Autumn Excursion (1)

Autumn Excursion (1)

"Koujie!!"

I am fear! I am the ender of worlds! Gulp gulp gulp—

A huge mouthful of Moomoo Milk went down its throat.

Jing He watched from the side, black lines practically covering his face. If he could have hit Gastly, he would have definitely flicked it on the forehead.

Other Ghost-types languished during the day and got excited at night. This Gastly, however, snored louder than Jing He at night and became especially energetic the moment morning came.

Gastly did not notice Jing He's gaze behind it.

It merely hugged the half-full bottle of Moomoo Milk and looked at the three crates in the corner, suddenly feeling that nothing in its ghostly life could be happier than this.

"All right, all right. There'll be plenty more tasty things in the future."

With a piece of bread in his mouth, Jing He casually took a bottle of Moomoo Milk from a crate, opened it, and took a sip.

His eyes brightened slightly.

He had to admit, it tasted quite good. It was fresh and sweet without being cloying, and it even had a refreshing effect. No wonder so many Trainers and Pokémon loved this milk.

"Kou, Koujie..."

Gastly stared blankly at Jing He.

M-my milk...

Noticing Gastly's gaze, Jing He paused before quickly realizing what it meant. "Uh, this morning was too rushed, so I didn't have time to make breakfast. I drank one bottle of your milk. I'll give you a whole crate next time."

"Koujie..."

I hope so.

Jing He slung a small black backpack over his shoulders and pushed open the door.

Today was the Academy's planned autumn excursion day. Since they would be away for several days, he had spent the entire morning preparing things for the trip and had not had time to make breakfast.

Though it was only a backpack, it held quite a lot, including a tent prepared in case they needed to camp.

Space-compression technology in the Pokémon World was truly impressive.

Whether Poké Balls or spatial backpacks, the technology was already quite mature. Even the unremarkable and lightweight bag on him could hold plenty of things.

"Koujie~~"

Gastly hurriedly finished its milk and followed after him.

Canalave Pokémon Academy.

One refined bus after another was already parked at the Academy gates. The students had yet to arrive, but quite a few teachers were already waiting outside.

"Teacher Jing He."

Upon seeing Jing He, a burly middle-aged man with a crew cut and a tight tank top smiled as he approached.

"Teacher Du Fu."

Jing He gave the man a standard smile as well and nodded in greeting.

This muscular man was Du Fu, the homeroom teacher of Class One, First Year, Battle Department.

He had once been somewhat famous, having participated in quite a few major competitions, even the Grand Festival, though his ranking had not been particularly high.

"Teacher Ayako, Teacher A Quan."

Jing He then greeted the other two female teachers accompanying them.

Both returned the greeting.

Ayako appeared fairly familiar with Jing He, so she smiled brightly. A Quan, on the other hand, seemed comparatively calm.

Jing He did not mind. The colder and more dismissive A Quan was toward him, the better.

He had no desire to enter Team Aqua's sights.

"Teachers, here is the itinerary for this trip, along with a few matters that need attention."

The purpose of this autumn excursion was simple.

First, it was to let the students adapt to the wilderness and, for example, see some wild Pokémon out in the field.

Second, and more importantly, it was to allow the new students in the same class and department to get to know one another better.

Du Fu handed several sheets of paper to Jing He and the other two, briefly explained some details, then smiled. "I hope we'll work well together."

The four of them were the teachers responsible for Class One, First Year, Battle Department's autumn excursion.

Before long.

The students began arriving one after another.

Jing He's task was simple: he held a checklist and registered the students who had boarded the bus.

"Teacher Jing He."

"Teacher Jing He, I didn't expect you to be here too."

Steven Stone and Roxanne, who had arrived together, both looked quite surprised when they saw Jing He.

Jing He stared at Steven Stone for several seconds. After confirming that his surprise was genuine, he dismissed the thought that Steven Stone might have arranged this.

It seemed that his participation in this autumn excursion really was just the Academy's arrangement. He had simply been unlucky enough to be picked.

"Get on." Jing He waved them off.

The two hurriedly responded.

But just as Steven Stone was about to board, Jing He suddenly said, "Steven Stone, thank you."

Steven Stone froze for a moment before quickly understanding. With a sunny smile, he said:

"I should be the one thanking you, Teacher."

Roxanne beside them did not quite understand, but Jing He and Steven Stone both knew perfectly well.

The reason Jing He's paper had suddenly gained such immense attention, even receiving a comment from Professor Oak, was indeed because it had been "boosted." And the person who had boosted it was undoubtedly Steven Stone.

Of course, Steven Stone had not boosted it blindly. He had read Jing He's paper beforehand and felt that it truly had insight and originality. Otherwise, no matter how much attention it received, that attention would have quickly faded.

Professor Oak's comment alone was enough to prove that Jing He's paper was genuinely good.

That was the main reason its popularity had risen so high.

"Teacher Jing He, is everyone here?"

Seeing the other buses gradually driving away, Du Fu got off the bus and could not help asking.

"One more is missing." Jing He swept his gaze across the list.

As soon as he finished speaking—

"W-wait for me!!"

Clop clop clop clop—

The sound of hooves rapidly drew closer.

A red-haired girl came charging over on a small colt wreathed in flames.

She was the final person.

The "girl as fiery as her passion," Flannery, and her Ponyta.

Jing He made the final checkmark on the list.

The bus slowly drove away.

Their destination was Lavaridge Town, beneath Mt. Chimney at the heart of the Hoenn Region.

Given the distance between Canalave City and Lavaridge Town, the drive would take several hours at the very least.

There were not many people in Class One, First Year, Battle Department, so there were plenty of empty seats. Jing He directly took a seat at the very back of the bus.

That way, Gastly could come out and move around without disturbing anyone.

Wait, where was Gastly? Jing He suddenly realized shortly after sitting down.

At that moment.

On the roof of the bus.

"Kou—jie—(wind blasting)"

Gastly: (;Д｀) I'm—shrinking—

Jing He: "..."

When Gastly returned from the roof, its body had shrunk by two-thirds. It looked at Jing He with an awkward grin.

"Kou, Koujie..."

As a gaseous Pokémon, ninety-five percent of Gastly's body consisted of poisonous gas, allowing it to slip into nearly anywhere. But correspondingly, when faced with strong winds and unable to condense its gas, its body would quickly get blown smaller.

Still, as long as it stayed still for a while, it could recover quickly.

Fortunately, no one noticed Gastly's foolish moment. Jing He silently stuffed it back into his pocket, took out his phone, and browsed the news without changing expression.

"Jubilife TV's 'Jubilife Contest' has concluded. Trainer Cynthia took first place. Gible defeats three opponents in a row. Video link: ..."

"An enormous Graveler discovered outside Mauville City, suspected to be..."

Mauville City? After the Greater Mauville Holdings "remnant" incident and the plot against Steven Stone, Jing He had become somewhat sensitive to the words "Mauville."

There's still quite a distance from Mauville City to Mt. Chimney and Lavaridge Town, isn't there?

As Jing He pondered, he noticed a chat message on the website.

He opened it.

Eevee Eating Cabbage: Feebas seems to have become a little more active after eating a Wiki Berry. (Feebas video) "Looks like it doesn't reject astringent flavors. That makes things a bit easier."

Jing He rubbed his chin. After considering it briefly, he replied.

Jing Zhong Zhi He: Then you can try making the Wiki Berry into Energy Cubes or Poffins. The effect should be better. But if you rely solely on physical intervention, it may take quite a long time and require substantial financial support. You should be prepared for that.

But someone who could casually transfer twenty thousand League Credits probably would not care about the cost of a few Energy Cubes.

After a while.

Steven Stone suddenly came over from the front and sat beside Jing He. "Teacher Jing He, are you going to soak in the hot springs tonight?"

If nothing unexpected happens, there may be another update tonight, but I don't know exactly when. I still have to write it, and if it gets late, it may be midnight or even one in the morning, so no need to wait. You asked for extra chapters—where's the follow-up reading I asked for?