"Then I'll be direct," Lucas cleared his throat and asked softly, "May I ask, in recent years, have you had any Pokémon whose lives have reached their limit, or who have died from illness?"
Lucas's question almost made Anabel and Buddy gasp—it was a sensitive topic, touching right on painful memories. If he ran into someone with a bad temper, it wouldn't be surprising to get beaten up and thrown out.
Tront was taken aback, seeming to recall something, and his expression turned a bit sad. "You probably know I'm a ranger. After marrying my wife when I was younger, I spent a long time protecting the environment and Pokémon, fighting poachers. Every time I left the house, I'd be gone for ten days or half a month."
"One time when I came home, I saw my wife's face as she tried to hide her loneliness. That was when I suddenly realized I hadn't fulfilled my duties as a husband at all. Later, after a ranger operation, I rescued a Fidough and gave it to my wife to raise."
"My wife loved it, and she named it 'Beanie.' Beanie was rescued from a research lab—it had been experimented on by bad people, so its health was never very good. Three years ago, on a winter night, Beanie couldn't make it through the season and passed away from illness, leaving my wife behind."
"Seeing my wife in tears, I decided to cut back on my ranger work and spend more time with her."
Tront finished telling the story of his and his wife's past, and for a moment, the room fell silent.
Buddy was already wiping away tears in secret, Anabel was visibly moved, and Lucas now understood a deeper reason why Tront was reluctant to get involved.
Though he felt sympathy for Tront's wife, Lucas didn't forget his purpose. With all the information collected, he asked in his mind, "System, is there any problem with my logic?"
[No problem, Host.]
Lucas was always pondering what use the system still had for him. Besides treasure hunting, the most valuable feature was this hint function that reduced unnecessary trial and error, helping him solve small but potentially blocking issues.
All he had to do next was push forward.
He called Tront and Anabel to leave the cabin, leaving Buddy to look after Tront's wife. Lucas then calmly said to the two, "I already know the cause of Mrs. Tront's illness."
Tront intended to refuse Lucas's invitation to go out together; he figured that's what Lucas wanted, right?
But Lucas's words stunned Tront. He subconsciously moved closer, putting his hands on Lucas's shoulders, and stammered, "You—you really know!?"
Anabel was baffled. How did Lucas figure it out?
Lucas nodded slightly and spoke at a measured pace: "Mr. Tront, before your wife became bedridden, did you notice her smiling more, her mood improving, or her spending more time outdoors?"
Tront paused, thinking carefully about the times he'd leave home to shop downhill or finish ranger work quickly and come back. Every time, he'd be greeted by his wife's smile.
He'd thought her smile was because he spent more time with her after Beanie's passing.
"That's right. You're spot on," he said, nodding slowly under Anabel's wide-eyed gaze.
At this moment, Tront found Lucas a little frightening. He'd never mentioned these details, yet this young man knew so much.
Anabel couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Lucas, are you saying that Beanie turned into a Ghost-type Pokémon?"
Lucas nodded, then shook his head. "It's possible, but not certain. Look over there."
He pointed to where he'd first noticed a candle still burning brightly, even in daylight.
The candle showed no sign of burning out and continued to glow.
Anabel followed his finger, frowning. "A Litwick…?"
Lucas didn't reply. Instead, Tront's eyes widened in disbelief. "That should be… a Greavard's candle?"
Anabel wasn't very familiar with Pokémon from Paldea, but as a ranger in Montenevera Town, Tront knew the names and characteristics of local Pokémon.
Unable to resist, Tront moved closer. As he approached, the Pokémon hidden in the snow seemed to sense them—a strange, ethereal barking echoed, a hollow "woof-woof."
Suddenly, the Pokémon leaped from the snow, as if trying to scare Tront.
On a snowy night, such behavior might terrify an unsuspecting passerby, but it was daytime, and Tront already knew the Pokémon's identity.
Greavard, a Ghost-type Pokémon, seemed to enjoy scaring people, but in truth, it was just trying to get human attention.
These Pokémon are gentle, affectionate, and afraid of loneliness—famous as the most suitable Ghost-type companions.
Greavard cocked its head and stuck out its tongue, as if puzzled why Tront wasn't reacting.
Under the silent gazes of Lucas and Anabel, Tront slowly crouched down, as if afraid of scaring Greavard away, and with a trembling voice, said, "Beanie… is that you, Beanie?"
"Woof! Woof!"
As if hearing a key word, Greavard's eyes shone and it barked several times in response.
Tront's eyes reddened instantly.
"No wonder the supplements I prescribed for Mrs. Mela didn't work. So that's what it was," said the doctor, watching the Greavard in Tront's arms glance back and forth between Tront and the bedridden Mrs. Mela. Suddenly, it all made sense.
Judging by this Greavard's size, it was clearly a newly born Ghost-type Pokémon, and its birth roughly matched the time Mrs. Mela fell ill.
At this stage, Greavard couldn't control itself and would unconsciously absorb energy from any human contact.
No wonder Mrs. Mela secretly interacted with Greavard. No matter how strong the medicine, it couldn't help in this situation!
Looking at Tront, the doctor instructed, "As long as Greavard is kept away from Mrs. Mela for a while, she'll recover after some rest."
Tront nodded solemnly, and Greavard, realizing it had made Mrs. Mela sick, lowered its head in shame.
After the doctor left, Tront let out a long sigh, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from his heart. He bowed to Lucas and Anabel. "Thank you… for helping me find out the cause of Mela's illness, and even for helping me recover Beanie."
"There's no need to thank us. We're here to ask for your help, after all," Anabel said, stepping forward to help Tront up.
"You're right." Tront's eyes shone with resolve as his tone turned serious. "Now that Mela's strange illness is solved, I have no more worries. I'll help you climb to the peak of Glaseado Mountain. Hunter J's evil deeds must be stopped as soon as possible."
Seeing Tront agree to help, both Anabel and Buddy looked delighted.
Lucas, however, was startled when Tront suddenly pressed something into his hand.
It was a crown-shaped object—Lucas recognized it at once. This was the King's Rock he'd been thinking of finding for Poliwhirl!
Seeing Lucas's surprised expression, Tront smiled. "You not only found out the cause of Mela's illness, but even helped us recover Beanie, who was reborn as a Ghost-type Pokémon. That's a huge favor. Please accept this small token of thanks, so I'll feel a little better."
"…I understand," Lucas hesitated, but finally accepted it.
"Great! I'll go prepare the gear we'll need to climb to the peak of Glaseado Mountain," Tront said with a smile, heading to the inner room.
While Tront was away, Buddy, now tasked with looking after Mrs. Mela, leaned over with curiosity. "Is Greavard really Beanie reincarnated? That's so romantic!"
Anabel looked over as well, clearly interested.
Lucas only smiled mysteriously and shook his head. "Does it really matter?"
For Tront and Mela, as long as they believe Greavard is Beanie's reincarnation, that's all the comfort they need—the hope of reunion, a kind of salvation.
Whether Greavard truly remembers the name "Beanie" or if it's just because of the affectionate nature of its species and Mrs. Mela's persistent belief, is the answer really important?
Sometimes, it's best not to dig too deep.