They sent the Bug Catcher on his way.
It was already dusk.
"Let's go."
Tetsuya waved his hand as he called out.
Raine looked puzzled. "Umm? Go where?"
"Brass Tower."
Raine gulped. "N-Now…? You're looking for the mausoleum at night? Isn't that a bit..."
Tetsuya kept walking and paid no attention to Raine, because even if he was scared, he would definitely follow.
Behind Brass Tower stretched a lonely mountain. The shadows of the tower and the mountain covered the entire area. Sunlight rarely touched this place; it was thick with Ghost energy.
Heading toward the lonely mountain, they walked along a moss-covered stone path. Clearly untouched for years.
At the base of the mountain stood a cemetery built from jagged stones. Though it was summer, the place was covered in vines.
In front of the gate stood a stone stele engraved with two words: [Matsuba Cemetery].
The cemetery gate was made of bronze, now green with age and time.
It wasn't locked. Tetsuya and Raine had to push the heavy gate together, which groaned loudly as it opened.
Such an abandoned and remote cemetery, tucked away so deeply… without the [Matsuba Family Chronicle], no one would've guessed that a place like this existed.
Upon entering the cemetery, rows of gravestones came into view. Raine heart leapt into his throat.
Night had fully fallen. A thin fog blanketed the cemetery…
The oppressive atmosphere made it hard for Tetsuya and… well, just Raine, to breathe.
They switched on their flashlights and began reading the inscriptions on each gravestone.
Their goal was clear. To find the gravestones of Matsuba I, III, and IV.
Row after row, they searched. Even their breathing grew quieter. There were no wandering "spirits", but in a place like this -paradise for Ghost-type Pokémon- startling them would be more trouble than it was worth.
They examined every tombstone. The innermost grave belonged to Matsuba V. As for Matsuba I through IV, there were none at all.
'What was going on? Were they not buried here!?'
Tetsuya fell into deep thought…
"Hey! What are you two doing here?"
The sudden voice made both Tetsuya and Raine jump in fright. Tetsuya was already prepared to have Ditto transform into a dagger.
They turned around.
"…Ryuto?"
"W-Why are you back?"
Ryuto was carrying a large bag filled with floating paper lanterns, incense sticks, and other items for rites.
He sighed and said, "I was planning to come back tomorrow, but the Leader told me today's the Spirits Festival. I had to come burn offerings for our ancestors. I was afraid they'd blame me, so I rushed back…"
As he spoke, Ryuto kept muttering, "Waaaah…! Forgive me, ancestors, forgive me..."
Under Ryuto's lead, they arrived at the center of the cemetery. There stood a stone pavilion. Inside was nothing but a large bronze ritual vessel that took up nearly the entire space.
Ryuto placed all the ritual offerings into the vessel and lit them, then knelt to begin his worship.
After the ceremony, Ryuto asked, "…Why are you two in a place like this?"
Raine didn't know how to respond.
"We saw a Ghost-type Pokémon and followed it here."
Tetsuya answered without hesitation. While Ryuto had been kneeling, Tetsuya had already anticipated this question and prepared a response.
"Y-Yeah, that's right! But once we got here, it disappeared. A-Ahh… what a shame."
Raine quickly picked up the thread, easing the awkward moment just now.
"You two are really bold. This place is filled with Ghost energy. Even the Leader only comes here once or twice a year. Hurry up and leave… hurry up!"
Urged by Ryuto, Tetsuya and Raine had no choice but to leave.
---◓---
Back at the dormitory, Tetsuya sent Gastly and Ditto off for special training on their own.
Now that Gastly had practiced "Embargo" over a thousand times, the move had become second nature. Its execution was precise, but it still lacked power and presence. The duration of the Embargo status effect wasn't very long either…
Alone in the dormitory, Tetsuya fell into deep thought.
The mausoleum.
The entire cemetery was full of graves, but there was no mausoleum in sight.
According to the [Family Chronicle], Matsuba I had built a mausoleum for himself behind Brass Tower. The direction should be correct.
So why wasn't there even a single stele marking it?
And the graves of Matsuba II, III, and IV were missing as well.
Frustrating. Truly frustrating!
Even though they had a lead, they couldn't even locate the gate to the mausoleum. It was hard not to feel discouraged.
It was suffocating. A strange, heavy pressure!
---◓---
Tetsuya stepped into the courtyard. Gastly was currently using Embargo on Ditto.
"That's enough. Ditto, transform into a sandbag."
Gastly retreated to the side.
Ditto transforming into a sandbag had become routine. It was part of Tetsuya's daily striking practice. But with Tetsuya's current strength, Ditto had already learned how to completely disperse the force.
Still, this training was a required part of morning workouts. Night training was supposed to be [Shadow Dagger] throwing. So why was this happening at night? Ditto was confused.
But more than anything, Ditto feared Tetsuya. Orders had to be obeyed immediately, disobedience meant punishment. Punishment for both, Trainer and Pokémon.
Tetsuya was feeling both heavy and agitated. In this state, training [Shadow Dagger Strike] was pointless. That "Trainer move" as he called, required concentration and mental synchronization with Ditto.
Right now, he needed to vent!
Striking. Tetsuya kept punching the sandbag that Ditto had transformed into.
Muttering nonstop, "Tower's shadow, mausoleum, Matsuba I..."
After an hour of non-stop hits, he was drenched in sweat. Even when the sweat ran into his eyes, he simply wiped it away, never stopping.
Tetsuya's actions drew the attention of Raine from inside the room.
He walked over to Tetsuya and said, "Ohh~ Never thought I'd see you stuck like this."
Though Raine had no solution himself, it would definitely benefit him if Tetsuya figured something out. Still, seeing Tetsuya frustrated and venting like this gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
Like he was finally seeing Tetsuya make a fool of himself.
It clearly did him no good, yet he still felt happy. What kind of mentality was this?
Jealousy. More precisely, envy of talent, because Tetsuya always outperformed him.
If Tetsuya cared about what was going through Raine's mind or how he felt, he would only think, 'What a bipolar emo kid… he fears me, he hates me, he's glad to see me 'down', but the moment I notice, he's afraid of me again… sigh.'
Tetsuya ignored him and shot a glare sideways.
Raine quickly dropped his smirk and backed far away to train Duskull's Infestation.
"Gastly, use Embargo on Duskull."
Seeing Raine take out Duskull, Tetsuya found a suitable training dummy for Gastly and issued the command directly.
In the dark, Gastly whooshed toward Duskull and let out a chilling laugh that froze Duskull in place.
"T-Tetsuya, what's your Gastly doing!?"
'…'
Seeing that Tetsuya wasn't responding, Raine had nowhere to vent his anger.
"Duskull, teach that annoying Gastly a lesson!"
Gastly and Duskull began to clash. One had high Special Attack and Speed, the other had amazing Defenses. They went back and forth in a "fierce" match.
It wasn't until Tetsuya was completely exhausted that he finally called Gastly back.
After a quick shower, the fatigue sent Tetsuya straight into sleep once he lay down.