Chapter 668: Gengar's New "Little Brother", Hoppip

Chapter 668: Gengar's New "Little Brother", Hoppip (Two-in-One, Please Vote!)

"Thank you, Fuyeh."

Jinghe received a pile of books on agriculture and farming from Fuyeh, feeling quite satisfied.

"Haha, nowadays, few young people are interested in these things. You and Yaro from Galar are both good kids."

Fuyeh tugged at his white beard, looking very pleased.

He usually enjoyed drinking tea, tending to his garden, and reading books, and Jinghe surprisingly shared many of these interests.

After staying in Twinleaf Town for two days, Jinghe finally got what he wanted.

Meanwhile, AZ had successfully completed the modification of the aircraft, and now Ekans—no, not Ekans, but Koffing—was helping him load the books onto the aircraft.

"But your Snivy—"

As they chatted, Fuyeh couldn't help but mention Jinghe's Snivy.

"Hisss—"

Seemingly hearing Fuyeh's voice, Snivy, who was undergoing photosynthesis, glanced at him sideways.

"Cough, cough." Fuyeh cleared his throat. "I can't really understand it."

As a trainer who has specialized in Grass-type Pokémon for decades, this was the first time Fuyeh had seen a Pokémon like Jinghe's Snivy.

"Uh—"

Jinghe rubbed his nose and chuckled awkwardly.

"But I can give you this as a gift."

Just as Jinghe thought Fuyeh was about to give him a badge, Fuyeh handed him a TM and some Grass Seeds.

"This is—"

"Bind, it's one of the moves I'm most proficient in. These Grass Seeds can help in learning this move." Fuyeh said with a smile.

"This is really... Thank you very much."

Jinghe didn't refuse.

While Bind might not be very useful in the games, in the Pokémon world, it could be quite effective when used properly.

Moreover—

Jinghe wanted to use this TM to test something with Snivy.

After bidding farewell to Fuyeh, Jinghe, along with his Pokémon and the exhausted Daiya, boarded the aircraft, which was originally stolen by the Pokémon thief but now belonged to him thanks to King AZ.

It has to be said—

"Free stuff is the best."

The aircraft wasn't very large, not comparable to the luxury private jets owned by Da Wu's family.

But this aircraft was originally the getaway vehicle of the father-daughter thieves, and for Jinghe, the space was quite ample. Even if he summoned his Pokémon, they would still have some room to move around.

Most importantly, this aircraft had advanced features like autopilot and invisibility, and it wasn't slow at all.

"Gengar."

Gengar was sprawled at the cockpit door, eagerly waiting to take control.

"Is this really for me, Rotom?"

Rotom's excitement was no less than Gengar's.

Am I finally at the level where I can fly a plane?

What an achievement! (Tω T)

"Rotom!" Jinghe called out with a smile as he boarded the aircraft.

"Here, Rotom!"

"Transform into flight mode!"

"Superpower! Rotom!"

The Pokédex fell into Gengar's hands as Rotom transformed into a golden current and entered the aircraft's control system.

"Regieleki." Jinghe threw another Poké Ball.

"Regi—"

As Regieleki entered the turbine, the aircraft's speed increased dramatically.

While Rotom's electricity could power the aircraft, Regieleki, being a natural "engine", should be put to good use.

Daiya, who had finally caught his breath, looked enviously at the aircraft, took a few photos with his phone, and posted them in their group chat.

Every word was filled with envy, no, jealousy!

[Elite Four Daiya]: (image.jpg) Tsk, tsk, look at the new ride Jinghe got. It's pure electric, with autonomous driving and invisibility features, and can reach speeds of—

[Still Overtime Wuson]: I, Wuson, am officially envious!

[Dragon Tamer Ash]: +1

[Advertising in Progress]: +1

The group chat was soon flooded with "＋1"s.

So—

It's not that I'm jealous of my brother's tough life, but it's when he drives a Land Rover that I can't stand it.

"Tell me."

After taking care of the arrangements, Jinghe sat in front of Daiya and said with a smile, "Where are we going? I'll give you a ride."

As they say, good news brings good spirits.

He had finally gotten the aircraft he had been dreaming of, and the power source was practically free. This was the kind of aircraft Jinghe was most satisfied with.

Daiya pouted.

Look at you, showing off.

Just because you got a performance fee for a battle—

But a free ride is a free ride.

"Desert City."

Jinghe nodded and said, "Rotom, set the destination to Desert City."

Huh?

Just as he said the name of the city, Jinghe was taken aback.

Wait!

"Where?"

He turned around, looking at Daiya with disbelief.

But Daiya, who was watching the passing Vultures outside the window, didn't notice Jinghe's expression. He just shrugged and said casually, "Desert City."

Jinghe had asked him before, but he hadn't remembered. Now, as the time neared, he had deliberately checked his mission records and recalled it.

He also explained:

"They say Desert City is hosting some kind of Desert Tower Festival and has invited many famous trainers."

Jinghe: "."

Desert City.

Jinghe had a deep impression of this city, and for good reason. The Hoopa that he had been talking about, the one that could "crush Giratina", actually lived in Desert City!

In the movie Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, Hoopa even summoned six Mythical Beasts!

Including Groudon, Kyogre, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Kyurem!

Plus Hoopa itself, making a total of seven Mythical Beasts!

And Rayquaza's most famous battle, the one-on-seven showdown, also took place here.

Of course, it also included Groudon's "claim to fame" battle—everyone was flying, except for him.

This battle between Mythical Beasts was arguably the greatest in Pokémon history!

To be honest.

Jinghe was tempted to drop Daiya and leave the Kalos region right then and there.

But seeing Daiya's bewildered expression, Jinghe tugged at the corner of his mouth, took a deep breath, and suppressed the urge.

If he had known that Daiya's destination was Desert City, he would never have come to Kalos with him.

But now...

Buzz—

Just as Jinghe was about to say something, he suddenly felt an unusual sensation from the "Cosmic Arm" in his inner pocket.

This made Jinghe's thoughts stir.

When he first obtained the Cosmic Arm from Arceus, it had vaguely pointed to the Kalos region.

Jinghe originally thought that Arceus wanted him to help retrieve the Fairy Tablet from Zygarde, but later found out that the Fairy Tablet had been borrowed by the guardian deities of Alola.

At the time, he was puzzled—could it be that Arceus didn't know the whereabouts of the Fairy Tablet?

But now, it seemed...

Could it be that Arceus's "Cosmic Arm" had been pointing to Desert City, or more specifically, Genesis Valley, from the very beginning?

Jinghe was naturally somewhat wary of Hoopa, especially after it fully unleashed its power. It was particularly troublesome when the mischievous Shadow controlled Hoopa's full power.

But...

Jinghe was interested in the Punishment Vase.

As everyone knew, in Michina, Arceus combined the Ground, Water, Grass, Dragon, and Electric Tablets to create the "Life Orb" and lent it to Damos, who used its power to develop Michina.

In Desert City, Arceus also left the powers of the Ground, Water, and Fire Tablets to create the Punishment Vase, which sealed Hoopa's Shadow form.

Ground Tablet

Blastoise had eaten a fragment of the Ground Tablet, so now it could only "get by" with a fragment of the Scarlet Orb.

And to be honest...

"Even if I had to face a fully unleashed Hoopa, I wouldn't be afraid, right?" Jinghe lightly rubbed his chin.

In his past life, there were two theories about the Pokémon summoned by Hoopa.

One theory suggested that the Mythical Beasts summoned by the fully unleashed Hoopa came from other dimensions or universes, different from his own.

The other theory claimed that the Mythical Beasts summoned by Hoopa were from the same universe, but the black Rayquaza was hard to explain.

However, regardless of which theory was true...

"Groudon, Kyogre, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Kyurem"

Jinghe silently counted on his fingers.

"Still left: Mewtwo, Rayquaza, Reshiram and Zekrom, Regigigas, Lugia, Darkrai, and two Deoxys"

"Besides, Rayquaza fighting Groudon and Kyogre isn't much of a challenge."

Moreover, with his current strength, and with Gengar, Nine-Tails, Forger, Dratini, and the other little ones at full power, temporarily holding off a Mythical Beast shouldn't be a problem.

After calculating, Jinghe discovered that...

His side actually had a numerical advantage!

"Without realizing it, my network in the Pokémon world has become this extensive?"

He couldn't help but feel a bit proud.

"Calling myself 'Human Hoopa' in the future shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Of course, everyone's willingness to help was a matter of face, and he couldn't take it for granted. It was different from his own Pokémon.

For example, after calling Reshiram and Zekrom and Darkrai to help last time, Darkrai "secretly" took a cart of energy bars, leaving him both amused and exasperated.

So, when asking for help, a big meal was inevitable.

With the appetite of Mythical Beasts...

Tsk.

This fight was purely a test of his wallet!

If he could avoid a fight, he would, otherwise his already not-so-plentiful wallet would easily become empty.

"Maybe I can find Giratina this way."

Putting aside his complicated thoughts.

"Looks like there's no need to be so afraid of Desert City, just a mere Hoopa."

He looked at Daiya again.

"Jinghe, what are you counting?" Daiya, who had turned around, couldn't help but ask curiously.

Jinghe rolled his eyes and said casually:

"I'm counting how many debts you owe me now."

Daiya's eyes widened, and he shrank back, thinking about how Jinghe had used both hands to count, "So, so many?"

"Ha." Jinghe chuckled, "We’re just getting started."

Including this trip to Daiya.

While they might not necessarily encounter the incident with Hoopa, the cost of this "adventure" would definitely be on Daiya’s tab, regardless of whether they met Hoopa or not.

Daiya, seeing the situation, lowered his voice and asked cautiously:

"Is it over ten thousand League Credits?"

Ten thousand?

League Credits?

Ha.

Castelia Region, Desert City.

A highly developed city located in the desert.

In the central area of Desert City, skyscrapers stood tall, rivaling even Canalave City in Johto.

The outer areas were filled with low, sturdy, square white stone houses that better suited the desert environment.

Though Desert City was situated in a desert, it was clear from a distance that the city did not lack water. Rivers of various sizes flowed through the city, and outside the city, there was a large, azure freshwater lake.

According to legend,

Over a hundred years ago, Desert City was a small, impoverished town with scarce resources.

But the appearance of a Pokémon brought immense wealth to this town, and the town rapidly developed with this wealth.

However, as the saying goes, "When people are well-fed and warm, they think of indulgences." As the town developed, some troublemakers began to ask the Pokémon that brought wealth to Desert City if it could defeat other Pokémon in battle.

This question opened the "Pandora's Box" of the town.

The Pokémon that brought immense wealth to Desert Town at that time was none other than the fully liberated and fully controlled Hoopa!

It started by defeating ordinary Pokémon and then moved on to Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, easily winning and earning the cheers and admiration of the townspeople.

Gradually, Hoopa became unsatisfied with "bullying" ordinary Pokémon. One day, it summoned Mythical Beasts!

The Pillar King of the Land, Regigigas!

The Black Dragon representing Ideals, Zekrom!

The White Dragon representing Reality, Reshiram!

Hoopa fought and defeated all three of them, but it also brought great destruction to Desert Town at that time.

It was then that Guliss, an emissary of Arceus, sealed Hoopa's immense power, turning the powerful ultra-magic Hoopa into the small trickster Hoopa, bringing peace to Desert Town.

But...

"Is this really just Hoopa’s fault?"

Looking at the bustling city, Jinghe, who had signaled Rotom to descend, asked himself.

If the troublemakers hadn’t asked Hoopa who was stronger,

If the people at the time hadn’t cheered and encouraged Hoopa after it defeated ordinary Pokémon,

Would Hoopa, who was initially just enthusiastic about eating and bringing in immense wealth, have become an "ultra-magic god"?

In a sense, it was the "desires" of those people at the time that created the "ultra-magic god" Hoopa.

A certain amount of desire might bring creation, but excessive desire would definitely bring destruction!

"So, it’s not entirely Hoopa’s fault."

In a secluded and dark valley, sealed and shielded by mysterious forces, a peculiar "vase" seemed to sense something and gently swayed twice, even within its seal.

The aircraft landed in the backyard of the Pokémon Center in Desert City.

Stepping off the aircraft and walking to the Pokémon Center entrance,

"Phew—"

Daiya stretched lazily, "Finally here."

He placed his hand on his forehead, looking at the bustling city in front of him, and exclaimed in amazement:

"It’s really bustling to the point of being exaggerated."

For a city situated in the desert, Desert City was indeed bustling to an exaggerated extent.

"Every city in the movies is like this." Jinghe muttered under his breath.

"What?" Daiya didn’t hear what he said.

"Nothing." Jinghe shook his head, "Where’s the person picking you up?"

Daiya took out his phone.

"Should be... coming soon."

"Stay here and don’t move. I’ll go ask Nurse Joy about the situation." Jinghe said, waving and walking into the Pokémon Center.

Gengar floated out from his shadow, ready to check if there were any "local toughs" on the streets of Desert City.

"I have a feeling there’s more to what Jinghe said just now." Daiya muttered.

As soon as he finished speaking,

A strange golden ring suddenly appeared in front of him. Its center briefly became blurry and was then covered by a peculiar energy.

"Huh?" Daiya blinked, looking at the sudden appearance of the golden ring, completely baffled.

"Geengar?"

Gengar also curiously floated over to the golden ring, instinctively sensing spatial fluctuations.

Spatial?

Gengar was somewhat familiar with the power of space but felt that this spatial power was somewhat strange.

It seemed very different from the spatial power of the space god, Palkia.

"Hehe, scared you, huh, Hoopa?"

A giggle came from the other side of the golden ring.

"What’s that sound?"

Daiya’s face was full of curiosity as he circled the golden ring.

But from what he could see, it didn’t seem to have anything special about it besides being opaque in the center.

"Geengar~(￣~￣)"

Gengar grabbed a handful of popcorn, eating it while studying the source of the spatial power.

Seeing the popcorn, Jinghe couldn’t help but mourn the Bellossoms in Fuyeh’s farm for three seconds.

He watched as Gengar seemed to be focused, but not entirely.

"Hoopa!"

Perhaps drawn by the aroma, a gray little hand suddenly reached out from the golden ring and, in a flash, grabbed a few pieces of popcorn from Gengar’s hand.

A question mark floated above Gengar's head.

"Gengar?"

He looked at his empty hands, then at the golden ring, scratched his butt, and instinctively brought his hands to his nose to sniff.

What the heck?

Who dares to steal my popcorn?

The next second.

"Hot! So hot, Hoppip!"

A voice came from the other end of the golden ring.

Of course!

"Gengar!"

Gengar rolled up his non-existent sleeves, then grabbed the golden ring with both hands. Under Daiya and Jinghe's watchful eyes, he plunged headfirst into it!

"Eh?!!!"

Daiya's eyes widened as he watched Gengar disappear.

Jinghe, who had just stepped out of the Pokémon Center after inquiring about the situation, instinctively held his forehead upon seeing this scene.

His expression then turned quite peculiar.

He said it might not happen, yet it did.

They ran into Hoopa's signature "Dimensional Hole" right away.

Daiya is indeed toxic.

"Teacher Jinghe, your Gengar went in and disappeared", Daiya pointed at the golden ring and said.

"I know."

He stepped forward, grabbed the golden ring with both hands, and then, under Daiya's stunned gaze, also dove in.

What's coming will eventually come.

Besides, it's just a small Hoopa. As long as it doesn't unleash its "Shadow", there shouldn't be any problem.

Daiya stood in front of the golden ring, looking bewildered.

After a brief hesitation.

He bit his lip and crawled in.

"This is Hoopa's! Hoppip!"

"Gengar!"

As soon as Jinghe passed through the golden ring, he saw Gengar tussling with a small, gray and pink Pokémon with a golden, curved horn on its head, over the popcorn.

There was no doubt that this small Pokémon was the legendary Pokémon, Hoopa!

More precisely, it was Hoopa in its Punishment Form.

"Punishment" refers to the punishment of Hoopa.

However, their tussling stance...

Gengar grabbed Hoopa's hand holding the popcorn, and with his feet on the bull-like horns on Hoopa's head, he pulled with all his might. But he only managed to pull Hoopa's hand away.

Hoopa's arms were not connected to its body but were linked by magic at the ends, so no matter how hard Gengar pulled, it had little effect.

Hoopa, on the other hand...

Its eyes were red, the originally dark green eyes filled with bloodshot veins, and its lips were swollen and red, with saliva dripping uncontrollably from the corners of its mouth.

Clearly, it had been spiced by Gengar's spicy popcorn.

But even though it was very spicy, Hoopa had no intention of giving the popcorn back to Gengar.

"It's mine now! Hoppip!"

Hoopa gritted its teeth and refused to let go.

Gengar's face twisted into a sinister grin.

It had been a long time since he encountered such a "stubborn" opponent. Don't blame him then.

Bang—

Daiya dropped out of the golden ring on the side and saw the scene before him.

"What Pokémon is this?"

Clearly, he didn't recognize Hoopa.

"And... where are we?"

He looked around and realized they seemed to be next to a swimming pool in a mansion?

"Hoppip! Hoopa is angry, Hoppip!"

The Hoopa, whose head was "stepped" on by Gengar, waved its other hand, and Psychic energy rippled in its eyes. The golden ring hanging from its horn floated out and quickly grew, appearing above Gengar's head.

The next second.

Hoopa grinned maliciously, "Let you see how powerful Hoopa is, Hoppip!"

With a wave of its hand, the golden ring trembled and emitted a humming sound.

Splash—

A large amount of water shot out from the ring, drenching Gengar's head.

Hoopa looked quite pleased with itself.

But the next moment, its expression froze.

Gengar reached up and made a small cut on his head, opening a pocket-like space. The water summoned by Hoopa seamlessly flowed into the spatial rift opened by Gengar.

"Hoppip... Hoppip?"

Hoopa muttered, even forgetting about the popcorn.

"Gengar! (_)"

Gengar grabbed the popcorn and pulled out his sunglasses, putting them on.

Hmph!

My popcorn.

"How... how did you do that, Hoppip?" Hoopa was still amazed by Gengar's move.

Before Gengar could answer.

"Hoopa!"

A voice called out from a distance.

A girl in classical attire, with a familiar golden pendant around her neck, ran over quickly.

"Hoppip!"

Seeing the girl, Hoopa instinctively shivered and flew to Jinghe's back, perching on his shoulder and peeking at the girl cautiously.

"Nimi?"

To her surprise.

There was an invisible Beartic on the shoulder Hoopa had perched on. It revealed itself, showing its little fangs, and greeted Hoopa friendly.

"Hoppip... Hoppip."

Hoopa, seeing the suddenly revealed Beartic, was clearly startled again.

"Hoopa!"

At this moment, the girl finally reached Jinghe and the others. She called out in a somewhat angry tone, then looked at Jinghe and Daiya, her expression changing.

Handsome face, black short hair, and the signature monocular.

"You... you are..."

Daiya grinned, raised his hand, and was about to greet her.

"Teacher Jinghe?!"

The girl exclaimed in surprise.

Daiya: "..."

Jinghe smiled slightly, "Hello."

The girl's cheeks turned slightly red as she hurriedly introduced herself:

"I, I'm Mayari, and I'm, I'm this kid's good friend!"

With that, she quickly pulled little Hoopa from behind Jinghe and pressed its head down, bowing deeply with it. "Sorry!"

"Hoopa must have caused you trouble. I apologize on its behalf, Teacher Jinghe."

Daiya pointed to himself, opening his mouth.

"Hoopa..."

Jinghe signaled to Mayari that there was no need to worry, as they hadn't suffered any real loss.

However, it was clear that this wasn't the first time Hoopa had pulled a prank.

This trait did remind him a bit of his own Gengar.

"Hoppip."

Hoopa hung its hands by its sides.

Suddenly, a handful of popcorn was offered to it.

"Hoppip?"

Hoopa looked up in surprise.

There, Gengar, wearing his sunglasses, raised an eyebrow.

"Gengar~ (▼O▼)/"

You need to understand, what I give you is yours, and you can't take what I don't give you.

"Hoppip!"

Hoopa nodded vigorously, taking the popcorn with delight and stuffing it into its mouth.

However, it clearly forgot one thing.

"Too spicy! Hoppip!"

Splash!

Gengar opened a spatial rift, and the water that Hoopa had summoned earlier was poured back onto it, dousing it completely but also relieving the spiciness.

"Gengar! (■_■)"

No need to thank me!

"Hoppip."

Mayari, standing nearby, was astonished. She had never seen Hoopa be outsmarted by another Pokémon before.

These must be the legendary Pokémon of Teacher Jinghe, she thought.

But Hoopa quickly recovered and cautiously approached Gengar, who now looked like a "boss."

Before long, Hoopa, the local troublemaker, had become Gengar's little sidekick.

"Gengar~"

Gengar waved his hand grandly, declaring in a very "domineering" manner.

Tonight! Tonight, I'll take you on a big adventure!

"Yay! Hoppip!"

"Ahem, Gengar." Jinghe’s eyes twitched as he glanced at his Gengar.

He had a feeling that Gengar, together with Hoopa, was going to cause a lot of trouble.

With Gengar's "cunning" and Hoopa's abilities, if no one stopped them, they could wreak havoc throughout the Pokémon world.

Gengar might even gain the strongest "enhancement" in history!

"Jinghe, Teacher Jinghe, I heard you are an emissary of Arceus?" Mayari mustered the courage to ask.

As Hoopa's "guardian" and the great-granddaughter of Guliss, who had sealed Hoopa's power, Mayari and her brother Barza were descendants of Arceus's emissaries. However, they had not received Arceus's recognition or the power to control Hoopa like their great-grandfather.

"Um, sort of", Jinghe replied.

"Sort of?"

Others who received Arceus's recognition, like Damos and Guliss, were highly regarded by Arceus. But he...

Could he say that he had beaten up Arceus and then received the title of "Arceus's emissary"?

Mayari, hearing "sort of", was at a loss for words.

"Um..."

At that moment, Daiya raised his hand and said:

"Excuse me, where are we?"

He still had a festival to attend.

"Champion Daiya? When did you arrive?" Mayari finally noticed the other person.

Daiya: "..."

Jinghe patted him on the shoulder in approval.

Not bad, at least he's no longer the "explosive spiky-haired one." He's clearly gained a reputation.

"Earlier, the mayor said he would send a car to pick up Champion Daiya. So, you came with Teacher Jinghe?" Mayari asked.

"Of course!"

Daiya stuffed his hands into his pockets and grinned. "We're good buddies~"

"I'll go tell the mayor you're here!"

Mayari hurried off to inform the mayor of Desert City.

It seemed that earlier, Hoopa had heard the mayor's words and placed the golden ring in front of Daiya, just coincidentally running into Gengar.

"Hoppip?"

On the other side, Hoopa watched as Blastoise emerged from its Poké Ball and casually pulled out a diamond from who knows where, looking utterly amazed.

Today was truly eye-opening!

It seemed that all of this human's Pokémon had some kind of spatial ability.

Gengar was like that, and this big green one was too...

"Hoopa isn't special at all, Hoppip."

Hoopa's ears drooped, feeling that it might not be as unique as it thought.

"Bark?"

Blastoise offered the diamond to Hoopa.

Want to eat?

"Can, can I eat it, Hoppip?"

Having learned from the "Gengar's popcorn" incident, Hoopa asked cautiously this time.

"Bark!"

Blastoise nodded emphatically.

Of course!

This is a delicacy second only to Jinghe's cooking!

With that, it picked up the diamond and raised it toward the distant desert.

To the desert!

As a city in the desert, the golden sands surrounding Desert City put Blastoise in a good mood.

Crunch!

Seeing Blastoise munch on the diamond like candy, Hoopa breathed a sigh of relief and took a big bite.

"Hoopa's teeth! Hoppip!"

Gengar, standing nearby, couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Gengar."

This new sidekick doesn't seem very smart, does it? ——

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end