"It looks like there's nothing left for us here in Sevenleaf Town. Let's move on to the next one."
After spending the entire morning scouting without any results, Jack decided not to waste any more time. He gave a quick word to Haunter and set off, leaving the town behind.
As usual, Haunter melted into Jack's shadow, ready to rest while still serving as his hidden bodyguard.
Once outside the town limits, Jack naturally slipped into his usual routine—staying far away from any people, blending into the quiet wilderness.
But despite the isolation, something didn't feel right.
A chill crept up Jack's spine.
A dark silhouette began to emerge behind him—and Haunter immediately surfaced from Jack's shadow, his eyes fixed behind them. That confirmed it: Jack wasn't imagining things.
Someone's following me? Jack instinctively assumed it might be a bounty hunter.
But after a moment's thought, he reconsidered.
No… if it were an assassin, they'd be more discreet. It was more likely a thief.
After all, he had dropped over 300,000 credits in one go to stock up on healing items—definitely enough to attract unwanted attention.
Jack was about to have Haunter hide and set up a series of traps when the figure finally came into full view.
But it wasn't a person—it was a Pokémon.
Just one look, and Jack recognized it immediately: a Honedge, a Steel/Ghost-type Pokémon.
It looked just like a sword in a scabbard. The sheath was a weathered brown with eerie ghost-like patterns etched into the metal. A single blue eye on the hilt marked the creature's true body.
At the base of the hilt trailed a long blue ribbon with forked, finger-like tips, swaying and curling like a living limb.
The blade itself remained hidden inside the scabbard—only unsheathing during battle.
According to legend, Honedge is born when the soul of the dead possesses an ancient sword. It's said to attach itself to humans and drain their life force.
That blue ribbon? It wraps around the arm of anyone who grabs the hilt—and slowly drains their vitality until they die.
There's even a rumor—no, a curse.
They say anyone killed by a Honedge doesn't pass on peacefully. Instead, their soul becomes trapped—doomed to become the next spirit inside the blade, continuing the cycle.
That's why most people avoid Honedge like the plague.
But Jack wasn't like most people—he had Ghost power.
From his own experiments and system readings, Jack had discovered that Ghost Power was far more potent than the system description made it seem.
When dealing with ghost-types that drain life, his Specter Power protected him from their draining effects.
And more than that—it accelerated the growth of newly born ghost Pokémon. Staying close to Jack caused them to mature faster.
That's why Gastly had suddenly appeared beside him one day—and why it stuck around, eventually evolving into Haunter.
So when Jack scanned the Honedge using his system, he immediately understood why it had approached him.
"Hey there, little guy. I've got something tasty—want some?"
Jack reached into his bag and pulled out some high-grade Ghost-type food.
He wasn't being cheesy—when dealing with newborn ghost-types like Honedge, food was by far the most effective lure.
If the Pokémon was ambitious and craved power, you had to win them over with strength and the promise of growth.
But for young, newly formed Pokémon like this, comfort and good food worked wonders.
Veteran Pokémon? Those took time and patience—earning their trust little by little.
Sure enough, when Honedge saw the food in Jack's hand—and sensed the aura of Ghost Power—it let down its guard and drifted closer, smiling as it nibbled on the offering.
Like Haunter, Honedge was very pleased with the ghost-specific food Jack offered.
Of course, Haunter now required Ghost/Poison-type blends, which were significantly more expensive. Luckily, after completing the Kusaka Hideki job, Jack could afford to be generous.
"How about it, buddy?" Jack said gently, stroking the soft blue ribbon at the hilt's end. "Want to come with me? I've got plenty more where that came from."
The Honedge hovered quietly for a second—then nodded.
Jack smiled.
He took out a Poké Ball and calmly captured the sword Pokémon before anything could interrupt.
Once the Honedge was safely stored, Jack turned and quickly left the area.
Just moments after he disappeared into the trees, two figures arrived—too late.
They searched around the place where Honedge had appeared but found nothing.
Later, in a more secluded clearing, Jack released Honedge again and used the system to scan its stats.
Pokémon: Honedge
Gender: Male
Ability: No Guard
Level: 1 (newly born)
Basic Skills:
Tackle (Lv.1)
Slash (Lv.1)
Inherited Skills:
Destiny Bond (Lv.1)
Wide Guard (Lv.1)
Block (Lv.1)
Jack was very pleased.
While the number of inherited moves didn't directly reflect a Pokémon's potential, having multiple inherited skills usually indicated a stronger lineage.
Especially for physical attackers like Honedge, these were very promising.
Jack's ideal second partner had always been a Pokémon capable of powerful physical offense—and Honedge fit the bill perfectly.
After all, its final evolution, Aegislash, had an astonishing base 140 Attack in Sword Form, which exceeded even Jack's expectations.
But that wasn't all—Aegislash could also switch to Shield Form, with 140 Defense and 140 Special Defense, making it a perfect all-rounder.
As a Steel/Ghost-type, Honedge had only a few real weaknesses—Fire, Ground, and Dark.
But due to its natural levitation, many Ground-type moves wouldn't even affect it.
Most other attacks were significantly resisted.
That's why, when Honedge chose to follow him, Jack knew he'd struck gold.
Now, he just hoped the next Pokémon he caught would be just as extraordinary.
With the bounty money in hand, Jack was no longer limited to raising only two partners.
He was ready to start building a full team.