A light rain fell through their first night on the run.
It was the second half of Day 23 on Kinnow Island—the first pre-dawn hours after Reiji and Shun were chased off the island.
Before sunrise, Pelipper's call woke Reiji inside its beak. He jerked up, thinking they'd been caught.
Pelipper opened its bill to show the sea below: a brightly lit cruise ship. Far behind, three tiny dots still chased. Shun's Pelipper was flagging; it had only just evolved and had flown for hours already.
Reiji checked his watch. A little past four. They'd been in the air for more than four hours, and a fine rain needled his hand when he reached outside the bill.
"Head for that ship," he told Pelipper. "We'll rest there."
It was the sleepiest time of night. No one noticed two Pelipper glide down into a deserted corner of the deck. Ships like this usually had strong trainers aboard—at least a captain around Elite Four level, plus veteran sailors—but pirates hadn't bothered them in ages, and the crew's guard had slipped.
Pelipper set down in an empty passageway. Reiji slid out and pain flashed across his back. Ditto had blocked most of last night's hit, but slamming the wall still tore him up. Four hours of sleep had settled his stomach; his back still burned.
Shun climbed out of his Pelipper, rubbing his eyes.
"Where are we?"
"Help me first," Reiji said, pulling a spray kit from his pack.
Shun lifted the puncture-proof tee and froze at the dried blood across Reiji's back.
"R-Reiji…"
"Disinfect it."
Reiji bit a rolled sleeve between his teeth. The alcohol hit like fire and the world dimmed. They wiped the blood clean, hit it with hemostatic and potion sprays, wrapped him tight, and he changed into a fresh tee and jacket. The bloody tissues went over the rail.
They wiped their tracks and slipped into the ship proper. Following the smell of food, they reached a restaurant, grabbed hot rolls and soup, and ducked into a dark storage room.
"Now what?" Shun asked, clearing a corner on the floor.
"Eat, drink, sleep," Reiji said. "Then we deal with it."
His voice was thin; even chewing took effort.
"Can we beat them?" Shun asked.
Reiji exhaled. No intel, no backup, two versus three—the edge wasn't theirs. He could dance with one. With Shun to protect, it was one against four. Brute force was out; they had to play it smart.
Known pieces: Ren had a Magnezone, a Manectric, a Pidgeot and a Pelipper—or maybe it was a Fearow. Pidgeot's wing was broken, so at least it was grounded. Given Ren's club, he likely had more Electric-types. How many and how strong—unknown. The other two were probably weaker; the ambush felt like Ren's plan.
Their targets were obvious: Shun's Elekid and Reiji's Poliwhirl training method. Everything else—Poliwhirl, Kingler, Breloom, Pelipper—was common stock. On Kinnow, Electric-types were gold.
"Why would he do this?" Shun asked.
"For your Elekid," Reiji said. "For strength. Rank. Money. Everything that comes with it."
"Doesn't he care about Keiko? About his life now?"
"If he grabs a stronger team, the money, status, and women follow. Think he'll pick one ordinary girl over all that?"
Reiji didn't voice the darker thought: Keiko might even know—she'd massaged Poliwhirl often. If she'd shared what she learned, they were a pair. Ren had thrown yesterday's match to scout him and brought his girlfriend to watch. Reiji's forfeit ruined their read. At least Ren still didn't know how far Poliwhirl and Kingler had come. One good scrap of news—not enough to fix today.
"Alright," Reiji said when Shun fell quiet. "Feed the team and rest. This ship is huge. They won't find us fast."
He rotated the Pokémon—Poliwhirl and Kingler first, then the others—because the closet was tiny. Pelipper had already eaten and was down; if they had to bolt, they'd need it fresh.
"We're beside the kitchens," Reiji added. "Lots of foot traffic, lots of smells. They can't track us by scent here."
Out on deck, Ren's trio made it aboard but couldn't follow the faint blood trail through the kitchen haze. Dawn made the three shadows obvious, though, and the crew spotted them. The instant they landed, they ducked out of sight—old hands at this kind of thing.
"Don't let them get away—search!"
"They're on this ship somewhere!"
"If we lose them, the captain will blow his top!"
Shun jerked awake to the noise outside their door.
"Reiji?"
"Shh." Reiji covered his mouth. "Spinarak—web the door."
Spinarak hopped up and laid sticky silk over the frame.
"Did they find us?" Shun whispered.
"Not us," Reiji murmured. "Them."
Heavy steps drew closer.
"Check here!"
"Not searched yet!"
"This is a kitchen storeroom—"
The handle clicked. The door eased inward, catching on the webbing.
In the dark, Reiji and Shun held their breath. Fingers closed around Poké Balls.
If the door came open, they were fighting their way out.
(End of Chapter)
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