"We keep going," Reiji said. "Once you've invited him a couple of times, don't rush. Help him a few more times. Run into him in town. Invite him again. Make it look like you're genuinely trying to pull him onto the ship. When he finally starts relaxing around you, we move to the next part."
"He sells wild Pokémon, right? Then sooner or later, someone like him gets targeted."
"That someone will be me."
"I'll go after him. I'll beat his Pokémon, hurt him badly enough that he has no choice but to use Larvitar, and once Larvitar comes out, you step in. You save him. I'll knock him out, then you take him away."
"Don't ask for his Pokémon. Don't even mention them. Take him back to the black ship, patch him up, and treat his team. When you heal his Pokémon, make sure Larvitar is awake to see it. One other Pokémon too, if possible. Let them watch you helping."
"Then stay with him until he wakes up. Keep Larvitar beside him. When he opens his eyes, invite him again. Tell him the black ship is safe. No one can make trouble there, and besides you, no one knows he has Larvitar."
"Leave him some supplies, then back off. Let him think. Let him come to you on his own. Gengar will watch him the whole time. If you want to put hidden cameras in his room, do it."
"If he runs, that makes things easier."
"I'll chase him again. This time, I'll push him to the point where he has no way out. Before he dies, he needs to regret not choosing the black ship. He needs to tell Larvitar, with his own mouth, that you'll take care of it and the rest of his Pokémon. That handoff is the important part."
"Once he says it, we end him. The other Pokémon too."
"Only you and I know the truth. Every time we move, we use different identities and cover our scent. The Pokémon won't know who we are either. Larvitar will never know what happened. If anyone asks later, you say an old friend entrusted it to you."
Naoki swallowed.
The plan sounded calm coming out of Reiji's mouth. That made it worse.
Being Reiji's enemy would be a nightmare. He didn't just plan how to win. He planned how to make the other person choose the ending he wanted.
"Boss," Naoki asked, "what if he accepts and joins the black ship?"
"Then we let him stay there for two days."
Reiji didn't even pause.
"If he thinks no one dares to touch him on the ship, I'll prove him wrong. I'll attack him there too. By the time you arrive, he'll be barely breathing."
"In the plan, I'm weaker than you. Once you show up, I can't keep attacking or force the Pokémon away. You take him back to his room, and he entrusts Larvitar to you there. The location doesn't matter. We adjust to the situation."
"If any of his other Pokémon survive, we stage one more chase after you leave the ship. You release them, I kill them. Clean ending."
"I understand." Naoki had already written the plan into his head.
It would take time. That was the only real drawback.
But this was Larvitar.
A pseudo-legendary that could be made to listen.
Half a month for a Pokémon worth six or seven hundred million? Worth it. No question.
"One more thing," Reiji said. "People like him are suspicious by habit. When you help him, don't ask questions. Don't look curious. Don't make him think you noticed Larvitar. If he brings it up first, fine. Otherwise, you only invite him to work under you on the black ship."
"What you need to show is presence. Confidence. The same attitude you had when you were running your own crew. Make him believe you're the kind of person who can see a Larvitar and still not lose your mind over it. You should be good at that."
"I understand." Naoki had once been a boss himself. This wasn't some role he had to learn from scratch. Then he thought of something. "What if he gets spooked and leaves Mikan Island?"
"He won't. Not unless Larvitar gets exposed."
Reiji thought for a moment, then looked at Naoki.
"Actually, you may need to use your real identity."
"Why?" Naoki frowned. They had just been talking about disguises. Using his real name would increase the risk.
"The black ship west of Mikan Island. Is it connected to Riku's side?"
"No," Naoki said. "The black ship east of Mikan Island is tied to Mandarin Island North. The one north of Mikan Island is too. But the western ship is different. The rumor is that it belongs to an independent Elite Four-tier Trainer. I don't know whose dirty work they're doing, but I'm sure it isn't Riku's side."
"That ship keeps to the outer route. South to Pummelo Island, north to Tangelo Island, passing Mikan Island and Mandarin Island North along the way. It usually moves at night."
"During the day, it docks. At night, it sails. Pummelo Island and Tangelo Island take turns as its stopping points."
"Interesting." Reiji rubbed his chin. "Then it's probably someone's glove from Pummelo or Tangelo. The important thing is that it has nothing to do with Riku."
"If there's no connection, use your real identity. Join the ship openly. Just don't reveal too many Pokémon. Keep Flygon hidden if you can. With your current situation, Riku probably won't even care about you."
Naoki gave a dry smile. "That sounds like him. I know Riku. He might really ignore a stray dog like me. He's related to the captain of that other black ship, and he's always been arrogant. He'd look down on me without thinking twice."
"Then it's settled." Reiji nodded. "Your past can be checked. If Rico looks into you, he'll find a real fallen gang leader, not an empty mask. That makes you safer to trust. It also makes joining the black ship easier."
"After that, you improvise."
"Get close to him. Invite him. Let me start the hunt. Invite him again. Then we see which way he jumps and finish it from there."
"Got it, Boss." Naoki put away his notebook and stood. "I'll head over now. I can sleep once I'm on the ship. He moves at night anyway."
It was almost dawn. The black ship should be passing Mikan Island on its way to Pummelo Island. If Naoki went straight to Pummelo, he could board when it docked.
With his background as the former boss of the Rock Gang, joining as hired muscle wouldn't be hard. Places like that cared about strength more than anything else.
Naoki had already returned to Elite Four tier. Even if he only showed quasi–Elite Four strength, it would be enough.
Rico was only Advanced tier. Quasi–Elite Four strength was more than enough to impress him, invite him, and keep the act alive.
Reiji still couldn't help wondering what kind of insane luck had let a Trainer that weak steal a Tyranitar egg.
After Naoki left, Reiji checked the time.
Almost five.
He was going back to bed.
As for Larvitar, the first two steps were simple. Once the plan started moving, Gengar could pass notes back and forth, and Reiji would know how things were progressing.
Naoki had only just joined the black ship, so they had to assume his calls might be monitored. A plan like this couldn't fall apart over a careless detail.
Reiji wouldn't appear until the third step.
Naoki would use his cover Pokémon while working on the black ship. He had nine of them, and this was where having a deep roster paid off. As long as he used Pokémon that had never appeared openly or under Spider, no one would connect the identities.
Reiji would also disguise himself when his turn came. The Pokémon he used would be ones that rarely showed up in public: Scizor, Slowking, Starmie, Toxicroak, Magnezone.
They all had the same advantage. Either they understood secrecy, or they didn't talk much. Once Reiji warned them, they wouldn't slip.
Two or three would be enough to hunt Rico. The rest could stay ready.
And later, when Reiji used the Spider identity again, he simply wouldn't use those Pokémon. No overlap. No trail.
If needed, he could also knock Larvitar out the moment it appeared. If it never got a clear look at the Trainer chasing them, all it would remember was a stranger and a blur of danger.
With the plan settled, Reiji finally lay down again.
Now all he had to do was wait for Naoki to secure a place on the black ship.
The trap was ready.
Rico just had to walk into it.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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