In the afternoon, Tetsuya headed straight for the Ho-Oh Shrine.
As he got closer to the Ho-Oh Shrine, stalls selling incense and candles appeared one after another along the road.
"Hey, young man, you're here to enter the shrine and worship Ho-Oh, right? Buy a stick of incense here to take up with you. The incense inside the shrine costs more than double!" A stall owner directly stopped Tetsuya on the road and said.
"No need."
Tetsuya directly bypassed him and continued toward the Ho-Oh Shrine.
What he wanted was not this kind of small bargain. This time, his goal was to meet the head priest of the temple.
Inside the Ho-Oh Shrine, there stood a pure gold statue of Ho-Oh, even more impressive than the statue in the Slowpoke Temple.
The incense offerings were even more prosperous. It truly deserved to be called the number one temple in Johto.
In front of the Ho-Oh statue, there was naturally also a donation box. Two rows of deacons were intoning Legendary words, and an elderly man stood beside the donation box, bowing to those who donated incense money.
Tetsuya directly walked to the side of that man and said softly, "…May I ask how I can meet the head priest?"
The man slightly lifted his eyelids and glanced at Tetsuya from the corner of his eye, then said, "…Donate twenty thousand Pokédollars in incense money, and you can receive the head priest's blessings. Your name will also be recorded in this temple's merit register."
After speaking, the man continued with his work, never considering that a child of seven or eight like Tetsuya could take out such a large sum of money.
"Oh… can I pay by card?" Tetsuya asked.
The man suddenly opened his eyes wide, a gleam flashing through them. Looking at Tetsuya, he said, "Yes, of course. This temple accepts all forms of incense donations!"
A big "customer" had suddenly arrived~
The man no longer cared about those donating small amounts and directly led Tetsuya toward the main hall.
The head priest's meditation place was in the main hall behind the grand hall. The man knocked on the door and said, "There is a donor here who wishes to receive your blessings…"
"Mm, bring him in."
Only after hearing the response from inside did the man open the door and lead Tetsuya into the hall. Inside, an old man was tapping on a wooden fish.
"This is our head priest, Pudu-sama," The man introduced.
Tetsuya bowed and said, "Greetings."
"Mm." The head priest gave a look to the man beside Tetsuya, and the man nodded and walked further into the room.
"Please sit. I will soon chant for you." The head priest seemed to be waiting for something and signaled Tetsuya to sit first.
Soon, the man from before appeared again in front of Tetsuya, holding a merit register and a card machine…
"Please… swipe your card for the incense donation. After donating, Ho-Oh will bless you!
Not only will you receive the blessing of the eminent pries Pudu-sama, but your name will also remain forever in our Ho-Oh Shrine's merit register!" The man said.
Tetsuya swiped the card without hesitation. Then the head priest recorded Tetsuya's name and some information in the merit register.
A peace charm worth only a few Pokédollars, along with about twenty minutes of chanting, had easily taken twenty thousand Pokédollars from him… if he had not come with a purpose, he would not have wasted money on such a meaningless matter.
After receiving the head priest's "blessing," Tetsuya deliberately put on an expression of sudden enlightenment and refreshed spirit, and said: "Woah~ Head priest, you truly deserve to be called an eminent sage of this era. After listening to your… chanting, it feels as if my whole being is about to ascend.
I have also heard the chanting of the head priest of the Slowpoke Temple… but it completely did not give me the same feeling as today! It seems he has not yet reached your level," Tetsuya said.
Tetsuya carefully observed the reactions of the head priest and that man. Sure enough, when they heard the words "Slowpoke Temple," there was a slight twitch on their faces, though it quickly subsided.
After Tetsuya finished speaking, that man spoke first. "Tetsuya-kun, the Slowpoke Temple is merely a minor side temple… How could it be compared with the largest Ho-Oh Shrine in the Johto Region!? The level of its head priest would at most qualify as a night-duty deacon in our temple. Compared with our head priest, it is simply the difference between Dragonite and Weedle!"
Tetsuya nodded and said, "What you say makes sense. Whether in terms of scale or overall standard, the Slowpoke Temple is indeed inferior to the Ho-Oh Shrine. However, there are pioneers there who have attained enlightenment…"
Hearing Tetsuya's slightly hesitant tone, the head priest finally spoke. "Do you not find such claims absurd!? The Ho-Oh we enshrine is a symbol of peace, and some of Ho-Oh's deeds are historically verified in the Johto League. This is also the reason our Ho-Oh Shrine has stood firm! Our temple is responsible to every visitor and would never deceive people with claims of 'enlightenment[1]¹'."
The head priest deliberately belittled the Slowpoke Temple. Tetsuya had already confirmed his thoughts. This was no enlightened sage. He was merely an ordinary person who deliberately belittled others for his own benefit.
Here, it was not just belittling, but even suppression. He had only spent these twenty thousand Pokédollars for his purpose. Apart from himself, who knew how many fools sent money here every year…
From what he knew, every year, competitors who participated in the Johto League would come here to spend money. The temple's slogan was naturally that by donating money here, one would receive Ho-Oh's blessing, and a Pokémon's ability would be improved. Those who wanted to achieve good results in the League Tournaments would come here to donate money and perform ritual offerings.
Such phenomena were common everywhere. When he was on Earth, he had also witnessed the spectacular scene of churchs and temples packed with people before "important events". People would come to pray for careers, relationships, luck, and wealth, treating it as a form of spiritual hope.
He also found it puzzling. Perhaps they hoped the gods would see their "sincerity".
After the head priest finished speaking his views, Tetsuya followed up and said, "Ohh… what you say is right. Pokémon like Slowpoke, which can be seen everywhere, how could they be considered legends!? Only Ho-Oh is the true Legendary. The head priest should think for the sake of the many visitors and eliminate those misleading small temples as soon as possible!"
After Tetsuya finished speaking, the head priest let out a long sigh and said, "Aaaah… I also wish to do so, but I am powerless. Who knows how many people, after receiving Ho-Oh's blessing, still suffer outside. It is truly a sin… a sin!"
Tetsuya thought, 'Whoa… this old man is truly foxy. Even at this moment, he still pretends to be an enlightened sage…'
However, he was now completely certain that as long as any leverage against the Slowpoke Temple was found, this "Pudu-sama" would remove this thorn in his side with a Thunderclap speed.
•.
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¹. The "enlightenment" part is, at least, anime-canon.
[1] The "enlightenment" part is, at least, anime canon.