When Reiji woke up, the passenger ship was already moving. He had no idea where it was now, only that it would take three days to reach Sunburst Island.
The ship would dock once at Valencia Island—the island where Professor Ivy's lab was. It wouldn't stay long before setting off again.
After that came Sunburst Island, then Mandarin Island North. The ship would keep heading north, loop around the Orange Archipelago, and finally return to the port of Trovitopolis on Mandarin Island to complete the full route.
That morning, Reiji still had the Ditto mask on. Naoki was still in the room, and trust was a separate matter from taking someone in as muscle.
After washing up, Reiji came out of the bathroom, pulled out a bottle of water and two dry bread rolls from his bag, and tossed them to Naoki, who was still tied up on the floor.
"Eat something first. Then go wash up in the bathroom. And clean the floor when you're done," Reiji said as he dressed again. Naoki's personal hygiene was a disaster—Reiji didn't know how many days it had been, but the stench was obvious, and his seawater-soaked clothes were still damp. Whatever else could wait.
"Understood, boss," Naoki said. Spinarak loosened the silk sealing his mouth. He'd already accepted it—this mysterious teen would be his leader from now on. Whether revenge happened at all depended on this man.
Since he'd submitted last night, he wasn't about to question anything. The guy looked young, sure, but that meant nothing. This was someone who'd captured a Mythical Pokémon—the Nightmare Pokémon.
"Spinarak, undo him," Reiji said.
He slid open the glass door and stepped onto the balcony. While Spinarak removed the bindings, Reiji sank into a folding lounge chair and let the sun hit his face.
They were already out at sea, heading for Sunburst Island. As for Tai… that was harder to say.
After the chaos beneath Trovitopolis died down, Team Rocket started tallying the losses. The core members hadn't taken much damage—most of the dead were fresh recruits, the kind used as disposable fodder.
Once the numbers were in, they ordered every surviving newcomer to assemble. Anyone missing got sent a notice topside, including Tai and Rai, who were living outside.
A Team Rocket squad leader went up to the surface. When he reached the villa, Reiji was nowhere to be found—already out at sea, far beyond their reach.
But they did find Tai.
These two were recruits Viper had personally told them to keep an eye on. Seeing Tai outside the orphanage, the squad leader finally exhaled. At least they could bring back one.
"Tai, right? Come with us. Boss Viper wants to see you."
Inside the orphanage, Tai finished his rushed instructions to his little sister.
"Mai, there's some spare cash in the bag. The bank card has pocket money too. I bought a lot of Pokémon food. Take care of yourself here, and make sure you keep feeding Mareep. I'm heading out for work…"
"Onii-chan, I'll wait for you at the orphanage," Mai said, waving goodbye. She had no idea her brother had just stepped into a pit, and that once he went down there, he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.
"If you run out of money, call me," Tai said, waving as he walked.
After saying goodbye, Tai followed the two Team Rocket members back to pack his things. Then the three of them headed into the underground of Trovitopolis, where Viper was waiting.
"Boss, you called for me…"
"Tai's here," Viper said without looking up, still reading the loss reports his men had submitted. "Where's Rai? Weren't you two on shift together last night?"
"Boss, the black market got hit. Rai and I got lucky—we dove into the sewers and avoided the first strike. When we climbed out, we ran into enemies."
"That enemy chased Rai, not me. I got out, and I saw Rai and that enemy fall into the sea together. I sent Grimer down to search for a long time, but we couldn't find him…"
Viper let out a quiet breath.
A rare promising recruit—gone just like that.
He'd noticed it that morning too. The Poké Ball's tracking showed it was out at sea, then it vanished in interference. Tai's signal, at least, was still in the city.
Life was unpredictable. He hadn't brought the two of them along last night because he wanted to keep them safe. Who would've expected the Rock Gang and Storm Gang to seal every exit and try to drown everyone by flooding the whole cave system with seawater?
He'd left them behind to protect them, and it nearly got them killed anyway.
Still, a few other good recruits had survived. Not everything had been buried in last night's mess.
"I called you here to inform you," Viper said. "You're being sent to the Kanto Region for training. Let me introduce you—this is Lt. Surge from Kanto. You'll be traveling with him on the S.S. Aqua."
"Once I finish cleaning up here, I'll return to Kanto as well. I'll personally oversee your training as your instructor. After you graduate from the training camp, you can choose to serve on Lt. Surge's S.S. Aqua, or return to Trovitopolis."
"Yes, Boss Viper," Tai said. He knew there was no dodging this. All he could do now was keep walking forward, no matter how dark the road got.
"You're smart," Viper said. "After you leave, we'll arrange the best school in Trovitopolis for your sister."
Viper sounded generous, but Tai understood what it really meant. A recruit with a younger sister was easy to control.
"Thank you for your concern, Boss Viper," Tai said steadily. "But I'm worried she'll get bullied in an unfamiliar environment. Let her stay at the orphanage. She doesn't need special treatment."
He said it like a principled stand, but the real reason was simpler: he was only a newcomer, and that kind of "care" was too loud.
Anyone with eyes would understand what it meant. His sister hadn't escaped Team Rocket's attention. With that weakness in their hands, betrayal wasn't an option. Tai could only keep going down this path.
"Fine," Viper said, waving him off. "Go get ready. The S.S. Aqua will depart soon."
After Tai left the tent, the man lounging on the sofa by the entrance—wearing green combat gear—laughed.
"Viper, this is the 'good seed' you were talking about?"
"Yes," Viper said, sighing again. "Too bad the other one went missing."
"Looks pretty average to me," Lt. Surge said.
He was the Team Rocket officer who'd chased Riku that night—pulled in from Kanto specifically to deal with him. Electric-type Pokémon counter Water-type Pokémon perfectly.
"Surge," Viper said, not bothering to hide his annoyance, "this is a backwater. If I can find even a couple recruits worth training here, that's already a win. What more do you want?"
Kanto was packed with talent. Lt. Surge ran a Gym—he could pick newcomers whenever he pleased. This place was the Orange Archipelago. No Champion, no Elite Four. Finding anyone decent at all was already lucky.
"Hahaha, I'm kidding," Lt. Surge said. "I'll get him to the training base safely."
After the laughter, the two shifted to other topics.
"So what's the plan for dealing with the Black Ship going forward? They won't sit back and watch us grow—"
"Sir Proton will handle it," Viper said, shaking his head. "Not our problem."
The Black Ship had an Elite Four-level trainer. That meant Team Rocket needed an Elite Four-level figure stationed here too—otherwise they'd never get anything out of future clashes. Put a weak leader in charge, and the Black Ship would crush them every time.
Footsteps pounded outside.
A squad leader burst into the tent. "Boss Viper! The League is here. The one leading them is Rudy, the Gym Leader of Trovita Gym!"
"What?" Viper snapped. "Damn it—Black Ship broke their word."
Now wasn't the time to rant. If a Gym Leader came in person, the Black Ship had clearly spent serious effort just to cause trouble while Team Rocket's hold on the area was still shaky.
"Surge, take the recruit and leave first," Viper said after a brief pause. "I'll stay and handle this."
"Fine. I won't get in your way," Lt. Surge said, standing up immediately. "I'll take my men and go."
He didn't linger. If Viper didn't want help, he wouldn't force it. In Team Rocket, if you botch it, you carry your own blame.
After Lt. Surge left, Viper asked the squad leader, "How strong is this Gym Leader?"
"He's one of the better Advanced tier trainers," the squad leader said. "He's charging at the front with Rhydon and Golem. Even the two captains are finding those two hard to deal with."
"And besides those, he's also got Electabuzz, Exeggutor, Ninetales, and Alakazam with him—four Advanced-tier Pokémon. If a squad leader fights him, they won't last thirty seconds. Right now it's the two captains holding him back."
"Tell everyone to pull out," Viper said. "Evacuate the underground. We'll lay low for now."
"And those wanted criminals—leave them behind. Let the League take them. If they came all the way here, they don't leave empty-handed."
After sending the squad leader to relay the orders, Viper began clearing the desk. Anything he couldn't carry went straight into the fire.
He wasn't retreating because he feared a Gym Leader. He was wary of the real threat—the veteran lurking nearby as protection. He didn't believe the Gym would send a family junior into this without an older powerhouse watching his back.
A mere Advanced tier trainer charging into this place was reckless. If Rudy really came alone, Viper could beat him into the ground.
But that was exactly the play: a clean, public trap set by the Black Ship. Viper couldn't fight, and he couldn't capture. The only move was to step aside until the heat faded.
If the League was just here to make a show of it, then tossing them a pile of wanted criminals was perfect. Once they withdrew, Team Rocket would move back in. The League couldn't camp underground forever. Team Rocket could wait.
If Team Rocket captured Rudy—or killed him—then it stopped being "a Gym Leader came down." Those old monsters would call in real League heavy-hitters, and they'd collapse the entire underground cave system. Worse, they'd hunt Team Rocket down and wipe them out.
So give Rudy what he wanted: League contribution points, battlefield credit, seniority. Let him farm it off criminals. Everyone gets something. Leave room for tomorrow.
If Rudy still wouldn't let it go, Viper would report it to Giovanni and let Giovanni "reason" with Trovita Gym.
If Rudy backed off after taking the criminals, the Black Ship got a bit of revenge, Rudy got his League credit, and Team Rocket could fully take over the Trovitopolis territory. Everyone walks away satisfied.
And if the Black Ship tried this again later, Sir Proton would have a talk with their captain.
As for Giovanni—if it ever reached the point where Giovanni needed to come personally, then the Black Ship wouldn't even be worth mentioning.
They weren't that important.
Push Team Rocket too far, and the Four Generals wouldn't negotiate. They'd just sink the Black Ship and be done with it.
With the next steps settled, Viper finished gathering the key documents and stepped out of the tent. Everyone else was already packed. There was gasoline and torches on hand, so they torched every tent, slipped into tunnels dug by Pokémon, and evacuated the underground caves.
The frontline teams had already been ordered to withdraw. Then they sealed the dug tunnels with rockfalls. By the time the League broke through and entered, there was nobody left—only wanted criminals howling from inside iron cages.
The League had no choice but to haul the prisoners out and retreat from the unstable cave system. Nobody wanted to survive the battle and then get crushed by falling rocks on the way out.
Still, Rudy—the Gym Leader leading this raid—wasn't happy with the outcome. He'd expected to hook a big catch. Instead, he got nothing but scraps.
"That's enough. Call it and pull back, Rudy," a middle-aged man said.
"…Fine," Rudy said. No matter how unwilling he was, he could only order everyone to stand down and return the way they came.
Seeing Rudy's sour mood, the middle-aged man sighed. Rudy was still too young. He didn't understand how these things really worked.
This raid had been a nuisance, but the result was fine. They weren't here to catch some massive fish. More importantly, they didn't want to truly offend Team Rocket.
Grabbing a batch of wanted criminals gave the League something to report. It boosted Rudy's reputation. It also earned them a favor from the Black Ship's captain. That was already a huge profit.
Knowing when to stop was the key. What they needed was stability. If the current balance held, that alone was the best news possible.
That had always been true. Rulers wanted stability above all else. They didn't push change unless forced. The League's arrival was the biggest change of all—just not thorough enough yet.
Rudy wanted achievements too badly. He couldn't see the bigger structure around him. Hopefully he'd learn.
The same patterns showed up everywhere, across ages. Threats from outside pushed leaders to "reform," because their rule was at risk. Without that pressure, internal change got crushed fast. People didn't fear foreign enemies as much as they feared the ones who could take their money and their seat.
Look past the surface, and the core doesn't change. Humanity keeps recycling the same habits, century after century.
[End of Chapter]
…
Note:
Here's how Team Rocket's internal ranks work: regular member [Beginner tier trainer], squad leader [Elite tier trainer], captain [Advanced tier trainer], officer [quasi–Elite Four], chief officer [Elite Four], leader [Champion].
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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