Day 25 back in the Orange Archipelago. Light rain.
The second day of the group stage opened under miserable weather. Reiji woke to a thin, steady rain tapping against the window, the sky gray from end to end.
Cissy came knocking again.
Reiji still had no idea how she managed to be awake so early every morning. He and Senta had no choice but to get up, wash up, and follow her to the cafeteria for breakfast before heading to the draw hall.
When Reiji pressed the draw button, a girl's portrait appeared on the screen.
This time, she was not wearing a mask.
He knew that face. It was the girl from Johto, the one who had once blocked his road and challenged him while hiding her face. She had followed him all the way to the Orange Archipelago, and now, somehow, she had entered the Orange League tournament too.
He had actually seen one of her matches yesterday. While eating lunch in the Trainers' Village cafeteria after buying groceries, he had noticed her on the broadcast.
Her opponent had been Keith.
Both of them used Flying-type Pokémon, but she was clearly stronger. Keith had been eliminated by her yesterday.
Cissy caught the change in his expression at once. "What? You know her?"
A woman's instincts were scary. From the way Reiji looked at the screen, she was already sure there was something there.
"No," Reiji said immediately. "I saw her match on TV during lunch yesterday. She uses Flying types."
Of course he denied it. This was a death trap disguised as a question. Only an idiot would step in.
"Really?" Cissy did not believe him for a second.
His face had already betrayed him. He knew this girl. He just refused to admit it.
Men and their lying mouths.
"Really." Reiji gave her an awkward smile and turned away before the conversation could get worse.
There was no clean way to explain this one, so not explaining was the safest option.
Their fields were different again today. Once they left the draw hall, the three of them split up outside.
Reiji had drawn the Grass Field, but he went back to his room first to feed his Pokémon.
Cissy's mother went with Cissy, while Cissy's father went with Senta. One parent each.
Since Cissy's father was staying beside Senta, Reiji did not send Gengar to hide in Senta's shadow. Someone at that level might notice it. Better to wait until later.
After feeding his Pokémon, Reiji arrived at the Grass Field just as the broadcast called him in.
His match time was about the same as yesterday's.
He did not linger outside. He went straight through the contestant tunnel and entered the arena. The moment he appeared, cheers rolled through the stands again.
Even Umbreon perked up on his shoulder. Its ears stood tall, and it lifted its head like it was enjoying every second of the crowd's attention.
"Bree… bree…"
Reiji waved to thank the audience, then stepped onto his platform.
Across the field, the masked girl stood on the other side.
She was entering the tournament this openly? Did she really not worry about being found?
The moment she saw him, her eyes shifted away.
She had followed him to the Orange Archipelago to hide. From her reaction, she had always thought he never noticed.
"This group-stage match will be held on the Grass Field. Each side may use three Pokémon. Contestants, send out your first Pokémon."
"Go, Skarmory!"
"Go, Ninetales!"
Two Poké Balls opened.
The host's voice came over the speakers at once. "Skarmory against Ninetales! Skarmory is weak to Fire-type attacks, but Ninetales can't fly. Both sides have their own advantages. Let's see which Pokémon can take control of this match!"
This was Ninetales's first battle for Reiji.
The moment he saw his opponent, he knew she would almost certainly open with Skarmory. That left him with two obvious answers: Electric or Fire.
He chose Ninetales.
"Ninetales?" The girl frowned. "He has another Fire type?"
She had gathered information on Reiji, but she had thought Magmar was his only Fire-type Pokémon.
Then the rain stopped.
The clouds above the field began to thin, sunlight spilling through as if the weather had been rewritten on the spot.
Drought.
That was Ninetales's Ability. When it entered the field, the weather turned sunny.
The girl's original plan had relied on the rain weakening Fire-type moves. That plan was dead now.
"Ninetales, Heat Wave."
Skarmory's biggest advantages were flight and speed. Reiji needed to take away both, and Ninetales just happened to have a move that could wash over the whole field.
Ninetales drew in a deep breath and released a rolling wave of heat across the grass.
"Skarmory, Hurricane!"
Skarmory felt the temperature spike and beat its steel wings hard. A violent gust tore through the field, forcing the superheated air back before it could swallow the bird.
"Ninetales, Confusion."
Reiji raised an arm to shield himself from the wind and changed tactics at once.
Fire was not the only way to handle Skarmory.
"Skarmory—"
The girl tried to warn it, but she was already too late.
A blue glow flashed in Ninetales's eyes. Psychic force seized Skarmory midair and dragged it down in front of Ninetales.
Then Ninetales opened its mouth and fired a blazing star-shaped burst point-blank into Skarmory's belly.
Fire Blast slammed Skarmory backward and sent it crashing into the wall.
"Skarmory!"
The girl watched it slide down to the ground. It did not faint. Somehow, it forced itself back up on sheer stubbornness.
But a Fire Blast at that range was brutal. Skarmory's Special Defense was not nearly as strong as its physical defense, and flames flickered over its body before fading.
Burned.
"Ninetales, finish it. Fire Spin."
Ninetales sent a swirling mass of flame rolling across the field toward Skarmory.
"Skarmory, fly!"
The girl's voice sharpened with panic.
Skarmory tried. It spread its wings, but the burn flared through its body the moment it moved. It lost the chance to take off.
The Fire Spin closed around it.
When the flames finally faded, Skarmory lay unconscious on the grass.
"Skarmory!"
The girl ran down from her platform and hurried to its side. She touched its scorched feathers with shaking hands, her jaw clenched.
Fighting into a bad matchup really was miserable.
She recalled Skarmory, returned to her platform, and threw her second Poké Ball.
"Go, Pidgeot!"
Reiji recalled Ninetales.
He had the advantage now. There was no reason not to keep pressing it.
"Ninetales, good job. First battle, and you handled it well. Extra food later."
Inside its Poké Ball, Ninetales gave a soft little cry in reply.
Reiji clipped the ball back to his belt, picked another one, and threw it.
"Go, Blastoise!"
"Blast! Blastoise!"
Blastoise landed on the field, looked up at Pidgeot, and gave Reiji a thumbs-up.
Leave it to me.
"You're in a good mood," Reiji said. "Water Gun and Mud Shot."
"Pidgeot, dodge the Water Gun!"
Blastoise aimed upward and fired rapid Water Gun shots into the sky. Pidgeot was fast, and its evasive movement was sharp, but Blastoise had been trained on moving targets. Hitting a flying Pidgeot was not hard for it.
Several shots landed.
Water Gun did not do much damage, but damage was not the point.
"Don't stop. Keep using Water Gun and Mud Shot."
The girl stared at the field, confused. "Why Water Gun again? What does it matter if that hits?"
She had no choice but to keep ordering Pidgeot to dodge.
Pidgeot kept slashing at it from above with blades of wind, but Blastoise answered with Withdraw and waited the attacks out. Sometimes it simply tucked in. Sometimes it fired Water Gun to break them apart.
Bit by bit, the exchange tilted.
Pidgeot was taking more hits than Blastoise. More water. More mud. More weight.
Eventually, Pidgeot's flight started to drag.
It had no choice but to land on the grass and catch its breath.
That was what Reiji had been waiting for.
"Blastoise, Rock Tomb."
Blastoise stomped hard. Stone pillars erupted from the Grass Field, rising around Pidgeot like a cage.
"Rock Slide."
Pidgeot panicked and took off, but its feathers were soaked and smeared with mud. It was slower than before, and the stone formation had already disrupted its path.
Blastoise stomped again, forcing more stone columns up from the ground.
Then it punched them apart.
The pillars exploded into a storm of fragments, and the broken stones blasted toward Pidgeot.
"Ice Beam!"
Cold gathered in Blastoise's mouth. The beam shot through the flying debris and struck Pidgeot before it could clear the Rock Tomb's range.
Ice spread over one wing.
Pidgeot crashed to the ground.
From there, the match was simple. Pidgeot did not dare come close, and once another Ice Beam landed, the ice swallowed it completely.
Pidgeot was eliminated.
After two battles, Reiji had a good read on the girl's problem.
Ever since Magmar caught one of her Pokémon's wings in their earlier battle, she had become afraid of letting her Flying types fight up close.
Reiji did not need heavy damage. He only needed to soak Pidgeot's feathers, cake them with mud, and keep adding weight until staying airborne became a struggle.
Once it had to land, Blastoise could end the match.
Now the girl was down to one Pokémon.
Reiji still had all three.
This group-stage match was already over unless she surrendered.
"Come back, Pidgeot."
The girl recalled the frozen Pidgeot and glanced at the large screen. Two of her Pokémon portraits had gone gray.
Only one remained.
She gritted her teeth and threw her last Poké Ball.
"Go, Butterfree!"
"The red contestant is down to her final Pokémon, Butterfree! Can this last Pokémon turn the match around?"
"Butterfree," Reiji murmured.
The host's voice had already lost some confidence.
Reiji said nothing and waited for the girl to move first.
"Butterfree, Sleep Powder!"
"Blastoise, Blizzard."
"Blast!"
Blastoise roared upward.
Before Butterfree's powder could drift across the field, a freezing wind filled with snow slammed into it.
"Freee!"
Butterfree beat its wings desperately and pushed into the cold. Snow and ice battered its face, and pain twisted its small features, but it kept trying to rise against the wind.
Butterfree had an x2 weakness to Ice, and Blizzard hit it hard.
Blastoise took the opening, gathered cold in its mouth again, and fired Ice Beam.
This time, Butterfree could not dodge.
Ice closed over it in midair.
The snowfall kept building, sealing Butterfree deeper inside the frozen mass. If it could not break free, the match would be over.
They waited.
Butterfree never escaped the ice.
After a long moment, the referee made the call.
Butterfree was unable to battle.
"The Grass Field group-stage match is over! Winner: Contestant Reiji!"
"Congratulations to Contestant Reiji for advancing again! And to the losing contestant, don't be discouraged. You can always try again next year. The Orange League tournament is held every year on Pummelo Island, and all Trainers are welcome to challenge it again!"
Reiji recalled Blastoise as the crowd cheered. This was Blastoise's first battle for him too, so he praised it properly before leaving.
He waved to the stands on his way out, then headed for the Rock Field, where Cissy's match would be held.
When he reached the audience area, Cissy's match had not started yet. She was still in the lounge.
Reiji found Cissy's mother and sat beside her to watch the current match.
On the field below, Amber was battling Mahri, Rudy's younger sister.
Mahri mostly used Water-type Pokémon. Against Amber's fully evolved Kanto starter trio—Blastoise, Venusaur, and Charizard—she was getting crushed.
Reiji had checked those three Pokémon's panels before. All of them had top-tier talent. Add in their final evolutions, plus training from Blaine and Agatha, and Amber's battle experience and strength were nothing to look down on anymore.
She had grown fast.
In Reiji's eyes, Amber could make it into the knockout rounds. The only question was how far she could go.
Amber's match ended quickly.
Reiji also saw Blaine and Amber's mother cheering for her in the stands. He did not go over. Professor Oak and Delia were sitting nearby too, along with Brock, Misty, Tracey, and the others.
When Amber returned to the stands and spotted him, she ran over at once.
"Rai-nii, I won! I won!"
"Congratulations, Amber."
Reiji smiled and patted her head.
She was wearing a hat, so he could not see that beautiful blue hair of hers. A bit of a shame.
But until Amber truly grew up, a simple disguise was still necessary.
"Rai-nii, wasn't I amazing?" Amber rubbed her nose, grinning as she waited for praise.
"You've gotten strong while I wasn't looking," Reiji said, lifting her into his arms. "Looks like I'll need you to protect me one day."
He greeted Cissy's mother, then carried Amber over toward Blaine.
Only when he reached Blaine did he set her down.
"You've taught her well," Reiji said with a smile. "Amber really has gotten strong."
"Hah! You brat, don't flatter me." Blaine laughed and took Amber from him. "Amber is Agatha's disciple."
He knew exactly why he got to watch Amber grow like this, why she could stand on a tournament field at all.
It was all because Reiji had brought her to them.
"Agatha's disciple?" Professor Oak's expression shifted when he heard that. He reached out and teased Amber gently. "Agatha found herself a good child."
He had not seen Agatha in a long time.
Or rather, he had been avoiding her.
He still did not know how to face her. Neither of them was young anymore, but what happened back then had become a wound in Agatha's heart.
A wound with no cure.
"Everyone's here," Reiji said, smiling as he waved to Brock and the others.
They greeted him back, and Reiji sat down beside Tania.
"Congratulations on advancing," Tania said. "You're even stronger now."
She spoke normally, but she had no idea how she was supposed to face him.
She had noticed that Reiji and Cissy did not seem normal.
Over the past few days, the two had been buying groceries together, walking around together, and eating together in the cafeteria. Even Trainers from the same Gym would not usually be that close.
There had to be something going on.
She had already asked Misty to help her find out.
"Congratulations to you too," Reiji said with a smile. "You advanced as well."
When he sat down, he deliberately kept a little distance between them.
Tania noticed.
If Cissy saw him sitting too close, she would turn into a furious lioness and come make trouble again.
What a headache.
They talked for a little while before the next match began.
Then Ash and Gary stepped onto the field.
Their destined rivalry had arrived earlier than expected.
…
At the same time, the girl who had just battled Reiji was leaving the stadium.
But her trouble was not over.
The match had been broadcast to other regions, and the gangs hunting her had seen it on television. The report had already been sent upward.
"Send a few people," someone ordered. "Bring her back. I want to know what secret her family has been hiding."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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