"Six-on-six?" Reiji rubbed his chin. What kind of Gym ran a six-on-six Gym battle? Was she trying to mess with him? He looked at the girl and asked, "And you are?"
"I'm Janine, the acting Gym Leader of the Fuchsia Gym." Janine stepped back and cleared the courtyard for battle. Since they were fighting right there in the yard, they still needed a referee.
"We need a referee!"
"Coming, Janine!" The door to the front room slid open, and a male referee in ninja garb stepped out and took his place between the two sides.
"Janine, you're really doing six-on-six?"
"Aunt Aya?" Janine turned and saw Koga's younger sister, Aya, stepping out from the room.
"This challenger was rude, so I added a few extra matches..."
"Do what you want. If he's strong enough, just give him the badge. He already knows this is a ninja Gym, so he doesn't want to go inside. Don't make things difficult for him."
"Got it, Aunt Aya." After their quiet exchange, Janine turned back to Reiji and threw her Poké Ball. "Go, Weezing!"
"Wee, Weezz..." The moment Weezing came out, exhaust started hissing from its vents.
"Weezing, huh? The smell isn't that strong, so it's probably got Levitate," Reiji said as he watched it. After a moment's thought, he made his choice and tossed out his own Poké Ball. "Scyther, you're up!"
"Scy!" The second Scyther appeared, it scraped its scythes together, the blades flashing cold in the light.
"Scyther..." Janine narrowed her eyes. She couldn't switch now, so all she could do was figure out how to handle it.
"The challenger moves first," the referee announced, raising his arm toward Reiji's side as soon as both Pokémon were out.
"Scyther, Focus Energy."
If he had first move, there was no reason not to use it to set up.
"Weezing, Poison Gas!"
At Janine's command, purple smoke burst from both of Weezing's mouths.
"Scyther, Swords Dance. Blow it away."
"Scy!" Scyther finished building Focus Energy, crossed its scythes in front of its chest, and spun into a Swords Dance. The spinning blades whipped up a violent current and tore straight through the Poison Gas.
"Scyther, accelerate and close in. Slash!"
Slash was a Normal-type physical move with 70 base power, and it was already prone to critical hits. With Focus Energy on top of that, it was practically guaranteed.
"Scy!" Scyther burst forward in a blur, flickering through the air with extreme speed before appearing right in front of Weezing and bringing one scythe down.
"Weezzz!" Weezing hurriedly raised a pale green barrier and blocked the attack with Protect.
"Don't stop, Scyther. Circle behind it and Slash again." Reiji wanted to see how long Janine could keep this up.
"This is bad. If this keeps going, Weezing won't hold out," Janine thought, panic rising fast. Weezing really didn't have many good answers against Scyther.
"Weezing, Heat Wave!"
"Mada, mada!" As Protect began to fail, Weezing inhaled sharply and blasted out a wave of scorching air at the Scyther attacking from the front.
"Scyther, use Swords Dance to block it."
"Scy!" Scyther crossed its scythes again and spun into another Swords Dance, whipping up a spiraling gust that held the Heat Wave at bay.
The moment the Heat Wave ended, Scyther stopped spinning and slashed at Weezing again.
"Weezing, Smokescreen!"
"Scy..." Smoke swallowed Scyther whole. It clicked its scythes irritably. It had lost track of the target again.
"Scyther, the same spot as before."
"Scy!" The instant it heard that, Scyther shot toward Weezing's last position and slashed. The blow hit cleanly and knocked Weezing straight out of the smoke cloud.
"No way..." Janine hadn't expected Scyther's sense of position to be that sharp. She had miscalculated.
"Ignore the smoke. Stay on it and keep slashing."
"Scy!" After one Focus Energy and two Swords Dances, Scyther had become far too much for Weezing to handle. Weezing was knocked flying, then cut down by several more slashes before crashing to the ground unconscious.
"I lost..." Janine recalled Weezing, stunned that she had dropped the first match so quickly. This challenger was the real thing.
"Go, Crobat!"
Reiji blinked when he saw her second Pokémon. "Another Poison-type..." Crobat needed high friendship to evolve, which meant she must have a strong bond with it.
She was probably trying to use a Flying-type to answer.
"Come on. Second match," Janine said, gesturing for him to continue.
"Fine. Scyther, Slash again."
"Scy!" Scyther beat its wings and rose into the air, one blade already lifted toward the Crobat overhead.
"Crobat, Haze!"
"Kro!" Crobat opened its mouth and spewed black mist over the charging Scyther.
Haze reset all battle stat changes on the field.
The moment Scyther was caught in it, every boost from Swords Dance and its speed increases vanished.
Focus Energy, however, remained. Scyther could still land critical hits.
Scyther burst out of the black mist and slashed Crobat across the mouth while it was still using Haze. The critical hit cut the move off instantly.
"Scyther, keep pressing!" Reiji had no intention of giving Crobat room to breathe. He wanted it finished in one rush.
"Scy!" Its speed boosts might have been wiped, but Scyther still had Quick Attack. It flashed forward, closed the gap instantly, and landed another critical Slash on Crobat.
"Crobat, Tailwind!" Janine winced at the sight of Crobat taking two critical hits back-to-back, but she still forced herself to counterattack. "Then Acrobatics!"
"Acrobatics, huh? Scyther, Double Team. Trade with it, then Slash."
"Scy!" Scyther split into eight afterimages in midair and rushed Crobat from every direction at once, leaving Crobat unable to tell which was real.
"Don't panic, Crobat! Sweep through them with Acrobatics!"
"Kro!" Crobat had no better option. It obeyed, its wings glowing white as it charged forward.
But Scyther's real body had already slipped to the far outside. It came in from the flank and carved a diagonal Slash across Crobat's body.
"Krooo!" Crobat cried out and dropped.
Slash might only have hit for neutral damage, and Crobat might have held on as long as it could, but after taking three critical hits, it still collapsed unconscious.
"Damn it. Lost again..." Janine clenched her teeth. At first she had thought Reiji was just arrogant. After losing two straight matches, she didn't think that anymore. He really did have the strength to back it up.
The referee was sweating too now. In an ordinary Gym battle, losing two matches here would already have meant handing over the badge. But Janine had insisted on making it six. At this rate, she might get swept six straight.
"Go, Arbok!" Janine had said six matches, and she meant to finish all six. Not one less.
"Arbok too? Another Poison-type? Does she even have anything else?" Reiji clicked his tongue inwardly. Why was every single one of them Poison-type?
"Come back, Scyther." He recalled Scyther and threw out another Poké Ball. Against a grounded Poison-type, Hanhan should have this well in hand.
"Raaawwww!" Rhydon hit the field, and that violent presence rolled out from its body at once. It gave Arbok one indifferent glance, as if the little snake should already be trembling.
"He switched out? And into a Ground-type?" Janine's heart sank the moment she saw Rhydon.
She had been hoping Intimidate would at least throw Scyther off, but not only had it failed, Reiji had switched into a Pokémon that directly countered Arbok.
Still, Rhydon had more weaknesses than Scyther. Maybe this one would be easier to handle.
"Arbok, Ice Fang!"
"Cha-ba!" Arbok twisted forward in a rush. Its sharp fangs turned white with frost as it lunged straight at Rhydon with its jaws wide.
Faced with the huge gaping mouth, Rhydon didn't dodge. It didn't even bother with Rock Armor. It simply raised one thick, heavily calloused arm and let Arbok bite down on it.
Arbok's fangs failed to pierce the hardened hide. The moment that shock showed on its face, Rhydon gave it a dim, almost innocent grin, grabbed the snake by the tail with its other hand, ripped it off its arm, and started swinging it like a warhammer, smashing it into the ground again and again until dust exploded everywhere.
A short while later, the field fell silent.
When the dust finally cleared, Arbok was lying motionless on the ground.
Reiji had already noticed that Janine's Pokémon were all on the low side. Crobat was decent, but Weezing and Arbok.... not even level 40 probably. Against Rhydon, they couldn't even break through its defenses. This wasn't a battle anymore.
"Come back, Arbok." Janine recalled it at last. By now she had finally seen the gap between herself and Reiji. This wasn't something skill alone could cover.
But there were still three matches left. She bit down hard and reached for another Poké Ball.
"That's enough, Janine. Give him the badge," Aya said, catching Janine by the arm before she could throw it.
"If it were your father, maybe he could give this trainer a proper fight. But against someone like this, there's no point dragging out the test."
"All right, Aunt Aya." Janine had been handed a way out, and she took it. She lowered the Poké Ball, then pulled out a badge and tossed it to Reiji instead.
"You win. This is the Soul Badge."
"Huh." Reiji rubbed his nose. He had thought he might actually have to fight all six matches, but ending it after three was fine by him.
The moment he had the Soul Badge in hand, he turned and left. He needed to get out of Fuchsia City before Koga came back.
Koga was competing for a place in the League's Elite Four. At the very least, he was already an Elite Four-level Trainer, and a master of poison on top of that. Reiji had no desire to face him. If Koga set his sights on him, he might not even get the chance to run.
After leaving the Fuchsia Gym, he climbed onto Pelipper and flew back to the Fuchsia City Pokémon Center.
He planned to stay the night there, rest up, and have Nurse Joy check over Poliwhirl and the others.
After that surprise battle the night before, he couldn't be sure whether any of them had been hurt. They hadn't shown obvious injuries on the spot, but internal damage was another matter.
Toxicroak was a different story. He would need to find a private clinic for that one later. There was no way he could bring it into a Pokémon Center. Those checks had to stay separate.
While Poliwhirl and the others were being examined, he ordered dinner at the Pokémon Center and ate while he waited.
As he ate, he started planning the next Gym. He already had his third badge. The next stop would be number four.
From Fuchsia City, the nearest Gyms were two choices.
The first was Vermilion City by land: Vermilion Gym, the Thunder Badge, and Lt. Surge's turf. Since Lt. Surge was Team Rocket's undercover man, that option was out.
If Lt. Surge wasn't there, maybe it would be worth a try. But if he was home, going there would be the same as walking into a trap. Once Lt. Surge had him marked, there was no way he was getting away.
The second option was Celadon City across the inland sea: Celadon Gym and the Rainbow Badge. The Gym Leader was Erika, a fairly cute short-haired girl who ran a perfume shop and also worked as a college lecturer.
No Team Rocket ties. Erika was a proper League Gym Leader. That one was safe.
Most of that information was already written in the Indigo League guidebook. Of course, Lt. Surge's identity as a Team Rocket plant wasn't in there. The book only listed the public profiles of the Gym Leaders.
At this point, he couldn't avoid taking a boat any longer. Sailing to Celadon would be much faster. If he went on foot, it would take at least half a month. Flying there on Pelipper wasn't a good idea either. The inland sea was too wide, with too few landmarks, and it would be easy to get lost.
Still, he also wanted to visit the Safari Zone first. He could spend some time there, then take a boat to Celadon afterward.
"You hear about it?"
"About what?"
Reiji had just finished mapping out his route when a conversation at the next table caught his ear. The moment he heard the words "huge reward," his interest sharpened.
"That missing-person notice with the one hundred million Pokédollar reward's been up forever, and no trainer's managed it. You think that kid's dead?"
"Who knows? He was only three when he vanished. It's been six or seven years now. Even if he's alive, he's probably feral by this point."
"And you never thought about looking? That's one hundred million."
"That only matters if you live long enough to claim it. The Safari Zone is full of primeval forest, and it's protected wild Pokémon territory. Catching wild Pokémon in there is illegal, and the rangers patrol all the time."
"Even the rangers never found the kid. That place is crawling with dangerous wild Pokémon. Trainers go in and come back half-dead. A little kid? He probably died in there years ago."
At that, something buried deep in Reiji's memory stirred.
There really had been an anime episode like that. The boy hadn't died. He had been adopted by a herd of Kangaskhan.
If this was that child, then the reward was absolutely real.
He just needed to confirm it.
He hurried through the rest of his dinner and went straight to the Pokémon Center's task board to find the one-hundred-million notice those two had mentioned.
He spotted it almost immediately.
The missing-person notice even had a photo of the boy. It was a family picture, with a helicopter parked behind the three of them.
A helicopter too. So they were loaded.
No wonder they were offering one hundred million Pokédollars. No wonder the wife was gorgeous. Judging from this, the couple clearly hadn't given up on finding their son, and maybe hadn't even considered having another child. The boy must have mattered a great deal to them—or to the family as a whole.
The man in the picture wore a white round hat and looked... well, rough. Reiji wasn't even trying to be mean. The man's face was just hard to describe. Really hard.
The woman, on the other hand, was striking, with beautiful red hair. She was holding a little boy in her arms, probably only a few years old. So this really was the missing child's family.
The image overlapped perfectly with his memories from his previous life.
That settled it. The boy raised by Kangaskhan had to be the missing child from this notice.
Which made the whole thing simple.
The reason no one had found the boy was probably because the Kangaskhan had hidden him away.
Find the Kangaskhan herd, find the boy, collect one hundred million Pokédollars, and give his own little treasury a much-needed boost.
Next he searched the task board for any information on Kangaskhan, but found nothing at all. That made sense. Kangaskhan was a protected wild Pokémon. The Pokémon Center naturally wouldn't have public information on them.
If the Pokémon Center didn't have it, then he would buy it from someone else.
The faster he could pin down the Kangaskhan herd's location, the faster he could claim the reward.
Looks like another trip into the underground world, he thought. Or maybe a bar.
So he left Poliwhirl and the others at the Pokémon Center for treatment, slipped out, changed his appearance, released Toxicroak, and went off in search of a bar.
He didn't bother with the respectable places. He only checked bars hidden away in remote alleys. If he wanted this kind of information, that was where he would find it.
After asking around, he actually managed to locate one.
He stepped up to the bar, flicked a coin toward the bartender, and asked, "I'm looking to buy information. Can you point me to the right person?"
"What kind of information?" the bartender asked. Reiji had his face covered, but that barely registered. The bartender had dealt with enough masked customers that it no longer mattered. As long as there was money in it, that was enough.
"Information related to the protected reserve."
Whatever the bartender assumed—Pokémon hunter, trainer after illegal catches—it didn't matter. There was no way he would guess Reiji was really after a one-hundred-million-Pokédollar missing-person notice.
"That customer over there in the cowboy hat," the bartender said, flicking his eyes toward the corner. "He's drinking alone. He can get you what you want."
"Thanks."
Reiji had already noticed the man himself. He got up, walked over, and dropped onto the sofa opposite the cowboy without bothering with small talk.
"I heard you've got information on the protected reserve."
"That's right." The cowboy looked him over once, then lowered his gaze and rubbed his fingers together.
Reiji understood the gesture immediately.
Money.
"How much?"
"One hundred thousand."
The cowboy named the price without hesitation, like he had done it a hundred times before.
"Fine. One hundred thousand." Reiji pulled out the cash and tossed it over. The stack slid to a stop right in front of the man's glass.
When the money knocked lightly against the drink, the cowboy's mood improved on the spot. He clearly hadn't expected Reiji to pay so cleanly.
"Nice and straightforward. I like that. So then, what exactly do you want to know?"
"I want to know where I can find Kangaskhan."
"Kangaskhan live in the grasslands north of the outer Safari Zone. Since they're Parent Pokémon, they're extremely aggressive when protecting the young in their pouches. Kangaskhan nearly went extinct once, so now they're under protection. Officer Jenny's rangers patrol that Kangaskhan reserve constantly."
The cowboy had no idea what Reiji was really after, but he still gave him the warning. Reiji had paid fast, and men like that were easy to like.
That was enough.
Reiji stood and left at once.
He had what he came for. Tomorrow, he could head out and search for the Kangaskhan herd.
By the time he got back to the Pokémon Center, night had already fallen. Poliwhirl and the others had finished their checkups too. Nurse Joy reported that they were all perfectly healthy.
He took them back to his room, released Toxicroak and the rest, and fed them dinner.
After a quick rinse in the bathroom, he dropped onto the Pokémon Center bed and went straight to sleep.
[End of chapter]
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