Chapter 448: The Timeleap Forest?
Chapter 448: The Timeleap Forest?
February 16th, Thursday.
A light drizzle fell from the sky, and the early spring warmth seemed to be washed away by this spring rain.
Jinghe stood on the deck, one hand resting on the railing and the other on his hat, his hair gently swaying in the sea breeze.
"That must be the Azure City Lighthouse, right?"
Jinghe looked at the Ice Nine-Tailed Fox beside him and smiled, "Maybe we'll even see Miss Ami."
"Woof~"
The Ice Nine-Tailed Fox smiled slightly.
It still remembered Ami, who had a huge appetite.
Woof—
The ship's whistle sounded, and several Seagulls, far from being scared off by the noise, flew closer out of curiosity.
Jinghe smiled and took out some energy cube crumbs, which immediately attracted the Seagulls.
They showed no fear and perched on his hand to eat.
Other tourists on the deck followed suit.
However, the snacks and bread crumbs they offered were clearly not as appealing as Jinghe's energy cube crumbs.
This drew curious and puzzled glances from many of them.
"Honored guests, we are about to arrive at Azure City," a sweet voice announced over the loudspeaker.
"Gramps, you can come up now," Jinghe called out to the sea.
"Hnggg~! Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle," he said, his eyes lighting up as he swallowed.
After a while, a wet Gramps climbed up, wearing swimming goggles, startling some tourists who thought a drowned ghost had crawled up.
Jinghe had arrived in Mangin City by plane that morning and then traveled to Azure City by boat.
Stepping off the ship, he was greeted by clearing skies, soft sand, and a gentle sea breeze.
On the beach, several Daidai Beasts were fishing with their tails, looking so cute and plump that one couldn't help but want to touch their pink, chubby bodies.
"Woof?"
Seemingly noticing Jinghe's gaze, the Daidai Beasts slowly turned their heads, question marks appearing above their heads.
Seeing their adorable expressions, Jinghe couldn't help but smile.
Speaking of which, it seemed that Shirona also liked Daidai Beasts?
"They must taste good, right?"
"Hnggg?"
Gramps' eyes lit up, and he swallowed.
"Daidai Beasts and Gyarados are both famous 'specialties' of the Johto region."
In Gramps' mind, images of crispy roasted duck, Gyarados wraps, and bamboo shoot duck soup appeared.
"Hnggg. (ρ)"
Jinghe smiled and patted his head.
"Speaking of which, the Kanto and Johto regions seem to be relatively safe."
Hoenn has two fools, Sinnoh has three, and Unova, Kalos, Alola, and others also have a few dimwits.
However, the Kanto and Johto regions are relatively safer.
At most, there are the likes of Ho-Oh, Lugia, Suicune, and Dreamlo.
But Ho-Oh is just a flashy Hoothoot, always busy with filming, so it's not a major concern.
Moreover, as the proud holder of the "Rainbow Feather," even Ho-Oh would give him some face.
As for Lugia, being a typical "unwed father," it's probably busy taking care of its little ones.
Suicune and Dreamlo, needless to say, have a great relationship with him.
Even the Kanto and Johto regions' biggest "threat," Team Rocket, has him as an executive.
Thinking about it,
Retiring in the Kanto or Johto regions might be a good option, as the climate is quite pleasant.
"Let's go, we have important matters to attend to," Jinghe said, patting Gramps' head and heading into Azure City.
The photo that MDolan found was taken outside the Azure Gym.
So, if they wanted to find Little Silver without causing too much of a stir, they could start by seeking information from the gym leader of Azure City, Ami.
"At this time," Jinghe checked the time, realizing it was almost lunchtime. If they wanted to find Ami, they should head to the Azure Restaurant.
The Azure Restaurant was a well-known establishment near the Azure City port.
It wasn't that the food was particularly delicious, but the restaurant was known for its generous portions and decent flavors.
Many manual laborers, like sailors, favored this restaurant for their meals.
When Jinghe and Gramps arrived, the restaurant was already filled with burly sailors, each with a substantial spread of food before them.
"Hnggg," Gramps whispered, swallowing.
"Found her," Jinghe said, scanning the room. In a corner, he spotted a slender figure with chestnut-brown hair tied in two small braids, cradling a small Magnemite in her arms.
In front of her was a table piled high with plates of various dishes.
These plates had only two characteristics: they were large and clean.
As Jinghe and Gramps approached, Ami, with her head down, was chewing, her cheeks puffed out.
She turned cautiously as they drew near.
Their eyes met.
"Um," Ami's face turned red, and she waved her hands nervously. After finally swallowing, she said, "Th-These are all from the previous customer."
Jinghe smiled slightly.
Although he was well aware of Ami's reputation as a big eater, he couldn't help but feel curious each time he saw her petite frame devouring such a large amount of food.
How could such a slender body consume so much? Did Ami also have a dimensional stomach?
"Good afternoon, Miss Ami," Jinghe said.
"G-Good afternoon, Teacher Jinghe," Ami whispered, her face turning even redder.
"Sorry for disturbing you at this time, but I wanted to ask if you've seen this person?"
Jinghe handed her a photo.
Ami took it and stared at it for a moment.
"Huh?"
"This person is..."
Jinghe smiled and said vaguely, "Consider him my student. He suddenly disappeared, and his father is worried."
"Oh," Ami nodded, not pressing further.
After a while, she spoke up, "I think I've seen him before."
Jinghe's eyes lit up slightly.
Ami continued, a bit embarrassed, "That day when I returned from the lighthouse, the manager told me that he had been loitering outside the Gym for a long time. I thought he was a challenger, but before I could ask, he ran off."
Challenger? Jinghe's lips curled slightly.
Perhaps Little Silver was looking for Pokemon at the time?
He remembered playing HeartGold/SoulSilver, and when he challenged the Azure Gym, he would encounter Little Silver at the entrance.
But back then, Little Silver was there to challenge the Gym, whereas now, he might not even have a few Pokemon yet.
"Do you know where he ran off to?" Jinghe asked again.
"Hmm," Ami paused, "into the forest."
"The forest?"
Hearing this answer, Jinghe felt a headache coming on.
The reason it had been so difficult to locate Little Silver was that he often moved through the intricate forest.
It seemed this trip would be in vain.
Seeing Jinghe's expression, Ami said, "Perhaps there's someone who can help."
"Oh?"
Ami took out her phone and made a call. After receiving a response, she exhaled and smiled, "Good, he's out at sea near Azure City today."
It would just take a while to wait.
Jinghe, of course, wouldn't refuse.
It was a good opportunity to have lunch while they waited.
And so, Jinghe witnessed what it meant to "pit a mortal body against a 'deity.'" Even after eating quite a bit, Ami could still keep up with Gramps in terms of appetite!
To their relief, the person they were waiting for arrived soon after.
"Mr. White."
The person who arrived was a young man in a light-colored trench coat, named White.
According to Ami, White was a resident who frequently ventured into the forest northwest of Azure City. After Ami sent him Little Silver's photo, he confirmed seeing him in the forest.
So, he could try to lead Jinghe into the forest to search.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. White," Jinghe said.
White had a cheerful personality and waved his hand dismissively, "It's an honor to assist Teacher Jinghe."
Jinghe couldn't help but sigh.
Sometimes, having a bit of fame had its advantages; White was a fan of his.
The two bid farewell to Ami and boarded White's small boat.
A speedboat capable of navigating both the city waters and the forest's waterways.
Once aboard, White skillfully steered the boat out of Azure City and into the forest's river.
As they entered the forest's waters, the silhouettes of wild Pokemon gradually increased.
Splash!
A Gyarados suddenly appeared in the water, following the boat and swimming at high speed.
It seemed to be challenging the speedboat to a race.
White showed no concern, but Gramps couldn't help but react.
He immediately took out his swimming goggles, put them on, and with a splash, dove into the river.
"Gah? Σ(゜ロ゜;)"
The Gyarados was shocked to see Gramps in the water.
Surprisingly, Gramps' swimming speed wasn't slow! In a flash, a dark, plump figure zipped past the Gyarados.
Upon seeing this, the Gyarados clenched its teeth and gave chase.
As a Water-type Pokemon, losing in swimming was embarrassing.
Jinghe's waist pouch, filled with Poke Balls, started to shake.
"Hoo~~"
In a red glow, Swift Dragon soared into the sky, startling a group of slow-flying Bopop and Bibird.
"Yo, Yo-ki!"
Piplup also stood at the boat's edge, imitating Gramps' pose with hands clasped, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, and preparing to jump into the water.
But as soon as he hopped out, Jinghe grabbed him by the blunt horn on his head and held him in mid-air.
"Yo, Yo-ki!"
Piplup's little feet kicked frantically, and his tiny hands waved wildly.
However, the expected scenario of being enveloped by water currents didn't occur, and as he cautiously opened his eyes, he found himself caught by Jinghe again.
Piplup turned his back and gave a sheepish smile.
Jinghe touched his forehead and placed the little guy back on the boat.
"Wait until you can learn Surf, then consider swimming."
He couldn't understand why, despite being weak to Water-type moves, Piplup seemed to enjoy playing in the water.
Perhaps it was a child's nature? But once Piplup evolved into Banijia, it would learn the Water-type move Surf.
Jinghe remembered a movie where a Banijia surfed in the water, looking like Godzilla.
Banijia not only learned Surf but also the Water-type move Mudflow.
After giving Piplup a Pokemon Stone, the little guy immediately forgot about swimming and sat on the boat's bow, chomping on it with a 'crunch, crunch' sound.
Jinghe patted the little guy's head and breathed a sigh of relief.
However, he realized that sometimes taking the little guys out into the wild was quite enjoyable.
The Lotad Pokedex hovered nearby, taking photos of the surroundings.
The speedboat traveled a distance and reached a waterfall, indicating the end of the journey.
"Hngga~"
Gramps climbed back onto the boat, waving goodbye to the Gyarados in the water.
The Gyarados flipped its eyes, spit out white foam, and floated on the river's surface, seemingly defeated by Gramps.
"Mr. White, are you done?" Jinghe asked.
White smiled and said, "No problem, watch me."
He pressed a button on the boat.
The sound of inflation filled the air, and the air sacs installed on both sides of the boat slowly inflated, rising above the speedboat amidst the sound of gears.
In no time, the speedboat transformed into an airship capable of flight!
"Haha, haha!"
Gramps' eyes lit up.
Transform?
The airship slowly rose into the sky, flying above the forest.
As far as the eye could see, there was an endless green ocean, and faintly visible within it were the silhouettes of active Pokemon.
"Haha!"
Gramps shouted towards the Swift Dragon.
"Wuu~"
The Swift Dragon flew back, approaching the airship, and the purple-skinned chubby creature grunted before jumping onto the Swift Dragon's back.
A large hand waved.
Takeoff!
"Wuu~~!"
Jinghe couldn't help but grip the railing tightly, taking off without warning.
Wait a moment.
He suddenly felt a chill.
Where had he seen this scene before?
Unable to resist, he asked, "Mr. White, where are we going?"
"Fruitville," White replied without hesitation.
Fruitville? Jinghe still didn't have a deep impression of the place, but White continued, "Because there will be many Pokemon hunters in the forest, and Fruitville is located at the forest gateway, it can prevent some Pokemon hunters from entering the forest."
As White spoke, Jinghe slowly recalled.
Fruitville, Life Lake...
Is this the Timeleap Forest?
The setting of the movie 'Timeleap's Encounter Through Time and Space'?
It's no wonder Jinghe's memory was a bit hazy; indeed, the premiere of this movie was quite early.
"Teacher Jinghe, the child you're looking for was in Fruitville not long ago."
Reasonably, Little Silver shouldn't have anything to do with Timeleap, right?
Timeleap traveled through time with the young Oak, spanning forty years, and this event shouldn't have any deviations.
Even if the wind from this 'butterfly's' flapping wings is strong, it's impossible for it to affect three or four decades ago.
Jinghe's heart eased at this thought.
"We've arrived."
This time, the airship didn't fly too far and descended towards the ground.
In the dense, towering forest, a village came into Jinghe's view—Fruitville!
Similar to the lush Hoenn region's Azure City, the residents here built their houses on top of towering trees.
Weaving through the dense foliage, the airship slowly descended towards an aerial port.
"Wuu~~"
The Swift Dragon flew by, waving at a few Caterpie on a nearby tree, scaring them into freezing on the branch.
Caterpie: "We're going to die, such a huge bird!"
"Haha?"
Gramps, who had been happily riding on the Swift Dragon's back, tilted his head, looking puzzled.
He felt...
"Haha."
Gramps stuck out his tongue, the tip of which was coiled around the Time-Space Orb, and the faint light it emitted seemed to have grown brighter, confirming his guess.
There seemed to be an unusual fluctuation of time power here.
Gramps' eyes sparkled, and his expression turned serious.
Time power was crucial to his ability to make Jinghe 'immortal,' and Gramps rarely treated matters with such seriousness.
The airship docked successfully.
Jinghe followed White off the boat.
"As for the child, you can ask Eternal Grandma. When I left, the child was still there, but I don't know if they've left now," White said.
Eternal Grandma was an elderly woman in Fruitville, who had spent her life guarding the forest gateway, preventing evil from entering, and held considerable respect within the village.
Stepping onto the soft grass, Jinghe breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Between Fruitville and the forest stood a massive tree trunk, its origin untraceable.
White only knew that the tree trunk had existed before Fruitville came to be.
Beneath the trunk was a dug-out passage, what the villagers called the forest gateway.
And on a tree above this gateway stood the house of Eternal Grandma, as White had mentioned.
As they approached, they saw an elderly woman standing on the balcony of the treehouse, holding a Gugu Cane, her expression stern.
"Eternal Grandma, this is Teacher Jinghe. He's here to—" White began, then proceeded to briefly explain Jinghe's purpose for the visit and inquire about Little Silver's situation to Eternal Grandma.
Upon learning that Jinghe was a 'respected' teacher searching for his student, Eternal Grandma's expression visibly softened.
And when asked about Little Silver, Eternal Grandma replied, "That child entered the forest."
Entered the forest?
Jinghe rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache.
"Teacher Jinghe, do you plan to go in as well?" Eternal Grandma asked with a solemn expression. "If you do, when you hear the 'voice of the forest,' you must stay in place and not move."
Go in?
"No, I think I'll stay out," Jinghe shook his head.
Such a vast forest, who knows where Little Silver went after entering? Without a clue, running around aimlessly is no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.
At that moment, Jinghe saw the plump body of the Swift Dragon flying above the so-called forest gateway.
Jinghe: "..."
Is this forest gateway for real?
"Swift Dragon, Gramps, come back!" Jinghe called out.
"Haha!!"
Gramps, riding on the Swift Dragon's back, made a megaphone shape with his hands and shouted towards Jinghe, then pointed into the forest, as if he had discovered something.
Mysteriously.
Jinghe's heart skipped a beat.
(End of Chapter)
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