Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, June had arrived.
During this past month, Rei Akagi's schedule had been completely packed.
From Monday to Friday, he accompanied Cynthia in investigating the various interest groups within Dian'an City.
On weekends, he brought Gastly to compete in the preliminary rounds of the Spark Tournament.
Running nonstop like a spinning top, rest had become a luxury.
Fortunately, the intensity of the Spark Tournament qualifiers wasn't particularly high.
Rei Akagi barely needed to give any commands.
"Just treat it as practical training. Fight on your own!"
With a wave of his hand, he handed the command authority entirely to Gastly.
The little guy lived up to expectations.
Enjoying the League-level battle arenas and a wide variety of sparring partners, its move proficiency improved rapidly.
The result was predictable—
Rei Akagi passed the qualifiers with ease.
The main tournament would be held next month in Dragon City, but that was a story for later.
As for streaming—
This month he streamed three ranked battles.
The main storyline of the game was temporarily paused so players could digest the content released earlier.
The BP income was decent—essentially saving up momentum for future story explosions.
However…
The investigation work had run into difficulties.
Today was Saturday.
A rare day off.
Cynthia had come to visit the research institute—
Though it felt more like she came to vent her frustrations.
"Phew—"
At the tea table, Cynthia bit the straw of her Moomoo Milk, leaning slightly sideways and forming a relaxed yet elegant curve as she complained gloomily.
"We screened every major interest group in Dian'an City and still couldn't find a single clue about the organization that infiltrated the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum. The mission hasn't progressed at all!"
In the kitchen, Rei Akagi quietly prepared Berry salad, listening silently.
"And that new local logistics company that popped up recently."
Cynthia sounded increasingly irritated.
"Out of all names, they chose Rocket Express!"
"I thought it was a remnant of Team Rocket infiltrating the Sinnoh region, so I wasted tons of effort investigating them."
She sighed.
"Turns out it's just a legitimate company opened by Gym Leader Anming's son…"
Slice!
Rei Akagi's hand trembled, nearly cutting his finger.
He calmly wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, then handed the finished salad bowl to Gastly, signaling it to bring it to Cynthia.
Aoyama moves fast… impressive.
Rei Akagi muttered inwardly.
Well…
Cynthia probably doesn't know the courier company was my idea.
She probably doesn't know… right?
Gastly floated slowly out of the kitchen carrying the bowl.
Thanks to the nourishment from Rei Akagi's Aura Power, which constantly neutralized the violent energy within it, Gastly had visibly grown larger.
Right now, however, it was trying its best to float lightly in order to maintain its figure.
"Gaaas~"
"Thank you."
Cynthia smiled and rubbed Gastly's large head before taking the salad.
Yet her gaze drifted past the kitchen window—
And landed quietly on Rei Akagi.
She stabbed a piece of berry with her fork and chewed it slowly.
Rei Akagi felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze.
He stepped out of the kitchen and deliberately changed the subject.
"Today's your rest day. Any plans later? Need my help with anything?"
"I need to go to the Pokémon Center."
Cynthia hugged Gastly—who was making funny faces to cheer her up—and frowned slightly.
"The Ghost-type energy tide has spread further. Even Spiritomb got affected. It's been lethargic…"
She paused.
"Want to come along? We can also give Gastly a full checkup."
Spiritomb was one of Cynthia's main Pokémon.
Both its physical condition and combat strength were top-tier.
If even it had been affected, the situation was clearly more serious than expected.
Rei Akagi thought for a moment.
"Can I take a look at Spiritomb first? If the condition isn't serious, I might be able to handle it."
Cynthia looked slightly surprised, but didn't question him.
She released Spiritomb from its Poké Ball.
Spiritomb slumped weakly on its Odd Keystone, the ghostly face swirling within the purple vortex looking exhausted, as if drained of strength.
Rei Akagi carefully picked up the keystone.
His Aura Power flowed gently like a stream into Spiritomb's body.
"Uu…"
The gentle energy made Spiritomb hum comfortably.
Its ghostly face immediately pressed against Rei Akagi's chest with a plop, rubbing affectionately.
Just as I thought…
Rei Akagi's heart tightened.
The energy inside Spiritomb was extremely weak.
Its nature was completely different from the violent energy Gastly had encountered before.
Instead, it resembled a sluggish form of erosion, causing lethargy and loss of appetite.
But that only made Rei Akagi more alarmed.
Was the effect mild because Spiritomb was extremely strong?
Or because…
It didn't originate from the Mausoleum?
If the latter was true—
Then the Ghost-type Pokémon inside the mausoleum might be suffering far worse effects.
And that directly concerned Gastly's safety.
"Spiritomb is fine for now."
Rei Akagi suppressed his turbulent thoughts and returned the reluctant Spiritomb to Cynthia.
"But I still recommend going to the Pokémon Center for a full examination. I'll go with you."
Cynthia took Spiritomb back, but she seemed distracted.
When Rei Akagi used Aura Power just now—
That intense sense of familiarity had surged again.
Clearer than ever before.
Yet before she could grasp it, the feeling faded like a receding tide.
She didn't notice that the Azure Flute-shaped pendant left by her grandmother around her neck had briefly emitted a faint white glow when Rei Akagi's power fluctuated.
"Hmm? Oh—okay."
Cynthia brushed aside the golden hair on her forehead to hide her momentary distraction.
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
Perhaps it was because they had spent so many comfortable days together—
Or perhaps for other reasons—
She had already come to regard Rei Akagi as a trustworthy partner.
Thinking about how her initial approach toward him had ulterior motives…
She suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"Gaaas? (Why did the pressure suddenly increase?)"
(⊙_⊙)
Gastly raised its head in confusion.
Cynthia's massage had suddenly gotten stronger.
But it didn't think too deeply about it.
It jumped out of Cynthia's arms, planning to head to the bedroom to discuss move combinations with Rayquaza.
However—
Rei Akagi stopped it.
"Don't wander off. We're going to the Pokémon Center soon for your checkup."
He placed Gastly firmly back into Cynthia's arms.
"Watch over it for a bit. I'll pack a few things before we leave."
"Okay. Leave it to me."
Cynthia sat upright.
Her fingers unconsciously pinched Gastly's soft cheeks—then poked them again.
Rei Akagi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
In reality, that sentence had been directed at Gastly.
The ghost Pokémon blinked subtly.
Their eyes met.
A silent understanding passed between them.
Rei Akagi returned to the bedroom.
He grabbed the lazy Rayquaza and hung it around his collar like a scarf.
Then he and Cynthia headed toward the Pokémon Center.
The moment they stepped inside—
Both of their expressions changed.
Unlike the usual orderly atmosphere, the center was now overcrowded.
Anxious whispers filled the air, along with the weak cries of exhausted Pokémon.
Trainers lined up holding lethargic Ghost-type Pokémon.
Nurse Joy and the Chansey assistants hurried back and forth, exhaustion written all over their faces.
On the front desk display screen, a message scrolled repeatedly:
Due to abnormal energy interference, the Pokémon Center is operating beyond capacity.
Trainers are requested to wait patiently in line.
For non-emergency cases, please postpone treatment if possible.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
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