Because they admire Pangoro, most Pancham tend to follow closely behind them, forming a unique group dynamic.
Moreover, as Fighting-type Pokémon, Pancham are naturally competitive by nature.
This was evident from how Beibei had practically beaten up every ordinary animal in the zoo.
Pancham pursue strength. Because of this, they imitate Pangoro—their leader—learning its combat techniques and hunting methods. Only when they become capable of standing on their own do they gradually leave the group and form new ones.
And the most critical part of this process… is evolution.
The Pancham line has a rather special evolution condition.
Aside from reaching a certain level of growth, Pancham must also travel alongside a Dark-type Pokémon and experience Dark-type energy.
This is one of the main reasons Pancham are so fixated on following Pangoro.
Because after evolving, Pangoro becomes a dual-type Pokémon—retaining its original Fighting-type while gaining the Dark-type as well.
"Keeping Beibei here in the panda enclosure… not only leaves it feeling lonely, but also prevents it from growing stronger. For a Pokémon, that's a very cruel thing."
In truth, until today—
Old Lu and most of the staff had been hesitating.
They knew Beibei was lonely, but they couldn't bring themselves to let go. So they comforted themselves, believing that with their companionship, Beibei would eventually feel better.
But…
After learning about Pancham's unique evolution requirements and their natural drive, Old Lu let out a long sigh and finally made up his mind.
Letting Beibei stay in the town fulfilled their human desires—
But it also caused Beibei inner turmoil.
That wasn't what Old Lu wanted.
He wanted Beibei to live happily, to pursue what it truly desired.
Chen Mo fell silent after hearing Old Lu's final words.
The entire livestream, recalling Beibei's lonely figure under the moonlight, felt a mix of emotions as they looked at the old man.
[Sigh… I'm so conflicted. Just putting myself in Old Lu's shoes makes it unbearable. I couldn't make this choice.]
[To Old Lu, Beibei is like a child. He wants it to stay by his side… but also wants it to have a greater future, even if it hurts him.]
[Teacher Chen, do something!]
[Stop rushing him—can't you see his brows are practically tied together?]
Looking at the pleading gaze of the white-haired old man, Chen Mo sighed softly and asked:
"Old Lu, like I said before—if Beibei truly wanted to leave, with its abilities, it could easily break through the zoo's defenses."
"So even if you entrust this to me, I might not be able to take Beibei out of the town."
The old man's expression dimmed further.
Chen Mo wasn't wrong.
Perhaps Beibei truly wanted to leave long ago—even if it hesitated in the end.
But now…
Because it cared about Old Lu and the others' feelings, it had fallen into confusion, unable to make a choice in such a comfortable environment.
Just like earlier that day—how could a Pokémon fail to outrun humans?
It simply chose not to.
Or rather… it avoided choosing.
The two young men nearby seemed relieved for a moment, but recalling Old Lu's earlier words, their expressions quickly turned conflicted again.
At that moment—
Chen Mo spoke again.
"If you trust me, I have a way to let Beibei leave the town first."
"But whether it chooses to return… or head into the mountains—that decision won't be mine."
"However, I believe that by then… Beibei will make its own choice."
Old Lu suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude.
"Alright, alright, alright… Thank you, Teacher Chen. I trust you completely. If you need any cooperation, we'll arrange it immediately."
"Mm, I do need your help with a few things…"
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.
Beibei slowly woke up in its little nest. Half-asleep, it wobbled out of its treehouse and immediately saw two round, chubby pandas sitting on the ground, skillfully peeling bamboo shoots before munching on them.
The panda cubs here were around eight or nine months old—old enough to eat bamboo shoots and bamboo.
"Wan… wan…"
Watching for a while, Beibei began to feel hungry.
Of course—
It didn't go over to fight them for bamboo.
While it could eat bamboo shoots, as a Pokémon, Beibei preferred meat. The caretakers had long figured this out.
Every morning, at a fixed time, they would deliver cooked food into the enclosure.
Beibei reckoned it was about time.
Sure enough—
Not long after, the sound of a door opening rang out.
Then a voice followed.
"Beibei, breakfast time!"
"Wan wan!"
Beibei responded.
Though it preferred hunting its own prey, since the food was already delivered, it would be a waste not to eat it.
With the principle of not wasting food in mind, Beibei trotted toward the feeding area.
Time to eat!
This was perhaps the happiest moment of its day.
It didn't think about leaving or staying—those thoughts were all tossed aside. Right now, only the food mattered.
After all—
Boss always said:
Only with a full stomach can you handle serious business.
The caretaker didn't leave as quickly as usual.
Watching Beibei gobble down its meal, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out and gently rubbing its fluffy head.
"Beibei… you've got to keep going, okay?"
"Wan…?"
Beibei felt something strange about his tone today, but couldn't understand it.
It just liked the feeling of being patted.
Before it knew it, a silly grin spread across its face.
"You little…"
The caretaker rubbed its head again, then lowered his cap slightly, hiding the tears forming in his eyes.
After taking one last look at Beibei eating—
He turned away, quietly leaving.
Before exiting, he pulled the door halfway closed—
Leaving behind a clear gap.
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