Reiji and Slowking reappeared above an unfamiliar stretch of ocean, salt wind hitting them the moment Teleport released its hold.
Nothing seemed immediately dangerous. The sea rolled beneath them in long, steady swells, so Reiji released Blastoise and had Slowking lower him onto its shell.
His feet had barely touched down when bubbles began racing across the surface.
Several large shadows swept beneath Blastoise, churning the water as they circled. Before Reiji could get a clear look, a huge blue head burst from the sea and sent a sheet of cold water across him.
Then another appeared.
And another.
Within seconds, Gyarados surrounded them from every direction, roaring across the open water as they glared at the strangers who had appeared in the middle of their territory. The moment their eyes settled on Reiji, several opened their jaws and began gathering energy.
Reiji saw the light building in their mouths and immediately recognized Hyper Beam.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Seven or eight Gyarados were already above the surface, with more shapes moving underneath.
Reiji recalled Blastoise at once and grabbed Slowking before gravity could become another problem. "Teleport! Anywhere else—just get us out of here!"
Slowking looked down at the growing number of Gyarados and needed no convincing. Psychic light surrounded them just as the first Hyper Beams were about to fire, and the two vanished before the entire school could turn that patch of ocean into a crater.
When they emerged again, Reiji remained suspended above another endless expanse of blue water.
This time, he did not immediately release Blastoise.
He and Slowking floated there for a good while, scanning the surface for fins, bubbles, shadows, angry territorial Pokémon, or anything else that might suggest the ocean had decided to murder him again. Only after the sea remained stubbornly ordinary did Reiji finally relax.
"That's it. I'm done fishing."
The Sharpedo had been enough of a warning. Teleporting directly into a Gyarados colony immediately afterward had made the message impossible to misunderstand.
Reiji released Blastoise again and settled carefully onto its shell with Umbreon in his arms. Instead of reaching for the fishing rod, he pulled out his compass and map, checked their position, and pointed toward Mandarin Island North.
"That way. Let's just get there without picking a fight with anything else."
Blastoise began swimming.
Reiji stretched out on its broad shell and let Umbreon curl against his chest. After the Sharpedo school and the Gyarados ambush, simply lying under warm sunlight suddenly felt like an excellent use of the afternoon.
The rest of the trip was mercifully uneventful.
Several passenger ships and luxury liners passed within sight, and more than one person on deck noticed the Trainer traveling across open sea on a Blastoise. One group even leaned over the railing and shouted to ask whether he needed help.
Reiji waved back. "I'm fine! I'm not lost!"
The ship continued on its way, and he found himself smiling.
For all the criminals, gangs, spies, and lunatics he kept running into, most people in this world were still decent enough to offer help when they thought someone was stranded at sea.
By afternoon, land finally appeared on the horizon.
The shape gradually resolved into green hills, coastline, and clustered buildings as Blastoise carried him closer. Reiji checked the map once more and confirmed they had reached Mandarin Island North.
He came ashore along a quiet stretch of coast and deliberately kept Blastoise out. There was nobody nearby, so Reiji opened the rest of his Poké Balls and let the traveling team stretch their legs.
Lunch became an impromptu picnic on the beach.
The Pokémon ate in the sun while waves rolled gently onto the sand, and after spending the entire morning crossing the sea, Reiji was perfectly happy to sit there until everyone had finished.
When he finally checked the time, there were still hours left before the evening gathering.
Going straight to Naoki's villa seemed a little early, but Reiji had not seen the others properly in quite a while. Sitting around and catching up sounded better than wandering around the island with nowhere else to go.
He recalled the team after lunch and kept only Slowking outside.
"You remember Naoki's villa, right? Take us there, but stop outside the property."
Slowking closed its eyes. Blue light spread from its body as it searched for a familiar location, then the world flashed around them.
The first Teleport brought them to a grassy area Slowking recognized from a previous trip. After a brief pause to reorient itself, it Teleported again.
Naoki's villa appeared ahead of them.
Reiji released his hand from Slowking's shoulder and looked back in the direction they had come from.
"That is ridiculously convenient."
Flying the same distance with Pelipper would have taken far longer. Slowking had reduced the entire trip to two jumps.
Of course, Teleport was not unbeatable. Reiji had already learned enough about moves like Mean Look to know that relying too heavily on escape techniques was asking for trouble.
He recalled Slowking, lowered his hood, and straightened his black protective jacket before walking toward the villa.
The small front gate had been left unlocked.
Reiji pushed it open and entered.
Several younger Trainers were practicing with their Pokémon in the yard. The noise of the gate drew their attention, and for a second everyone simply stared at the unexpected visitor.
Then one of them recognized him.
"Rai-nii!"
The shout brought the rest of the yard to life.
Sou had been focused on supervising a training exercise, but he spun around at the commotion and immediately broke into a grin when he saw Reiji.
"Rai-nii? You're here already?"
Reiji raised a hand in greeting to the others and walked over.
Sou looked much the same as before. He wore an old white undershirt that had been washed so many times the fabric had faded, with dirt along the hem from spending the morning on the field.
Reiji gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"Keep training. You had the strength to place higher in the tournament, but you threw away too much because you froze up. You can't stand there staring at your opponent in the middle of a match."
Sou immediately looked embarrassed.
"I know. Seeing you across the field messed with my head."
He scratched the back of his neck. At the time, he had been so excited and nervous about drawing Reiji as an opponent that half the battle had passed in a blur.
Reiji could believe it. Sou was strong enough to hide things from outsiders when necessary, but subtlety had never been his greatest talent. Whatever he felt tended to appear directly on his face.
Once their conversation ended, Gulzar approached much more cautiously.
"Rai-nii, about Sabrina..." He lowered his voice. "You were serious? About her and Travis's family?"
Reiji's expression became more sober.
Gulzar had gone back to Kumquat Gym after the tournament, but Naoki's summons had given him an excuse to claim he was visiting home. He had boarded a ship, changed course partway through the trip, and quietly come south to Mandarin Island North.
Apparently, Reiji's warning had been bothering him the entire way.
"It's real," Reiji said. "So be careful. Don't let Sabrina see any change in how you act around her. From what I can tell, Travis is probably her main target because he's a Psychic too. That means you're less important to her, and that's exactly how you want it to stay."
Gulzar hesitated. "Boss, could I—"
"No."
Reiji cut him off before he could finish.
"I know Travis is your friend, but think before you do anything. What happens if both families already know more than they're admitting? What if they're allowing this relationship on purpose?"
Gulzar fell silent.
The struggle between the League, Team Rocket, and the Orange Archipelago was already far beyond anything he should be trying to unravel alone. Reiji doubted a teenager could fully understand how dangerous that political mess had become, but family involvement was something Gulzar could grasp immediately.
If Sabrina's position somehow involved cooperation or silent approval from both sides, exposing her would not simply save Travis. It could destroy Gulzar instead.
"I get it," Gulzar said after a moment. His earlier urgency had faded, leaving him frustrated but resigned. "I won't say anything."
Reiji gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Good. And don't assume she plans to hurt Travis. Honestly, the two families might be trying to arrange something between them."
Gulzar stared at him.
"Arrange something?"
"Marriage, eventually. Who knows?"
The idea hit Gulzar much harder than the Team Rocket revelation had.
He had once been a genuine Sabrina fan. Somewhere among his belongings was still an old poster of her eating ice cream, a picture he had thought was unbearably cute at the time.
Learning that she was a Team Rocket operative had killed that admiration almost instantly.
Hearing that his best friend might someday marry her somehow made the whole thing worse.
Reiji had to suppress a laugh at his expression. Whatever Sabrina's loyalties were, she was still beautiful, frighteningly powerful, and apparently acceptable to Travis's family. If things really developed in that direction, Travis might consider himself the luckiest man alive.
Gulzar clearly did not share that perspective.
...
The noise outside eventually drew A.J. from the villa.
He stepped into the yard, saw Reiji and Shun talking near the gate, and waited off to the side until they finished. Once Reiji started toward the house, A.J. came over with a broad smile.
"Boss."
Reiji returned the greeting and nodded toward him.
"You handled Komai's situation well."
A.J.'s smile widened immediately. "It was nothing. If you give the order, Boss, I'll climb any mountain, cross any—"
Reiji laughed and put a hand on his shoulder before he could finish embarrassing himself.
"When did you learn to kiss ass like that?"
A.J. went red and scratched his head.
"Just saying."
"Save it. I'm not that difficult to please."
A.J. wisely abandoned the speech and stepped aside.
Naoki had been standing behind him.
He wore dark training clothes and looked as though he had only recently come in from exercise. The smile on his face was faint, but there was something awkward underneath it that Reiji noticed immediately.
"Boss," Naoki began. "About that thing..."
The words died before he could get any further.
He lowered his head, clearly trying to decide how much Reiji already knew and how exactly to explain the rest.
Reiji gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"Naoki, don't worry about it."
That only seemed to make Naoki more uncomfortable.
Reiji left him there and walked into the villa.
The moment he entered the living room, he understood why.
Keith was kneeling on the floor.
His clothes were reasonably clean, but his hair was a mess, and he had both hands clenched tightly around the fabric near his knees. He had apparently been waiting there for some time, growing more nervous by the minute.
Reiji stopped just inside the room and looked at him.
Whatever Naoki had been struggling to explain, he had a feeling he was about to hear it directly from the source.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]