Will told his mother about everything that had happened to him. Naturally, she was extremely grateful to Tetsuya and Catherine, but she also had some concerns…
"It has already been difficult enough for a widow and her child to get by. Hahh… Now that we've offended Gion's family, I'm afraid life won't be easy from now on," Will's mother said with a sigh.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of this matter," Tetsuya said. Gengar had already set out. Before long, Bronzong would show no signs of life. Without Bronzong, what right did Gion's family still have to act so arrogantly?
"…Then thank you very much in advance. I'll go prepare dinner first. Please wait a little while. Will, make sure to take good care of our two guests."
After learning of Tetsuya's strength from Will, his mother admired him even more and believed he had the ability to "handle" the matter.
After dinner, Will's mother prepared rooms for Tetsuya and Catherine. However, Tetsuya did not go to sleep immediately. Instead, he used his powers to monitor Will's mother's every move.
It was already late at night. Will's mother tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Too many things had happened today. Although Will had not suffered any serious harm, it had only been because he had been fortunate enough to encounter Tetsuya and Catherine.
Without that stroke of luck, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
Furthermore, Gion and his father had always been the town bullies. After offending them today, once Tetsuya and Catherine left, they would surely make life even more difficult for her and Will. Thinking about all this, how could she possibly sleep?
Will's mother got up and turned on the light. She sat blankly on the edge of her bed. Countless thoughts filled her mind, and she began recalling the experiences of her youth. She had loved one man for her entire life. Even though they might never meet again in this lifetime, there were still occasional letters and a bank card that would never run out of funds. Her only hope was that Will would grow into an adult, even if she had to endure criticism and countless scornful looks.
Now that Will was becoming more and more mature, many things could no longer be hidden from him. He was also frequently bullied by children his own age. This was what concerned her most. It did not matter if she had to suffer or work hard herself, but Will was only an innocent child.
Although she had chosen this remote town far from her hometown, the fact that Will had no father was an undeniable reality.
In the end, Will's mother could no longer bear the pain of longing. She took out a stack of letters from a hidden compartment beneath her bed. As she flipped through those memories, she laughed at times, fell silent at others, and eventually burst into tears…
'No matter how difficult it becomes… I will raise Will into a proper adult…'
Will's mother put the letters away, stored them once again, and went back to sleep.
Only after Will's mother had fallen asleep did Tetsuya withdraw his powers.
It was already two o'clock in the morning, yet Gengar still had not returned. Once daylight arrived, things would become troublesome. Just how much vitality did that Bronzong have!? After all this time, Gengar still had not finished absorbing it.
Even if it had not finished, it could not afford to be greedy. There were only a little more than three hours until dawn. If it waited any longer, it would not be able to return. The [Shadow Contract] would automatically dissolve as well. Reestablishing it would require waiting another year. Tetsuya began using his thoughts to call Gengar back.
"Gengar, return immediately. Dawn is approaching."
With the aid of his powers, Tetsuya projected his thoughts outward.
A long time passed…
Only then did a response arrive!
"I'm done. This Bronzong's vitality really was exceptionally vast. But now it's nothing more than a pile of scrap metal. It also cost three lives… the three people who came looking for it, gengengen~!"
Even without Gengar saying it, Tetsuya knew it was Gion's family. Going to search for Bronzong was inevitable, and dying was inevitable as well.
Half an hour later, Gengar returned, and Tetsuya lay down to sleep. He had no intention of getting up in the morning. He would just let the town deal with the commotion.
---◓---
Tetsuya slept continuously until ten o'clock in the morning. After washing up, he found Will, his mother, and Catherine sitting in the living room chatting about the news of Gion's family's deaths.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Tetsuya deliberately asked.
"It's Gion's family, you know, the ones who bullied me yesterday. They were all found dead this morning, and their bodies looked like dried corpses!" Will said.
"What? How could they die like that?"
"The adults in the town say that hundreds of years ago there were Ghost-type Pokémon that specialized in feeding on human vitality. Later they were destroyed by Legendary punishment. C-Could it be that those Pokémon have returned…? The entire town is in a panic now!" Will's mother said. The more she spoke, the more frightened she became, and she had already begun considering moving away.
"That's only a legend. It's better to report it to the police and wait for Officer Jenny to handle it," Tetsuya said. Of course, this was merely a probing remark. If Officer Jenny really came, then with his current lack of identification, he would certainly have to visit the police station.
Although Jenny would not be able to prove that he had killed anyone, having his identity exposed to the public right now would be extremely disadvantageous for him.
"Sigh…~ This place is too remote. Although we've already reported it, the Jenny Family will at most send one or two subalterns. They probably won't arrive until noon tomorrow at the earliest," Will's mother said.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine. There are also Pokémon like Golbat that feed on blood. As long as everyone is careful, there shouldn't be any problems," Tetsuya reassured her.
"Mm, that's true! Living in the mountains is unsafe after all. Once this situation passes, I'm planning to take Will and leave here. It'll be safer to buy a house and live in a city."
In the end, Will's mother had made up her mind. She had avoided facing the world for more than a decade, but now, for Will's sake, it was time to step out.
In truth, who wouldn't want to live in a city these days? At the very least, public security was better and it was safer. In mountain towns and rural areas, Pokémon often appeared, and personal safety could never be fully guaranteed.
The only problem was that housing prices in cities were far too expensive for ordinary families to afford. However, with the "powerful" financial support behind her, Will's mother did not need to worry about money.
"In that case, we're preparing to leave as well. We still need to reach Ecruteak City as soon as possible," Tetsuya said.
'Hmmm…' Catherine felt that Tetsuya had been unusually talkative today, but she could not quite figure out why.
"Oh? At least stay for lunch. It'll be ready soon," Will's mother said.
"That works!"
---◓---
After Tetsuya and Catherine finished lunch, they left the town. Even though it was broad daylight, not a single person could be seen walking around. Everyone was truly living in fear now. Tetsuya, however, found the journey quite comfortable.
After leaving the town, Tetsuya walked to the windward side of the settlement, where he could overlook the entire mountain town.
"There's still something I need to do here. Sorry to trouble you, Catherine." Tetsuya said.
"It's fine. It's just… ever since you met Will, you've seemed unusually invested in him. It doesn't really seem like your personality," Catherine said.
"I simply have some grudges with his father, nothing more."
After Tetsuya spoke, Catherine did not ask any further questions. After all, she also had many disputes and grudges from the previous generation that she needed to deal with herself. Tetsuya very likely had experiences similar to her own.