"The one with the Toxicroak," Itsuki said with a faint smile, like he had already seen through everything.
His "friend" had sent people after Reiji before, and Reiji had gotten away. Itsuki later checked the ship's surveillance footage and eventually matched the disguised Trainer to Reiji. If he had not gone through the footage himself, no one would have guessed that the Trainer he had invited to become a sailor, the Trainer who had killed his "friend", and the Trainer who had torn through the black market battles were all the same person.
"You figured that out too?" Reiji's killing intent stirred the moment he heard it, but he kept it buried. He could not kill Itsuki here.
If Itsuki died in this place, everyone would know who had done it. Whatever bond Reiji had with Blaine would end right there.
"I checked the cameras." Itsuki sighed and looked at him. "I know your secret now. Are you going to kill me to keep me quiet?"
"Why would I? I only went there to play a few matches. Nothing serious." Reiji's eyes shifted for a second. His thoughts were a mess. He really had slipped this time. No one could be underestimated. Fortunately, this particular secret was not too damaging. Even if Itsuki had seen through it, it was not the end of the world.
"Are you with Team Rocket?"
"No."
Reiji answered without the slightest hesitation. Itsuki looked away and fell silent, as if sorting through something in his head.
Now Reiji was interested. What exactly was this kid trying to do? At this point, Itsuki had practically laid all his cards on the table. He had exposed Reiji knowing full well it might get him killed. There had to be a reason.
"Team Rocket came to you?" Reiji asked, testing him.
"Yes. Not long ago." Itsuki admitted it without hesitation. "They told me everything. What was behind my so-called best friend. What was behind my father. Then they used my father to threaten me and told me to steal Blaine's research."
"Tch. Those leeches really are disgusting." Reiji had no energy left to curse Team Rocket properly. Calling them gutter rats was not even an insult; it was just accurate. "Why tell me this?"
"I want to join you," Itsuki said at last.
"Join me?" Reiji caught the wording at once. "Why are you saying it like there's more than one of me?"
"You know what I mean." Itsuki looked straight at him. "Spider."
The moment he said the name, he was ready to die.
"Who told you—"
"No one told me. You didn't deny it either." Itsuki cut him off with a smile. He had guessed right. This man really was Spider. That had been dangerous, but now that he knew, the rest became easier.
"Smiling Spider. Leader of the Spider Pirates. An Elite Four-tier Trainer. Known Pokémon: Spinarak, Toxicroak, Gengar, Swampert, Weezing…"
"You were baiting me." Reiji realized he had been played. He stood up in the hot spring and stared hard at Itsuki, like he was looking at a dead man.
Who would have thought Itsuki would connect Toxicroak and Spinarak to the Spider identity in the Orange Archipelago and use that to pressure him?
His reaction just now had been too sharp. That was why Itsuki had become certain he was Smiling Spider. Reiji had walked right into the trap and let something slip.
"So I really do have to die." Itsuki let out a soft laugh. There was almost relief in it. "Go ahead. If I guess your identity, I die. If I work for Team Rocket, I die. Same ending either way."
"You should have gone to Blaine." Reiji saw how calm Itsuki was, completely unafraid of death. He did not move right away. Instead, he sat back down in the hot spring, ready to hear what game this kid was playing.
"Heh. You think the League or Team Rocket cares about two disposable pieces?" Itsuki gave a bitter laugh. "The only person who could take down my father's friend quietly was my father itself. And my father betrayed Team Rocket. No matter which side he chooses now, he has no way out."
"Oh? Your father told you that?"
"I guessed. My Uncle and my "friend" both disappeared too strangely. Visiting relatives? Come on. My uncle didn't even have relatives."
"Tch. So what do you want, and what can you give me?" Reiji was honestly impressed now. Itsuki had seen more than Reiji expected. Since they had already come this far, the rest was simple.
"I want to live. I want my father to live. I want my mother to live." Itsuki saw Reiji finally loosen up, and he grabbed that last lifeline with everything he had.
"That's why you want to join us. Fine. What can you offer me?" Reiji smiled. A person with something to ask for was easy to deal with. What he feared was a lunatic who did not care about dying and wanted to drag him down too.
"I can give you this. It should be my uncle's final asset. It was probably meant for his son. My father gave it to me when he sent me to the Gym." Itsuki tossed him a Poké Ball. This was the biggest payment he could offer. He wanted Spider to save his family.
"What is this?" Reiji took the Poké Ball and opened the panel. His pupils tightened.
This was no small payment.
[Bagon]
[Type: Dragon]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 58%]
[Level: 7.21%]
[Ability: Rock Head/3.12%][Hidden Ability: Sheer Force/1.32%]
Holy shit. Bagon. A top-quality Bagon.
Reiji's mind was roaring. The hand holding the Poké Ball trembled slightly. Another pseudo-legendary had been placed right in front of him, and this one was excellent. It even had two abilities.
The price of taking this Bagon was saving Itsuki's family from Team Rocket.
"I refuse." Reiji handed the Poké Ball back. His face showed none of the heat burning inside him. He looked completely uninterested.
"Why?" Itsuki did not take it. He was too stunned. "That's a pseudo-legendary."
Reiji's face was blank, and Itsuki could not understand it. Who refused a pseudo-legendary placed right in front of them? Was this guy insane? Even killing him and taking the Poké Ball would have made more sense.
"The enemy is Team Rocket. I'm not confident." Reiji shook his head. This family of three had two double agents in it. He would have to be crazy to jump into that mess. He had no plans to die early.
"That makes me want to join you even more," Itsuki said, finally letting out a breath.
This man had lines he would not cross. At the very least, he was not so greedy that he would kill someone the moment there was profit in it. He had refused a pseudo-legendary. How many people could do that?
"Do what you want. Keep the pseudo-legendary." Reiji waved it off while thinking through what problems Itsuki might bring if he joined Spider.
After turning it over in his head, he realized there was not much risk as long as Itsuki kept quiet. If anything, he might gain the future support of two Elite Four-tier Trainers.
The League had not moved against Itsuki's father yet. That probably meant they had promised him something. Blaine, at least, must have promised something. Itsuki clearly had not talked this through with his father, so he had no idea. Otherwise, he would not be at the Gym.
Sending Itsuki to the Gym was not just a matter of connections. It looked more like protection. Itsuki had not realized that, especially after Team Rocket approached him and shaped how he saw the situation.
Team Rocket had not moved against his father either, probably because of his strength and because he was still useful. If his father was an Elite Four-tier Trainer, they would need at least two Elite Four-tier Trainers to deal with him safely.
If an Elite Four-tier Trainer escaped, that would be a headache no one wanted. Someone would have to spend the rest of their life looking over their shoulder.
On top of that, Team Rocket had been pushing into the Orange Archipelago, and their top people were probably tied up. That would also explain why they had not touched Itsuki's father yet.
If Itsuki grew strong enough, then Reiji could end up with two Elite Four-tier Trainers under him. Itsuki's Pokémon did not seem bad either. Reiji suddenly wanted to check them.
"Let me see all your Poké Balls."
"Here." Itsuki handed them over without hesitating. There was probably an Elite Four-tier Gengar sitting in Reiji's shadow. Resisting was pointless. It was better to show trust from the start.
Reiji admired how quickly Itsuki understood the situation. He took the Poké Balls and checked the panels.
"Gallade, 66. Feraligatr, 71. Starmie, 64. Pidgeot, 62. Houndoom, 61. Flareon, 63. Sharpedo, 60. Gyarados, 67. Ampharos, 70. Flygon, 68. Scyther, 53. Bagon, 58…"
Well, damn.
Those were good.
After checking both teams, twelve Pokémon in total, Reiji had to admit that Itsuki had serious potential. Every Pokémon had potential above the Elite Four threshold. Becoming an Elite Four-tier Trainer in the future should not be hard for him. Becoming a stronger, more established one was a different matter.
The Bagon had the best ceiling and might even reach quasi-Champion tier one day. Feraligatr and Ampharos were excellent too. Gallade, Starmie, Gyarados, Flygon, and the others could reach the higher end of Elite Four tier if given enough time.
This kid was valuable. Better yet, he came with his own resources. Compared with the little ones Reiji had to raise from scratch, feed, train, and drag out for wild practice, Itsuki was far easier to use.
"Put them away." Reiji returned the Poké Balls. His mood had shifted fast, from anger to interest. Itsuki was useful. He could become a triple agent: League, Team Rocket, and Spider.
"What? Is something wrong?" Itsuki had seen Reiji get excited for a moment, then calm down just as quickly, and he was confused.
"Nothing. You're lucky." Reiji smiled. "You can join us, but for now you hide your identity. Don't tell your father Team Rocket contacted you. Adults can make a mess of things too."
"Then what do I do about Team Rocket's task?" That was the hardest part for Itsuki. On one side was his family. On the other was the mission. How was he supposed to choose?
"Idiot. Why do you think your father sent you here?" Reiji, standing outside the situation, could see it more clearly than Itsuki could. "Do you think it's easier for Team Rocket to control you, or to control your father?"
"You mean… my father sent me here to protect me?" Itsuki's eyes widened as the pieces finally clicked.
"Obviously. Who do you think Blaine is? You think he's weak? You think even you could beat him? Team Rocket wants to snatch someone out of Blaine's hands?"
"Blaine is an Elite Four-tier Trainer. Team Rocket couldn't…" Itsuki stopped mid-sentence.
He finally understood.
His father did not need him to protect him. His mother was here too. Blaine was protecting them. That was why his father had sent him to Cinnabar Gym.
But another fear rose immediately.
"Could Team Rocket use us to—"
"If you act stupid, maybe." Reiji relaxed a little. Itsuki was only trapped because he was too deep inside the situation to see it clearly.
Solving this was not complicated. With Itsuki and his mother here, Team Rocket could not easily touch them. His father was not easy to touch either. If he could not win, did Team Rocket think he would not run?
"But my father is still in danger," Itsuki said, still worried.
"If you're safe, your father is safer too." Reiji explained with a smile. "If something happens to your father, and Team Rocket has already told you everything, who do you think you'll go after?"
"Team Rocket," Itsuki said through clenched teeth. If his parents died, he would fall completely to the League and spend his life hunting Team Rocket.
"Exactly." Reiji spread his hands. He did not tell Itsuki the rest of his guess. If Itsuki's father really was Elite Four-tier, that could wait. Better to let Itsuki prepare for the worst.
"I get it now. As long as I'm alive, my father is safe."
"Congratulations. You finally caught up." Reiji did not say the harsher part out loud: even if Team Rocket killed Itsuki's father, they might not care about one weak revenge seeker. Some things were better left unsaid.
"Thank you for explaining it. Please take this Pokémon." Now that Itsuki had figured things out, he pushed Bagon toward Reiji again. He was already tied to Spider now, and there was no walking away. If he tried, he might die before his father did.
For now, this triangle still held. If it ever broke in the future, he would need Spider's help. Spider already had two Elite Four-tier Trainers, and there would only be more later. Itsuki had decided to hold tight to this lifeline.
"No." Reiji pushed the Poké Ball back. "Keep it. What you need most right now is strength. If the worst happens and no one can change it, you'll need the power to take revenge yourself. That Bagon is your future."
Itsuki looked down at the Poké Ball. After being refused twice, he finally understood. Spider was not as vicious as the rumors said. At the very least, its leader had limits. A man like that could still be trusted more than Team Rocket.
"Get stronger," Reiji said, patting him on the shoulder. "Your life should be something you can protect yourself. Don't leave it in someone else's hands."
He climbed out of the hot spring, dried off, and started toward the door.
"What about Team Rocket's mission?" Itsuki asked.
"Stall them," Reiji said without looking back. "If they want you to work for them, make them pay for it. They can't expect results while giving you nothing."
The door closed behind him.
Itsuki stayed in the pool, quietly turning those words over.
Make them pay for it.
A slow smile appeared on his face. Now he knew how to deal with Team Rocket. The pressure that had been crushing him finally eased. From here on, his job was simple: get stronger. Once he was strong enough, a lot of problems would stop being problems—just like they had for Spider.
Most things were not that complicated once someone pointed them out. Itsuki had just been too sheltered to see the angles. The fact that he had already pieced together his father's betrayal, Team Rocket's involvement, and the danger closing in from both sides was impressive enough.
He was still a teenager. When it came down to it, he chose his family. Exposing Spider had been his last attempt to survive, and he had done it knowing he might die for it. Caught between the League and Team Rocket, he had handled himself better than most people would.
Not everyone was born a schemer. If a teenager could already think that far ahead, what was Reiji, a man in his thirties, supposed to be?
City life really was full of traps. Maybe he should just go back to the countryside and fish.
Then again, the best kind of fishing was when the fish jumped onto the hook by itself.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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