Deep down, Roy had always known this day would come.
He simply hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon.
While cultivating Ghost Force over the past two years, he had occasionally noticed something strange.
The Ghost Force that should have naturally gathered around Phoebe…
Was slowly being drawn toward him instead.
Now that the system had upgraded his Ghost Force into Extreme Ghost Force, he no longer depended on Mt.
Pyre’s abundant Ghost-type energy.
From this point onward…
His growth would rely entirely on Popularity Points.
Even if the amount required was absurd.
More importantly…
The elderly couple had never treated him unfairly.
From the day they rescued him, they had cared for him as though he were their own grandson.
They had taught him their family’s secret techniques.
Helped him awaken Ghost Force.
Given him a home.
Roy would never forget either their kindness…
Or the fact that they had saved his life.
Besides…
They weren’t abandoning him.
They had already arranged a future for him.
Rustboro Academy was one of the most prestigious Trainer academies in the Hoenn region.
Roy smiled.
“I understand.”
“Registration is the day after tomorrow, right?”
“I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“…Roy…”
The elderly couple stared at him in silence.
Seeing him accept everything so calmly somehow made their hearts ache even more.
Roy laughed softly.
“I know this isn’t what either of you wanted.”
“But Phoebe’s inheritance is more important.”
“And besides…”
“It’s not like I’m leaving forever.”
“I’ll come back to visit.”
The old couple exchanged another helpless sigh.
Dinner continued quietly.
No one mentioned Roy’s departure.
Not even after Phoebe finally returned from playing outside.
“Dummy Roy!”
“You’re finally back!”
“Were you bothering Sister Aya again?”
Roy puffed out his chest.
“What do you mean bothering?”
“We’re obviously in love.”
“My handsome face has completely stolen her heart.”
“You little lump of charcoal.”
“Roy!”
“Don’t call me Little Charcoal!”
Beside them, Haunter puffed out its cheeks, perfectly copying Phoebe’s angry expression.
Roy grinned.
“Oh.”
“Right.”
“I almost forgot.”
He reached into his Storage Bracelet.
A giant purple Gengar plush appeared.
Phoebe’s eyes immediately widened.
For a brief second…
She looked enviously at Roy’s new Storage Bracelet.
Then…
Her entire attention shifted to the enormous Gengar plush.
“…”
“Is…”
“Is that really for me?”
Roy pretended to think.
“If you don’t want it…”
“I guess I’ll give it to Honoka at the foot of the mountain.”
He immediately turned as though preparing to leave.
“I want it!”
Phoebe lunged forward, blocking his path.
She snatched the plush from his hands and hugged it tightly.
The plush was almost larger than she was.
She couldn’t bear to let go.
For quite some time…
Her coffin had been missing a proper pillow.
She had only complained about it once.
She never imagined Roy had actually remembered.
Nearby…
The real Gengar watched with complete disbelief.
“…”
I’m standing right here.
And she’d rather hug a stuffed toy?
Children truly were impossible to understand.
Phoebe happily buried her face into the plush.
“…Thank you.”
“Roy.”
Before he could react…
She ran over and kissed him on the cheek.
Roy immediately wiped his face with exaggerated disgust.
“Honestly…”
“I’d rather get licked by Haunter again.”
Smack!
Smack! This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Smack!
Another flurry of tiny slaps landed on his face.
The elderly couple watched the familiar scene in silence.
Neither knew what to say anymore.
…
Before dawn the following morning…
Roy had already packed everything.
His belongings were surprisingly simple.
A worn backpack.
The Storage Bracelet Aya had given him.
And…
The 30,000 Pokédollars he had painstakingly saved over the past two years.
“Lit.”
Litwick gently rubbed the tiny blue flame atop its head against Roy’s cheek.
It wasn’t hot at all.
Instead…
It felt surprisingly soft.
Almost like a kitten affectionately rubbing against its owner.
Roy smiled faintly.
“I know.”
“We already said our goodbyes yesterday.”
“If I tell Phoebe now…”
He sighed.
“…She’ll probably cry.”
Roy had never liked farewells.
Especially not with people who had become his family.
In the end…
He chose to leave quietly.
Once a decision had been made…
Dragging it out would only make leaving more painful.
He looked toward the mountain behind him.
“We all have our own paths to walk.”
“Don’t we?”
“Lit.”
Compared to Litwick…
Duskull remained as carefree as ever.
After finishing its morning Ghost Force meal…
It had immediately climbed back into its Poké Ball for another nap.
Roy could only laugh helplessly.
Standing before the entrance to Mt.
Pyre…
He bent deeply at the waist.
A silent bow.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Only then did he slowly straighten his back.
He had always understood one thing.
The elderly couple owed him nothing.
Back then…
They could have simply ignored the dying stranger lying in the forest.
The flock of Spearow would have finished him off soon enough.
Instead…
They had saved him.
Raised him.
Even taught him their family’s inheritance.
That debt…
Could never truly be repaid.
Just as Roy placed one foot onto the mountain path…
A familiar purple figure suddenly appeared before him.
Gengar.
The very same Gengar that had rescued him over two years ago.
“Geng!”
Its expression was far more reluctant than usual.
Back then…
Roy constantly begged Gengar to help train Litwick.
Naturally…
Gengar wanted nothing to do with babysitting.
Unfortunately…
Roy had been unbelievably persistent.
Every single day, he dragged Phoebe along and chased after Gengar around the mountain.
Eventually…
Gengar had resorted to hiding inside people’s shadows just to escape.
Today…
The elderly couple had specifically sent Gengar to see Roy off.
Gengar stopped in front of him.
Then…
It reached deep into its enormous mouth.
After rummaging around for several seconds…
It pulled out two objects.
One was a transparent black talisman.
The other…
A pitch-black evolutionary stone.
Roy immediately activated the Appraisal Eye.
Item Analysis
Item: Spell Tag (Perfect Quality)
Effect:
Increases the power of Ghost-type moves by 10% when held by a Pokémon.
Item Analysis
Item: Dusk Stone (Perfect Quality)
Effect:
Its darkness resembles the night sky itself.
Roy’s eyes widened.
“Perfect quality…”
Both of them?
In this world…
Pokémon items also possessed quality grades.
Low.
Medium.
High.
And above all of them…
Perfect.
Evolutionary Stones of higher quality could even improve a Pokémon’s natural Talent after evolution.
In other words…
A Pokémon’s potential wasn’t completely fixed at birth.
These two gifts…
Were exactly what both Litwick and Duskull would eventually need.
Roy didn’t know their exact market value.
But he knew one thing.
Because of its rarity…
A Perfect Quality Dusk Stone was vastly more valuable than ordinary evolution stones like the Fire Stone, Leaf Stone, or Water Stone.
Only the equally rare Dawn Stone could rival its price.
“…”
“I…”
Before Roy could refuse…
Gengar simply laughed.
It patted Roy firmly on the shoulder.
Then shoved both treasures directly into his hands.
Through their telepathic connection, Gengar’s voice echoed gently inside Roy’s mind.
“Young man.”
“Keep moving forward.”
“We’ll be waiting for you.”
“Come back to Mt.
Pyre someday.”
Gengar understood its Trainers better than anyone.
The elderly couple hadn’t come themselves…
Because they simply couldn’t bear to watch Roy leave.
Roy silently stored both treasures inside his Storage Bracelet.
He made a promise to himself.
One day…
When he became strong enough…
He would repay everything they had done for him.
He smiled sincerely.
“Thank you…”
“Gengar.”
“Geng.”
As Gengar turned to leave…
Roy quietly activated the Appraisal Eye one final time.
Pokémon Analysis
Pokémon: Gengar
Level: 84
Rank: High Elite Four
Gender: Male
Ability: Cursed Body
Effect: When struck by an attack, it may disable the opponent’s move.
Moves:
Mean Look
Lick
Hypnosis
Spite
Curse
Hex
Night Shade
Assurance
Sucker Punch
Dark Pulse
Shadow Ball
Destiny Bond
Dream Eater
Held Item: Spell Tag
Egg Moves:
Toxic
Haze
Perish Song
Individual Value (Talent): 23
TM / Move Tutor Moves:
Nasty Plot
Energy Ball
Focus Blast
Protect
Roy stared silently at the information panel.
An eighty-fourth-level Gengar.
A Pokémon with the strength of a High Elite Four.
No wonder…
It had driven away that entire flock of Spearow with a single Shadow Ball.
He smiled.
One day…
His own Ghost-type team would stand at that same height.
Perhaps…
They would climb even higher.