BONUS CHAPTER
This chase was clearly something Yi-ge, relying solely on his own legs, couldn't take part in. Still, remembering his promise to the viewers, Chen Mo turned on a livestream with his phone at the first opportunity.
The next second, countless viewers who had been waiting poured into the stream.
[The image quality got worse again… sigh, whatever. Since you still remembered us, we'll forgive you.]
[Mo-bao, are you really going after that Pokémon called "Banette"? It looks terrifying.]
[So what kind of Pokémon is Banette, exactly?]
Glancing at the scrolling comments, Chen Mo spoke calmly.
"Banette is a very special kind of Pokémon. What makes it special is the way it's born. Aside from evolving normally from Shuppet, it can also be born directly from abandoned dolls."
"It sounds unbelievable, I know—but it's true."
"Because resentment from being abandoned attaches itself to a doll, the doll can turn into Banette. According to legend, driven by that resentment, Banette will keep searching for the child who threw it away, all for the sake of revenge."
Hearing this, Xiao You, who was sitting in front of him, couldn't help but turn around.
"Big brother… then Xiao Ji…"
Seeing the worry in her eyes, Chen Mo reassured her gently.
"I can't speak for other Banette, but the one that stayed by your side should have evolved naturally. No one abandoned it. You're its first family."
"I'm… Xiao Ji's first family…"
Xiao You lowered her head, murmuring softly.
Chen Mo gave her a long, thoughtful look. Then, while keeping his eyes on Banette below, he continued explaining things to the livestream.
"We've already left Ziyuan Town and entered the forest."
Under thick, heavy clouds, Chen Mo looked back. Ziyuan Town was growing smaller and smaller in the distance.
"Banette… you're almost at your limit, aren't you…"
He silently watched the black figure below.
From the moment they left Ziyuan Town, Banette had stopped using that eerie phasing movement. It had first switched to floating, then soon to walking on the ground—and its pace was getting slower and slower.
Chen Mo had already had Pidgeotto lower its altitude. From here, he could clearly see black matter constantly seeping out from Banette's doll-like body.
That was the deep resentment of everyone in Ziyuan Town toward their current situation, gathered together—the greatest force that had driven Banette's evolution from Shuppet.
After all, even humans can die from overeating. Having devoured far too much resentment, even a Pokémon that fed on curses and grudges like Banette was starting to crack.
That was why Banette, which usually chose its time and place with great care, had become so impatient today.
It was on the verge of going berserk from the resentment and curses inside its body.
Finally—
After walking a bit farther, Banette stopped.
At that instant, an indescribable sense of danger surged up in Chen Mo's heart.
"Pidgeotto! Ascend—now!"
Pidgeotto didn't hesitate for even a second. While keeping an eye on the clearly abnormal Banette below, it rapidly climbed higher into the sky with Chen Mo and Xiao You.
The very next moment—
A beam of purple-black energy shot straight up into the heavens.
Thanks to its height and quick reaction, Pidgeotto narrowly avoided the attack.
But—
The surrounding trees, rooted in the soil and unable to move, weren't so lucky.
Swept by the purple-black energy, tree after tree collapsed, kicking up clouds of dust.
The zipper-like mouth on Banette's face yawned wide open. Massive amounts of resentment and cursed power poured out unrestrained, the sheer force causing its body to swell larger and larger.
Banette had completely gone berserk.
Seeing this, Xiao You was frantic. Chen Mo could only gently hold her by the shoulders, shaking his head as he soothed her.
"Banette has absorbed too much resentment and curses. It's completely out of control right now—we can't get close."
"Calm down, Xiao You."
"Think about why Banette left Ziyuan Elementary School and endured the pain of all that resentment just to come to this forest. It was for your safety. If you go down there now, all of Xiao Ji's efforts will be wasted."
"We need to wait patiently. Just a little longer. Once Xiao Ji releases all the energy inside it, then we can try to approach."
While using [Detective Eye] to monitor Banette's condition, Chen Mo had Pidgeotto adjust to a safer altitude.
The commotion below gradually quieted, but the sounds coming from Banette's mouth grew more and more horrifying.
"Xiao Ji… it's in pain."
Xiao You looked at Chen Mo again.
Letting out a soft sigh, Chen Mo had Pidgeotto begin to descend.
It wasn't entirely because of Xiao You. Through [Detective Eye], Chen Mo had already seen a new status appear behind Banette's condition bar: [Weakened].
It should be over now.
With that thought, Chen Mo landed on the ravaged ground Banette had left behind.
But at that moment—
Another sudden change.
A terrifying wave of energy erupted from Banette's body once again. Fortunately, Pichu—who had been on full alert—didn't hesitate at all, immediately responding with a prepared Thunder Shock.
The two energies collided in midair and exploded, stirring up even more dust over the already devastated ground.
"Cough—cough!"
Even Chen Mo hadn't expected this.
Just as he was about to pull Xiao You back and let Pichu and Pidgeotto handle the weakened Banette, he suddenly realized—
A small figure had somehow already dashed through the thick dust, running straight toward Banette.
Chen Mo's heart sank.
In the Pokémon world, there had been cases where Banette, overwhelmed by excessive power, came to resent even their own Trainers—sometimes attacking them.
Let alone a Banette that had just been corroded by resentment and had attempted another attack.
Facing the little girl running toward it, Banette raised both arms high. Purple-black energy gathered into claw-like shapes around its hands.
But Pichu reacted even faster. Already charged with electricity, it could easily strike Banette with Thunder Shock before Xiao You reached it.
And yet—
In that split second, Chen Mo keenly noticed the energy gathering in Banette's hands rapidly dispersing.
"Wait, Pichu!"
"Pichu?"
Pichu was forcibly stopped just before releasing its attack.
The next moment—
The little girl gently wrapped her arms around Banette, burying her head deep into the doll's soft body, just like before.
"Xiao Ji, thank you. It's okay now. Let's go home together, alright?"
🌟 Early access (60+ chapters ahead): [email protected]/plotwired💬 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter🔷 100 Power Stones = Another🔥 You decide how fast the story unfolds.