Chapter 295: Shrine and Cemetery - The Legend of the Gravekeep Hound!
Chapter 295: Shrine and Cemetery - The Legend of the Gravekeep Hound!
The Paritia League was incredibly efficient in their work.
Soon after Shin Li proposed building a shrine for Lei Guan Wang, a truck arrived at the back mountain that very morning.
Out of curiosity, Naoki followed Shin Li to observe the proceedings.
Several burly men in blue overalls climbed out of the truck and began hammering and building towards the summit.
In no time, a super luxurious shrine was erected.
A statue of Lei Guan Wang stood at the heart of the shrine, its expression one of benevolence and kindness.
Naoki was stunned.
"I-Is this a bit over the top?"
Shin Li, standing beside him, smiled faintly. Perhaps due to their growing familiarity, her tone had lost the formal edge it once had.
"Yup~ This is how the Paritia League gets things done! Every member of the League works hard!"
"And this is just the beginning!" A glint of anticipation flashed in Shin Li's eyes. "Next, these uncles will build a grand staircase down the mountain path and construct a large shrine!"
"Huh?" Naoki was taken aback. "That seems like a lot of trouble."
He had expected a small shrine, similar to the one hidden in the depths of the cedar forest.
"Hehe!" Shin Li laughed, her expression serious. "But compared to what Lei Guan Wang has done, this is nothing!"
The mountain's ecosystem had been severely damaged, and its restoration would require significant manpower and expense.
Lei Guan Wang, with her great power, had revitalized the entire area, saving the Paritia League a lot of money.
Thus, both outwardly and deep within their hearts, they sincerely thanked Lei Guan Wang and Naoki.
"The Chief told me that Lei Guan Wang had once lost faith, forgotten by the world, wandering alone in the snowy wilderness... There's a similar legend circulating in Zhiqin Town as well."
Shin Li paused here, then asked softly, "Then, will this help Lei Guan Wang?"
It would help restore her strength and regain her faith.
Naoki nodded. "Yes, that's right."
However, Lei Guan Wang's power had already recovered to its peak, and this additional faith...
While it would be nice to have and could accelerate her energy recovery and the growth of the World Tree, it wasn't necessary.
Hearing Naoki's confirmation, Shin Li nodded gently. "Well, that's great then!"
"Lei Guan Wang would probably be very happy to hear that," Naoki said, although he regretted that Lei Guan Wang had stayed at the ranch and hadn't come along.
"Ah~" Shin Li sighed, then remembered something else. She turned to ask, "Do you want the Paritia League to tell others about Lei Guan Wang being by your side?"
Naoki had already considered this matter beforehand.
Thus, he shook his head in refusal. "Let's leave it be and let nature take its course."
For example, if trainers heard about the legend of Lei Guan Wang and became interested, they might come to visit the shrine on the back mountain in Zhiqin Town.
Instead of rushing to the ranch to challenge Lei Guan Wang directly because of her legendary Pokemon status.
That would surely trouble Lei Guan Wang, who had retired from being a king to become a farmer.
Hearing this, Shin Li nodded. "Okay, the forest fire incident has already drawn a lot of attention, and many people sent supplies for the surviving Pokemon."
"So, the Paritia League plans to announce on the news that a legendary Pokemon with a compassionate heart, unable to bear the tragic state of the mountain, used its great power to restore the forest to its former glory. What do you think?"
Naoki nodded in agreement.
With this, Lei Guan Wang's deeds would surely be passed down forever in the Paritia region, wouldn't they?
This was no longer the ancient kingdom era but a more enlightened league era, not to mention the existence of newspapers, television, and other media to record Lei Guan Wang's legend.
Even for Ye Ci, the League Chief, it would be difficult to erase Lei Guan Wang's presence under these circumstances.
From now on, wherever Lei Guan Wang went, she would not fall into the same situation as before.
Forgotten by the world, abandoned by her beloved steed, wandering alone in the Crown Snowfield.
This was all he could do for Lei Guan Wang, Naoki thought.
Shin Li sighed, "The Paritia League is preparing a Pokemon cemetery deep within the forest to commemorate those who perished in the forest fire. It's a solemn gesture to ensure the departed Pokemon find peace... It's quite a heart-wrenching story."
Naoki recalled their search and rescue mission in the forest the previous year, where they had found deceased Pokemon. He had dug a pit to bury them and, together with Babu, prayed for their souls.
Perhaps the Paritia League was doing the same, he thought.
The two followed the workers and eventually arrived at a clearing in the forest. There, the men in overalls were digging in the earth, burying tombstones engraved with the names of the deceased Pokemon.
Gazing at the scene before her, Shin Li murmured, "They say that Pokemon, after death, do not truly vanish. They transform into ghosts, wandering in these lands, searching for the way home."
Naoki remained silent, knowing more about this matter than Shin Li.
Upon death, both humans and Pokemon turn into ghosts, returning to the spirit realm and rejoining the cycle of the world. If a ghost clings too strongly to the mortal realm, the guardian of the spirit realm, Umbreon, will appear and escort them to the underworld.
"I wonder if Umbreon will guide my soul, an outsider, to the spirit realm after my death," Naoki mused to himself.
Noticing his pensive expression, Shin Li offered words of comfort, "Don't be too sad. Have you also experienced the loss of a Pokemon?"
Naoki shook his head, clarifying that he wasn't sad.
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural parts of life in this world," Shin Li said, looking up at the hazy sky. "Have you heard of the Gravekeep Hound, a Pokemon born from the deep mourning of departed souls?"
Naoki was taken aback, "The Gravekeep Hound?"
"Yes!" Shin Li nodded with a smile. "The Gravekeep Hound is the reincarnation of Pokemon deeply mourned."
"They say that trainers who have experienced the death of their Pokemon and keep their memories close to their hearts will one day encounter a Gravekeep Hound," she continued.
"It's as if the Pokemon, feeling the love and grief of their trainer, are reborn as a Gravekeep Hound to reunite with them," she finished.
"That's..." Naoki struggled to find the right words to describe such a phenomenon.
Shin Li chuckled softly, "But if you raise your Pokemon healthily and strongly, they can live for a very long time!"
"I once knew a Butterfree that lived to be almost 60 years old! Its trainer exercised with it daily and fed it various tree fruits to meet its nutritional needs, extending its lifespan by over 20 years beyond the average!"
Naoki had never considered this path, "Is that really possible? You're not joking, are you?"
"Of course not!" Shin Li exclaimed. "I rarely joke about these things... This is something I, Shin Li, have personally witnessed!"
Naoki was speechless.
"I've decided!" he thought to himself. "When I return to the ranch, I'll have everyone start training vigorously, and I'll make all sorts of nutritional supplements to ensure our Pokemon live long and healthy lives!"
Looking at Shin Li, who seemed younger than him, Naoki suddenly remembered something.
If he recalled correctly, the Four Elites of the Paritia League were quite unique.
There was Shin Li, the Ground Elite, Hachisu, the Dragon Elite, Aoki, the Flying Elite, and the youngest member, Popi, the Steel Elite, who was only nine years old.
At this time, Popi was probably just born...
Driven by curiosity, Naoki asked, "By the way, who are the Four Elites of the Paritia League?"
His sudden change of topic left Shin Li momentarily confused, and it took her a while to understand what he had asked.
"The Four Elites?" she asked, intrigued. "Has Chief Ye Ci invited you to join the Paritia League as one of the Four Elites? That would be quite interesting!"
"Not exactly," Naoki shook his head. "Chief Ye Ci invited me to work for the League, but not specifically as an Elite."
"Oh?" Shin Li thought for a moment before replying, "Currently, there are only three Paritia Four Elites: myself, skilled in Ground-type Pokemon, Hachisu, the Dragon-type Elite, and Aoki, the Flying-type Elite, who was recruited by Chief Ye Ci."
"There's one vacant position," she continued. "After the previous Elite retired, the position has remained unfilled to this day.
Naoki was speechless.
Indeed, it was common in the Paritia League for individuals to hold multiple positions.
Take Aoki, for example; she was primarily a staff member in the Pokemon Operations Department, but she also served as a Gym Leader and the Flying-type Elite.
And it wasn't just Aoki; Shin Li herself played the role of an interviewer for the Pokemon League.
Even Ye Ci, the League Chief, was kept busy, not only managing league affairs but also traveling to various gyms to scout talented individuals to join the Paritia League.
What a busy life!
In comparison, life on the ranch was much more relaxed and carefree.
In the afternoon, after receiving a phone call, Shin Li hastily left the ranch.
According to her, a trainer had collected eight gym badges and was heading to the league headquarters to challenge the Elite Four.
As one of the interviewers, she needed to rush back to work.
Naoki could only watch as Shin Li's figure disappeared into the distance.
Given the current progress, it seemed unlikely that the construction of the Shrine of Bountiful Harvests would be completed in a day or two.
In addition to building the shrine, the workers also had to construct a staircase leading down the mountain.
From what Shin Li had mentioned, the Paritia League and Thomas, the mayor of Zhiqin Town, had specifically discussed plans to create a complete shrine and intended to establish a Festival of Bountiful Harvests to commemorate the day Lei Guan Wang performed her miracle.
During the festival, there would be a celebration at the shrine every year to honor Lei Guan Wang's remarkable achievement.
When it came to festivals, Naoki could only recall vague memories from anime he had watched in the past.
Images of girls in festival attire, kouki (chewed sake)
, and elderly ceremony conductors flitted through his mind.
On the day of the festival, people would light up the mountain path with torches and make their way from the foot of the mountain to the shrine, where they would pay their respects to the enshrined deity.
As dusk approached, the sky was painted with the hues of the setting sun.
Laughter and playful shouts of the Pokemon echoed across the ranch.
They chased each other on the grass or picked flowers in the blooming fields.
When Naoki returned to the ranch, Moto Lizard presented him with a bouquet of blooming dandelions.
This reminded Naoki of the previous spring when Moto Lizard had given him flowers, and Gorebyss had gotten jealous and picked a bouquet for him as well.
Naoki reached out and took the flowers from Moto Lizard, intending to put them in a vase in his room. He then patted Moto Lizard's head and said, "Good boy, I really like these flowers."
"Gaori~" Moto Lizard let out a happy cry and started wagging its tail cheerfully.
Naoki wondered how Gorebyss would react this time.
He turned his head and saw that Gorebyss, who had been napping under the eaves, was nowhere to be seen.
Naoki was surprised, but as he turned back, he spotted Gorebyss emerging from the lush flower field with its head buried in a bunch of colorful flowers.
After a while, Gorebyss returned with a handful of vibrant blossoms.
"...”
Some things never change! Gorebyss was still Gorebyss!
Naoki took the flowers, knowing that if he accepted flowers from Moto Lizard but not from Gorebyss, Gorebyss would get jealous.
"Alright, go play now!" Naoki said.
However, Gorebyss lingered, having noticed Naoki patting Moto Lizard's head. So, it nudged its head forward, expecting the same treatment.
Naoki reluctantly patted its head, and only then did Gorebyss leave satisfied.
"Agassi~"
You silly little Pokemon!
Naoki turned and headed back to his room to prepare dinner for everyone.
Gorebyss and Moto Lizard followed closely on his left and right.
As he opened the refrigerator to retrieve the ingredients, Naoki remembered the information Ye Ci had shared with him earlier.
She had mentioned that Adake was no longer involved in league affairs and was likely wandering around the Unova region.
Therefore, finding Adake would be an extremely challenging task.
Looking at the bottle of Life Milk, Naoki couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.
It was impossible for him to leave everything behind at the ranch and go searching for Adake in the Unova region.
As night fell, the Papoise that had been playing outside returned home one by one.
Seeing them, Naoki recalled what Shin Li had said earlier.
—Raise your Pokemon to be healthy and strong, so they can live long lives.
Whether it was Papoise, Motor Lizard, Frost Fairy, Three Bees, or Butterfree, not a single one could be missing!
(End of Chapter)
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