On the way back, Roy tossed a Berry toward the tree where Caterpie was waiting.
His throw was noticeably smoother than before.
More importantly…
It traveled farther.
Roy blinked.
“…Did I just get stronger?”
He hadn’t noticed it until now, but ever since the system awakened, his physical strength seemed to have increased as well.
As he climbed back up Mt.
Pyre…
Someone watched him from the shadows.
Honoka.
The Hex Maniac’s dull eyes suddenly sparkled with an unusual light.
She stared at Roy the way a starving predator stared at its prey.
Roy felt a chill crawl down his spine.
“…Why does it feel like she wants to eat me?”
Without daring to look back again, he quickened his pace.
Unfortunately…
He soon realized Honoka wasn’t the only one reacting.
One Ghost-type Pokémon after another began emerging from the surrounding forest.
Shuppet.
Gastly.
Misdreavus.
Several drifted quietly behind him.
One particularly bold Shuppet flew straight onto his shoulder and rubbed happily against him.
“…”
“So this is the charm of Extreme Ghost Force?”
Roy suddenly noticed wisps of Ghost Force unconsciously leaking from his body.
His expression changed.
“Oh, no.”
He immediately withdrew his aura and suppressed every trace of Ghost Force.
Only then did Shuppet blink in confusion and recover its senses.
Shuppet tilted its head.
“…Shup?”
Who am I?
Where am I?
Why was I hugging this human?
…
At the summit of Mt.
Pyre…
Inside the small wooden house…
The old man sighed heavily.
“So…”
“Do we really have to send that brat away?”
“There isn’t another solution?”
Across from him, his wife quietly shook her head.
“Mt.
Pyre cannot support two successors.”
“You know that.”
“If Roy continues training here…”
“The Ghost Force surrounding Mt.
Pyre will be divided between him and Phoebe.”
“That will delay Phoebe’s inheritance.”
“You understand that better than anyone.”
The old man opened his mouth several times.
Each time…
He failed to find the words.
Eventually…
All that remained was another long sigh.
“…You’re right.”
His reason told him his wife had made the correct decision.
His heart simply refused to accept it.
“Then…”
“We’ll tell him tonight.”
She nodded silently.
Truthfully…
Neither of them wanted this outcome.
When they had rescued Roy over two years ago…
There had been two reasons for allowing him to stay.
First…
The old woman had sensed something extraordinary.
Roy possessed an incredibly powerful soul.
Simply put…
His life force was astonishingly resilient.
Neither of them had ever encountered an ordinary person with such overwhelming spiritual potential.
And strong souls were the most important requirement for cultivating Ghost Force.
The second reason…
Was Phoebe.
Shortly before Roy arrived…
Phoebe’s parents had entered the Spirit World and never returned.
The lonely little girl desperately needed someone her own age.
Roy became that companion.
From the very beginning…
Neither elder had ever treated him like cheap labor.
Cleaning Mt.
When Litwick chose Roy as its partner…
They even taught him the methods for cultivating Ghost Force.
What neither elder expected…
Was Roy mastering Ghost Force on his very first day.
Even more unbelievable…
He instinctively used it to feed the tiny Litwick following him everywhere.
Two and a half years passed in the blink of an eye.
Somewhere along the journey…
They had stopped thinking of Roy as an outsider.
He had become family.
A grandson.
That was exactly why asking him to leave hurt so much.
The cabin door suddenly swung open.
“Old man!”
“Look what I bought for you!”
Roy walked inside carrying several shopping bags.
Without waiting for permission, he sat down and proudly placed a bundle of pipe tobacco on the table.
His expression practically screamed…
“Go ahead.”
“Praise me.”
Normally…
The old man would laugh, smack Roy on the shoulder, and joke that he’d finally grown a conscience.
Today…
He only looked even more troubled.
Roy blinked.
“…What’s going on?”
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The old man hesitated again.
Before he could say anything…
The old woman quietly spoke.
“Let’s eat first.”
“…Alright.”
As dinner began…
The old woman’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
Something about Roy had changed.
The Ghost Force surrounding him had become far denser.
And…
It carried a strange quality she couldn’t quite describe.
She exchanged a glance with her husband.
He had noticed it too.
Roy’s Ghost Force…
No longer resembled the Ghost Force cultivated by their family.
It felt…
Purified.
More concentrated.
The old woman finally asked,
“Roy.”
“Did you practice Ghost Force today?”
Roy’s heart skipped a beat.
“…Today?”
“No.”
He calmly shook his head.
For now…
He decided to keep the system a secret.
Not because he distrusted the elderly couple.
But because…
Even he thought the whole thing sounded ridiculous.
The two elders looked at one another.
Neither pressed the matter further.
Changing the subject, Roy asked,
“Where’s Phoebe?”
“She already finished eating.”
The old woman smiled faintly.
“She’s outside playing with Haunter.”
“No need to worry about her.”
…
After dinner…
The old man finally spoke.
“Roy.”
“There are…
a few things we need to discuss.”
Roy immediately noticed something unusual.
Normally…
The old man always called him brat.
Tonight…
He had used his actual name.
Combined with everything that had happened since Roy returned…
Something serious was definitely going on.
There’s a catch.
Definitely a catch.
The old man hesitated once more.
After struggling for several seconds…
He quietly turned toward his wife.
She rolled her eyes.
Without another word, she walked into the next room.
A moment later…
She returned holding a beautifully wrapped envelope.
She handed it to Roy.
“…”
Roy looked down.
His eyes widened.
Letter of Admission
He slowly opened it.
Inside was an elegant invitation printed on thick cardstock.
The artwork depicted a magnificent European-style academy surrounded by towering marble gates.
Across the top…
One name stood proudly.
Rustboro Academy
Student: Roy
Rustboro Academy looks forward to welcoming you.
Roy stared blankly.
“Rustboro Academy?”
“Isn’t that in Rustboro City?”
He vaguely remembered visiting the academy during one of his old Emerald playthroughs.
There had been a teacher there.
Defeating him awarded the Quick Claw.
But…
Why was his name on the admission letter?
He looked up in confusion.
“I’ve been working here just fine.”
“So…”
“Why am I suddenly going to school?”
The old woman took a slow sip of tea.
Then quietly asked,
“Roy.”
“Do you know the true history of Mt.
Pyre?”
Roy shook his head.
He couldn’t understand where this conversation was leading.
The old woman slowly began her story.
“There is another world…”
“A world that exists alongside our own.”
“The Spirit World.”
“Every region possesses an entrance connecting to it.”
“In Hoenn…”
“That entrance lies beneath Mt.
Pyre.”
Roy’s expression became serious.
“So that’s why…”
“The Ghost-type energy here is so dense.”
She nodded.
“For generations…”
“Our family has guarded that entrance.”
“Two years ago…”
“Phoebe’s parents discovered that the gate to the Spirit World had begun opening on its own.”
“Restless spirits occasionally crossed into the human world.”
“To uncover the truth…”
“They left Phoebe with us.”
“And entered the Spirit World themselves.”
“They never came back.”
Silence filled the room.
The old woman continued.
“Phoebe…”
“Is the true successor of Mt.
Pyre.”
“The inheritance of our family belongs to her.”
“When you first arrived…”
“Phoebe was only five.”
“She wasn’t old enough to cultivate Ghost Force.”
“So there was enough Ghost Force here for you to train.”
“But now…”
“That is no longer the case.”
“The Ghost Force surrounding Mt.
Pyre…”
“Can no longer support both of you.”
Roy finally understood.
If he left…
Phoebe would absorb the mountain’s Ghost Force much faster.
She would awaken her own Ghost Force sooner.
Exactly as the future Ghost-type Elite Four member should.
After hearing everything…
Roy smiled instead.
“So that’s what this is about.”
Honestly…
He’d already been wondering how to explain that he wanted to leave Mt.
Pyre and travel the world to earn Popularity Points for his system.
Now…
He didn’t even need an excuse anymore.