Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

Day 4, Orange Archipelago. Overcast.

The weather was good today. In a tropical island chain like the Orange Archipelago, two cloudy days in a row were rare. It might rain tonight.

Reiji would reach Mikan Island by night, so rain didn’t really matter. What he cared about more was the lakeside cabin. He hadn’t been back in two months. He had paid another six months of rent for nothing, but there was no helping it.

The location was too good. The area around it was quiet, the cabin itself suited him, and he didn’t want someone else renting it while he was away.

After waking up, he fed his Pokémon in his room first. Only after they had all eaten breakfast did he leave. Anyone who saw him called him either Rai-nii or Boss.

Even Naoki’s men called him Boss now. That was a little strange. They were Naoki’s people, yet they were calling Reiji Boss. He had no idea how Naoki felt about it, though Naoki called him Boss too, so it probably didn’t matter.

By breakfast, everyone was already up. Some were running laps in the yard. Others were training with their Pokémon. They only stopped when it was time to eat.

”Naoki, I’m heading back to Mikan Island. You can keep doing what you usually do. Focus on getting stronger and building up resources.” Reiji told Naoki to keep working as usual, whether that meant his club job or side work.

He felt safe leaving the younger ones under Naoki. Naoki was the kind of Trainer who had survived real bloodshed. His arrogance had been beaten down long ago, and he knew exactly where he stood now. All he wanted was to get stronger, gather strength, and take revenge. That made him a good person to manage the group.

As long as he didn’t lose his head over a woman again.

If the girl he liked hadn’t pushed him into it, his old foundation wouldn’t have collapsed so badly. Getting stupid over romance was dangerous.

As for the other six, Reiji trusted Gulzar, Sou, and Keith. He had personally helped bring those kids up, and they knew what kind of person he was.

That left A.J., Daishi, and Gai.

A.J. was smart. He only wanted to get stronger. Before he reached Elite Four tier, and before he surpassed Reiji, he probably wouldn’t get any funny ideas. And surpassing Reiji wasn’t going to happen.

Daishi had Naoki backing him. He was an orphan Naoki had taken in, so if anything happened, Naoki would handle it. That was Naoki’s own business, and Reiji didn’t need to interfere unless it threatened the group.

Gai was the unstable one.

He had joined because they had pressured and tempted him into it. If Team Rocket stopped chasing him and offered him something instead, he might start thinking about switching sides.

Reiji saw him as the most likely problem because Gai had little hope of reaching Elite Four tier for now. His Pokémon didn’t have enough potential, and most of them were already fully evolved. Their growth had almost hit a wall. All he could do was grind slowly over time.

Rare, high-potential Pokémon and better training resources would tempt him badly, especially if he started feeling like he had no way forward.

The others didn’t have that problem. Most of their Pokémon had been chosen by Reiji himself. Naoki, Gulzar, Sou, Keith—if they raised their teams properly, they all had a real shot at Elite Four tier.

A.J. already had Pokémon with that kind of potential. Reiji had checked before. Sandslash, Magneton, and Scyther all qualified.

Graveler still needed to spend more time with Naoki and get more resources. Once it evolved again, it should be able to touch the edge of Elite Four-tier potential too. That would give A.J. four Pokémon with that ceiling.

Forretress and Quagsire had already used up most of their potential. They would have to improve slowly.

So when Reiji told A.J. he could reach Elite Four tier, he hadn’t been joking. Magneton and Scyther could still evolve too.

As long as A.J. could see a path to Elite Four tier, his mind would stay steady. Reiji didn’t have to worry much about him betraying the group and selling them out. A.J. knew exactly what kind of people Team Rocket were.

Only Gai needed watching. Reiji would have Naoki keep an eye on him. If he showed any signs of turning, they would deal with it quickly. There was no reason to keep a bomb beside them.

And it wasn’t as if Reiji had never given him a chance. He had. Gai just needed to behave. As a fighter for the group, he was still useful.

”A.J., Naoki used to specialize in Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon. He had a Golem that reached Elite Four tier. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask him.”

”Thank you, Boss. I will.” A.J. nodded at once.

That was exactly why he had come here. With Reiji saying this in front of everyone, he could relax. From here on, it was up to A.J. to handle the relationship properly.

Reiji was speaking up for him and fulfilling the promise he had made when he brought him in. Naoki’s Golem may have reached Elite Four tier through time and effort, but Naoki still knew what he was doing. Reiji did not doubt that. He just didn’t need that advice himself.

”Boss, you’re not staying a few more days?” Naoki wasn’t surprised that Reiji was handing him another person to teach. Teaching one kid or two made no real difference. He didn’t care. Revenge was all that mattered to him now.

And if revenge was the goal, then stronger allies were always better.

”If I stay too long, the Gym will start asking questions. I need to show my face.” Reiji couldn’t do much about that. This was the annoying part of being tied to a Gym.

He had disappeared for no clear reason, so he would have to explain himself. He planned to tell the truth: Team Rocket had been chasing him. There was no reason to hide that.

He could refuse to explain, but the result would be simple. He would have to leave the Gym. No Gym would keep a Trainer who didn’t follow orders.

”Keep eating. Do what you need to do. No need to see me off.” Reiji set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a tissue. He was full.

Before leaving, though, he gave them one last reminder. ”Our group is still new, and all of you are the first members. I know you’re curious about what we’re actually trying to do. I don’t mind telling you. The problem is that you’re too weak right now. Too weak to be useful.”

”Don’t like hearing that? I’m sure some of you don’t. You probably think I’m exaggerating. Fine. Then I’ll make it simple.”

”Which one of you can beat Naoki? Raise your hand.”

Reiji looked across the six of them. No one raised a hand.

The ones who knew Naoki understood how strong he was. His Flygon was already quasi–Elite Four tier and close to breaking into Elite Four tier. Its presence had been getting stronger lately, and none of them could beat it.

A.J. had only just arrived and didn’t know the details, so he stayed quiet and watched the others. He couldn’t even beat Reiji, so he had no reason to speak up.

”Good. No hands.” Reiji stood and turned to Naoki. ”Naoki, tell them how strong our enemy is.”

”Elite Four tier.” Naoki clenched his fist so hard that the metal spoon in his hand bent out of shape. ”My enemy is an Elite Four-tier Trainer. And I owe them blood.”

”Naoki...” Daishi knew who Naoki was talking about. That enemy was his enemy too. But against a monster like Team Rocket, he couldn’t do anything. He was too weak.

”You heard him. Which one of you can beat an Elite Four-tier Trainer?”

The six of them stayed silent.

Reiji’s voice dropped. ”Now you know. Our enemy is Elite Four tier. Anyone want to leave?”

No one there was stupid. They were scared, of course. An Elite Four-tier enemy was terrifying. But leaving now, after hearing this much, was basically asking to die.

Still, the words hit everyone differently. Some felt the pressure at once. Some felt fear, as if a real enemy had just appeared in front of them. And some wanted to know exactly who that enemy was.

[End of chapter]

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