Chapter 169: Jing He's Home Cleaning Operation
Chapter 169: Jing He’s Home Cleaning Operation
“Finally back!”
Pushing open the door, Jing He took a deep breath, looking at the familiar surroundings.
“Cough, cough, cough.”
It had only been a few days since he left, but a layer of dust had already settled.
“Grr?”
Minidragon cautiously approached, its eyes wide as it observed the small but cozy home.
Gengar, like an older brother, patted Minidragon on the back and grinned widely.
“Gengar!”
Don’t worry, I’ve got this covered!
“Alright, no more talk. Let’s start cleaning.”
Jing He issued the “mission.”
It had been about a week since he left, and he had been through a lot.
He helped Lance restore his red Gyarados, challenged the Gyms in Blackthorn, Vermilion, and Saffron Cities, and met Nando, Giovanni, Eusine, and Professor Oak, as well as Green.
Of course, the most important thing was that he had caught Minidragon and evolved Gastly into Gengar!
During this time, he had also acquired a lot of useful items, such as Huge Dragon Scales, Metal Coats, Dragon Fangs, and TM disks.
Initially, Professor Oak had wanted Jing He to stay for two more days to discuss some research insights.
But Jing He and Gengar both declined.
Mainly because he had classes the next day.
And Gengar was wary of Professor Oak’s “mysterious” friendliness, feeling that the professor was eyeing him greedily.
It wasn’t because Jing He was worried that Professor Oak would ask him to choose one of the starter Pokemon.
As a seasoned Pokemon enthusiast, it would be hard to resist the allure of Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
With his current financial situation, just keeping himself and his Pokemon from starving was already a challenge.
It also wasn’t because he was worried that Professor Oak might suddenly decide to give him a special Pokedex and assign him a mission.
Who ended up holding the special Pokedex in the future?
Red, Green, Gold, and Silver, the main protagonists.
What did they encounter?
Being frozen, burned, and harassed by various criminal organizations.
These were minor issues compared to the real trouble—being targeted by Legendary Pokemon.
Having one Mewtwo was enough for Jing He.
The only regret was not having time to meet Red or Ash, or both.
But with their abilities, Jing He felt that they would eventually meet.
It was better to wait.
“Home is safe.”
He let Gengar and Vulpix show Minidragon around the house, then walked into the bathroom, carrying a bucket, mop, and rags.
“Gengar, you’re in charge of the ceiling, walls, and corners.”
“Vulpix, take care of the bed, tables, and cabinets.”
“Machamp, the floor is yours!”
The three Pokemon eagerly accepted their tasks.
After all, they had done this many times before and were used to it.
“Grr?”
Minidragon blinked, looking up at Jing He expectantly, waiting for its task.
Jing He thought for a moment.
“Then the bathroom is yours, Minidragon. Use water to clean it thoroughly.”
After all, Minidragon was the only Pokemon in his collection that could use water-based moves.
But he warned:
“Whatever you do, don’t use ‘Hydro Pump.’”
“Grr!”
Taking the rag, Minidragon happily acknowledged the task.
As for Jing He, he took on the most important task: the kitchen!
The kitchen was sacred ground, and he felt better doing it himself.
Thus, the “Jing He’s Home Cleaning Operation Plan” began in earnest.
Gengar climbed up to the ceiling, holding a rag.
He gently blew on the light fixture and wiped it clean, making a satisfied sound as it creaked.
“Gengar, use water, not your saliva. You’ve already broken five lampshades,” Jing He’s voice called from the kitchen.
“Gengar!”
Got it!
Gengar shouted back, a bit defensively.
This time, he didn’t use saliva, just a puff of air.
Watching the lampshade thin visibly, Gengar’s expression froze.
“Gengar, gengar.”
It should be fine, right?
“Vulpix, don’t bury yourself in the blankets. We’ll have no covers tonight,” Jing He’s voice called again.
“Ooh, ooh?”
Hearing this, the Ice Vulpix poked its head out of the blanket.
Feeling the warm, comforting embrace, it stuck out its little tongue.
It took a deep breath, savoring the scent.
“Ooh.”
But Jing He’s scent in the blanket was really nice.
“Machamp, remember, that’s a mop, not your hammer. Don’t use too much force.”
Unconvinced, Jing He stepped out of the kitchen.
He saw:
Snap!
Machamp, with a serious expression, held the broken mop in two pieces, pondering how to fix it.
He couldn't help but hold his forehead.
Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "My fault, my fault."
"I forgot that your abilities improved quite a bit after your trip. I should have reminded you earlier."
"Gengar~"
"Growl~"
"Pikachu~"
The three little ones smiled and chimed in unison, "We don't blame you."
Jing He: "."
He was used to it.
He really was used to it.
This was just another day in the Jing He household.
"By the way, where's Minidragon?"
Suddenly, Jing He remembered that Minidragon hadn't made any noise since entering the bathroom.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Would he find a flood when he opened the bathroom door?
He cautiously walked to the bathroom and, after mentally preparing himself, opened the door.
Fortunately.
There was no flood. Minidragon had obediently listened and didn't use "Water Gun."
But...
It wasn't much better.
Jing He's eyes twitched as he took in the scene.
The bathroom was filled with soap bubbles, completely packed.
A familiar sound of a slip followed, and Minidragon's head emerged from the bubbles.
"Dratini~"
Minidragon, with bubbles all over its head, smiled innocently.
"Ha ha." Jing He managed a weak laugh.
"At least it's cleaned up."
Sitting on the sofa, Jing He calmly sipped his hot tea.
Thankfully.
Despite the minor issues, everything went relatively smoothly.
At least there was no power outage, ice freeze, or shattered tiles like during the first major cleaning.
Things were much better.
Thanks to Gengar and the others, the final result was good.
They had a clean and intact home.
The key was "intact."
But Jing He had another concern.
Their home... seemed a bit too small.
While it was cute, and cozy, Gengar's evolution made it obvious that it was feeling a bit cramped.
Especially since Gengar was a bit of a chubby one, taking up a lot of space.
If it was just Gengar, they could probably make do.
But if Icefox and Minidragon evolved, it would definitely get crowded.
"Maybe it's time to consider moving to a larger place."
Honestly.
While he would feel a bit sad, he had to think about the development of the little ones.
Ideally, he thought, they should rent a place with a shop.
Whether it's a Pokemon psychology clinic or a cafe, it would be nice and could even bring in some extra income.
While Jing He was considering the move, the little ones finished their cleaning and went about their own activities.
Gengar, holding a piece of "Dark Stone" given by Boss Giovanni, floated in mid-air, licking the stone while practicing its psychic abilities.
Forge, on the balcony, hammered away at its anvil with the "Metal Coat" it had been longing for.
With the "Metal Coat," its hammer would likely become even heavier.
But as long as Gengar and Forge didn't swap abilities, everything was acceptable to Jing He.
Icefox, curled up on the bed, was intently watching a move tutor, learning "Pain Split."
It nodded occasionally, "Vulpix~"
Learning "Pain Split" was definitely challenging, but Jing He believed Icefox could handle it. The main concern was how to practice the move.
More specifically, who to practice it on.
Besides the three little ones who always kept Jing He on his toes, Minidragon was the only one who could give him a bit of a break.
Its biggest challenge now was how to digest the large scales of the Dragonite.
While Icefox had frozen the scales and Forge had hammered them into smaller pieces, the scales were still tough, and Minidragon's teeth were a bit fragile.
If there was no other way, they would just have to grind them down slowly.
Jing He couldn't offer much help with that for now.
Ding-ding—
His phone suddenly buzzed, interrupting his thoughts.
It was a message from the academic affairs director of the academy, asking if he was back.
The dean had returned and brought back the mentor evaluation rewards, hoping he could come to the school the next day.
(End of Chapter)
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