Chapter 22: I, Gastly, the God of Alley Warfare!
Chapter 22: I, Gastly, the God of Alley Warfare!
"Calling the police was the right choice. If you encounter such a situation again, please trust the League Police Department."
Outside the Kanaz Police Station, Officer Jenny turned to Jing He and Daigo, who had just finished their statements, with a serious expression. She then walked back into the building.
Jing He and Daigo exchanged a glance, both recalling the events that had just transpired.
At the time, the Houndoom's "Flamethrower" was about to be unleashed, and it was clear that the Houndoom was stronger than Daigo's Metang. With the type disadvantage, the narrow alley, and the impending attack, there was almost no way to avoid it.
Fortunately, Officer Jenny arrived just in time to scare off the attackers.
"Thank you, Teacher Jing He."
Daigo expressed his sincere gratitude. Initially, he had thought Jing He's decision to call the police was a bit off, considering the situation. By the time Officer Jenny and her team arrived, the robbers would have long been gone. But now, looking back, he realized how wise Jing He's decision had been.
Jing He waved his hand thoughtfully.
The two of them left together.
The streets were still lit with neon lights, bustling with the vibrancy of Kanaz City. However, upon closer inspection, one could see that behind the glittering lights, there were always a few dark, endless alleys, quietly revealing the secrets hidden beneath the city's prosperity.
"Do you know them, Teacher?"
After walking for a while, Daigo couldn't help but ask.
Jing He continued walking, carrying a bag of energy bars he had bought earlier. His eyes scanned the street, as if searching for something, and he responded, "Aren't you surprised?"
"Huh?" Daigo was confused.
Jing He's eyes lit up as he finally found his target. He crossed the street, where the traffic was not too heavy, and approached a small, inconspicuous restaurant.
"Dark-type Houndoom, Fire and Ground-type Houndoom, and the speed-focused Weavile," Jing He continued.
"You mean..." Daigo gradually caught on.
Metang, being a Steel and Psychic-type Pokemon, was weak against Dark, Fire, and Ground types. The narrow alley had also been a disadvantage for Metang, making it even more sluggish and reducing its ability to maneuver, possibly even preventing Daigo from summoning a second Pokemon.
As Daigo pondered, Jing He lifted the curtain and entered the restaurant.
Inside, a middle-aged man in a chef's outfit greeted him with a smile, "Hey, Jing He, the usual?"
Jing He glanced at Daigo, who had followed him in.
"Make it two more."
"Sure thing!"
They then walked to the back of the small restaurant, where several small, curtained booths were located, and found an empty one. They slipped inside.
Once seated, Daigo couldn't wait to ask, "Those people were actually targeting me?"
Jing He shrugged, not answering directly, but said, "The pork cutlet rice here is quite good, and the owner's tempura is excellent too."
"Kyaah—"
Gastly floated out from Jing He's clothes, its mist-like hand holding a fork it had somehow acquired, looking eager.
Dinner time had long passed, and after the battle in the alley, it was starving, feeling like it could eat a whole Tauros!
"But why? What was their purpose?" Daigo asked again.
Jing He's eyes, calm like a still pond, glinted with a faint ripple, yet remained serene. This made Daigo's words trail off.
"Here you go, your pork cutlet rice and tempura—"
At that moment, the owner brought in the steaming hot food, breaking the brief silence.
Five full meals!
The warm, fragrant aroma instantly filled the small booth.
"Kyaah!"
Once the owner left, Gastly's eyes gleamed, and its mouth watered. It shouted and immediately started eating with the fork, skillfully sweeping the food.
Jing He also began to eat.
After a few bites, he noticed Daigo hadn't touched his food and asked, "Not used to it?"
"No, no..."
Daigo, who had been deep in thought, snapped back to reality, quickly picked up his chopsticks, and started eating. It wasn't just Jing He and Gastly who hadn't had dinner.
However, his eating manners were far more refined compared to Jing He and Gastly.
By the time Jing He finished his portion, Gastly was already nearly done with his third. To his surprise, Daimu also quickly finished his meal.
And he ate very cleanly.
He showed no sense of being the young master of Devon Corporation, even placing his chopsticks neatly on the plate after finishing.
“Burp—”
Gastly let out a long, contented burp and lay back on the soft cushion, his eyes turning wavy, looking utterly satisfied.
“The food was indeed delicious.”
Daimu, seemingly emerging from his previous single-minded focus, couldn’t help but praise the meal.
For him to compliment the food, it was clear that the chef’s skills were exceptional.
Then, he turned to Gastly, who was lying beside him, and said earnestly, “Thank you again tonight, Gastly.”
If not for Gastly’s ability to pass through walls and gather information, even knocking out a few people, their evening wouldn’t have been so smooth.
“G-Gast?”
Gastly, lying on the cushion, was taken aback.
He was being thanked?
This was the first time anyone other than Jing He had thanked him, and it made him feel a bit embarrassed.
“Gast, gast!”
Gastly wriggled in a cloud of black mist, unsure if he was blushing or boasting.
I, Gastly, the god of alley battles!
Gastly: ( )
Both of them laughed.
“Teacher, I’ve analyzed the situation.”
After the laughter subsided, Daimu looked at Jing He with a serious expression.
“First, those people were likely targeting me. However, I haven’t offended anyone in particular, so I suspect it might be because of the Zekrom surname, or perhaps even Devon Corporation.”
“Their Pokemon, apart from the Camerupt, weren’t particularly strong, but they knew a lot about me.”
He realized that Jing He’s earlier silence was to give him time to think for himself.
From Daimu’s perspective, Jing He had been reluctantly drawn into the situation. As the target, Daimu should know more about the enemy and their motives.
In fact, his analysis was quite logical.
His conclusion was that those people likely had a conflict with Devon Corporation, but he couldn’t pinpoint the exact individual based on the limited information.
“Very good,” Jing He smiled, stood up, and patted Daimu’s shoulder.
“Daimu, you have a great talent. You understand Pokemon, people, and even various stones. This makes you excellent as a trainer, as the heir to Devon Corporation, and as a stone collector.”
He placed one hand on the door frame and lifted the curtain to step outside.
His praise clearly delighted Daimu.
“But you still don’t understand yourself fully.”
‘You haven’t fully realized how exceptional you can be, capable of excelling in all three roles—top trainer, heir to Devon, and stone collector—without hesitation or doubt.’
Jing He didn’t voice this thought, as it was a bit premature for Daimu.
After Jing He and Gastly left, Daimu sat in his seat for a long time.
“Sigh—”
Daimu slowly exhaled, his eyes brightening.
“Not understanding myself, huh?”
He had a feeling that he could better understand himself through Jing He.
Of course, that would take time and couldn’t be achieved all at once.
As he stepped out of the room, he thought,
‘But, I should thank Teacher Jing He for tonight, and for the Metalix incident earlier.’
But how should he thank him?
Money?
Daimu immediately shook his head.
No, he shouldn’t use ‘material things’ to measure this help.
However, he soon thought of another way, his eyes lighting up.
“Um—”
At that moment, the restaurant owner’s voice called out from behind.
“Sir, will you be paying the bill?”
Daimu: “??”
The previous chapter had an issue with the general immunity to Ghost-type moves, but it has been corrected and doesn’t affect the reading.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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