles that was eating fruit.

[Very good, you've already mastered high-speed movement, which means you can use your internal supernatural energy to some extent. It's faster than I expected; it seems you do have some talent. I'll reluctantly accept you as my disciple.]

[That's such an honor, Professor Yuki!] Natsumi said sarcastically.

[Hehehehe...] Yukishi unlocked a new identity and happily floated in the sky, grinning foolishly.

Xia Shen ignored it and continued practicing the high-speed movement he had just learned.

With this, I won't be in such a sorry state when I'm being chased by Blizzard King or Steelix anymore.

More importantly... Xia Shen had some lingering worries about the future of Moonbear and Zoroark after they entered the mortal world.

Even in times of peace, if the profits are high enough, some people will inevitably take risks.

Black markets and the dark web do exist in this world.

Therefore, improving self-defense and combat abilities that do not rely on spirits can be considered a precautionary measure.

…………

"Yukishi, are you sure there really is a Sticky Baby around here?"

According to Kexi, this open and humid sandbar area should be the habitat of the Sticky Babies.

But why does it look like all sorts of Pokémon are Frog, Psyduck, Lilyroot, and others?

Are you questioning the validity of the concept of the god of knowledge?

Yu Kexi was very dissatisfied with Xia Shen's question.

"What do you mean by 'gold content'... what weird stuff have you learned online this time?"

Xia Shen said speechlessly, "And this is the third time you've said there must be some sticky treasure here. Have you been holed up in this alternate dimension for too long and don't know anything about the changes in the outside world?"

[What do you know! Can we call our anime/manga fandom "otaku"?]

The two were arguing and bickering, but they didn't notice what was happening in the bushes not far behind them.

A pair of beady eyes peered through the gaps in the leaves, gazing intently at Xia Shen.

----------

Author's Remarks

Thank you so much to the two big shots, Lord of Rain City and Lord of the West, for the generous donations! It's too much of a waste of your money, thank you so much!

2022-05-25 08:00

## Chapter 83 Sticky Baby Joins the Team!

I don't know how long Nian Nian Bao has lived near this sandbar, but I remember experiencing at least one rainy season.

She also became good friends with the Psyduck and Lilyroot dolls around her.

Gooobon has never seen any of its own kind and has always lived cautiously in this dangerous swamp.

The first thing she saw when she hatched and entered the world was a bird with its beak wide open, pecking at her.

Before she could even feel fear, the raven leader who had stolen her from the pack was slapped off by a large bear with thick limbs, then torn apart and stuffed into its mouth.

Perhaps the circly bear wasn't interested in the newborn Sticky Baby, who wasn't even good enough to fill his teeth, but in any case, she was spared.

From that moment on, she knew that she could become another elf's meal at any time.

During the day, the circle bears, at night the swarms of bigmouth bats, and the poisonous skull frogs all hunt nearby.

Even in the bushes, there might be a fanged cage lurking, its mouth wide open, ready to devour its prey, its sweet saliva serving as bait.

Although she didn't know if she was in their recipes, Sticky Baby didn't dare to gamble.

She had already witnessed several of her friends die in the mouths of these hunters.

……

A dark raven once told itself that if it traveled south for half a day, it would find many of its kind there.

With the protection of a powerful leader, they lived a carefree life.

But Gooob always believed that Murkrow was lying to him. How could a weak Pokémon like himself, who couldn't even survive without water, possibly evolve into the swamp overlord that Murkrow described?

Even if it's a half-day journey, she's unwilling to try it; who knows what terrible things she might encounter on the way?

I don't know if it was just bad luck, but this year's dry season came earlier and was hotter.

Sticky Baby doesn't know how much longer she has to live, but she doesn't want to die.

She had pondered more than once why some elves were born with immense power, making them natural hunters.

Why is it so difficult for me to even live after I was born?

This is such an unfair and cruel world...

……

However, she encountered an interesting thing today.

That is, it was following one that kept muttering to itself something like "Sticky Baby," as if it was looking for its own Pokémon.

This was a species of elf I had never seen before. It walked upright and had strangely multicolored skin.

It didn't appear to have fine teeth or sharp claws, and even the energy fluctuations on its body were very weak.

Like myself, I guess I'm one of those pitiful creatures born at the bottom of the food chain.

However, this elf looks clumsy and stupid, with no awareness of being weak and no sense of concealing its presence.

An idiot like that wouldn't survive more than two days in this swamp.

So what does he want from me?

Despite his curiosity, the cautious Sticky Baby knew that the secret to longevity was to mind your own business.

Therefore, she did not run out to befriend this elven who knew neither good nor evil, but instead secretly followed behind to find out what was going on.

At that moment, the elf sat down to rest beside a clump of trees.

He seemed hungry. He reached into the hole in his body and pulled something out. Then he put the dark, excrement-like thing he had just pulled out into his mouth.

Ugh~ This is disgusting!

Sticky Treasure could hardly bear to watch anymore, but then he suddenly noticed that the bushes behind him were making unusual noises.

It's a fang cage!

Sticky Baby immediately realized that this was the most hidden and terrifying hunter in the swamp.

This fanged cage was particularly tall, and its most important and most relied-upon organ—its terrifyingly large mouth—was even more enormous.

Sticky Pokémon had no doubt that with just one bite, the Pokémon it didn't even know would perish.

Perhaps it was a reminder of those friends who perished in the gaping maw of blood...

Perhaps it was curiosity about what this strange elf wanted from me...

Perhaps it was because they couldn't bear to see weak elves being bullied so easily by powerful elves...

In short, at that moment, Sticky Baby forgot his principle of not meddling in other people's business.

She bravely jumped out of the bushes where she was hiding.

"Sticky—[Watch out behind you!]"

…………

[Xia Shen, that fanged cage is about to bite you!]

[Where's that Gooey Pokémon? Is it still following us?]

[Yes, she's here. Yuxie saw a mixture of sadness, sympathy, and anger in her expression. Yuxie felt she would come to your rescue!]

[Gooo is such a timid Pokémon, it's already brave of it not to run away when faced with danger, how could it possibly come out...]

"Sticky—"

Xia Shen stared incredulously at the sticky treasure that jumped out of the grass not far away. Was Yu Kexi right after all?

[See? Yuxie's predictions about Pokémon are spot on!]

With no time to talk to Yukshi, Xia Shen mobilized the super-powered energy that had been stored up in his body for a long time and used high-speed movement with ease.

With a quick movement, it dodged the fanged cage's bite, and the direction it avoided was precisely where GooPo was.

Although they are in a dangerous situation, this is also a great opportunity to defeat Sticky Baby.

Seeing that its sharp teeth couldn't bite through the cage, another tiny creature, barely enough to fill a gap in its teeth, appeared beside its prey.

With a flick of the two vine whips, they attacked the location where Xia Shen and Nian Nian Bao were.

Xia Shen picked up the sticky baby, who was too slow to dodge, and took advantage of the extra time from the high-speed movement to escape to a relatively safe place.

"Sticky Baby, thank you for helping me. Now, I'll take care of the rest!"

"Stick! [I want to fight alongside you too!]"

Xia Shen smiled slightly. Although he did not understand the language of the elves, the emotions revealed in his eyes were far richer than what he said.

"Alright, let's fight together!"

……

According to Kexi, this Fang Cage is quite powerful, so Xia Shen dared not be negligent in the slightest and released all three Pokémon.

Seeing the surprised look on GooBao's face, Xia Shen could only quickly explain, "Don't be afraid, these Pokémon are all my partners in battle."

"Garuda, Fierce Meteor Shower!"

"Circle Bear, unleash your powerful sword dance!"

"Zorua, Swift Shadow Ball Attack!"