Chapter 194
Only Mike and Gardenia remained nearby.
Gardenia found herself wondering how Mike had somehow become so familiar with Lucian.
Mike, meanwhile, was studying Gardenia and wondering whether he could persuade her to guide him to the haunted mansion.
He remembered that Gardenia had always been rather stubborn about the place.
She was clearly terrified of going inside, yet insisted that the only reason she hadn’t investigated it was because she was "too busy."
Mike blinked.
Snivy saw his expression and immediately knew he was planning something unpleasant.
Mike looked toward her.
Then he smiled.
He crouched down and whispered several sentences into her ear.
Snivy’s eyes shifted.
A slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Mike stood up again and opened the fan group on his phone.
He asked Gardenia whether she wanted to join.
The moment she saw the name The Wide World of Pokémon Fan Group, she accepted without hesitation.
{System Notice: "GengarStoleMyDrumstick" invited "ImNotAfraidOfGhosts" to join the group chat.}
[Akabara: Who’s that? Who just joined?]
Mike switched off his phone and turned toward Gardenia.
"Gardenia, would you like to go on an exciting adventure with Big Sis Snivy and us?"
Gardenia immediately became suspicious.
Something about Mike’s expression told her this "adventure" was not going to be good for her.
"Sni~"
Snivy walked over and gently rested one hand against Gardenia’s leg.
The little Grass-type gave her the sweetest possible cry.
Gardenia’s resolve nearly melted on the spot.
Mike looked suspicious but Snivy looked adorable!
Going somewhere with Snivy couldn’t possibly turn out that badly... right?
Gardenia spent several seconds convincing herself before finally asking, "What kind of adventure?"
"Exploring the haunted mansion with me."
Gardenia went completely still.
Then she practically launched herself several meters away.
She stared at Mike as though hoping she had misheard him.
"Exploring where?"
"The haunted mansion in Eterna Forest."
Mike gave her his brightest smile.
Gardenia swallowed.
"Why do you want to go there?"
Mike lifted his camera.
"To film, obviously. Where do you think all my footage comes from?"
"But... but..."
"If I’m right, there should be a lot of Ghost-type Pokémon around that mansion. If the footage turns out well, there’s a good chance I could make the next episode of The Wide World of Pokémon about Ghost-types."
Gardenia opened her mouth.
"But—"
"Miss Gardenia."
Mike’s smile somehow became even warmer.
"You wouldn’t want everyone to wait who knows how long for the next episode of The Wide World of Pokémon, would you?"
Mike stood beneath the bright sunlight.
Normally, a cheerful smile beneath warm sunlight should have made someone feel safe.
For some reason, Gardenia felt cold.
She desperately wanted to say that she had absolutely no interest in a Ghost-type episode of The Wide World of Pokémon.
Unfortunately, she was also Eterna City’s Gym Leader.
If there really was something behind the local haunted-house stories, then investigating it and giving the city’s residents an answer was technically part of her responsibility.
There had been numerous ghost sightings and rumors around Eterna lately.
As the Gym Leader responsible for the city, she couldn’t simply ignore them forever.
Usually, the problem was that she would have had to investigate alone.
Now Mike would be there.
Surely that made it... slightly less terrifying?
Gardenia was still desperately building up her courage when Snivy called out.
"Sni."
Gardenia looked down.
Snivy pointed at herself with one Vine Whip, clearly promising that she would protect her.
"Snivy says she’ll keep you safe."
𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Mike translated helpfully.
Gardenia looked at the adorable Snivy.
And her judgment failed her.
"...Okay."
Mike responded before she had any chance to reconsider.
"Perfect! Then it’s settled. I’ll come find you tomorrow, and we’ll investigate the haunted mansion together."
He immediately turned and headed toward the Gym exit before Gardenia could change her mind.
He had two reasons for bringing her.
First, Mike didn’t actually know the route, and having a local Gym Leader guide him would save considerable time.
Second...
Gardenia was almost certainly going to make the investigation much more entertaining!
As far as Mike knew, the mansion wasn’t actually dangerous.
That was the only reason he felt comfortable bringing her along.
Gardenia stared at his departing back and immediately began regretting everything.
Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed.
Could she still cancel?
...
While Gardenia suffered through her regret, Mike had already met up with Eterna City’s Officer Jenny and begun filming the promotional video they had discussed the day before.
Once filming wrapped, Jenny treated Mike to a generous dinner.
That night, back at the hotel, Mike lay on the bed and watched the completed video that had already been posted to Eterna City’s official account.
The footage showed Mike accompanying Officer Jenny through the city, touring its streets, landmarks, greenery, and historical sites.
Even though he had only spent an afternoon exploring, Mike had gained a considerably deeper understanding of Eterna City.
Whenever Jenny introduced something, Mike often added information of his own, occasionally bringing up historical details or lesser-known facts that even ordinary tourists might not know.
Near the end of the video, Mike stood facing the camera with both arms spread wide.
Behind him were traditional buildings surrounded by flowers and greenery, while Gengar and the others played nearby.
Mike drew in a deep breath.
"To me, Eterna City combines beautiful scenery with an incredible sense of history. I’ve always been interested in myths and ancient legends, which is one of the reasons I wanted to bring Pokémon from the Hisui era back into the modern world."
He smiled toward the camera.
"That’s why I really like Eterna City."
The shot changed.
The statues of Dialga and Palkia outside the museum appeared on screen while Mike read the ancient inscriptions engraved beneath them.
Then the video returned to him.
"I like Eterna City. It feels almost like a second hometown to me. The food, the scenery, the history—there’s so much here that I love."
And then, apparently overwhelmed by emotion during filming, Mike had spread his arms again and proclaimed:
"Ah~ Eterna City, my second home! How beautiful you are~"
Mike stared at himself on the screen.
Then he immediately shut off his phone.
The embarrassment was unbearable!
He had absolutely no idea what had possessed him to say that last line with such sincerity.
Mike placed his phone aside, lifted the blanket, and let Glameow and Hatenna crawl underneath before covering them properly.
Then he called across the room.
"Gengar, lights."
"Gar—"
The room fell into darkness.
"Good night."
"Gar—"
...
While Mike slept, however, Eterna City’s administrative offices were still busy.
Officer Jenny had just finished work and stepped outside when her phone rang.
The person on the other end sounded almost breathless with excitement.
Every train ticket into Eterna City for the following day had sold out.
Jenny rubbed her forehead.
She had expected Mike’s promotional video to help.
She had not expected it to work this well.
"Tell everyone to prepare. Tomorrow, I want every visitor who comes to Eterna City to experience the best service we can provide."
"Yes!"
...
In Floaroma Town, another Officer Jenny watched the sudden surge of attention toward Eterna and immediately regretted a missed opportunity.
"Why didn’t I think of asking Researcher Mike to film a promotional video for Floaroma Town while he was here? We could’ve had even more tourists!"
...
In Oreburgh City, another Officer Jenny was experiencing exactly the same regret.
"If I’d known, I would’ve asked Researcher Mike to make one for us too..."
She stopped halfway through the sentence.
Then she looked around Oreburgh City.
After several seconds of silence, she nodded to herself.
"Actually, never mind. Not filming one was probably the right choice."
Then she resumed her patrol.
...
In Jubilife City, someone watching the Eterna promotional video sighed.
"If we’d known he could do this, we should’ve had him properly introduce Jubilife too."
The video Mike had made while staying in Jubilife had focused mostly on wilderness safety rather than tourism.
...
Back in Twinleaf Town, Officer Jenny lay comfortably in bed watching Mike’s Eterna City video.
Arcanine rested beside her.
Jenny smiled and gently stroked his head.
"I told you. That guy was never going to be ordinary!"
---
Too much Jenny’s!