Chapter 10: A Sense of Crisis
Chapter 10: A Sense of Crisis
On his way to work, Jing He walked alone, carrying a bag of baozi (steamed buns) he had bought from a convenience store. Occasionally, he would take one out of the bag and toss it toward the wall of a nearby alley.
However, before the baozi could hit the wall, it was snatched mid-air by a Gastly that had materialized from the wall.
"Kye!"
The Gastly looked at him with a pitiful expression, as if it had been caught doing something wrong.
Jing He, of course, knew exactly what was going on but felt quite helpless about it. After all, it was in Gastly's nature to be mischievous. He couldn't just force a Pokemon to change its nature, even if it was a powerful one like the Ghost-type. Even Kukui, one of the Elite Four, had a Haunter who still played pranks on her, but she had grown used to it and no longer fell for them.
Moreover, Gastly's actions weren't really pranks; it just didn't understand the consequences of its actions.
"From now on, no more entering the kitchen," Jing He said sternly to the "pitiful" little creature.
"Kye kye!"
If Gastly had hands, it would probably be raising them to swear an oath.
Seeing that Jing He wasn't really angry, Gastly's pitiful expression vanished, replaced by the joy of enjoying its meal.
Jing He couldn't help but shake his head; he knew Gastly's pitiful act was just that—an act.
"By the way, I need to buy some energy bars after work. We'll also pay the gas bill then."
"Kye, kye kye?"
Gastly was about to respond when it suddenly paused, looking back at the alley behind them.
Noticing Gastly's movement, Jing He followed its gaze.
Hmm?
He thought he saw a shadow.
Looking at Gastly, he saw it nodding with a serious expression.
This alley was usually deserted, a shortcut to the academy. He might not see a single person in a month, and the shadow seemed to have been following them for some time.
"Kye!"
Gastly's face turned fierce, and it was about to chase after the shadow, but Jing He quickly stopped it.
With a puzzled look, Gastly watched as Jing He, with a grave expression, said, "We don't know who that person is, their strength, or their intentions. Chasing after them would only expose us."
He then resumed his usual demeanor, taking a baozi from the bag and putting it in his mouth. He gestured for Gastly to return to his side and continued walking to the academy at his usual pace.
The person was keeping a safe distance, indicating they had some reservations. The alley was narrow and dark, so it was possible Gastly hadn't been noticed.
Now that the person had been exposed, Jing He could pretend nothing had happened, and the roles would be reversed.
However, Jing He had a pretty good idea of the person's intentions.
It was likely related to the stone he carried.
He had feared this might happen, but fortunately, the person was only following from a distance and hadn't made any aggressive moves.
He returned to the academy without incident, which slightly relieved him.
But it also made him realize that his peaceful life might be coming to an end.
There was one thing he needed to clarify.
After arriving at the academy, Jing He didn't head straight to his counseling office. Instead, he went to Dr. Solance's office.
"Jing He?"
Dr. Solance, who was sitting at his desk organizing lesson plans, looked surprised to see him.
"I need to borrow the computer," Jing He said with a smile, getting straight to the point.
Dr. Solance nodded in understanding and stood up to let him through.
"Go ahead, I don't need it. I already informed the administration, but they said they're busy with the start of the semester, so it might take a few days to arrange."
Jing He took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and started disassembling the computer while casually asking, "Was the loss significant?"
At this, Dr. Solance's face turned somber, "It was just some stones, but they were important to me."
"They were hard to find, right?" Jing He's tone was warm, "Like the one you told me about the other day."
"Yes."
Dr. Solance sighed, "I hadn't even started researching it. I can't remember if I brought it to school that day or left it at home, but it's gone now."
"Did you find it with Daimu? A fossil?"
Mentioning Daimu, Dr. Solance's expression brightened.
After all, not many people were interested in stones, and having someone with a shared interest, even if much younger, was a comforting thought.
Moreover, he had known Daimu for a long time, dating back to when his father worked at the Green Ridge Space Center.
"Yes, Daimu is an amazing kid," Dr. Solance said with a sigh.
"But whether that stone is a fossil or not is uncertain. My first impression was that it might be a meteorite fragment."
Jing He had finished disassembling the computer.
"A meteorite fragment? Where can you find something like that?"
"Meteor Falls."
Dr. Solance answered without hesitation, "Actually, meteorites are closer to us than you might think. The formation of Meteor Falls is due to a meteorite impact, and the Jade City was also formed by the high temperatures from a meteorite impact."
"I've heard something about that."
Jing He nodded in understanding, thanked Dr. Solance, and carried the computer out.
As he reached the door, Jing He suddenly turned back and asked, "By the way, did they find the thieves? Who were they?"
"No," Dr. Solance sighed, shaking his head. "Miss Juniper and her team are still looking, but since it was just some stones that were stolen, you know how it goes."
Back in the counseling room, Jing He's smile faded, and his expression grew serious.
Meteor Falls?
In his memory, Dr. Solance had only attracted the attention of Team Aqua and Team Magma because he had found a fossil in Meteor Falls.
So, there was a good chance that the intruders who had ransacked Dr. Solance's home, looking for those stones, could be from Team Aqua or Team Magma!
Team Aqua and Team Magma were the two largest underground forces in the Hoenn region, extremely powerful and influential. They were strong enough to rival the Hoenn League to some extent.
Moreover, their goals were incredibly ambitious—seeking the legendary ancient Pokemon, Groudon and Kyogre!
As he thought about it, Jing He's brow furrowed.
'But the timeline doesn’t match up.'
Currently, Archie and Maxie were still students, far from being champions. Therefore, Team Magma and Team Aqua should still be in their dormant phases.
'So, the situation might not be as dire as I feared?'
"Keeh!"
Gastly, noticing Jing He's serious demeanor as he stood there in the counseling room, waved a hand in front of his face.
Jing He snapped back to reality and said solemnly, "Gastly, we might need to get a League Trainer's License."
"Keeh?"
Eh?
Regardless of whether it was Team Aqua or Team Magma, having a League Trainer's License would provide some protection for both him and Gastly.
Unless Team Aqua and Team Magma were ready to confront the League prematurely, they wouldn’t dare to harm a registered League Trainer, let alone someone without such a connection.
While his position as a mentor at the Kanaz Pokemon Academy had some clout, Dr. Solance's situation showed that it wasn't enough.
As for the original owner of this body, who had been a League researcher, he had tried for a long time but never succeeded. In comparison, becoming a registered trainer seemed more feasible.
Even if they encountered danger, having some strength and self-defense capabilities would significantly increase their safety.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that Jing He felt a sense of crisis and urgency.
Including the experiences of the original owner, it was their first time feeling this way.
But for some reason...
He felt a faint sense of... excitement?
'Indeed, the blood of men harbors a hidden impulse for adventure.'
After hearing Jing He's simple explanation, Gastly didn’t resist; instead, it looked eager and ready to go.
Yesterday, it had learned a lot and was impatient to put it into practice.
"Seems the urge for adventure isn’t limited to men."
Putting down the console, Jing He led Gastly out of the counseling room.
One of the benefits of being a Pokemon Academy mentor was that he had almost unrestricted access to the school’s training facilities.
They quickly passed through two long corridors and a lawn, arriving at the academy’s training room.
Although the school year had started, classes hadn’t yet begun, so the training room wasn’t very crowded. Jing He and Gastly entered a small, private training room.
"Keeh?"
In the training room, Gastly was visibly excited and asked eagerly.
What are we training? Ambushes? Nighttime attacks?
A vein popped on Jing He's forehead.
He took a deep breath and said slowly,
"Your offensive capabilities are lacking, but we don’t really need advanced offensive techniques. What we need to do is improve your overall abilities while refining the moves you know, ideally specializing in one or two."
As a seasoned Pokemon enthusiast, Jing He had a clear plan for how Gastly should fight.
"Keeh, keeh—"
Gastly nodded, seemingly understanding.
So, what now?
Seeing its confused look, Jing He calmed himself and explained patiently.
"Place a curse on the opponent, then follow up with a combo of Sleep, Confusion, Paralysis, Flinch, and Burn. By the time the opponent recovers from these debuffs, the curse will have drained their HP to a critical level, or they might even collapse from the debuffs."
"Isn’t this more practical than a surprise attack? Of course, a surprise attack can also be a good tactic."
Jing He stroked his chin, feeling that Gastly was the perfect Pokemon for his strategic approach.
"Keeh, keeh."
Gastly, seeing the "dangerous" glint in Jing He's eyes, swallowed hard and drifted back a bit.
This guy is really dangerous!
Now it finally understood why Jing He didn’t watch those videos of the Gym Leader Kukui.
Because when it came to "danger," Jing He was no less formidable!
But why did it feel a bit excited?
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(End of Chapter)
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