Alleyway Hypnosis

Canalave City lay by the sea. After autumn arrived, the sea breeze always carried a faint chill, while threadlike rain wove a net through the air that shrouded the city. Raindrops splashed into glittering beads, blooming like flowers.

Accompanied by the soft sound of water, a figure holding an umbrella slowly walked from the lamplight into a narrow alley.

The yellowed light traced a blurred boundary between light and darkness outside the alley.

"Koujie—"

A cheerful cry came from beneath the umbrella.

"Yes, yes, yes. You learned the Poison-type move Toxic Mist, opening the door to Poison-type moves. And I wonder who it was that, as a Poison-type Pokémon, couldn't even control the poison it released."

Jing He's helpless voice followed.

He had noticed that every time Gastly used a Poison-type move, it was always aimed at him.

The first time had only mildly poisoned him, but this time he had been directly poisoned! If he had not wisely prepared antidotes after the last incident, relying on Gastly to detoxify him probably would not have been very reliable.

It was just that the price of an antidote made Jing He's heart bleed.

Still, considering that Gastly had learned Toxic Mist, one antidote was barely acceptable.

If I get poisoned a few more times, won't I end up like a Super Rookie?

Jing He silently mocked himself.

"Koujie! (Hands on hips)"

Gastly floated in front of him.

Its expression was utterly serious.

As long as you hold on for another ten—no! Half hour, I can definitely cure you! Jing He's mouth twitched.

"Half an hour? This time it's actual poison. In half an hour, you could find yourself another Trainer."

"Koujie~~ (I believe you can do it.)"

"I want to believe in myself too."

Halfway through his sentence, Jing He's voice gradually faded.

Crack! A slightly abrupt yet faint sound rang out in the alley.

Gastly seemed to notice something as well, peeking out with its eyes from beneath the edge of the umbrella.

In the alley behind them, a shadow flashed past.

Jing He and Gastly exchanged a glance. Neither spoke again, and they continued forward at the same pace.

But as they approached the corner, his steps suddenly quickened, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the dark alley.

"Hm?"

After they disappeared, the figure in a black raincoat at the other end of the alley seemed somewhat surprised.

Had he been discovered?

His pace involuntarily quickened as he hurried toward where Jing He had disappeared.

Crack! When the person reached the alley corner, he suddenly seemed to step on something, producing another faint crisp sound.

Yet such a tiny sound was insignificant on a rainy night like this, especially when one's attention was entirely fixed on something else.

"Hello."

Before the man could look around for Jing He, an emotionless greeting sounded beside his ear.

The man jolted in alarm and almost instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.

What greeted him was a ghastly, grinning face.

Especially those huge white eyes, filled with strange and mysterious spirals.

Hypnosis! "Koujie—"

Gastly's voice gradually became distant in his ears, fading farther and farther away.

The man only felt his eyelids grow exceptionally heavy, his body gradually stop obeying him, and his once-strong frame become limp and powerless. An overwhelming drowsiness made him want nothing more than a good sleep.

Then another gentle voice drifted over, as warm as a spring breeze. Like a friendly older brother next door, it made him relax without realizing it.

"You're very tired. You're lying on a soft, comfortable bed now. Relax your eyelids, slowly..."

Before long, the man stood completely still with his eyes closed and his breathing even, as though he had fallen asleep.

"Koujie?"

Gastly cautiously waved a hand in front of the man's face, but he remained unresponsive.

Jing He stepped out from behind Gastly at that moment, staring at the man with a grave expression.

However, with Gastly's Hypnosis assisting him, this hypnosis had gone far more smoothly than he expected.

Hypnotizing someone was a complicated process. The most important factor was that the subject needed to trust the hypnotist enough to establish a sufficient relationship of trust. Next, the subject needed to be completely relaxed, without any guard up, and so on.

But thanks to Gastly's Hypnosis, many unnecessary and cumbersome steps had been omitted. It was still rather difficult for an ordinary person to resist a Pokémon's power.

"Who are you?" Though Jing He's expression was solemn, his voice remained mild.

"Da... Da Hui." The man's voice came like a murmur, intermittent and extremely faint, though still barely audible.

"Who sent you?" Jing He continued.

"Ts... Tsuga Leader."

Tsuga?

He seemed to have vaguely heard that name before.

"Why were you looking for me?"

The man fell silent.

"Koujie—"

Seeing that the man was not speaking, Gastly wanted to act, but Jing He stopped it with a look and asked again.

"Who are you people?"

"...Greater Mauville Holdings," the man answered once more.

Greater Mauville Holdings? Jing He revealed a look of realization, recalling who this "Tsuga" was as well.

Tsuga had once been an engineer for Greater Mauville Holdings. He had appeared on television to promote the company's Sea Mauville and New Mauville projects, as well as the Mauville City redevelopment project.

Greater Mauville Holdings had once stood alongside Devon Corporation, where Steven Stone worked.

It had also been a powerful competitor of Devon Corporation.

Its industries had once spread throughout the Hoenn Region, but it later declared bankruptcy for certain reasons, and most of the company was swallowed up by Devon Corporation.

It was later exposed that Tsuga had not merely been an engineer for Greater Mauville Holdings. He had also been responsible for the company's intelligence operations and had once dispatched corporate spies to Devon Corporation.

"Did you people also do what happened at Dr. Solanus's home?"

Jing He continued questioning him, though he relaxed slightly inside.

He had thought it was some massive organization like Team Aqua or Team Magma. Turns out, it was only the remaining disgruntled people from Greater Mauville Holdings.

"Yes."

"What are you looking for?"

"Sto... stone."

A stone again?

Jing He frowned.

Shouldn't they be looking for some documents?

After all, Dr. Solanus's father, Solanas Raizo, had once been part of Greater Mauville Holdings.

Jing He had learned what he wanted to know.

"Koujie?"

Seeing that he was done asking, Gastly licked its lips, a scarlet gleam flashing in its eyes.

Should we get rid of him?

Jing He's face darkened at that.

Did it think Officer Jenny was just sitting around doing nothing? Besides, getting rid of him would only make things more troublesome, all right? Now that they knew the other side's target and purpose, many things would be easier to handle.

Ignoring Gastly's suggestion, he carefully chose his words before slowly saying, "You found Jing He and infiltrated Jing He's home, but you did not find what you were looking for."

After saying that, he stared at the man. "Repeat that three times."

"...I found Jing He and confirmed that he didn't have it..." the man murmured as he repeated it.

At the same time, Jing He crouched down and picked up all the shattered plastic fragments on the ground.

He had left them there in advance.

Since he knew someone had been following him, there was no way he would take no precautions.

That crisp sound at the entrance to the alley had been arranged for the same reason.

In a dark, cramped, and dirty alley like this, no one would pay attention to things on the ground, but they could provide him with some warning.

The reason he had not taken the main road was that there was no true main road between the academy and his home. He actually felt more at ease in narrow, messy alleyways like this.

At least he knew the terrain far better than anyone else, and the alleys were more suitable for a Pokémon like Gastly to display its abilities.

"Let's go."

After dealing with everything, Jing He held his umbrella and quickly left.

"Koujie—"

Gastly hurried after him.

Yet not long after Jing He vanished into the depths of the alley, Gastly emerged from the wall again.

Looking at Da Hui, who seemed to be asleep, it let out a sinister laugh.

As if it would be that easy.

"Koujie~~"

Here's a nightmare that'll keep you awake for three days!

Who knew how long passed.

The man suddenly jolted awake.

His eyes were red and bloodshot, his body trembling slightly, his lips pale.

How had he ended up here?

The terror in his eyes lingered for a long time, but his thoughts gradually recovered.

Right, that teacher from Canalave Pokémon Academy!

As soon as that thought surfaced, he suddenly seemed to remember something else.

"He doesn't have it either. I need to tell Tsuga Leader quickly. Now only Devon's Young Master is left."

Thanks to Calm Is Me, Magical Cutie, Que Yi Yi, The Autumn Wind and Fallen Leaves That Never Return_ye, Fengchen Fallen Leaves, Dark Star Emperor, Novel Readers Must Taste All Herbs, Love One Hundred Percent 517, Zeta Space, I'm Handsome for a Reason, Cute Baby Tiger Dragon, and many other generous supporters for their donations! My deepest thanks!