Chapter 64: Assembly

When a young, scholarly-looking mayor wearing gold-rimmed glasses arrived at the shrine, Mayu recounted the whole event to him once again.

As the mayor listened and flipped through the manga, he raised his head slightly, a sharp gleam flashing across his lenses!

Being a mayor who had won his position through a background in commerce, he had instantly caught the business opportunity hidden behind it!

During this time of year, Maiden's Peak relied solely on the legend of the maiden to attract a large number of tourists, but aside from that, it possessed no other standout features.

Especially with the renowned Celadon City nearby, alongside the emerging Port Yucho, Maiden's Peak appeared completely eclipsed by comparison.

If this manga were to circulate widely, allowing more young people to learn about this place and fall in love with it, thereby attracting a greater influx of tourists, they could host stage plays, foster subcultures, hold comic conventions, and sell merchandise just like other major cities, which would inevitably boost the local popularity.

"I heard you plan to donate this manga to the shrine?"

"That is correct." Mayu nodded. Although it had consumed a great deal of time and effort, he had never intended to use the manga for profit.

However, to his surprise, upon hearing this, the mayor offered a different suggestion: "Conceiving the storyline and drawing it out must have been extremely taxing. How about this, I intend to offer a sum of money to buy out the copyright. What do you think?"

"Eh? Buy it out?" Mayu was momentarily stunned. "But this manga was adapted from the legend of Maiden's Peak in the first place, so what copyright do I really have? Besides, whether it will truly become popular remains an unknown."

"As for that matter, I naturally have my ways." The mayor's expression showed little concern over potential setbacks. "With the combined strength of the entire town of Maiden's Peak, I believe that with just a bit of hype, we can still achieve considerable results."

In truth, Mayu understood that the other party wished to acquire it at a low price now, thereby avoiding any future benefit disputes and unnecessary troubles regardless of how the project developed.

Yet, obtaining a sum of money could be considered an unexpected windfall for Mayu, so why would he object?

To show his sincerity, the mayor ultimately decided to fund an amount of 200,000, transferring it directly to purchase all the copyrights. This immediately replenished Mayu's nearly depleted savings, making him well-off once again.

After signing the contract and leaving the shrine, Mayu directly transferred 100,000 to Koharu, asking her to pass it on to her mother.

Before long, Sakuragi Yoshino called. Initially, she refused to accept the money under any circumstances, but after Mayu persuaded her with every possible argument, she finally agreed to keep it.

By now, the affairs at Maiden's Peak had finally reached a complete conclusion!

From now on, with the continuous printing of the manga, the Ghostly Haunter would never have to worry about the story of the maiden's ghost being forgotten, and could wholeheartedly travel alongside Mayu forever!

...

In the remote outskirts of Celadon City.

Wearing a Gengar mask and draped in a black cloak, Mayu walked slowly toward a heavily guarded temporary encampment.

Upon spotting someone dressed in such a suspicious outfit, the guard officers immediately drew their firearms and swarmed forward.

"Hold it right there! Who are you?!"

Mayu replied with complete composure, "Handsome sent for me. Please announce my arrival."

The officers eyed him suspiciously. One of them made a phone call to verify, and after a brief wait, Handsome emerged from inside, looking somewhat weary.

"Aha? Why are you wearing that mask again? Hurry up and take it off."

Mayu shook his head, flatly refusing.

"No way. The lesson Team Rocket taught me is still vivid in my mind. From now on, whenever something like this happens, wearing a mask is much safer."

"But you're already on their blacklist, aren't you? Even if you disguise yourself now, isn't it a bit too late?" Handsome smiled helplessly. Seeing that Mayu remained unmoved, he dropped the subject. "I really don't know what to do with you. Fine, follow me inside."

Inside the camp, heavily armed special police officers and swarms of Growlithe were everywhere. In the corner, Mayu even caught sight of rows of armored vehicles and helicopters!

"Deploying this much weaponry and equipment—it seems you're determined to win this time."

"Naturally," Handsome nodded. "We have locked down the exact location of the Team Rocket base. Besides the underground passage in the game corner, we've even discovered another route outside the city!"

Noticing that Handsome had started panting after speaking only a few sentences, Mayu couldn't help asking, "How are your injuries?"

Handsome waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing too serious, but the doctor told me to rest and avoid overly strenuous exercise. If it weren't for such an emergency, they wouldn't have let me out of the hospital no matter what."

Mentioning this, one had to marvel at the medical standards of this world. Not only humans, but those Pokémon as well—no matter how severely injured they were in the wild, as long as they received treatment from Nurse Joy at a Pokémon Center, they were guaranteed to be bursting with vitality and ready to battle again by the very next day!

"Then why did you still come to join this operation?" Mayu asked curiously. "You International Police officers—don't tell me you're the only one working your heart out?"

"Of course not." Handsome motioned for Mayu to look around, speaking with a hint of pride. "Look at the officers nearby; they were all dispatched directly from headquarters. Even my superior is here, currently overseeing everything from the command post ahead!"

Just as Mayu was about to reply, he spotted a familiar figure up ahead.

A curvaceous figure, long straight black hair, paired with black stockings that made it impossible for anyone to look away. Set against an exquisite face, a pair of cold, serene eyes was quietly gazing right at him!

It turned out to be Sabrina, whom he hadn't seen in days!

To think she had actually come to this operation as well!

On second thought, it made sense. Since the International Police needed to cooperate with the Pokémon League, Sabrina resided in Saffron City, which was not far from Celadon City, so naturally she would be considered a top priority.

Mayu walked over briskly and greeted her.

"When we parted last time, you said we would meet again soon. I never expected that just a few days later, we'd be fighting side by side once again!"

Sabrina's gaze seemed to pierce right through Mayu's mask, looking straight into his eyes!

"I guessed you would come, so I was waiting here for you in advance. It seems my intuition was right after all."

Hearing this, Handsome took a step back in shock!

What on earth was going on?!

This aloof, psychic beauty was actually speaking to someone in *that* tone of voice?!

In truth, Handsome had only met Sabrina a handful of times. The reason he was able to enlist Sabrina's help during the Silph Co. incident last time was largely thanks to the mediation and communication of the Pokémon Association.

Yet, even so, he knew Sabrina's personality well. If they were merely ordinary acquaintances, how could Sabrina possibly take the initiative to come out and welcome him?

It seemed that if these two hadn't forged a friendship and tacit understanding during their previous battle, something else entirely must have happened between them!

"By the way..." Mayu flipped open his backpack and took out the last gift box containing perfume. "I bought this gift. Take it as a token of my gratitude for what happened last time. Please be sure to accept it!"