Day 18 back in the Orange Archipelago. Overcast.
The Larvitar setup had been running for ten days.
Rico had spent six of them recovering from the beating Reiji and Naoki had staged. That was long enough. The Orange League preliminaries started in three days, and Reiji couldn't keep dragging this out while he was supposed to be preparing.
Naoki had sent word yesterday.
Rico was ready.
Or more precisely, Larvitar was ready. Rico's trust mattered, but only up to a point. The real prize was Larvitar, and if Larvitar didn't accept Naoki when Rico handed it over, the whole thing would just be another forced capture. That wasn't what they wanted.
The final piece was already prepared too: a fake culprit.
Larvitar didn't need some grand revenge story to grow from. That kind of thing only made trouble later. Let it see the black-clad attacker die in front of it, maybe even help finish him off, and the matter would be buried cleanly.
They would move tonight.
Reiji would lend Pelipper to Naoki. When the fight broke out, Lokoko would use her illusions to make the whole scene look far worse than it really was. Naoki would have Pelipper carry Rico off the ship, then stay behind to "hold back" the attacker.
Once Rico was off the black ship, Reiji could chase him for real.
The ending would happen on the shore, not on the ship.
The black ship had rules. No fighting on board. Reiji had no intention of testing how flexible those rules were, especially not when the captain was supposedly Elite Four-tier. If that guy got dragged in and the fake fight turned real, the whole plan would become a headache.
So the ship only needed smoke, panic, and a clean exit.
Lokoko could handle the illusions. Rico only needed to believe what he saw. The smoke, though, had to be real. Real smoke meant real confusion. For a minute or two, the crew would think something had caught fire, and by the time they realized it was only a smoke bomb, everyone who mattered would already be gone.
As for Naoki vanishing afterward, that part was easy.
Leave a letter. Say the ship life wasn't for him. Say the pay was too low. Say he wanted to try his luck somewhere else.
Keep it polite, keep it boring, and no one would care enough to chase him.
Reiji went over the last details, told Pelipper to follow Naoki's orders tonight, and had Gengar deliver the final message. Naoki would prepare the smoke bombs.
After that, there was nothing left to do but wait for night.
The day passed quickly.
When night came, Reiji did not keep training. He built a small fire outside the cabin and let everyone settle around it. Some rested, some played, and Reiji sat beside the flames with Umbreon in his lap, running his fingers through its fur.
Tonight mattered. If anything went wrong and Naoki ended up drawing attention, Reiji needed one more layer of insurance.
Right now, he only had three Elite Four-tier Pokémon: Gengar, Electivire, and Lokoko.
Gengar was too recognizable if it used shadow power, and Reiji did not want to risk drawing Giratina's attention unless he had no choice. That left Lokoko and Electivire. Two Elite Four-tier Pokémon were enough to make most suspicious people think twice.
Electivire was the problem.
A Shiny Electivire stood out far too much. Scizor's scar was obvious too, which was why Reiji had covered it with red tape during the earlier action. This time, Electivire needed the same treatment. Its fur had to be dyed to match a normal Electivire, and the two golden tails behind it needed to be darkened too.
That way, even if someone saw it, they would not connect it to Reiji's public identity or to Spider.
Naoki exposing himself for Larvitar was different.
If he was exposed, then he was exposed. It did not matter much. According to the information Naoki had gathered, Riku's side had at least two Elite Four-tier Trainers and a black ship of their own. They were not lacking power, and they probably had pseudo-legendaries too.
They would not care much if a fallen stray like Naoki got his hands on Larvitar. Especially not in the Orange Archipelago, where Tyranitar's line was much easier to pressure with Water-types.
Team Rocket would care even less. They dared to attack the League itself. Why would they waste time on a beaten dog like Naoki?
Reiji checked his watch.
A little past eight.
Still too early. The night needed to get quieter first.
Naoki had said he and Rico usually stayed in the training room until around nine or ten. That would be the right window.
When the time came, Reiji took the Pokémon he had used before, this time adding Lokoko and Electivire. Then he rode Pidgeot toward the black ship.
The ship had left Pummelo Island and was heading north. It would pass Mikan Island on the way, just as expected.
Reiji reached the ship first and took out the route map Naoki had given him. It marked the path Rico and Naoki would take after leaving the training room. Naoki would find an excuse to split off right before the attack.
Reiji followed the route on the map and found the spot near the railing.
It was quiet and out of the way. Naoki had clearly chosen it on purpose. Fewer people meant fewer problems.
Time crawled by.
After more than forty minutes, it was finally past nine. Reiji saw Naoki and Rico walking over together, talking like they had known each other for years.
Then Naoki's phone rang.
He answered, frowned, and said he had to head below for a moment.
It was all part of the act. The call had come from Reiji. That was the signal.
Naoki left.
Rico continued alone.
After a few steps, he slowed. Something felt wrong. There should have been people on this route. Tonight, it was too quiet.
"Found you at last, kid."
Reiji stepped out and blocked the way. Magnezone hovered in front of him, its body humming faintly in the dark.
Rico's face changed at once.
"You…!"
He turned to run, only to find Scizor standing behind him.
No way forward. No way back.
Rico's eyes darted to the dark sea beyond the railing. He did not dare jump.
"Brother Naoki, pick up, pick up…" He grabbed his phone and called Naoki in a panic. Naoki had only just left. If he heard the noise, he could still make it back.
"Magnezone, Thunderbolt."
Reiji did not give him time.
Rico's eyes widened. "Are you insane? You can't do that on the black ship!"
He threw out Pokémon to block, and Protect flared in the corridor. Thunderbolt slammed into it, and the lights overhead burst one after another, showering the floor with sparks and broken glass.
The moment the corridor went dark, Reiji threw a smoke bomb.
Naoki, who had not really gone far, threw one from the other side too.
Smoke flooded the passage.
People elsewhere on the ship started shouting. Passengers panicked, thinking something had caught fire.
Naoki answered the call at last and rushed into the smoke.
"What happened? Who's attacking you?"
"It's him!" Rico was already too frightened to speak properly. He could only point into the smoke. "He's here!"
Bang!
"Go. I'll stop him." Naoki released Pelipper.
While Rico wasn't looking, he slipped Lokoko's Poké Ball into Pelipper's beak.
"Brother Naoki, why are we running? No one's allowed to fight on the ship, right? Shouldn't we go to the captain?"
"Are you stupid?" Naoki snapped. "If he dared attack you here, then the ship isn't safe either."
He did not give Rico time to argue. The more they talked, the more likely something would slip.
Naoki gave Pelipper a look.
Pelipper grabbed Rico and took off.
At the same time, Lokoko began working on Rico's senses.
The moment Rico was carried out into the air, he saw flames burst across the ship behind him. Thunder roared. The whole vessel seemed to lose power at once.
None of it was real.
Only the corridor lights had been shattered, and only that area was full of smoke. The rest of the ship was fine.
Once Rico was gone, Reiji and Naoki met up. Both released Flying-types and left the ship before the crew could arrive. They could already hear sailors shouting and running toward the smoke.
Out over the black sea, the two vanished beyond the cruise ship's lights and slipped into the dark, following Pelipper toward Mikan Island.
Neither of them noticed the three figures who rose from the ship after them.
Three Flying Pokémon carried them into the night, following the same direction.
…
Pelipper landed on the west coast of Mikan Island and set Rico down on the beach. Then it took off again, flying back toward the ship to "find" its Trainer, exactly as planned.
It had barely risen when an orange bolt of electricity struck from above.
Pelipper cried out and dropped from the sky.
The attack was real, but the power had been held back. Pelipper hit the sand and played dead.
Reiji descended on Pidgeot and landed nearby, staring coldly at Rico.
"This time, no one's saving you." His voice was low and flat behind the mask. "Let's see where you run now."
"No. Impossible." Rico shook his head. "Brother Naoki wouldn't lose that fast."
He refused to believe Reiji had beaten Naoki and caught up this quickly.
Naoki was the kind of fool who would risk himself for someone else. How could he fail to buy even a few minutes? Rico hadn't even escaped properly before the attacker caught up.
He had planned to use Naoki's goodwill, hide on the black ship, and buy time until Larvitar grew strong enough. Once that happened, he wouldn't need to fear anyone.
As for Naoki's revenge?
What did that have to do with him?
He had looked into Naoki's enemies. The other black ship had two Elite Four-tier Trainers behind it. Only an idiot would follow Naoki into that kind of fight.
But now none of that mattered.
Without that convenient good man to use, who else could he rely on?
Reiji did not waste time talking. Villains died from talking too much, and he knew that lesson well.
Scizor, Magnezone, and Starmie attacked.
The moment Scizor moved, Rico broke.
"Brother, I'll give you Larvitar!" he shouted. "Please, let me go. I'll give you anything you want!"
Reiji laughed coldly.
"Once you're dead, Larvitar's mine either way."
Reiji did not take prisoners.
Seeing that mercy was not coming, Rico's face twisted. He threw out every Poké Ball he had left.
But six Pokémon were not enough.
Larvitar went down before it could even get its footing.
After that, Rico's team fell apart fast. Reiji's Pokémon tore through them one by one, leaving some too injured to move and others never getting back up at all.
Rico tried to retreat, but his old wounds split open under the strain. He hit the sand hard, one hand flying to his thigh as blood soaked through his fingers.
An artery.
If no one stopped the bleeding soon, he was done.
The sand exploded.
Naoki came crashing down from above with Swampert beside him. Swampert's fist drove straight for Reiji, but Gengar caught the movement in time, and Reiji stepped clear before the blow landed.
Naoki rushed to Rico and dropped to one knee, breathing hard. His clothes were torn, his hair was a mess, and blood stained the corner of his mouth.
Fake blood, but Rico didn't need to know that.
"He had backup," Naoki said, voice rough. "I got held up."
Then he leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Hold on. The captain's coming."
"I… I…"
Rico could barely breathe. Both hands were pressed against his leg, but the blood kept pushing through.
Naoki glanced once at Reiji. Reiji didn't move.
That was his cue.
Naoki tore off his headscarf and tied it tight around Rico's thigh, pulling hard enough to make Rico choke on a groan. Then he recalled Rico's injured Pokémon one by one.
He left the Poké Ball hidden in Pelipper's beak exactly where it was.
Once Rico was barely steady, Naoki hauled him up, threw one last look at Reiji, and dragged him toward the trees.
The warning about the captain wasn't just for show.
Gengar had sensed people behind them and passed the warning to Reiji. Reiji told Naoki to use it. Whether the captain himself was coming or not didn't matter. Anyone following them from the black ship had to be treated like the ship's strongest hand.
Naoki and Rico disappeared into the forest. The final handoff would happen there.
Reiji bent down, picked up the Poké Ball left on the beach, and released Lokoko and Electivire.
Then he recalled Magnezone, Scizor, and Starmie.
They had done their part. Against whoever was coming next, leaving them out would only give the wrong impression. Reiji didn't want to look like someone who could be pushed around.
So he stayed where he was, alone on the beach, with Lokoko at his side and Electivire looming beside him.
He looked up into the dark.
"Still hiding?"
Three currents moved overhead.
Three Flying Pokémon.
A voice drifted down before the riders did.
"You went through a lot of trouble for that boy. I'm guessing he had something worth taking."
Three black-robed figures landed on the sand, faces hidden beneath their hoods.
"That's got nothing to do with you." Reiji rested a hand on Lokoko's head. Electivire stood beside him like a wall, its feet sunk slightly into the sand to hide the difference in height. "I broke a few lights on your ship. You want compensation?"
The man in the middle gave a light laugh.
"For a few bulbs? Don't insult us."
He had already heard from the ship. There had been smoke, but no fire. A few lights had blown, a corridor had been thrown into panic, and that was all. No real damage.
He had followed because he wanted to see who had caused the mess, and maybe find out what they were after.
Now he had his answer, or enough of one.
An Elite Four-tier Ninetales.
An Elite Four-tier Electivire.
And those were only the Pokémon this man had chosen to show.
Picking a fight here, with no clear profit, would be stupid.
"Captain?" the man on the left said.
"Shut up."
The middle man cut him off at once.
One word, and the idiot had nearly given him away.
The subordinate lowered his head and went silent.
The middle man turned back to Reiji, smile still in place.
"Then I wish you luck."
He called his Flying Pokémon down again. The other two followed his lead, and the three of them left the beach, heading back toward the black ship.
Only after they vanished into the night did Reiji let himself relax.
He recalled Electivire and Lokoko, then had Gengar erase the marks in the sand.
Once the beach looked clean, he headed into the woods.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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