Chapter 26: Considerations for a Second Spirit

December arrived, and the bleak autumn breeze gradually sharpened into a biting chill. Perhaps it was because this world lacked the phenomenon of global warming, but early winter in Shanghai felt colder than in Xia Chi’s previous life.

"Achoo!"

Just woken up, Xia Chi pulled his quilt, which was already losing its insulating warmth, tighter around himself, wrapping himself into a cocoon like a green caterpillar. He glanced out the window; the horizon was draped in heavy twilight. His all-nighter yesterday had successfully adjusted him to a nocturnal schedule. It was fortunate that today was a weekend with no classes; otherwise, he would have had to rack his brain for an excuse to give Teacher Zhou.

Xia Chi had always thought that people who could roll out of bed the moment they woke up were superhuman. Lacking such discipline, he contentedly reached for his phone on the nightstand and began browsing aimlessly. It was just past four in the afternoon.

Sprigatito was out "grinding levels" as expected, and the app showed it was in good condition, so there was no need to worry. Iono had sent a follow-up regarding the Sprigatito training materials, along with a confused message after she couldn't reach him. Xia Chi took a photo of his current "caterpillar" state and sent it to her, accompanied by a "Snorlax sleeping soundly" GIF.

The Nessa photo set he followed had been updated with a new batch of swimsuit shots; as refreshing as ever, he thought with a grin. Then there was the video he had posted before going to sleep this morning...

"Holy cow! How does it already have half a million views?!"

Xia Chi bolted upright, his fatigue forgotten. The number might look modest at first glance—it didn't even match the rounding error of his first video on Ho-Oh—but it had only been live for ten hours. There was simply no comparison.

After checking the comment section, he realized why. First, the traffic he’d drawn from his livestreams over the last few days was significant, and most Pokémon battle enthusiasts were naturally drawn to videos about Legendary Pokémon. The cross-pollination between history buffs and livestream fans had created this result. Of course, the most important factor was that the content of this video was simply explosive. The creation myth of Arceus—regardless of whether it was true or not, it was undeniably captivating. The feedback from the vast majority of the audience was overwhelmingly positive, evidenced by the dense wall of comments and a ratio of likes and tips that nearly rivaled the view count. Naturally, there were plenty of critics nitpicking his lack of rigor or claiming he was just spinning wild tales, but they were drowned out by the sea of positive engagement.

***

"Meow-fee!"

The cry of his Sprigatito pulled Xia Chi away from the comment section.

"I'm back!"

Sprigatito skillfully nudged the window open and leapt onto the bed, rubbing its cheek against his—a critical hit of affection.

"Welcome back, Sprigatito!"

Xia Chi picked up the kitten and gave it a quick physical check. Good, no obvious external injuries. Ever since Sprigatito had adapted to its increase in power over the past few days, the frequency of its injuries had dropped significantly. Perhaps it had something to do with its growing self-confidence.

After applying a Potion to the kitten, Xia Chi realized it was already nearly six o'clock.

"The comment section and my distractions have undone me!" he lamented. "From today, no more doom-scrolling!"

Having learned his lesson, Xia Chi got up to prepare dinner for Sprigatito. It was the first meal since finalizing their new training plan, and he was exceptionally diligent. Unfortunately, he lacked any culinary talent; despite following the tutorial, the final result bore only a passing resemblance to the photos—a stark contrast between a luxury car and a dumpster. Fortunately, the taste was "passable," and Sprigatito ate it earnestly without complaint.

Watching the kitten eat, Xia Chi rubbed his chin, deep in thought. With his level of cooking, even making a simple salad without using the stove was a struggle, and more complex dishes were a disaster. *Does the second Pokémon I catch need to be one with hands that can cook?* he wondered. *Wait, that’s not necessary. Once Sprigatito evolves into Floragato, it will be able to stand. I just hope its culinary talent is up to the task of handling the household's dietary needs...*

"Then again," Xia Chi muttered to himself, "shouldn't I start planning for the acquisition of a second Pokémon?"

Although having another Pokémon meant another "money-pit" to feed, his income had improved. As long as he didn't insist on using top-tier resources for everything, he could manage. So, who should he catch?

Xia Chi fell into deep thought. His first choice would definitely be a Grass-type or a Pokémon that the system would classify as a "Speed-Attacker." That way, by the time the Shanghai Cup rolled around in half a month, Sprigatito would have a second partner for team battles.

He ruled out other Speed-Attacker Grass-types, however. For one, they were rare; the only ones he could think of were Treecko, Leafeon, and Shiftry. Shaymin (Sky Forme) and Virizion were also in that category, but they were Legendary Pokémon. Xia Chi felt that even if he struck luck again and traveled back to the real world, he was unlikely to stumble upon and catch them. Moreover, training another Pokémon of the same type and classification wouldn't help build a well-rounded team later on.

Perhaps, long after he had filled his team of six, he would consider it, but not now. Xia Chi suddenly thought of something and gave a bitter smile.

"Wait, I should first think about *how* to catch a second Pokémon..."

He immediately ruled out buying one from a nursery or breeding facility. The reason was simple: he was broke. His livestream income was high, yes, but that was all earmarked for the training funds for Sprigatito and his future team. If he had to take out a loan for hundreds of thousands to buy a Pokémon, he would never consider it. And for a Pokémon worth only a few thousand? What was the point? He would be better off catching one in the wild.

After much deliberation, he decided to try his luck in the wilderness in a few days. Shanghai was one of the premier metropolises in the Donghuang region; it lacked the vast, uninhabited expanses of the western frontiers, the northern deserts, or the southern borderlands. While this meant it was difficult to find rare Pokémon in the surrounding areas where human activity was frequent, it also meant he was unlikely to encounter dangerous ones. After all, he only had one small, cute, and bottomless-stomach Sprigatito by his side.

*If only I could rent the Pokémon from the game,* he mused. *I’d steamroll the northern deserts instantly!*

Xia Chi fantasized for a moment, then felt a wave of resignation. *Sure enough, Uncle Jackie wasn't lying: no matter how powerful you are in the game, it's all just an illusion.*

After dinner, Xia Chi looked up guides on his social media app. There were several famous "beginner villages" around the outskirts of Shanghai, popular among novice trainers because of the abundance of baby Pokémon and their generally friendly temperaments. Lotus Lake, Mingchong Island, the Bay...

After thinking it over, Xia Chi settled on Mingchong Island, which was the largest and had the most diverse range of Pokémon. Due to its size, the terrain was quite complex, featuring forests, wetlands, beaches, and plains—all home to a vast number of Pokémon. He had even seen a post from a user who claimed to have encountered a rare Horsea there, though they failed to catch it and let it get away.

With his destination set for the coming days, the time had reached seven o'clock. Xia Chi sighed; it was time to get to work.