Early the next morning, Ryuto brought news, Matsuba would be returning to Ecruteak Gym tomorrow.
Left with no choice, they helped Ryuto clean the Gym and prepare the battlefield.
After working all morning, Tetsuya naturally wanted to check Matsuba cemetery again. But with Ryuto around, he couldn't act too freely.
Since Matsuba would be back the next day, this matter would have to be set aside for now.
In the afternoon, Tetsuya and Raine used "special training" as an excuse to head near Brass Tower, leaving Ryuto alone at the Gym to deal with challengers.
Though Ryuto was a bit dejected, he remembered that he had just taken three days off himself, so he didn't say anything more.
Once again, they stepped onto the mossy stone path.
Yesterday they had arrived at dusk, so they couldn't see much. But now in daylight, everything was clear. Brass Tower and the lonely mountain reflected each other. The shadows of the tower and the mountain met perfectly along the line of the stone path.
They reopened the cemetery…
The entire place was covered in a thick layer of dust. Who knew how long it had been since anyone last swept the graves? Following yesterday's route, they checked each tombstone again from beginning to end, but still found nothing.
"Sigh… you think we might've gotten the direction wrong?" Raine asked, sounding discouraged.
Tetsuya shook his head without replying. According to his analysis, this was definitely the right place.
Of all four cardinal directions, this one had the densest Ghost energy. Under the dual shadows of Brass Tower and the mountain, sunlight barely reached here. Even now in broad daylight, the air carried a chill, like centuries of death soaked into your bones.
"Look! there's writing here. Tch, too bad I can't read it."
Raine suddenly cried out, pointing to the ritual vessel in the stone pavilion.
Tetsuya walked over and wiped it. "It's written in ancient script."
"You can read it?" Raine asked hopefully.
"[From me onward. All descendants of my Family shall abandon the customs of tomb-sweeping and ancestor worship. Here stands this pavilion and vessel. From this day forth, future generations may come here to honor the spirits. -Written by Matsuba IV]."
Tetsuya read aloud the inscription on the vessel.
"So this ritual vessel was placed here by Matsuba IV. I thought it had been here since the cemetery was built."
A throwaway comment from Raine made Tetsuya's eyes light up.
"Matsuba IV again. The key is definitely here."
Tetsuya immediately took off his shirt and started cleaning the vessel and the pavilion. Sensing something as well, Raine also took off his shirt and joined in.
The dust on the bronze vessel was several centimeters thick. Beneath the legs of the vessel, ash, soot, and paper lanter residue had built up into a pile dozens of centimeters high.
They fetched shovels to clear the area and wiped everything clean. It took a full hour of work.
It was nearly time for dinner. They couldn't let Ryuto find out what they'd been doing.
Without resting, Tetsuya and Raine began inspecting the vessel and the pavilion. On the surface, nothing seemed out of place.
But the four legs of the vessel were embedded into the stone pavilion itself.
"This must be Matsuba IV's sealing mechanism. If we want to keep exploring, we'll have to destroy the pavilion and the vessel."
Tetsuya was almost certain of his conclusion.
"Destroy it…? No. That's not realistic," Raine said.
"No rush. Now that we have a lead, we can figure it out later. It's getting late, cover the vessel's legs with ash again."
Tetsuya and Raine got to work once more.
Once everything was covered up, they didn't linger. The two quickly left the cemetery.
A Mega Gengar rose up from underground...
---◓---
Back at the Gym, all they heard was Ryuto's complaints. With Matsuba coming back, his good days were clearly over.
That night, Tetsuya reminded Raine once again to act like nothing had happened. Even though they had a small lead now, it was still light-years away from their actual plan. They absolutely couldn't risk alerting anyone.
From what he observed, the stone pavilion was built with the hardest diamond, and the ritual vessel was twenty centimeters thick. Even twenty Machamp working together wouldn't be able to budge it.
Besides, Matsuba's strength was far beyond what they could challenge right now. So they had no choice but to be patient. Once they gained enough strength in the future, then they could return to investigate.
For now, everything had to return to peace.
Tetsuya and Raine battled in the courtyard, using Gastly and Duskull to sharpen their newly learned moves. For the moment, all their thoughts were sealed away.
The next day, the sun was bright and the sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight.
Ryuto brought Tetsuya and Raine to the front of the Gym to wait for Matsuba.
Matsuba appeared in their view alongside Morty and a young girl.
Ryuto whispered, "…The Leader sure is amazing, bringing home a daughter-in-law already. Know who that girl is? That's Fantina, the 'darling' of the Hearthome Gym's Leader. She's quite the beauty~"
Tetsuya and Raine didn't react at all, so Ryuto gave up and shut his mouth.
Once inside the Gym, Matsuba introduced everyone.
"This is Fantina, from Hearthome City. Her knowledge of Ghost-type Pokémon is truly exceptional. She'll be interning here at Ecruteak Gym for the next two months. You'd all better treat her well," Matsuba said.
"Matsuba-oji, even if they bully me, I won't be afraid. I'll definitely beat them!" Fantina said proudly, confident in her talents, not taking Tetsuya or the others seriously at all.
Matsuba just smiled and didn't have the heart to dampen the girl's enthusiasm.
Raine was already scowling. Being an emo kid mocked by a loli was nothing to be proud of.
Tetsuya, on the other hand, remained expressionless. His mindset was different, and so was his reaction. No matter how gifted Fantina was, in his eyes she was still just a kid. When it came to actual battle, she was nowhere near ready.
"Tetsuya, Raine," Matsuba called.
""Yes!""
"You both know that Ecruteak Gym specializes in Ghost-types. After passing the first floor of Brass Tower, you've already shown your potential.
But from here on, only Ghost-type Pokémon can be used to challenge the upper floors. Of course, your other types can still be trained at the Gym, just not used for Brass Tower challenges," Matsuba said.
That made sense. A Gym typically specialized in a single type, and that type was its trademark. As the symbol of a Gym, it had to shine. Every year, there were Gym evaluations, friendly competitions between Gyms, and even pupil-apprentice assessments. After all, the League needed to verify whether a Gym's successor was truly fit to inherit the position.
Many Gyms had lost their legacy simply because they had no pupils or apprentices to pass it on to, allowing outsiders to take over. That's why Gym Leaders were so strict in choosing pupils. More than anything, apprentices existed to support their successors. Over time, it became hereditary.
What mattered more was that their descendants held control over the Gym's finances and affiliated businesses. Strength wasn't even the top priority. These fellow pupils and apprentices would naturally attach themselves to whoever was in charge.
Economic power shaped the foundation above. Having money meant having backbone, some things never changed.
But when Raine heard Matsuba say this, he couldn't stay calm. He immediately objected, "Leader, Tetsuya and I used four Pokémon and still took eighteen days to clear the first floor of Brass Tower. You said it gets harder the higher we go, but we only have two Ghost-type Pokémon. How are we supposed to get through?"
Raine wasn't wrong. Right now they only had Gastly and Duskull, both low-level and with few moves. They definitely couldn't continue the Brass Tower challenge like this.
Facing Raine's objection, Matsuba said, "The purpose of a Gym is to nurture talent, not suppress it. I'd never ask you to do something impossible. That's why the next challenge will be taken on by the four of you together."
Everyone looked at each other.
"Tousan, you mean...?" Morty asked.
Matsuba nodded and said, "Yes. The Spiritomb you just caught in Sinnoh needs training too. And Fantina, your father personally instructed me to have you do special training in the Brass Tower.
I'm giving you four two months. Each of you will use one Pokémon and must pass the fifth floor. Only then can I be confident that you have the ability to survive in the wild."
"Matsuba-oji, I refuse! Those two won't drag me and Morty down, will they?" Fantina pouted.
Morty quickly cut in, "Fantina, Tetsuya and Raine are very strong. You don't need to worry about that."
"I don't believe it… I want to test their strength!"
Raine perked up immediately. He was already fuming with no outlet, so he said, "Little girl, don't come crying when you lose, rahaha~"
"You…! I'll make you eat dirt! I'll team up with Morty, and you two team up. A Double Battle. Do you dare, gaki~?" Fantina challenged.
That only fired Raine up more. He knew Tetsuya's strength inside and out. A Double Battle? That just boosted his confidence even more. "However you want it, I'll go all in," he said.
Then he shot Tetsuya a look.
Tetsuya was already thinking it was time to teach this little girl a lesson. He knew exactly what Fantina was made of. Even though she later inherited her father's Hearthome Gym, she ended up throwing it all away, obsessed with those Pokémon Contests and forgetting what true battle meant.
Contests… purely performance events meant for entertainment. Battles in contests focused on style, precision, and flair. But in real combat, what mattered was speed, accuracy, and lethality!
Seizing an opening to deliver a decisive blow.
If you had time to worry about making your move look pretty, your opponent would've already drawn blood. To Tetsuya, a cold and ruthless "warrior", a Gym Leader who indulged in Contests was doomed.
Hearthome City… what kind of place was that?
A major city in eastern Sinnoh. So many people dreamed of conquering the Hearthome Gym. Once Fantina got obsessed with Contests, her strength plummeted, and soon enough, an old acquaintance named Catherine schemed her way in and took it.
'Catherine!'
When that name flashed in Tetsuya's mind, he couldn't help but feel a little stirred. She truly was a good woman…
Tetsuya gathered himself and said, "I have no objection."
"Then let's begin!" Fantina turned and walked toward the battlefield.
Morty had been dragged into this for no reason.
Tetsuya and Raine naturally sent out Gastly and Duskull.
Morty sent out the Spiritomb he'd just caught, and Fantina sent out a Drifloon.
"…How confident are you?" Raine quietly asked Tetsuya.
"One hundred. Just watch your timing with Disable."
Tetsuya kept his eyes locked on the two opposing Pokémon.
Hearing Tetsuya say that boosted Raine's confidence even more. "Don't worry. We'll go first. Duskull, use Shadow Sneak on Drifloon!"
The attack landed fast. Duskull's shadow extended rapidly, and a black claw appeared behind Drifloon.
"Spiritomb, protect Drifloon! Use Feint Attack!"
"Embargo." Tetsuya gave a cold smile. He had been waiting for Morty to try to rescue Fantina.
Surrounded by evil spirits, Spiritomb charged toward the shadow claw behind Drifloon. But just then, Gastly suddenly let out a terrifying screech. Spiritomb's body jolted and froze in place.
"Curse."
Taking advantage of Spiritomb's stunned moment, Gastly sacrificed half its vitality and transferred the power of Curse into Spiritomb's… body(?).
Spiritomb, outside of Fairy types, had no weaknesses. Its dual defenses were incredibly high, and its offensive stats were nothing to scoff at either. Out of the four Pokémon, it was undoubtedly the strongest. In a fair battle, there was no way they could beat it.
But Spiritomb's weakness was its low Speed. Curse was made just for it. Once afflicted, its vitality/stamina began to drain continuously.
Meanwhile, Drifloon had already been hit by Shadow Sneak and nearly fell from the air.
Just like that, with one coordinated strike, Morty and Fantina were at a clear disadvantage.
Fantina's face flushed red. She had been so smug moments ago, and now she was the one being mocked.
"Fantina, a battle's not over until the very end! Use Double Ominous Wind!"
Morty was indeed a skilled battler… always had been. Encouraged by him, Spiritomb and Drifloon simultaneously unleashed Ominous Wind. A bone-chilling storm swept across the field, like a gust straight from the Ghost World.
"Withstand this move, and we win. Use Night Shade for defense."
Tetsuya spoke. Gastly and Duskull both used Night Shade. A black mist rose around them, resisting the onslaught of Ominous Wind.
But Spiritomb's sheer power started overwhelming them. Gastly and Duskull struggled to hold out. The Night Shade veil was soon completely eroded.
Gastly had already used half its vitality casting Curse and couldn't withstand the full force of the Ominous Wind. It retreated behind Duskull. The storm had lost some of its strength by then, and Duskull spun its body, using Infestation to blunt the storm's power and successfully shield Gastly.
By now, Spiritomb's vitality had drained even further. It was clearly running out of steam.
"Now!" Tetsuya signaled.
"Duskull, use Disable on Spiritomb!" Raine shouted.
"Not good!" Morty knew this was bad. But Spiritomb couldn't dodge in time. It was all on Fantina now…
"Drifloon, use Psychic on Duskull!"
She truly was the daughter of a Gym Leader, even Psychic was in her move pool!
But it was useless. Gastly had already appeared behind Drifloon.
"Tehehe… Confuse Ray."
Tetsuya let out a cold laugh. A spray of starlight surrounded Drifloon. Confuse Ray disrupted Drifloon's focus, and it fell into a state of confusion, flying aimlessly and crashing around in midair.
In that same moment, Duskull had already inflicted Disable on Spiritomb.
Ominous Wind was Spiritomb's strongest move. Now sealed, and with its vitality/stamina constantly draining, it was practically out of the fight.
Fantina was left dumbfounded as her confused Drifloon spiraled uncontrollably.