Chapter 103: Second Identity

"Huo La, you're amazing! You actually defeated Natsume alone and rescued everyone!"

Before even reaching Ziyuan Town, Ash and Xiao Xia, who had been called back by Xiao Gang's phone, came running with disbelief and excitement on their faces and patted Huo La's shoulder.

"Just luck," Huo La waved his hand lightly, his tone breezy, "If Natsume's father hadn't been covertly restraining, I couldn't have rescued anyone, let alone obtain this Golden Badge."

As he spoke, he deliberately mimicked the way Ash flaunted his badges from memory, pulling open his jacket—on the inner lining were a Dark Gray Badge, a Blue Badge, an OrangeBadge, and, added to them, a brand‑new Golden Badge, all strikingly eye‑catching.

"Cough." Xiao Gang shook his head helplessly, a smile hidden in his eyes—this youngster, though modest in words, is unapologetically flashy when showing off.

"Wow! Four badges now!" Ash stared at the badges for a while, then suddenly clenched his fist, his eyes igniting with fighting spirit, "Alright! I've decided! I'm going back to challenge Natsume and get the Golden Badge!"

"Wait, wait a moment!" Lilian, frightened, quickly grabbed him, her voice still trembling, "You're still going to challenge Natsume? Aren't you afraid she'll turn you into a doll again? I heard Goldenrod City has a Fighting Gym where you can earn a badge too; shall we go there?"

The vague consciousness and rigid body she felt when turned into a doll is something she never wants to experience again in this life; just hearing Natsume's name makes her fingertips tingle.

Seeing Lilian's pallid face and terrified eyes, the fighting spirit that had just flared in Ash was doused like cold water; his fist slowly relaxed, and his gaze dimmed a bit.

Huo La stepped forward at the right moment, patting his shoulder: "Go ahead, challenging now is fine."

He paused, then lowered his voice to add, "Natsume isn't focused on the 'turn into a doll' thing now; the Psychic Intimidation is much weaker than before. Plus her father has been guarding outside the Gym, so any real trouble will be stopped in time—no life danger, at worst just a defeat."

Ash suddenly looked up, meeting Huo La's steady gaze; the fighting spirit that had been extinguished instantly reignited.

He nodded heavily, clenching his fist: "Brother Huo La, you're right! If you can break through, how can I admit defeat!"

He turned to Xiao Xia and Lilian, his tone firm, "Lilian, Xiao Xia, stay here and wait for me! Next, let me and Pikachu storm the Gym; we'll definitely get the badge, wait for my good news!"

After speaking, he cradled the revitalized Pikachu and sprinted toward the Golden Gym, his back radiating youthful stubbornness and hot‑blooded zeal.

"Another interesting little brat," Gastly's sinister voice whispered in Huo La's ear, with a hint of amusement, "I've sensed a very special scent on him—like an aura blessed by the world, clean and pure."

"Blessing?" Huo La felt a slight tremor in his mind, then a helpless smile curled his lips as he murmured softly, "After all, he's the protagonist~~~"

"Alright, Xiao Gang, I'm heading back to my room to rest." Huo La rubbed his forehead, took the Pokeball from his waist and handed it over, "Please look after my Pokemon; tomorrow I plan to challenge the Fighting Gym again, they need to regain their spirit."

"Leave it to me, no problem!" Xiao Gang immediately took the Pokeball, "Beedrill's wings need a coat of protective fluid; I happen to have bought a premium one earlier, guaranteeing it'll be at full strength tomorrow!"

Back in his own room, Huo La lay flat on the bed, staring at the flickering ceiling lights, finally refocusing his attention on the system interface in his mind—a prominent line reading "Upgrade Complete, Please Confirm" had been hovering for almost two hours.

Coincidentally, just as he stepped out of the Golden Gym's doorway, the long‑dormant broken system suddenly popped up a notification.

But at the time the battle had just ended and he still had to consider follow‑up details, so he kept it suppressed without clicking; now, alone in a room, he finally had time to examine it closely.

Huo La focused his mind and lightly tapped the "Confirm" button.

The next second, the system interface suddenly blacked out, immediately followed by a line "Rebooting, Please Wait" with the Jindutia slowly Rollout—a literal shutdown‑restart sequence of electronic equipment.

Huo La: "......"

This system really takes the idea of being down‑to‑earth to the extreme.

A moment later, the system rebooted, first displaying the announcement for this update.

Besides the previously announced League Reputation System optimization, the only other update instantly caught Huo La's eye: the opening of the Second Identity feature.

Huo La's heart stirred, and he immediately clicked into the detailed description of Second Identity; the more he read, the brighter his eyes became, and eventually he sat up, murmuring to himself, "Can you play like this? This upgrade is literally a Cheat......"

The so‑called Second Identity is an independent identity generated by the system in addition to his current "Huo La" identity.

Crucially, the system—by unknown technical means—silently infiltrated the Pokemon League's official network, recording complete, verifiable legal information for this new identity—from name and birthplace to Trainer License number—everything intact, without flaw.

And the core advantage of this feature made Huo La's heart race: ordinary Trainers are limited by League rules to carrying at most six Pokemon, but he can, via two identities, achieve the effect of "carrying 12 simultaneously".

When the "Huo La" identity is active publicly, the Second Identity and its six Pokemon are completely hidden by the system—neither League terminals nor other Trainers can detect them; conversely, after switching identities, the original identity's Pokemon enter a "hidden" state.

"This is literally a feature tailor‑made for me," Huo La couldn't help but grin out loud.

With a Second Identity, he can fully exploit the Masked Child persona without the hassle of swapping Pokemon back and forth, providing a much safer safeguard for concealing his identity.

He immediately followed the system's prompts, naming the Second Identity "Laiyi", setting it as a newly‑minted Trainer from a small town in the Oblivia Region.

At the moment of confirming the information, the system interface split in two; the left side displayed the six Pokemon under the "Huo La" identity (Beedrill, Scyther, Noibat, Nidoqueen, Victreebel, and an empty slot), while the right side showed the blank roster for the "Laiyi" identity, awaiting filling.

"Next, I need to find a way to give 'Laiyi' a full set of six Pokemon," Huo La stroked his chin, his gaze landing on the blank roster column on the right side of the system interface, murmuring, "The Houndour egg is about to hatch; when it does, it'll go directly under the Second Identity, perfectly filling the gap."

Just as he was pondering the lineup, a sinister laugh suddenly emerged from his sleeve: "Little brat, what's that 'Second Identity' thing, what is it?"

Huo La's whole body froze—he had actually forgotten that this millennial Old Ghost had been by his side all along!

He quickly steadied his mind and tentatively asked, "You... can you see my system interface? Do you know about the Second Identity?"

"Hehe, old man cannot see those flashy things inside your mind," Gastly's voice carried a hint of mockery, "But you just muttered about 'Second Identity', 'filling the roster', 'hidden Pokemon' for a while; my ears aren't deaf, so I caught the gist."

Huo La: "... damn it, was careless."

He slapped his forehead in frustration, so caught up in excitement that he forgot the Old Ghost was still with him.

"Simply put, the system gave me a fake identity that lets me carry six extra Pokemon," Huo La explained plainly, "The two identities can switch; when switching, the other identity's Pokemon are completely hidden, and no one can detect them."

"Oh? Such a weird ability? Could this 'system' be another thing created by those boring 'gods'?" Gastly's aura drifted from his body, scanning Huo La up and down, curiosity in his eyes, "So you can carry 12 Pokemon with you, right?"

"More than 12. Including you, which doesn't count toward the roster as a 'hidden hire', I effectively have a 13‑slot configuration," Huo La suddenly grinned, his eyes showing a hint of pride, unconcerned by Gastly's mention of 'boring gods'.

"You aren't bound by Pokeballs, can step in anytime, and don't count toward a Trainer's carrying limit—this is a unique Cheat."

"You've got an eye, kid." Gastly was flattered, his aura flickering, "But I don't count as your Pokemon; I'm just a 'collaborator' who took money for the job. Don't try to slot me into any roster, that'll cheapen me."

"Don't worry, you're the Chief Tactical Advisor and translator, so your compensation will be different," Huo La said with a smile, reassuring him.

"Alright, stop showing off," Gastly's voice cut his reverie, "Even if you can carry more, lacking strength makes it useless. Tomorrow you're still going to challenge the Fighting Gym, right? Think about how to win first, don't end up falling flat."

"Rest assured, with Scyther on hand, it'll be a piece of cake."

He closed the system interface, turned over, a smile still at his lips: with the system's buff and a millennial Old Ghost as a Cheat, only now does he finally feel he has a hint of a 'protagonist' vibe.