After the match, Reiji felt something was off. That Magnezone shouldn't have been that flimsy. A few rams and it keeled over—why hide its strength?
And sure, Rhyhorn's tackles hit hard, but as its trainer he knew its limits. Against a hovering Magnezone, Ground-type moves were useless unless he first used Smack Down to knock it from the air—only then would Ground moves land.
Either way, the result was the same: Rhyhorn beat Magnezone. Reiji recalled Rhyhorn and left the field.
He knew that even with this win over Keiko's boyfriend, a stronger, hand-picked opponent would show up next time—until he was finally forced out. So he decided: he'd leave tomorrow and stop entering.
Outside the tunnel, Shun was happy Reiji won, but seeing Reiji's mood, he didn't pry. He could guess why, and simply followed him out of the club.
Reiji's opponent had been a familiar face—Ren, Keiko's boyfriend. Shun knew him from taking Elekid to Keiko's parlor for massages. If Reiji was being targeted too, there wasn't much to celebrate. One thing was clear: if you weren't a club insider, you were a mark. The clubs were sore losers, and Shun silently vowed to keep his distance from club trainers.
Once Reiji disappeared into the tunnel, Ren also exited the field. Reiji's guess was right—Ren had thrown the match on purpose. Given his position, he couldn't beat Reiji head-to-head. "Sniping" him was just for show.
Even if he could win, he wouldn't blow his cover early. Gunning for a higher coaching rank mattered more than this assignment. In internal competition, he'd go all-out; here, he wouldn't. Besides, Taro wouldn't let him beat Reiji. Taro wanted to do it himself and wash away that old shame.
Both trainers left; the so-called snipe ended before spectators even realized it had been staged.
Just outside, the long-haired Water Club rep who'd invited Reiji earlier found him again, asking if he'd decided.
"Sorry, I'd rather travel," Reiji said, politely refusing. He wasn't eating another boss's "big pie" promises.
"No problem. Then—would you sell your Poliwhirl training method?" The man brushed off the refusal and went straight to his real goal.
"That burst power comes from Waterfall drills. It's not some profound trick. Have Poliwhirl practice more and it'll learn it. You sure you want to buy that?"
That made the rep blush. Was he supposed to admit they'd pored over the footage again and again and still couldn't crack the secret?
He could only scratch his head. Reiji wasn't dodging his gaze—either he was telling the truth, or he was a stone-cold fox who could lie without blinking. Reiji didn't look like a fox; his face gave away no micro-tells. Odds were he was being straight.
"Haha… hope you place well," the rep said with an awkward laugh. To Reiji's ears it sounded like a jab. Did the guy really not know—or pretend not to—that the league was rigged? "Place well," in this bracket?
Reiji added, "Any battle technique takes consistent work. It's not instant. The method's simple; what matters is the trainer's patience."
Poliwhirl's Waterfall burst drills had taken over a month of daily grind to barely make usable—still a half-finished product. If someone could do it on day one, what were all those hard days for?
"Consistent training…" the rep muttered, finally understanding why their copycat attempt failed. How many could actually stick with it?
They parted, and as Reiji and Shun left the club, a pack of kids came running after them, calling their names.
"Shun! Reiji! You really are here!"
"You guys? Nana?" Shun turned to the orphanage kids and remembered Reiji's message about earning money. No wonder they showed up.
"We came on our own—and thanks to Reiji-nii's Pelipper. It told the director. We all made a lot," a boy said.
"Nana, did your Caterpie evolve into Butterfree yet?" Reiji turned and saw the little girl. She'd learned to keep her hair neat, her clothes were clean, and her cheeks were rosy—probably springy to the pinch.
He held back, of course. She was around eleven; making her cry would make him the bad boy.
"My Caterpie evolved—it's Metapod now. Want to see?" Nana's heart leapt seeing Reiji again. She'd feared she'd never see him and had cried for a long time back then. The joy didn't show on her face—she was scared this might be the last time.
They'd seen the matches on TV and came hoping to run into them. When Reiji's bout ended, they chased after him.
[Metapod]
[Type: Bug]
[Sex: Female]
[Potential: 56%]
[Level: 8.99%]
[Ability: Shed Skin / 0.23%]
[Known Moves: …]
"Nana, you've raised Caterpie really well. Metapod looks healthy—it'll become a beautiful Butterfree." Reiji checked the panel: potential up to fifty-six, ten points gained. After the next evolution it might break sixty.
An almost Elite Four tier Butterfree and a quasi-Elite-Four Wingull—more than enough to protect this pure little girl.
"Reiji-nii, was this from you?" Nana, cheeks pink, lifted the little Butterfree charm on her wrist. Ever since the director gave it to her, she wore it every day, sleeping with it hugged tight. He wouldn't say who gave it—until she pestered him into confessing: it was from Reiji. Then she realized—her Metapod would become a Butterfree too.
"I asked the director to give it to you. Like it?"
"I love it! If it's from you, I love it," Nana beamed, hugging the charm and not wanting to let go.
"And the Wingull? Did you get it?"
"Right here." She quickly handed over the ball. Reiji checked—Wingull's potential was fine—then returned it and ruffled her hair.
"Alright, Nana. You all go enjoy the matches. Shun and I have errands. If anything comes up, find Shun."
Four days of heavy load on Poliwhirl—time to take the weights off and get a massage. Relax the tight muscles, rest a couple days, then resume training.
"Reiji-nii, will I see you again?" Nana blurted as he turned to go.
"You will," he smiled, waving. He didn't want to hurt this innocent kid. Who knew when—or if—he'd be around. A tiny white lie to preserve something warm was the best goodbye.
He couldn't bear to disappoint her. He hadn't the heart to do it to Shun; even less to a little girl.
After Shun said goodbye to the boys, the two left together.
The boys chattered as they watched them go—whose match was great, Reiji won again, too bad Shun lost… Nana just watched them disappear. She lifted a foot, then set it down. The orphanage still needed her; the little ones were waiting. She went back to help the director.
"Reiji won—we'll see him again tomorrow or the day after!"
"For sure! Wonder if he can take the title…"
"Doubt it. Lots of strong trainers this time. I don't think Rhyhorn can—"
"What're you saying? Even if Rhyhorn can't, we still cheer for him!"
"Okay, okay—cheer for Reiji-nii!"
They bickered their way back inside to keep watching. Nana didn't go—she wasn't in the mood for matches. She returned to the orphanage to help with the kids….
Walking away, Shun mulled it over. "Reiji, we're not telling them?"
"No. From now on, you look after them. You're their real big bro," Reiji said with a small shake of the head, calling himself a fake.
"You're not fake at all," Shun shot back. Reiji did the big-brother job far better than he did.
"Hah! Funny—you once wanted to expose me," Reiji said, giving him a friendly smack on the back of the head that sent the serious Shun stumbling.
"When are you leaving?" Shun didn't get mad. If anything, his mood dipped lower.
"Tomorrow or the day after. Not sure. I still need to stock up. Drifting at sea for days—cruise prices will be steep."
After beating Ren, Reiji planned to board a ship and leave Kinnow City tomorrow. Even if it meant forfeiting, so be it. That bracket wasn't worth playing.
"Tomorrow or the day after? You're not going to keep competing?" Shun stared—Reiji had won and still didn't want to continue?
"Some brackets you play. Some you don't. This one you lose sooner or later—what's the point? It's not a big tournament anyways."
"I get it," Shun said softly. He'd been targeted and lost—of course he got it.
If Taro heard Reiji was withdrawing, he'd lose his mind. He'd prepared so much for this, even evolved Electabuzz into Electivire. Tell him now that Reiji quit? He'd probably rip anything in his path to shreds.
"Reiji, they also told me Officer Jenny visited the orphanage," Shun added. It seemed worth mentioning—after all, they were the ones who'd called her in the first place.
"Officer Jenny, huh." Reiji thought of the intern he'd met when updating his ID. The Jennys they ran into were empathetic idealists—hardly a bad thing.
"But that's not for us to touch," Reiji cautioned. "Once you're dragged into city-hall infighting, even real strength gets ground down. You compromise, get stuck, maybe even lose your life."
He preferred the wanderer's way—sometimes bending rules, sometimes robbing the rich to help the poor. Decide, then act. None of that tedious social politicking—he'd had twenty+ years of that beating him down in his last life. If lying flat wasn't comfortable, he'd stir things up. And if the heavens needed a hole punched through them—well, that's what a transmigrator was for.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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