Chapter 58 Troubles
Finally, Zhu Lan agreed to give Link a Shimmering Growlithe, but on one condition—he needed to truthfully and meticulously record all the old stories told by an old man he'd met somewhere, contributing to her archaeological work.
Link readily accepted, deciding to select and compile all the information unrelated to history.
He ended up writing until late that night.
"Finally finished."
In the guest room, after a busy day, he put down his pen, laboriously got up, and stretched.
The moon was high in the sky outside the window. Link gazed at the distant, hazy Tengu Mountains, a weight lifted from his heart.
Nearly two weeks had passed since he transmigrated, and he had been frantically chasing time, finally about to assemble 4/6 of the team he'd decided on in Mossui Town.
He didn't know whether to say he was too serious or too impatient…
Now that he had a moment to rest, he finally had time to think, but he didn't know what to do next.
Should he really go to Kitakami with Ogerpon?
Link felt a conflict between three emotions:
his love for the elves, his hope that Ogerpon would move on from the past and start a new life, and the shame of using his precognitive advantage to gain friendship through opportunistic exploitation. He was unsure how to cope.
Longing was the emotion furthest from understanding; did he truly understand Ogerpon, or was he, like Wuli, imposing his own desires on him?
After all, elves weren't data or objects. In the past, Link wouldn't have cared about these trivial details; as long as the outcome was good, everything was fine.
But after coming to this world and constantly receiving kindness from others, he felt he should become someone worthy of and deserving of such kindness.
The result was that Link didn't really know whether his help to Eevee and Calyrex was more out of goodwill or mixed with other emotions.
To be honest, he was really looking forward to these two "first/second-tier gods" joining his team. Who doesn't love "Thorn Stick," "Star Shatter," and "Snow Spear"?
First-tier gods in this world are mostly a game-changer against ordinary Pokémon. It's so easy to win battles by just having a dog to command. It's so convenient to just mindlessly repeat the same move to win.
Although Link does love the aesthetics of tactics, rock-paper-scissors, and coordinated defense, stats are the reason to become a king (though he doesn't care about Scizor).
"Sigh, headache."
The Litten on the bed glanced at the trainer and then fell asleep again.
The Fennekin lying on the desk looked at him with concern in its eyes.
"I don't really have a headache, I just don't know what to do, so my mind is a mess."
It's also important to take some time to clear your mind in your spare time.
He turned to the Fennekin: "And you, you've been born for two weeks now, have you found something you want to do?"
Hearing this, the Fennekin tilted its head, deep in thought, pondering for a long time before finally reacting.
"Fennekin!"
It stood up, shook its body and tail, jumped towards the windowsill, and then used its superpowers to lift itself up and glide straight out of the window.
After landing, the Fennekin didn't even look up before running off in a certain direction.
Link, puzzled but impressed, climbed onto the windowsill and looked down. Seeing that it was only four stories high, he jumped down.
Using his superpowers to slow down in mid-air, he landed steadily on the ground.
However, before he could even feel smug about his rapidly improving physique, Litten swooped down from the sky, its front and hind paws landing on his shoulders to cushion the impact, almost causing him to fall.
"I remember you were sleeping soundly just now, turns out you're quite sensitive to your surroundings."
Litten ignored him, looking in the direction the Fennekin had gone.
"Let's go, let's go take a look."
The man and cat followed the trail and arrived at the garden behind the villa, where a large number of Pokémon were stored.
Under the bright moonlight, Gadria, dressed in loose pajamas, was eating dessert in the pavilion. Shilan stood straight beside her, but now frowned and looked in his direction. The
Fennekin walked towards her, or rather, towards the dessert on the table.
It seemed to have interpreted the trainer's question about future goals as a short-term plan.
"Have you finished recording all the folk tales you know?"
Seeing Link's sudden arrival, Gadria asked Shilan to prepare some utensils for him.
Whenever she was feeling emotional, the black tea made from the leaves of the budding deer in the White Sandalwood Forest of the Kalos region, picked in the summer, always calmed her down… except when she lost a battle to Cyndaquil.
"Just finished writing it down. Recording it systematically was more difficult than I imagined."
"Oh."
Gadria wasn't really interested.
The two fell silent, with only the sound of the evening breeze, the waves, and the Pokémon enjoying their late-night snack.
Seeing this, Shilan couldn't help but rub his forehead. The scene was somewhat awkward, and easing the tension was his duty as a butler.
"You're a superpowered person, aren't you?"
But before he could speak, Gadriya went straight to the point without any preamble: "Your superpowers haven't ever gone out of control, have they? What's the reason for their stability?" Was
it because they were too weak? It
took Link a while to adjust to her way of communicating.
"Regardless of where superpowers come from, whether they are strong or weak, they are ultimately controlled by the mind. Only when you possess a heart as clear as a still pond can you master your superpowers."
These were also mentioned in the Calyre King's remote teaching, so they should carry considerable authority.
"A heart as clear as a still pond..."
Gadriya repeated softly. Was she implying that he should become calm and composed, without any emotional fluctuations?
Seeing the other's confusion, Link added, "This doesn't mean you should become cold and ruthless. It means that flowing water cannot reflect any appearance; only still water can form a mirror, allowing you to humbly and honestly accept everything." "
In other words, you need to face everything about yourself with a calm and honest mind—gain, loss, ruin, praise, honor, ridicule, suffering, and joy. Nothing is unacceptable; it is these experiences that make you more perfect."
Even so, Link himself couldn't do it; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to suffer over his desires.
Gadlia nodded, seemingly understanding, as if she had grasped something, and seemed ready to continue the conversation.
But Link had other things to do later, so he couldn't linger.
"The Fennekin is only half a month old; it's time for a rest. Thank you for the tea and dessert."
With that, he picked up the Fennekinand left the garden with the Litten.
Next up was the time to challenge the Mantis with the assault team!
Of course, a total wipeout was inevitable…
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(End of Chapter)