Is There a Ghost?

Damn! I almost forgot the academy had a curfew!

After packing up the unfinished snacks from the stall and leaving 500 Poké Dollars on the table, Roy said goodbye to Machoke's Trainer.

When Machoke saw the Poké Dollars on the table, it picked them up and handed them to its Trainer.

Hadn't he said this meal was his treat?

Machoke's Trainer called after Roy's retreating figure:

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"Roy, the money..."

Machoke's Trainer wanted to say more, but Roy merely waved his hand and hurried toward the academy on his creaky old bicycle.

"...You gave too much."

When he returned to the gates of Rustboro Academy, they were indeed already closed.

However, the security booth outside the academy was still lit.

Through the window, Roy saw the old guard staring at him from inside.

I'm screwed!

Yet after quite some time, the old guard only stared straight at Roy without saying a word.

Roy waved a hand in front of the old man's face, but he still didn't react at all.

Only then did Roy realize the old man was sleeping with his eyes open. The old guard really lived up to his reputation.

Left with no choice, Roy stored his bicycle in his Spatial Bracelet, skillfully climbed over the academy wall, and sneaked all the way back to the rear mountain.

A wall this low thinks it can stop me? Maybe in the next life. I was plenty experienced at sneaking out to internet cafés in my previous life.

Having made a huge haul of Popularity Points, Roy leisurely headed toward the rear mountain.

The campus was especially quiet at night. Coupled with the occasional cool breeze blowing down from the rear mountain, simply walking through it made one feel inexplicably afraid.

The next second, Roy stopped. He discovered a figure crouching outside his house.

Someone had come looking for him this late at night?

Judging by the silhouette, it didn't seem to be Fujino, the chubby kid.

Then what could it be?

He recalled the legends of the rear mountain and the scream he'd heard last night.

Just to be safe, Roy released Duskull from its Poké Ball to scout things out.

Faced with Roy's order,

Duskull protested that it was always the one stuck doing the dirty work!

Roy: Another massage tonight?

Duskull obediently floated over. It definitely wasn't because it feared Roy's tyranny.

At that moment, Roxanne was beating Roy up in her dream. Under her command, Onix sent Roy flying over a hundred meters away with a sweep of its tail, and Roy was already kneeling before her in apology.

Just as she was preparing to thoroughly humiliate Roy by making him write her a love letter and read it aloud in public, she suddenly felt a chill beside her.

Awakened by the cold, Roxanne opened her still-groggy eyes and found a white skull floating in the air before her. Their eyes met.

"Ghost!!!"

Roxanne's scream instantly echoed throughout the entire rear mountain.

Roy recognized Roxanne from her voice and hurriedly recalled Duskull into its Poké Ball.

Why had she come looking for him so late?

Before he had time to think, Roy rushed up to Roxanne and covered her mouth. If she woke everyone up, how was he supposed to explain this?

Though he was overthinking it.

What people would there be in a place like the rear mountain? Not even dogs came here.

Already frightened, Roxanne grew even more terrified when her mouth was covered. She thought today might be the end for her. Poor her, still so young, and she'd never even dated anyone...

Just as she began imagining her final words, a familiar voice sounded beside her ear.

"Shh! It's me, Roy."

Roy?

Roxanne turned around and clearly saw the face that had defeated her in the battle arena a few days ago.

Roy pointed at his own face, a standard forty-five-degree smile curling his lips.

Roxanne yanked Roy's hand away from her face and demanded:

"Roy?!!!! Why did you have your Pokémon scare me?! And why are you only getting back this late?!"

Roy: "!? You're accusing me first? I was about to ask why you were outside my house!"

Only after Roy asked did Roxanne remember why she'd come looking for him today. But it was already so dark. She took out her communicator and checked the time, discovering it was nearly ten o'clock.

The academy's battle arena had long since closed.

There was no way they could battle now.

After learning that Roxanne had waited outside his house for an entire day just to challenge him, Roy said he'd gone out to take care of something today.

He couldn't just stay holed up in the rear mountain waiting for Roxanne to challenge him, could he? He wasn't some NPC. He had a life of his own.

"Then... then you still can't..."

Clearly, Roxanne couldn't argue with Roy.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Just as neither of them knew what to say,

"Grumble~~~"

A sound broke the silence, coming from Roxanne's stomach.

Roxanne's face reddened. She'd been waiting for Roy, and ever since eating breakfast, she hadn't had anything from noon until now.

Just as she awkwardly prepared to return to her dormitory, a skewer of lamb appeared before her.

Roy handed Roxanne all the grilled skewers he'd packed up and brought back.

Thinking about how she'd bullied Roy so badly in her dream just now, only for him to give her food, Roxanne felt a little embarrassed.

But her stomach let out another dissatisfied growl. The cafeteria had surely closed by now, and she really was starving.

She'd just... just take it as Roy apologizing for scaring her. Roxanne accepted the grilled skewers.

Looking at the boy's back as he walked ahead of her, he didn't seem quite so hateful anymore.

"Come on. Since you're already here, want to come in and sit for a while?"

Faced with Roy's invitation, Roxanne said awkwardly:

"Isn't it a little inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together this late at night?"

Noticing Roxanne's unease, Roy said indifferently:

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in a little brat like you."

Roxanne decided to take back what she'd been thinking just now. Roy was nothing but a complete jerk.

Just as Roy was about to push the door open, his hand went straight into the room. The door that should have been in the frame was nowhere to be found.

Roy: ????

Not believing it, Roy reached into the room again. After confirming that the door really was gone, he cursed:

"Where's my door?! Who the hell stole my door?! Thief! Don't let me catch you!"

The only intact door in his home had been stolen too.

Hearing Roy's question, Roxanne recalled how she'd greeted the old guard that morning, then angrily punched the door and knocked it off.

"N-No one stole it. The door broke."

Roxanne awkwardly pointed to the broken door lying on the ground. Roy speechlessly looked at the newly crowned Queen of Destruction.

Great. There weren't many usable things in his home to begin with, and now there was one less.

Roy used both hands to force the door upright again, leaving Roxanne behind him quite shocked. It wasn't as though she hadn't considered helping Roy put the door back on.

But the solid wooden door was simply too heavy. She couldn't even lift it, and she was afraid Onix would crush Roy's dorm if she released it to help.

That was why she'd just left it there.

It was already late. It seemed the broken door could only be fixed tomorrow morning.

"Wait, then couldn't you have just waited for me inside?"

Suddenly realizing something, Roy turned back to look at Roxanne.

Roxanne was secretly delighted to see Roy at a loss, but she still stammered an explanation. "You weren't here, and I'm a girl, so I felt a little embarrassed..."

Roy didn't know whether he should praise Roxanne for being polite enough not to enter his room without permission, or scold her for rudely tearing down his door.

Seeing Roy's expression, Roxanne's face turned bright red as she argued:

"At worst, I'll come fix it for you tomorrow, okay?!"