Day 7 on the way to Johto. Cloudy.
When Reiji got up that morning, he and Itsuki acted as if nothing had happened. They washed up, sat down together for breakfast, and went about their own business like usual.
After breakfast, Reiji was leaving.
Now that he had the map to the lake with the crystal, his first stop had to be there. Zapdos came first. Everything else could wait until after he solved that problem.
As for Itsuki, his job was to stay quiet and keep his head down. Once he reached quasi–Elite Four tier, he would at least be able to protect himself. If he became an Elite Four-tier Trainer, he would have enough weight to bargain.
For now, all he had to do was play his part. As long as Team Rocket had to think twice before moving against someone inside Cinnabar Gym, that was enough.
After breakfast, everyone left the Gym to see Reiji off. He had meant to tell them there was no need, but Amber held his hand and refused to let go, so he could only walk down the mountain with her.
At the harbor, Blaine handed him a ticket. He had prepared it ahead of time, along with the three Pokémon that had been treated overnight.
"You little brat. With how careful you are, I won't nag." Blaine let go of the ticket with a smile. He looked almost like a grandfather watching his grandchild leave home. "If you run into trouble you can't handle out there, call me."
"I know, I know. You sound like my mom before I leave the house." Reiji curled his lip. He meant his mother from his previous life. In this world, he had no parents, and he had even arrived here 10 years younger.
"Oh, you brat." Blaine laughed despite himself and knocked him lightly on the head.
Elisia covered her mouth and laughed. She knew Reiji was an orphan. Maybe the boy missed home. Maybe he missed having family.
Damn pirates. They were practically orphan-makers. Most orphans at sea existed because of them.
"Rai-nii." Amber did not understand the adults' conversation. She stood on tiptoe, trying to make herself taller so she could whisper to Reiji.
"Amber?" Reiji crouched down. Amber was wearing a hat today, hiding her blue hair so no one would recognize her.
"Mewtwo came to see me," Amber whispered into his ear, both hands cupped around her mouth so only the two of them could hear.
"Did it?" Reiji smiled and ruffled her hair. He did not say Mewtwo's name out loud. He had already known that one would come to find her.
"Vee." Eevee saw them whispering and jumped onto Amber's shoulder, licking her fingers.
"Ah! Eevee." Amber quickly pulled her hands away and looked at the Eevee on her shoulder. She had gotten close to it last night, and she had an Eevee of her own too.
"Eevee, don't be naughty. Come back." Reiji clapped his hands with a smile, and Eevee climbed along his arm back onto his shoulder, rubbing against his cheek.
"Heehee." Amber reached out to tease Eevee, delighted. She had just shared a secret only they knew, and that little secret made her giggle happily.
"Amber, I have to go now. Keep working hard, okay?" Reiji stood up, lifting his hand from her hair. Blaine and Elisia were smiling at him. Tania was there too, but Itsuki had not come down to say goodbye.
"Amber will be going to the Orange Archipelago soon to compete in the Orange tournament," Blaine said. "Did your Gym tell you about that?"
"Not yet." Reiji shook his head. He had not heard it officially, though Senta had mentioned it once. Cissy and Senta would both be entering too.
There were two ways to join this Orange tournament. Trainers who collected all four Badges could enter the group stage directly. Trainers without Badges had to go through the preliminaries and win four matches to qualify.
Reiji did not have time to collect Badges, so he would probably take the preliminary route. By the time he got back from Johto, the tournament should be about ready to start.
"They didn't?" Blaine rubbed his chin, wondering whether Mikan Gym had not had time to tell him or had its own plans. This tournament was tied to the Elite Four selection. Only the highest-ranking Trainers would qualify as reserves and compete for the four Elite Four seats in the Orange Archipelago.
"I'll see how it goes. If I make it back in time, I'll enter. If not, there's nothing I can do." Reiji smiled helplessly. He had no idea how long Zapdos's treatment would take. It might be months, for all he knew. Hopefully, he could still make it.
"Fair enough." Blaine was not worried about Reiji reaching Elite Four tier. Even after the four seats were decided, there would still be Elite Four challenges. Weak Trainers had no right to sit in those positions forever. He believed Reiji had the strength to challenge them.
"Bye, Amber." Reiji waved, walked up the gangway, and boarded the ship. From the deck, he waved down at the four of them.
What he did not see was Itsuki standing at the entrance to the Gym halfway up the mountain, watching him board. There were other gazes too, faint and scattered, also fixed on him.
The ship's horn sounded.
As the passenger ship pulled away from the harbor, Reiji stayed by the railing until Cinnabar Island disappeared into the distance and Blaine's group was no longer visible. Only then did he head into the ship and rent a training room so he could keep training his Pokémon.
Last night's hot spring had washed away the fatigue everyone had built up. Now they could keep training under gravity. The younger ones still had a long way to go.
While Reiji trained in the room, several people had already begun moving. They went to his cabin and started setting up a trap, waiting for him to walk into it.
Reiji knew nothing about that. He was in the training room, studying the map Blaine had given him.
The lake with the crystal was near Blackthorn City in Johto, Lance's hometown. Blackthorn Gym was there too, run by Lance's younger cousin, Clair.
But Reiji had no plans to enter Blackthorn City. The lake was in the forest between Mahogany Town and Blackthorn City. Now that he knew exactly where it was, he could head straight there.
The map also marked the Lake of Life, deep in a large forest in Johto's northwest. Its water could heal Pokémon too, and it was even more miraculous than the lake with the crystal.
The crystal lake only worked on Electric-type Pokémon. The Lake of Life worked on all Pokémon. If he had time, he wanted to take his team there and let them soak, just in case any of them had hidden injuries he had not noticed.
Since he had his destination, he would get off at New Bark Town in southeastern Johto. The ship would reach it in 3 days.
He could technically take the high-speed rail, but he would have to go inland to Viridian City first. At that point, the travel time was about the same, so he might as well stay on the ship.
Once he reached New Bark Town, the starting point of Johto, he would not stop. He would fly through the night with Pelipper and Pidgeot carrying him. One day and one night should be enough to reach the lake.
The full trip would take 4 days. That left 3 more days for training. Pelipper and Pidgeot would rest properly on the third day instead of training, since they would have to fly for 24 hours after that.
Reiji set the map down and took a drink of water. The weight in his chest finally eased a little. With the route settled, he could relax enough to jog for a while before going back to his room for a shower.
Time passed. The exhausting day ended quickly. Once his Pokémon finished dinner, Reiji recalled them into their Poké Balls. There would be no night training. They had spent the whole day under gravity, and the training load was already two or three times heavier than before. There was no need to push more.
He returned to the upper-deck sea-view cabin area, ready to rest. Before he could reach his room, Gengar stopped him from inside his shadow.
Gengar sensed something wrong with the corridor.
"What is it?" Reiji looked down the brightly lit hallway. There was no one there, and nothing seemed out of place. Was something hidden?
"Gen, gen." Gengar did not know whether Reiji understood, so it pointed at him and raised three fingers.
"People? Three of them?" Reiji understood the gesture, and Gengar nodded repeatedly.
Then Gengar pointed to itself, meaning the people were strong. One of the humans had a Pokémon nearby that could threaten it.
"Elite Four tier?" Reiji asked.
Gengar nodded again.
Reiji was already stepping backward.
An Elite Four-tier Trainer was after him. Since when? When had he been marked? And why would someone that strong need an ambush to deal with him? That was absurdly cautious. A seasoned dirty fighter, no question.
The moment he left the corridor, Reiji went straight to the railing. Without hesitating, he vaulted over the side and dropped into the sea.
The tourists nearby cried out in shock. Some thought someone had jumped overboard to kill himself.
Right after Reiji disappeared into the water, three people reached the railing. They watched him sink beneath the surface and vanish.
"Kid's decisive," said a middle-aged man in a black jacket. A coin badge gleamed on his chest. He waved once, and the two people behind him jumped after Reiji.
The man stared at the calm sea. He had not expected the kid to come out on his own. If Reiji had stayed inside the Gym, there would have been nothing they could do. But now that he was out, he was fair game.
When the man heard the kid was a Trainer from Mikan Gym and had a legendary Dark-type Pokémon, he decided he might as well settle the matter of his missing nephew too.
Reiji, meanwhile, had already been carried around to the other side of the ship by Carvanha. Golbat quietly lifted him back aboard. He was soaked from head to toe, but the forced cold-water bath had at least washed away the smell of sweat.
He could not worry about the water trail he left behind. Golbat carried him over a balcony into one of the sea-view rooms. Reiji opened the window, entered the room, took a shower, and changed into clean clothes.
Once dressed, he left the wet entry point behind. At the railing, he took out a bottle of alcohol and drank a couple of mouthfuls, then poured some over his collar and hands.
Whoever those people were, alcohol would cover his scent and interfere with any Pokémon trying to track him by smell.
Next, he released Ditto and had it cover his face as a disguise. After winding through several passages, he reached a bar on the deck.
The place was full of dim, shifting colored lights. Evening was falling, and the air stank of alcohol, perfume, and cigarette smoke. Any nose that entered this room would be useless. It was the perfect place to hide.
Reiji went to the bar and ordered a drink, playing the part of a drunk who had not had enough. The strong smell of alcohol hit the server the moment he got close, but the server had seen plenty of customers like that and did not react.
With a drink in hand, Reiji turned and leaned against the bar, watching blurred figures twist and sway on the dance floor while he thought through who might be trying to kill him.
An Elite Four-tier Trainer had set up outside his room. That meant they wanted him alive, or at least dead in one clean hit. This was not some random passerby. They were there for him.
But who?
On the surface, he had not offended anyone important. If it was Team Rocket, then Spider was the one who had offended them, not Reiji.
Aside from Team Rocket, most of his known enemies were already gone. And none of them should have had an Elite Four-tier Trainer waiting for him. Reiji could not even remember when he had offended someone at that level.
After thinking it through again and again, he still had no answer.
Then one of the black-clothed men who had chased him entered the bar and began scanning the customers.
The moment Reiji saw him, he looked away. He could not risk eye contact. Experienced people were sensitive. Sometimes a hunch was all they needed; they did not need proof.
The man looked around and found nothing suspicious. Two sailors followed behind him, checking passengers' tickets.
Seeing that from the corner of his eye, Reiji knew this was bad. He had bought his ticket under his real name. If he showed it, he would be finished.
Panic would only make things worse. Reiji curled a finger and called the server over. If that man could order sailors around, he had status on the ship. The server might know who he was.
"Answer something for me, and this is yours if I like what I hear." Reiji took out a 10,000-Pokédollar bill. The server's eyes lit up at once, and he leaned closer to the money.
"Ask away, sir. If I know, I'll tell you."
"They're checking tickets over there. Who are they?" Reiji glanced sideways. The server followed his gaze and saw the black-clothed man leading sailors through the bar.
"Oh, him?" The server clearly recognized him. "He's from the Goldenrod Game Corner. See that coin badge on his chest? That's the security badge for the Goldenrod Game Corner."
"Goldenrod City? That's nowhere near here. How is he ordering sailors around?" Reiji had more questions now. What was the Goldenrod Game Corner doing here, and why would they be targeting him?
"They have gaming business on the ship, so it's normal for them to have people here. I heard their branch manager knows the first mate. Our bar manager knows the first mate too. Otherwise, with space this valuable on a passenger ship, how would a bar get a spot this good?"
"Got it." Reiji finished his drink, set the empty glass on top of the bill, and left the bar.
"Please come again, sir." The server saw the 10,000 Pokédollars still on the counter and excitedly slipped it into his pocket. Once he was sure no one had noticed, he acted as if nothing had happened and went back to wiping glasses, even whistling under his breath.
When the ticket check reached the bar, the black-clothed man and the sailors asked him whether he had seen any suspicious strangers.
"Everyone who comes here drinks, sir. I haven't seen anyone suspicious who didn't order." The server smiled politely. These people were not someone he could afford to offend. Better to answer and get them out quickly.
"Move." The black-clothed man failed to find Reiji and slammed his fist into the bar, making the server jump.
As for the customer who had asked about them earlier, the server did not find him suspicious. This was a passenger ship with people coming and going all the time. Plenty of tourists did not recognize Game Corner security.
After leaving the bar, Reiji wandered slowly across the deck. At least now he knew who was after him: Trainers from the Goldenrod Game Corner security team.
In other words, Team Rocket in disguise.
They must have spotted him on Cinnabar Island. Team Rocket probably had eyes on Blaine's place, saw Reiji appear, and reported it. He had barely boarded the ship before someone came to block him. These people really did cling like ghosts.
But why was Team Rocket chasing him?
Reiji found it baffling. He had not provoked Team Rocket as Reiji. The only time that came close was when Vicious chased Nurse Joy. That incident might have exposed him.
But Team Rocket should not be able to connect Spider to Reiji. Those two identities had no overlap. Even when Vicious chased him last time, he had been masked, and he had used Pokémon registered with the League. How would anyone jump from that to Spider?
If this was not about Spider, then why?
He went over it again and again and still could not make sense of it. If it was about the Vicious incident, Vicious should have come personally. In that case, Reiji would not even bother running. He would not get away.
If it was not about Vicious, then why did Team Rocket keep coming after him, again and again, like they were addicted to delivering him loot? This time, they had even sent an Elite Four-tier Trainer. Wasn't that giving him too much credit?
He had planned to keep training on the ship, but that was no longer possible. If his Pokémon burned too much energy and then he got hunted down, he would be dead.
He needed to leave the ship early. This was an Elite Four-tier pursuit. He could not beat that. If they found him, it was over.
The ship was only near the Indigo Plateau right now. There were still 2 days left before New Bark Town. Was he supposed to fly the rest of the way?
The only good news was that the ship was sailing close to shore. The next stop was New Bark Town, and the route was direct.
Reiji sighed inwardly. This was miserable. As fewer and fewer people stayed on deck, hiding would become harder. Once everyone went to sleep, he would stand out immediately.
He did not want to leave tonight. He was exhausted, and so were his Pokémon. Pelipper and Pidgeot were in no condition to fly. If he had known this would happen, he would not have pushed training so hard. Everyone was dead tired and wanted nothing more than a proper sleep, but who could have predicted this mess?
In the end, he decided to sleep first.
Under cover of night, he went to the stern, where the sailors' quarters were located. He found the laundry room, picked out a sailor uniform that roughly fit, checked it against himself, and changed into it.
It was just past 10 at night. He still had time to find somewhere to sleep and leave in the morning.
The safest place was not the sailors' dorm. Everyone there knew each other. Since he already reeked of alcohol, the safest place was the sailors' bar.
When he entered, no one paid much attention to one more sailor in uniform. The ship was huge and had plenty of crew; not everyone knew everyone else. That made it easier for him to blend in.
He found a sofa and sat down. This bar had the same hazy colored lights, softer music, and sailors dancing with women on the floor.
Reiji had no interest in any of it. He put in earplugs and told Gengar to watch for pickpockets. Anyone who came too close was to be hypnotized and sent away. Then he leaned back and fell asleep.
No one would guess that the person they were searching for was sleeping in the sailors' bar. To keep Ditto from dozing off, Reiji had recalled it ahead of time. The lighting here was too dim to make out faces clearly anyway, and with a hat on, no one could see him well.
So he slept there in the sailors' bar, hiding in the one place they were least likely to look. Let them search.
At that moment, the two men looking for him on the deck had already turned the ship upside down with their people and still found nothing. They were close to losing their minds. How were they supposed to explain this to their boss?
"That kid has to still be on the ship," the middle-aged man in the jacket said, frowning. "But this ship has thousands of people. How are we supposed to find him?"
The ship had more than 1,000 sailors and service staff alone, not to mention 4,000 or 5,000 passengers. Checking everyone one by one was not realistic.
If they could not find him, then they would wait for him to show himself.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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