Chapter 199: That Year, the Wisteria Blossoms Were in Full Bloom
Chapter 199: That Year, the Wisteria Blossoms Were in Full Bloom
"Haunter, you’re a ghost too, you know," Jing He said helplessly.
"Gah, gah!"
Haunter’s eyes widened in realization.
Right, I’m a ghost too!
Back in the day, it used to scare Jing He with its ghostly nightmares, but after living with Jing He for so long, it almost forgot that it was a ghost.
"Chirp?"
Crafty was a bit surprised as it looked at Haunter.
So, Haunter is a ghost too.
Jing He: "..."
He shook his head.
Come to think of it, whether it was him or the other Pokemon, they all saw Haunter as a partner and family, not really as a ghost.
Besides, how many normal ghosts have such a big appetite?
Shaking off the trio’s pestering, Jing He walked towards the cafe.
But after just a few steps, he suddenly sensed something. A subtle pulse of aura energy rippled through the air.
The cafe, which had been bathed in the warm glow of the sunset, suddenly transformed into an ancient mansion nestled in the mountains. The pavilion at the entrance was filled with vibrant wisteria flowers.
The entire mansion seemed eerie and ominous, with a chilling mist creeping up from the ground.
Tap, tap, tap—
From within the ancient mansion, the sound of wooden sandals clacking against the wooden floor echoed, growing louder.
Then, a girl dressed in a wisteria-patterned kimono, with long black hair tied up, ran out of the mansion, her face beaming with an innocent smile.
As the girl reached the entrance, a mischievous Gastly suddenly jumped out from the shadows, startling her.
Seeing the girl fall to the ground with tears in her eyes, the Gastly’s beads glowed red, and it laughed triumphantly.
However, before it could laugh for long, the girl, upon seeing it, wiped away her tears and smiled back, mirroring its expression.
This left the little Gastly stunned; it had never encountered such a reaction before.
Time passed, and the wisteria flowers outside the mansion bloomed countless times.
The once innocent girl had grown old and gray, while the mischievous Gastly had evolved into a Haunter.
"Find someone who will be good to you."
The elderly girl, sitting under the wisteria trellis, spoke weakly to the Haunter.
However, it remained by her grave year after year, enduring the wind and sun, even as the wisteria flowers withered from lack of care.
Snap—
The dreamlike scene faded away.
Jing He saw a deep purple Pokemon with a wizard’s hat standing at the entrance of the cafe.
Its crimson eyes held the weight of ages, and the three red gems on its chest were now dull and lifeless. It wore a polite and somewhat apologetic smile.
Haunter!
"Ooh?"
Seeing the sudden appearance of the Haunter, Haunter and Weavile didn’t react.
They sensed no hostility from it.
The Haunter gave them a gentle smile.
"Uu~"
Its voice was melodious and a bit weak.
Legend has it that the Haunter’s voice is like a curse, capable of casting curses and creating terrifying illusions, but it also has the rare ability to bring happiness.
"Who are you?" Jing He asked slowly.
He also felt no hostility from the Haunter.
The Haunter’s red gems flashed, and with a “whoosh,” a poster appeared before it.
A poster?
Jing He was taken aback.
He had never made a poster to advertise the cafe.
But he quickly noticed a handprint in the corner of the poster. The size and shape of the handprint were unmistakable.
"Haunter?"
"Gah, gah!"
Oh no, it’s been discovered!
Haunter’s face broke into a sheepish grin as it turned to run, but Jing He grabbed it by the spikes on its back, lifting it up. Its short legs kicked frantically in the air.
"Gah."
Haunter soon surrendered, drooping its ears and nodding at Jing He.
It was me.
Seeing Jing He’s gaze, the Haunter pointed to the handprint, its eyes glowing faintly.
"The poster says this place can help Pokemon in need."
The Haunter’s voice echoed in Jing He’s mind.
Wait, a handprint can convey that much information?
Jing He looked at Haunter again.
All he got was a bright red tongue.
Slurp~
Jing He: "..."
He expressionlessly took a bite of a "Sakura Berry."
Haunter grinned wickedly and winked at Weavile.
See, a little bit of charm and you’re fine. Learn from this.
Your way of being charming is a bit too much, isn’t it?
Jing He rolled his eyes in exasperation.
But the Haunter, watching this, had a deep longing in its crimson eyes.
After a moment’s thought, Jing He said to the Haunter, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
He quickly added, "Just to be clear, I’m a Pokemon psychologist, teacher, trainer, researcher, and cafe owner."
The Haunter blinked.
"I just want to... see her again."
The Haunter’s voice rang out again, "By any means."
Its eyes were filled with intense hope.
Jing He was silent.
The girl, huh?
"Can I?"
Jing He took a deep breath.
If Haunter had made a promise, it was only right to help, especially since he had the ability to do so.
Besides, one of the reasons he opened the cafe was to help Pokemon in need.
But before he could prepare, Haunter had already advertised it.
No wonder the cafe, which should have been quiet, had so many customers those days.
Seeing Jing He sigh, the Haunter’s eyes dimmed.
But it wasn’t the first time it had been disappointed. It simply said, "I’m sorry for bothering you."
"By any means, right?" Jing He suddenly asked.
"Hmm?"
Mismagius was taken aback.
"Come in."
Jing He pushed open the door and walked into the cafe, where Gengar and Glaceon waved at them.
The trio, huddled together outside, exchanged glances.
Ghosts aren’t so scary after all, it seemed.
Inside the cafe.
"What—what do I need to do?"
Mismagius looked a bit uneasy, with a barely contained worry.
Can I really see her again?
"Just lie down here." Jing He pointed to a soft single sofa in the corner of the cafe.
Without hesitation, Mismagius quickly landed on the sofa and lay down quietly.
"All you need to do is relax completely and follow my instructions."
Jing He sat beside it, her voice gentle and soothing, like a warm spring breeze, making Mismagius gradually relax.
"Six Tail."
"Oooh~~"
The little Six Tail jumped onto Jing He’s lap.
It’s been a while since I’ve done this, Jing He thought to herself as she softly spoke:
"That year, the wisteria was in full bloom."
Under Jing He’s and Six Tail’s hypnosis, Mismagius gradually immersed itself, fully cooperating.
Slowly.
Bit by bit, the scenes began to weave together, slowly presenting themselves before it.
The warm afternoon sun, the faint scent of wisteria.
"Mismagius?"
Suddenly.
Mismagius’s body trembled, and the familiar voice made it turn around sharply.
Seeing the familiar girl, tears welled up in its eyes.
But Mismagius tried hard to hold back.
Because the tears would blur its vision and make it hard to see the girl’s face.
"Why are you crying?"
The girl smiled gently.
"Don’t mind what others say. Let’s just live our own lives."
She stepped forward and gently hugged Mismagius, taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears from its eyes.
This scene brought back memories for Mismagius.
Back then, when it was still a Misdreavus, as a Ghost-type Pokemon, it was shunned by the villagers and faced many cruel words.
Even the girl who played with it became a target of attacks.
Mismagius, feeling indignant, broke free from the girl’s embrace and retaliated against those who spoke harshly that night.
As a result, the girl and Mismagius were completely ostracized by the villagers, seen as harbingers of misfortune.
Mismagius vividly remembered how, when the girl was sick, no one was willing to help. Although the girl managed to survive the illness, it left her with a lingering condition.
But this time.
Mismagius tightly hugged the girl, feeling her warmth and the faint scent of her.
I just want to be with you.
"Alright, alright."
The girl smiled. "Crying isn’t very pretty, you know."
"Look what I’ve prepared for you. Your favorite flower cake!"
"Oooh~~"
Mismagius sniffled and nodded vigorously.
How many years has it been since I last tasted a flower cake made by Satsuki?
Satsuki.
The name that haunted its dreams.
"Is it good?"
Holding Mismagius and sitting under the wisteria arbor, Satsuki asked softly.
It’s delicious!
The flower cake made by Satsuki is the best thing in the world!
A gentle breeze blew by.
Purple petals swirled and fell, the lush wisteria almost covering the arbor, creating a hazy, dreamlike purple glow.
"The wisteria this year is blooming beautifully," Satsuki said with a smile.
"Oooh~~"
Mismagius snuggled closer to Satsuki.
If time could just stop at this moment, that would be perfect, Mismagius thought.
That year, the wisteria was in full bloom.
Looking at Mismagius, lying quietly on the sofa with tears streaming down its face.
"Gengar." (Feeling emo.)
Gengar’s head drooped.
Glaceon’s eyes were also filled with tears.
Beside them, the Artisan and the Mini Dragon, who had appeared at some point, clung tightly to Jing He.
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of life," Jing He said with a smile.
Even more emo.
The little ones all lowered their heads.
"You don’t need to worry about such distant things. What we need to do is live in the present!"
Jing He was very open-minded.
"Do what you want to do, pursue your dreams, and even if you don’t succeed, you’ve still fought for it, right?"
"Oooh."
"Besides."
Jing He smiled, "With you guys around, I might just live to be a hundred."
Gengar was the first to recover, clenching his fist tightly.
"Gengar!"
Even if I become a ghost, I won’t let you go!
A black line appeared on Jing He’s forehead.
Why does it always come out wrong with you?
But.
"There are indeed rumors that after death, one might become a Ghost-type Pokemon."
"By then, if you forget me, I’ll come knocking on each of your doors!"
Jing He made a ghostly face, jokingly.
But the little ones all looked determined.
If it’s Jing He, they wouldn’t forget, not in this life, not in the next, or the one after that!
A dreamlike figure gently flew past the rising moon, leaving behind a trail of star-like light points.
My Humanity Is on the Brink
[Two Realms][High Martial Arts][Beast Evolution]
In the boundless starry universe, at the mysterious end of the star abyss.
Humans have opened the gates of hell, ushering in a new era of martial arts.
Starships capable of destroying planets, martial arts masters walking through the cosmos, and infinitely evolving powerful star beasts...
This is the most insane era, where martial arts are fiercely contested and evolution never stops.
Chu Mu, upon arriving in this world, looked at the two moons in the night sky, gripped the knife in his hand, and vowed to become an unparalleled powerhouse, taking his fate into his own hands.
But before that...
He needs to solve the small problem of turning into a star beast every time he sleeps.
(End of Chapter)
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