The second day after the chase. Clear skies.
They were up early.
The sunrise washed the sky in soft pinks, and the clouds were tinged pale gold.
A thin layer of dew jeweled the leaves, glittering in the light like fallen stars.
Bug-types rustled through the canopy, happily chewing.
Where there are many Bug-types, Flying-types are never far behind.
And in the parts of the forest they hadn't noticed, the deadliest hunter—an arrogant warrior—kept to the shadows: Scyther.
It was the same Scyther from last night. It had lingered nearby all night.
The reason was simple: it wanted to beat the Poliwhirl that had defeated it.
If it couldn't even win that, how could it challenge the local Scyther clan's leader?
In short, it had set its sights on that Poliwhirl, then on the clan's chief, and finally on the title of leader.
Unaware of the watcher, Reiji and Shun cooked breakfast for themselves and their Pokémon.
After everyone ate, they recalled their teams and headed for the island's town to figure out where, on the Orange Archipelago map, they had ended up.
Riding on Pelipper, they took to the air.
From above, the island felt alive with nature—thick green everywhere.
Bug-types dotted nearly every tree; it was the kind of place that let them thrive.
They spotted a small town soon after and had Pelipper land on the outskirts before walking in.
The town was small but had everything: an Officer Jenny station, a Pokémon Center, restaurants, an inn, a general store—rows of little shops.
Given the crowd of Trainers, it wasn't hard to guess why: this "bug island" drew people looking to catch Bug-types.
A circuit of the streets told them the island's name: Murcott Island, in the southeastern Orange Archipelago.
Huge tracts of forest, perfect for Bug-types, matched what they'd already seen.
With their bearings set, they headed to the harbor.
Only small boats bobbed at the piers—no liners, no passenger ships.
A ten-odd-meter fishing boat crewed by a middle-aged skipper and a young deckhand didn't inspire much confidence for long routes.
"Where you kids headed?" the skipper called from his deck.
"Do any boats go to Kinnow Island?" Reiji asked.
"My boat does," the man said smoothly, eyes already doing the math.
"This one?" Reiji eyed the stubby craft. It screamed "fishing run," not "open-sea passage."
"How much to Kinnow?" he asked anyway.
"At least a million for that trip," the skipper said after a show of counting.
"That's steep," Reiji said, taking Shun by the elbow to leave.
"Hey—name your price!" the man hurried after.
"Fifty thousand," Reiji tossed back without stopping.
"Kid, be serious. You can't reach Kinnow for fifty—" the voice faded as they moved on.
They asked around the docks a while longer.
Almost no one ran to Kinnow, and they didn't see a single proper passenger ship.
With that, they shelved the boat idea and returned to the Pokémon Center.
They handed Poliwhirl to Nurse Joy for treatment.
Reiji also asked for a full check-up and detox plan for Croagunk, warning Joy to be careful with its poison.
Then they waited in the lounge.
"Reiji-nii, why not take that boat?" Shun asked, having watched the whole exchange but missing the subtext.
"Think about the distance to Kinnow," Reiji said. "Then look at those little boats."
A beat later, he added, "You get it."
"So they can't actually make the trip," Shun said slowly. "Then why quote a price unless…?"
"Exactly what you're thinking." Reiji's smile said he was pleased—Shun was learning.
If they'd boarded the wrong boat, a drink laced with something and an empty sea would be all it took to disappear.
Shun scribbled the lesson into his notebook.
"Outside really is dangerous," he muttered.
"No reliable ships here," Reiji said. "Stick with me to Mandarin Island first, then catch a proper ferry back to Kinnow. I'll head north from Mandarin anyway."
"I got it," Shun said. The extra time with Reiji made him visibly happier.
He'd also noticed a battle circle outside the pokemon Center.
"Reiji-nii, I'll watch some matches—and maybe take one. Don't wait on me for lunch."
"Be back to sleep at the Pokemon Center," Reiji said. "We leave the island tomorrow."
Once Shun ran off, Reiji checked his own plans.
Until he joined a League gym, this trip was mostly training and traveling at his own pace.
For now, only Poliwhirl, Kingler, Rhyhorn, and Croagunk would get structured training; the rest stayed in their balls to avoid chaos.
With treatment underway, a different note in his journal caught his eye: find a Ghost-type—ideally a Gengar down the line.
He drifted to the mission board.
The town was tiny—maybe a hundred households—and most faces he'd seen were visiting Trainers.
On the board, a few flyers jumped out: a Bug-Catching Contest and a Bug-type Exchange Meet, both slated for tomorrow. No wonder the place was packed.
He booked two bunks with Nurse Joy right away—five thousand each—before the beds filled up.
Back at the quest board, he scanned for anything "haunted house" adjacent.
In the Pokémon world, Ghost-types spooked civilians—literally and culturally—even if the League had done a lot to de-myth them.
Most people wouldn't touch those jobs unless they were Trainers.
One post had a photo: a seaside European-style castle—red spires, white walls, picturesque as a postcard.
The request said that at midnight, a girl's laughter echoed through the castle.
"Investigate the source" was Task One. "Eliminate the laughter" was Task Two.
Reiji rubbed his chin. Misdreavus, maybe?
If the owners knew it was a Ghost-type, why not just hire someone to drive it off?
The numbers smelled off: ten thousand for investigation, one million to "clear" it.
That screamed "hard to remove," or "it comes back," or "please capture it."
Which implied at least level 40, maybe more.
To deal with a Ghost-type, you wanted another Ghost or a Dark-type—or a Pokémon with Foresight.
His team didn't check those boxes.
Most of his moves were physical; physical hits sailed through incorporeal targets.
Butterfree's Confusion could at least fight back, but it wasn't ideal.
He could try to catch something that learned Foresight—but that'd be tight on time.
Then his gaze slid out the window.
On the outdoor field, a Machop and a Noctowl traded blows—both species known for Foresight.
Reiji tapped the scarf at his neck. "Ditto—see that Machop? Copy it and try Foresight."
"Ditto!"
A shimmer of color, and Ditto became a Machop.
"Foresight is a flash from the eyes that reveals a Ghost's disguise," Reiji said. "Like that."
Ditto's eyes flashed white.
The beam cut across the yard, then winked out.
"Nice work," Reiji said, calling it back to scarf-mode.
He returned to the counter and told Nurse Joy he'd accept the seaside castle investigation.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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