"Darkrai, drag him into the dream. I want to have a chat with him," Reiji said. He had Spinarak bind the man up—mouth gagged too—then lay back on the big bed again, ready to meet him inside the nightmare world.
Once he fell asleep, he woke up in the nightmare world. To be honest, he'd already been sleeping in there earlier; he'd just been sprawled out and too lazy to move, and his Pokémon were in here with him as well.
But if he wanted to talk, there was no need for them to show up. He had them all shifted into another dream, leaving this one as a private space to meet Naoki. The setting was the living room of that villa from before.
He'd only just "woken up" when Naoki—lying on the carpet—jerked awake too. Naoki's eyes snapped to Reiji at once, who was calmly pouring a drink. Reiji's face was blurred, impossible to make out. That was deliberate—Darkrai had done it that way.
"Who are you? Where is this? Where are my Pokémon?" Naoki demanded. His hand went straight to his belt for his Poké Balls—only to find nothing there. All he managed to pull out was a dagger he'd kept hidden at his waist.
"Naoki, right? Sit down. Let's talk," Reiji said. He was genuinely curious how this guy had escaped. When the earthquake hit, Reiji had already fled up to the surface—he hadn't seen what happened afterward.
"Tch. Quit the ghost act." Seeing Reiji apparently unguarded, with no Pokémon around, Naoki strode in fast, aiming to take Reiji hostage.
But this was a special dream—Reiji had Darkrai build it that way. Neither of them had a real body here. Only the furniture had substance. There was no way Naoki could grab him.
"How is that possible?" Naoki reached for Reiji. His hand passed straight through Reiji's neck and slapped against the sofa behind him.
Still not believing it, Naoki grabbed again, then even swung the blade at him. Every strike cut through empty air. He kept at it, refusing to stop.
"Stop wasting your time," Reiji said evenly. "Sit down and talk. How did you survive Proton, and how did you end up in my room?" He watched Naoki keep trying and thought, so this is the type who won't believe it until he hits a wall.
Only after Naoki tired himself out—after he finally accepted he couldn't land a single hit—did he stop the awkward flailing and drop into the single sofa opposite Reiji.
"What do you want to know?" Naoki said, forcing himself calm. "At least tell me something. Like who you are."
He didn't know anything about this mysterious person. Talking could be a way to pry out answers, figure out what situation he was in. A conversation wasn't impossible.
"I'm nobody," Reiji said with a faint shake of his head. "A nobody you'd never spare a glance."
"Nobody? And you call me some 'big shot'?" Naoki laughed. "A nobody knows me, knows Proton, knows about that fight, and somehow knows I lived through it?"
And "big shot"—what a joke. He wasn't some big shot. He was just a dog that had lost its home.
Since he'd already become worthless, and since this mysterious person had dragged him here anyway, Naoki figured he had nothing left to lose. Talking about things that didn't matter much wouldn't kill him.
"I had my Pokémon Dig us out," Naoki said. "I hid in the water for a long time. After I got ashore, I found a ticket scalper and bought a ship ticket. I planned to sneak onto this passenger ship and leave the City for a while, lay low…"
"That damned scalper," Reiji muttered. "I bought mine from a ticket guy too. He actually sold the same ticket twice?"
So that was the "coincidence." They'd both bought from the same scalper, and the scalper hadn't just resold a ticket—he'd sold it twice.
"Hah… so that's why…" Naoki started, then trailed off as the realization hit him.
He'd passed out the moment he boarded. That meant he was still on the ship. But this place didn't look anything like a cabin. It looked like the living room of his villa back in Trovitopolis.
"Naoki, stop staring holes in the walls," Reiji said. "This is a dream. I don't have any conflict of interest with you. When morning comes, I'll let you go. I brought you here to talk. Misunderstanding cleared? Then go wherever you want."
Even if Reiji didn't say it, Naoki would learn the truth when he woke up tomorrow. The ending didn't change.
As for killing him?
Reiji let out a quiet laugh. From the beginning to the end, his goal had always been money and valuables—not lives. He wasn't a murderer. Nobody is born a murderer. Killing is a method, not a goal.
The chaos Naoki and the others had kicked up had helped Reiji a lot. He didn't even need to stir up gang conflict himself—he could take what he wanted, get good stuff, and never have to personally throw a punch. Why wouldn't he?
For the "steal-the-house" plan to go that smoothly, for him to haul in that much loot, he practically owed them a thank-you for setting the whole underground on fire. Sparing Naoki's life was already generous.
And Naoki's valuables? Reiji wasn't going to be polite about those. He could spare Naoki's life. Without Pokémon, Naoki was just a regular man. By the time Naoki rebuilt anything, who knew how many years would pass?
By then, Reiji would fear no challenge. Even if Naoki tried an ambush, he might not get anything out of it.
"A dream?" Naoki said, voice hard. "A dream can feel this real?"
He didn't believe a word Reiji said. Right now, Naoki didn't trust anyone—only himself, and his Pokémon.
"Want a drink?" Reiji asked. "No poison."
He snapped his fingers. In an instant, each of their tables held a full cup of fruit wine.
Reiji lifted the cup of black fruit wine and took a sip. Bitter. Still drinkable. That was the nightmare world for you.
Naoki didn't touch his cup, so Reiji moved on to what happened tonight.
"Since you look so pathetic, I'll give you a free piece of information," Reiji said. "In this underground black market mess, you're the only real loser. Viper's backing is Team Rocket—you already knew that, or you wouldn't have ended up this wrecked…"
"Let's talk about Riku. I ran into him at the harbor. Riku's backing is the Black Ship. I watched the Black Ship captain personally step in to protect Riku, and then make a verbal deal with Team Rocket. From now on, the Black Ship will pull out of Trovitopolis's underground and hand the entire market over to Team Rocket… in exchange for the lives of Riku's captured men."
"No… impossible. That's impossible." Naoki looked like he'd been struck by lightning. He sat frozen on the sofa, eyes empty, repeating "impossible" under his breath as if his soul had been knocked loose.
"Naoki, you were used like a gun," Reiji said. He didn't know what deal Naoki and Riku had made, but it didn't matter. Just like this defeat, it was finished.
Only victory keeps a partnership alive. Naoki had fled for his life. His territory was gone. His men were scattered. What was left for anyone to honor? If he ran back screaming for answers, he might get grabbed and handed to Team Rocket as a convenient gift.
"Impossible!" Naoki roared, voice tearing. He couldn't believe that man would betray him. They'd agreed on it—drive Team Rocket out, split the territory, and he'd get to marry the girl he loved.
Then it hit him: drive Team Rocket out… after that.
But they hadn't driven Team Rocket out.
Naoki exhaled, long and hollow. He understood. He'd lost completely.
Suddenly, as if remembering something vital, he lurched forward. "My men—what about my men? Did Team Rocket catch them too? Are they alive?"
Reiji gave a soft, humorless chuckle. "Naoki, even you ran. How do you think they fared? They've got a few options: dead, wounded and captured, or joining Team Rocket. That's it."
"No!" Naoki snapped. "They're loyal to me! They wouldn't betray me and join Team Rocket. They wouldn't!"
He was starting to spiral. He couldn't accept allies turning on him. He couldn't accept his own people turning on him—some of them were orphans he'd raised.
"Naoki, that's reality," Reiji said. "If you want to lie to yourself, who can stop you? I saw the Black Ship captain protect only Riku, and he had no intention of fighting. That tells you he fears Team Rocket too. He didn't dare clash with them."
"I genuinely don't know what you were thinking," Reiji went on. "You believed the Black Ship captain's promise? Who are you to him? Or were you just so confident in your strength you thought you could control everything—because you had one Elite Four tier Golem?"
"You're not unlucky at all," Reiji said. "You deserved every step that brought you here. Riku can lose and still crawl back to the Black Ship for work. He can go run routes at sea. And you? You lost, and you lost everything. You're the only loser."
"Being used like a gun is one thing. Now you're a discarded piece," Reiji said, voice calm enough to be cruel. "Nobody cares if you live or die. And if your men refuse to bow, what do you think happens once they're in Team Rocket's hands?"
"They die," Reiji said simply. "Team Rocket isn't a charity. Do you think they're going to sit your men down for 'ideological education'? They don't have that kind of time. It's easier to train new recruits."
Reiji wouldn't kill people. But he could kill a person's heart. Like he'd said before—before you reach the Elite Four tier, don't get reckless.
Under the soft lamplight, he stared into the cup of black fruit wine, dark as ink. His blurred, thoughtful face reflected on the surface. Then he spoke quietly, a long sigh drifting through the stillness.
"Before someone truly becomes an Elite Four tier trainer, there are always people who get a little strength and immediately start reaching too high," Reiji said. "They get arrogant, convinced they can control everything."
"They never consider that every step off the right path on the way to the top can become your last step before the summit," he continued. "One wrong step—and it's a total collapse."
He was saying it for Naoki's sake. Naoki was quasi–Elite Four tier. With an Elite Four tier Golem, he'd already touched the threshold.
And now look at him. Teaming up with the Storm Gang for some "lure the snake out" scheme, gambling until he had nothing left. Even what remained—his backpack and two Pokémon—Reiji would be taking.
If "tragic" was the only word you used for Naoki, it would feel like you were doing the word itself a disservice. One "tragic" wasn't enough. To describe how bad Naoki had it, you'd need to carve the word into all six walls of the room.
"You're right," Naoki said at last, voice low. "Before you truly reach the top… one wrong step is an abyss."
His eyes were full of emptiness and blame. With that one breath, something in him finally gave way. He understood. He let go of everything he'd been clinging to.
He'd trusted the Black Ship captain too easily. He'd been arrogant. He'd ruined the future of every brother who had followed him.
In that moment, he almost wished the black wine in his hand was poison. He wanted to die. Living meant facing the men who had fought beside him—and he didn't have the courage for it.
"So bitter," Naoki muttered, then tipped the cup back and gulped down a mouthful. It felt like swallowing a fistful of raw grass, bitterness flooding his mouth.
Reiji watched his expression and laughed inside. The first sip had hit him too—but he'd swallowed it without making a sound. His face stayed calm. He swirled the cup lightly and said flatly, "Living is what's bitter. This is just a cup of bitter wine. Hold it in, swallow it down, and it won't feel quite as bitter."
If you're going to act cool, you commit. You don't lose your composure over something as small as bitter wine, or every bit of buildup becomes a joke.
"Hahaha… bitter wine…" Naoki laughed, then the sound twisted into a pained chuckle. "Can I get a cup of poison instead?"
He accepted his fate. He didn't want to struggle anymore.
Living had been pain every single day. When he had no strength, petty thugs bullied him. When he finally gained some, became quasi–Elite Four tier, the girl he loved still had family who looked down on him and trampled him. And now his ally had betrayed him.
Looking back, he hadn't had a single day of happiness. Not one day lived for himself.
When he was weak, he lived for strength. When he had some strength, he chased the girl he loved—only to be thrown out like trash. Her family never respected him. He'd kept trying to prove himself, and all he got in return was cold words.
This time, teaming up with the Storm Gang to drive Team Rocket out had been Riku's plan from the start. Riku first allied with the Poison Gang, then came to Naoki for a secret alliance, preparing to push Team Rocket out so they could split the entire underground world.
At first, Naoki didn't want to agree. But Riku told him—First, the Poison Gang was Team Rocket, and Naoki already understood Team Rocket's ambition.
Second, the promise of splitting the underground made his heart move.
Third, Riku could persuade the Black Ship captain—get him to act as a matchmaker so Naoki could marry the girl he loved.
It was that last condition that made Naoki agree. He'd gotten confirmation from the Black Ship captain right there on the phone, and that was when he decided to work with Riku.
He had no choice. With quasi–Elite Four tier strength, he couldn't shake the girl's family. He needed the Black Ship captain near the coast to step in. He'd never found a chance before. Then Riku delivered an opening to his doorstep, so he took it.
And the result—
Everyone knew it now. Team Rocket wasn't driven out. His old territory was gone. His men were gone. Forget splitting the underground world—he couldn't even keep the girl he loved. He'd only be able to look at her one last time from far away.
That look had been a beautiful dream. Now the dream was over.
He'd planned to leave Trovitopolis, so he came onto this ship. Before he even reached a room, he was dragged into this place, meeting a mysterious person who could conjure a cup of bitter wine with a wave.
A novel needs logic…
Like how Naoki could only sneak in because it was the same ship ticket.
Like how Scyther got drawn over by the firelight, because it loves challenging trainers who camp out in the forest.
Like how Shelmet can't evolve—kids don't understand…
Only reality seems to have no logic. But it's not that reality has no logic. It's that ordinary people can't see it. All you have to do is think about who benefits. Even if they weren't directly involved, they benefited indirectly. The logic of profit never changes.
(End of chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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