Chapter 1100: Battle Festival ②

"Ogerpon~"

Ogerpon stepped forward, its eyes full of pity as it raised its right hand high.

All Baimu didn't understand, bowed his head slightly, and then felt the touch of being stroked on the top of his head.

He couldn't laugh or cry, "Thanks, Ogerpon; I'm much happier."

He had always been used to touching Ogerpon's head as a signal of comfort and closeness, but didn't expect it to learn it.

Let it touch if it wants to.

There's no reason why a Pokémon's head can be touched but a Trainer's can't. As long as it doesn't twist his head off.

All Baimu didn't care about this little thing.

He apologized to the manager, "Sorry, just now... offended."

"No, no, the child doesn't understand, I should be the one apologizing." The manager waved his hand repeatedly.

If All Baimu hadn't reacted in that situation just now, he would have reacted.

Ogerpon was both a Pokémon and not an ordinary Pokémon to Kitakami Village; it was the spiritual symbol here, the savior of all their ancestors, and Kieran's way of speaking was really too impolite.

Arven saw All Baimu's anger subside and hurriedly helped out, "In my opinion, we should have beaten that rude brat just now!"

Nemona thought, "I felt it was strange when I battled before; now that I see it, I feel their attitude toward Pokémon seems to have some problems."

It really seemed so.

Kieran's yearning was based on the power All Baimu and Ogerpon possessed, not themselves.

Otherwise, why didn't he like the other three Pokémon Partners?

It's not that admiring power is wrong; admiring power is of course okay, but Kieran's angle of looking at Ogerpon felt more like looking at a powerful weapon.

This concept was very common in Orre.

Mainstream regions also had it, but they basically belonged to negative characters, such as Giovanni, Lysandre, etc.

A slightly weakened version was encountered by Ash many times.

For example, the former Trainers of Charmander, Tepig, and Gengar, and even the rival-type character Paul had a bit of this attribute.

But Paul changed later; he used to catch Pokémon he didn't want and throw them away, but Ash and Infernape woke him up completely through a battle.

All Baimu remembered that in Journeys, Paul even went to help the Champion's Pokémon, helping Ash with pre-match training.

It's hard to imagine the boy with three-white eyes looking at Ash like he was looking at a fool in the past.

Kieran could definitely be saved.

But like Paul, he needed to be enlightened.

All Baimu was determined to spread the knowledge he had gained, and as a prospective educator, seeing a friend's descendant in such a state, he somewhat wanted to save him.

If even Otsuka could be saved, Kieran shouldn't be difficult, right?

"Since it's come to this, let's repair the masks first."

He planned to do both sub-lines together.

But before heading to Tea's house.

Nemona said, "Did we forget someone?"

"No, right."

Arven couldn't think of anyone who had been forgotten, looking at Ogerpon and Miraidon, feeling they were all there.

Four people... hmm?

All Baimu patted his shoulder and sighed, "Penny will cry, don't be like this."

Arven said awkwardly, "Ogerpon feels too natural among us."

The four of them left the shrine and went to the bus station to pick up Penny, who was in the bus; this girl had slept for a day and was currently playing with her phone in the dim passenger seat.

"Ugh, is it finally lunch?"

Penny thought they were here to call her for lunch.

In fact, it was already past two in the afternoon.

All Baimu helplessly summoned his Shiny Gengar and stuffed half a sandwich into her hand, "Pad your stomach—who let you get on."

He forcibly pushed away Miraidon, who was completely occupying the aisle and drooling.

Penny was at the bottom of the food chain; if this big lizard wasn't controlled, it was guaranteed that the sandwich would be gone in a turn.

Ogerpon looked at Penny across people and Pokémon, and happened to make eye contact with her as she looked up.

Penny: "?"

Whose kid? The colored contact lenses are quite good-looking.

It wasn't until she walked out of the dark bus that Penny discovered that the one looking at her wasn't a human at all, "Ogerpon?"

"You know it!?" Arven was shocked.

Penny looked at him sideways, "Of course, how could I not know Ogerpon, one of the Pokémon Partners, when coming to Kitakami Village? Besides, All Baimu has already told us."

Arven, who was the only one who didn't recognize it immediately, was very disappointed.

He felt he had failed his identity as All Baimu's best friend.

Nemona laughed and told him not to mind.

The four of them moved toward Tea's house, during which Nemona and Arven revealed what had happened.

"A willful kid with inferior ideological concepts; there are many in Team Star, and there are many who dropped out."

Penny slurped the juice Gengar gave her, "Sometimes good and bad are often in a single thought."

The former big boss of Team Star had the most experience.

After all, those who hung out with her in the past were many, many problem children.

Tea's house.

A simple-looking residential house.

It didn't become arrogant because of the glory of its ancestors.

When All Baimu visited, Carmine was angry in the yard, and an old man was full of helplessness.

"Champion!"

When he saw him, Carmine hurriedly walked over, "I will scold him well! I'm really sorry!"

"I said it has nothing to do with you."

All Baimu shook his head and said to the old man who was staring at him, "Hello, you are the mask maker of this generation in Kitakami Village, right?"

"Alike, too alike!"

The old man muttered, and suddenly shouted into the house: "Old lady! Take out the portrait in the shrine!"

After getting a response, he looked at All Baimu, who was waiting at the door, and showed a smile, "This young man, I am indeed the mask maker of this generation..."

Before the old man finished speaking, he saw Ogerpon on the side, "Ogerpon! This! What is this?"

Carmine said, "Grandpa, this is a long story; let's go in and talk, don't leave the guests outside."

"Right, right!" The old man nodded repeatedly.

So.

Everyone moved into the house.

Carmine briefly explained the ins and outs, and her grandfather, Setsu, suddenly realized.

"No wonder it's so alike; you really are the Master!"

"I don't dare to take it!"

All Baimu was speechless at these two people who loved to leave portraits.

Carmine's grandmother, Shizu, brought tea and snacks and the portrait Setsu wanted, muttering, "Kieran, that child, don't know what happened; after coming back, he locked himself in the room and didn't say anything."

"Kieran! Sigh!"

Setsu looked like he didn't want to talk about it.

All Baimu took the initiative to take responsibility, "This matter started because of me, so let me solve it. Also, please help repair these masks."

Gengar handed over seven masks, and Setsu took them very decisively, preparing to go to the studio to repair them.

Shizu learned the situation from Carmine and chased after her old man.

"Are you so relieved about that... Champion?"

"Of course."

Setsu laughed, "That is the ancestor's Master, a person of great wisdom; what problem can't be solved?"

"Isn't that your family's legend?"

"It was a legend before, but it's not anymore."

He hummed a little tune proudly and began his work.

In the living room.

Several students of similar age sat opposite each other, and Ogerpon, who hadn't been taken away by All Baimu, was sandwiched in the middle, a bit at a loss.

Penny opened her mouth, "Classmate, can I ask you something?"

Carmine looked at her and nodded, "Classmate? Fine."

Although she was very weak in front of All Baimu, once she encountered a stranger, this biased and willful girl immediately returned to her true nature.

Upstairs.

All Baimu stood outside the room door and could hear the heavy breathing inside.

Bang, bang, bang.

He knocked on the door.

No response.

He then said, "It's me, All Baimu."

The breathing in the room became chaotic instantly, and then a chaotic sound of banging could be heard, as if someone had fallen and hit something.

All Baimu waited silently, and a few seconds later, Kieran, with messy hair, opened the door.

There were tear stains on the corners of his eyes, but his eyes were a bit hollow, and his breath looked like he had made some kind of decision.

"... Champion."

Kieran didn't dare to look directly into All Baimu's eyes.

All Baimu said, "Can I come in? Ogerpon isn't behind me."

"... Please."

Kieran moved aside.

His room was simple, but like all young boys, there were posters on the wall.

The key was posters of All Baimu and Aggron and other Pokémon.

It could be seen how much this boy admired him.

All Baimu felt no regret in his heart; the right thing is right, and it won't change because of whether the other party likes him or not.

Kieran looked at the back of the object of his admiration, his lips trembling, "Cham, Champion, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things; I was too willful."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me, but to Ogerpon."

All Baimu turned his head and looked at this boy, "It seems you still haven't figured out some things."

Kieran lowered his head and remained silent.

"The things you said were very impolite to me and to Ogerpon."

All Baimu turned around and said, looking at this boy, "To me, what you said before is like me saying to you, if I defeat you, your sister will belong to me; would you agree?"

"...'Agree (whisper)'."

"What?"

"I know I was wrong, I, I will apologize to Ogerpon."

When Kieran bent down, what he said was light and heavy, sounding very vague.

All Baimu just pretended he didn't hear it and continued, "I don't like to sprinkle salt on other people's wounds; for those people or Pokémon who have truly learned their lesson, I will forgive them very generously.

"But for you, a lost young man, I feel that if I just let you go like this, you will go astray."

He originally wanted to ask Kieran's grandpa to help teach him a lesson, but judging from the few sentences just now, this old man was not a parent with ideas.

That's right.

Usually, twisted children don't just have problems themselves; their family members also have problems.

How Ash is open-minded and brave is largely inseparable from his mother Delia's openness and gentleness.

Kieran straightened up and said in a low voice, "Astray... I just want to become strong, become as strong as you."

"Whether you go astray or not has nothing to do with the level of strength; there are as many powerful Trainers in the world as there are crucian carp; are they all good people? Not necessarily."

All Baimu approached and said, "Raise your head; you want to defeat me, right? Since you have this goal, raise your head first."

Kieran bit his lip, his fists clenched, and raised his head stubbornly.

The two looked at each other for less than three seconds.

Kieran was defeated again.

All Baimu said, "Your eyes are very hollow; you say you want to become strong, then what about after? Defeat me? What about after defeating me?"

"... Didn't think about it."

"It seems your goal is only me; this is nothing bad, admiring someone, chasing his footsteps, wanting to catch up with him and surpass him—a very beautiful story. But like you, you won't be able to do it even in another lifetime."

What should one do when encountering someone who cheats?

Open a bigger cheat! A heart-to-heart cheat! A bond cheat!

Unfortunately, Kieran's software didn't support him in opening this cheat; he hadn't loaded the program.

All Baimu said, "I suddenly discovered that compared to communication, convincing you requires a suitable actual battle. How about this, I will go to Blueberry Academy in half a year; you grow as much as possible in this half year."

Kieran: "Half a year..."

All Baimu: "That's right, half a year. Although I suspect I'm blowing my own trumpet, most of my strength was grown in the half year when I first traveled to Hoenn; later, it belonged to a slow accumulation and big explosion."

He patted Kieran on the shoulder and walked toward the door, saying, "By the way, the way you comb your hair up is very like Pecharunt; I don't know if anyone has told you."

Pecharunt, huh.

Kieran watched All Baimu leave the room and didn't tell the other party that Pecharunt was also a Pokémon he loved.

He silently combed his bangs back and tied them up, his goal in his heart becoming more and more firm.

Become strong!

Continue to become strong!

Downstairs.

All Baimu returned to the crowd and, facing the gazes they cast, said helplessly, "Failed."

Arven asked, "Failed? Was that kid's attitude bad?"

"No, no, it's that I thought of myself as too powerful."

All Baimu sat down and took a sip of tea, sighing, "Thought I could wake up a young man with words; sorry, it was my own arrogance."

Nemona said excitedly, "How about I try? Many juniors in school talk to me about their hearts!"

"I think..."

Before Arven finished speaking, Kieran had already walked down from the second floor.

He combed all his bangs back and got a new hairstyle, which surprised his sister Carmine, "Arin!"

"Ogerpon... I'm sorry!"

Kieran bowed to Ogerpon, who was eating snacks; the latter almost choked, hurriedly hitting its chest, "O-Ogerpon?"

"I shouldn't have treated you like that; I just like you too much; I've admired you very much since I was a child, and I always thought I could catch you one day..."

As he spoke, he choked up, "I'm sorry!"

Ogerpon looked up at All Baimu at a loss, and All Baimu gave it a look. 【110

Ogerpon understood.

It stepped forward and patted Kieran's head, "Poni-o~"

Although it didn't understand why this child liked him, it was grateful for his affection; you are a good child.

The Rotom Phone dutifully translated, delivering this "good person" card to its destination.

Kieran wiped away his tears, but he didn't leave the table immediately; instead, he sat down to drink tea and eat snacks, as if nothing had happened.

Carmine saw this and snorted, "Kieran! You're finally showing some sense!"

Penny adjusted her glasses.

Nemona and Arven were somewhat amazed; wasn't he guided well? Why did All Baimu say he wasn't?

At dusk.

Everyone left Kieran's house; the mask wouldn't be repaired that quickly, and they still had to wait for a while.

After they were far away, Penny said, "That Carmine, she has big problems."

"Carmine?"

Arven was puzzled, "Although she's a bit rough, she feels very polite. What problem does she have?"

Penny said softly, "She's too overbearing. She doesn't consider her younger brother's feelings at all when she speaks. She lectures him the moment she opens her mouth, treating her brother like an object. This is not correct behavior."

"Now that you mention it, I think so too." Nemona agreed deeply.

Penny added, "As for Kieran... I'm not slandering him, but I feel that his accumulated stress, once it reaches a certain level, will be released onto others—that is, stress displacement."

"Eh? Really?" Arven hadn't noticed at all.

"Just a guess."

Penny was mainly judging based on her own perspective.

During those years she was forced to study abroad, she thought about many things, such as why people bully others and why they get bullied.

All Baimu said bluntly, "We aren't educators; what we can do is limited. Let's just do our best."

"Yeah. The only ones who can save them are themselves." Master Educator Penny nodded in agreement.

(End of chapter)