Chapter 320: Gramps: It fell on its own!
Chapter 320: Gramps: It fell on its own!
"You are..."
Songye's gaze shifted past Gramps, and he spotted Jinghe standing inside the Flame Tower, a look of surprise on his face.
"Jinghe-sensei?"
"Do you know me, Songye-sensei?" Jinghe was also taken aback.
As for the visitor, he recognized him immediately—it was Songye, the Gym Leader of the Yanzhu Gym in Yanzhu City, an expert in Ghost-type Pokemon training!
Songye smiled at the mention of his name and said, "Recently, I watched your speedrun livestream of the Battle Frontier, and your Gramps achieved a 45-win streak in the Battle Tower."
As a fellow trainer of Ghost-type Pokemon like Gramps, Songye was naturally familiar with this achievement.
Jinghe's expression turned slightly pensive.
His own Gramps had made a name for itself, catching Songye's attention.
"So, Jinghe-sensei, are you here in Yanzhu City to challenge the Yanzhu Gym for a badge?" Songye asked.
Hmm?
The way you used the word "challenge" seems a bit too literal, doesn't it?
"No, we're here as tourists," Jinghe replied with a smile.
Songye's expression turned slightly disappointed.
As a Ghost-type Pokemon trainer, he was actually quite eager to have a battle with Jinghe.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
"Hngggh~"
"Hngggh?"
Songye's Gramps slowly realized that it was another Gramps that had startled him earlier.
This piqued its curiosity about Jinghe's Gramps.
The two purple-skinned chubby Pokemon stared at each other, their sinister smiles almost identical. However, Songye's Gramps had a more surprised expression, while Jinghe's Gramps seemed more playful.
Clap!
For some unknown reason, perhaps due to the already decaying Flame Tower suddenly having too many people inside, or maybe because Songye's Gramps had been startled and made a loud noise, a charred piece of wood fell from somewhere in the tower.
Upon seeing this, Jinghe's Gramps quickly moved to the fallen piece of wood.
It stepped on the wood with a "Clap," then crossed its arms and pouted, pretending to whistle with its head tilted at a 45-degree angle, as if saying, "Nothing happened here, don't look at me."
But the problem was, although Gramps was not small, its feet were not particularly large either, and the charred piece of wood that fell was much larger than its feet.
Songye's Gramps approached it and looked down at the exposed wood, then glanced at the tilted head of Jinghe's Gramps, its expression perplexed.
"Hngggh~!"
Jinghe's Gramps, seeing this, scowled, scratched its butt, and whispered to Songye's Gramps.
Don't look at me, or I'll punch you!
Jinghe had mentioned that although the Flame Tower was burned and damaged, it was still a protected historical site by the League, so they couldn't just forcefully remove something from it.
If they couldn't take it by force, they'd have to wait for it to fall on its own.
And here it was, a large piece had finally fallen, and Gramps couldn't possibly let it go.
This scene, of course, didn't escape Songye's notice, with his ability "Keen Eye."
"Jinghe-sensei, what is Gramps doing?"
Jinghe touched his forehead.
"To be honest, it's like this..."
Then, Jinghe briefly explained the purpose of their trip.
There was no need to keep it a secret; they were probably just looking for some wood from the Flame Tower and the Bell Tower.
As for what they needed it for, he casually mentioned it in passing.
"Wood that has been burned by flames should ideally retain some Ghost-type energy or characteristics," Songye said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
He didn't pry into why Jinghe wanted such wood, as it was a personal matter.
He continued, "If that's all you need, my Gym has plenty."
"Hmm?"
Jinghe was taken aback.
Songye smiled and explained, "The Flame Tower has been neglected for a long time, and charred wood often falls to the ground. I've collected all the pieces and brought them back to the Gym."
No wonder the Flame Tower looked so clean.
In Jinghe's memory, the Flame Tower shouldn't have been so tidy, with debris and broken stones scattered on the ground. They could have just picked up what they needed.
Although it might not meet all their requirements, there should be enough, and some of it might be useful.
But when they entered the Flame Tower, he found that although it was dilapidated, with scorch marks and pits on the ground, there was no trash at all.
It turned out that Songye had already collected everything.
At that moment, a Poke Ball on Jinghe's waist suddenly opened.
"Guka~"
In the red light, Coalomass appeared beside him, gently tugging at Jinghe's pants and pointing to a spot below the Flame Tower.
"What's wrong?"
Jinghe asked.
"Guka!"
Coalomass thought for a moment, unsure how to explain, but it urged Jinghe to follow and then quickly ran inside the tower.
The Flame Tower now only had a partially intact first floor and basement. Coalomass led Jinghe and the others down the creaky stairs that seemed on the verge of collapse.
The surroundings were pitch-black, with scorch marks and a faint eerie aura lingering.
Songye had raised many Gastly and Haunter, and his mischievous Gramps would often sneak into the Flame Tower to play and tease the tourists who entered.
The eerie aura here was mostly due to them.
Quickly, they found themselves in a corner of the underground floor.
Alomass's footsteps came to a halt in front of a pillar.
And there, on the charred pillar, was an irregularly shaped wooden shard, about the size of a palm, with only a small portion still attached to the pillar, as if it might fall off at any moment.
"This..."
But Jinghe, with his Waveguide ability, noticed something peculiar.
On the wooden shard, there seemed to be a faint trace of firelight.
The flames in the Flame Tower had been extinguished for over a century, yet a remnant of fire still lingered after such a long time. Moreover, on this flame, thinner than a strand of hair, there was a hint of life force.
Songye also noticed this, his face showing a hint of astonishment.
Although he frequently visited the Flame Tower, he rarely ventured to the underground floor due to the unsafe stairs. He never expected that there would still be remnants of fire down here.
"There's still fire left here?" he muttered, barely believing his own words.
If it weren't for Alomass, it would be hard for anyone to notice such an inconspicuous flame.
The flame, though lingering, no longer showed signs of scorching.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the two stood in surprise, heavy footsteps approached.
"Heng, hengga~~"
Jinghe's Gramps began to stroll leisurely on the underground floor, muttering—
"Today's weather is truly amazing!"
Songye's Gramps followed suit, cackling and strolling alongside.
"What are you two doing?" Songye couldn't help but ask.
Jinghe turned his head away, slightly embarrassed.
Gramps cackled, waving his hand dismissively, indicating that Songye shouldn't worry about them. They weren't up to any mischief, just strolling.
Alomass joined in.
"Goo! Clack! Goo! Clack!"
Ice Nine-Tails blinked, then wrapped one tail around Jinghe's arm while discreetly brushing past the Poke Ball at his waist with the other.
A red light flashed again.
Thud! Thud!
A heavy sound echoed.
"Huh?"
Gigaforg, carrying a hammer, appeared on the underground floor.
Seeing the stance of the Gramps and the information she had heard from the Poke Ball, she swung her twin ponytails and began strolling with the hammer on her shoulder.
But Hammer Sister's footsteps were not on the same level as the Gramps'.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As she strolled with a "bji bji" rhythm, debris began to fall from the Flame Tower.
At that moment, Songye thought, "Will the stairs be damaged?" Then, "No, we might get buried underneath!"
Fortunately, with the "heavyweight" Gigaforg joining, the results came quickly.
Clack! Clack, clack, clack—
Numerous wooden shards, including the one with the flame, fell to the ground.
Gramps picked it up with a swift motion.
"Hengga~~"
You saw it; it fell on its own, not because I knocked it down.
Songye: "."
The little ones nodded repeatedly.
Songye's Gramps, finding it amusing, also nodded with a smile.
Suddenly, Songye felt like his Gramps was acting a bit strange today.
However, he quickly suggested, "Ahem, Teacher Jinghe, let's head to the Gym. There are plenty of them there too."
If they stayed any longer, they might not be able to leave the Flame Tower today.
"Hengga!"
Songye's Gramps waved at Jinghe's Gramps.
"Let's go! I'll show you the way!" Purple Skinned Chubby patted Songye's Gramps on the shoulder reassuringly.
Good brothers!
Then, they headed upstairs on their own.
Songye: "."
Jinghe and the other little ones followed suit.
Jinghe glanced at Songye, who hadn't moved from his spot, and reminded him, "Songye, let's go."
"Oh, oh," Songye replied, catching up with them.
After a brief hesitation, he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Jinghe, has your Gramps always been like this?"
Although Songye's Gramps also enjoyed pranks and mischief, Songye felt that his Gramps' actions were still within his comprehension.
However, Jinghe's Gramps seemed to be beyond his understanding.
The most obvious difference was that his Gramps seemed to have become a well-behaved little brother.
Jinghe's expression turned slightly puzzled.
The question was—
"Aren't all Gramps like this?"
His Gramps and the Gramps of the Chrysanthemum King were both similar.
On the way back to the Yanzhu Gym.
Songye gradually realized the differences between his Gramps and Jinghe's Gramps.
Or, to be precise, the differences in how he and Jinghe treated their Gramps.
Songye knew that Gramps were mischievous and loved pranks, so his attitude was often one of trying to control their behavior. He would tell them not to do this or that, and how to make them more obedient.
Jinghe's approach to Gramps, however, was different.
"Gramps, when it comes to pranks, you should consider the strengths and weaknesses of different people and Pokemon. You need to know when to stop."
This was the difference between blocking and allowing.
Jinghe always advocated guiding Pokemon to develop their unique traits in a more suitable direction.
This made Songye marvel, "No wonder he's a Pokemon psychology teacher. I've learned something new today."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
