Tetsuya walked slowly out of the arena, already calculating in his mind how to deal with the apprentice behind him, Chili.
As Tetsuya moved forward, the "Ice-type" terror on his face was enough to keep the entire press corps from daring to approach.
"Leader, are we heading back to Ecruteak City now?"
Chili spoke, while secretly thinking that all six of Tetsuya's Pokémon had lost the ability to battle. His only chance to act would be on the way back to Ecruteak.
Once he took care of Tetsuya, it would be easy to succeed him as the Gym Leader of Ecruteak Gym. Although Koga had promised him great rewards, they were still nothing compared to the Gym Leader position.
Tetsuya, maintaining a calm expression, said, "No rush. Let's head to the Pokémon Center first. We'll see about Ecruteak City later."
Tetsuya sneered inwardly. 'Young people really can't keep their cool. I've spent so many years focused solely on Pokémon and failed to see the true nature of this treacherous, ungrateful Ekans.'
Chili grew more anxious upon hearing this response. If Tetsuya's Pokémon recovered their vitality, he would be no match. Even trying to ambush him would be incredibly risky. If the old man simply threw a single Poké Ball, Chili would be doomed.
Tetsuya, noticing Chili's distraction, continued with his "psychological tactics".
"Chili… how many years have you been with me?"
"Leader, it's been over ten years!"
Tetsuya made a show of painful remembrance and sighed.
"Sigh... Over ten years. I still remember when you were a naive young man..."
This wave of nostalgia made Chili feel deeply uneasy, a strange flicker of emotion stirring within.
---◓---
Tetsuya and Chili arrived at the Pokémon Center in the Johto League Headquarters.
"Hello, Leader Tetsuya. What service do you need~?" Nurse Joy greeted with an angelic smile.
Tetsuya glanced at the service list. [Treatment, Care, Vitality Recovery, Massage, Psychological Therapy...]
"Each of these six Pokémon needs the full set of services. I'll pick them up at four this afternoon," Tetsuya said.
"Rest assured, Leader Tetsuya. We'll make sure you're satisfied."
Nurse Joy then handed the Poké Balls over to Blissey.
"Chili, we're heading to League Headquarters now to meet with Elite Four Will."
Having arranged everything, Tetsuya turned to Chili.
Chili was clearly surprised. "Eh? Leader, why do we need to see Elite Four Will?"
"Elite Four Will is in charge of Gym Leader assessment and replacements."
Tetsuya's expression remained neutral, but his eyes occasionally flicked toward Chili.
Sure enough, Chili began to lose his composure, his words stumbling. "L-Leader, y-yo-you mean..."
Tetsuya had already anticipated his question and calmly responded, "I'm old, and I have no children. After this failure in the Elite Four challenge, I'm completely disheartened. I just want to live out my final years in peace…
You've followed me loyally for so many years, so I've decided to recommend you to Elite Four Will as my successor for the position of Ecruteak Gym Leader."
Tetsuya had seen through Chili completely. This two-faced opportunist only cared about profit, though his nature was cautious and suspicious.
If Tetsuya had offered the Gym position without context, Chili would surely have become suspicious, perhaps even believing he'd been exposed.
Tetsuya had already prepared for everything and wasn't afraid of a "Sneak Attack". But if Chili caught on and fled to Koga for protection, Tetsuya would be left helpless; and that was something he could not swallow.
Bringing everything out in the open and following official procedure would seem more genuine and draw Chili in completely.
As expected, Chili couldn't hide his excitement. "Leader! I'll never forget your great kindness. From now on, you're like a father to me… I'll care for you in your old age!"
"There's no need for that between a teacher and its students. Unfortunately, I couldn't do more for you. Ahh! If I had won the Elite Four position, I might've secured an even better future for you…"
Tetsuya sighed deeply as he spoke.
Chili was now tormented by guilt and conscience. Toward Tetsuya, he felt nothing but "gratitude and devotion"…
Tetsuya knew he had to keep Chili in check for now. His Pokémon were still wounded. He would deal with him properly once they returned to Ecruteak City.
---◓---
At League Headquarters, Tetsuya successfully nominated Chili to Will. Once he passed the League's assessment, he would officially replace Tetsuya as the Ecruteak Gym Leader.
Tetsuya retrieved the Poké Balls from the Pokémon Center on time. Seeing that all of his Pokémon had fully recovered their vitality/stamina, Tetsuya nodded in satisfaction, confidence firmly in hand.
However, Koga was not so fortunate…
His first five Pokémon had all suffered ruptured Poison Glands and become useless. Gengar, having absorbed an enormous amount of poison energy, could not bear the burden. After returning to Koga's Headquarters, it Self-Destructed and died.
Tetsuya secured the Poké Balls and said, "Chili, we're heading back to Ecruteak City now."
"Alright, Leader. I'll go make the preparations!"
Chili was eager to leave this troubled place as soon as possible. After all, many of Koga's trainees were here. If any flaw were exposed, it would be troublesome.
---◓---
The Magnet Train ride from Mt. Silver to Ecruteak City took only two hours.
At around seven in the evening, Tetsuya and Chili returned to the Ecruteak Gym. By this time, some of the trainees had already gone home to rest. Aside from a few caretakers, the Gym was empty.
Looking at the traitor before him, Tetsuya wished he could kill him immediately to vent his hatred. But the more critical the moment, the less he could rush. This was a society governed by law. If he was going to act, he had to do so silently, leaving no evidence behind.
They ate dinner as usual. After the caretakers cleared the dishes, they got off work.
At this point, the vast Ecruteak Gym was left with only Tetsuya and Chili.
The timing was ripe.
"Chili, come with me to the underground Escape Room. I'll hand over the Gym Badge to you first. I'm tired… Starting tomorrow, you'll manage the Gym in my place."
Tetsuya spoke naturally, and Chili's mind was already clouded with excitement.
The underground Escape Room was not very spacious. It was where Tetsuya conducted his Pokémon research. Other than dim lighting, there was nothing else.
Following behind Tetsuya, Chili felt a chilling aura rush straight into his chest, making his body tremble uncontrollably.
"Leader, is the Gym Badge here!?"
"Mhm. Yes, it's right here…"
As Tetsuya spoke, he had already grasped Ariados's Poké Ball in his hand.
"Dooosssssss~"
Before Chili could react, Ariados had already pounced, Toxic Thread instantly binding everything below his head.
Thud…
Tetsuya then turned around, murderous intent overflowing as his cold, terrifying gaze locked onto Chili, who lay on the ground.
Chili was already scared out of his wits.
"L-Leader, w-what does this mean?"
Tetsuya snorted coldly.
"Shameless traitor… do it."
Ariados received Tetsuya's command. Its steel-saw-like fangs severed Chili's throat in a single motion.
Killing required no unnecessary words, only one word: decisiveness. Leaving an enemy alive for even one extra second meant one extra second of danger. This was the sum of Tetsuya's life experience.
As for dealing with the aftermath, Tetsuya had long since planned everything out, relying on his status as a Gym Leader.
Chandelure's Will-O-Wisp burned the body until not even ashes remained.
Skuntank's Stench erased all traces of scent.
Drapion destroyed the entire Escape Room, causing it to collapse.
Tomorrow, as long as it was completely filled with concrete, even someone deliberately looking for trouble would find nothing to grasp.
This entire process was second nature to Tetsuya. In his early years, in order to survive and seize resources, he had worked as a Pokémon Hunter for nearly twenty years. When forced, killing one or two people was unavoidable.
If not for those twenty years of living on the edge of death that allowed him to accumulate wealth, with no background and no means of livelihood, how could he have afforded to raise these Pokémon?
For someone who was not even considered a civilian to become a Gym Leader was already a miracle!
Compared to those Official League Trainers who had natural advantages, never needing to worry about Pokémon training resources or money, people like that only needed a bit of effort to become local officials.
Just like Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak, who were now famous throughout Kanto. They were Professor Oak's direct protégés back then. Though they were more than ten years younger than him, Ash was already the Champion of the Kanto League, and Gary was the chief Professor, with students and associates spread across the world.
---◓---
After handling everything, Tetsuya took a shower and returned to his room.
First, he edited an email to Will and set it to be sent two days later. The general idea was that Chili had given up inheriting the position of Gym Leader in order to pursue greater ambitions and had gone traveling to another region.
Tetsuya carefully reviewed everything again, checking for any possible omissions. Only after confirming that everything was foolproof did he sit down on the edge of the bed…
•
•
Reading Guide.
"Dialogue"
'Toughts'
[Systems, Special Moves, Special Tags, Special Pokémon, Voice through devices.]
"Telepathy" Italics for telepathy
"Whoaaa!" Bolds instead of CAPS for SHOUTING!