Chapter Seventy-Seven: Special Instruction (Fourth Update)

Fang Tianze led Tang Yi over to Ba Dahu. Ba Dahu looked somewhat surprised, yet not entirely unexpected, and rose to her feet, beating her white wings. Her feet left the ground ever so slightly as she slowly floated toward her own trainer.

The woman smiled playfully. “Have you rested well? I thought you might sleep a while longer.”

“There’s nothing I can do—someone kept pacing back and forth in front of me. It was so annoying I couldn’t sleep, so I got up instead.”

The woman scoffed, then looked at Tang Yi. “Aren’t you curious about what we were talking about just now?”

Tang Yi nodded eagerly, anticipation shining in his eyes. “So, what were you talking about? You looked like you were having such a good time.”

Ba Dahu waggled the two antennae atop her head, a mischievous glint flickering in her gaze. “That’s a secret between us girls. If you really want to know, maybe you should go home and ask your own Ralts.”

Tang Yi glanced questioningly at Ralts.

Ralts immediately averted her gaze.

Huh?

She didn’t even dare meet his eyes—how odd!

Tang Yi then looked at Feebas. She, at least, dared to return his gaze, but her eyes seemed different as well. They weren’t as cold as before, yet somehow carried a hint of hostility. What on earth had they been talking about just now?

“All right, enough of that,” Fang Tianze waved his hand, cutting off the strange glances being exchanged. Then he and Ba Dahu bent their heads together, whispering quietly.

After a few minutes, Ba Dahu returned to Ralts’s side and gently brushed aside her green hair, tousled by the spring breeze. “Would you like to learn Hypnosis and Teleport?” she asked kindly.

“Ah!” Ralts was quite surprised. She looked at Ba Dahu, then at Tang Yi, puzzled.

Tang Yi was about to explain when Ba Dahu shot him a stern look. “I asked Ralts, not you.”

Tang Yi closed his mouth, somewhat abashed, and looked at Fang Tianze, but the older man offered no response this time. Clearly, he was also waiting for Ba Dahu’s decision.

“I want to learn!” Ralts replied at once, though she didn’t really understand what was happening.

Ba Dahu smiled at her for a moment, then nodded. “I understand. I’ll teach you.”

Though Tang Yi still wasn’t sure what the fairy woman understood, it seemed she had agreed.

Ba Dahu turned to Tang Yi. “But let me make this clear: I can only do my best to teach her. How much she learns is up to her, not me.”

Tang Yi nodded repeatedly. “I get it. Uncle just told me—it depends on Ralts’s foundation. I understand. But it should be fine, right? I don’t think you know Hypnosis or Teleport yourself, do you?”

Though he’d made the suggestion himself, Tang Yi had meant it partly as a joke. Now that things had come this far, he was genuinely curious. Unlike Drowzee, Ba Dahu, while capable of channeling psychic energy, could hardly master these two moves.

Fang Tianze seized the moment, his earlier gloom replaced by pride. “Don’t underestimate my Ba Dahu, young man. Mastery of skills depends on energy manipulation, and in this regard, she’s no less capable than any psychic fairy!”

Ba Dahu only smiled modestly. “Don’t worry, I won’t lead your Ralts astray.”

“Here?” Ralts asked.

“Yes, right here.”

Ba Dahu led Ralts a short distance away to avoid interruption. She asked Ralts to extend her right hand, then gently took it in her own, lightly kneading the soft, pale fingers.

“Ralts’s hand is so soft. No wonder he always likes to hold it,” Ba Dahu teased affectionately.

Ralts’s face turned crimson.

Watching from not far away, Tang Yi couldn’t hear what they were saying, but seeing this scene, his imagination ran wild. He couldn’t help but ask Fang Tianze, “Is your Ba Dahu flirting with my Ralts?”

Fang Tianze was speechless. “Flirting? What are you talking about! How could two girls flirt with each other? Be quiet!”

A short distance away, Ba Dahu held Ralts’s small hand, her expression growing serious. “From now on, I’ll guide you with psychic energy. It might be a little uncomfortable, but don’t resist, and don’t push back. Otherwise, the effect will be poor. Can you trust me, Ralts?”

“Yes, I trust you, Sister Ba Dahu.”

“Good. Then let’s begin.”

Ba Dahu’s antennae twitched, and suddenly it was as if the spring breeze all around them had stilled, leaving only gentle sunlight spilling over the two beautiful girls.

Tang Yi and Fang Tianze remained standing a short distance away. Feebas stood even farther off, momentarily forgotten, but she didn’t seem impatient; instead, she watched quietly, a trace of concern in her expression.

“I think I understand what Ba Dahu is trying to do,” Tang Yi said in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the two girls.

“Let’s hear it,” Fang Tianze replied.

“It’s like a master painter guiding someone’s hand, teaching them how to paint brushstroke by brushstroke. Ba Dahu is teaching Ralts in the same way—hand in hand, showing her how to learn a move. Is that right?”

Tang Yi spoke softly, still amazed. It seemed simple in theory, but he knew well enough it was anything but in practice.

Fang Tianze looked at him with approval and added, “You’re more or less correct. But Ba Dahu isn’t teaching Ralts a move—she’s teaching her how to skillfully use psychic energy. In simple terms, we’re only teaching her how to run; reaching the finish line is up to you.”

“All right, let’s not stand here watching—they’ll be at it for a while. Honestly, this teaching method is much more difficult than hand-in-hand painting lessons. The teacher must have exquisite control over energy and a wealth of practical experience. Even if you’re not champion-level, you’d have to be among the top contenders at the World Championships to manage this.”

Fang Tianze spoke with pride.

This time, Tang Yi had no rebuttal. He nodded sincerely.

Back in the hospital, Drowzee had also tried to teach Ralts Hypnosis, but all he did was have her repeatedly practice Confusion. None of the trainers at the various training centers had ever used a method like this, either.

Without absolute confidence in their own abilities, ordinary trainers and their Pokémon could never attempt such a feat.

By this point, Tang Yi was almost convinced: this unassuming man before him really might be the legendary world champion, Fang Tianze.