Day 12 back in the Orange Archipelago. Light rain.
Three days had passed since Reiji and Naoki began planning around Larvitar. This was the fourth morning.
Two days ago, Naoki had sent word that everything had started smoothly. Before dawn on the first day, he used his real identity, passed the black ship's battle test, and joined the ship's security crew.
They skipped every junior rung and made him boatswain on the spot. Trainee sailor, second-class sailor, first-class sailor, senior sailor—none of that. One step below him was already the ship's mate. That alone showed how much the black ship valued him.
Once Naoki had a place on the ship, the plan began. He stirred up a few sailors and sent them to make trouble for Rico, then stepped in twice to help him out. Rico, suspicious as ever, only asked what Naoki wanted after the second time.
Before that, after Naoki helped him the first time, Rico had gone and checked his background. Only after confirming Naoki's past did he ask the question.
Naoki followed the plan. He told Rico he wanted to bring him onto the black ship. Rico refused.
Before leaving, Naoki gave him a friendly warning: this ship was the only one where the sailors had real freedom.
Unlike the other two black ships, this one moved around. It wasn't anchored in one place all year.
Rico's expression darkened when he heard that. He had clearly tried the other ships before, and their prices must have been much harsher. Naoki had guessed that perfectly.
Now it was Reiji's turn.
If Naoki had tried to join the ship under a fake identity, things would not have gone this smoothly. A stranger with strong Pokémon would have needed a long inspection period. The stronger the Trainer, the more damage they could do, and the longer the ship would take to trust them. There was no way a stranger would be handed a high position on arrival.
But Naoki's old identity gave him a real past. A few days had been enough. Faster than they had expected.
That was what Naoki had reported. The ship valued him, and Rico had hesitated instead of rejecting him outright. That meant the third step could begin.
During the day, Reiji trained as usual. If Cissy brought food, they ate together. Afterward, she went back to her own work.
All he had to do now was wait for night.
Once the black ship passed Mikan Island, Reiji would go there in disguise, become the black-clad man who had "targeted" Rico, and hunt him after he left the ship.
…
The day passed quickly.
Night fell. When the black ship neared Mikan Island, Naoki sent the signal.
Reiji changed into the black outfit he had not worn in a while: full stab-resistant gear, face covering, Ditto ready. After showering, he used alcohol to alter his scent, then rode Pelipper toward the waters west of Mikan Island.
They flew over the volcano's crater and soon saw the black ship glowing on the sea.
Reiji landed directly in an empty section of the ship.
On the surface, this ship was still a luxury cruise liner, full of lights, music, drinking, and gambling. The real black market was deep below, but Reiji had no reason to go down.
He waited by the railing.
When a green-haired young man boarded, Reiji's focus sharpened at once. Rico went straight down into the lower cabins.
Reiji waited for more than an hour. By then, he was almost sick of watching the open-air pool. Finally, Rico came back up.
Naoki was with him.
The moment Naoki stepped onto the deck, his eyes swept the area without making it obvious. He did not find Reiji hidden in the dark.
Only after Rico left the ship on Fearow did Reiji appear behind Naoki and speak in a low voice.
"Don't turn around. Move somewhere else, then follow. Gengar will guide you."
After that, Reiji released Pidgeot and gave chase.
Naoki saw a dark shape shoot into the sky. He turned away at once, moved to another side of the ship, changed identity, then released Flygon and left.
By then, Reiji had already followed Rico into the sky above Mikan Island's forest.
Rico had noticed someone behind him, but Fearow could not shake Pidgeot. No matter how it flew, Pidgeot stayed with it.
Then Slowking struck Fearow with psychic power.
Fearow faltered, and Rico plunged toward the forest. If Victreebel had not grabbed him, the fall alone would have seriously injured him.
Rico landed among the trees. Under Slowking's senses, he stood out like a torch in the dark.
Reiji did not rush in.
He waited for Naoki.
When Gengar returned to his shadow, Reiji knew Naoki had arrived.
"Magnezone," he said. "Hit that tree."
"Damn it. He found me."
Rico darted out from behind the trunk and ran.
A red figure flashed under the moonlight and blocked his way.
Scizor was already waiting.
Houndoom and Sneasel lunged at it together, but Scizor did not give ground. Two against one meant nothing. It knocked both Advanced-tier Pokémon aside with frightening ease.
"Who the hell are you?" Rico saw his two Pokémon drop almost instantly and turned toward the black-clad Reiji. He released Victreebel and Tentacruel next.
Magnezone took care of them.
One blast, then another. Both Pokémon collapsed, stunned and smoking, without ever getting a real chance to fight back.
Rico was trapped.
"I've been watching you in this forest for days." Reiji's voice came out hoarse and mocking through the mask. "So why haven't you sent out Larvitar yet?"
Then he laughed softly.
"Lucky little bastard. You actually managed to steal a Larvitar. But now it's mine."
"Like hell it is."
Rico's face changed when he heard Larvitar's name. He had thought he had been careful enough. He had still been found.
In the forest.
"Fearow, get me out of here. Larvitar, Earthquake!"
Rico released Larvitar and Fearow. They were the only Pokémon he had left. This was all or nothing.
But the moment Larvitar appeared, Starmie was ready.
Psychic power slammed down on Larvitar and knocked it out before it could act. Fearow's wings were already damaged, and it could not fly.
Rico's hope collapsed.
Scizor stepped forward and drove a fist into his stomach.
Rico flew backward and hit a tree hard. Pain tore through him, and he spat up acid as his insides twisted.
Rain whispered through the leaves.
"Hey," Naoki called as he landed in the forest, "how about letting my friend live?"
Then he turned toward Rico and snapped, "Rico, you idiot. You were being followed and didn't even notice?"
Rico could not speak. When he saw Naoki, it was like seeing salvation itself. His eyes were full of one thing.
The will to live.
"That's a Larvitar." Reiji's laugh sounded cold enough to raise goosebumps. "Give me six hundred million, and I'll let him go."
Naoki sighed.
Then both men shouted at once.
"Scizor, Fury Cutter! Magnezone, Gyro Ball!"
"Golem, Harden and Rollout! Swampert, Hammer Arm!"
Four Pokémon crashed into each other.
Reiji had warned his side in advance. Hold back, move the fight away, make it loud, make it look brutal. The messier the better.
Reiji still had Starmie beside him, and Slowking hidden nearby. Naoki still had Gyarados.
The next clash between Starmie and Gyarados was only for show. With Slowking's Psyshock added in from the dark, Rico finally blacked out.
The last thing he saw was Reiji and Naoki tearing into each other.
Once Rico was unconscious, the fight stopped.
Then came the cleanup.
They smashed trees, gouged the ground, and left enough damage to make the battle believable. Naoki recalled Rico's Pokémon and checked everything carefully: hidden Pokémon, recording devices, anything that might ruin the plan.
There was nothing.
Naoki quickly told Reiji how things had gone so far, and they adjusted the next steps. Once everything was settled, Naoki took Rico back to the black ship.
In the safety of the black ship, Naoki returned to his room and released Rico's Pokémon.
Larvitar had only been knocked out. It had not been injured, and it woke quickly.
The first thing it saw was Naoki treating Rico's wounds and tending to the rest of the team.
Larvitar tried to protect its Trainer, but Golem held it down so the treatment could continue. Several of Rico's Pokémon were awake by then, and all of them saw Naoki helping.
After the treatment, Naoki gave Rico some water.
Rico woke in a haze, and the moment he did, his body tensed. He tried to move and failed.
His eyes swept the room.
Only Naoki was there.
"You idiot," Naoki said coldly. "If I hadn't noticed someone tailing you and gotten there in time, you'd be dead."
"You saved me?" Rico's voice was rough. "Why?"
His arms and body were wrapped in bandages. Larvitar was pinned by Golem, but alive. His other Pokémon were there too, all brought back and treated.
"Join the black ship," Naoki said. "More accurately, work under me."
"Why? I don't get it. You're that strong. Why would you need me?"
"I need revenge. I need people."
Naoki stopped there.
Rico was a smart Pokémon hunter. Naoki did not believe he had skipped the background check. If Rico had looked into him, then he knew exactly what "revenge" meant.
"Heh."
Rico still didn't trust him. His eyes kept drifting to Larvitar.
Naoki had been a gang boss. There was no way he felt nothing toward a pseudo-legendary.
Naoki glanced at Golem. "Let it go. And keep your little one calm. Raising Larvitar takes too much time and money. I don't have either to waste."
The meaning was clear.
Naoki needed strength now. He was not looking for a Pokémon that would take years and a fortune to mature.
"Lar! Lar!"
The moment Golem released it, Larvitar rushed to Rico's bedside and stood in front of him protectively.
No wonder it was attached. It had hatched under Rico. Its heart was with its Trainer. Without forcing Rico to entrust it himself, getting Larvitar to accept someone else would be almost impossible.
"It's all right, Larvitar."
Rico was still suspicious, but he had no strength to resist. Even if Naoki took Larvitar now, he could do nothing.
"This is the black ship. This is my room. There's food here. Rest and heal. Fearow's wing is broken, so think carefully before you do anything stupid."
Naoki moved toward the door.
"No one can fight on this ship. As long as you don't get off, you're safe. The captain won't allow trouble here. You know how black ships work."
With that, he closed the door and left Rico alone.
From outside, Naoki watched him through the hidden camera.
Rico checked his Pokémon one by one and finally let out a breath.
"Everyone's alive. Good."
He was a Pokémon hunter, yes. But he had still put effort into his own team. In a crisis, those Pokémon were what kept him alive. Even bad people had bonds.
Seeing that all of them had survived, and seeing Naoki leave without touching Larvitar, helped Rico relax a little.
Once he calmed down and thought it through, he had to admit something.
If Naoki had wanted Larvitar, the best chance had been while Rico was unconscious.
But Naoki had not taken it.
Then there was the black-clad man. He had said he had watched Rico in the forest for days. That meant Rico had been tracked for a long time. The man had followed him to the black ship, then back to Mikan Island before making his move.
The black-clad man's Pokémon were Scizor, Magnezone, and Starmie.
Slowking had stayed hidden. Its psychic attacks had been passed off as Starmie's.
Naoki's Pokémon were Golem, Swampert, and Gyarados.
So Naoki must have won.
His Pokémon had the better matchups.
Rico had survived because of Naoki. There was no getting around that. He was badly hurt, and Fearow could no longer fly. Now he had to seriously consider Naoki's offer.
Still, he had time.
Once he recovered a little in a couple of days, he could give Naoki an answer.
Rico lay back down carefully. Scizor's punch had not been light. Even held back, it had made his stomach churn like his organs had shifted out of place.
Outside the room, Naoki saw Rico lie down and finally relaxed a little.
So far, the plan was still on track. No unexpected changes.
He went to the black market and bought Pokémon food, including ore for Larvitar. Before entering the room again, he knocked, giving Rico time to settle down before he came in.
As for Rico's backpack, Naoki had hidden it. He had not returned it, and Reiji had not bothered taking it either. There was nothing good inside anyway. Once the plan was over, Naoki could dispose of it.
"I brought food for your Pokémon," Naoki said, tossing the bag over. "There's some ore too, but it won't be enough for that little glutton. Once you're better, you figure out how to feed it yourself."
He turned to leave.
Rico held the bag and spoke for the first time.
"Thanks."
Naoki paused, gave a small nod, and shut the door behind him.
After that, he stayed outside and kept watch.
For the next few days, Naoki brought lunch and dinner. Sometimes breakfast and late-night food too. He brought drinks as well.
At first, Rico was guarded. Then resistant. Slowly, the edge softened. Eventually, he could drink a little with Naoki.
Naoki even got to pat Larvitar on the head.
Because he brought ore every time, Larvitar also grew closer to him. The hostility it had shown at the start faded bit by bit.
After several days of rest, Rico finally chose to join the black ship under Naoki and become one of its sailors.
What pushed him over was something Naoki said.
He had seen the black-clad man on the black ship.
He didn't know if the man was looking for Rico, but Naoki promised one thing: the man would never dare attack him on the ship.
That was enough for Rico to settle his mind.
He joined.
The plan moved forward exactly as intended. Naoki had done well. He had earned both Rico's trust and Larvitar's.
Once Rico could get out of bed, Naoki rented a training room. He kept bringing food. When he had time, he helped Rico with recovery training.
By the time Rico's bandages could come off and his Pokémon were almost recovered, Gengar went to notify Reiji.
It was time to finish the plan.
In a few more days, Larvitar would be his.
Whenever Naoki was alone, that thought kept him so excited he could barely sleep. For days, he had lived in a constant low burn of anticipation.
But whenever he faced Rico, his expression turned cold again.
That was enough.
He didn't need to be warm. He only needed Rico to feel that beneath the cold face, there was someone willing to help him.
Naoki had his limits. He knew exactly how much was too much.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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