Chapter 78: The Language of Wild Spirits (Fifth Update)

As Fang Tianze had mentioned, the entire teaching process consumed a great deal of time.

More than an hour passed, and seeing that Butterfree showed no sign of stopping, Tang Yi stepped back a bit and sat down on the ground beside Fang Tianze, smiling politely.

“Champion Fang, how much longer do you think we’ll have to wait?”

The title made Fang Tianze feel quite comfortable. Remembering the young man’s earlier doubts, he snorted, “No! I’m just a weirdo, not some champion. Don’t mistake me for someone else!”

Tang Yi waved his hand. “I never called you a weirdo. That’s just what people say online. Besides, being a champion and a weirdo aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“Hm?”

“Ahem, what I mean is, you’re a champion, so of course you’re not a weirdo. Besides, my whole family are your fans. Next time I bring a poster, could you sign it for me?”

“Well, I haven’t signed many autographs before, but I suppose it’s not impossible.” Fang Tianze’s demeanor softened.

Seizing the opportunity, Tang Yi began to ask more questions. With a living champion beside him, he couldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip by.

Truth be told, Tang Yi was quite curious about Fang Tianze’s life after retirement. There were rumors online that he had been secretly arrested by Interpol, but that was clearly false. Another rumor claimed he had gone off to live happily with a group of fairy girls, though the details were left to the imagination.

Tang Yi’s curiosity burned fiercely.

But opportunities like this were rare. He had other things he wanted to ask as well, such as how effective this special teaching method really was, and how long it might take for Ralts to master Hypnosis after returning home.

Fang Tianze’s answer left him somewhat disappointed.

This hands-on teaching method only worked when there was a significant gap in strength between the two parties. If their abilities were too similar, or nearly equal, it was basically ineffective.

Fang Tianze made it clear: with Butterfree’s mastery of psychic energy, at most she could teach Ralts Hypnosis and Teleport. If Ralts had a strong enough foundation, maybe she could also learn Psybeam, but that was about the limit.

And that was assuming Ralts put in enough effort back home—having learned to run, but still a long way from the finish line, she would need to run the rest herself.

Beyond that, this special teaching method would no longer be of use to Ralts.

Moreover, since Butterfree herself was already at champion-level strength, she was essentially at the ceiling. Unless Tang Yi could someday find a legendary psychic-type to help, like Mewtwo, Ralts would have to learn psychic skills the traditional way.

“As a trainer, you shouldn’t always look for shortcuts. Sometimes, taking the long way around isn’t a bad thing. Today, the weather’s good, and I’m in a good mood, so I agreed to help. Normally, for a fairy girl like Ralts who already has a trainer, I would never use this teaching method.”

Fang Tianze felt obliged, as an elder, to offer a bit of guidance.

Tang Yi nodded earnestly; he wasn’t greedy. The fact that Fang Tianze was willing to let Butterfree help was more than enough. As for how much Ralts could learn, that was up to fate.

If she didn’t learn much, he wouldn’t be too disappointed.

After chewing over Fang Tianze’s words, Tang Yi was surprised and curious. “So you often use this teaching method to teach fairy girls without trainers?”

Judging by Butterfree’s practiced manner, this special and convenient method was clearly not new to her. No wonder Fang Tianze hadn’t been surprised when Tang Yi suggested it.

Fang Tianze was silent for a while, as if weighing whether to discuss this with the young man he’d just met.

After a long pause, just as Tang Yi thought Fang Tianze didn’t want to talk about it, he finally spoke, “You’re still young. You might not know, but there are many, many fairy girls in this world who don’t have trainers.”

“Like Feebas?” Tang Yi remembered the fish and glanced back; not far off, the Feebas girl grew flustered.

But Fang Tianze wasn’t referring to her. “No, I don’t mean that. The fairy girls at the orphanage don’t have trainers for various reasons, but they live here without want, with their safety and well-being assured. In fact, they are more fortunate. I’m talking about wild fairy girls.”

There were wild fairy girls in this world—those who lived outside human cities. But as urbanization increased, they became ever rarer.

Fang Tianze looked up at the azure sky. “Fairy girls hatched in breeding centers receive comprehensive care and guidance from the start. But have you considered that wild fairy girls don’t have such good conditions? Many wild ones, newly born, might only know one or two basic moves, like Tackle, and lack even the ability to protect themselves.”

A subtle understanding dawned on Tang Yi, and he suddenly grasped why Fang Tianze had vanished so completely after retirement.

Perhaps Fang Tianze had been traveling around, helping those weak and wild fairy girls, using this special teaching method to help them master basic skills and gain the ability to survive.

Tang Yi couldn’t help but feel a deep respect. Though the uncle sometimes seemed unserious, he was indeed a champion worthy of admiration.

“Hmph, I don’t believe it.” A soft, delicate voice sounded behind them.

The nearly forgotten Feebas girl suddenly inserted herself into their conversation. Tang Yi assumed it was because she didn’t know Fang Tianze.

Now that Tang Yi respected Fang Tianze, he smiled and shook his head, helping to explain, “I think you might be misunderstanding.”

Feebas protested indignantly, “No! On my way to Qingjiang City, I encountered some wild fairy girls in the wild. You say you help wild fairy girls, but that’s impossible.”

“Why?”

“Wild fairy girls don’t speak your language. When they saw me, a fellow fairy, they were wary enough—let alone a human who doesn’t speak our tongue!”

This was something Tang Yi hadn’t considered. He looked at Feebas, then at Fang Tianze.

Fang Tianze didn’t argue. Instead, he cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and slowly uttered a string of obscure, unintelligible words.

“What are you saying?” Feebas was bewildered.

Fang Tianze spread his hands and smiled, “That was one form of fairy speech. Most wild fairy girls on land use this language to communicate. It’s normal you don’t understand.”

Feebas stared, speechless.

Fang Tianze calmly turned his head.

Tang Yi was amazed—he’d give this show-off a perfect score.

“You’re incredible, knowing even fairy speech.” Tang Yi was full of admiration.

“Uh, just keep that to yourself,” Fang Tianze whispered quietly.

Gegedang