Ren sat in the stands feeling baffled. He'd just seen Reiji yesterday and even chatted about the fixed battle.
He thought Reiji would use Poliwhirl. Instead, the guy simply bowed out.
No matter how many strings the club pulled, if Reiji refused to play along, there was nothing they could do.
Ren had really wanted to see how much that Poliwhirl had grown since its fight with Electabuzz.
Since that wasn't happening, there was no point staying.
Keiko needed to get back to the shop anyway, and it's league season. Ren's already out and off the schedule, so he's sticking around to help Keiko run the shop..
Once the league wrapped, he wouldn't have much time for her—back to sparring work and studying for the coaching exam.
As Keiko and Ren slipped out, plenty of others beat the rush too.
The kids from the orphanage couldn't make sense of why Reiji forfeited and decided to ask Shun about it the next time they ran into him.
Out by the venue, the pay-to-win brothers, Ejiro and Jiro , had their own read.
"Second bro, he's just a coward, right? Who quits like that?"
"Think for a second. You wouldn't have done any better—and he got what he came for."
"What he wanted? What's that supposed to mean?"
"You didn't see big bro about to blow a gasket? Move—if we don't leave now we're punching bags again."
The two slipped away rather than greet their "victorious" big brother.
Up on a balcony, the long-haired youth—actually a senior coach from the Water-type Club—watched with regret.
They'd set up full-coverage cameras to capture every frame of Poliwhirl's next battle and analyze it from all angles.
But Reiji's forfeit ruined the chance.
Hard to complain, though—the club's "unspoken rules" had gone too far; consequences were inevitable.
Still, the kid tagging along with Reiji probably knew the waterfall training method.
Maybe that boy was the breakthrough.
Except the boy had a sailor grandpa who'd bled for the League—couldn't strong-arm that kind of family.
Reiji, meanwhile, was at the Sailors' Tavern eating lunch, blissfully unaware—and even if he'd known, he wouldn't have cared.
For him, these matches were for participation, not a life-or-death sprint.
If you didn't need to go all-out, they weren't worth it.
Then something fun happened: a server came over with a ferry ticket—and a dusty old bottle of liquor.
"What's this?" Reiji wasn't surprised by the ticket.
The vintage bottle, though, was unexpected.
"The boss asked me to bring it," the server said. "He wanted to thank you for looking after his grandson. If you ever want a drink, come by—we'll put it on the house."
"Alright. Thanks." Reiji waved her off and turned the bottle in his hands, studying the glass.
"Reiji, that's Grandpa's treasure," Shun said. "He keeps those locked up. He wouldn't even let me touch them."
So it was one of the good ones.
Reiji chuckled. The old man must've forgotten he was fifteen—underage.
Given how Reiji carried himself, the old sailor probably thought the age on the ID was fake and Reiji was just pretending to be younger.
Reiji tucked the ticket and the bottle into his pack and kept half an eye on the broadcast.
The ticket was for tomorrow.
The liquor could wait.
Shun checked the time—just after one. "Reiji, what are we doing this afternoon?"
"I've got nothing planned. I just feel like lying around and watching TV."
They stretched out on the sofas with the Pokémon and dozed through the afternoon.
When they woke up, it was five—dinnertime.
They weren't hungry yet, but the server had already brought food, so they ate a little and saved the rest for a late snack.
Night crept in. With only one evening left, just watching TV felt like a waste. Reiji glanced at Shun, then at the clock.
"Want to go walk around?"
"Yeah! Where?"
"Anywhere. Let's just wander."
Reiji slung on both packs, returned all the Pokémon except Ditto, which turned into a face scarf.
Shun copied him.
They left the private room and headed out.
The old man saw them go from the window and let them be. Reiji was leaving in the morning anyway—who knew when they'd meet again?
They drifted toward the six outdoor battle courts by the Pokémon Center.
Crickets.
Most trainers were at the clubs or the big arena up north.
Here, the few people still battling were total rookies.
They looped the area, even took a lap through the department store.
Bought nothing.
The places that were truly packed came down to three: the department store, the clubs, and the northern arena.
They weren't going back to any of them.
To kill the last evening, Shun suggested massages for their Pokémon—his Poliwhirl hadn't had one yet.
Reiji agreed. Good time to loosen up one more round before the ferry.
At Keiko's shop, both she and Ren were in.
Seeing Reiji again surprised them—especially Ren, who was still wondering why Reiji hadn't shown up.
"Here for massages?" Keiko asked, ushering them inside.
"Yeah. Shun's Poliwhirl," Reiji said, patting Shun's shoulder.
"Keiko-nee, mine this time," Shun said, releasing Poliwhirl.
As Keiko rolled up her sleeves, she couldn't help asking, "Reiji, why didn't you show up at noon?"
"The match?" Reiji rubbed his head and forced a grin. "I overslept. By the time I got there, it was over."
"Seriously…" Keiko sighed. "I waited ages to see you battle."
She swallowed the rest—customer first.
"Sorry to waste your hype," Reiji said with a sheepish laugh.
Everyone knew "overslept" was a polite way to say it, but as long as no one said "forfeit," the surface stayed smooth.
Ren added, "Didn't expect you to no-show. Taro won, but he was furious."
"Yeah? Do me a favor—tell him, 'next time.' There'll be plenty of chances," Reiji said, waving it off. He'd be gone tomorrow; Taro could swing at the air.
"Next time?" Ren blinked. "Why not now?"
"This is our last massage. Reiji's leaving tomorrow," Shun cut in.
"What? You're leaving? Traveling?" Keiko blurted, stunned—there went her best client.
"Going to look around a bit," Reiji said, motioning for her not to worry.
Ren stood there, processing.
If Reiji was really leaving Kinnow island… no wonder he skipped a rigged match.
And if the kid with Elekid was leaving too—
Ren's chest tightened. His plan hadn't even started.
If the kid left now, by the time they crossed paths again, Elekid might already be an Electabuzz—bonded and tough to take.
Right now was the only good window.
He didn't have the money.
At the club's pace, it would take five years to earn an Elekid.
Five years—he'd be pushing middle age.
But if he could get the kid's Elekid…
Even if he couldn't keep it, he could trade it at the main breeding center for one of his own.
He wasn't ready—no helpers lined up, no split agreed.
But time was gone. Two choices.
"Keiko, I've got an errand. If I'm late, close up and go home," Ren said, and hurried out—headed for the Electric-type Club.
Keiko just told him to be careful; he often dashed off for work like that.
Shun thought nothing of it—he still looked at the world with simple goodwill.
Reiji, though, felt a prickle.
Why leave now—right after hearing Reiji was leaving tomorrow?
Was Ren running to tip someone off?
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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