"Peli—peli—" Pelipper caught its breath, then wheeled toward Skinny's side. From the sounds alone, the fight there was still raging.
"Butterfree!" With plenty of stamina left, Butterfree shot off to assist.
"Yi-to!" Spinarak, which had returned to guard Reiji after Beedrill fled, sprang away at his signal as well.
Reiji still had Poliwhirl, Rhyhorn, and Krabby by his side—enough to hold this ground.
"Krk-krk." Krabby lifted a claw and sidled up. Reiji fed it some Paralyze Heal. Thanks to Harden and its carapace, Krabby's injuries were far lighter than Poliwhirl's; a quick treatment would do for now.
Once his three helpers departed, Reiji returned Poliwhirl to a Heal Ball, then picked up the brute's Poké Balls and recalled Primeape and Machoke. He also grabbed the silk-cocooned ball on the ground and pulled Breloom back in.
Then he rifled the corpse: a wallet with 630,000 in cash, an unregistered bank card, and an ID. An old mobile phone, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter. He shoved everything into his pockets for now—he'd destroy the evidence later.
The only real valuables on the brute were the three Pokémon—Primeape, Machoke, and Breloom—and the 630,000 cash. Nothing else worth much.
Finished, Reiji moved with Rhyhorn and Krabby toward Skinny's battlefield.
By the time he arrived, Skinny's fight had ended as well. Reiji tossed him a Potion and a Paralyze Heal. "Treat your Pokémon first."
"Big Brother? You finished over there?" Skinny finally exhaled.
"It's done. Yours?" Reiji glanced at the other kidnapper—webbed to a trunk by String Shot and completely helpless. No need to rush the kill. He flicked two more Heal Balls to the kid.
Skinny's team had taken heavier damage than Reiji's Poliwhirl; the Heal Balls would stabilize them.
"These are… Heal Balls?" Skinny studied the casing and nodded—he knew what they did, and how pricey they were. This wasn't the time to refuse. He got to work on Poliwhirl and Breloom immediately.
He'd feared Reiji was stuck in a slugfest like he was. Thunder Punch had paralyzed his Poliwhirl, and the opponent had been slippery—especially their Poison Heal Breloom. Once it activated, Skinny's Breloom couldn't get in a clean hit, only eat them.
Now he finally understood how terrifying Poison Heal could be—healing, plus that temporary spike in speed and power, wielded by a trainer who knew how to exploit it. If Reiji's trio hadn't arrived when they did to surround the foe, the kid was sure he would've fallen—and the enemy would have escaped.
An escape would have meant endless trouble for the orphanage. And he hadn't been able to stop it alone. He was still too weak.
From Poliwhirl's very first ambush punch at the start, Skinny knew: if he had swapped opponents with Reiji and faced that Primeape himself, he probably wouldn't have survived even one strike.
While Skinny treated his team, Reiji quietly took the kidnapper's two Poké Balls and recalled the fainted pokemon.
When Skinny finished and sealed his partners into Heal Balls, Reiji nodded toward the webbed man. "He's still alive. Do you know what to do?"
"I do." Skinny stood, pulled out the folding knife Reiji had given him—the same one from the deserted island—and walked toward the captive as the man's eyes widened in terror.
Squelch.
The first stab sank into the abdomen.
"Heart and throat are the fastest kills," Reiji said evenly.
Squelch.
This time Skinny drove the blade into the heart. The man tried to scream, but the gag choked it off. Begging eyes didn't help. His gaze fixed, head lolling as blood bubbled from his lips.
Skinny turned back, face blank, waiting for Reiji's next instruction.
"Catch." Reiji tossed him a Poké Ball.
"What's this?" Skinny swept his flashlight over it—Primeape inside.
"Your spoils. A Fighting-type like that goes for at least two million on the black market." Reiji spoke low, fishing a cigarette from a random brand and lighting it. Post-battle, that first drag hit just right.
"Two… million?" Skinny swallowed. He'd never seen that much money—never owned it, either. The number cut through the numbness of the kill, replaced by a biting excitement. If only he'd been stronger, faster, harsher—he could've taken all the spoils himself.
Trash like these robbers—dead was what they deserved. And yet his hands still shook. From nerves at his first kill? Or from two million? Whatever it was, now he had capital to train his Pokémon. He would get strong—strong enough to control his fate, like Reiji.
"All right. Check if he's got anything worth taking," Reiji said, seeing the kid drift.
"On it." Having tasted the reward, Skinny searched the body and turned up a bit over 100,000 Pokédollars, plus cards and IDs he ignored. He tried to split the cash with Reiji, but Reiji waved it off.
"Keep it. Cut him down. Then gather dry wood." Reiji pointed, then called to Pelipper: "Bring the other one over."
"Peli!" Pelipper complied, soon dragging back the corpse.
"Krabby, Dig—make it deep." Krabby burrowed a pit. When it reached five or six meters, Pelipper dropped the 1.9-meter brute in. The partner followed, tugged over by Krabby.
Before dropping him, Reiji stripped anything that could prove identity.
Skinny, Butterfree, Spinarak, and Rhyhorn brought armfuls of kindling. Krabby backfilled the excess earth around the shaft.
Reiji piled the IDs, cards, and other junk atop the wood, had Spinarak and Butterfree lay silk to catch the flame, then lit the pyre—erasing the evidence. He tossed in the machete, too, and an old mobile that had just started ringing.
The brute had a brother in a hospital. Reiji hadn't forgotten. Only after dealing with him would the tavern thread be cut clean.
Firelight flickered over their faces. Both were silent: Reiji planning how to handle the last loose end; Skinny thinking about two million. The blaze burned for more than ten minutes before guttering out.
"Pelipper—Water Gun to wash the burn marks. Krabby—bury it." They heaped the soil into a low mound.
"Spinarak, carpet this with dead leaves. Pelipper, use Rain Dance to wash tonight away. Kid, we're heading back."
He left the Pokémon to clean the scene, hoisted the sleeping Nana—rescued by Spinarak—and departed the forest for the villa.
Nana had inhaled Sleep Powder, so Reiji didn't wake her. Back home, he set her gently on the sofa.
"Why isn't she awake yet?" Skinny asked, giving her a tentative nudge.
"Sleep Powder. Waking now wouldn't help—let her rest," Reiji said, brushing Skinny's hand away. "Shower and change. Then take Nana back to the orphanage. After that, we hit the Pokémon Center to treat the injured."
"Got it." Skinny glanced at the blood on his hands—he needed it off.
"Kid, if this happens again—no hesitation," Reiji added before the boy stepped away. "You did well."
"If I hesitate, I'm the one getting buried," Skinny said without looking back, heading for the bathroom. He'd passed the test, and he knew it.
Reiji stripped and slipped into the pool, scrubbing himself down. He tossed his clothes in to soak—laundry could wait till morning.
Except for Poliwhirl, the rest of the team slid into the water to bathe, replaying the fight in their heads. It had been brutal. Besides Poliwhirl, which took the worst of it, even Krabby had eaten multiple Thunder Punches.
Fortunately, Thunder Punch was physical; with Harden up, Krabby hadn't suffered much beyond black scorch marks on its shell.
After they washed and dressed, Reiji handed out Pokéblocks to the five who'd fought—everyone except Poliwhirl.
Poliwhirl was still in a Heal Ball and needed a Pokémon Center visit before feeding.
While the team snacked, Skinny returned, cleaned up and ready. Reiji recalled everyone except Spinarak and Pelipper, letting Spinarak climb back onto his shoulder.
"Kid, you take Nana to the orphanage. I've got one last thing to handle," Reiji said—meaning the final loose end.
"You're not coming with me? Do you need help?" Skinny hoisted Nana, then caught himself—if Reiji needed help, he wouldn't be asking. The boy knew he'd only be a burden in that kind of job.
If not for Reiji's Pokémon, he'd already be dead in that forest—another nameless body under the leaves. He needed strength. He had never wanted it more.
"Your performance tonight mattered," Reiji said at the door, hand on his shoulder. "We saved her because you held the line. Believe in that."
"Will you come back?" Skinny asked, worry slipping through as they parted.
"This isn't risky. If you want training, come tomorrow." Reiji swung onto Pelipper and took off.
Skinny let out a long breath, watched him disappear into the dark, then turned toward the orphanage. He'd decided. He would get stronger—so he'd never drag Reiji down again.
Strong enough that no one would dare target the orphanage. Strong enough that no one would dare kidnap the children.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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