Chapter 15: The Live Broadcast Ends

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The next few days passed without anything particularly noteworthy. Qian Lin continued streaming in the mornings and ending his broadcasts in the evenings, while Swablu followed Milotic’s guidance and practiced Dragon Pulse. Perhaps because this place could hardly be considered true wilderness, the Pokémon he encountered from the third day onward were mostly repeats of those he had already seen on the first two days.

Many of them had even interacted with Qian Lin before, and whenever they spotted him, they would come running over happily to beg for berries.

Once he had accumulated enough educational points, Qian Lin would occasionally exchange them for berries. Ordinary fruit was edible for Pokémon too, of course, but berries were native species from the Pokémon world, and Pokémon clearly enjoyed eating them more.

Naturally, the viewers could not help questioning how he managed to pull so many berries out of his backpack. Qian Lin had no way to explain that, so he simply pretended not to notice.

For the past several days, Milotic and Swablu had lived mostly on berries, with the occasional fish and cup of instant noodles. Milotic caught several fish for Qian Lin every day, and there was no need to worry about finishing them all, since the wild Pokémon nearby knew Qian Lin well and often came over to share his meals.

Feebas, however, was another matter. For some reason, it ate nothing but instant noodles. Two-thirds of Qian Lin’s supply had been devoured by Feebas, and after three days, the noodles were gone. Feebas’s entire face seemed to darken, and once it had nothing left to eat, it spent every day floating flat on the surface of the lake, apparently lost in thought.

Today was the ninth day of their stay. Since Swablu had still not mastered Dragon Pulse, Qian Lin had remained here for two extra days. There was no danger of starving, with Milotic catching fish and the system providing berries. Fortunately, that very morning, Swablu had finally learned Dragon Pulse and blasted a five-meter-high column of water into the air.

Milotic was delighted. Qian Lin was delighted. Swablu was happier than anyone.

But now that Swablu had learned everything she needed to, Qian Lin decided to return that afternoon. It was noon, and after lunch came the farewell.

Holding Swablu in his arms, Qian Lin waved to Milotic. “Goodbye, Milotic. Goodbye, Feebas. I’ll bring you something tasty next time I come.”

“Milooo~” Milotic seemed reluctant to part, but she still smiled and waved her tail. Feebas, on the other hand, did not even look at Qian Lin. The fish showed not the slightest trace of sorrow.

“Bloop~” Feebas blew out a bubble.

The corner of Qian Lin’s mouth twitched. “Fine. I’ll bring you instant noodles next time, all right?”

Feebas’s dead-fish eyes suddenly lit up. It turned toward Qian Lin and slapped the water excitedly with its fins.

“What a thoroughly practical fish...” Qian Lin said helplessly. Then he suddenly smiled. “There may be humans coming here in the future. If they mean well, please don’t hurt them. If they mean harm, please spare their lives anyway. Finally, thank you, Milotic.”

Milotic nodded gently. “Milooo~”

“Chirp~ O(╥﹏╥)O”

Swablu was weeping so hard that tears streamed down her face.

Qian Lin smiled and stroked her little head. “Whether they’re friends or elders, when it’s time to say goodbye, you should open your eyes and wave to them with a smile. And when you cry, don’t let them see you, or everyone will become sad.”

“Chirp~ T▽T”

Swablu seemed to understand. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her wings, then flapped both wings and bid farewell to Milotic and Feebas.

[You’ve got me crying here.]

[Milotic~ My Milotic~]

[Sigh... Nine days. I’ve spent all nine days accompanying the streamer and Milotic. Now they have to part ways. I really can’t bear it.]

[I can’t bear it either, but I still want to thank Milotic. She showed me that Pokémon aren’t all bad. At least the Pokémon around the streamer are willing to trust humans.]

[Then when will humans learn to trust Pokémon?]

[I don’t know, but I want to try.]

[Try going into the wilderness?]

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[No. Try trusting Pokémon.]

[Goodbye, Milotic!]

[Goodbye!]

[...Seriously? Not one person is going to say goodbye to Feebas?]

[You people are unbelievably realistic.]

And so, the story belonging to this place came to an end. Before leaving, Qian Lin exchanged a large quantity of berries and left them for Milotic and the Pokémon in the forest. The local ecosystem was already beginning to recover, so there was no need to worry about the Pokémon going hungry, but berries were certainly better than wild fruit.

Taking out his compass and carrying the tearful Swablu in his arms, Qian Lin walked step by step along the road leading back to the human world. Along the familiar path were familiar Pokémon, each and every one smiling and waving goodbye to him.

Ursaring followed behind them all the way to the edge of the forest. Only after they reached the road built by humans did it turn around and leave.

Qian Lin returned to the place where he belonged, and they remained where they belonged. Swablu alone no longer cried. She stared blankly at the distant forest behind them, then looked ahead toward a place she had never reached before.

She raised her head and looked at the slightly melancholy Qian Lin. A smile appeared on her adorable face. She nuzzled against his chest, curled herself into a ball, and leaned against him.

“Chirp~” (*๓´╰╯`๓)

I’ll always stay with you.

As if he had heard something, Qian Lin suddenly looked up at the sky. Beautifly’s beautiful body reflected the sunlight as it flew overhead. It did not see Qian Lin. Its destination was the distant forest, where the water source on which living creatures depended could be found.

Qian Lin smiled, rubbed Swablu’s little head, and drew a deep breath.

“Let’s go, Swablu. We’re going home.”

“Chirp-chirp~”

Back to our home.

...

They had only just descended from the mountain when they saw several vehicles parked at its foot: three police cars and two unmarked vehicles. A number of ordinary private cars were parked farther away. Ten police officers were keeping the watching crowd behind a cordon, while two stern-looking middle-aged men stood at the front.

When Qian Lin walked out through the entrance to the scenic area, the two men smiled at the same time.

Qian Lin seemed to understand what was happening. He turned toward the drone beside him and said, “I’m heading home now, so that brings today’s livestream to an end. This time, we witnessed the ecosystem of wild Pokémon and met many friendly Pokémon. I hope that whenever you encounter Pokémon in the future, you’ll remember the knowledge I shared during these nine days.”

“The time of my next livestream will be announced on the notice board. If you’re interested in learning about the Pokémon of this world, please be sure to follow me.”

Qian Lin took a slight breath.

“Finally, I’m your streamer, Qian Lin. My goal is to introduce Pokémon to the world. See you next time, everyone.”

He waved, ended the livestream, and left only one final smiling face on the black screen.

[No, streamer! Let us see Swablu again! If nothing else, let us see you!]

[Wow, who knows how long it’ll be before the next livestream?]

[You have a partner now, streamer. Can you take us with you next time?]

[I’ve already caught the streamer at the entrance to the scenic area! But the police are blocking me!]

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[Wow, I’m jealous of everyone who lives in the same city as the streamer.]

The livestream comments continued pouring in, and there was no sign of the broadcast’s popularity diminishing. Qian Lin, meanwhile, had already reached the two middle-aged men.

The man on the left smiled at Qian Lin, then glanced at Swablu in his arms. He looked only once before turning his attention back to Qian Lin.

“Hello, Comrade Qian Lin. I’m the administrative director of the Pokémon Science Research Institute. My surname is Che.”

“Hello, Director Che.” Qian Lin extended his right hand and shook hands with him. “I have a general idea of why you’re here. I also have something to give you—something related to Pokémon.”

Director Che’s eyes brightened, but he did not rush to ask what it was.

“You’ve had a difficult time out there these past few days. We can discuss it after we get back. It’s nearly evening anyway, so we’ll have a simple meal together.”

“I appreciate that.” Qian Lin did not refuse.

Before getting into the car, Qian Lin said a few words to the viewers who had come to see him and explained his current situation. The viewers expressed their understanding. After all, this involved the nation, and they were more than willing to cooperate. They only asked that, if possible, he let them see Swablu.

Qian Lin smiled and agreed. Swablu, being exceptionally well-behaved, waved her wings as well, provoking a chorus of excited cries from the crowd.

Director Che did not interrupt them. Once Qian Lin had finished speaking with the viewers, the two of them got into the car and drove toward Zhuxian University. Along the way, Director Che explained, “The Pokémon Science Research Institute is a newly established national department. There aren’t many people in it, but every one of them is an elite. At the moment, they’re studying the knowledge you shared during your livestreams.”

“The city’s institute was established beside the local university.” Director Che smiled as he spoke. “You know that the university had just built several new facilities, but before they could be put into use, construction was halted because Pokémon appeared. The facilities were temporarily requisitioned by the authorities and converted into the research institute. That’s where we’re going.”

“I see.” Qian Lin nodded to show that he understood.

Zhuxian County had been developing steadily all this time. A new university had been built there several years earlier. It covered a considerable area, though nearly half of it was still unfinished. Construction had proceeded alongside student enrollment. The university had finally been completed recently, but then Pokémon appeared, so it had yet to open.

The area surrounding the university had developed quite well over the past few years. It had almost everything one could need. Since the university was residential, however, there were relatively few local residents nearby; most of the people there were students. In that respect, it was indeed better than many other places.

Director Che continued, “This time, the people above want to meet you. But as you know, traveling isn’t safe right now. For your protection, they didn’t come here in person, so we’ve arranged an online conference. They’ll discuss the details with you directly.”

Qian Lin scratched his head. “Director Che, do you know who exactly wants to meet me?”

Director Che thought for a moment before replying, “I only know there will be representatives from the military, people from the technology park, and several other researchers from different fields. I honestly don’t know the identities of everyone involved.”

They were all major figures.

Qian Lin drew a deep breath.

There was no way he could claim not to be nervous. He had once been an ordinary citizen. He had seen such people before, certainly, but only on television. Meeting them in person was an entirely different matter.

“Oh, right.” Qian Lin suddenly turned toward Director Che. “Director Che, what I want to give you is a technology capable of capturing Pokémon. Its technological requirements are extremely advanced. If possible, I’ll need a computer.”

The manufacturing process and technological specifications for Poké Balls were already in his mind. He needed a computer to record everything.

“Hiss!”

Director Che drew in a sharp breath, his voice trembling slightly.

“You said... a technology for capturing Pokémon?”

Qian Lin could more or less understand his shock, but he still explained, “You may have misunderstood me. By ‘capture,’ I don’t mean capturing Pokémon through violence. I mean a technology that allows Pokémon to become one’s partners after willingly accepting them, and that lets them be carried and stored.”

Director Che suddenly understood. “Like Swablu?”

“No.” Qian Lin shook his head. “Swablu hasn’t been captured by me yet. Technically speaking, she’s still a wild Pokémon.”

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