ALL NOVEL Chapter 41 – To the Beast’s Sanctuary
Floyd and others saw a large, traditional luxury Nihon wooden house with a big Squirtle's head crest in front, and it was drawn cute. After all, what do you expect from the people of Nihon? When it comes to sketching, they excel.
Floyd, Jonathan, Bianca, and Ivan were astonished by what they saw. What they noticed here is that most of the village houses were primarily made of wood, but the house in front of them was the largest wooden house they had ever seen.
"Is this our base? Professor, you are really rich," Jonathan exclaimed, noting the grandeur of the house. His father's house didn't even compare.
"This isn't mine. It's an abandoned house. After the tragedy that occurred 5 years ago, many houses became abandoned, like this one, especially given its proximity to a forest, making it prone to beast invasions," Kanraku explained.
"But, since no one wanted to live here, I renovated it. Now it's going to be our base."
In front, there was a nameplate displaying the triple "AAA" letters with a Squirtle logo.
"Aizawa-san, call that kid," Kanraku instructed.
"Aye," Aizawa responded and pressed something on the nameplate.
A few moments later, a voice of kid came from the nameplate, "Moshi moshi, it's Suzuki Ryota. Who's calling?"
"Ryota-kun, it's me, Aizawa," she replied.
"Aizawa nee-san? Is that you? You're back! Where's shishou? Shishou, are you there?" The boy, Ryota, sounded excited.
"Who are you calling shishou, kid? I haven't accepted you as my disciple yet," Kanraku responded with a hint of annoyance.
"You...How come you not accept me? You're destined to be my aunt's husband, you have to accept me; otherwise, I'll start calling you uncle," Ryota puffed unwillingly.
Kanraku, blushed, replied, "Cough~ cough~ can you stop spouting nonsense! Open the gate. We have guests. Don't embarrass me."
The four disciples tried not to laugh at the exchange.
"Foreigners again. Hmph, As if they could understand our language well enough to know if you were shamed," Ryota retorted.
"Do you want me to spank..." Kanraku was about to speak but was cut off as the gate opened.
"Everyone, I apologize for that. This child can be quite rude. Please, come in," Kanraku said, addressing Floyd and the others.
"It's no problem," Floyd responded, rolling his eyes thinking to himself, 'As if we fully understood what you're saying'
Upon entering, Kanraku and his students removed their shoes and took slippers. "This area is called the Genkan. Please remove your shoes on this wooden pad. Here are slippers for each of you," Kanraku explained.
Having been pre-informed, Floyd and the others followed suit, even cleaning their Pokémon before proceeding inside. As they moved forward, Kanraku introduced various aspects of their culture. The house's vastness was evident. It was a single-story structure but extremely spacious. Floyd estimated it to be over 1,500 square meters. Despite the lack of air conditioning, it was quite chilly. Floyd held the four shivering Goomys, while Horsea sleeping at the top of his head. Axew and the leader Goomy tried to withstand the cold, Munchlax was unaffected, but Dratini, not wanting to be held by Floyd, crawled on his own, shivering from the cold.
Suddenly, a sound came from a box in the Tatami mat room, and it opened.
"Shishou, I'm here!" Out popped a boy, around 10 years old, with chubby cheeks. "Are these the new foreign guests? Hello, foreigners. My name is Suzuki Ryota," Ryota greeted Floyd and the others in slightly broken English.
So cute.
Bianca wanted to pinch Ryota's cheeks, but she felt too embarrassed to do so.
"Suzuki? Boy, are you Suzuki Akiko's little brother?" Jonathan asked quickly.
"Me, I, I, I…" Ryota paused, seemingly at a loss for words.
"This little brat is her nephew. Don't mind him; he's still practicing his English. Come on, brat, show me the way," Kanraku explained, giving Ryota a light spank.
"It hurts, shishou! You're bad," Ryota protested, rubbing his behind.
"Stop talking nonsense and move!" Kanraku urged.
"Hmph, alright, alright, come and follow me," Ryota said with a pout, entering the box.
"Follow us," directed Kanraku, as he too entered the box.
Everyone took turns entering, using a wall ladder to descend.
"This feels really mysterious. It's exciting," Jonathan remarked with anticipation.
Minutes later, they emerged in a different setting. Unlike the previous house with its Eastern wooden style, the interior here resembled a long, narrow pathway lined with railings. The temperature felt warmer than the chilly area above.
"Here are your shoes," Kanraku said, presenting the shoes they had removed earlier, then he and his four students started to wear their shoes.
"How did they get here?" Jonathan exclaimed in surprise.
"They were delivered. Remember placing your shoes on the wooden shoe rack? It has a function to move here" Kanraku explained with a smile.
"No wonder they're here, so high-tech" Floyd mused.
They put on their shoes and continued onward, eventually climbing another wall ladder. When they reached the top, they found themselves on a street surrounded by trees.
"Nyaaaaw," called out multiple Caterpie from the trees, seemingly welcoming them, especially Kanraku.
"Free~," several Butterfree chirped, flocking towards Kanraku. Two Butterfree leaders landed on his arms, while the others circled them, making their characteristic cry.
"How's everything here?" Kanraku inquired, looking at the two Butterfree on his arms.
"Free~," they responded, lowering their heads in disappointment.
"I understand. It's not your fault. They need time to adjust. Be patient with them," Kanraku comforted, patting their heads.
"Everyone, this was the Beast's Sanctuary," Kanraku introduced.
"There are so many caterpillar beasts here," Jonathan observed cautiously. While he suspected these creatures had a relationship with Kanraku, caution was still necessary.
"Shishou, meet my new partner. Butterfly-san let me have one yesterday," Ryota introduced, pointing to the Caterpie perched on his head.
"Nyaaaaw," the Caterpie chirped happily.
"That's good. I'm surprised you've bonded with them so well, unlike these four guys," Kanraku commented, glancing at others.
"Not just him; I befriended turtle-san too. I'll introduce you later," Ryota announced with pride.
"Kyouju, don't worry. I'll get one too. I've made up my mind," Yamada added.
"Yes, Kyouju. Actually, I think they aren't that scary," Nakamura chimed in.
"Kyouju, I don't know if I can…" Aizawa hesitated.
"Kyouju, perhaps I'll try next time," Inoue's voice pitched in.
Kanraku suddenly had an idea. "The four of you... didn't you slack off on your assignments before?"
"Sorry?" all four echoed in unison.
"How about befriending a caterpillar-san now as punishment?" Kanraku suggested.
"What?" they replied in shock.
"Kyouju, I think it might still be a bit risky," Inoue quickly said.
"Yes, Kyouju," Aizawa responded with a downcast expression.
"Perhaps... we could try," Nakamura hesitated, eyeing the caterpillars.
"Yeah…" Yamada looked equally uncertain.
"Are you still scared? How long have you been here? Even Butterfly-san already recognizes you, and you're still scared?" Kanraku chided. "Butterfly-san, please look after them for now."
The Butterfree looked at the four students and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Free~."
"Kyouju!" The expressions of Inoue and Aizawa became serious.
"Alright, do it, i believe in all of you. Be good to your new friends. If you harm them, you'll face consequences. The rest of you, come with me. We have people to meet," Kanraku urged, leading the way.