Chapter 156: Goldenrod City, Natsu
Chapter 156: Goldenrod City, Natsu
After a satisfying meal, Jing He led the little ones back to their residence.
"If the Rocket Trio showed up, doesn't that mean Ash should be around too?"
Jing He was a bit confused.
He had just met Green not long ago.
The Rocket Trio wouldn't go after Red's Pikachu, right? That Pikachu is quite different from the "easy-going" Pikachu they usually encounter.
With the world's rules becoming increasingly mixed up, Jing He didn't dwell on it too much.
He returned with the little ones to their residence and decided that from now on, he would avoid unnecessary wandering. Who knew who else they might "happen" to run into?
Fortunately, the mansion provided by the Dragon family was large enough, with a nice garden where Gastly and the others could train and expend their energy.
Jing He didn't need to worry too much about Gastly, Weavile, and Forretress' training routines. Besides the daily training, they had their own "interest projects" to keep them occupied.
For example:
Gastly loved to play hide-and-seek in the house using its "Substitute" and "Shadow Ball" moves. Without anyone to play with, the "King of Fear" might scare some unsuspecting people into fainting.
Sometimes, Jing He wondered if opening a haunted house might be a good idea. After all, with Gastly's abilities, one Pokemon could run an entire haunted house.
Weavile and Forretress, on the other hand, enjoyed making and destroying snowmen. They had a blast doing it.
They could even open an ice cream shop together; it would probably be quite profitable.
As for Minior, Jing He was still figuring out its preferences. He focused on basic training and building a bond between the Pokemon and the trainer.
There was no need to rush.
However, Jing He noticed a peculiar trait of Minior—it loved soft things. It enjoyed rolling around on soft grass.
"Minior."
"Yinwu?"
The Minior, which was napping on the grass, lifted its head and looked at Jing He with curiosity.
Jing He held out a simple, finger-thick dragon tooth and a TM.
"Yinwu! (★OO)◇+"
Seeing the "Dragon Fang," Minior became excited and quickly crawled toward Jing He.
Bang!
In its haste, Minior didn't see the hole Weavile had dug and fell flat on its face.
Jing He: "..."
But Minior didn't mind. It got up and came to Jing He, looking at the tooth with a low, eager whine.
Jing He smiled and gently brushed the dirt off its face.
"Yinwu."
Minior looked at Jing He with wide, tear-filled eyes, allowing him to carefully clean its face.
"Don't worry, this is for you," Jing He said with a smile.
The "Dragon Fang" and the "Dragon Wave" TM were won from Shoto. Jing He thought he wouldn't have a chance to use them and kept them in his bag, but he never imagined he would catch a Minior.
Minior blinked, its eyes shining with tears.
"Yinwu~~ (︿)"
Despite being a "strong" and "great dragon-type Pokemon," Minior had always yearned for care.
Jing He stroked its smooth head and spoke earnestly, "From now on, we're family."
"Yinwu!"
Minior immediately climbed onto Jing He, wrapping its slender body around him.
Feeling Minior's emotions, Jing He tried to calm it down, but suddenly realized something was wrong—Minior was tightening its grip!
His face changed, and he quickly said, "Wait! Wait a minute! Minior, don't get so excited! Don't! Don't..."
Snap!
"Jing He!"
Satoshi came to the backyard of Jing He's residence and saw him lying flat on the ground, tightly bound by Minior. He couldn't help but laugh, "You've only just caught it, and you're already so close?"
Jing He's face turned red as he extended a hand for help.
After a moment, Satoshi realized the situation.
Is Jing He about to be strangled to death?
"Phew—"
Finally, Jing He managed to escape Minior's death grip and sat on the ground, catching his breath.
If Minior is like this now, it's hard to imagine how strong its hugs will be when it evolves into a Dragonite.
He would probably die, right?
Definitely!
"Dr. Kusaka's report has arrived."
Satoshi sat next to Jing He and handed him a file.
Hmm?
The report on the magnetic field from the instruments at Lake of Rage?
Jing He quickly skimmed through it.
According to Dr. Kusaka's report, while the instruments created a strong magnetic field, it wasn't enough to cause the Gyarados to become so violent. It was speculated that a malfunction in some of the instruments released excessive current and magnetic fields, leading to the Gyarados' transformation.
"So, it was an accident?"
In the original anime, the red Gyarados also became violent after the magnetic field generator was damaged.
Satoshi shook his head and said seriously, "I'm not sure."
While the report from Dr. Kusaka suggested an accident, no one could be certain.
"Dr. Kusaka has invited you to his lab to get a more detailed understanding of the red Gyarados' condition."
An invitation from Dr. Kusaka?
Jing He was slightly taken aback.
He looked at Gastly, which had just emerged from the ground, informing Forretress of the exact location of the metal ore deposits.
Perfect.
Gastly was actually ready to evolve. In the past, no matter what it ate, its body would quickly digest it, showing no significant changes.
But now, Gastly had completely "sucked" up Koga's Koffing and even ate a small piece of "Black Sludge." It seemed Gastly hadn't even noticed, and its body had grown much larger, yet it hadn't fully digested everything.
Of course, it might also be because the items Koga gave were of a higher quality and harder to digest.
However, this also suggested that Gastly was approaching a "critical point."
It wasn't that it couldn't evolve or continue to grow stronger.
But it might slow down its growth rate.
Although capturing a Dratini had drastically increased Jing He's expenses, he couldn't let his financial situation be a reason to hinder Gastly's evolution.
In front of his Pokemon, nothing else mattered.
"I understand," Jing He nodded.
"Thank you," Koga said gratefully.
To him, Jing He's efforts were all for his sake.
After a moment, Koga suddenly lay back, hands behind his head, gazing at the vast blue sky and murmured:
"Jing He, do you think there will ever be a day when humans and Pokemon can live together freely and without worries, like the clouds in the sky?"
Koga genuinely loved Pokemon.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have earned the blessing of the Viridian Forest.
Jing He also lay down, slowly inhaling the fresh air.
"There will be such a day."
Koga's words reminded him of a patient he hadn't contacted in a long time—the Math Magician.
Because of people like Koga, the Math Magician, Cynthia, Red, and Ash, this seemingly unrealistic ideal might one day become a reality.
Koga smiled and said again:
"I've already applied for a secret mission, and once my Gyarados recovers a bit, we'll be off."
Koga couldn't disclose the specific details of the mission.
But Jing He didn't need to guess.
Koga was going to infiltrate Team Rocket?!
Two days later.
Koga's red Gyarados had fully stabilized, though it was still quite temperamental. It had communicated with Koga and acknowledged him as its Trainer.
From then on, it would just need to listen to some "sleep aid" audio daily, like Aerodactyl, to gradually adjust its psychology.
Jing He, accompanied by Koga, returned to Blackthorn City's airport and boarded a flight to Kanto's Goldenrod City.
Actually, Professor Elm's residence was quite confusing.
In the anime, Professor Elm stayed in the "Elm Tower," which served as both his laboratory and his home.
But in some games, including "Pokemon Yellow" and the manga, Professor Elm's laboratory was located in the northeastern corner of the Kanto region, in "Cape House."
Later, he moved to Goldenrod City in the Johto region.
After some inquiries, Jing He confirmed that Professor Elm was currently in "Elm Tower."
So, he took a flight to Goldenrod City, aiming for the "Elm Tower" on "White Strait."
Sizzle—
A burst of flames rose, accompanied by scattered smoke and a spreading aroma.
"Hum!"
A deep voice emitted from a Hypno, whose eyes glowed with psychic energy. The spoon in its hand bent slightly, and the smoke was enveloped by psychic energy, then sent out the window.
"Good job, Hypno."
A tall girl wearing an apron and cooking praised.
"Hum, hum."
Hypno scratched its head, feeling a bit embarrassed, and looked at the now more approachable girl, finding it somewhat hard to believe.
Not long ago, she was a girl who used her powerful psychic abilities to act recklessly. The change was truly significant.
This girl, of course, was the Goldenrod City Gym Leader and one of Team Rocket's executives, Nastya!
"Hypno, get me a soda, and the movie is over," Nastya said, displeased.
Although she sometimes still acted arrogantly, to Hypno, she was already an "angel."
"Hum."
Hypno used its psychic powers to fetch a soda from the fridge for Nastya and then changed the movie on the floating laptop with its powers.
Nastya grumbled.
"These movies are so boring. I should make one myself."
Sss—
Opening the soda and taking a big gulp, Nastya looked satisfied.
Drinking soda, watching movies, and cooking were habits Nastya had recently picked up.
"Ching!"
Plating the dish, Nastya proudly showed it to Hypno.
Seeing the unidentifiable green and yellow lumps, a cold sweat appeared on Hypno's forehead.
"Limu fruit and Wenyu fruit fried chicken wings, I did a bone separation, want to try?"
Chicken wings?
Bone separation?
Are these really chicken wings?
This was perhaps one of the few things Hypno found hard to accept about Nastya's transformation.
Eating this would likely cause at least three days of diarrhea.
But seeing Nastya's hopeful eyes, Hypno swallowed hard and forced a smile.
Originally,
Nastya's father also suffered alongside Hypno, but recently he had started leaving early and returning late to avoid these "meals," even more so than when Nastya used to abuse her psychic powers.
Nastya's father could hide, but as her Pokemon, Hypno couldn't.
There was no choice.
Hypno trembled and used a spoon to scoop out a piece.
Suddenly,
Both Nastya and Hypno's eyes glowed with psychic energy, sensing something.
They looked at each other.
Nastya said, "Let's go!"
Hypno secretly sighed in relief.
Saved.
—
PS: I accidentally wrote a bit more, so it's a couple of minutes late. Sorry.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
