"Understood."
Starting with Shingo at Number Eleven, the manuscripts made their way back around the table. Reiji counted them as they arrived: ten returned to him, one remained with Naoki for Spider's use, and the original was still safely in his possession.
Everything was accounted for.
"All right. That's enough for tonight. Get some rest."
Reiji had barely risen from his chair when Naoki spoke up.
"Boss, we still haven't dealt with the traitor."
He had clearly been waiting for this. His gaze went straight to Gai, still bound near the door after everything that had happened that evening.
Reiji looked over and grimaced. With the rankings, Shingo, and the advancement manuscript occupying his attention, he really had almost forgotten about him.
"Right. Him."
He had no interest in dragging the matter out.
"Everyone gives him one stab. After that, you're done for the night."
Naoki was on his feet immediately.
He hated betrayal more than anyone at the table, and Gai had tried to hand Spider's identities directly to Team Rocket. Naoki drove the knife into his shoulder, deliberately avoiding anything that would kill him outright.
Tai followed without hesitation. Years undercover in Team Rocket had long since stripped away any squeamishness he might once have had, and A.J. was no stranger to blood either.
Shun went after them.
By the time Miki's turn came, however, she stopped in front of Gai with the knife held stiffly in both hands. Her family had been murdered and she had spent weeks running from people who wanted her dead, but that did not make this easy. She had never participated in an execution before.
Keith noticed immediately and stepped beside her.
"You don't have to do it alone."
He placed a hand over hers, and together they carried out the punishment before moving away.
Itsuki, Gulzar, Sou, and Daishi followed in turn. None of them enjoyed lingering over it, but neither did any of them object. Gai had known enough to destroy every person in the room, and he had willingly tried to sell that information for his own benefit.
By the time Shingo approached, Gai was barely conscious.
Shingo pulled one of the knives free and looked down at him.
"I wasn't even part of Spider when you betrayed them, so this really has nothing to do with me." He paused, then shook his head. "But I hate traitors too."
He drove the blade into Gai's thigh and stepped away.
Gai sagged against his restraints, blood soaking through several places in his clothes. Humans in this world were much harder to kill than the people Reiji remembered from his previous life, but even that resilience had limits. Left untreated, Gai would not survive the night.
Tai approached Reiji afterward.
"Boss. This is everything Gai had on him."
His Gengar opened its mouth and produced a backpack containing Gai's belongings and Poké Balls.
"You caught him, so they're yours," Reiji said. "Do whatever you want with the valuables."
Then his expression cooled.
"His Pokémon have seen too much. I don't want them seeing another sunrise."
Tai understood immediately.
"Got it."
He tossed the backpack back to Gengar, which swallowed it and slipped once more into his shadow.
The contents were worth a considerable amount. After the profits from Spider's recent jobs, Gai had accumulated at least a few hundred million Pokédollars in assets, and Tai already knew exactly where part of that money was going.
Metang still needed the components required to complete its eventual evolution. That problem had just become much easier to finance.
Reiji remembered something else before dismissing everyone.
"Tai, there's another job for you. The documents you saw earlier mentioned that Kanto noble family tied to the cruise ship captain. Most of the family was wiped out during the recent trouble, but not all of them."
Tai listened carefully.
"Some survivors are still out there, including people connected to the place where you're undercover. Find every one you can and make a list. They're going on Spider's target list."
"I understand."
There was no need to spell out the reasoning. Leaving enemies alive meant leaving people who might eventually come looking for revenge.
Reiji glanced around at the members who had remained behind: Naoki, Tai, A.J., Shingo, and Shun.
"When you finish the list, give it to Shingo. He'll plan the operations."
Shingo raised a hand. "Leave it to me."
As Spider's new Chief Intelligence Officer, he would locate the targets, track their movements, determine what protection they had, and assign appropriate teams. If a particular target interested him enough, he could always participate himself.
Spider's rules regarding spoils made that prospect more attractive. What a member took from an enemy belonged to the people who carried out the operation rather than automatically going into Reiji's pocket.
Tai keeping Gai's possessions had just demonstrated that policy clearly.
That mattered more now than ever. Reiji's advancement manuscript had shown everyone how expensive serious Pokémon development became at the highest levels. Elite Four-tier resources were costly enough; Champion-tier development could swallow fortunes.
If they wanted stronger Pokémon, they were going to need money.
"Unless anyone has something else, go get some sleep," Reiji said. "I'm heading back to Mikan Island tomorrow. After that, I'll be taking a short break before I start working seriously on getting more of my team to Elite Four tier."
Most of the group began to disperse, but Shun stayed behind.
"Boss, I have something important."
Reiji paused and looked at him. "What is it, Number Four?"
He had deliberately kept only the members with Elite Four-tier Pokémon behind, so Shun lingering caught him by surprise. Still, nothing they were discussing was so sensitive that Shun had to be excluded.
Shun glanced at the others.
"Can I say it here?"
Reiji immediately caught the hesitation.
"If it's that important, come here."
Shun walked over, while Naoki, Tai, A.J., and Shingo politely turned their attention elsewhere and pretended to carry on their own conversation.
Shun leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Rai-nii, I have a Lucarionite. I want you to have it."
Reiji's head snapped toward him.
"What? Where did you get a Lucarionite?"
His voice rose enough that all four men pretending not to listen immediately looked over, then awkwardly returned to their fake conversation when Reiji caught them.
"Bruno gave it to me," Shun explained. "I've already tried Mega Evolution with Lucario."
There was no hiding the excitement in his voice when he remembered it. For a few moments during Mega Evolution, the connection between Trainer and Pokémon had felt almost impossibly close, as though Lucario's strength and emotions were flowing directly through him.
Reiji shook his head.
"If Bruno gave it to you, keep it. That's not something you casually give away."
Shun had offered because he knew Reiji owned a Lucario as well, but that only made Reiji appreciate the gesture more.
"You can do something useful with it tonight, though. Show everyone Mega Evolution."
Shun looked at him uncertainly.
"You're sure?"
"Of course. Mega Evolution depends on the bond between Trainer and Pokémon. If you and Lucario can already do it reliably, seeing the process would be useful for everyone here."
"I can do it," Shun said without hesitation. "Lucario and I have no problem with the bond."
His confidence faded slightly when he glanced toward the others. Mega Evolution was hardly common knowledge, and revealing it in front of several people still felt risky.
Reiji understood the concern.
"Don't worry. Mega Evolution is part of my plans too."
He reached for two Poké Balls and released Blastoise and Sharpedo into the room.
Blastoise landed heavily on the floor, while Sharpedo appeared beside it with its usual vicious expression. They were the two Pokémon on Reiji's current team for which he possessed the corresponding Mega Stones.
Shun stared.
"You know about Mega Evolution too?"
"And I have the stones."
Reiji opened his bag and took out two multicolored Mega Stones. Their patterns differed from the stone mounted on Shun's wrist, but there was no mistaking what they were.
Shun leaned closer, disbelief giving way to excitement.
"They're real... You actually have two."
He had assumed Mega Evolution was still one of the League's closely guarded secrets. Somehow, Reiji not only knew about it but had already acquired multiple Mega Stones and compatible Pokémon.
At this point, Shun was beginning to wonder whether there was any major secret Reiji did not hear about before everyone else.
Reiji returned the stones to his bag.
"I've been working on my bond with these two specifically because I want to Mega Evolve them eventually."
Shun nodded, then asked the obvious question.
"So what's the plan?"
"Spider starts looking for Mega Stones."
Reiji glanced toward the four men who were still doing a terrible job of pretending they were not listening.
"Two people searching isn't enough. We have twelve core members, contacts all over the Orange Archipelago, people inside Team Rocket, and connections outside the region. If everyone knows what to watch for, our chances go up considerably."
Then he raised his voice.
"All right, stop pretending you can't hear us. Come over here."
Naoki, Tai, A.J., and Shingo abandoned the act immediately.
Reiji pointed toward Shun.
"Number Four has something to show you."
Apparently, the night still had one more secret left in it.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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