Day 19 since joining the Gym. Cloudy.
Reiji wasn't at the Gym anymore. He was staying in Naoki's "hotel," which turned out to be a villa—Naoki's own safe house.
After breakfast at the villa, Reiji prepared to say goodbye to Naoki and the other three, then head to Rind Island to evolve Magikarp.
"Boss, don't worry," Naoki said again and again. "I'll teach Sou properly and make him a trainer who can stand on his own."
He'd already promised yesterday. The difference was that last night they'd all gotten drunk—everyone except Sou—and taken a taxi back to the villa.
Reiji patted Sou on the shoulder. "Study hard, got it?"
Then he added, "Mandarin Island North is only a strait away from Mikan Island. If you miss home, you can fly back on Pelipper. Two or three hours, tops."
"Rai-nii, I'll work hard," Sou said. Naoki had even offered to get him a job at a club—250,000 Pokédollars a month as base pay, plus tips if customers felt generous.
With income like that, Sou wouldn't have to panic about running out of money and stalling his training.
"All right. I'm going," Reiji said. "No need to see me off."
He climbed onto Pelipper and took off straight from the villa's courtyard, heading for Rind Island.
It was his second trip there, and he knew the route. He left Mandarin Island North behind and soon found himself over open sea with no landmarks at all.
That wrapped up Sou's arrangement. Leaving him with Naoki would keep him busy for years. It wasn't as glamorous as the paths some of the other kids had, but for Sou, it was the best outcome he could realistically get.
A Gym wouldn't take someone like him. Team Rocket might, but only as disposable muscle, and Sou would never survive their backstabbing world. Bigger clubs likely wouldn't want him either.
Naoki's small club only let him in because Naoki vouched for him. Even then, Sou would start as a sparring partner. Coach was still a long way off.
And "coaching" at a club wasn't like the move-teaching Reiji had been arranging. Those hired trainers weren't really teaching the person. The real learning happened Pokémon-to-Pokémon, with the trainer acting as a guide.
Naoki was a coach at that club. His "little brother" Daishi was there too. Gai was there. Now Sou was joining them, making a small group of four.
Aside from Naoki, the other three were all sparring partners. To become a coach, you needed strength and the ability to teach.
Reiji could only hope Sou kept the same stubborn persistence he'd shown while teaching Pelipper. If he did, he could learn, train, and earn a decent salary at the same time.
Training day after day was dull. That was why the League pushed new trainers to travel. The League understood most rookies couldn't endure grinding in the same place forever, running the same drills with the same few Pokémon and the same handful of moves.
Travel let them grow while they explored. It also let them meet stronger trainers and see a bigger world.
The downside was obvious. The wild wasn't safe. Getting ambushed by wild Pokémon was normal.
To survive out there, you needed strength.
Shun should be strong enough to travel now. Reiji found himself wondering what Shun was doing these days.
Flying over the sea, Reiji also thought about old acquaintances.
Once he stepped into Kanto and stood on a real stage, major factions would notice him. He was still "just" a civilian trainer, so higher-ups wouldn't care unless he did something outrageous. Every year, every region produced a champion, and a beginner tournament title wasn't rare on its own.
But if he wanted to go further, people would dig into his past. Anyone determined enough could spot strange details if they pulled his history apart long enough.
Reiji didn't care anymore.
He'd chosen to stand under the lights. For Poliwhirl and for a top-grade Water Stone, he was done hiding. If trouble came, Mikan Gym could shoulder it.
Not long after, he reached Rind Island.
From above, he scanned the island's lake and spotted Quincy fishing beside the cabin. Heracross and Farfetch'd were with him.
Reiji had Pelipper drop straight down.
"Old Quincy!" Reiji called as he walked over. "The Magikarp run is long over. You're still here?"
Quincy blinked hard, gripping his rod like he was dreaming. "Rai?"
It took him a few seconds to accept it. They'd only been apart a little over a month, and Reiji had already returned.
"Long time no see, Old Quincy," Reiji said, sitting down on the fallen tree trunk Quincy used as a bench.
"It has been a month," Quincy said, eyes returning to the calm lake. "Just passing through? Where to?"
"Passing through," Reiji said. "I'm evolving Magikarp here."
"You're using the waterfall," Quincy said at once. "You're going to make it climb."
"That's the plan," Reiji said. "Magikarp and I are ready."
Then he asked again, "But seriously—if the run is over, have you just been living here the whole time?"
"Most of the time," Quincy said with a small smile. "It's quiet. Not a bad place to grow old."
"It really is," Reiji said. "After I left, did Team Rocket come looking?"
Quincy's smile faded. "They did. And trainers from Kumquat Gym showed up too."
He sighed, and the sound carried weight.
At first, he thought the two sides would clash. Somehow, they didn't. Then Team Rocket returned later, and that second visit nearly scared him to death.
They questioned him, and he told them what little he knew—one name, Rai, and the Pokémon he'd seen.
It still wasn't enough. Quincy genuinely thought he was about to die.
Then… nothing happened. The killing blow never came. When he dared to open his eyes, Team Rocket was already gone.
Reiji forced a light tone. "Well, you've still got all your arms and legs."
It was a joke, but he knew the truth. Quincy surviving that was luck.
"I'm fine," Quincy said. "The Kumquat Gym trainers were polite. Team Rocket wasn't."
Reiji nodded once. "Good. When we eat, I'm drinking three cups as punishment. Then we'll have a proper round together."
He pulled food and drinks from his bag. They'd grill by the lake.
Quincy laughed. "You kid… you get me. I've been dry for ages. I finished all the liquor you left."
"You're a greedy old man," Reiji said, grinning.
Once the ingredients were out, he released Poliwhirl and the others. They were mostly Water-types, so the lake was perfect for them to mess around.
They'd spent half a month in intense training at the Gym. Now they could loosen up.
He also released Magikarp, since today was about getting comfortable with the area. Tomorrow would be the real "leap the waterfall" evolution.
Other Magikarp might fail.
His wouldn't. If it cleared the waterfall, it would evolve.
Over the past month, Reiji hadn't just bonded with it. He'd personally drilled Water Gun target practice. He'd fed it by hand. He'd even patted it like a pet.
He'd also been feeding it calcium tablets. The "dumb fish" had grown noticeably bigger.
A normal Magikarp was about ninety centimetres long. His was already over a metre—an undeniable chonk.
It still didn't feel as ridiculous as that Nurse Joy he'd met before, the one with the enormous Magikarp. Reiji had no idea how long she'd been feeding it supplements. That Magikarp had been almost the size of Team Rocket's Magikarp submarine.
To be fair, his Magikarp could evolve without the waterfall. With Outrage, all it took was anger.
But Reiji wasn't doing that.
He'd built this bond the hard way. He wasn't going to smash it just to force an evolution. The waterfall method was better.
Quincy watched Reiji's Magikarp for a while, then made a decision.
"Rai," Quincy said, recalling the Magikarp by the shore. He tossed the Poké Ball to Reiji. "Take this one back."
Reiji caught it, startled. "Old Quincy… the one I gave you?"
"It is," Quincy said. "It's talented. Keeping it with me is wasting it. Find it a good trainer."
"Think it through," Reiji said. "You could leave it to your grandson."
Quincy shook his head. "Even if it evolves, it'll be a violent Gyarados. I wouldn't feel safe giving that to a kid."
His grandson wasn't even nearby, and Quincy's son and daughter-in-law would never agree anyway. Because Quincy was always away researching Magikarp, the family already disliked them. Even if he handed the Magikarp over, they'd probably just throw it away.
Quincy's voice turned bitter for a moment. "That's just how it is."
"All right," Reiji said, and didn't press.
He pocketed the Poké Ball. Later, he could send it to Senta at the Gym. A Magikarp with 58% potential was too good to waste.
"Come on," Reiji said. "Let's drink."
He set up the grill, cracked open two cold beers, and the two of them drank and fished by the lake.
They ate, talked, and kept going until afternoon.
After they'd had their fill, Reiji said goodbye and pitched a tent in the nearby woods.
Poliwhirl and the others stayed in the lake, splashing around. That was fine. But Poliwhirl and Scyther couldn't sit still. They helped set up the tent, then immediately went off to throw punches again.
Once the tent was up, Reiji collapsed inside and fell asleep. He'd had too much to drink.
By the time he woke, the sun was low and the clouds were lit like fire.
He went to check on Quincy, only for Farfetch'd to "report" that the old man was still asleep.
Reiji returned to the tent, cooked dinner, and finally let Croagunk's group out to eat. He also released Mudkip and removed the Everstone from its neck.
The moment the Everstone came off, white light flickered across Mudkip's body.
It was evolving.
Reiji immediately pulled out the Ground Gems he'd prepared and placed them into Mudkip's mouth.
"Mudkip," he said, steady and clear, "bite down on these three Ground Gems. Absorb the energy while you evolve."
Mudkip nodded.
The light burst outward.
For a moment, it turned the approaching night into daylight. Then the glow vanished just as quickly.
Mudkip was gone, replaced by something bigger and tougher, its colour shifting toward a bright sky-blue.
The orange gills on its cheeks remained. Its eyes and belly turned orange too. Its head and body were sky-blue, while the fin on its head and the fin on its back darkened to black.
[Marshtomp]
[Type: Water/Ground]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 67%]
[Level: 18.27%]
[Ability: Torrent/6.13%][Hidden Ability: Damp/8.23%]
[Moves: (Bite/12.21%)(Tackle/4.51%)(Growl/10.52%)(Hydro Pump/8.11%)(Waterfall/6.14%)(Rain Dance/3.31%) (Water Gun/15.45%)(Mud-Slap/5.22%)(Mud Shot/9.23%)(Earth Power/4.31%)(Bulldoze/2.81%)(Dig/3.58%)(Ice Punch/1.55%)]
Mudkip had become Marshtomp, and its potential jumped hard—67%.
Its level was already 18. It was close to reaching Elite tier, and the training ahead would only get heavier.
That was fine. Marshtomp was always with him. When no one was around, Poliwhirl could guide it.
Marshtomp could start by drilling Waterfall with Poliwhirl. Poliwhirl's control of that move was already sharp, and there was no better teacher for learning how to explode upward with it.
The rest of the changes were obvious too. Its ability proficiency rose across the board.
Its moves improved as well—especially Water Gun. The target practice was paying off. It could even hit moving targets now.
And after evolving, it picked up three new moves: two Ground-type moves, Bulldoze and Dig, plus Ice Punch.
"Marsh!" Marshtomp spat out the gems and lunged into Reiji's arms.
Evolution didn't change that part. It still wanted to be held.
"Marshtomp—congrats," Reiji said, hugging it.
He couldn't help smiling. Marshtomp was still clingy.
For now, he could still carry it. Once it became Swampert, that would be the end of cuddle time.
On the ground, the Ground Gems Marshtomp had spit out lay in a small pile. Two had turned white, and one remained brown, which meant it hadn't absorbed everything.
Reiji picked them up.
Hanhan's black eyes were already fixed on them.
Reiji laughed, helpless, and tossed all three gems to Hanhan.
Crunch, crunch.
Hanhan chewed happily, rumbling like a pleased engine. It was "congratulating" Marshtomp, and also hoping Marshtomp evolved again soon so there would be more gems to eat.
Poliwhirl bounced over to congratulate Marshtomp too. Pelipper squawked its approval like a veteran. Kingler followed along, offering its own silent blessing.
Scyther only gave a short sound, but the intent was clear.
Shelmet ran circles around Marshtomp. Those two were close in age, and now they could spar properly.
Zapdos didn't understand what "evolution" meant, but everyone was happy, so it chirped along anyway.
Croagunk called out from a distance. It didn't come close. Its poison was too dangerous, so it kept to Gengar's group.
Golbat hung upside down in a tree with Spinarak, keeping watch while still adding its congratulations.
Magikarp, in the lake, splashed so hard it was practically drumming the surface. It had heard Reiji clearly.
Tomorrow was its day.
Gengar popped out of the shadows to congratulate Marshtomp as well, offering a "gift"—a wildflower it had picked on the roadside. Then it floated off to share poisonous mushrooms with Golbat and Croagunk.
Darkrai didn't show itself, but its voice sounded directly inside Marshtomp's mind.
Congratulations.
Marshtomp twisted its head around, confused, trying to find where the voice came from.
Spinarak took a bite of a poisonous mushroom and "congratulated" Marshtomp from the tree trunk like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Ditto congratulated Marshtomp too, then transformed into a Marshtomp with dot eyes—an easy giveaway.
Once the chaos settled, dinner finally began.
Tomorrow, Reiji would handle Magikarp's evolution. Marshtomp could train Waterfall in the woods with Poliwhirl.
After everyone ate, Quincy wandered over and joined them. Marshtomp finished first, then followed Poliwhirl into the forest.
Croagunk, Golbat, Gengar, and the rest of the masked group slipped off into the trees as well. Reiji didn't ask. He'd already told Poliwhirl about the Waterfall training, so they were probably helping with that.
They didn't drink tonight.
They ate quietly and watched the sun sink while the campfire crackled. Night settled in, the moon climbed high, and the woods filled with insects and distant birds.
Reiji sat across from Quincy by the fire. "Old Quincy, tomorrow Magikarp climbs the waterfall. Anything I should watch out for?"
"Nothing special," Quincy said. "Magikarp needs encouragement and support."
He looked at Reiji over the flames. "That's your job. The real question is whether you're ready to evolve it."
"I understand," Reiji said.
He knew what Quincy was really pointing at.
Reiji had almost lost his way once, tempted by endless high-potential catches, tempted enough to nearly abandon Poliwhirl—his first partner.
He'd snapped out of it by remembering those early days when it had been just him and that little tadpole, surviving together.
In the end, he was only human. Anyone could get lost when desire kept piling up.
Power.
Money.
Fame.
Beautiful people.
Control.
Life never stopped tempting you.
Reiji stared into the fire and let the heat wash over him.
He just hoped he could stay true to himself—and keep walking forward with Poliwhirl and the rest.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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