I run an orphanage in the Pokémon world.

Earlier, Teng Shu had seen Dusknoir take away Grandpa Yukima's wife, but ordinary people can't see this kind of Pokémon carrying out the task of taking away a soul, so Locke didn't notice Dusknoir at the moment.

The Night Demon reached out its hand, and Teng Shu's pupils contracted. Could it see the soul of the rascal crocodile?

If we can see it...

But Teng Shu saw nothing. After the Night Demon reached out and grasped something, it simply vanished.

Teng Shu stood there, stunned, as Hunhun E's soul was taken away.

They went to the spirit world.

This is the underworld of the Pokémon world. Legend has it that the souls of humans and Pokémon go to the spirit world to await reincarnation. However, humans have never studied the spirit world, only knowing that Pokémon like Dusknoir can receive signals from the spirit world and take away the dead.

"Director, let's go." Locke said softly. Teng Shu turned his head and realized that everyone had arrived at the entrance of the orphanage and was standing there looking at him.

The fiery monkey and the adorable bear opened the door and stood to one side.

Lada and the bouncy flower stood at the very front.

The Dark Raven stood quietly on the Child Bear, its gaze sad as it looked at the Crocodile. Every day when it woke up, it would see the Crocodile sitting by the window reading a book.

Dong Shi Miao and the two cat bosses were squatting at the door.

Baby Dragon is holding a bouquet of flowers.

Ah Kai also stood in the attic, quietly watching this place.

Miss Qiao Yiyun, who was standing to the side, had red eyes.

Grandpa Xingzhen stood quietly at the door with a broom in hand, gazing at the crocodile in Teng Shu's arms with a complex expression in his eyes.

Teng Shu quietly looked at the Pokémon and the staff of the orphanage in front of him. After a moment of silence, he finally revealed a gentle smile.

"Rogue Crocodile, we're home."

Chapter 139 A small box, but containing a lifetime.

Teng Shu calmly wrote the report, calmly waited for the alliance staff to come and review it, and calmly waited for the staff to check it.

"...Time of death: 3:32 PM, cause of death: heart attack, confirmed. Dean Teng Shu, Hunhun E, according to regulations..." The two Alliance staff members had very serious expressions.

“I know, but I will help Crocodile with his cremation.” Teng Shu interrupted the staff member. He knew what the two staff members meant. Crocodile needed to be cremated, but Teng Shu did not intend to go through the route of public welfare cremation.

The two staff members exchanged a glance, nodded, and then took their leave.

Throughout the entire process, both staff members maintained very serious expressions without any smiles, which is a quality that employees responsible for this area must possess.

Teng Shu stared quietly at the white sheet in front of him, under which lay the scoundrel. He stood there for a long time, then sighed before taking the scoundrel to the cremation process.

At the Changqing City Funeral Home, Teng Shu paid the fees and then watched as the hooligan Crocodile was pushed into the crematorium. With the scorching heat, nothing was left.

"Dean, what are you planning to do with the urn containing Crocodile's ashes?" Locke asked, standing to the side and looking at Teng Shu. He had just driven Teng Shu here.

"Bury him in the orphanage." Teng Shu had already made up his mind.

Locke didn't say anything when he saw this, but setting up a cemetery would require reporting and applying to the Alliance.

Teng Shu then opened the list of redeemable items at the orphanage and found one of the options.

[Cemetery: The final resting place for humans and Pokémon. Souls buried here will find eternal peace. There is a very small chance that some strange things will happen randomly.]

[Exchange Price: 500 Happiness Points]

This is a cemetery that Tengshu had seen before. It only costs 500 happiness points to exchange for, and it cannot be upgraded. However, Tengshu had been hoping for it, so he didn't exchange for it. But now that Hunhun Crocodile is gone, Tengshu has exchanged for the cemetery directly.

Although he didn't quite understand what it meant for strange things to happen with extremely low probability, Teng Shu had some guesses in his mind, but he didn't know if these guesses were correct.

When Teng Shu returned to the orphanage, he found that the Arceus construction team had just left and greeted Teng Shu and Locke.

Locke was somewhat surprised; was the dean's application processed so quickly?

However, the Alliance's approval speed was truly astonishing, but considering the situation of the welfare home, Locke felt that this seemed quite reasonable.

Teng Shu carried the small urn containing the ashes into the welfare home.

The crocodile that used to be so big has now become so small.

It can be lifted with just one hand.

Teng Shu arrived at the cemetery and looked up.

The cemetery in front of us is located directly behind the welfare home, surrounded by woods and a pond, hidden among the trees, but there is a stone path leading to it.

The cemetery was empty, but there was a group of Pokémon there.

The fiery monkey and the adorable bear were digging a hole, and a mysterious force was carving words onto a tombstone nearby. Teng Shu could see clearly that it read "Tomb of the Rogue Crocodile".

The raven brought a flower.

Dong Shi Miao and the cat bosses dragged away the soil, while Grandpa Xingzhen was pulling the cart.

Baby Dragon and Miss Joey Yun helped transport the construction waste.

As Teng Shu watched this scene, a hint of tenderness appeared in his eyes.

Although Crocodile hasn't been at the orphanage for very long, he is still a member of the orphanage.

After everything was finished, under the watchful eyes of the little ones and Grandpa Joey Yunlock, Teng Shu placed the urn containing the ashes of the rascal crocodile into the pit and then covered it with soil.

At last.

The not-so-small crocodile has become a small tombstone.

Teng Shu quietly looked at the tombstone in front of him, then placed the flowers and the copy of "If I Could Live" in his hand in front of Hunhun E's tombstone.

This book is Crocodile's favorite book. He has read it many times. Tengshu often sees Crocodile reading this book.

Tengshu left the cemetery, as it was getting late and she needed to prepare food for the little ones.

The world never comes to a standstill just because someone is missing; life always goes on, no matter what.

And after Teng Shu left the cemetery, the sun began to set, and sunlight fell on Hunhun E's tombstone, illuminating the area.

A gentle breeze blew, turning the pages of the book.

...

Teng Shu cooked a dinner, which was quite plentiful, but when calculating the portions, Teng Shu's hand froze for a moment, and then he silently wiped away one portion.

Now that the scoundrel is gone, the orphanage needs to prepare less food for each meal from now on, otherwise it will be a waste to make too much.

Teng Shu pursed her lips, then focused her attention on cooking, finding some fulfillment in the busyness and calming her inner turmoil.

During the meal, Teng Shu's phone vibrated.

[Jun Sha Guang: Dean Teng Shu, there is an adoption application. The applicant wants to adopt the eldest cat. The adopter should come to the welfare home tomorrow.]

Looking at the message in his hand, Teng Shu replied "okay" and then wrote it down. If they come to the welfare home to adopt the cat tomorrow, then the cat boss will be one less.

It's unclear how long this last cat boss can stay, and judging from the current month, Tengshu's expression isn't too good either.

Since Tengshu built good relationships with the people in those offices, he has also learned some things, such as the fact that every year when a new trainer embarks on a journey, there is a high incidence of Pokémon abandonment during that short period of time.

Last year, before Tengshu even arrived, in the three months since the new trainer embarked on his journey, 132 Pokémon were abandoned, according to the League's statistics.

Some Pokémon that were abandoned in places unknown to the League were not included in the statistics.

However, Teng Shu didn't say anything. After all, he ran a welfare home, and this kind of work always had to be done.

After finishing dinner, Teng Shu continued with his usual routine, doing his own thing, and then sent the cremation record of Hunhun Crocodile to the league for filing before shutting down his computer.

Teng Shu stood by the window, looking at the night outside. He gazed in the direction of the cemetery, remained silent for a while, and then sighed.

Then Tengshu climbed onto the bed and slowly fell asleep.

And it was while the vine tree was asleep that a small, purplish-black flame suddenly lit up in the dimly lit cemetery. It floated erratically in the cemetery, then slowly landed on the ground, coming to the book that had been blown open by the wind, and quietly hovered there.

Chapter 140 Curtains

The next morning, Teng Shu got out of bed early, yawned, and then put on his clothes.

Although I had some insomnia last night, insomnia is the easiest thing to cure in the Pokémon world.

After all, if you have insomnia, you can fall asleep instantly by undergoing hypnosis or even just yawning, which is a blessing for insomniacs.

"Today's weather..." Teng Shu stood by the window and glanced outside, then frowned slightly. The weather was really strange. Yesterday's weather was fine, but today's weather had become exceptionally cold.

Standing by the window, even the vines could see a thick layer of mist forming on it.

Teng Shu took out his phone and glanced at it, then saw that the temperature displayed on the phone was four degrees.

"It's a bit cold." Teng Shu looked at the mist in front of him, then put on another layer of clothing. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed a thick coat that he had just bought and hurriedly went downstairs.

As Teng Shu stepped out of the welfare home's office area, he shivered all over; the weather was really cold today.

"Grandpa Xingzhen, you're still up so early." Teng Shu looked at Grandpa Xingzhen in front of him, his eyes filled with understanding.

Sure enough, the old man got up very early.

The old man gets up very early every morning and cleans the house early, which Tengshu has gotten used to.

"Dean Teng Shu, although I'm getting on in years, I'm not quite an old man yet, am I?" Old Master Xingzhen said with a hint of helplessness. Teng Shu looked at the old man, his face showing a touch of embarrassment.

That's true. Although Xingzhen isn't very old, she looks much older now, with white hair and wrinkles all over her face. You could say that just by looking at her appearance, Xingzhen looks like a seventy or eighty-year-old.

Xingzhen looks much older now, not at all like his original age. Tengshu had checked the information before, and Xingzhen looked very young in his previous photos, but after his son gambled away the family's money, he aged instantly to look like he does now.

"Never mind, I once heard my father say that once you're over fifty-six, you're considered a grandfather. I'm sixty-six now." Xingzhen waved his hand, touched his waist, and his face still showed some complicated emotions.

Even now, Xingzhen still finds it hard to accept that she has reached this age.

"It's cold today, Grandpa, please change your clothes." Teng Shu handed over a thick coat. He had rushed downstairs just to give the old man some clothes, since it was so cold today and it wouldn't be good if Grandpa Xingzhen caught a cold.

"Thank you, Dean." The old man accepted it gratefully without being polite. The weather was indeed very cold today. Although it hadn't rained yet, his breath was already misty.

Teng Shu smiled and told the old man to go back and rest, while Teng Shu himself planned to visit the cemetery.

As he passed the infirmary, Teng Shu glanced at the window as usual, but there was nothing there.

Only the curtains were hanging there.

"..." Teng Shu sighed. In the past, the scoundrel Crocodile should have been...

Teng Shu shook his head, then walked to the cemetery. The tombstone of Hunhun E stood there quietly, without any abnormality. Teng Shu walked over and closed the book that had been opened.

"However, preserving this book like this doesn't seem quite right." Teng Shu looked at the book in his hand and then realized he had become an idiot.

The book is already a bit damp, and that's before it rains. If it rains, the book will probably be ruined.

Teng Shu hurriedly packed the book away. He planned to take it back and fix it in a sealed container to prevent damage.

"Never mind, let's go back and cook." Teng Shu touched the tombstone of the rascal crocodile, then took the book and went back to the kitchen.

It's a bit cold today, so I don't think many people will be going out. But luckily, Tengshu's food supply is still sufficient, so there's no need to go out to buy groceries.

"What should I cook today?" Teng Shu looked at the ingredients in front of him and fell into deep thought. However, considering the low temperature today, Teng Shu thought for a moment and decided to make something hot to eat.

"Uncle Tengshu!" Before Tengshu could even start cooking, a familiar voice rang out. Tengshu paused for a moment, then looked out of the cafeteria in surprise. He then saw the three sisters, Red, Blue, and Yellow, running in excitedly.

Teng Shu was genuinely surprised, given the terrible weather today; he hadn't expected the three sisters to come.

"Little Red, Little Blue, Little Yellow? What are you doing here?" Teng Shu looked at the three little girls in front of him in surprise, then smiled and patted their heads.

These three little girls today are dressed in white, looking like three round, chubby snowballs.

"It's too cold!" Xiao Lan pouted.

"Mom and Dad aren't home yet," Xiao Huang pouted, looking unhappy.

"Uncle Tengshu, Mom and Dad have to go on a business trip, so they're not home. My sisters wanted to come and see you," Xiaohong said with a smile. Tengshu glanced at Xiaohong and smiled as he patted her head.

Xiao Hong's face turned slightly red. She turned her head to the side and smiled shyly.

"What would you like to eat today?" Teng Shu asked with a smile, looking at the three sisters in red, yellow, and blue. Upon hearing Teng Shu's question, the three sisters each had their own opinion and almost quarreled. However, under the serious gaze of the eldest sister, Xiao Hong, Xiao Huang and Xiao Lan immediately became obedient and agreed on a topic.

Lamb rice noodles.

Teng Shu scratched his head.

This isn't difficult to make. After all, mutton is available in the Pokémon world, although it's a bit pricey. But there's nothing wrong with eating mutton on a cold day. I personally like to eat mutton when the weather is cold, but I didn't buy rice noodles.

After all, rice noodles are used to make other snacks in the Pokémon world, and they are not very suitable for preservation, so Tengshu did not store much of them.

"How about mutton noodles? We don't have rice noodles today," Teng Shu said helplessly.