"Kraaa…"
The two men waiting by Rind Island's shore heard their Fearow cry out. That meant the Flying-type Pokémon they'd sent ahead had found Gulzar and Travis by the lake.
They recalled their scouts, mounted their own Flying-types, and skimmed low over the treetops toward the lake at the island's centre.
When they reached the edge of the water, they didn't push closer. They dropped into the forest instead, already spotting two kids by the shoreline. One more step in the open and they'd be seen.
They'd confirmed it earlier with binoculars. One boy's face matched the photo they carried almost perfectly—Luana's son, Travis.
As for "the plan" to grab them? There wasn't one. The kids were using weak, unevolved Pokémon, so the two men decided to take Travis by force.
It was broad daylight. There was no way to make a kidnapping "quiet," especially with the boys out in the open. Anything that wandered in would get noticed immediately. If they tried to play it clever, they'd only make the kids more cautious. Better to be direct.
"Let's go. You ask for directions—get control of Travis first. Ignore the other brat. Once we've got Travis, we leave Rind Island."
"Got it. Let me change first."
They were still in black uniforms, with a huge red "R" on the chest. No one would miss that.
Normally, they changed before going out. This time the job was urgent—when the signal vanished, they'd flown straight over without even swapping clothes.
"I'll stay in the trees and cover you. If anything goes sideways, I'll move."
Once his partner had changed, the man stepped out with his Victreebel and Golbat. A single-strap bag hung at his side as he walked toward Gulzar and Travis, who were still by the lake trying to catch a Lotad.
The first Pokémon to notice him approaching was Pelipper.
Pelipper had already seen the two strangers flying over the forest earlier. Their purpose was obvious—they were coming for the boys.
It didn't try to intercept alone. It turned and went to warn Reiji, without alerting Gulzar and Travis at all.
If the strangers were targeting those two, warning them wouldn't fix anything. This was the kind of trouble only Reiji could handle. The kids were out of their depth.
They could barely protect themselves in the woods, let alone against an attack. If they struggled too hard, they'd only get hurt worse.
The second to react was Travis's Pikachu. Its ears twitched at unfamiliar footsteps.
"Pika, pika!"
Pikachu called out a warning, scampered onto Travis's shoulder, and stared down the stranger closing in.
"Gulzar—someone's coming!" Travis blurted, then raised his voice toward the kid still focused on the catch.
Gulzar looked up. A young man in casual clothes, sunglasses on, two Pokémon at his side. He looked like an ordinary traveller passing through.
"Who is that… Rai-nii?" Gulzar muttered, then tightened his grip on the situation.
"Do you remember those black dots we saw earlier?" Travis kept his voice low. Ever since he'd been grabbed by a poaching gang once, he didn't relax around strangers. That was exactly how they'd tricked him onto a boat.
"You think it's them? Then why is there only one guy?" Gulzar remembered the dots too. If they'd been heading to Rind Island, the timing fit.
But if they needed something, they could've gone to Reiji's downstream camp by the river. The cooking fire sent smoke up all day—easy to spot from the sky. Why come here instead?
Gulzar didn't like it. After what they'd been through, neither of them was naïve anymore, and neither of them was easy to fool.
"Pidgey—go tell Rai-nii. Something's wrong over here," Gulzar said, choosing the worst-case scenario.
Travis frowned. "What are you thinking?" He hesitated, then sent his own backup anyway. "Staryu—you too. Take the water route!"
Gulzar shook his head slightly. "Travis, I think he's here for you. Get ready."
He was already clutching Gyarados's Poké Ball. Gyarados was the only one he could actually fight with.
The rest—Oddish, Exeggcute, Bellsprout—were fresh captures. They'd get wiped out instantly. He didn't trust them to last even one exchange.
"Gulzar… what if we're wrong?" Travis hesitated. He didn't want to lash out at a random trainer. Using Pokémon to attack other trainers out here wasn't allowed by the League.
"Then we test him," Gulzar said. "Gyarados—out. Make a big Splash. Drench him."
If the man didn't respond, Gulzar could apologise. If he did, that told them enough.
…
"Something's off. I saw a Pidgey and a Staryu leave—heading toward the smoke. We might be exposed."
Hidden in the forest, the second man noticed the boys' small moves and warned his partner through the earpiece.
"I saw it too. Hold—"
The man approaching was about to say more, then Gulzar released Gyarados. A moment later, water erupted from the lake in a heavy spray.
"That's Gyarados. The other kid's got a Gyarados—plans changed."
Gyarados roared and threw up another huge Splash, soaking the stranger as he came closer.
"Damn it—Gyarados is attacking me."
"Stay calm. It's a probe. I don't see intent to fight—just water."
Using the commotion as cover, the man lifted a hand near his mouth and spoke fast into the mic. His partner's voice steadied him, and he forced himself to relax.
He didn't lash out. He didn't order Victreebel or Golbat to strike.
Still dripping, he walked up and stopped in front of the two boys. "Are you training your Gyarados?"
"Sorry," Gulzar said. "I got your clothes soaked. If you want, come back to our camp—dry off by the fire and eat something."
He wasn't lowering his guard, though. The Splash hadn't been a direct attack. If the man saw through it, that was normal.
At least Gulzar had apologised and offered the camp. If the stranger refused, that was on him.
"It's fine, it's fine." The man patted at the water like it didn't matter.
Then he saw the caution in their eyes, stepped forward on instinct—and both boys stepped back at the same time.
His gaze flicked to Pikachu, fur bristling and sparks snapping, then up to Gyarados by the shoreline, jaws spread in a threat display.
This was as close as he was going to get. These kids weren't letting him near Travis.
Right then, his earpiece crackled again.
"Do it. Don't waste time. Pidgey's already on the way. They've been kidnapped before—they won't trust you fast. We end this quick."
The man forced a casual tone. "So why are you two here—travelling alone?"
As Travis started to answer, the man slid the second earpiece onto his other ear and snapped out the real order.
"Golbat—Screech. Victreebel—Vine Whip. Bind that boy, pull him in, then Sleep Powder!"
The moment Screech hit, Gulzar and Travis grabbed their heads in pain. Pikachu flinched hard, and even Gyarados recoiled, thrown off by the sound.
That was enough.
Victreebel's vines lashed out, wrapped Travis, and yanked him forward. Before Travis could even struggle, Sleep Powder dropped him limp.
Screech into Vine Whip into Sleep Powder—clean, fast, and brutal. The man got the target without breaking a sweat.
"Move," he said.
He scooped up the sleeping Travis, recalled Victreebel and Golbat, mounted his Fearow, and shot straight into the sky, fleeing Rind Island at full speed.
He wanted distance before Reiji could react. He didn't care how far he had to run, as long as that "hardcase" didn't catch him. All they knew was that Reiji had wiped out a poaching gang. That wasn't someone you toyed with.
His partner got the retreat order and burst out of the forest on his own Fearow, following close behind, ready to buy time if needed.
He'd already seen a black dot rising near the plume of smoke. The moment Reiji got airborne, the kidnapping was exposed.
Reiji only realised what was happening because Pelipper warned him. Without that, he would've been completely in the dark.
The instant the message came in, he sent Darkrai and Gengar ahead. Both could move through shadows, and they could reach the scene almost instantly.
He didn't waste time either. He called Poliwhirl and the others to stop training and regroup, recalled them, then climbed onto Pelipper and flew out—spotting the incoming Pidgey on the way.
He'd barely lifted off before he saw two kidnappers racing for the island's edge.
Bold. They'd come here to snatch Travis of all people. Travis was trouble even on a good day.
Reiji didn't hesitate. He drove Pelipper forward and chased.
Travis couldn't be taken—at least not from under Reiji's nose. If Travis disappeared here, Reiji would never be able to explain it.
Pelipper surged, and both Fearow surged too. If it stayed a straight chase, they'd reach open sea.
That was the problem.
Out over the water, the situation turned ugly for Reiji fast. There were two of them.
He couldn't let them reach the ocean. He needed to stop them on the island.
"Pelipper," he said quietly, "signal Darkrai and Gengar. Now."
"Peli—perrr!"
Pelipper let out a sharp, grating cry that carried through the air.
In the shadow of the lead Fearow, Darkrai heard it. In the shadow of the trailing Fearow, Gengar heard it too.
Both burst out from beneath the birds' bodies and struck.
One hit each—clean penetration through the Fearow's torso. The Flying-types lost control immediately, and both riders dropped like stones.
They weren't helpless, though. Other Flying-type Pokémon caught them before they hit the ground, carrying them into the trees and setting them down hard but alive.
Travis didn't get that luck.
As he freefell unconscious, Darkrai caught him out of the shadow and vanished into the forest with Gengar in the same breath.
It happened so fast the two men didn't even see what hit them.
"Damn it—the kid's gone."
"Did you see what attacked us?"
"No. Just a blur. A black shadow… Ghost-type, I think."
"Two Ghost-types. If we'd known, we could've prepared. Instead we got blindsided."
"So what now—retreat or keep going?"
"Retreat. We don't want a head-on fight right now. As long as the kid's still in his hands, we still have a chance."
"And if he calls the coast guard to come get him?"
"Then we're done. But he didn't contact Travis's family immediately. He's probably trying to get something out of him too. He won't pull outsiders in."
With that settled, they brushed off leaves and dirt and slipped deeper into the trees, planning to try again once night fell.
Reiji caught up to Gengar carrying Travis and gave a short order. "Take him back. Put him down at camp, then return to me."
He wasn't going back.
If he didn't finish this, it would stick in his throat. They'd dared to kidnap someone right under his eyes. He wasn't letting them walk away.
And there was another reason.
Those two might have seen Darkrai and Gengar. Only the dead kept secrets. Reiji couldn't allow anyone outside to know Darkrai existed.
If the organisation behind them learned he had Darkrai, they'd come for him. That kind of attention could get him killed.
Even in the anime, one Nurse Joy had a Latias, and underground groups targeted her because of it.
If Joy could get attacked, what about him? He wasn't important at all. If an organisation latched onto him, it wouldn't let go.
So he had to erase the problem at the root.
Gengar carried Travis back, laid him near the tents, then slipped away again without Quincy noticing.
Gulzar returned from the lake soon after. When he saw Travis unconscious but safe at camp, he let out a slow breath.
Reiji wasn't there. Quincy told him Reiji had gone out—probably hunting the kidnappers.
Gulzar couldn't help worrying, but he didn't spiral. Reiji's strength spoke for itself. Unless those two were Elite Four tier, they weren't beating him.
And if they really were Elite Four tier, they wouldn't have run. They wouldn't have bothered with probing and acting friendly. They would've taken Travis by force from the start.
Reiji landed with Pelipper at the crash site. Only snapped branches and scattered leaves remained. No sign of the two men.
They hadn't taken off again, which meant they were still in this stretch of forest. Hiding. Waiting for the right moment.
"Darkrai. Gengar. They can't be far," Reiji said. "Find them. Then come tell me."
"Keh-keh-keh." Gengar sank into the shadows, eager. This was its favourite kind of work.
Reiji looked to Darkrai. "Keep an eye on Gengar."
"I will." Darkrai had worked with Gengar long enough to know exactly how reckless it could get. If it wouldn't listen, Darkrai could still keep it in check.
Reiji kept chasing for two reasons.
He needed to stop them from leaking Darkrai's existence.
And he didn't like what they'd done after seeing him. They ran immediately instead of turning to fight.
That meant one of two things.
Either they knew they couldn't handle him, and they'd retreat to re-plan—just like the poaching gang had.
Or they were still aiming for an ambush, avoiding a direct clash so they could hit the camp at night.
Either way, Reiji had a deadline. He had to find them before the sun went down, and he had to end it before they could talk.
He didn't care who they were or what organisation backed them.
Even if it was Team Rocket, he wasn't letting them leave Rind Island alive.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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