"Krroo!"
Tentacruel bolted toward the cabin, its tentacles whipping all over the place. The panic looked real enough to sell.
"Whish!"
Whiscash was just as committed. If it could have grown legs, it would have sprinted. Since it couldn't, it threw itself toward the shore with all the desperation of a fish trying to escape death.
"Ludi, ludi!"
Ludicolo was the best actor of the lot. It even added its own little flourish, tripping over the grass and landing face-first with tears sparkling at the corners of its eyes.
Pelipper shot into the air in fright, grabbed Ludicolo, and carried it off. Starmie spun fast enough to blur, launched itself out of the lake, and fled toward the cabin with the rest of them.
"Is that Blastoise? Why would there be a Blastoise here?" Reiji looked at Cissy. She looked just as confused as he expected. Of course he knew the answer. That was the whole point of asking.
"Rai, I don't know either. Should I call home and ask?" Cissy had just taken out her phone when Reiji stopped her.
"No. Let me see if I can catch it first."
Reiji walked toward the lake. Blastoise had already driven the Pokémon out and moved into the water, so he called to Rhydon, "Rhydon, throw a few rocks in."
"Rrrah."
Rhydon knew they were acting. It dug one hand into the ground, ripped out a huge chunk of earth and stone, and hurled it into the lake.
"Blas—hey, that's too much!"
Blastoise surfaced, saw the size of the rock, and immediately sank back under the water.
Splash!
The impact threw up a wave almost as big as Blastoise's own cannon blasts. Naturally, Blastoise was furious.
Naturally, it was all fake.
You idiot. Reiji cursed Rhydon in his head. You threw half the damn lawn. You're filling that back in yourself.
Still, the act had to continue. Blastoise stormed toward the shore, all swagger and menace, then crooked a claw at Rhydon and started mouthing off.
"Uh… what did it say?" Reiji looked at Cissy. Slowking wasn't beside him, so he had to rely on her Slowking to translate.
"It said… your rhino eats grass."
"Rrrah!"
Rhydon's temper nearly snapped on the spot. Being called a grass-eating rhino was not something it was willing to let slide.
Oh, come on, don't actually get mad. I knew I shouldn't have picked you.
Reiji was already regretting this, but they had come too far to stop now. He bit the bullet and shouted, "Rhydon, Thunder Punch!"
"Blas."
Blastoise felt a chill. Rhydon looked genuinely angry now. But Slowking had told it to act fierce, make the scene convincing, and actually fight for real.
Fine. Whatever. Hit first, take the beating later.
Blastoise aimed both shoulder cannons at Rhydon and fired Hydro Pump.
"Rrrah!"
Rhydon charged straight through the blast. Water battered against its body, but it forced its way forward, reached Blastoise, and punched it in the face.
No Thunder Punch.
Just a plain, angry punch.
Pain exploded across Blastoise's jaw, and it instinctively tried to retreat into its shell. Rhydon grabbed the rim before it could hide, drove another fist into its belly, and sent it flying back across the water.
Blastoise sank, floated back up, and stared at the sky with spirals in its eyes.
Two punches.
It was out in two punches.
"Back you go."
Reiji saw Rhydon trying to step into the water and threw the Poké Ball at once. The red light swallowed Blastoise before Rhydon could drag it back to shore for another round.
Once the capture was done, Reiji had Butterfree bring the Poké Ball over with Confusion. He held it up to Cissy with a grin.
"I caught Blastoise. A wild Blastoise, apparently. Does Mikan Island even have wild Blastoise?"
"I'm not really sure. Maybe it came from the sea. We haven't seen wild starter Pokémon on the island in more than ten years, though. It might also be a Pokémon someone abandoned, and it's been living hidden in the forest all this time."
"Abandoned?" Reiji looked down at Blastoise's Poké Ball and put just the right amount of regret in his eyes. "Can I still keep it, then?"
That part barely needed acting. He really did want Blastoise.
"If you like it, keep it for now. We can check at the Pokémon Center later. If no one has reported a missing Blastoise, then it's either wild or ownerless." Cissy could tell he liked it. Reiji didn't have a starter Pokémon yet.
She had originally been thinking of asking her family to arrange one for him. She and Senta both had Blastoise and Slowking. If Reiji was going to be a Trainer for Mikan Gym, how could he not have a starter?
Now that he had caught a Blastoise himself, they might not need to arrange anything. If no owner turned up, they could just register this one.
"Works for me. You start lunch. I'll treat Blastoise's injuries first."
Reiji released the unconscious Blastoise, and Cissy went into the cabin.
The others gathered around at once, all of them looking at Rhydon's awkward face. Rhydon scratched at its horn-like plate. It had clearly realized it had hit a little too hard, and it glanced toward Reiji.
"All right, break it up. Don't crowd around."
Reiji didn't know what everyone wanted to say, but nobody could say anything right now. Cissy's Slowking could use telepathy, and one careless comment would blow the whole act apart.
Once everyone scattered, Rhydon relaxed. Reiji wasn't blaming it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent the others away.
Rhydon returned to the crater it had torn open earlier, dragged over a chunk of earth to fill it, then lay on top and started pulling up grass from the rim.
"Moo… Boss Rhino."
Tauros opened its mouth, about to say something. Then it glanced at Blastoise, still unconscious nearby, and swallowed the words.
What it wanted to say was that Rhydon was already so strong it didn't need to fight Tauros over grass. A rhino that powerful should be eating meat. The grassland could be left to Tauros.
"Huff."
White steam burst from Rhydon's nostrils. It shot Tauros a look that said, Mind your own business.
"Moo."
Tauros's legs trembled. It was terrified Rhydon might hit it with a fist the size of a basin. To keep anyone from noticing, it quietly folded itself onto the grass and pretended it had only meant to lie down.
…
"Blas… my jaw hurts."
Blastoise had taken a punch right to the face. Who could have guessed Rhydon would hit that hard? That guy had not been acting at all.
"Shh."
Reiji finished treating the bruise on Blastoise's face and pressed one finger to his lips, telling it to keep quiet. Then he recalled it into the Poké Ball.
A Pokémon he had just caught couldn't be casually released right away, especially not a fierce Blastoise like this. There had to be a believable taming period. Two or three days should be enough for Cissy to get used to the idea.
With Blastoise's Poké Ball in hand, Reiji entered the cabin. Cissy was busy in the kitchen, moving back and forth. He stopped at the dining table, leaned in for a sniff, and found that the stir-fried dishes actually smelled pretty good.
Her cooking had improved. She was no longer the girl who put too much salt in buns and somehow managed to undercook rice.
Since she wasn't finished yet, Reiji brought out Pokéblocks and fed the Pokémon first. They still had training in the afternoon. Cissy had also released her team, more than ten Pokémon in all, so he fed them too.
While he was feeding everyone, Cissy came out to tell him lunch was ready. Reiji returned to the cabin with Umbreon at his side. Pikachu, Meowth, Vaporeon, Psyduck, and a few other small Pokémon followed him in too.
Their food bowls were set on the wooden floor beside the dining table. The smaller Pokémon could eat lunch with them without getting in the way.
Reiji looked at the table. Three dishes and a soup.
"You made all this? That must've been a lot of work."
Having someone cook for him felt good. Reiji finally understood why those couple videos from his previous life always made single people smile and wince at the same time.
Too sweet.
Also painful.
"It wasn't too much trouble. Try it." Cissy looked at him expectantly. "I've gotten better, right?"
She had been learning from her mother every night. After two months, she could tell most seasonings apart and handle a few simple stir-fried dishes without panicking.
Reiji tasted a piece of stir-fried meat, then took a sip of the mushroom soup.
"It's good," he said. "You really did improve."
The meat was seasoned properly, and the soup tasted fresh. If he was being honest, the food had reached the level of "perfectly edible," which was already more than enough. No need to ask for miracles.
"Of course I improved. I practiced a lot these past two months." Cissy lit up at the praise. Her mother had still worried the food wasn't presentable, but clearly she had worried for nothing.
"Practiced?" Reiji looked at her, surprised. "Why practice cooking? Doesn't the kitchen staff handle that? You're the Gym Leader's daughter. As long as your Pokémon keep improving, you don't need to worry about this kind of thing."
"Cough. It's nothing. Just eat." Cissy's face stiffened for a second. She had worked so hard to learn all this just to cook for this jerk, and now he was asking why she bothered. She shoved more food into his bowl. "Four dishes and you still have time to run your mouth?"
Reiji had already figured it out. He just didn't say anything.
It wasn't a bad thing for him anyway. He was alone in this world, and no matter who he ended up with, he would be reaching above his station. Though if he had to be honest, living by himself still sounded the easiest.
Among the girls he knew, there were Saya, Cissy, Tania, and that Inspector Nurse Joy.
Every one of them came with a serious background. Even Saya, whose family had fallen on hard times, still came from old nobility, and her father was the mayor of Murcott Island.
Cissy was the daughter of a Gym Leader, and her father was a veteran Elite Four-tier Trainer. From what Reiji knew of the future, the man had wiped out his cousin's entire family by himself and beaten more than a few Elite Four-level opponents along the way. That alone proved how strong he was. And behind Cissy's father was her grandfather, whose depth Reiji still couldn't read.
Tania was Agatha's granddaughter. He had heard Agatha had become Champion in Johto, which meant Tania was the granddaughter of a Champion. On top of that, Agatha had access to League resources Reiji couldn't even begin to measure.
The most intimidating one was still that Inspector Nurse Joy.
She had Latias.
Other Nurse Joys had Chansey. She had a Latias. That said everything.
Reiji had thought about these girls before. If he chose Saya or Cissy, life would be much easier. Their families wouldn't come with too many suffocating rules. Saya's family had already declined, and Cissy's family didn't seem like the type to bury him under tradition.
Tania was different. Choosing her meant facing Agatha.
A Champion Trainer.
Reiji was not ready for that kind of pressure. He was afraid he wouldn't measure up.
Inspector Nurse Joy was even worse. All his talk about marrying into the Joy family had just been him running his mouth. A normal Nurse Joy might have been manageable. That inspector was not. The pressure there would be heavier than Tania's side by far.
Agatha was one Champion.
The Joy family was a massive clan spread across multiple regions, following the League wherever its reach expanded.
With those two ruled out, only Saya and Cissy were left.
Unfortunately, Saya was not a Trainer. She had no way to protect herself.
Cissy, on the other hand, would at least become an Elite Four-tier Trainer someday. Add Senta, her father, and her grandfather, and her family might eventually have three Elite Four-tier Trainers and one Champion-level powerhouse. With that kind of backing, Reiji wouldn't have to worry nearly as much.
He could do what he wanted without constantly fearing retaliation. Even if the relationship didn't work out in the end, he wouldn't have to worry about Cissy's family being dragged into danger. Who would be stupid enough to take revenge on a League Gym backed by that many high-level Trainers?
Compared with Saya, Cissy really was the best choice.
Her family wouldn't crush him with pressure, and he could still live freely. Cissy's father wasn't exactly strict or traditional either. The man had run away from home several times. He had no right to lecture anyone about rebellion.
So when Cissy pinned him down yesterday, Reiji had chosen her.
It hadn't been impulse. He had thought it through.
Cissy's father and grandfather had probably guessed something about him. Maybe even something about the identity he was hiding. But neither of them had asked. Instead, they had quietly pushed Cissy toward him.
That trust, that sense of safety, was what Reiji wanted.
If it had been Tania, there was no way he would have gotten past Agatha. She would have investigated him until even his ancestors felt exposed. And it wasn't impossible. Agatha had the power to do it. So did the Joy family.
The Joy family might even be worse. A Joy with a Latias didn't need her status explained. Anyone who understood, understood.
"Do you want to go into town after lunch?" Cissy noticed Reiji staring into space and called him back.
"Go where?" Reiji had been too deep in thought to catch what she said.
"Town. We should ask about Blastoise while we're there." Cissy paused, then looked at him curiously. "What were you thinking about?"
"I was thinking… your parents don't know about us yet, right?"
It was the first excuse Reiji could grab. If Cissy knew he had just been comparing her with three other girls, grass would probably be growing on his grave by tomorrow.
"Should we tell them?" Cissy blushed.
In truth, her parents had probably noticed long ago. She just hadn't admitted anything, so everyone had been pretending not to know.
"No. I'm not ready yet." Reiji stopped her immediately.
Now was not the time to show his hand. At the very least, he wanted to become an Elite Four-tier Trainer first.
Maybe that would take a year. Maybe three to five. Either way, it would pass. Once he reached that level, he would have the confidence to speak properly.
"Okay. We'll do it your way." Cissy didn't push. She was too embarrassed to bring it up seriously anyway.
Lunch ended quickly.
Afterward, Reiji and Cissy headed into town. Reiji rode Pelipper, while Cissy had Slowking carry her with psychic power. They gave the Pokémon a few simple instructions, then left the lakeside cabin behind.
After a short flight, they landed in front of the most eye-catching building in town: the Pokémon Center.
They needed to ask whether anyone had reported a missing Blastoise.
Since they were already there, Reiji could also try raising his Trainer rank to Elite Trainer.
He was still registered as a rookie Trainer. Thanks to Naoki's mission certificate, he had already collected 100,000 contribution points. He also had a top-eight finish in a regional tournament and three fully evolved Pokémon.
The only thing he was missing was two more Badges.
Whether that would be enough, he was about to find out.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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