Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

That was the raid plan settled.

Reiji had the others stay in the study and memorize the ship layout while he and Naoki stepped aside.

He took the stab-resistant gear from his bag and put it on. Then he let Ditto jump onto his face and turn into a white smiling mask. On the left cheek of the mask was a black number 0.

Naoki wore the same all-black gear. When he saw the smiling mask on Reiji’s face, the old conversation from his dream came back to him. So No. 0 was real. Boss had not lied to him.

The whole numbered-mask thing was a bit childish, but Naoki was No. 1. No one should be able to take that from him. Those kids definitely couldn’t beat him.

He quickly had Ditto jump onto his own face and turn into a fierce white mask, with a scar across one eye and a black number 1 on the left cheek.

Then both of them pulled up their hoods. The shadows hid the masks and numbers well enough that no one would notice unless they were close. The six people memorizing the ship layout heard the movement and turned around. Seeing Reiji and Naoki in masks made them jump.

”Boss? Brother? Is that you?” Daishi asked, forcing himself to speak. He didn’t dare step closer. The white masks looked too unsettling, especially Reiji’s smiling mask. It reminded him of the horror stories sailors told at sea.

”Who else would it be? Where are the clothes I told you to buy? Hurry up and change. Use your Ditto too,” Naoki snapped.

The outfit felt awkward to him. He was already a grown man, after all.

Still, the look worked. It hid their faces and made them hard to read. As long as no one on their side talked, nobody would know who they were.

This should be their group outfit for joint operations. For solo side jobs, there was no need to wear it. It stood out too much.

”Oh, right. Change clothes, hurry.” Daishi finally remembered the gear Naoki had told him to buy. He had outfits for all six of them and quickly pulled them from his bag.

Once everyone had changed into black stab-resistant gear, they kept staring at the white masks on Reiji and Naoki’s faces. Reiji had Ditto undo the mask, and only then did they realize what was going on.

The six of them released their own Ditto and used mirrors to shape them into similar white masks. Since each Ditto was different, the masks came out slightly different too, but the color was the same.

Reiji’s mask had a smile. Naoki’s had a scar. Sou’s was round-faced. A.J.’s had a mustache. Gulzar, Keith, Gai, and Daishi each ended up with their own style.

Then came the question of numbers. If Reiji was No. 0 and Naoki was No. 1, what numbers were the rest of them supposed to use?

A.J. figured it out first and had his mask form a black 3. The others immediately understood. The numbers followed last night’s friendly match rankings. So that had been the point of the tournament.

Sou had taken first place last night, so he became No. 2. Gulzar was No. 4, Gai was No. 5, Daishi was No. 6, and Keith was No. 7.

Once everyone had their numbers, and nobody objected to the rankings, Reiji nodded.

”During the raid, don’t use real names. Use code numbers. These numbers are your codenames. The rankings are temporary. If you think you can beat me, then beat me. Take No. 0, and you become the boss.”

”Boss, don’t joke around. How are we supposed to beat you?” Daishi gave an awkward laugh.

Even his own big brother followed Reiji. As Naoki’s underling’s underling, Daishi didn’t even dare imagine how strong Reiji really was.

”Boss, can we challenge other people?” A.J. understood immediately. The numbers were based on strength. If someone was strong enough, they could move up to No. 1 or No. 2.

He did want No. 0, but thinking about Reiji’s strength killed that idea for now. Based on what he had seen at the Indigo Plateau Conference, Reiji’s strength was not completely out of reach. Maybe someday, he would have a chance.

For now, No. 0 was impossible. But No. 1 and No. 2 were different. Those were worth aiming for.

”Anyone is fine.” Reiji smiled to himself.

A.J. really did catch on fast. Sou would not be able to hold No. 2 for long, and that was exactly why Reiji had set things up this way. The numbers would push them to keep improving. No one wanted to stay at the bottom.

As for surpassing him?

These kids would be lucky to reach Elite Four tier. Champion tier was another matter entirely. Once Reiji gathered the right combination-evolution Pokémon, Champion tier was his goal.

”Rai-nii, is it just the eight of us?” Keith badly wanted Reiji to recruit more people. That way, he wouldn’t be dead last anymore.

”There are others, but don’t get your hopes up. They’re strong too, no weaker than A.J.” Reiji saw through him at once.

Shun and Tai were indeed stronger than Keith. In this group, they would rank at least in the top five.

Still, Reiji didn’t crush him too hard. ”Work hard. You’ll catch up. Don’t worry about the rankings yet. From now on, you get one challenge each week. Only lower ranks can challenge higher ranks. All ranking matches are three-on-three. Win, and you take that code number.”

”You can head down and get ready. Once everything is set, you leave. Naoki will lead the team to Rind Island and wait there. I’ll sneak onto the cargo ship. After I take down the captain, I’ll call you in.”

”Got it, Boss.” Naoki took off the outer layer and went downstairs to prepare. As team leader, he had a lot to handle.

The other six were about to leave too, but Reiji stopped them.

”After this operation, you need to separate your two identities. One is your League identity, the one that walks in the sun. The other is your pirate identity.”

”After this, the League will probably put us on a wanted list. Those of you without a legal League identity don’t need to care much. Those of you who do have one, hide it properly. Don’t let your public identity get linked to a wanted notice.”

”Common Pokémon can be used on both sides. Rare Pokémon, special Pokémon, and Pokémon that have already been seen in public should not appear under your pirate identity. If they get exposed, people can connect the wanted notice back to you. Once that happens, all you can do is run. Clear?”

”Clear,” the six answered together.

Each of them had their own thoughts as they left the study.

A.J. had worked as a Pokémon hunter for years, so he already knew how to hide himself. He also had one or two Pokémon specifically for dirty work.

Gai and Daishi already knew how to keep their hands clean in public. They had spent enough time around shady work to know what could be shown and what had to stay hidden. Their public reputations weren’t exactly spotless anyway, so they had less to lose than the others.

Sou had no record, but he had spent enough time around Naoki’s group to learn how this worked. He marked Sharpedo and Tentacruel as Pokémon for his mask identity.

That made his team feel thin. He planned to raise his current Pokémon to Advanced tier first, then start building a second team. Horsea was one of his backup choices.

Keith had a record for stealing, so being a normal Trainer was already off the table. The poor kid had no choice but to keep walking this road. As long as he used his Pokémon less in public, he should be fine. He couldn’t afford to raise two teams anyway.

Gulzar was in the most awkward position. His Pokémon had already been seen before. After talking it over with Sou, though, he realized common Pokémon like Pelipper could be used on both sides without drawing attention. In the Orange Archipelago, Pelipper and similar Pokémon were everywhere.

That gave Gulzar an idea. He definitely couldn’t use Gyarados. It had appeared in the Indigo Plateau Conference, and its size made it too easy to recognize.

But common Pokémon like Pidgeot and Weepinbell could still work for his mask identity. If he earned enough money from this job, he could buy a high-grade Leaf Stone and evolve Weepinbell first, giving his hidden identity more strength.

When he came to Naoki earlier, Naoki had already talked to him about this and told him to prepare for jobs like this. Now Gulzar only had to decide which Pokémon could no longer appear in the open.

After this job, Gulzar would have to start building another team too. Otherwise, he would have nothing safe to use under the mask, and he would be useless on jobs like this. If Reiji led another operation, anyone too weak would only get whatever was left over.

Just thinking about the captain and first mate made Gulzar itch to get stronger. Each of them carried at least fifty million in value. If he were stronger, he could have claimed one of them himself.

But he couldn’t even beat A.J., let alone a Trainer like that.

He was still too weak.

He had to get stronger quickly, or he would never keep up with Reiji.

By evening, Naoki had already left three hours earlier with the group, heading for Rind Island.

Naoki had Flygon. Sou had Pelipper. Gulzar had Pidgeot.

A.J., Gai, Daishi, and Keith either had Flying-type Pokémon that couldn’t carry people or couldn’t handle long-distance flight. So Flygon, Pelipper, and Pidgeot had to carry them.

After this, those guys would probably all raise a Flying-type Pokémon. Keith did have Pidgeotto, but it had not evolved yet.

The seven of them reached Rind Island and sent Reiji a message. Before they left, Reiji had warned Naoki and Gulzar to hide their identities and not go looking for Quincy on Rind Island. That would expose them. They only needed to hide near the edge of the island.

Night fell.

The cargo ship had already left. Reiji waited at the harbor and watched it sound its horn and send up black smoke as it set off. Only after it disappeared into the distance did he ride Pelipper after it.

He had already had Senta send Butterfree over. Now he only needed to use the clouds as cover and catch up to the ship. High in the sky, he lifted the binoculars hanging from his chest and watched the cargo ship moving slowly through the sea.

The sea-view rooms were near the bridge. There were only a few rooms on the ship with good lighting, and with the layout Naoki had brought back, they should be easy to find. Now Reiji only had to wait until it was fully dark.

If Darkrai were here, he could have sent it onto the ship to gather information: where the candlelit dinner was, when the drug would be used, and when the cousin would make his move.

But Darkrai wasn’t here, so Reiji could only wait.

Once it was dark, Reiji would find the captain’s room, cut the air-conditioning pipe, seal it, and wait. If the room lit up and the window opened, that was his signal.

The waiting was the worst part. He still wasn’t sure Senta’s cousin would make his move tonight. If nothing happened, everyone would have come out here for nothing.

As the sky dimmed, Reiji changed into the black stab-resistant gear and rode Pelipper toward the ship. He kept the white smiling mask off for now. It wasn’t time to show that face yet.

Keeping to the dark, he approached the cargo ship and checked the sea-view rooms through his binoculars. Three decks below the bridge, he found a balcony with a table, chairs, and even flowers.

On a cargo ship, that kind of flashy setup could only belong to Senta’s cousin. No one else would get that treatment. Reiji decided to check it first.

Pelipper was white and too easy to spot at night, so he recalled it and let Golbat carry him instead, flying low over the sea.

The water below was black, without even a glimmer of light. The only light on the sea came from the cargo ship.

When they reached the side of the ship, Spinarak immediately jumped onto the hull and stuck silk to Reiji’s clothes. It climbed up to the deck first, then slowly pulled him up. Golbat stayed below on standby. They would need to get back down later.

Avoiding the sailors patrolling with flashlights was easy. Reiji pressed himself against the outside of the hull and waited for the patrol to pass. Once the sailor was gone, he climbed onto the deck.

Spinarak kept moving, jumping up to the balcony and shooting silk down to pull him up again.

By the time Reiji and Spinarak reached the balcony, no one had noticed. No Pokémon had raised an alarm either.

Reiji had not triggered any alarms on the way up. Either the ship had no Pokémon on watch, or this balcony sat in a blind spot. Cameras were unlikely too. No captain would want one pointed at his own room, and if a camera had caught him, the crew would already be moving.

Reiji shone a flashlight through the balcony glass. A photo hung on the wall, with several trophies displayed nearby. Then he saw more photos, all of the same man.

This was the right room. Senta’s cousin really had decorated his cabin with pictures of himself.

Reiji didn’t try to open the window. If there was an alarm on the glass or inside the room, the whole plan would fall apart.

He didn’t need to go in anyway. The room used a regular air conditioner, and the outdoor unit sat right on the balcony.

Perfect.

He waited for a wave to hit the ship. The moment the hull groaned, he released Scyther.

Another wave hit.

Scyther cut the air-conditioning pipe clean through, and Spinarak sealed it with silk before the sound faded.

The cut was tucked behind the outdoor unit, hard to spot unless someone looked closely. By the time anyone noticed, the room would already be heating up.

Once that window opened, Senta’s cousin was done.

[End of chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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