For three consecutive days, Tetsuya and Catherine crossed another forest. Looking into the distance, they finally saw a small mountain town.
However, they also saw a warning sign: [Haunter have been sighted nearby. Please travel with Psychic-type Pokémon.]
"…We don't have any Psychic-type, do we?" Catherine asked.
"We don't need any at all. Let's go."
After saying that, Tetsuya prepared to pass through this final stretch of forest and stay overnight in that mountain town.
It was already evening, so they needed to move faster. Tetsuya and Catherine hurried on without stopping for even a moment, but the deeper they went, the darker it became.
"Tetsuya, this darkness feels a little… strange," Catherine said.
"Mm, they did say there are a lot of Haunter around." Tetsuya stopped walking.
Catherine was just about to take out a Poké Ball.
"There's no need."
After speaking, Tetsuya's eyes glowed red. He quickly located the Ghost-type Pokémon hiding in the darkness. As his psychic powers spread out, three Haunter were dragged out by Tetsuya and forced to reveal themselves. The exposed Haunter were so frightened that they immediately fled.
Tetsuya paid them no attention and continued dealing with the Ghost-types in the area. His psychic powers spread out again, dragging more than a dozen Haunter into view. The Haunter here mainly survived by playing pranks on travelers and feeding on their fear. This was completely different from the vitality consumed by Tetsuya's Gengar.
Now Tetsuya's path was completely unobstructed. These Haunter were timid by nature. After being subdued once by Tetsuya's powers, they naturally did not dare cause trouble again.
"Ahhhh…!"
Just as Tetsuya and Catherine were about to leave the forest, they suddenly heard a scream.
A little boy was crouching on the ground in panic, constantly shouting, "Go away! Go away! I have a father! My tousan is a great man…!"
Several Haunter surrounded the boy. Illusions were often a reflection of a person's inner thoughts. It was very difficult for this little boy to break free from the Haunter's illusion.
"Let's go."
Catherine had no intention of getting involved.
"Wait! Save him," Tetsuya said.
Catherine was puzzled. Being a good samaritan was not Tetsuya's style.
"Sigh… Catherine, in a small mountain town like this, do you really expect there to be an inn? This little boy might very well be our lodging and meal expenses for tonight."
After Tetsuya spoke, Catherine smiled knowingly. "Oh~ That makes sense."
Tetsuya then walked toward the little boy. Before he even got close, the halo of his psychic powers had already intimidated the Haunter.
The Haunter scattered and fled.
The little boy continued shaking his head until Tetsuya patted him on the shoulder from behind and said, "Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. Those Haunter were only playing a prank."
The little boy finally calmed down. Slowly raising his head, he saw a handsome aniki.
"Did you… save me?"
"It was only what I should do. Now let me take you home," Tetsuya said.
"Thank you. My name is Will. What's your name?"
After hearing the little boy's words… Tetsuya nearly spat out the food from the previous night!
He had actually run into Will here. In his previous life, he had indeed been two years older than Will, and Will should only be around ten years old now. Had he not yet begun his Pokémon journey? How had he ended up in a forest like this?
"…My name is Tetsuya, and her name is Catherine. How did you end up here?" Tetsuya asked.
Will revealed a very unwilling expression. "I've… umm, never had a father since I was little, so I've always been bullied and mocked by the other children in the town… I'm ten years old this year. My mother used her savings to buy me a Girafarig. A few people from the town weren't happy about it. They secretly tripped me, stole my Poké Ball, and threw me into this forest."
'Just ask how, not a summary of your life…'
Tetsuya clicked his tongue. Will's words had indeed revealed many things. Back when he was at Slowpoke Temple, he had felt that the priest looked somewhat similar to Will. Moreover, the Slowpoke he had dreamed of obtaining was clearly one that the priest had specially raised and intended to leave to Will.
Why would several children from the town be dissatisfied with Will? It was certainly because Will had a Pokémon while they did not. A small mountain town like this had limited economic means. Aside from a few domesticated Pokémon, they simply could not afford to purchase Pokémon for their children.
Not to mention that Will and his mother lived alone and had an even more difficult life. Yet they still had enough spare money to buy a Pokémon. There was definitely someone supporting them financially behind the scenes. Most likely, it was Will's biological father, the priest of Slowpoke Temple!
'Whoaa~' What a case of finding something without any effort after searching everywhere for it.
One year had already passed since Tetsuya's three-year agreement with the priest of Slowpoke Temple. There was no reason to delay any longer. Although this place appeared to be far from Slowpoke Temple, it could actually be reached quickly by crossing a single mountain.
Now Tetsuya had even found a lead connected to the priest's lover. How could he possibly let such an opportunity slip away? To obtain that Slowpoke, all he needed to do was ruin the reputation of the priest of Slowpoke Temple. Then he would naturally be able to profit from chaos.
Since that was the case, the first thing he needed to do was gain Will's trust.
"Can you figure out who most likely has your Poké Ball? I'll help you get it back," Tetsuya said.
"…R-Really!?" Will asked excitedly. Then he sighed and said, "Oww… Gion's father is the strongest person in the town, and his Bronzong is terrifyingly strong too. Even three Pokémon working together can't beat it…"
"Tehaha! Don't worry. Just lead the way. I'll definitely help you get Girafarig back," Tetsuya said.
Will still hesitated somewhat. It seemed Gion had already become a shadow in his mind. In his previous life, Tetsuya had heard that after Will became an Elite Four, he devoted himself to developing his hometown and serving its residents. He directly built new houses outside the mountain for every household.
The original mountain town was destroyed by Will. On the surface, it was done to help the townspeople become prosperous. In reality, once the entire town had been relocated, the… disappearance, of one or two people would go unnoticed. Even if someone reported it, with Will's connections, it would at most be handled as a missing persons case.
Gion had probably met exactly that fate. From that point onward, Will never returned to his hometown. During holidays and festivals, he would instead visit Slowpoke Temple to burn incense.
Never mock a poor little man. Will was a very typical example of that. However, would he encounter some different opportunity in this life? After all, Tetsuya was determined to obtain that Slowpoke.
Seeing Will's hesitation, Tetsuya directly released all five of his Pokémon. In particular, the towering Mamoswine and Golurk, along with the imposing Houndoom, filled Will with envy.
Looking at these powerful Pokémon, Will naturally no longer worried that Tetsuya would lose.