Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

At the Pokémon Center, Reiji handed his five Pokémon over to Nurse Joy. Scyther was in the worst shape after that burn forced it out of the tournament. Staryu’s core gem had been cracked by Thunder Fang. Slowpoke and Gyarados had both been knocked out by Perish Song. Only Butterfree was mostly fine.

Farfetch’d had already withdrawn after the previous match. Now Scyther and Staryu would have to withdraw too. Slowpoke and Gyarados needed rest, so the semifinals were out of the question for them. Whether they could return for the finals would depend on their recovery.

Butterfree could still fight. If he needed it tomorrow, he could send it out.

His semifinal opponent had not been decided yet. The match was happening right now, and when Reiji looked up at the screen, he saw a familiar face.

The second Group B quarterfinal had one contestant he knew: Tommy, the kid he had met in Fuchsia City and rescued from the Kangaskhan herd.

It was not strange that Tommy had made it this far. His Kangaskhan was already close to quasi–Elite Four tier, and it might have crossed that line by now. What surprised Reiji was that he had barely paid attention to the kid until the top eight.

If Tommy advanced, he would be Reiji’s semifinal opponent. Most of his Pokémon were Normal-types. His ace was that quasi–Elite Four-tier Kangaskhan, and he also had Slaking, Pidgeot, Snorlax, Ursaring, and others.

When Reiji saw Snorlax, he could only sigh at how much money Tommy’s family had. Snorlax was not something an ordinary Trainer could afford to raise. Only rich Trainers like him could feed those bottomless pits without feeling the pressure.

A quasi–Elite Four-tier Kangaskhan had carried that lineup all the way to the semifinals. For a rookie Trainer, that was impressive. Tommy was definitely someone with potential.

On-screen, Tommy’s opponent was getting crushed by those heavy hitters. Reiji’s mouth twitched. His semifinal opponent was probably going to be that kid. He stopped watching the big screen.

Normal-type Pokémon had an obvious weakness: Fighting-type moves hit them for x2 damage. Normal-type attacks also did nothing to Ghost-types, and Normal-types barely had any real resistances.

That was their biggest problem. They were balanced, but that also meant they had almost nothing to fall back on defensively. If Tommy had faced Tania, he would have been in real trouble.

Against Reiji, though, it was not as bad. Against Shun, he would have been in trouble too. A Fighting-type specialist was exactly the kind of Trainer Normal-types hated facing.

For the semifinals, Reiji could only rely on Pelipper, Poliwhirl, Kingler, Rhydon, Forretress, Accelgor, and Butterfree.

That still gave him one extra Pokémon as a safety margin. The semifinal should not be too difficult. The only question was which Pokémon would be forced out next. If he could keep six Pokémon in good shape for the finals, the Indigo Plateau Conference would end perfectly.

Rhydon had to be saved for last. Without it, he had no clean answer to Reggie’s Electivire. If Rhydon went down or could not fight, Pelipper, Poliwhirl, Kingler, Gyarados, Butterfree, Slowpoke, and the rest would all be in trouble.

Unless Poliwhirl traded with Electivire, the final match would be almost impossible. Electivire could run through his team.

From Reggie’s earlier matches, that Electivire should already have quasi–Elite Four strength.

As for Reiji’s Rhydon…

[Rhydon]

[Type: Ground + Rock]

[Gender: Male]

[Potential: 75.43%]

[Level: 50.18%]

[Ability: Rock Head/43.15%][Hidden Ability: Reckless/41.17%]

[Moves]

Ground-type: [(Earthquake/29.22%) (Drill Run/27.49%) (Bulldoze/31.17%) (High Horsepower/38.28%) (Dig/33.73%) (Stomping Tantrum/31.94%)]

Rock-type: [(Sandstorm/21.54%) (Rock Blast/27.51%) (Stone Edge/26.91%) (Rock Slide/21.21%) (Smack Down/21.37%) (Rock Polish/42.26%) (Rock Tomb/12.66%)]

Normal-type: [(Rock Climb/38.27%) (Tackle/44.21%) (Tail Whip/35.88%) (Skull Bash/34.31%) (Double-Edge/41.14%) (Horn Attack/42.53%) (Scary Face/21.14%) (Stomp/19.37%) (Horn Drill/12.17%) (Take Down/34.21%) (Swords Dance/14.44%)]

Fire-type: [(Fire Punch/34.31%) (Fire Fang/38.91%) (Sunny Day/24.63%) (Flamethrower/28.41%) (Fire Blast/24.51%) (Heat Crash/38.33%)]

Electric-type: [(Thunder Punch/26.26%) (Thunder Fang/32.45%)]

Ice-type: [(Ice Punch/27.82%) (Ice Fang/31.94%)]

Water-type: [(Rain Dance/8.34%) (Surf/14.53%)]

Steel-type: [(Iron Tail/18.11%) (Iron Defense/9.34%)]

Other: [(Crunch/40.82%) (Poison Jab/17.45%) (Shadow Claw/16.94%) (Counter/32.22%) (Rest/46.81%)]

Reiji had not checked Rhydon’s panel in more than a month. It had reached level 50.

A level 50 Hanhan against Electivire? Reiji was not worried at all. Hanhan had beaten it before.

With the type advantage and its rock armor, Hanhan was nearly unbeatable against opponents at the same level. Just breaking through its defense would be hard, let alone knocking it out.

Hanhan also had great coverage. It was not afraid of most matchups. With Rock Head and Reckless, it could use recoil moves freely. No recoil, stronger attacks. That was a nasty combination.

To trade evenly with Hanhan, Reiji figured it would take at least three Pokémon on Electivire’s level. He had never tested Hanhan’s true limit, but no matter how high it was, it would not cross into Elite Four tier. The gap between Elite Four tier and everything below it was not something you could force through.

Its level and Abilities had grown, but the biggest surprise was its potential. Hanhan had eaten too many good things lately. More specifically, the Elite Four-tier Hard Stone in its mouth had been worn down so much it was almost gone, and that alone had raised its potential by a full percent.

So Gems were not useless because potential was hard to raise. The problem was that ordinary Gems were too weak. Elite Four-tier items were what made potential climb quickly.

But where was he supposed to get a pile of Elite Four-tier items?

If he had not found the ancient Mega Aerodactyl skeleton in the underground cavern at Grampa Canyon, he would never have gotten an Elite Four-tier Hard Stone in the first place.

Even from that huge skeleton, he had only picked up two Elite Four-tier Hard Stones, and Hanhan had already worn one down in its mouth. There was no taking it back now. If it raised Hanhan’s potential, then fine. He had been planning to feed it to Hanhan anyway.

Aside from potential, Hanhan had also learned a few new moves lately. They were all moves it had learned from Kingler: Rock Tomb, plus Swords Dance and Iron Defense. They were useful upgrades.

Iron Defense could strengthen Hanhan’s rock armor even further. Swords Dance could raise its Attack.

What Reiji really wanted was for Hanhan to learn stronger finishing moves, like Megahorn, Giga Impact, and Hyper Beam.

With Hanhan’s defense, he did not want to get dragged into a stall war. He had no interest in a battle that lasted half an hour, or even over an hour.

But this was still tournament season, so that would have to wait until they returned to the Orange Archipelago. Swords Dance was enough for now. It would not affect the upcoming matches.

After checking Hanhan’s panel, Reiji took out Pelipper’s Poké Ball.

Pelipper had spent so long as his ride Pokémon that he had almost forgotten how good it was in battle. It was also unmatched when it came to running its mouth and talking trash. Its taunts were top-tier.

[Pelipper]

[Type: Water + Flying]

[Gender: Female]

[Potential: 69.62%]

[Level: 50.22%]

[Ability: Drizzle/43.33%]

[Moves]

Flying-type: [(Gust/38.59%) (Roost/43.01%) (Wing Attack/42.58%) (Tailwind/43.11%) (Air Slash/38.11%) (Air Cutter/36.74%) (Hurricane/27.14%)]

Water-type: [(Aqua Ring/40.23%) (Water Gun/45.49%) (Water Pulse/36.87%) (Rain Dance/45.17%) (Soak/16.14%) (Bubble/30.44%)]

Normal-type: [(Quick Attack/41.29%) (Protect/44.74%) (Growl/40.23%) (Supersonic/36.54%) (Stockpile/24.34%) (Spit Up/25.53%) (Swallow/18.64%)]

Other: [(Agility/44.37%) (U-turn/22.77%)]

He had not checked Pelipper’s panel in more than twenty days. It had also reached level 50.

Calling Pelipper his strongest Flying-type Pokémon was completely fair.

Its potential had not changed much. Drizzle had only risen by about two percent. Its moves had improved a little too, but nothing dramatic. Once mastery was already high, it was impossible to see huge jumps every day. A point here and a few points there was normal.

Reiji rarely used Pelipper for battle because it was his only flying ride. If it got injured or exhausted, was he supposed to travel on foot?

No thanks. Walking everywhere was out of the question. He had not lost his mind.

If he needed to travel, he would either ride Tauros or fly on Pelipper. With so many ways to get around, why would he walk?

Seeing both Rhydon and Pelipper reach level 50 gave him a lot more confidence in the finals.

His final opponent would most likely be Reggie. That guy was basically bullying kids here. If not for Reiji, he probably would have gone to the Battle Pyramid instead of entering this baby tournament.

Fate really had a sense of humor. Reggie had missed the Battle Pyramid, and now Reiji was the one standing in his way.

Losing was fine. Holding back was not. If he threw the match, the brainless fans supporting him would tear him apart.

That was enough to give him a headache. No matter the world, obsessive fans were always a nightmare. The last thing he wanted in the Pokémon world was idol-fandom nonsense.

While he was silently worrying about that, Nurse Joy called his name over the broadcast. His Pokémon were ready.

He picked up the five Pokémon he had sent in for treatment. As soon as he stepped outside, he ran into Blaine again.

Blaine really knew how to find people. Every time, he managed to catch Reiji right here.

Reiji walked over and greeted him. ”What are you all doing here?”

”We came to find you,” Blaine said.

He was holding Amber’s hand. Amber had Pikachu in her arms, and Elisia stood beside them.

What Reiji had not expected was to see Agatha and Tania there too. He avoided looking at Tania. She had just lost, so she was probably stabbing a little doll of him in her head right now.

He looked back at Blaine. ”You came to find me? For what?”

”Dinner, of course.” Blaine saw more and more people gathering around the Pokémon Center entrance and urged him along. ”Let’s go. I don’t feel like being stared at.”

Reiji noticed the crowd too after Blaine pointed it out. It made sense. He, Tania, Blaine, and Agatha were all famous right now.

Agatha was the biggest name among them. Of course people would stop and look.

The group left the Pokémon Center and went to the Indigo Hotel, where they booked a private room. It was a little after four in the afternoon, just about right for an early dinner. Everyone sat around a round wooden table.

Once they arrived, Eevee hopped off Reiji’s shoulder and ran over to Amber, where it started playing with Amber’s Eevee.

That was when Reiji noticed the little blue serpent beside Amber.

Did Amber have a Dratini too?

He had just received one today, so he released his own Dratini. The two could keep each other company.

But the moment Reiji’s Dratini saw Amber’s Dratini, it hid under a chair again and only dared peek out at its surroundings.

Amber’s Dratini was curious about the new one. It slipped under the table and called softly, ”Dra, dra…”

Reiji’s Dratini looked at the other one and noticed the fear in its eyes.

But its attention was not on its own kind for long. It looked toward Reiji, the man who had joked about turning it into soup. Only after seeing that Reiji was not watching it did it relax enough to look back at the other Dratini.

”Wow, Rai-nii has a little dragon too!” Amber cried out when she saw both Dratini.

”Amber, make sure they get along.” Reiji patted her head.

His Dratini had come from Blaine, and Agatha had arrived with Blaine. There was no point hiding it. He could bring it out openly. That was the benefit of getting a Pokémon through proper channels.

”Dratini?” Tania sat beside Agatha and looked toward Amber, who was playing with the Dratini. Reiji had quietly gotten himself a Dratini now? Saying she was not surprised would be a lie.

She already could not beat him. Once that Dratini grew up, the gap would only get worse.

Agatha saw the Dratini too, but she said nothing. Blaine had already told her where it came from. The lucky boy had saved the Joy family’s precious young star, and that was how he had gotten it.

If it had been Agatha, one Dratini would have felt too cheap. She could have asked for more. After all, she would not have needed to pay anything herself. She would only have gone to the Dragon’s Den and taken a Dratini. Would the Dragon Clan have dared say no?

The old turtle was too easygoing. He had taken one Dratini and let the matter end there. She heard that old woman had been furious. Agatha did wonder what the scene had looked like.

”This is the one?” Blaine studied the Dratini. With his eye, he could tell right away that something was wrong with it.

”Yes.” Reiji had no strength to complain. Blaine had brought the Dratini, yet he apparently had not known what condition it was in.

”Ahem. Want me to get it swapped?” Blaine’s old face reddened a little. He looked at Reiji awkwardly. He had not inspected the goods at the time. How was he supposed to know the Dratini was malnourished?

”No need.” Reiji quickly waved it off.

He could not trouble Blaine over something like this. Getting a Dratini at all was already good enough. Before this, he had not expected any reward.

He had checked the information. Dratini and Dragonair both grew by shedding, but this Dratini was close to evolving, so its main growth period had already passed.

For now, he could only feed it properly and make up what he could. After it evolved into Dragonair, he would raise it until it was healthier before letting it evolve into Dragonite. That way, the future Dragonite could still grow tall and strong.

He also had those two Dragon Fangs now. They finally had a use. They should raise Dratini’s potential by quite a bit. The remaining Advanced-tier Dragon Fangs could even serve as chew toys. This was his first pseudo-legendary, after all. He had high hopes for it.

”All right. Order whatever you want.” Blaine dropped the subject when he saw Reiji did not mind.

Amber was very quick when it came to ordering. She picked a pile of cakes and jellies she liked, then shared them with the Pokémon after they arrived.

”Brat, you’ve come this far. You’d better win the championship,” Blaine said with a smile. Reiji really did keep surprising him. He had fought his way through one round after another. One more knockout match, and he would be in the finals.

”You make it sound easy. I’m the one who has to go up there and fight.” Reiji gave an awkward smile. He had only beaten Tania today, and Blaine said that right in front of her. What was she supposed to think? That he had stepped over her on the way up?

”Haha. You’re good in every way, kid, except you hide too much.” Blaine laughed and slapped Reiji on the shoulder. Then he stopped teasing him and turned to talk with Agatha.

Agatha had come to say goodbye. Since Blaine was treating everyone to dinner tonight anyway, he invited her along before she left.

She was leaving because the ruins that had already been explored had shown new activity, and they needed Agatha there to make the call.

After the Indigo Plateau Conference ended and they said goodbye to Reiji, Blaine and the others would head over to find Agatha too. They would only be a step behind her.

While the two old Trainers caught up, Reiji looked toward Tania for some reason.

At the same time, Tania looked at him.

They both realized the other was looking and quickly turned away, suddenly feeling guilty.

It was too awkward.

Reiji felt like he was going to die from the embarrassment, so he could only play with Amber to pass the time. Once the dishes arrived, he quietly focused on eating.

At the table, he only really knew Blaine, Amber, and Elisia. He had no way to talk to Agatha, and he had nothing to say to Tania either.

After all, hitting on someone’s granddaughter right in front of her grandmother was already hard enough. But when that grandmother was Agatha, famous for her temper? Whoever had the guts could try. Reiji absolutely would not.

So the dinner was not relaxing at all.

After dinner, Agatha left with Tania. Before leaving, Tania and Reiji exchanged one last glance, but neither of them said anything.

Then Reiji went with Blaine, Amber, and Elisia to walk around the evening festival at the Indigo Plateau Conference. After that, he returned to the competitors’ village and let Toxicroak and the others out to eat and sleep.

With the tournament nearing its end, the competitors’ village was getting quieter. Almost no one was still preparing seriously. Most of the eliminated contestants had gone out to enjoy the nightlife.

[End of chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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