As time ticked by, Tetsuya kept scanning the area around Bell Tower.
His tension only grew.
Part of him even wanted to leave. His current strength was nowhere near enough to deal with such a powerful Pokémon. But if he turned away after seeing something like that without taking any action, he'd never forgive himself, even in death.
---◓---
There it was. It really was Mega Gengar!
Wild? From his past life's experience, Tetsuya knew that was highly unlikely. Not unless it had come into contact with some immense source of energy. But if such a place really existed, it wouldn't be Gengar getting near it. Legendary Pokémon would've fought over it long before now.
Years later in Hoenn, Groudon and Kyogre clashed in a battle that nearly destroyed the region, all over the power to revert to their primal forms.
Power and resources weren't just things humans risked their lives to obtain. Pokémon were no different. Resources were always controlled by the most powerful of them.
Then did this Mega Gengar have a Trainer? But who could possibly own one at this point in time? Not even a Champion would be capable of that!
He had to find out.
At least his wait wasn't in vain; this time, Mega Gengar wasn't moving as fast as before.
Looking closely, Tetsuya saw that a whole group of Ghost-type Pokémon followed behind it, dozens of them. All had glowing red eyes. They had clearly fallen under Mega Gengar's Hypnosis.
Tetsuya didn't dare make a move. He followed quietly behind.
Mega Gengar led the Ghost-types toward the back of Brass Tower.
Once they passed the tower, Mega Gengar suddenly turned around.
It had noticed Tetsuya!
Without a word, it launched a Shadow Ball.
A blast of that move would be fatal if it landed. Knowing the danger, Tetsuya dove and rolled downhill just in time to avoid the blast radius.
By the time he got back up, Mega Gengar had vanished.
The explosion from the Shadow Ball would surely alert Ryuto and Raine. Tetsuya had no choice but to return to the dormitory…
---◓---
Lying in bed, he couldn't sleep.
A Mega Gengar appearing here simply didn't make sense. Even Matsuba didn't have that kind of power. It was deeply suspicious.
He had to investigate again tomorrow.
The next day, Ryuto ran off to Goldenrod City to have fun. Probably for three days, by the looks of it. That made things much more convenient for Tetsuya and Raine.
That day, they finally turned over every corner of Matsuba's study, pulling out every single book related to Ghost-type Pokémon.
Tetsuya and Raine spent an entire day reading through them all, but the results were disappointing.
There were entries on Ghost-type Pokémon breeding, but they were just widely circulated public theories.
Some methods unique to the Matsuba Family did appear -summarized by Matsuba's fourth-generation ancestor- but those Gengar raised that way couldn't even be compared to the one Koga had used.
Raine looked just as disappointed. These breeding and raising methods clearly weren't what he was after either.
Tetsuya guessed that Raine must have his own standards. He must already know what a truly powerful Ghost-type Pokémon looked like. Otherwise, why would he brush off some of the Matsuba Family's most private breeding guides like they were nothing?
---◓---
Three days passed.
They had checked almost every corner of Matsuba's study, but still found nothing.
For two consecutive nights, Tetsuya trained at the same spot behind Brass Tower where Mega Gengar had last disappeared. But Mega Gengar never came out again.
It felt like everything had come to a standstill.
Lying in bed, Tetsuya replayed fragments of his past life in his mind. There was a vague sense of something being off… as if he was close to uncovering something, yet somehow veering off track.
'Was my line of thinking wrong from the start…?'
In his previous life, Morty's son had colluded with Koga. Because of this, Morty drove him out of Ecruteak Gym. After that, Morty seemed to completely fall apart, and Tetsuya seized the opportunity to crush his Gym's reputation. But based on Morty's strength and strict discipline, he should've been able to hold the Gym together.
So what line had his son crossed? Was it a moral boundary, or one of family loyalty…?
Likely both.
Morty had been deeply influenced by Matsuba and lived his life by the principle of peaceful coexistence between humans and Pokémon. He was the embodiment of justice!
His son's actions must have gone entirely against that philosophy.
'It couldn't have been anything righteous.'
Tetsuya suddenly felt like he'd found a clue. He slapped the bedboard instinctively. If it had been a "righteous" method of raising Gengar, why wouldn't Morty have used it himself? Why would he go so far as to expel his own son from the Gym?
So if it was some "twisted method", then of course it wouldn't be found in Matsuba's study.
'If not there… then where?'
Tetsuya's mind felt like it was about to explode. He got out of bed and stepped outside to get some fresh air, hoping to clear his thoughts.
The night sky was overcast, no stars at all. Black clouds loomed overhead, casting a gloomy weight on everything.
Tetsuya sighed deeply and turned to go back inside. But then he saw something.
A Delibird was pacing in front of Raine's dorm room, pecking at the door.
Moments later, Raine opened the door and let it in.
Tetsuya smirked darkly. Good thing he came out when he did. Raine clearly had more secrets!
Sensing something suspicious, Tetsuya released Gastly and crept slowly toward Raine's room.
{"…Delibird, thank you. I've received Ojiisan's letter. Please tell him I won't let the Family down."}
Hearing this from inside, Tetsuya quickly ducked behind one of the support pillars under the eaves.
Raine stepped outside, glanced around, then sent Delibird off.
"Ojiisan's letter…"
Tetsuya sneered. That "Ojiisan" must be the same washed-up branch family scion from Matsuba's side. 'Still dreaming of a comeback, huh? Let's see what "clever" scheme you've come up with~'
"Gastly, go in and use Hypnosis. Stay hidden."
As soon as Tetsuya gave the order, Gastly vanished into the darkness.
A thud came from inside Raine's room. Tetsuya knew Gastly had succeeded.
He opened the door. Raine was already unconscious on the bed, left hand holding a letter, right hand clutching a lighter.
"Hah. Not bad. You were going to destroy the evidence. Too bad… you met me."
Tetsuya scoffed, snatching the letter. It contained only one line: [Look for clues in the Family Chronicle. Burn after reading].
'Family Chronicle…'
Tetsuya had found a useful lead. He shoved the letter back into Raine's hand and returned to his room.