[Family Chronicle]
The official record of the Matsuba family.
Tetsuya tapped his forehead. 'How stupid of me… I never even thought of this angle. Some of the breeding methods may have been passed down from Matsuba's ancestors. If that's the case, they'd definitely be recorded in the [Family Chronicle].'
Having a clear direction eased his mind. Tetsuya was finally able to fall asleep peacefully.
On the fourth day after Matsuba's departure, he could return at any moment. The race against time had officially begun.
Early in the morning, Tetsuya entered Matsuba's study. He remembered clearly, the [Family Chronicle] was locked in a drawer of Matsuba's desk. Ditto had grown used to unlocking things by now.
Tetsuya pulled out the [Family Chronicle] and began reading.
About an hour later…
Raine walked in, rubbing his head and mumbling, "What happened yesterday… I must really be exhausted lately. I even overslept this morning…"
When he saw Tetsuya sitting at Matsuba's desk, Raine was visibly surprised.
"Why are you back here today? Didn't we already hit a dead end?" He said "casually".
Tetsuya didn't even look at him. "Curiosity."
"…What? You being curious about anything unrelated to your goal? I have to see this for myself!"
Raine walked over to glance at the book Tetsuya was reading…
And instantly a flood of thoughts surged through his mind. His face turned from pale to purple!
Was this coincidence? Or had Tetsuya planned this all along… 'Or…?'
Tetsuya kept his eyes on the book. He didn't need to look up to know exactly what Raine's face looked like.
Forcing a smile, Raine said, "Ra… ahem, rare for us to be on the same page. Why not read it together?"
"When I'm done."
Tetsuya remained expressionless. Two guys "huddled" around one book? No way. Tetsuya couldn't accept such a scene.
Raine was burning with anger but didn't dare explode. All he could do was sit on the side, staring as Tetsuya leisurely flipped through the [Family Chronicle] as if out for a stroll.
The [Family Chronicle] recorded the lives and events of each generation in the Matsuba family. To be honest, most of it was just dry logs, not worth reading. But the key information stood out clearly.
Tetsuya mentally noted a few important details.
About 500 years ago, the prototype of the Gym had already emerged. At that time, being a Gym Leader meant being the strongest in the city. Running a Gym and accepting apprentices was similar to running a Dojo.
Matsuba I, through a stroke of luck, acquired an ancient tome and a strange stone. The tome detailed training and usage methods for the Gastly line. After years of effort, he succeeded in raising a powerful Gengar. Under the influence of the "strange stone", the Gengar's body "transformed" and its strength increased, it became what we now know as Mega Gengar.
With Mega Gengar, Matsuba I dominated Ecruteak, founded the Gym, and built an underground mausoleum behind Brass Tower to serve as his resting place after death.
Upon his death, Matsuba I passed Gengar and the ancient tome to his son, who continued to rule Ecruteak.
There were no records for Matsuba III.
Matsuba IV, on the other hand, was described as a young prodigy with immense talent. He traveled extensively through multiple regions and caught many powerful Pokémon. He eventually surpassed his father without relying on the "inherited" Mega Gengar, becoming a hero of Ecruteak.
After his father's death, Matsuba IV sealed the mausoleum and assigned several of his main Pokémon to guard it. Gengar and the ancient tome vanished along with it.
Matsuba IV used his life of travel and experience to compile a comprehensive set of Ghost-type Pokémon breeding methods. After his time, the Matsuba Family clearly began to decline. But thanks to the methods he left behind, they still managed to maintain a foothold in Ecruteak City.
Beyond that, there wasn't much of value. About 150 years ago, the Family became one of the first Gyms to support the League as the supreme governing body and subsequently one of its most trusted allies.
After finishing the book, Tetsuya handed it over to Raine. This wasn't something he could hide, and there was no point keeping it to himself.
Even though Tetsuya had formed a rough hypothesis in his mind, he still needed Raine's help. So he passed the book to him, hoping the guy had some brains.
Right now, they were like two Magikarp caught on the same Good Rod, bound by a shared goal, yet limiting each other at every Splash.
From the [Family Chronicle], one thing was clear: the ancient tome had been sealed inside the mausoleum by Matsuba IV.
But now three major obstacles stood in Tetsuya's way:
First, the exact location of the mausoleum. "Behind Brass Tower" was far too vague.
Second, the mausoleum had been "sealed" by Matsuba IV. How would they get in? Most importantly, it was guarded by his main team of Pokémon. Even if they got in, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Each of these three was a Mt. Silver he had no way of climbing right now. Tetsuya couldn't begin to understand how Morty's son had managed to enter the mausoleum and retrieve the ancient tome.
There was also another strange point… why was there no information about Matsuba III? And what exactly had Matsuba IV done to earn the title of "hero" in Ecruteak City?
Raine finished reading and looked visibly burdened, sighing repeatedly.
"Haah… It's probably in the mausoleum," Raine said.
"There's no way we can break in with our current strength," Tetsuya replied, also feeling helpless.
"Now that we've found a clue, I don't believe you're just going to sit back and do nothing."
After spending so much time with Tetsuya, Raine had learned to read him somewhat. At least that's what he felt…
"What matters most right now is putting everything back in place. Let's go."
Tetsuya returned the [Family Chronicle] to its drawer, then double-checked everything for any mistakes.
The two left the study and locked the door behind them.
"So… what do we do now?" Raine asked.
Tetsuya knew full well; this wouldn't be resolved in a day. Strength was the key. With their current abilities, even if they did find a way into the mausoleum, it would be a one-way ticket.
'Five years… Give me five years.'
Tetsuya calculated silently. By then, his [Badly Poison Ariados] and [Badly Poison Drapion] would be fully raised. Add in his Gastly and Ditto, and with Raine's "help", they might just have a chance.
Right now, the only thing they could do was locate the exact position of the mausoleum and scout the surrounding area. Planning an escape route came first. That was a rule he'd learned from many years of "extractions" jobs.
To Raine's question, Tetsuya replied, "The mausoleum's exact location."
With that, he walked off.
"Tetsuya, aren't you coming with me?" Raine called after him.
Tetsuya didn't respond. Even scouting the mausoleum's position wasn't something that could be accomplished in a day. Right now, there was something else he urgently needed to verify…
"Tetsuya, where are you going!?" Raine followed behind.
"Why don't you go check out the mausoleum's location yourself?" Tetsuya kept walking.
He knew Raine's mentality inside and out. That place -dark, cold, eerie- wasn't somewhere a ten-year-old like Raine would dare approach alone. He probably didn't even have the courage to get close.
Caught off guard by Tetsuya's question, Raine stammered, "I-I… I just don't trust you. You might be trying to pull something behind my back. Don't forget, we're partners in this!"
Tetsuya gave a cold snort and continued walking toward the lecture hall.