"Ash! Gary! You can both do it!"
Reiji scratched his cheek, not sure whether to laugh or pretend he hadn't heard that. Who was she even cheering for?
Delia seemed to realize it a second later. Everyone nearby had turned to look at her, and she gave them an awkward smile before sitting back down and wisely keeping quiet.
Down on the field, Ash and Gary had already sent out their first Pokémon. Ash opened with Snorlax, while Gary sent out Nidoqueen, putting two heavyweights against each other right from the start.
The problem was that Snorlax came out asleep.
Ash shouted himself hoarse trying to wake it, but Snorlax did not so much as twitch. In the end, he could only gamble with Sleep Talk and pray, and somehow that gamble paid off. Snorlax pulled out Ice Punch and knocked out Gary's Nidoqueen.
Gary answered with Scizor, and this time speed decided everything. Scizor darted around Snorlax, cutting in and out of range until the sleeping giant finally went down.
Against Scizor, Ash sent out Charizard. One opening and one Flamethrower were all it took to finish the match-up.
"Not bad," Reiji said from the stands. "Ash is pretty scary when he actually has the type advantage."
He had always thought Ash's specialty was winning from bad matchups. Apparently, he could fight with good matchups too. Good to know the writers had not gotten lazy.
Gary's final Pokémon was his ace, Blastoise—the starter he had received on the same day Ash got Pikachu.
Once the battle began, Ash's Charizard kept trying to close the distance, but Blastoise refused to let it happen. Ash eventually changed tactics and had Charizard heat the stones across the Rock Field until they glowed hot, forcing Blastoise to cool them with Hydro Pump.
Steam flooded the field and gave Charizard the cover it needed.
It dove through the white haze and closed in on Blastoise. Dragon Rage shot from its mouth, but Blastoise dodged, only for Charizard to grab it immediately afterward and shoot upward in an attempt to finish the match with Seismic Toss.
Blastoise withdrew into its shell in midair. Water blasted from inside as it used Rapid Spin, tearing itself free from Charizard's grip before dropping back toward the ground. The moment it landed, Hydro Pump slammed straight into Charizard's face.
Charizard came back furious and charged Blastoise head-on. The two Pokémon crashed together, claws scraping against shell as the fight devolved into a messy close-range brawl, until Blastoise managed to blast Charizard in the face with Hydro Pump again.
Charizard answered with fire while Blastoise's shoulder cannons took aim at the same time. Flamethrower and Hydro Pump collided in the middle of the field and erupted, throwing both Pokémon backward to crash down in front of their Trainers.
"Charizard! Get up!" Ash shouted.
Charizard stirred and slowly forced itself upright, eyes fixed on the smoke where Blastoise had landed. Across the field, Blastoise's head emerged from its shell before it rose just as slowly, staring back through the thinning smoke. Neither Pokémon looked away. Neither wanted to be the first one to fall.
"Charizard's done," Reiji said from the stands.
Charizard was gasping now, every breath rough and heavy, while Blastoise was already beginning to steady its breathing. Reiji did not need anything more complicated than that to see which one was closer to its limit.
Sure enough, Charizard finally gave out moments later. Its eyes closed and it toppled backward, hitting the ground hard.
"Charizard! Charizard!"
Ash called its name again and again, but Charizard could not answer. He recalled it into its Poké Ball, praised it for the fight, then looked back toward Gary's Blastoise.
The screen now showed two gray portraits on Gary's side, while Ash had lost Snorlax and Charizard. After everything that had happened, they were back to a one-on-one battle.
"Pikachu, I'm counting on you for the last round."
"Pika. Pi."
Pikachu met Ash's eyes before leaping from the platform into the field. It landed on all fours, red cheek sacs already crackling with electricity.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
At Ash's command, Pikachu burst forward like a streak of yellow light. It raced straight toward Blastoise and scrambled onto one of its cannons before the exhausted Water-type could stop it.
Blastoise tried to shake Pikachu loose, but it no longer had the strength. Pikachu wrapped itself tightly around the cannon and unleashed a surge of electricity that tore through Blastoise's body.
Blastoise cried out and retreated into its shell to escape the worst of the shock. It endured long enough to begin spinning, finally flinging Pikachu away before opening its shell again and firing Hydro Pump.
Pikachu answered with Thunderbolt.
The attacks crashed together and burst into a thick cloud of white steam, costing Blastoise sight of Pikachu for barely a second. That was all Pikachu needed. It shot through the steam, climbed back onto Blastoise, and unleashed its strongest Thunder at point-blank range, maintaining the discharge instead of settling for a single burst.
Blastoise finally reached its limit. It swayed under the continuous current before collapsing, and Pikachu jumped back onto the field, panting hard after spending so much electricity and stamina in such a short span.
If Blastoise had remained standing much longer, even Pikachu—the little acting king—would have been in trouble.
"The Rock Field group-stage match is over! Winner: Contestant Ash!"
The referee's call had barely finished before Pikachu's legs finally gave out. Ash jumped from his platform, ran across the field, and scooped it up before it could fully collapse. Pikachu was still conscious, and Ash lifted it high before spinning around with pure joy.
"Damn it. Lost again." Gary recalled Blastoise, while his cheer squad behind him looked every bit as disappointed.
Gary was not as arrogant as he used to be. He had gone all out against Ash from the beginning and had still lost to that single-minded idiot. It was enough to make his head hurt. How did Ash always get this lucky?
"Gary, I won this time, right?" Ash grinned at him, practically glowing with triumph. He had finally beaten loudmouth Gary and pulled ahead by the tiniest margin.
"Don't get full of yourself, Ash," Gary said. "There's another tournament in Johto. I'll win it back there."
He left his platform with that promise, his cheer squad trailing after him in low spirits, while Ash laughed and carried Pikachu out through his own tunnel.
When Ash reached the stands, he found everyone waiting for him. Gary was there too, though he had his head turned away and clearly had no interest in looking at Ash's smug face.
"Rai-nii, you're here too!" Ash said brightly.
If Reiji was here, then he had definitely seen the battle.
"Congratulations, Ash. You advanced." Reiji smiled. "We might end up facing each other."
There was the flag. Reiji honestly hoped it happened, because it had been a long time since he last battled Ash.
"I want to battle you too, Rai-nii." Ash rubbed his nose, too happy to hide it, though every few seconds he still glanced toward Gary.
Gary noticed and turned his face away even harder, refusing to give Ash the satisfaction. Instead, he raised a hand and called over the waiters—who were, of course, the Team Rocket trio in disguise—and ordered several cold drinks.
None of them were for Ash, which left Ash looking ready to grind his teeth into dust.
Reiji watched the whole thing with a smile and said nothing. He had spotted Team Rocket several times already, including when they had been disguised as chefs on the night he went drinking. Those three really could do almost anything when they put their minds to it.
Since their attention remained fixed entirely on Ash, Reiji had not talked with them much. He had only greeted James a few times and told him they should have another couple of drinks whenever there was time.
"Ash, stop grinning and take Pikachu to get treated," Misty said, coming over to drag him away. "Your Pokémon need care."
"Misty really is thoughtful," Delia said as she rose to follow them, glancing between Ash and Misty with a warm little smile.
Once Delia left, Professor Oak stood as well, and Gary, Brock, Tracey, and the others soon followed. Blaine left too; Amber's match was already over, so there was no reason for them to stay through lunch.
Blaine invited Reiji to join them, but Reiji turned him down. Cissy's match was coming up, and if he dared leave now, she would absolutely look at him sideways for the rest of the day. His head already hurt just thinking about it.
After saying goodbye to Blaine and Amber, Reiji ordered a few cold drinks from James and brought them back to Cissy's mother's seat.
Senta and Cissy's father had arrived as well, probably after finishing Senta's match and hurrying over to watch Cissy. Reiji handed the drinks around as he sat down.
"Rai-nii, I advanced again!" Senta said, bright-eyed and beaming with the pure excitement of an eleven-year-old.
"Not bad, Senta. I advanced too. Maybe we'll meet." Reiji grinned and ruffled his hair.
Senta's good mood died on the spot.
"No, you won't," Cissy's father said.
He shook his head and quietly gave Reiji a bit of inside information. The draw itself was random, but Gym Trainers would not be matched against one another. The system had been designed that way deliberately, ensuring that local Gym Trainers did not eliminate each other before the later stages.
The Orange Archipelago's Elite Four were supposed to be selected from within the region. If the local Gyms knocked one another out before reaching the important rounds, the entire system would defeat its own purpose.
Reiji understood immediately. No wonder he had yet to encounter another Gym Trainer despite there being so many of them in the tournament.
"We can talk later," Cissy's mother said quickly when she saw Pokémon appearing on the field. "Cissy's match is starting."
Cissy's opponent was someone none of them recognized, and not anyone Shingo had flagged either. That alone told Reiji enough about the likely outcome.
Half an hour later, the match ended exactly as expected. Cissy won and returned to the stands to find all five of them waiting for her.
"I advanced," she said, drawing in a deep breath, her happiness obvious in her voice.
"Congratulations." Reiji smiled.
The five of them left the stands together and headed to the cafeteria for lunch, with Cissy's mother planning to handle dinner again that evening.
After lunch, Senta suddenly announced that he wanted to go watch more matches.
Reiji refused immediately, and Cissy's parents had no intention of returning to the venue either. Cissy was definitely not going; she wanted to stay with Reiji and go shopping instead.
With everyone turning him down, Senta looked as though he had bitten into something awful. In the end, he had no choice but to head for the group-stage venue alone.
Reiji watched him leave the Trainers' Village before setting his own plan in motion. He returned to the dormitory to feed his Pokémon lunch, and while doing so, sent Gengar after Senta.
Senta was traveling alone now. If those people intended to make a move, this was the cleanest opportunity they were going to get. Reiji only needed to see whether they could resist taking it.
Cissy had gone grocery shopping with her mother instead of following him back to the room, which gave Reiji exactly the gap he needed. He finished feeding the Pokémon, and when Cissy returned and knocked on his door later, he went back out with her as though nothing had happened.
They headed into town and stopped at a drink shop. Cissy watched the tournament broadcast for a while, gradually lost interest, and eventually fell asleep at the table.
Reiji was still waiting for Gengar.
It was after three in the afternoon when the Ghost-type finally returned. The moment Reiji saw it, he knew those people had made their move.
He looked across the table at Cissy and called her softly, but she did not respond. Reiji placed Umbreon beside her and gave it a quick instruction.
"Watch her."
Umbreon settled down next to Cissy while Reiji quietly slipped out and followed Gengar toward the public restroom near the Rock Field.
A sign reading Under Repair — Temporarily Closed had been left nearby. Reiji picked it up, placed it in front of the men's restroom door, and went inside.
Gengar opened the last stall from within.
Two people were inside. Senta sat unconscious on the toilet with his pants still down, while a young man in a black jacket and mask stood beside him. Reiji did not recognize the man.
He closed the stall door behind him.
"Gengar, wake him up and hypnotize him. I want to know who sent him."
The masked young man's eyes dulled under hypnosis.
"I don't know. The person wore a mask. They gave me money, a photo, and an address. Told me to get rid of the person in the picture."
"Gengar, take out the money."
If the man knew nothing useful, then the cash would have to talk for him.
Reiji released Lucario, his blue dog with the sharpest nose, and held out the money.
"Smell this. Is there another person's scent on it?"
"Ruff. Ruff, ruff."
Lucario nodded, then shook its head.
"There are three human scents on the money," Slowking's telepathy sounded directly in Reiji's mind from inside its Poké Ball. A Poké Ball could not do much to block a Pokémon with psychic power that strong.
"Good. Follow the money scent and find the other two."
Reiji moved into the storage room beside the restroom, found a trash bag, and packed both Senta and the masked young man inside. He then grabbed an Orange League tournament cleaner's uniform, changed into it, added a mask, loaded both of them onto a cleaning cart, and pushed them out of the restroom after taking back the Under Repair sign.
He wheeled the cart out into the street and turned down a random alley. By the time he emerged from the other end, he had already changed into the masked young man's appearance.
Using the man's ID, Reiji checked into a quiet hotel away from the crowds and booked a room with a window. Once inside, he had Pelipper carry Senta and the masked young man through the window and laid both of them on the bed.
They could wait.
Reiji still needed the other two.
He left the hotel and reunited with Lucario near the tournament venue. Lucario could separate dozens of scents without trouble; once it had a sample to work from, finding a person was mostly a matter of having enough time.
Before sending it out, Reiji added one more instruction: pay particular attention to humans carrying obvious malice. If one of the remaining people was waiting nearby for confirmation that Senta had been killed, that should narrow things considerably.
Even with Lucario's nose, the search lasted until after five.
Cissy called during that time, but Reiji ignored it. Umbreon was still with her, and Senta's situation mattered more. Once Cissy learned what had happened, he doubted she would be particularly interested in questioning why Reiji had slipped away without telling her.
Lucario eventually located one of the people whose scent remained on the money.
Reiji waited nearby and watched.
The man remained in the audience area until a phone call came in. He answered, stood up, and immediately left the venue.
Reiji followed at a distance.
The man was cautious enough to notice the cleaner in uniform trailing him and quickly began changing direction in an attempt to shake Reiji off.
It no longer mattered.
Gengar was already hiding beneath his feet.
By the time the man believed he had finally lost his pursuer, he had already collapsed unconscious in an alley. Reiji arrived a moment later and looked down at him.
"Gengar, hypnotize him. I want to know if he's the one behind this."
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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