"It was my two partners who spread it," Gai said. "They're from my hometown too. After I got the meditation technique, I didn't hide it from them…"
He looked miserable. The leak didn't even make sense to him—he'd only told those two, and he'd trusted them completely.
Somehow, the pair had gotten cocky and let it slip. Maybe they'd run their mouths while drunk.
Saying any more wouldn't change anything. They were already dead.
Dead was one thing. The problem was what they'd left him with. Gai had been dragged into this mess, and he'd regret telling them for the rest of his life.
Reiji listened and pieced it together. So that was how it got out. Fine—if it didn't involve Team Rocket, then it wasn't a disaster. It was just trouble.
"How did you know I live here?" he asked.
Gai blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Uh… Acting Gym Leader, you're flying around every day. People would have to be blind not to notice."
Reiji paused. He'd somehow managed to make himself the easiest person on the island to track.
"Naoki," he said, "return anything that can't fight."
"Yes, boss." Naoki moved quickly, recalling the small ones and leaving only those still able to battle.
Reiji noticed the Krabby Naoki kept out. "Elite and above only. Return the rest."
"I understand." By the time Naoki finished, only Flygon and Pinsir remained.
Reiji recalled his own Pokémon, then looked at Gai. "Spinarak. Drag him inside and gag him. He can't make a sound."
Spinarak slipped into the cabin, silk ready.
Reiji sent out Darkrai and Gengar. If those bounty hunters weren't Elite Four tier, they had no real way to stop a Darkrai ambush.
He'd made it clear to Darkrai: the Trainer comes first. Put the Trainer to sleep, and the rest collapses with them.
A Pokémon without its Trainer backing it up wasn't nearly as dangerous. Cleaning up after that was straightforward.
Gengar went to support—Darkrai to land the sleep, Gengar to watch the perimeter. The two shadows slid off into the forest.
Naoki saw them go and swallowed. With Darkrai on their side, all that panic from earlier suddenly looked pointless.
No wonder Reiji told him to calm down. He'd been ready for this from the start.
They didn't wait long. Darkrai returned and folded back into Reiji's shadow, its voice landing inside his mind.
"Found them. At the edge of the woods. They're asleep."
The two bounty hunters had chased Gai all the way here because they understood exactly what he was doing—running for Reiji's protection. Reiji's lakeside cabin wasn't a secret anymore.
They still came.
That meditation technique was worth it to them, and they weren't going to stop just because the target was an Acting Gym Leader. Even knowing the results Reiji had put up at Mikan Gym, they wanted to test him anyway.
They reached the forest's edge with a Pinsir and an Arbok out, then slowed down to plan. Cabin in sight, target cornered—no need to rush.
They never noticed Darkrai and Gengar moving behind them through the shadows.
Darkrai rose out of the darkness at their backs and formed a black-violet ring of energy in its hand. It hurled the Dark Void forward.
The ring swelled in midair and swallowed both Trainers and both Pokémon. When the darkness dispersed, all four had dropped into deep, silent sleep.
Reiji nodded once. "Good."
He sent Darkrai ahead with Spinarak. "Bind them first. Then use Poison Fang."
Darkrai moved, and Spinarak bounded after it. Reiji grabbed a flashlight, pushed the cabin door open, and headed out with Naoki.
"Boss, let me check first," Naoki said, stepping in front of him.
"It's fine," Reiji replied. "They're already asleep."
Naoki stared at him. "Already?"
At the edge of the trees, the flashlight beam found them—two men sprawled on the ground, their Pinsir and Arbok slumped beside them. All four were out cold.
Reiji gave a short, quiet laugh. Darkrai really was unfair. As long as no one knew he had it, anyone trying to ambush him was just walking into a trap.
"Spinarak, search them," he said. "Gengar, lock their Poké Balls so nothing comes out. Then use empty balls—take the Pinsir and Arbok."
Spinarak worked fast, pulling everything off the two men in moments. Gengar took each Poké Ball, one by one, and sealed them. Then it snapped two empty Poké Balls and recalled the Pinsir and Arbok.
With the bindings in place, Spinarak's venom brought the two men jolting awake. Sweat beaded across their foreheads almost immediately.
Their mouths were packed with silk. The moment they saw Reiji and Naoki, they started thrashing.
When struggling didn't help, their eyes shifted into pleading, begging looks. Their bodies twisted toward Reiji like they could bargain without words.
Reiji didn't even bother responding. He flicked his hand once.
"Gengar. Hypnosis."
Gengar drifted in close, crimson eyes glowing. The two bounty hunters went slack and dropped back into sleep.
Reiji's voice stayed calm. "Toxic."
Gengar released poison.
The effect was instant. The two men seized and went still.
Naoki wiped his forehead without thinking, the motion small and stiff. That poison wasn't just strong—it was obscene. They didn't even last ten seconds.
Reiji watched for a beat, then spoke to Gengar. "Dial it back normally. That's too much."
He didn't doubt it, though. Gengar had swallowed enough poison sacs and enough Poison Stones to turn shiny. If its toxins weren't terrifying by now, something would be wrong.
"Naoki," Reiji said, turning away, "pack up. We're going back."
Most of what they'd pulled off the men was junk. No backpacks, no real stash—just loose clutter. Reiji wasn't interested in digging through it.
Interrogation wasn't worth it either. Bounty hunters lived in the gray zone. People like this disappeared all the time, and no one came asking questions. Ending it here was cleaner.
As for their "secrets," Reiji didn't care. Two hyenas chasing a meditation technique weren't hiding anything valuable.
"Yes, boss." Naoki gathered what mattered and bundled the rest with his shirt.
Reiji released Kingler and pointed at the ground. "Dig. Bury them."
Kingler went to work while Reiji headed back with Gengar and Spinarak.
Under the eaves, Reiji sat down. Naoki dropped the wrapped pile beside the bench, and Reiji checked it quickly. Nothing stood out.
"Estimate it," Reiji said. "Sell it for cash."
These kills were his. The spoils were his.
Naoki counted properly. "They had eleven Pokémon total. Six are Advanced tier: Pinsir, Arbok, two Gyarados, Victreebel, and Vileplume."
He snorted. "Stronger than the last two we dealt with. Those idiots only had four Advanced-tier Pokémon, and they tried a night raid while drinking."
He continued. "Five are Elite tier—common Orange Archipelago water types: Tentacruel, Kingler, Fearow, Pelipper, and Sharpedo."
"A couple of items," he added. "Four Elite-tier items: two Mystic Waters, one Miracle Seed, and one Black Sludge."
Reiji didn't react. He'd never expected desperate mercenaries to be rich. The kind of Trainer who knew how to save and invest didn't live like this.
Naoki finished the tally. "Advanced-tier Pokémon: ten million if we sell them to a Pokémon Day Care. Elite-tier Pokémon: one million. The four items are about seven million total. If I move them through the black market, each should sell for around two million."
"Fine," Reiji said. "Handle it when you get back to Mandarin Island North."
Naoki glanced at the leftover clutter. "There's also a pile of miscellaneous junk—Pokémon food and personal items."
"Do whatever you want. Toss it," Reiji said. Then he looked toward the cabin. "I've got something else to deal with."
"Spinarak. Bring him out. I want to talk."
Spinarak went inside, wrapped Gai in silk, and hauled him out of the living room like a sack.
Naoki finished packing the Poké Balls and items, then set thick stacks of cash on the bench.
"Boss. Eighteen million."
Reiji didn't look at the money. "Spinarak, free his mouth."
The silk peeled away.
"Gai," Reiji said, "we've met a few times. The bounty hunters chasing you are gone."
Gai saw the loot, saw the cash, and understood immediately. "Thank you. If you hadn't—"
Reiji cut him off. His eyes stayed cold. "Don't rush to thank me. You have two choices. First: join us. Second—"
"I choose the first," Gai said instantly.
He didn't hesitate because he understood the situation. If he chose the second option, he wasn't leaving this place alive.
Reiji smiled faintly. "Smart."
Then his tone flattened. "Spinarak. Search him."
Spinarak patted him down and dumped out what it found.
Reiji scanned the pile, picked up Gai's ID, and read the address. Then he tossed it to Naoki.
"Naoki. He's seen too much. He follows you from now on. If he runs or stops listening, go to that address and erase the loose ends."
Gai's face changed immediately. "Wait—don't. You can't do that."
Reiji didn't answer. He'd saved him, and he was letting him live. That was already mercy.
Naoki's smile was thin. "Do you want to die?"
Gai went quiet.
Reiji spoke again, measured. "Don't frame it as a threat. Frame it as insurance."
He could've killed Gai and sealed the secret forever. He just didn't feel like wiping people out unless he had to.
Gai had brought trouble to their door, and he'd clearly hoped to use Reiji as a shield. But he'd also dug his own grave in the process. That made him useful.
Handled correctly, this could turn into a leash and a tool in one.
Gai muttered under his breath, bitter and wary.
Reiji ignored the complaint and pointed at Naoki. "Do you know who he is?"
Gai looked Naoki up and down, then shook his head. "No."
Reiji answered. "Naoki is well-known in Trovitopolis' underworld. He got out recently. He used to be the leader of the Rock Gang there."
Gai repeated the name under his breath, then his eyes widened as recognition hit.
"Trovitopolis got taken over by Team Rocket," he blurted. "They merged the three big gangs. After that night, people said you were dead. You're here?"
Naoki chuckled. "Surprised? Letting them believe I died makes things easier."
Gai exhaled slowly. "I didn't expect to run into someone like you out here."
"That's history," Naoki said, staring out at the lake.
For a while, he'd believed the hype himself. Then he met Reiji, and reality became simple.
Against Team Rocket, he wasn't a "big shot."
He was an ant.
Maybe a slightly bigger ant, but still something that could be crushed whenever they felt like it.
Reiji looked back at Gai. "So. Are you leaving?"
Gai gave a tight, resigned smile and shook his head. "No. I'll stick with Naoki."
He didn't know what Reiji and Naoki were planning. He didn't know what they were hiding. But one thing was obvious: a former quasi–Elite Four tier Trainer was calling the Acting Gym Leader "boss."
That meant Reiji was hiding far more than he showed.
And even if this was forced, joining them still came with protection. For Gai, that mattered.
Reiji nodded, then glanced at Naoki—a reminder to keep watching. He still didn't fully trust Gai. If Gai tried anything, Reiji would end it.
Naoki met the look and understood. He didn't want his own identity exposed either.
Reiji waved Gai closer. "Come eat."
Then he called toward the cabin, "Butterfree—bring an ice-cold beer."
This dinner was supposed to be two old friends catching up.
Now it was three.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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