Tetsuya finally and completely freed himself from the orphanage. He felt refreshed and light.
At last, he had changed the fate of his previous life from the very first step. This was only the beginning.
In this life, he would stand above all others!
At the market near Ecruteak Gym, Tetsuya bought some daily necessities, two target boards, and a black curtain.
After bringing everything back to his dorm, Tetsuya began a simple setup.
To save space, the two targets were nailed directly to the wall. The only window was covered with the black curtain, of course, to protect his privacy.
By the time he finished, it was already evening. Just then, Ryuto came by to inform Tetsuya and Raine that dinner was ready.
Naturally, Matsuba and Morty didn't eat with the trainees. At the table, it was just Tetsuya, Ryuto, and Raine.
Ryuto was Morty's cousin and also an orphan, taken in by Matsuba. Lacking talent, Ryuto hadn't made much progress after so many years under Matsuba's care, and could only drift along at the Gym.
His personality, however, was lively and nosy. Any gust of wind in Ecruteak City, and he'd be out gathering gossip.
With that kind of personality, it was clear he wouldn't achieve anything as a Pokémon Trainer; he was more like a reporter trapped in the wrong career.
"Oh, right~ Tetsuya, Raine, the Leader asked me to tell you both to go to the Gym lecture hall after dinner."
Ryuto said this, and Tetsuya and Raine just nodded in response.
Ryuto sighed in frustration. "I thought things would get livelier with you two here, but turns out you're both wooden blocks. Sigh… Looks like I'm stuck playing by myself again."
---◓---
After dinner, Tetsuya and Raine walked to the lecture hall together. Though side by side, they were like strangers. No eye contact, no words exchanged.
The so-called "lecture hall" was essentially just a classroom, where trainees studied their foundational knowledge.
Matsuba stood at the front.
"Tomorrow marks the start of formal special training. I've made time today to explain the Ghost-type Pokémon you're using, Gastly and Duskull…"
Matsuba did his part, teaching with care and patience. But both Tetsuya and Raine already understood these basics inside and out. Matsuba's lesson was completely unnecessary for them.
"…Come to my room, I need to talk to you."
Just as they were leaving the lecture hall, Raine quietly tugged at Tetsuya's sleeve.
Tetsuya smirked slightly. 'Ho-hoo… So he's finally ready to talk.'
Raine knew full well that within Ecruteak Gym, the only person he could reliably stand alongside was Tetsuya. If he continued to oppose him, and Tetsuya kept interfering in everything he did, his goals would never be realized.
"Let's go to the training grounds."
Tetsuya didn't even turn around, heading straight for the training field. Raine had no choice but to follow.
For secret conversations, an open and empty area was actually ideal. Anyone walking by could see them, so there was no need to worry about being overheard. And under broad daylight, it wouldn't draw suspicion either.
"Talk. What do you want?" Tetsuya's tone was still cold.
"This really is a good spot… You probably already know what I want to say, don't you?"
Tetsuya didn't respond. Raine felt just talking to this guy was exhausting.
"The Matsuba Family has a manual that can be used to raise extremely powerful Ghost-type Pokémon. We could work together to get it. Our future achievements would be limitless."
'Limitless… is this emo kid actually a wuxia MC?' Tetsuya gave Raine a cold look. "How do you know about that?"
"I-I-I… D-Don't worry about that. Believe it or not!" Raine started to waver.
"Hmm… a branch of the Matsuba Family?"
Tetsuya snorted. He answered without hesitation.
Raine swallowed hard. "You…! You're really are terrifying…"
In truth, anyone with some experience and a decent head on their shoulders could figure this out. If it were truly a "secret" of the Matsuba family, how could outsiders possibly know? And since Raine seemed so confident, the information must have come from someone close to the source.
"Heh. And with something this valuable, you're thinking of cooperating with me?"
Tetsuya played hard to get. In fact, Raine's words had confirmed his earlier suspicions: Koga's method for raising Gengar likely originated from Ecruteak Gym, passed down sixty years later by Morty's unfilial son.
"…Haahh! You're just too suspicious! If I could take it all for myself, why would I come to you!? Besides, I'm under your nose every day. Could I make any move without you stopping me?"
Raine sounded a little exasperated.
"Cooperate. Win together."
Tetsuya replied with a few words, though in his mind, plans were already taking shape. Once he got the manual, Raine would have to die. In this world, there was only room for one Arceus.
"So… I think we should take turns keeping an eye on Matsuba every day after eight o'clock, see if we can find any leads," Raine proposed.
"How confident are you that Matsuba won't notice?" Tetsuya asked, his tone sharp.
"Well… if it comes to it, w-we could u-use our Ghost-type Pokémon," Raine stammered under Tetsuya's gaze.
"Ugh… Ghost-type Pokémon? Don't forget who Matsuba is."
Tetsuya was genuinely concerned for Raine's IQ. Trying to play ghost games in front of a Ghost-type master… wasn't that just asking to die?
"This doesn't work, that doesn't work… then what should we do!? Don't tell me we're going to be stuck as Matsuba's trainees forever!" Raine grumbled, clearly agitated.
Tetsuya let out a cold laugh. Restless. Impatient. Somewhat bipolar… The deadliest flaw in youth.
"Tch, stay calm. Matsuba's a Gym Leader, he's busy. As long as we move when he's not in the Gym, we'll be fine. Ecruteak Gym isn't that big. Think we can't find any clues?"
Tetsuya's mentality had already been tempered by time. Plan first, act later. Minimize risks. Right now, he was walking on thin ice and couldn't afford a single misstep.
"Right, right… you're right. We have to work together!" Raine nodded repeatedly.
With that, Tetsuya turned and headed back to his dorm alone.
A new environment. Cramped space. A single, hard bed. Though it couldn't compare to the comfort of home with its soft mattresses, it was still far better than the wind and rain he had endured in the wild.
"Alright… Ditto, time for today's training."
Tetsuya spoke to the wristband on his right arm. A sharp dagger appeared in his hand.
Six meters away.
Eight-ring.
Eight-ring.
'…'
No improvement.
And just like that, his first night at Ecruteak Gym passed.
The next morning, he got up at 6:00 a.m. on the dot. After breakfast, morning training lasted until eight.
Led by Ryuto, they began cleaning the Gym, sweeping the grounds, tidying rooms, and more.
Inside the main hall, Tetsuya and Raine carefully wiped every corner of the floor, tables, and chairs. They moved each piece of furniture to clean underneath. Even the bookshelves were emptied to be dusted thoroughly.
Ryuto simply thought they were too meticulous. But in truth, Tetsuya and Raine were paying close attention to every detail.
Their plan had already begun, quietly, invisibly…
Matsuba's study.
Tetsuya and Raine exchanged a glance. Both gave a slight smile and prepared to push the door open…
Just then, Ryuto rushed in to block them. "Wait, wait! You can't go in there! That's Leader's study. I forgot to tell you earlier. Whew~ Close one. That would've been bad… Good thing I stopped you..."
Ryuto took a deep breath, visibly shaken.
•.
•.
Reading Guide.
"Dialogue"
'Toughts'
[Systems, Special Moves, Special Tags, Special Pokémon, Voice through devices.]
"Telepathy" Italics for telepathy
"Whoaaa!" Bolds instead of CAPS for SHOUTING!