Chapter 170: The Journey Home

Chapter 170: The Journey Home

Arthur often admitted that he, too, utilized the power of his Pokémon, and he frequently complained that his Pokémon were troublesome and always stirring up mischief.

Of course, his Pokémon in the past had no shortage of complaints about him either: a battle maniac, restless, a thrill-seeker who always liked to be on the front lines.

They usually bantered and exposed each other's shortcomings like this.

But when it truly came down to a life-or-death struggle, they could rely on each other's backs and protect one another with their lives.

They were never master and servant, but the best of comrades and partners.

This way of interacting made Mismagius feel exceptionally warm.

In the past, within the Stitched Shadow Army, she had seen too many trainers who treated Pokémon merely as tools.

Dayna hadn't even flinched when her Jynx died; Liam, when fleeing, had repeatedly left his Pokémon behind to cover his escape, solely focused on his own survival.

Having seen so much of this ugliness, Mismagius had once felt that Specter's two centuries of obsession were simply madness.

It wasn't until she truly got to know Arthur that she gradually began to understand Specter's fixation.

It turned out that among humans, there were indeed trainers truly worth following.

Arthur himself probably wouldn't have guessed that by coming to get Specter treated, he would unexpectedly gain Mismagius's goodwill.

It was truly an unintended act yielding unexpectedly good results.

By the time they had completed all of Specter's admission procedures, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening.

Arthur had no choice but to find a nearby hotel to stay for the night.

Now, he finally had the chance to change out of his dirty clothes and give himself a good wash.

The next day, he went to the hospital early in the morning to take Specter for his surgery.

After the surgery was over, that afternoon, Arthur, finally completely relaxed, vaguely remembered: had he forgotten something?

Oh, right!

With a jolt of realization, he took out his phone, which had been on flight mode ever since he entered the mountains.

After switching modes, sure enough, the "didi" sounds of new message notifications exploded like a string of firecrackers during New Year's, densely and continuously.

"Er…"

He had a faint, ominous premonition.

Within a few minutes, Eleanor Vance's call came through again.

This time, Arthur finally answered.

As soon as the call connected, his agent's furious roar pierced straight into his eardrum.

"You rotten kid! Haven't you already returned to Kubfu? Where have you been these past two days?!! Would it kill you to check your phone?!! Did you get lost again?!"

Arthur chuckled sheepishly, knowing he was in the wrong and unable to retort.

Fortunately, Eleanor Vance had grown accustomed to his habit of running off. After a short while, she managed to compose herself and get down to business.

"Did you go to Mt. Moon and bring back two Ghost-type Pokémon?"

"Er, yes."

"Take a picture, post it on Starbo, and I'll handle the rest."

Other internet celebrities would handle such matters themselves, practically wanting to plaster their entire faces onto the trending topic to ride the wave.

Only Arthur was completely Zen about it, forcing Eleanor Vance, his agent, to act as both his father and mother, toiling away…

And the frustrating part was, she was actually getting used to it!

"Okay, thank you, Sis Eleanor."

Arthur made full use of his current age advantage; calling her "Sis" cost him nothing but could save a lot of trouble~

Finally, Eleanor Vance asked, "You should be coming back soon, right?"

Arthur looked at the examination report beside Specter's hospital bed, confirmed there were no major issues, and nodded. "Yes, very soon."

After hanging up, Arthur took a few pictures of the two ghosts and posted them on Starbo, explaining that the wild Gengar he had unexpectedly caught was in poor health, so he had to bring him to the hospital for treatment as soon as he arrived in the human world.

After posting, he went to handle Specter's discharge procedures.

The detoxification this time was just a minor surgery, and with a Pokémon's robust constitution, he could be discharged pretty much the same day.

However, the post-operative recovery would be an extremely long process.

Both Arthur and Specter were mentally prepared for this.

After returning, he saw many new messages in his private chats and on WeChill.

Many fans were asking about Specter's condition, and some were asking when he would stream again.

Of course, there was also Justin from the youth training camp, who had sent five or six messages in a row, asking when Bro Arthur would be back.

Arthur simply replied to him, "In the next day or two."

That evening, he discharged Specter from the hospital, stayed another night at the hotel, and then took the high-speed train back to City, where the Sea Carp Club was located, the next day.

On the way, Specter no longer had to hide in Arthur's shadow. For his post-operative recovery, Arthur had even specially bought an extra high-speed train ticket so Specter could remain materialized and sit in a seat for the entire journey.

On the train, a small child came over and asked him, "Big brother, is the one next to you a doll? I recognize it, it looks like it's called Gengar."

Specter, who had been slumped in his seat like a salted fish, opened his eyes at this moment and shot the child a fierce glare.

"Ah!"

The child shrieked in fright.

Arthur casually tapped Specter on the head, signaling him not to cause trouble, and then comforted the child.

"It's not a doll, it's a real Gengar."

"Wow! Really? I heard Gengar are very dangerous Pokémon. Big brother actually has a real Gengar, that's so cool~"

Arthur maintained his smile, and Specter beside him also retracted his ferocious expression.

In his view, the word "dangerous" was a compliment. He was a spectre in the dark night, a king in the shadows! An assassin lurking in the gloom, ready to take a life at any moment!

"Dangerous" was the best praise for him.

Unfortunately, the child's next words took a different turn.

"But I heard other people's Gengar are usually in a gaseous form. Big brother's Gengar is sitting so obediently like a doll…

Oh, I get it! Big brother must be raising a pet Gengar, right? To be able to raise such a dangerous Pokémon as a pet, big brother is really amazing!"

The look of enjoyment Specter had just closed his eyes to savor instantly froze, as if he had suddenly been petrified.

Arthur, at the side, was also struggling to hold back his laughter.

This time, he uncharacteristically didn't feign modesty. "Yes, big brother is very amazing."

This made Specter, beside him, roll his eyes in exasperation.

However, the child was genuinely and earnestly praising Arthur, which made it difficult for Specter to lash out.

After getting off the train, Specter was still indignant.

"You're the one raising a pet! Your whole family are pets!! My combat power is—"

However, Arthur cut him off with a flick of his finger and a smile.

"Alright, who asked you not to cherish your body before? Now, obediently recover, pet Gengar."

Specter was speechless again.

Mismagius, hovering in mid-air nearby, couldn't help but snicker at this scene.

Ever since reuniting with his master, Specter no longer hid his joys, anger, sorrows, or happiness, no longer needing to conceal everything about himself in the shadows as before.

He laughed when happy, sulked when angry; everything flowed naturally.

Mismagius quite liked Specter this way too.

Afterward, they disembarked from the high-speed train, rented a Dodrio, and soon Arthur was riding the large bird back to the long-absent youth training camp base.

Justin had received the news and had come out early to wait for him.

Upon meeting, he couldn't wait to say, "You're finally back, Bro Arthur! The end-of-year competition for the youth training camp's first year is about to start. I thought you wouldn't make it!"

Arthur was naturally very happy to see Justin too.

He was just a little puzzled.

"End-of-year competition? Starting so early? Isn't it only July?"

The youth training camp had started in early October last year; normally, shouldn't the first year end in late September?

Justin said, "Bro Arthur, have you forgotten? There's the Champions Cup this year! For the next two months, the club is organizing everyone to watch the matches, so naturally, the graduation is earlier."

Champions Cup…

The name was still a bit unfamiliar to Arthur.

But for the Pokémon battling enthusiasts of this world, it was a premier feast!

(End of Chapter)

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