Vita Magicis (HP SI-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 59: Tower of Ghosts, Road of Terror

With our little adventure in Celadon finally over, and with the girls hopefully having scratched their shopping itch, we eventually decided to split up for a bit.

It took a lot of back and forth… and more than a few bribes on my part. The really stubborn ones like Illya, Sakura, and Rin were the hardest to convince. One of them wanted snacks, another wanted personal time with her, and Rin mostly just wanted me to owe her one.

Still, I eventually managed.

The plan was simple: I’d head to Lavender Town in search of Ghost-type Pokémon, while the girls would travel to Fuchsia City via the Cycling Road on Route 17. For some reason, they were really excited about the Cycling Road, so I wisely kept my mouth shut. No need to mention that the place was crawling with bikers and gangs.

‘Oh well… let those poor bastards deal with them,’ I thought with mild amusement.

Before leaving Celadon, I went ahead and caught myself a free Snorlax that had been sleeping on Route 16. I didn’t even have to battle the big guy, I simply knocked him unconscious and captured him with a Poké Ball.

I did feel a little bad about not doing it the traditional way… but at the end of the day, a capture was a capture.

The real issue I’d have to deal with later was figuring out who would take care of all my Pokémon while I was back at Hogwarts most of the year. Bringing them to school sounded fun on paper, and trying to keep them hidden from the teachers and Dumbledore would definitely be entertaining, but the headache just wasn’t worth it. At least for the big Pokémon.

“Are you sure you don’t want one of us to come with you, Senpai?” Sakura’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

We were standing at the crossroads leading toward Route 16, the girls all lined up with bikes at their sides, ready for the road ahead. Luna was even wearing a sundress and a big hat for some reason, which… honestly made her look pretty cute.

“Yeah, Onii-chan,” Illya chimed in from a little farther back, one hand on her hip. She was dressed for the occasion in running pants and a sports T-shirt. “Are you sure this isn’t just an excuse to get rid of us for a while?”

“Yes,” I said, rolling my eyes slightly. “We’ve already gone over this plenty of times, Illya. You girls just have fun, and I’ll meet up with you in Fuchsia City.”

“Alright… we’ll leave you to your lonesome then,” Astoria said with a small pout.

“We should really get moving, everyone,” Hermione called out from the back. She was the only one wearing a helmet, and she was reading a brochure, having bought it ahead of time to familiarize herself with the place and to make sure they had everything they needed. “I read it takes most of the day to get across the Cycling Road under normal circumstances.”

“If we get tired, we can always just use our brooms to fly the rest of the way,” Ginny said with a shrug, clearly not worried.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now then, Aether,” Rin said as she mounted her bike. She was wearing short running shorts, and the smug way she held herself made it obvious she knew exactly what she was doing as my eyes fell to her toned legs.

Pulling my sight away from the amazing view, I gave her a deadpan look. “I should be telling all of you that.”

A few of them flushed at that. Others puffed out their chests proudly, namely Astoria and Illya.

“Be sure to capture some nice Ghost Pokémon, Aether,” Luna said with a dreamy smile. “I want to show them to Mum when we get home.”

“Sure,” I replied with a nod, looking over everyone one last time. “Take care, and please try not to cause too much trouble.”

“We’ll try, Onii-chan~” Illya grinned impishly.

I sighed. Again.

After that, I got a kiss from each of them before they finally sped off, waving behind them as they disappeared down the road.

A moment later, I let out a snort as Daphne, Astoria, and Ginny nearly toppled off their bikes because they weren’t paying attention.

It honestly surprised me that it only took them a couple hours to get the hang of riding when they’d had zero experience growing up in the magical world.

With nothing left to do, I made sure nobody was watching… then took to the skies and headed straight for Lavender Town.

=====

While flying through the sky, I was lucky enough to pass a few flocks of Pidgey, with the occasional Pidgeotto mixed in. On impulse, I joined them for a while.

They were startled at first by my presence, but after a few moments they relaxed, and we flew together through the open sky for part of the journey before they eventually peeled off toward wherever they were headed.

It was honestly an extraordinary experience, one I never would’ve believed was even possible back in my old life.

I mean… I was actually in the freaking Pokémon world.

The same world I used to fantasize about as a kid while playing all the games. It was beautiful beyond compare, and I already knew I’d return here one day for a proper adventure instead of just passing through on vacation.

Preferably with only Luna for company, since she seemed to be enjoying this world the most out of everyone.

I’d already captured several Pokémon, battled a decent number of trainers, and my win streak had officially climbed higher than my losses. This trip was going to be something I’d look back on someday with nothing but fond memories.

Just as I was flying over Saffron City, I felt a presence approaching.

I turned my head immediately, ready in case it was a territorial bird Pokémon.

Instead, a Pidgeot quickly caught up to me… then slowed down to match my pace.

It was huge, easily twice the size of any Pidgeot I’d seen so far, and its feathers shone brilliantly in the morning sunlight.

Blinking at its strange behavior, I relaxed slightly, watching with curious eyes as it circled me like I was the most interesting thing on the planet. It drifted closer and closer, almost inspecting me.

‘Is it wild… or does it belong to a trainer?’ I wondered, staying still as it sniffed at me.

“Hey there, buddy,” I greeted, giving it a friendly wave. “Is there something you want?”

“Gotto!” the Pidgeot cried enthusiastically, tilting its head at me.

“Curious about me, huh?” I guessed.

It let out another happy cry.

“I bet you’ve never seen a flying human before,” I added with a grin.

This time it gave a shorter response, almost like a huff.

I chuckled. “Do you have a trainer?”

Pidgeot shook its head firmly.

“In that case…” My grin widened. “Want to race? I have never really tested how fast I can fly before now.”

Its eyes narrowed instantly, and it let out a sharp cry, body tensing with excitement.

“That’s the spirit.” I pointed toward the horizon. “We’ll race from here all the way to the next city, Lavender Town. What do you say?”

“Gotto!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I mentally prepared myself, the grin never leaving my face.

“Alright,” I said, narrowing my eyes in focus. “On the count of three. Three… two… one… Go!”

The instant the word left my mouth, I shot forward, ripping through the air hard enough to create a sonic boom.

An instant later, another boom echoed behind me as Pidgeot launched after me just as explosively.

It took only seconds for it to pass me, surging ahead with a triumphant cry as it sped off into the distance.

I didn’t even think about giving up.

Instead, I pushed myself harder than I ever had before, and to my pleasant surprise, I quickly caught up, the once-triumphant bird now looking slightly less smug.

Wanting to take it even further, I used wind magic to propel myself forward, creating another sonic boom as I left the Pidgeot behind this time.

At these speeds, I was internally thankful the wind pressure around my body kept bugs from flying into my mouth. The idea of choking on one, or accidentally eating it, was… not appealing.

Still, from what I remembered, Pidgeot was supposedly capable of flying at Mach 2 according to various Pokédex entries.

Which was honestly insane when you thought about it. That was twice the speed of sound.

And the entry wasn’t kidding.

Moments later, Pidgeot caught up to me again, giving me a sharp, challenging look that I answered with pure delight.

Now this was fun.

As Lavender Town came into view in the distance, I knew this last push would decide the winner of our little challenge…

So I decided to cheat. Just a little.

Activating a skill that made me light as a feather, I intensified the wind around my body and shot forward like a bullet, producing two more booms in rapid succession. If I had to guess, I’d just hit Mach 4… maybe even Mach 5.

In what felt like the next second, Lavender Town was beneath me.

I came to a sudden stop above the Pokémon Tower and cut off my abilities, breathing deeply as the thrill coursed through me.

“Hehe… hah…” I muttered, a triumphant grin spreading across my face.

Then I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I won!” I threw my hands into the air. “I won! I beat a Pidgeot in a race!”

Luckily, I was high enough that nobody on the ground could hear me. That would’ve been… mildly embarrassing.

Seconds later, Pidgeot finally arrived. It landed heavily on the tower roof, then slumped forward, cawing weakly in exhaustion.

Floating down beside it, I pulled out a handful of berries, the kind bird Pokémon loved according to Luna since she had been the one to give them to me, and offered them with a smile.

“Here, buddy. Eat up,” I said softly. “You earned it. Thanks for playing with me. That was really fun.”

Pidgeot sniffed the berries, then devoured them right off my hand in an instant before lifting its head and letting out a happier, stronger cry.

“Geeoot!”

I chuckled. “Yeah… you’re awesome.”

Normally, this would’ve been the part where I asked if it wanted to accompany me on my journey… but I held back.

We’d only been having fun, and I didn’t even know if Pidgeot would agree unless I forced the issue and captured it anyway.

So for once, I decided to let it go on its merry way.

Besides… I’d eventually capture one the next time I came here. I hated leaving things unfinished.

“Alright, buddy,” I said softly. “As fun as this was, it’s time for you to head back home. If we meet again, we can have another race.”

As I spoke, I lowered my hand and gently ran it through its feathers, earning soft coos in return.

At my words, Pidgeot opened its eyes and looked at me curiously. Then, as if it finally processed what I meant, it let out a sad, drawn-out coo.

“Geeeot…”

“Hey, don’t worry,” I said, trying to cheer it up as I continued patting its feathers. “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

Pidgeot tilted its head… then suddenly its expression sharpened.

The playful energy vanished, replaced by something serious enough to make me blink.

It turned fully to face me and stared straight into my eyes for a long moment, as if searching for something.

Then, seemingly satisfied, it nodded.

And before I could even process what was happening, it raised one wing and pointed — very deliberately — at one of the Poké Balls on my belt.

I blinked again, realization sinking in.

I pulled out an empty Poké Ball and held it up. “Are you saying you want to come with me?”

“Geot!” it cried immediately, nodding enthusiastically.

A smile tugged at my lips.

“Alright,” I said warmly. “If you’re sure… then welcome to the team, Pidgeot.”

I enlarged the Poké Ball and gently tapped it against its head.

Pidgeot dissolved into red light.

One… two… three pings later, the ball clicked and went still.

Successful capture.

“Well,” I muttered with a grin as I turned the ball in my hand, “that was unexpected… but pleasant. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.”

Tucking it away, I finally took in my surroundings properly.

Lavender Town sat below, quiet and misty. Contrary to popular belief, it didn’t look particularly spooky at first glance, aside from the heavy fog that hugged the streets like a blanket.

But that was only the surface.

Thanks to my Psychopomp Heritage and my connection to Death, I could feel hundreds of spirits beneath my feet — layered under the town like a second, invisible world.

Some were calm.

Some were restless.

And more than a few felt… wrong.

Still, that same connection acted as a shield.

The spirits could sense it instinctively, the way predators sensed a stronger predator.

And they kept their distance, knowing that nothing good would come from trying to confront me.

Jumping down from the tower and landing gently on the ground without so much as a dent in the dirt, I straightened and faced the Pokémon Tower properly with a calm expression.

“I wonder if that Cubone and its mother are here,” I muttered to myself as I walked toward the entrance, inwardly noting how the lingering spirits parted under my presence like they didn’t want to risk existing too close to me.

‘Well… this should at least be an interesting experience,’ I thought with quiet amusement as I stepped inside.

‘Though I wonder how the girls are handling all those bikers on Route 17…’ I paused for half a second. ‘Knowing them, probably not very well.’

Oh well.

Not my problem.

I shrugged and moved on, the thought already forgotten.

=====

With the Girls — Route 17

“RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!! THEY’RE CATCHING UP TO US!” the biker gang leader screamed in sheer terror, pedaling so hard his legs looked like they were about to combust.

“HELP US, BOSS!”

“AARRRGH! NOT THE FACE! YIEEEEE—T-THE FACE! THE FACE!”

Behind them, a small group of beautiful girls raced after the gang like a pack of hunting wolves, every single one of them wearing a smile so wicked it almost ruined their looks.

Almost.

Fire, water, wind, and every kind of magical nightmare imaginable blasted through the air from what looked like harmless sticks of wood, raining chaos on the bikers as they swerved and screamed.

“GET THEM!” Astoria shouted gleefully. “They ruined the experience!”

“Only Onii-chan is allowed to look at me like that, you bastards!” Illya snarled, eyes blazing.

“Pieces of trash,” Sakura said calmly, her voice chillingly blank. “My body and heart only belong to Senpai.”

Hermione, meanwhile, pedaled alongside them and glanced at Ginny. “Do you think Aether was right to worry about us?”

Ginny watched a biker eat pavement after a perfectly placed gust of wind.

“…Nah,” she answered flatly. “They had it coming.”