"Cut the chatter. Whatever's at the top of the tower might not be Ho-Oh." The moment May finished speaking, the bells at the top fell silent.
The entire Bell Tower grew quiet again. Standing at the foot of the stairs, Lin Hao glanced up. "Not going."
May slipped on the wooden stairs and only steadied herself by grabbing the railing. "Why not?"
"The bells stopped."
"That makes it even more important to investigate."
"It's clocked out. Why should I work overtime?" Lin Hao slipped both hands into his pockets.
"Lin Hao." May glared at him.
The tower keeper beside them looked flustered and blocked the stairs. "You two cannot go to the top today. Those are our ancestral rules."
May frowned. "But something was clearly wrong just now."
The tower keeper shook his head repeatedly. "The Bell Tower has its own rules. No one may climb to the top during the day. Only the Gym Leader and the elder tower keepers may go up for the nighttime blessing."
May still wanted to argue, but Lin Hao had already turned toward the exit. "Fine, we'll talk tonight."
"Why are you suddenly so cooperative?" May hurried after him.
"Because it's noon. Time to eat." Lin Hao pointed at his phone screen. May rolled her eyes.
They left the Bell Tower and stepped into the bustling festival street. Lin Hao had just bought a box of fried meatballs when May's phone rang.
She glanced at the message. "Lin Hao, the Violet Gym is accepting challenges today."
"Not going."
"You can register Gym Badges for travel subsidies."
The bamboo skewer Lin Hao was using to pick up a meatball stopped in midair. "How much?"
"A basic transportation subsidy."
"Do they reimburse meals?"
"No."
"Then I'm not interested."
May opened the information. "But once you've