"Goldenrod City?" Tetsuya asked.
"That's right. Otousan and Elite Four Pryce went to the Jenny Family's central police headquarters in Goldenrod City to… a full search… for your whereabouts… Right! Now that you're back, I need to notify them immediately!"
'…'
"And who might this be…?" Having been so overwhelmed with excitement, Morty and Ryuto had completely overlooked Catherine's presence.
"This is my friend who has been through life and death with me. Her name is Catherine, and she's from Hearthome City in Sinnoh," Tetsuya introduced her.
Ryuto and Morty greeted her warmly as well.
Afterward, Morty dragged Tetsuya into Ecruteak Gym.
Many of the facilities at Ecruteak Gym had already been renovated, giving the entire place a completely refreshed appearance.
Even the obasan who did the cooking was overwhelmed with emotion. Wiping away tears, she said, "Sob… This is wonderful, child… sob. You're actually alive! Back then, when I heard you had gone missing… I cried for a long time, sob. Such a fine young man, and yet…- But now it's all right. You're back! As long as you're back, that's all that matters."
"Obasan, if you keep reminiscing, Tetsuya's going to starve!" Morty said.
"O-Oh, right. Wait here! I'll make a few extra dishes today! This child must have suffered all these years… sub" Only then did the obasan head toward the kitchen.
Morty brought Tetsuya and Catherine to the main hall of Ecruteak Gym, while Ryuto went to notify Matsuba and Pryce.
"So, why haven't I seen Raine?" Tetsuya asked after looking around and failing to spot him.
"…Don't even mention him. Those two traitors turned against us! Morty said angrily.
"Hm? Two? Turned against you? What happened?" Tetsuya asked.
"That ungrateful bastard… and that Leaf too! Otousan kindly took them in and even accepted them as his pupils. Yet the two of them joined forces with the League's former Elite Four, Aoi Maiko, to frame Ecruteak Gym!
Fortunately, Otousan has always conducted himself with integrity, so they couldn't find any evidence against him… Kuso! That's the only reason we escaped disaster!" Morty said, involuntarily taking two deep breaths.
"They're absolutely despicable. If I ever run into him, I'll kill him!" Tetsuya echoed. He thought to himself that Raine truly had terrible luck. Raine had believed that attaching himself to an "Elite Four" like Aoi Maiko would give him a brighter future…
What Raine had never expected was that Maiko had merely been using him. Her heart had long since ceased to belong to the League. Perhaps only a man as great as Giovanni could satisfy her.
Ever since becoming a Gym Leader, as his son said, Matsuba had always conducted himself with integrity and had never done anything improper. The reason Maiko targeted him was naturally because of Tetsuya.
Tetsuya had originally been Ecruteak Gym's pupil, yet he had represented Pryce in the Johto-Sinnoh Exchange Tournament. It inevitably led people to suspect that Matsuba had aligned himself with Pryce, which was why Maiko went after him.
Judging from the outcome, Maiko had undoubtedly failed, and Raine had been dragged down along with her. Matsuba had been merciful. Most Gym Leaders would have killed such traitors without hesitation, yet Matsuba had merely expelled Raine and Leaf from Ecruteak Gym.
Now Raine's whereabouts were unknown, making him difficult to find. But as long as Tetsuya found him, now, he could kill him without any reservations.
Morty nodded and said, "Exactly! …Sigh, otousan was too merciful. He actually let him go… Enough about him! Let's talk about you. What exactly have you been through all these years? You disappeared for more than four years. Otousan and Elite Four Pryce pulled every string they could to find you, but there wasn't a single clue.
Although Ecruteak City officially listed you as a missing person, Otousan never believed you would simply die like that. That's why your property was never frozen. Back then, otousan said he'd wait another five years and see. I never expected you'd come back three months early!"
As Morty vividly recounted everything, a wave of warmth spread through Tetsuya's entire body. He simply said, "Mm… thank you."
"Heh, we're family!"
Morty replied casually.
---◓---
Afterward, Tetsuya told Morty about how he had been captured by the Shadow Team and his brutal struggle to survive on Shadow Island.
Morty and Ryuto could not help but sigh in amazement. If they had been forced to endure such an inhuman existence themselves, they probably would not have lasted long. As for Catherine, who had survived alongside him, they could not help but admire her even more.
At that moment, the obasan brought the dishes to the table.
The taste of home-cooked food was unlike anything else, and Tetsuya's appetite immediately grew.
After the meal, under Morty's lead, Tetsuya, Catherine, and Ryuto all headed to Ecruteak Gym's training grounds.
Ryuto first opened the nearby Pokémon food storage room.
"Look at the Pokéfood you sent back. The nutritional balance of this food is the best available. With this much, even if every Pokémon at Ecruteak Gym ate it, they still wouldn't finish it in three months!"
Ryuto said. After all, he was in charge of Ecruteak Gym's logistics, so he knew these things very well.
"Hurry and bring your Pokémon out so they can eat! I can't wait to see what Pokémon you've caught over all these years," Morty said.
Tetsuya nodded, then released "all" of his Pokémon. Mamoswine, Golurk, Beedrill, Houndoom, Koffing, Miltank, and Slowbro appeared one after another before Morty.
Ditto also returned to its original form.
The Pokémon Morty was most familiar with was naturally Ditto. Ditto also introduced Morty to Tetsuya's other Pokémon, and Morty greeted each of them in turn.
"Huh… something's not right. Why don't I see Haunter…?" Morty asked. Tetsuya was momentarily stunned. The fact that Morty still remembered Haunter after all this time was truly something.
Tetsuya let out a sigh. "We got separated."
Even Catherine knew nothing about the [Shadow Contract], so naturally Morty could not be allowed to know either. After all, it belonged to his family. Seeing how kindly everyone at Ecruteak Gym treated him, a brief flash of guilt crossed Tetsuya's heart… or so it seemed.
Still, [Shadow Contract] was not something "righteous". Even if Matsuba or Morty had obtained it, they would never have raised a Gastly in that manner, much less entered into a contract.
Furthermore, many years later, Morty's own son would end up destroying Ecruteak Gym because of it. From Ecruteak Gym's perspective, Tetsuya taking it might not have been a bad thing after all!
Morty also sighed repeatedly. "Hohh… I still remember the days when you and Haunter fought side by side. I'm sure you'll meet it again someday."
Afterward, Morty also released his Pokémon: Gengar, Mismagius, Spiritomb, Dusknoir, and Banette. Although they were all Ghost-type Pokémon, each had its own unique strengths.
After eating lunch and drinking Miltank's milk, Ditto, Mamoswine, Beedrill, Houndoom, and Koffing all resumed their training under the effects of Helping Hand.
Golurk still could not move freely, so Tetsuya had to feed it himself. Slowbro spent every moment using Calm Mind. To outsiders, it truly looked no different from a fool. Tetsuya also had to feed it by hand. The potential of these two Pokémon was immense, and every bit of effort he invested in them was worthwhile!