The History of Mt. Pyre

On the way back, Roy tossed the Berries he had promised Caterpie to the Caterpie in the trees. His movements were much smoother than before, and he discovered that he seemed to have grown quite a bit stronger as well.

On the way up the mountain,

Honoka sensed Roy's aura, a glimmer appearing in her eyes as though she had spotted some priceless treasure.

Roy felt as though she was looking at him like prey, as if she wanted to swallow him whole.

Without daring to look back, he hurried up the mountain. Along the way, quite a few Ghost-type Pokémon followed the aura emanating from Roy.

One Shuppet even rubbed directly against Roy's body.

Was this the allure of the ultimate Ghost Power after the system's transformation?

Roy suddenly realized that the ultimate Ghost Power in his hand was still spreading outward. Startled, he hurriedly reined in his aura and Ghost Power, allowing Shuppet to regain its senses.

Shuppet: Who am I? Where am I?

"Old woman, are we really going to make that brat leave Mt. Pyre? Is there no other way?"

Inside the little house atop Mt. Pyre, the old man looked disappointedly at his wife.

"Mt. Pyre cannot accommodate two inheritors, can it?"

"If we forcibly keep Roy here, the Ghost Power on Mt. Pyre will be diluted. It will certainly delay Pheobe's inheritance. You know that perfectly well."

"But... sigh!"

The old man opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something, but seemingly recalling something, he closed it again. In the end, it all became a long sigh.

He did not argue with his wife again. Reason told him that her decision was the right one.

"Then... we'll tell him later tonight."

"Mm."

How could the old woman have wanted to make such a decision?

When the two of them had saved Roy, one reason was that she had seen how powerful his soul force was—in simpler terms, he was hard to kill.

They had never expected this at all. How could an ordinary person possess such powerful soul force? And soul force happened to be a necessary condition for cultivating Ghost Power.

Furthermore, Pheobe's parents had just been sent to Mt. Pyre by his parents because of the Spirit World incident, and Pheobe also lacked a playmate.

So they kept Roy. Neither of them had ever treated Roy like some workhorse; back then, they merely had him watch over and clean the tombstones on Mt. Pyre every day.

When they learned that a Litwick had been following Roy, they even taught him Ghost Power.

What neither of them had expected was that Roy comprehended Ghost Power on his very first day and could use it to feed the Litwick that had been following at his heels.

After two years together, the two elders had come to regard Roy as their own grandson. Asking him to leave now was truly a last resort.

"Old man, look what I brought back for you!"

Roy's voice came from outside.

Roy pushed open the door, sat down on his own, and pulled out the tobacco he had bought at the market, wearing an expression that clearly said, Praise me already.

Yet the old man's face seemed to grow even heavier.

That left Roy, who had just entered, completely baffled.

Normally, the old man would pat him on the shoulder and praise him for finally having a conscience.

But tonight seemed different. The old man hesitated to speak, and in the end, the old woman simply said, "Eat first."

After saying that, the old woman suddenly noticed that Roy's Ghost Power had become denser, while also giving off an indescribable feeling.

Had Roy's Ghost Power improved again?

She looked at her husband. The old man was frowning too; clearly, he had also noticed that Roy's aura was unusual.

The Ghost Power Roy condensed was slightly different from the Ghost Power cultivated by their family. It seemed even more solid.

"Roy, did you cultivate Ghost Power today?"

"Today? No."

Roy chose to temporarily conceal the matter of the system. It was not that he did not trust them, but explaining something like that would sound far too absurd.

The two did not press the matter further.

"Where's Pheobe?"

"She already finished eating and went out to play with Haunter. Don't worry about her."

After dinner,

"Roy, there are some things we want to discuss with you."

After the meal, the old man kept Roy behind. His expression was serious, but he did not know how to begin.

Roy looked puzzled. Usually, the old man called him brat, so why was he suddenly calling him by name? Coupled with the strange reactions from the two elders when he returned, and how formal they were being now...

Something was off. There was definitely something going on!

After hesitating for a long while, the old man finally... looked to his wife instead. The old woman shot him an eye roll.

She took a carefully wrapped card from inside the house and handed it to Roy.

An Admission Letter?

Roy held the stiff card the old woman handed him. Printed on it was an illustration of a European-style academy building and an imposing academy gate made of massive marble.

Academy: Rustboro Academy

Student: Roy

Rustboro Academy awaits your arrival.

Wasn't this academy in Rustboro City? Roy remembered that when he had played Pokémon Emerald, there was a teacher at Rustboro Academy. If he defeated that teacher in battle, he could obtain a Quick Claw.

His name was in the welcome section for incoming students. Wasn't he doing perfectly well at Mt. Pyre? Why was he suddenly being sent to school?

"Roy, do you know the history of Mt. Pyre?"

Roy looked at the old woman in confusion, not understanding why she was bringing this up. She took a sip of hot tea and slowly began telling him about Mt. Pyre and the story of their family.

In the world of Pokémon, there was another, different world: the Spirit World. Every region had an entrance connected to the Spirit World.

Mt. Pyre was the entrance connecting Hoenn to the Spirit World. That was also why Ghost-type energy was so abundant on Mt. Pyre.

Their family had guarded Mt. Pyre's entrance for generations. Two years ago, Pheobe's parents discovered that the gate to the Spirit World would open from time to time, often releasing vengeful spirits that endangered the human world.

In order to uncover the truth, the two left Pheobe with them and entered the Spirit World without permission, never to return.

Knowing that Roy was mature beyond his years, the old woman told him the truth directly. The inheritor of Mt. Pyre was Pheobe, as well as the heir of their family.

At first, they had found it strange that Roy could cultivate Ghost Power. At that time, Pheobe was only five years old and unable to cultivate Ghost Power, which was why Roy had been able to rely on the abundant Ghost-type energy of Mt. Pyre to cultivate Ghost Power.

But now, the Ghost Power on Mt. Pyre could no longer meet both of their needs.

After hearing the old woman's explanation, Roy understood the problem. If he left Mt. Pyre, Pheobe would awaken Ghost Power more quickly. That was also why Pheobe would become Hoenn's future Ghost-type Elite Four member.

So that was all it was?

He had been wondering how to tell the two elders that he wanted to go out, see the world, and earn some Popularity Points. Unexpectedly, he no longer even needed to find an excuse.