[Pokemon] Chapter 62: Tepen

Relying on eyewitness accounts of the Black Rayquaza, Jin and his group traveled across the Galar Mines and the Wild Area—but unfortunately, every lead turned out to be a dead end.

While Dot continued to search for information online, Jin and the others found themselves with some free time. Taking Diana’s suggestion, they headed into a certain town.

“Whoa! Look at all the stuff they’re selling!”

“A street market, huh? Looks pretty lively.”

This time, Jin, Liko, Roy, and Friede were visiting a bustling flea market known for its abundance of antique shops. Apparently, one of Diana’s old acquaintances ran a store here, and there was a chance he might know something about the ancient Poké Ball.

“Liko, did she tell you where the store is?”

“Yeah. It should be around here, but…”

Liko checked the note Diana had given her, scanning the surroundings for their destination. Incidentally, Diana hadn’t joined them this time. It would’ve made things smoother if she had, but she was currently absorbed in deciphering an ancient manuscript she’d bought from the very same store.

“Ah! There it is—the lamp Pokémon! That’s the sign!”

Liko pointed toward a store where a Lampent, the Lamp Pokémon, was hanging as a sign. It was the perfect landmark—easy to spot. As they approached, they found all kinds of items displayed out front, and seated behind them was an elderly man wearing a worn-out hunting cap and frayed clothes.

“Um, excuse me…”

“…Hmm? Oh! Customers! Welcome, welcome! Take a look around—we’ve got all sorts of rare treasures!”

“Ah… no, we’re actually—”

“You’ve come at just the right time! Just got a batch of rare finds in—stuff you don’t see every day!”

Mistaking them for regular shoppers, the old man switched straight into sales mode. He opened a box and pulled out a small bottle.

“With this, victory in any battle is guaranteed! It’s a one-of-a-kind item!”

“Really!?”

Roy’s eyes sparkled as he peered into the bottle, while Jin and Friede looked on with skeptical expressions.

“That’s right! This here’s super potent Sleep Powder! Use it in battle, and everyone nearby will pass out—bam! Just like that!”

“…But if you fall asleep too, wouldn’t that kinda ruin the battle?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Although… it might be interesting depending on how it’s used.)

Liko made a fair point—if you end up putting yourself to sleep too, the best outcome you could hope for would be a draw. But for wild Pokémon, especially during capture, it could prove useful. It could even help pacify a rampaging Pokémon suffering from confusion or frenzy. With clever use, it might not be entirely useless.

That is… if it actually works.)

Still, the man reeked of sketchiness. The next item he pulled out was supposedly a “20,000-year-old Rotom Phone fossil”—clearly a fake. He gave off serious scammer vibes.

“Um! You’re Mr. Tepen, right? We came here because my grandma, Diana, told us about you!”

Seeing that things were going nowhere, Liko interrupted the man—Tepen—and revealed her connection to Diana.

“Eh!? D-Diana!?”

“Yes, I’m her granddaughter—Liko.”

For some reason, Tepen flinched slightly upon hearing Diana’s name, but quickly recovered and returned to his cheerful tone.

“Ah, I see! Diana, huh? Of course I know her. We used to go adventuring together back in the day!”

“What!? With my grandma?”

“You bet! I still remember it clear as day. We were exploring ruins in the forest, and I got tangled up in an Ariados’s web—hung upside down for a whole week! I thought I was done for!”

“A week!?”

“That would totally rush to your head…”

“Oh, it does. I’ve been through that myself—it’s surprisingly rough.”

“Oh? So you’ve been there too, young man?”

“I’d prefer you not call me that… but yes, once. Back then it was Wurmple threads, though.”

Early in his journey, back in Petalburg Woods, Jin had been surrounded by Wurmple and its evolutions, Silcoon and Cascoon, and got strung up upside down by their String Shot. He managed to escape by cutting himself free with a hidden knife, but even a few hours waiting for the Wurmple to fall asleep had been pretty miserable.

“Looking back, it’s kind of a good memory now…”

As Jin fondly recalled his past, Friede leaned in behind him and whispered:

“Hey. Doesn’t something about this guy seem a little off to you?”

“…The merchandise is definitely suspicious. But I don’t think he’s lying about the adventure stories.”

“You sure?”

“Pretty sure… Let’s watch a bit longer.”

Jin was fully aware that Tepen seemed shady. But when he talked about his adventures, there was a genuineness in his tone. Besides, Diana had vouched for him. Jin figured it wouldn’t hurt to observe a little more before passing judgment.

“…So? You kids looking for something?”

“We’re actually searching for a Poké Ball like this. Do you know anything about it?”

Roy pulled the ancient Poké Ball that had once contained Rayquaza from his bag and showed it to Tepen.

“Wha—!? T-This is!?”

“You know what it is!?”

“Eh? Oh, uh… hmm. Can I take a closer look? Bag and all?”

“Uh… sure.”

Tepen took the entire bag from Roy and quickly turned his back, examining it thoroughly. After a short while, he handed it back.

“Sorry, my mistake. Thought I recognized it, but I guess not.”

“…I see.”

“Don’t let it get you down. Finding the answer too easily would take the fun out of it, right?”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

“Well, uh—thanks for your time.”

“Sure thing. Say hi to Diana for me!”

“Will do. Take care.”

Since they hadn’t gotten any useful information, there was no point in staying. Liko and the others turned and began heading back toward the ship.

All except one…

“…Jin?”

As the others walked away, Jin stayed rooted in place, fixing Tepen with a sharp, unflinching stare.

“Y-You still need something?”

“…Not bad. You’ve got skill. But you picked the wrong mark.”

“W-What’re you talking about?”

“Still playing dumb? Roy. Open your bag and check.”

“Uh, okay…”

“Wait—no—!”

At Jin’s instruction, Roy opened his backpack—only to find something unexpected inside.

“Whoa!?”

“Ke-taaa!?”

Startled by Roy’s voice, the contents of the bag sprang out. What emerged was a Pokémon with a mushroom-like body and a cap resembling a Poké Ball—Foongus. It tumbled out and ran straight toward Tepen.

“W-What the!? …AAAAAH! The ancient Poké Ball is gone! Where is it!?”

Looking again into the bag Foongus had leapt from, Roy shouted in dismay. His precious treasure—the ancient Poké Ball—had disappeared.

“It was you, wasn’t it… Mr. Tepen?”

“Guh!?”

“You swapped them when we weren’t looking, didn’t you?”

“H-How did you know!?”

“It’s hard to explain. But… when someone’s about to commit a crime… I just get a feeling.”

That said, in this case, it may have been Tepen’s overwhelmingly shady aura that made Jin extra cautious—watching his every move with suspicion. Had Tepen behaved just a little more sincerely, Jin might have let his guard down because of Diana’s introduction, and possibly missed the theft altogether.

“Tepen. You’re an acquaintance of Diana’s, and I’d rather not make a big deal out of this. If you return it now, I’ll let it slide.”

“…Guess I don’t have a choice.”

Tepen, seemingly having resigned himself, pulled the ancient Poké Ball from his pocket. Roy slowly began to walk toward him.

“…Why did you do something like this?”

“That’s…”

“Hmm?”

“Like I’d tell you, dumbass! Get out here, boys!”

The moment Tepen shouted, the store’s landmark—Lampent—along with three more Pokémon burst out from inside. The newcomers were Honedge, Bronzor, and its evolved form, Bronzong. Together with the Foongus that had fled from Roy’s backpack, the four Pokémon positioned themselves in front of Tepen, forming a defensive formation.

“Well, well…”

The Pokémon weren’t particularly high-leveled, but their polished coordination was obvious. Jin couldn’t help but be impressed by the unexpected ambush.

…Though now’s not the time to admire it.)

With Tepen showing no intent to surrender, battle was unavoidable. Jin reached into his pocket and threw a Poké Ball into the air.

“Manec!”

Manectric emerged from the ball, stepping between Jin and Tepen, eyes locked on the five opposing Pokémon with a piercing glare.

“Ugh!?”

The moment Manectric stared him down, Tepen’s instincts screamed at him not to fight this one. And so, rather than engage, Tepen acted quickly—faster than anyone else.

“Lampent! Use Haze!”

Lampent stepped in front of Tepen and unleashed Haze, blanketing the area in thick mist.

So that’s your move…)

Using techniques like Haze or Smokescreen to obscure vision and escape has long been a classic tactic of shady trainers and criminal Pokémon. But precisely because it’s an old trick, countermeasures exist. For example, a Flying-type Pokémon could flap its wings to blow the fog away—

…But using that here is too risky.)

This was a street market, with many shops lining the area—not just Tepen’s. Stirring up a strong wind could easily wreak havoc on neighboring stalls. Jin hesitated, not wanting to cause trouble for innocent bystanders.

“Charizard! Blow that fog away!”

“Wha—!? Wait a second!”

Oblivious to Jin’s dilemma, Friede released Charizard and instructed it to clear the mist. Charizard obeyed, flapping its wings forcefully and sweeping the haze—and all the nearby shops’ merchandise—clean away.

“He’s gone!?”

To make matters worse, Tepen and his Pokémon were already gone. It seemed he had fled the moment the mist appeared.

“Hm… so he ditched all his merchandise and vanished in moments. Impressive mobility and quick thinking. Just like Diana, these older folks are surprisingly spry these days.”

“This isn’t the time to be impressed! We’ve gotta go after him!”

“I agree, but… will they let us through?”

Jin glanced around, as did Liko and Roy. A crowd had gathered—shopkeepers from the surrounding stalls—and they were now glaring at the group with furious expressions.

“Was that your doing!?”

“What are you gonna do about this!?”

“My whole shop’s trashed!”

“Huh? Ah… no, wait, that was…”

Friede hadn’t expected this outcome. He looked visibly flustered, unable to think of a proper response.

…We can’t afford to waste time here. Oh well.)

If they got held up now, Tepen could easily escape to somewhere unreachable. Jin decided to take drastic measures to buy them an escape.

“You’re absolutely right! Doing something like that in a place like this—what was he thinking!?”

“…Huh?”

Jin suddenly switched to formal speech. Even Friede, along with Liko, Roy, and the surrounding crowd, was taken aback.

“Wait, aren’t you with him?”

“I don’t know that guy. The three of us just happened to ask him for directions because he said he knew the store.”

“Wh-What!?”

“And I saw him release that Charizard with my own eyes!”

“What the—!?”

With a snap of his finger, Jin pointed squarely at Friede. The crowd instantly turned on Friede, their fury focused entirely on him. The angry shopkeepers ignored Jin, Liko, and Roy and began closing in around Friede.

“Uhh… um…”

“You’re not going anywhere until you clean this up!”

“Hurry up and fix this!”

As the mob tightened its circle around Friede, Jin slipped away with Liko and Roy, ducking into a side alley.

“Alright, clean getaway.”

“W-Was that really okay?”

“We left Friede behind…”

“He brought this on himself for using a move like that without thinking.”

It might’ve seemed a bit extreme, but considering it was Friede’s Charizard that messed up all the shops, it wasn’t wrong to leave him to deal with it. All things considered, it was smarter for the group to pursue Tepen rather than all stay behind.

“Manectric, can you track the scent of the ancient Poké Ball?”

“Manec!”

With a loud bark, Manectric confidently sniffed the ground and bolted out of the alley.

“After him!”

Jin and the others followed as Manectric ran at a steady pace—fast, but not too fast for them to keep up. They passed fruit stalls, a museum, and eventually arrived at a large plaza. At the entrance, Manectric came to a sudden stop.

“Manec! Manec!”

“This is it… let’s move!”

“Right!”

“Yeah!”

They entered the plaza—since it was in a big city, several paths branched off within it. But with Manectric leading the way, they didn’t get lost. Soon, they came upon a beautiful flowerbed at the center—and there stood Tepen and his Pokémon.

“Tch! You brats actually caught up!?”

“Finally! Give me back my Poké Ball!”

“Sorry, can’t do that.”

“Tepen! Why are you doing this!? Was everything about adventuring with my grandma a lie too!?”

“…Who knows?”

“That Poké Ball is important to me! Please give it back!”

“Well, see… someone came to the shop recently, said they’d pay big bucks for a ball like that. So I’m afraid I can’t hand it over. How about selling it instead?”

Someone offering to buy it… Could it be the Explorers?)

Jin didn’t know the full extent of the Explorers’ resources, but he was certain they had the funds to do something like that—approaching antique dealers on a whim, just in case. Not impossible.

…But that might be too hasty.)

This seemed like something Spinel might do, but it felt too risky—too unlike the usually calculated strategies the Explorers employed. Could there be another party out there that also wanted the ancient Poké Ball? The thought lingered in Jin’s mind.

“If you won’t return it, then we’ll take it back in battle!”

“Yeah!”

While Jin was pondering, the situation moved forward. Roy and Liko had already sent out Fuecoco and Sprigatito, ready to fight.

“Oh, is that so? Fine then. As long as I’m not fighting him, I’m not scared. I can take you two on as much as you like.”

As far as Tepen was concerned, as long as Jin wasn’t fighting, he had nothing to worry about. Based on his experience, he figured he could handle Fuecoco and Sprigatito—and began taunting Liko and Roy to keep Jin from joining in.

“Jin! Let us handle this—stay back!”

“Yeah! We’ve gotten stronger too!”

“…Fine. Do as you like.”

Jin sighed at how easily they’d taken the bait—but chose to go along with it anyway.

In terms of Pokémon level, the battle was probably even. However, when it came to trainer experience, Tepen clearly had the upper hand. To Liko and Roy, Jin was someone on a whole other level, unreachable for now. But Tepen—he was someone they could reach with just a bit more effort. In that sense, he was the perfect opponent to test their growth against.

“Fuecoco! Flamethrower!”

Fuecoco launched a Flamethrower from its mouth at the opposing Pokémon, but Lampent and the others gracefully dodged the attack.

“Sprigatito! Use Quick Attack on Bronzor!”

Ally Switch!”

Sprigatito dashed forward to land a Quick Attack on the recently dodging Bronzor—but just then, Lampent and Bronzor swapped places using Ally Switch, a rare move typically used in double battles. As a result, Sprigatito’s Normal-type move passed right through the Ghost-type Lampent.

…Well done.)

Targeting the Pokémon that had just dodged an attack was a solid tactic on Liko’s part. But Jin couldn’t help but praise Tepen’s skill and judgment for using a rarely seen move like Ally Switch so fluidly.

“That Sprigatito’s pretty fast. Bronzong! Speed Swap!”

Bronzong and Sprigatito both began to glow. A glowing energy—like a flow of auras—rose from each of them and swapped places, entering one another’s bodies.

“Sprigatito!? Are you okay!?”

“Meow!”

Liko panicked, thinking something had gone wrong, but Sprigatito didn’t seem hurt. She decided there was no immediate issue and turned her attention back to the battle.

“This time for sure! Fuecoco, Flamethrower!”

“Not happening! Bronzong, Rain Dance!”

Before Fuecoco could fire, Bronzong spread its arms wide and lifted its face to the sky. Clouds quickly gathered overhead, and a sudden downpour extinguished the flames.

“What!? That was fast!”

Roy looked bewildered—Bronzong’s surprising speed didn’t match its heavy, sluggish appearance. Steel-types are typically slow, and Bronzong was no exception. But the earlier move explained it.

“Then—Sprigatito! Magical Leaf!”

“Lampent, Fire Spin!”

Sprigatito unleashed a flurry of magical leaves, but Lampent’s Fire Spin engulfed them and burned them to ash. The swirling flames closed in on Sprigatito, who tried to retreat—

“Sprigatito, hurry!”

Normally, Sprigatito would have easily dodged. But now, its body moved sluggishly, and it was caught in the flames.

“Sprigatito!?”

“W-Why!?”

“I’ll tell you. That move Speed Swap? It switches your Pokémon’s speed with your opponent’s.”

So Bronzong had swapped its low Speed with Sprigatito’s high Speed—now Bronzong was fast, and Sprigatito slow.

“Then Sprigatito’s…”

“…Meow…”

Finally, Sprigatito understood why it had felt so heavy and slow. For a Pokémon whose battle style relied on speed, this was a major disadvantage.

“Then! Fuecoco! Flamethrower, again!”

Rain Dance, once more!”

Before Fuecoco could act, Bronzong again raised its arms, calling down another downpour that instantly doused the flames.

“Sprigatito! Quick Attack!”

“Pointless! Ally Switch!”

Sprigatito dashed toward Bronzong, but Bronzor once again switched places with it, shielding its partner and rendering the attack ineffective.

“Honedge! Night Slash!”

Just as Sprigatito was caught off guard midair, Honedge swooped in and slashed with Night Slash, sending Sprigatito flying back toward Fuecoco.

“S-So strong…”

…This is bad. I misjudged him.)

Not only Liko and Roy, but even Jin had underestimated Tepen’s strength. The enemy did have the numbers advantage, but Jin hadn’t expected the fight to be this one-sided.

This is a battle style we’ve never encountered before… It’s probably tough for them.)

Most of Liko and Roy’s previous opponents had favored straightforward strategies. But Tepen used status moves to disrupt his opponents and bend the battle to his will—a tricky style few trainers used effectively. Their inexperience with it was showing.

Experience isn’t something you gain in a moment. We need another card to turn the tide…)

“There are four of them—then we’ll match them! Let’s go, Wattrel!”

Aside from Sprigatito and Fuecoco, Liko and Roy had Hatenna and Wattrel. Since Hatenna wasn’t suited for battle, Wattrel was the only real option. It was a sound decision given the situation. Roy hurled the Poké Ball high into the sky.

Spark!”

As it burst from the ball mid-air, Wattrel charged its electricity using the momentum of its descent, and slammed into Bronzong with a high-powered Spark.

“I told you it’s useless! Ally Switch!”

Once again, Bronzor swapped with Bronzong to shield it—but this time…

“…Bronzor!?”

“Bronzor!?”

Even small things build up. Quick Attack hadn’t done much earlier, but Spark at full power was another story. Bronzor’s endurance had reached its limit.

“Roy!”

“Yeah! We can’t miss this chance! Wattrel, Tailwind!”

Wattrel landed and flapped its wings powerfully. The air shifted, creating a tailwind that boosted Sprigatito and Fuecoco’s Speed.

It worked…)

They had been training Tailwind for a while. It had recently started taking form, though it still failed half the time. To pull it off successfully in an actual battle—this was lucky.

“Sprigatito!”

“Fuecoco!”

Bite!”

Both Pokémon sprinted forward. Lampent and Honedge moved to intercept, but thanks to Tailwind, they were too fast to stop. They successfully bit down on Bronzong.

“Bron-ZONG!?”

The super-effective hit was too much. Bronzong stopped its Rain Dance, and the rain ceased. Sunlight broke through the clouds once more.

“Now! Flamethrower!”

Still clamped onto Bronzong, Fuecoco launched a Flamethrower at point-blank range. There was no way to dodge, and the other Pokémon couldn’t help without hitting Bronzong too. A perfect two-for-one move.

“Bron!? ZONG!?”

Bronzong screamed in pain, trying to shake off Sprigatito and Fuecoco—but they held on tight.

“Honedge! Metal Sound!”

But again, Tepen reacted swiftly. Honedge left its scabbard, eyes glowing, and released a harsh sonic wave. The Metal Sound forced both Sprigatito and Fuecoco to let go, knocking them away.

Didn’t finish it… But not bad.)

Ideally, they would’ve taken Bronzong down right there. Still, Bronzor—their main support—was nearly down, and Bronzong had taken heavy damage. On their side, Sprigatito was hurting, but Fuecoco and Wattrel were unharmed. Depending on how things went, a comeback was possible.

Now then… What’s next…)

Both sides’ Pokémon glared at one another, waiting for the next move. And just then, one more Pokémon stepped into the middle…

“Ta-ge-ta-ge-ta-ge…”

The Pokémon approaching the battlefield without having participated so far was Foongus, who had been staying by Tepen’s side the entire time. As it passed by Sprigatito and the others, it released a blue-purple powder from behind. The moment they inhaled it, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Wattrel all collapsed on the spot—fast asleep.

“Wha!?”

“That’s the same Foongus from earlier! Oh no… I completely forgot about it… Wait…”

But it wasn’t just the three Pokémon that had fallen asleep. Even Foongus, the one who had scattered the powder, had also passed out right then and there. On the ground nearby was a small blue bottle.

“That’s…”

“S-See that!? That’s the power of Tepen’s special homemade Ultra Potent Sleep Powder! Works even on Grass-types!”

Apparently, the powder just used had been the very same one Tepen had promoted in his shop earlier. And true to the hype, it really did put every Pokémon around to sleep.

That’s surprising… It actually works.)

Just as Liko had pointed out before, it was certainly a flaw that it could put your own team to sleep too. But to have a powder that could affect a Grass-type like Sprigatito—normally immune to spore and powder moves—was truly impressive.

“Heh heh… That settles it.”

It was a bit of a dirty trick, but as Tepen said, Liko and Roy no longer had any Pokémon able to fight. Continuing the battle would be impossible.

“Yeah, I guess it does. I’ll take over from here.”

Indeed, Liko and Roy couldn’t continue—but Jin was still here. It was only natural that he would step in to battle next.

“Gh…”

Tepen, of course, understood this. But he didn’t need to battle to realize it—this opponent was dangerous. If possible, he wanted no part in a fight with someone like Jin. So, he immediately began thinking of a way to escape.

“No need to look so sour—it hurts, y’know… Okay then, how about a handicap? I’ll fight with just Manectric. If you can beat it, I’ll let you go.”

“…What?”

“You’ve worn yourself out battling already, haven’t you? Without that kind of handicap, it wouldn’t be any fun.”

Tepen quickly ran the calculations in his head. Bronzong and Bronzor had taken damage but could still battle. If he tried to flee, Jin’s team would surely chase him again—after all, they’d caught up to him in no time earlier. And if it came to that, they wouldn’t go easy.

But if he could just defeat Manectric here and now, Jin might keep his word and let him go. Tepen had lived a long life and met all sorts of people. He understood that people like Jin were the type to keep their promises. So even if it was risky, battling was the smarter choice.

“Fine! Let’s do this. Honedge, Night Slash!”

Honedge struck first, lunging in with a sharp arc of energy—but Manectric deftly dodged and locked eyes on its opponent.

“Manectric! Flamethrower!”

Manectric opened its jaws and fired a jet of flame, aiming to engulf Honedge—but just before it hit, Honedge and Lampent switched places using Ally Switch, and the flames struck Lampent instead.

“Oh… so Lampent can use Ally Switch too.”

“Yeah, I’m not gonna let this be easy.”

“Hm… but the damage still went through. So its Ability must be Flame Body, not Flash Fire.”

Jin had suspected this ever since Lampent dodged Fuecoco’s earlier Flamethrower. Now it was confirmed. While the damage wasn’t much, it wasn’t nullified.

“Lampent! Inferno!”

“Let’s give this a tryRain Dance!”

Lampent gathered a violent blue flame in its arms and hurled it at Manectric. But Manectric summoned storm clouds above, and rain poured down from the sky. The incoming Inferno was snuffed out by the downpour.

“Wh-What!?”

“Your battle was really fun to watch. It was good experience for those two. But I’m ending it here. Thunder!”

From the rainclouds above, a devastating Thunder shot down—inescapable. Tepen instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his Pokémon were all lying on the ground, covered in black scorch marks.

“Th-This is bad…”

“What’ll it be? If you return the ball, I’ll give you some healing spray.”

“Ugh… f-fine.”

Jin offered a trade, and Tepen reluctantly agreed. Jin pulled out a Potion while Tepen handed over the ancient Poké Ball.

“Thanks, Jin!”

“Yeah. Don’t lose it again.”

“I won’t!”

Jin returned the Poké Ball to Roy, then turned to Tepen. Using the Potion Jin had given him, Tepen began administering first aid to his Pokémon. Realizing escape was no longer an option, he quietly sank into a seated position.

“Now then, what should we do with this guy?”

“Heh… roast me, boil me—do what you want.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that!”

“Grandma!”

“D-Diana!?”

“Oh… and Friede, too.”

Just as they were deciding what to do with the defeated and defiant Tepen, a voice interrupted. Turning toward it, they saw Diana stepping into the plaza—with Friede right behind her. Both looked… unmistakably angry.

“Friede! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“…………”

“Good thing I sent you that map. Who’d have thought we’d reunite this fast?”

“…………”

“You’re with Diana… did something happen?”

“Jin. We’re gonna have a talk later.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Jin knew exactly why Friede was angry, and for now, he chose to ignore it. The more pressing matter was why Diana was upset.

“R-Right. Weren’t you decoding that old manuscript?”

“Yeah, and I finally finished it. That’s how I figured it out—the ‘ancient manuscript’ that guy sold me is a total fake!”

Fuming, Diana slammed the fraudulent manuscript onto the ground. As the pages flew open, it looked—at least to the untrained eye—authentic.

“F-Fake’s a harsh word. I mean, it’s a genuine—”

“‘To see the rest, scan the QR code for the video’—that’s not something you'd find in a real ancient text.”

Yeah… that's definitely fake…)

Selling fakes was obviously inexcusable. But on the flip side, the forgery was so convincing that even a seasoned adventurer like Diana hadn’t noticed until the very end. For that, Tepen’s knowledge and craft deserved some grudging respect.

“To think you’d sell something like this to an old friend! Arcanine! Toast him!”

“G-Grandma! Wait! That’s way too much!”

As Arcanine began gathering flames at its mouth, Liko hurriedly stepped in to stop her. She understood Diana’s anger—but this was going way too far. If she let that fire loose, Tepen wouldn’t just get singed—he’d be hospitalized.

“…Hahh. Arcanine, stop.”

Thanks to Liko, Diana cooled off and called off the attack.

“Honestly… When did you turn into this? You used to be so passionate about uncovering history.”

“…Huh?”

“Back in the day, we explored ruins together all the time. I thought I was done for when I was left hanging upside down in Ariados’ web for a week…”

It was the same story Jin and the others had heard from Tepen earlier. Friede, who had been completely suspicious from the start, and Roy and Liko, who had come to distrust him, were all taken aback.

“Hmph… I’ve always been like this. Lying, stealing—it’s what I’m good at. I’m way better at that than I ever was at adventuring.”

“Oh really? Then pardon me for a second.”

Diana stepped forward and grabbed the floating Bronzor above Tepen, turning it to face him. On Bronzor’s reflective back appeared an image of a younger Tepen, full of life and confidence, standing proudly beside what must’ve been Litwick—before it evolved into Lampent.

“They say Bronzor reflects the truth. So? Isn’t your heart still longing to be the adventurer you once were?”

“…I’m not cut out for it. I always regret it. It’s scary, it’s hard… A coward like me has no place in adventuring…”

Tepen finally revealed his true feelings. As he acknowledged his own fear and weakness, his Pokémon quietly gathered around him, trying to comfort him.

“It’s okay to be a coward.”

“…What?”

“Sorry for interrupting.”

Jin, who had been silently listening to the conversation between Tepen and Diana until now, finally stepped in.

“Tepen, the most important trait for an adventurer is being a coward. Sure, being bold has its moments, but if all an adventurer has is boldness, it’ll just get them killed.”

That applied to every adventurer, no matter who they were. Jin and Diana were no exception. They always kept a bit of fear in their hearts, constantly gauging what they could and couldn’t do. Without that caution, only death awaited.

“If that’s the case, then you already have the most important trait. And not only that—you’re able to acknowledge it. That’s far more valuable than someone who can’t admit their weaknesses. I think you’ve got real potential as an adventurer.”

“…………”

Hearing Jin’s words, something stirred inside Tepen. Then Diana added her own thoughts.

“The first step is always the scariest. But once you take it, you’ll forget all about the fear.”

Ah…)

They were the same words Diana had once said to Liko, back before she started attending Indigo Academy, when Diana had visited her home.

“You looked a lot happier back then than you do now. And those Pokémon of yours—they’re companions you met on your adventures, right? Aren’t you ashamed to drag them into something so dishonest?”

Hearing Diana’s words, Tepen looked around at the Pokémon by his side, one by one. Each of them trusted him deeply, showing nothing but pure affection. The guilt of having used that trust for wrongdoing overwhelmed him, and tears spilled from his eyes as he began to sob.

“…I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

As Tepen repeated his apologies through tears, even his Pokémon—like Lampent and the others—began to tear up as well. Seeing this, Jin and the others were certain: Tepen wouldn’t repeat his mistakes.

---

Later that day…

Evening fell, and Jin and the others returned to Tepen’s shop—the first place they’d visited. After gathering the scattered items into a neat pile, Tepen bowed his head in sincere apology.

“I truly am sorry… I’m going to start over from scratch. Someday, I’ll head out on an excavation again—with these guys by my side!”

“You better. Promise me.”

“Oh, right… I also need to apologize to that woman. I won’t be selling the Poké Ball anymore.”

They had nearly forgotten the original reason for all this. Tepen had stolen the ancient Poké Ball to sell it to someone.

“You mean the person who wanted this Poké Ball?”

“What kind of person were they?”

“W-Well… she was a young female Poké Ball craftsman. Said she’d buy any rare Poké Ball, no matter the price.”

“A Poké Ball craftsman…”

“And I promised I’d deliver it to her here.”

Tepen pulled a sheet of paper from his inner pocket. Liko unfolded it to reveal a hand-drawn map indicating the location of what was likely the Poké Ball artisan’s workshop.

“This sounds interesting. We don’t have any solid plans—why not check it out?”

“Yeah!”

And so, the Rising Volt Tacklers had their next destination. They were about to return to the Brave Olivine to prepare—but just as the others started walking back, Jin remained behind.

“U-Um… is there still something…?”

Still a bit shaken from being caught stealing the Poké Ball earlier, Tepen cautiously addressed him.

“That Sleep Powder you used earlier… would you sell me some?”

“Eh!? Y-You want that stuff?”

“Jin!? Are you seriously buying that!?”

“Why not? It could be useful. So—how about it?”

“O-Of course, I don’t mind… In fact, as an apology, you can have it for free—”

Tepen tried to offer it for free as a gesture of apology, but Jin raised a hand to stop him.

“Tepen. I believe your product has value. That’s why I’m choosing to buy it. Don’t sell it for nothing.”

“…………”

“Besides, if you’re going to dig up ruins again, you’ll need funds. Put it toward that.”

Exploring ruins was a romantic endeavor—but it also required a massive amount of money. The rewards were high if you struck gold, but the risks were higher. Even a little extra funding could make a huge difference.

“…Understood.”

“Good. Now—do you have any other interesting products?”

“Let’s see… How about this? I call it my Homemade Ultra-Strong Burn Serum! Even Fire-type Pokémon will suffer burns after drinking it!”

“Ohh…”

Jin curiously examined the new item Tepen held out. Given that the Sleep Powder had been real, it seemed reasonable to assume this one might work too.

“Whoa, cool!”

“But wait… if you have to drink it to trigger the effect…”

“Then you could only use it on your own Pokémon. That’s pointless, isn’t it?”

Unlike the Sleep Powder, which could be used as a last-ditch all-or-nothing tactic, this Burn Serum only worked on the user’s own Pokémon—and all it did was inflict a burn. Everyone present had the same thought: it was basically useless.

But then—

“…Alright. I’ll take that too.”

“““Ehh!?”””

“Much obliged, young master!”

From “boy” when they first met, to “brat” when they clashed, and now “young master”—Tepen’s attitude shifted completely. His fear had melted away, and as Jin eagerly praised and bought his oddball products, Tepen gradually began to open his heart.

“Jin…”

“He really does have some weird collecting habits…”

Meanwhile, Liko and the others gave Jin a side-eye, baffled by his growing collection of bizarre items.

---

Note from the author:

Among all the characters introduced in the Pokémon Horizons anime, Tepen is actually one of my personal favorites. The items Jin bought today will show up again in the story, and if the opportunity arises, I’d love to bring Tepen back now and then.

Word Count: 5.7k

✨✨✨