I run an orphanage in the Pokémon world.

Crocodile looked at the scarf around his neck with some surprise.

“Look, this is you,” Teng Shu said with a smile, pointing to the pattern on the scarf.

Akai put a lot of thought into it, sewing the little crocodile design into the very center of the character.

"..." The crocodile stared silently at the scarf in front of it, its calm and serene eyes now glistening with tears.

Crocodile took a deep breath, then gripped the scarf tightly, turned to look at Tengshu, and gently rubbed against Tengshu's hand. Tengshu patted Crocodile's head.

He could feel water droplets on his hands. Teng Shu didn't say anything, just let Hunhun E wipe away the tears in his eyes.

Once on the bike, the speed increased significantly, but Teng Shu didn't ride very fast. As he rode, he chattered on and on about the orphanage to Hunhun E.

He spoke slowly, starting with the arrival of the first Pokémon, and Krookodile listened quietly without interrupting.

Soon, Teng Shu brought the rascal Crocodile to the entrance of the Evergreen City Dojo.

As one of the centers of each city in the Pokémon world, the Gym is a relatively luxurious and well-located place in the city, and it also has a large number of people.

Although it was a weekday, the entrance to the Viridian City Gym was still bustling with people. Some were discussing things, while others were outside with their Poké Balls, eager to find someone to battle with.

However, seeing the Officer Jenny standing next to them, these people became much more obedient and went into the dojo to register.

The Pokémon League rules prohibit unauthorized Pokémon battles in cities.

"!" Crocodile looked happily at the gym in front of it. Teng Shu's pupils shrank. Crocodile was probably too excited. Its countdown was decreasing at an alarming speed. Teng Shu quickly patted Crocodile's head, but even so, Crocodile's face was a little pale, and the electrocardiogram on the heart monitor also became very strange.

In Teng Shu's eyes, the crocodile's life was instantly reduced by an hour and a half.

"Don't get so excited, okay? We still have to watch the battle later." Teng Shu gently patted the crocodile's head and said gently.

The crocodile clutched its chest, slowly adjusting its breathing, and then obediently nodded.

Chapter 137 The Thug Crocodile Named Champion

Kroc once had a name given to it by its original trainer, and the name was very imposing: Champion.

Back then, it was a Krookodile, which was beaten up by its trainer and then captured, becoming the boy's Pokémon.

Crocodile still remembers the time its trainer stood at the entrance of a gym with a gleam in his eyes, looking at it with great pride and saying...

"Champion! We can definitely become champions! Then you'll be the champion Pokémon!"

That's what the boy said, and he's trying his best to do it.

Krookodile followed its trainer, constantly battling wild Pokémon in the wild to hone its skills. Then, the trainer took it and its companions to challenge the gym.

That dojo was full of eccentric people. I heard the dojo owners were twin sisters, and they were incredibly powerful.

However, they did not meet the Gym Leader, because the Trainer could only battle an ordinary Gym Apprentice.

"Champion! The opponents are all Psychic-type Pokémon, let's go!" That's what the trainer said, and that's what Krookodile did. It tried its best to attack the opponents, but it was defeated by the opponents' excellent skills.

After being captured into a Poké Ball, Krookodile witnessed its trainer suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of its opponent and then left the gym in a sorry state.

"Champion, I will not give up! Let's go, we must continue to get stronger!" The trainer was full of fighting spirit. He fought and trained with Krookodile, and eventually it evolved from Krookodile into Krookodile.

So the confident trainer took it to challenge the gym once again.

It was still that familiar gym apprentice, but this time, the Krookodile, now stronger after training, helped the trainer defeat his opponent and earn his first gym badge.

The trainer was very happy when he received the badge, but then he started crying while laughing. Krookodile didn't know why the trainer was crying.

All I know is that it's happy too.

"Champion, we did it! We got our first badge! Next is the second, the third, and all the way to the eighth!" the trainer said happily. Although Krookodile didn't quite understand, it felt the trainer's joy and also smiled happily.

However, among the many trainers in the Pokémon world, not everyone has the talent to become a tournament-level player, nor can every trainer obtain eight Gym Badges.

Krookodile, following its trainer, obtained another badge, but got stuck at the third gym.

He tried again and again, but failed again and again. He was not the master of the gym, but he was terrifyingly strong.

Like an insurmountable chasm, it stood between the crocodile and the trainer.

"Champion, do you know what? The thing I've wanted to do most in my life is battle against those gym leaders. They're all incredibly strong!" The trainer, holding a Kornet, sat in his dilapidated hotel room, watching the battles on TV with a look of longing in his eyes.

Krookodile didn't understand. What was a Gym Leader? Was he powerful? But watching the scenes on TV, it only felt that those people and those Pokémon were incredibly strong, and it was no match for them at all.

Although life was difficult, and although one challenge after another ultimately failed.

But the trainer didn't give up. He kept trying, and then during a gym battle, Krookodile managed to defeat his opponent. Before he could even feel happy, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then everything went black. Krookodile passed out.

When it woke up again, the crocodile was already in the hospital. Sitting next to it was its silent trainer, who was holding some reports and documents. The crocodile couldn't understand them, but it could sense that its trainer was in a bad mood.

Not long after, the trainer took it away, crying and telling it that it had a very serious illness, but he really didn't have the money to treat it.

The crocodile didn't understand; it just listened silently, then hugged its trainer and sat quietly.

Although it didn't understand much, it knew that its body wasn't in good condition and that it might be dying.

Later, its trainer told it that the disease would never be cured unless it received a heart transplant.

but...

A heart transplant requires money and a donor heart, but the trainer simply doesn't have any. He embarked on the path of a trainer only for the sake of money.

later...

No one knows when, but the trainer left, leaving without a sound, leaving it all alone. After a day of confusion, the crocodile accepted reality.

Life and death are not things that are too difficult to accept.

But ah.

The crocodile wanted to see what the battle between the gym leaders was really like.

And now, the vine tree has fulfilled this wish, carrying it with it.

Excitedly, Crocodile followed Tengshu into the gym. Although this gym was not one of the ones it was familiar with, Crocodile was still very happy. It arrived at a huge room, which surprised Crocodile. It had never been to such a large room when it fought before.

Soon, amidst cheers and screams from the crowd, two trainers appeared below. One of them was wearing a very unique outfit and looked very elegant.

"Krookodile, this is Giovanni, the Gym Leader of Viridian City." Tengshu's voice rang in its ears. Krookodile nodded. Gym Leader? That's really impressive.

All gym leaders are incredibly powerful, according to Crocodile.

After all, it and its previous trainers had worked so hard for so long, yet they still didn't even have the right to meet the gym leader.

“This is the Challenger…” Tengshu continued to introduce it.

The battle begins.

The crocodile was very excited, his heart pounding wildly.

The surrounding crowd erupted in waves of cheers and shouts, and the Pokémon's fighting stances were deeply etched into the mind of the crocodile and into its memory.

The crocodile excitedly waved its claws, cheering on the trainer in the arena. It seemed to see its former self in the trainer and its Pokémon in front of it.

That version of myself who never gave up, who was always striving and fighting.

Bang bang bang.

The challenger only has three Pokémon left, but he hasn't given up yet!

Bang bang.

There are two challengers left! The good news is that the gym leader only has one Pokémon left!

Bang.

The challenger only has one last Pokémon left; this is their final gamble!

"Go! Blastoise!" The challenger's excited shout, accompanied by Blastoise's roar, brought everything to a close.

Teng Shu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and raised his head.

[0:0:0]

Chapter 138 Rogue Crocodile, Let's Go Home

The clamor and noise made the crocodile wearily open its eyes, but its eyelids drooped weakly again.

Did you win?

so good.

Blastoise must be very happy too, right?

It used to be so happy, feeling a heartfelt joy every time it received a gym badge. But now, Krookodile can't get excited; it feels so sleepy.

The crocodile barely managed to raise its paw, then gently placed it on the scarf, which still smelled of vines.

Sorry...

Kind person, I'm going to cause you trouble...

Krookodile took a breath, and the stabbing pain in its heart seemed to subside a little at that moment. It opened its eyelids and saw golden rain falling, a cheering crowd in front of it, and happy Pokémon.

The joyful laughter and cheers of the people brought a smile to the face of the rascal crocodile.

The crocodile looked at Tengshu, who was looking up with his eyes closed, but the crocodile noticed the tear stains at the corners of Tengshu's eyes.

It struggled to raise its other hand, trying to wipe something away, but the raised hand fell limply to the ground.

sorry...

At that moment, the light vanished from the world, plunging into eternal silence.

“Rogue Crocodile…” Teng Shu looked at the Rogue Crocodile beside him. At this moment, the Rogue Crocodile was leaning weakly against him, and its originally bright eyes were now closed, as if it had fallen asleep.

Teng Shu felt a sharp pain in his chest. He gripped the heart monitor tightly in his hand, and the electrocardiogram that had been fluctuating had become a straight line.

A straight line that will never rise or fall again.

Teng Shu sat in his seat. Unlike the others, he didn't stand up to celebrate or say anything. He just sat there quietly watching the thug Crocodile beside him.

“...I’ll take you home.” Teng Shu gently pulled the scarf up a little for the thug Crocodile.

It seems that this will make the crocodile less cold.

The surrounding crowd was in a frenzy, cheering and congratulating a new challenger for successfully defeating the Gym Leader and obtaining the Gym Badge.

But Tengshu couldn't hear anything.

The crocodile lay quietly in Tengshu's arms, without making a sound. Its eyes were closed, and there seemed to be a slight smile on its lips. Tengshu looked at the crocodile in front of him, his nose tingled, and he forced back the tears in his eyes, gently holding the crocodile in his arms.

Although Tengshu's movements were as gentle as possible, as Tengshu picked up the crocodile, the crocodile's claws, which had been gently gripping the scarf, loosened and drooped limply to the side.

Teng Shu took a deep breath, widened his eyes, put the crocodile's paws back on the scarf, then hugged the crocodile's gradually cooling body and slowly walked out.

【15: 32】

Teng Shu glanced at his phone.

The time was displayed above. Teng Shu silently recorded this time, which was the time when Crocodile's heart stopped beating. It would be reported to the League as Crocodile's time of death.

Life just passed away like that.

All that remains is the coldness of time.

Teng Shu walked out the door, tears still welling up in his eyes. People around him looked at Teng Shu curiously, but Teng Shu gritted his teeth, hurriedly hugged Hunhun E, got on his bike, but just as he was about to pedal, he accidentally broke the pedal.

“Dean.” A familiar voice called out. Teng Shu turned his head and saw Locke driving a small car.

Locke shouted that, then fell silent, simply staring quietly at the crocodile in Teng Shu's arms.

When Crocodile's electrocardiogram showed abnormalities, Locke drove over immediately. Fortunately, the journey from the orphanage to the Viridian City Gym wasn't very long, so Locke arrived quickly.

Teng Shu didn't say anything, but directly opened the car door and sat down. Then he gently placed the crocodile aside. The crocodile's body was soft and still had the last trace of warmth.

Locke didn't say anything, and drove back to the orphanage with Tengshu and Hunhun Crocodile. Along the way, Tengshu just quietly stroked Hunhun Crocodile's head.

Then I felt the body temperature of the crocodile gradually turn cold.

The warmth of life was gradually covered by the cold of death. Teng Shu's eyes were somewhat dazed. When he went out earlier, Hunhun Crocodile's body was still warm, but now, Hunhun Crocodile's body had become cold and slowly stiffened.

A Night Demon had already floated behind the vehicle, closely following it.

When they arrived at the orphanage, Teng Shu had just picked up the rascal crocodile and gotten out of the car when the Night Demon quietly appeared in front of him, silently watching Teng Shu.

Teng Shu stared at the Night Demon without saying a word.

Dusknoir, a ghostly messenger in the Pokémon world. This wasn't the first time Tengshu had greeted such a Pokémon, but this time, Tengshu's mood was heavy.