novelraw Chapter 133 133: Anping City in Transformation (Part 1)
Chapter 133 133: Anping City in Transformation (Part 1)
Like most wild Pokémon that had just arrived in human society, Absol didn't really like staying inside houses filled with modern furniture. So Chen Mo found some wooden boards and decided to build a small shelter for Absol in the backyard.
The Pokémon at home each had their own arrangements.
Pidgeotto had its own ideas—it had built a nest in a tree outside the garden and hardly needed Chen Mo's help at all. Of course, whenever it rained, Chen Mo would still call it inside to rest.
Magikarp lived in the villa's original swimming pool. During Chen Mo's trip, Hu Chengliang had completely remodeled it. Now the pool was full of aquatic plants and algae, almost unrecognizable from before. Judging by Magikarp's behavior, though, it liked it very much.
As for Pikachu and Haunter, Pikachu always slept wherever Chen Mo slept, while Haunter—as a Ghost-type—didn't really need such things at all.
So, strictly speaking, this was the first time Chen Mo had built a house for a Pokémon.
"Finished!"
Following instructions from online videos, Chen Mo spent several hours constructing a simple but fairly large doghouse. Next, he only needed to add some warm padding inside.
Although it was his first attempt, Chen Mo felt quite satisfied with the result.
"What do you think, Absol?"
Hearing Chen Mo's voice, Absol looked at the small shelter in front of it.
Back when it lived in the forest, Absol rarely had a fixed home. It usually rested wherever it happened to be.
Still, seeing Chen Mo's expectant expression, Absol stepped inside and lay down for a moment.
Hmm…
Not bad.
Seeing that Absol didn't reject it, Chen Mo finally smiled.
After dinner came the rare chance to relax.
On his first day back home, Chen Mo felt especially at ease without needing to stream.
Since Hu Chengliang never told Chen Mo about Magikarp watching livestreams, Chen Mo carried a chair to the pool and sat by the water, chatting with Magikarp about the adventures during his journey.
Magikarp listened attentively.
But from Chen Mo's stories, Magikarp mostly heard lighthearted tales—how he met Haunter, interesting moments with Natu and Yi-ge, and other amusing events.
All the dangerous parts of the journey were skipped whenever possible.
Chen Mo didn't notice Magikarp's subtle change in mood.
Or perhaps it was simply that Magikarp's wise-looking eyes were so unreadable that, without using Detect Eye, even Chen Mo couldn't grasp its feelings.
"…Maybe I'm a pretty bad trainer for Magikarp."
Magikarp seemed very interested in travel stories.
Thinking about it, Chen Mo suddenly felt guilty.
He had promised Magikarp that it could live together with him and Pikachu. But after Magikarp chose to follow him, they hadn't even spent half a month together before Chen Mo left it at home and set out on his Pokémon research journey with Pikachu.
Although there were reasons, the fact remained—Magikarp had been left behind.
Chen Mo thought about Absol and Pidgeotto.
Then he remembered what Hu Chengliang had said before leaving.
"Trust…"
After hesitating for a long time, Chen Mo finally took out his phone and made a call.
"Hello, Professor Zhou. It's me."
"Oh, Xiao Mo."
Professor Zhou's deep voice came from the other side.
"I remember you just finished your trip today. Instead of resting, you're calling this old man. Is something urgent?"
"Nothing urgent… Professor Zhou, do you have time tomorrow? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you in person."
"…"
There was a brief pause.
When Professor Zhou spoke again, the smile in his voice was unmistakable.
"No problem. Come to the Response Bureau tomorrow whenever you like. Coincidentally, I also have something I wanted to inform you about—and I'd like to hear your opinion."
"My opinion?"
Chen Mo was about to ask what it was about, but sensing that Professor Zhou didn't intend to explain yet, he wisely dropped the topic.
The next morning
Chen Mo got up early and began daily training with Pikachu and the others.
The helplessness he felt when facing Hydreigon was still fresh in his memory. Training, after all, was something that required daily effort. Skip one day and you lose momentum.
After two hours of activity, around nine o'clock, Chen Mo finally headed out with Pikachu, Haunter, Absol, and his usual streaming equipment.
Pidgeotto and Magikarp stayed home to guard the house.
"Alright, let's begin."
Chen Mo adjusted the phone on the tripod and started the livestream.
At the same moment, Haunter, hidden in Chen Mo's shadow, quietly floated up.
Although Chen Mo had explained livestreaming many times, Haunter was still curious.
The next second—
Just as viewers entered the stream, before they could celebrate, a giant ghostly face suddenly filled the camera, mouth wide open.
Some viewers nearly threw their phones.
[Opening jump scare?!]
[Did I enter a horror livestream by mistake?!]
[Wasn't this supposed to be a tour of post-policy Anping City?!]
Chen Mo hadn't expected Haunter to pull this stunt.
He quickly grabbed Haunter away from the camera and apologized to the audience.
Then he turned to Haunter with a stern expression.
Haunter had been wondering if it had successfully scared the humans behind the screen.
Seeing Chen Mo's face, it realized something was very wrong.
After a long scolding—and many viewers saying "Alright Mo-bao, let it go!"—Chen Mo finally stopped.
Haunter shrank back into Chen Mo's shadow with a wronged expression.
Chen Mo sighed.
Originally he only planned to bring Pikachu today, but both Haunter and Absol insisted on coming.
Now Haunter had already caused trouble.
It wasn't that Chen Mo was overreacting. In a livestream, you never know the viewers' situations—if someone with a weak heart got frightened, it could cause real problems.
Sighing again, Chen Mo glanced at Absol beside him.
Absol: ?
I'm only here to secretly carry out Lord Suicune's mission of observing humans. Why are you looking at me like that?
The Pokémon Research Response Bureau had established a new branch in the eastern outskirts of Anping City.
The news had been announced along with the new policies.
People familiar with insider information knew something else: unlike previous branches, many of the elite staff from the capital's main bureau were transferring here.
At this rate, the branch might soon become the new headquarters.
Although Chen Mo's final destination was the bureau, he wasn't in a hurry.
During the time he had been away, Anping City had undergone many changes due to the new policies.
The purpose of today's livestream was simple:
To rediscover this transforming city together with his viewers.
Walking along the streets, one thing was obvious.
Compared to before, the streets of Anping City felt much quieter.
Many familiar shops were closed.
Their owners had likely already moved away, just as viewers had mentioned in chat.
"Surprisingly… this place is still open."
Chen Mo stopped in front of an outdoor equipment store called "Karibu."
While most surrounding shops had shut down, Karibu was still operating.
Curious, Chen Mo approached the entrance—Pikachu on his shoulder and Absol beside him.
Just then—
A shop assistant looked up and immediately noticed him.
Chen Mo was about to turn away to avoid trouble, but the clerk hurried over.
"Mr. Chen Mo, would you like to come in and take a look? We recently stocked some new camping equipment. You might find something you like."
Chen Mo stopped, surprised.
"You remember me?"
"Of course."
The clerk smiled.
"People in Anping City who love outdoor camping are rare. And you've visited Karibu more than once, Mr. Chen Mo. I wouldn't forget."
She paused, glancing at Pikachu and Absol.
Then her smile turned slightly shy.
"Besides… after watching your streams, how could I forget you, Mo-bao?"
"…Thanks for the support."
Chen Mo responded awkwardly.
The clerk burst out laughing.
The livestream chat exploded.
['Thanks for the support'??? I'm dying 😂]
[Mo-bao's social skills have completely crashed.]
[The cringe is powerful today.]
Soon other staff noticed the commotion.
To Chen Mo's surprise, nearly everyone in the shop recognized him—and several openly admitted they were fans.
Chen Mo fell silent.
But through chatting with the shop owner, he also learned something interesting.
The owner admitted he had once been worried about Pokémon.
But after watching some of Chen Mo's streams—thanks to enthusiastic recommendations from his employees—he wasn't as afraid anymore.
Plus, government policies offered strong economic support for businesses that chose to stay.
More importantly…
The owner believed this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Watching Chen Mo travel with Pokémon had convinced him that if Pokémon truly integrated into society, outdoor adventures might become hugely popular.
"…So personally, I think if humans and Pokémon really coexist in the future, outdoor travel could experience an unprecedented boom."
"I've heard some downtown shops are renting cheaply now. Karibu might move there soon. When we do, please visit again."
His eyes burned with ambition.
The chat erupted in discussion.
Some viewers were excited.
Others analyzed cautiously.
But either way, Chen Mo had found something important in Karibu:
Signs of a city beginning to adapt.
After saying goodbye—Pikachu loaded with gifts of fruit from enthusiastic clerks—Chen Mo continued toward the city center.
As he walked, more pedestrians appeared.
And soon—
Chen Mo's identity as a streamer was recognized again.
Fans asked for photos one after another.
Pikachu and Absol were the stars.
Even Haunter was summoned out of Chen Mo's shadow by longtime viewers.
Suddenly Pikachu pointed toward a giant screen in the city square.
An advertisement was playing.
A Pidgey flew through storms, rain, forests, mountains, and oceans, carrying a package tied to its leg.
Finally it delivered the parcel safely.
The screen faded to a slogan:
"Pidgey Express — Mission Guaranteed."
The livestream exploded.
[Pidgey Express is real?!]
[I want to move to Anping City so badly!]
[Service area: only Anping City 😂]
Chen Mo smiled slightly.
He suspected this advertisement wasn't arranged by Fenglan alone.
It was probably the government pushing the project forward.
Soon, the crowd around Chen Mo grew larger.
Sensing more people approaching through Aura, Chen Mo quietly said:
"Haunter, Absol—time to go."
Haunter slipped back into his shadow.
Absol looked back once at the crowd.
Humans here felt… different.
Their gazes were strange, curious—but not hostile.
And Absol had a strong feeling.
The reason for that change was the human Suicune asked it to follow.
The eastern outskirts were still some distance away.
Halfway there, Absol suddenly stood up and offered to carry Chen Mo.
Chen Mo was surprised.
Unlike Pikachu and the others, Absol still kept a slight distance from him.
Yet now it willingly allowed him to ride.
Chen Mo accepted.
The feeling of Absol's soft white fur beneath him was incredibly comfortable.
The only problem—
The ride was far too short.
Soon they arrived.
Standing at the gate of the heavily guarded Response Bureau, Professor Zhou waved toward him.
"Xiao Mo! Over here!"
Armed guards stood watch around the entrance.
Chen Mo couldn't help observing the security.
Without Professor Zhou waiting outside, getting close would have been nearly impossible.
"Sorry for being late, Professor."
"It's fine. I was watching your stream just now."
Professor Zhou smiled warmly.
"So, Xiao Mo…"
"Quite a big change in Anping City, isn't it?" 🌆✨
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