As soon as they arrived at the entrance to Viridian Gym, the large notice announcing its temporary closure left Jessie utterly disappointed.
"What's going on!?" Jessie was practically hysterical as she ran to the entrance of Viridian Gym and questioned one of the guards.
"Leader Giovanni received an urgent notice from the League and left for the League Headquarters early this morning. We ask for your understanding," The guard replied.
"Do you know when Leader Giovanni will return?" Tetsuya asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know. We'll have to wait for further notice," The guard answered carefully.
Jessie's short temper immediately flared up!
"How are we supposed to understand!? Do you know how many days we've been waiting here!? You have to give us an explanation!"
As Jessie spoke, she started charging forward. Unexpectedly, the two guards immediately pointed the stun batons in their hands at her.
"These are the League's orders! Please conduct yourself appropriately!"
Seeing the stun batons in the guards' hands, Jessie immediately backed down and obediently retreated.
"…"
---◓---
Along the way, Jessie continued cursing nonstop, calling the League every insult she could think of and choosing the harshest words imaginable.
Meanwhile, Tetsuya was considering where he should go next. Chasing Giovanni to the Indigo League Headquarters was impossible, yet staying here was equally pointless since there was no telling when Giovanni would return.
They returned to the Pokémon Center before lunchtime, and naturally, many people in the main hall were also complaining.
[City Broadcast: One week from now, the Kanto Region's leading Professor, Samuel Oak, will hold a major lecture on Pokémon and ecological conditions at the Laboratory in Pallet Town. All registered Pokémon Trainers are welcome to attend.]
That announcement was nothing short of timely assistance. Professor Oak's reputation extended far beyond Kanto. His students and colleagues could be found everywhere, his academic research consistently ranked among the best in every region, and he was known for being humble and approachable. His Pokémon Senryū [1]¹had also brought countless moments of joy to everyone.
It could be said that there was no one who did not respect Professor Oak!
The Trainers in the Pokémon Center immediately began discussing plans to travel to Pallet Town to attend Professor Oak's lecture. The gloomy atmosphere of complaints instantly transformed into one of excitement.
"What's so interesting about listening to an old man's lecture? How could it possibly be more important than meeting Giovanni-sama!?" Jessie said dismissively.
"Oh? Mm, then let's split up. You stay in Viridian City and wait for Giovanni. I'll go to Pallet Town. We'll stay in contact," Tetsuya said. He was determined to attend Professor Oak's lecture, and coming from another world, Pallet Town held an entirely different significance for him…
Of course, there was also Ash!
In his previous life, Tetsuya and Ash had belonged to completely different worlds. Ash represented "justice", while Tetsuya represented "evil". Their paths had never crossed. However, the future Champion of Kanto truly left people at a loss for words.
There was no doubt about Ash's strength, but it seemed as though his entire life revolved around Pokémon battles. He loved battling, longed for battling, and even his position as Champion seemed to exist solely for the sake of battling!
As for the League's political affairs, he simply paid them no attention.
To put it simply, his primary responsibility as Champion was battling: competing against other League Champions and fighting evil organizations. He had lived his entire life with single-minded sincerity.
Many people called him foolish, but in reality, wasn't that simply the life he truly wanted to live!?
Of course, a battle with him in the future was inevitable. And he was the kind of person who, once defeated by someone, would remember that person forever and constantly think about how to defeat them in return.
Therefore, if he wanted to win Ash's "heart", the only way was to surpass him in battle!
"You're just as boring, going to listen to an old man ramble on… Tch, go ahead! I'll stay in Viridian City by myself," Jessie said disdainfully.
Tetsuya was not worried about someone like Jessie at all. A tough girl like her could survive just fine on her own. Even without a single Pokédollar, she could always find temporary work to earn enough for a meal!
Tetsuya left Viridian City alone, with Pallet Town as his destination.
Under normal circumstances, traveling from Pallet Town to Viridian City by bicycle took two days. Of course, certain "superhumans" could make the trip in a single day. On foot, however, it usually required four days. At Tetsuya's pace, walking neither too fast nor too slowly, three days would be enough.
---◓---
The journey to Pallet Town was far from lonely. Quite a few Trainers were traveling in small groups of three or five, yet Tetsuya still traveled alone.
"It seems someone has been watching you the whole time," Gengar warned.
"I've noticed it too. We'll play it by ear," Tetsuya replied to Gengar through his thoughts.
When someone was following you, their attention would inevitably remain fixed on you, creating a subtle sense of being watched. Ordinary people could never notice it, but because of the [Shadow Contract], especially with Gengar's perception, it was very easy to detect. That was why Tetsuya was never afraid of being followed. He could prepare in advance.
Tetsuya deliberately increased his pace and soon left the crowd far behind, including the people following him.
He continued walking until nightfall before finally stopping. By then, the other Trainers were completely out of sight.
He had intentionally widened the distance for one reason only: to deal with those following him. Since it was already dark, average Trainers would not continue traveling through the night. They would usually choose to rest where they were, leaving a considerable distance between themselves and him.
Those tailing him, however, were different. Having lost track of him, they would certainly hurry to catch up, making it impossible for them to remain hidden.
---◓---
After eating dinner by the roadside, Tetsuya made sure his Pokémon had eaten their fill as well. He leaned against a tree to rest without rushing to set up camp. He was simply waiting for those uninvited guests.
About an hour later, Gengar suddenly said.
"Someone's coming."
Tetsuya opened his eyes, got to his feet, and quietly hid himself among the trees. Deliberately, he left behind the food wrappers from dinner.
Before long, three men and two women, all around twenty years old, approached.
"Kuso! What are that guy's legs made of!? How can he move so fast? We chased him for so long without taking a single break, and in the end we couldn't even catch a glimpse of him," One of them complained.
The man leading the group had sharp eyes. The moment he spotted the discarded food wrappers ahead, he immediately ran over.
"That guy definitely stopped here. Let's keep chasing."
"Now that we know which direction he went, let's take a break first. It's already so late. There's no way he's still walking," One of them suggested, immediately earning everyone's agreement.
The leader had no choice but to accept and decided to rest for a while.
Only then did the five of them take out their dinners and begin eating.
Hidden in the darkness, Tetsuya silently observed them. He still could not determine who had sent them to follow him, but he was not particularly worried. These five were not members of the Shadow Team. As long as the Shadow Team had not discovered him, he was relatively safe.
The Shadow Team was currently lying low and rarely made any appearances. They would never imagine that anyone had survived. Besides, the abilities of these five people fell far short of the standards required to become a Shadow.
•.
•.
¹. Professor Oak has a hobby of composing senryū, haiku-like poems about Pokémon or Pokémon-related themes.
[1] Professor Oak has a hobby of composing senryū, haiku-like poems about Pokémon or Pokémon-related themes.