"It was just a little shock—nothing serious."
After taking a moment to recover, Chen Mo got back up from the floor. Seeing the worried look on Pichu's face beside him, he smiled reassuringly.
"Relax, I'm really fine. My hair's just a bit messed up, that's all. You don't need to worry so much."
He crouched down and gently rubbed Pichu's small head. Feeling that familiar warmth again, the little one finally relaxed.
And Chen Mo wasn't just putting on a brave face.
Although the current released by the Electric Ball had clearly been stronger than the stray electricity Pichu had leaked earlier, aside from the initial discomfort, he felt fine afterward.
In fact, if one paid attention to the news, they'd notice that as early as a few months ago, some experts had proposed that ever since Pokémon appeared in this world, the average physical condition of humans seemed to be improving little by little. This trend could already be seen in how frequently world records in sports were being broken.
Judging from Chen Mo's own firsthand experience of being "electro-therapied" multiple times, it seemed those experts weren't wrong.
"Are we all going to evolve into Super Pallet Town natives or something…?"
"Pichu?"
"Hahaha, it's nothing. I was just thinking of something funny."
Chen Mo turned his head, glanced at the Electric Ball lying not far away, and then said to Pichu,
"Pichu, can you help me pick up that ball over there?"
"Pichu pichu."
Ever obedient, Pichu immediately nodded and trotted over to where the Electric Ball was.
To be honest, although he'd bought the Electric Ball, the system hadn't provided any detailed instructions on how to use it. Even now, Chen Mo wasn't entirely sure how it was meant to work.
In the games, usage was simple—just let Pikachu carry it, and its power would take effect.
"Should I make it into a pendant and hang it around Pichu's neck? Hmm… that feels kind of inconvenient for Pichu…"
"Chuu!!!"
A sudden cry rang out.
Chen Mo quickly looked over, only to see Pichu standing where the Electric Ball had been, frantically patting its own body. The Electric Ball itself, which should have been nearby, was nowhere to be seen.
"Pichu pichu!"
Before Chen Mo could say anything, Pichu hurriedly began explaining.
It chattered away—"pichu pichu"—while reenacting the scene with exaggerated gestures.
Watching Pichu's animated, almost theatrical movements, Chen Mo quickly understood.
The moment Pichu touched the Electric Ball, that mysterious sphere had flashed with lightning and then—just like that—merged into Pichu's body.
"Pichu pi!"
Pichu looked at Chen Mo with a very serious expression, as if to say, You have to believe me! The ball really disappeared on its own—I didn't hide it!
But looking at Pichu's face—so cute simply by virtue of being young, no matter what expression it made—Chen Mo couldn't help himself and burst out laughing.
"Pichu?"
Thinking its Trainer didn't believe it, Pichu immediately looked aggrieved. Tears shimmered in its eyes, and it looked like it was about to cry.
Realizing he'd messed up, Chen Mo quickly stopped laughing and apologized.
"I'm sorry, Pichu. I believe you—don't cry. I trust you completely. One hundred percent. So I believe that the Electric Ball disappearing has nothing to do with you."
"…Pichu?"
"Really. Please trust me a little more, okay?"
Chen Mo sat down on the floor and, by now very practiced, gently rubbed Pichu's head.
"And besides, the Electric Ball was meant to be a gift for you anyway. And now that I think about it, it must really like you too—otherwise, it wouldn't have rushed so eagerly into your body to live there."
Little kids were easy to comfort. Before long, Pichu was cheerful again, and its friendship value even ticked up a bit.
"Seriously, you're just too cute. Raising a Pichu is the best."
Chen Mo propped his chin in his hands, smiling as he watched Pichu spin in circles around him, seemingly trying to find the new friend hiding inside its body—only to end up dizzy instead.
"No need to look anymore, Pichu. Your new friend went into your body to help you become stronger. So try to feel it—do you notice any new changes?"
"Pichu…"
Pichu copied Chen Mo and sat down, scrunching up its little face as if carefully sensing what was happening inside its body.
Crackling sparks of static occasionally flickered from the electric pouches on its cheeks.
Chen Mo didn't rush it and simply waited quietly.
Before long, Pichu opened its eyes with a look of surprise.
"Pichu pi!"
"What is it?"
"Pichu pichu!"
Pichu stood up, pointed at its pink cheeks, then released a series of crackling electric sparks—before cleanly pulling the electricity back in again.
It repeated this cycle several times, and Chen Mo immediately understood.
"So you can control the electricity inside your body smoothly now?"
"Pichu pichu."
Pichu nodded eagerly.
"That's great. Your hard work paid off. From now on, you probably won't need to worry about scaring yourself with your own electricity anymore."
"Pichu!"
Pichu lifted its head proudly, as if saying, Of course that won't happen.
Then it even made a point of silently thanking the special new friend inside its body—the Electric Ball—because it understood that without it, there was no way it could have mastered its unruly electricity so quickly.
What a polite little kid.
Chen Mo had originally planned to test whether Pichu's moves had become stronger thanks to the Electric Ball, but seeing Pichu happily releasing and retracting sparks for fun, he smiled and quietly dropped the idea.
Next time.
"It's about time to get something to eat. We didn't really have dinner, and Pichu's probably hungry too. I'll make it some snacks."
Just as Chen Mo was about to head to the kitchen, the phone on the coffee table suddenly rang.
Though it was strange for someone to call so late, Chen Mo walked over and glanced at the caller ID.
"Landlady?"
Huh. Didn't the old lady dislike discussing things at night?
An inexplicable sense of unease crept into his heart.
He answered the call, and the landlady's aged voice came through, carrying a hint of uncertainty.
"Xiao Mo, there's something I want to ask you about. Someone told me that while you were livestreaming today, you brought a monster back from the wild to raise at home. Is that true?"
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