That afternoon, the Orange League closing ceremony began at Pummelo Stadium.
Reiji had no intention of attending.
He had finished seventh, which meant all he would get from the official ceremony was a commemorative badge and a few tournament souvenirs. Those were nice enough, but nowhere near as interesting as whatever Cissy's grandfather had managed to squeeze out of the League after the police-station fiasco.
Besides, Reiji had other things to do.
He claimed he wanted to rest at the competitors' village and left Cissy's family to attend the ceremony without him. Senta had been devastated about missing most of the tournament, so there was no chance he would skip the closing event. That naturally dragged his parents and grandfather along, and with the whole family going, Cissy had little choice but to join them.
A.J. was already waiting inside Reiji's room when he returned.
The moment Reiji entered, A.J. stood up with obvious unease.
"Boss, are we really doing this? What if Blaine catches me?"
He had been nervous ever since hearing who would be involved. Pretending to attack a young girl was one thing. Doing it anywhere near a veteran Trainer like Blaine was another.
"You're not attacking Blaine," Reiji reminded him. "You're pretending to chase Komai. Do it tonight during the final festival, when the streets are packed and everyone's distracted. I'll make sure you have a way out."
That did little to make A.J. comfortable, but at least the plan sounded less suicidal when Reiji explained it that way.
Reiji also intended to warn Tai beforehand so he would not react impulsively when the attack began. Tai could stay nearby in case something went wrong, and while they were in contact, Reiji could find out whether Team Rocket had assigned him anything new.
A.J. drew a long breath. "All right."
He still hated the idea of doing anything that might put him on Blaine's bad side, but Reiji had given him the assignment and promised to cover the retreat. That was enough for him to grit his teeth and go through with it.
Reiji spent a little longer walking him through the plan, including what to do if Blaine reacted faster than expected or if outsiders interfered. Once he was satisfied A.J. understood, he sent him off to prepare.
That left one problem Reiji still had no answer for.
Shingo.
The tournament was essentially over, and Reiji still had not figured out how to pull him into Spider. Shingo would probably leave soon, and every day Reiji delayed made the opportunity harder to recover.
He pushed that headache aside for later.
There was something else he wanted to do first.
He wanted a new team photo.
The last one already felt outdated.
This time, Reiji had twenty-five Pokémon that had taken part in the tournament or traveled with him as part of the active roster. Most of the first group had already been forced out by injuries: Pelipper, Rhydon, Scizor, Electivire, Poliwrath, Forretress, and Gyarados had all reached their limits, leaving Accelgor and Kingler among the few still fit to battle.
The second group had taken its share of punishment too. Magmar, Lucario, Pidgeot, Ludicolo, Slowking, and Swinub were done for the tournament, while Umbreon and Dugtrio remained healthy. His support group included Starmie, Blastoise, Ninetales, Butterfree, Farfetch'd, Tauros, Tentacruel, and Whiscash, several of whom had also seen action.
Twenty-five Pokémon altogether.
Ten were Water types if Reiji counted his main and support teams and ignored the Pokémon he kept hidden behind other identities. That gave him more than enough candidates for the upcoming Elite Four selection competition, provided he could actually push six of them into Elite Four tier.
Having ten Water types meant very little if most were not strong enough to stand on that stage.
For today, though, training could wait.
Reiji found a photography studio with a hall large enough for the entire group and explained what he wanted. The photographer looked somewhat intimidated when twenty-five Poké Balls appeared, but once everyone was released, the room quickly became too chaotic for fear to last.
Some Pokémon were still wrapped in white bandages.
None of them seemed to care.
"All right, everyone, look over here!" Reiji called. "Big guys in the back, small ones in front, everyone around my height goes in the middle."
Gyarados, Rhydon, and Electivire somehow all ended up blocking half the room.
Reiji pointed toward the rear.
"Gyarados. Rhydon. Electivire. Back row. What are you three doing up front?"
Gyarados looked at the other two and wisely decided not to argue. It could not beat either of them, so as far as it was concerned, whatever Rhydon and Electivire did was probably the correct answer.
Rhydon lumbered behind Reiji and took the left side, while Electivire claimed the right. Gyarados settled behind them and curled part of its long body around Reiji, finally giving the three largest Pokémon enough room without completely hiding everyone else.
"Good. Scizor, Poliwrath, Magmar, Lucario, Ludicolo, Slowking, Blastoise, Ninetales, Tauros—you're in the middle."
Umbreon immediately noticed that its name had not been called.
With zero hesitation, it jumped onto Reiji's shoulder.
That was its seat.
Butterfree saw what happened and apparently decided a crisis had begun. It fluttered over to Reiji's other shoulder, pressed against his cheek, and made itself equally comfortable.
Reiji pulled his head back as the two glared across his face at each other.
"All right, all right. Both of you stay there. Just stop fighting over my shoulders."
Neither looked particularly convinced.
Poliwrath walked over and took the spot directly in front of Reiji. Nobody challenged it. At some point, that position had simply become understood as Poliwrath's whenever the team gathered together.
The rest of the middle row arranged themselves around it.
Then came the smaller Pokémon.
Kingler settled low in front of Poliwrath, with Forretress rolling into place beside it. Pelipper promptly decided Forretress looked comfortable enough to use as a perch, while Accelgor stood nearby with its arms folded as though the entire photo shoot were beneath it.
Dugtrio, Pidgeot, Swinub, Starmie, Farfetch'd, Tentacruel, and Whiscash filled whatever spaces remained.
Reiji stepped over to the photographer's position and looked at the group from behind the camera.
"Not quite."
He returned to the others, scooped Swinub into his arms, and had Farfetch'd hop onto Tauros's head. Slowking had started floating again, so Reiji made it come back down before pulling Lucario, Pidgeot, and Ninetales a little closer to him.
Once everything finally looked balanced, he took his place again with Swinub in his arms and Gyarados curled behind him.
"Okay! We're ready. Take a bunch."
The photographer raised the camera.
"Everyone look here. I'll count to three, and I want smiles. One... two... three... say cheese!"
"Cheese!"
Reiji shouted with him, while twenty-five Pokémon answered with an assortment of cries that filled the studio.
The shutter went off several times.
Lucario stood close beside Reiji and, just before the flash, allowed the corner of its mouth to lift into a genuine smile. The first time it had been part of a team photo, it had barely understood what the moment meant. This time, with Reiji beside it and the rest of the team crowding around, the feeling was completely different.
Magmar seemed to understand it now too. A tiny flame escaped its mouth as it grinned toward the camera.
Swinub was less enthusiastic about the flash. It squinted through the bright light and simply made itself comfortable in Reiji's arms.
Pidgeot spread both wings at exactly the right moment, finally recreating the kind of team photo it had seen back on the deserted island.
Ludicolo pulled down one eyelid and stuck out its tongue.
Slowking floated a few centimeters off the floor again, its eyes glowing blue as it showed off its psychic power.
Blastoise crossed its arms proudly and angled both cannons upward.
Ninetales sat with all nine tails arranged neatly around itself, looking far more dignified than almost everyone else.
Umbreon and Butterfree completely ruined any chance of looking dignified themselves. When the flash went off, both were still deliberately facing away from each other with offended expressions.
Farfetch'd swung its leek like a sword from atop Tauros, whose three tails were whipping around behind it. Tentacruel waved several tentacles toward the camera, while Starmie's central gem gleamed bright red.
Accelgor maintained its carefully cultivated cool expression. Kingler raised one enormous claw, Scizor dropped to one knee, Electivire threw both fists into the air, and Rhydon opened its mouth in a full roar.
Poliwrath flexed.
Gyarados somehow managed to look both proud and slightly clueless.
Reiji held Swinub with one arm and raised a peace sign with the other.
The camera caught all of it.
Once the session ended, the photographer asked them to wait while the pictures were printed. It did not take long before several large copies were brought out, and Reiji released everyone from formation so they could crowd around and look.
The room immediately filled with laughter.
Umbreon and Butterfree looked ridiculous with their faces turned in opposite directions. Ludicolo's expression was even worse, and Lucario looked unexpectedly pleased with itself standing beside Reiji with one paw resting against its waist.
Rhydon's roaring face took up half the back row. Electivire looked as though it had just won a championship, while Poliwrath had apparently decided the photograph was the perfect place to show off its muscles.
Accelgor had committed completely to looking cool.
Gyarados had committed completely to looking like Gyarados.
Whiscash had its tongue hanging out, Farfetch'd was brandishing its leek, Starmie and Slowking were both glowing, Magmar was breathing fire, and Pidgeot's wings stretched almost from one side of the photograph to the other.
Dugtrio, somehow, looked perfectly normal.
Swinub had fallen asleep.
Every photograph had caught a slightly different disaster, and the Pokémon happily gathered into little groups to laugh at one another.
Reiji looked at them for a while before finally raising the Poké Balls.
"All right, everyone. We're done. Come back."
The group disappeared one after another in red light, leaving several photographs scattered across the floor. Reiji picked them up carefully, paid the photographer, and took one last look around the studio.
The television near the counter was showing the awards ceremony.
Drake stood on the highest podium, Danny beside him in second, and Sabrina in third. Lance was presenting the prizes.
All three chose Evolution Stones.
Reiji smiled when he saw that. None of them was exactly desperate for a starter Pokémon, and Trainers at their level usually preferred something they had specifically chosen rather than another Pokémon simply because it was rare.
After the top three received their prizes, the remaining tournament participants began going onstage for commemorative awards. Reiji spotted Cissy and Senta among them, along with Ash, Shun, and several other familiar faces.
Then came the speeches.
Lance spoke.
Charles Goodshow spoke.
Everyone talked about the League, Trainers, friendship, battles, bonds, the future of the Orange Archipelago, and how they hoped next year's tournament would be even bigger and more exciting.
Reiji had already left the studio.
He had shopping to do.
If his Pokémon were getting a team photo, they were getting rewards too.
He knew what each of them liked.
The Bug types got honey. Rhydon got mineral-rich stone. Farfetch'd got fresh plant stalks and leeks, while Tauros got bundles of good grass.
That was only the beginning.
Gengar liked venom and strange toxic materials. Toxicroak needed new training weights. Golurk got the clay and mud it liked working with, Sharpedo received something sturdy enough to use as a chew toy, and Magnezone got a magnetic toy it could fiddle with.
Even the Pokémon that had not competed were getting something.
They had all trained with him and supported the team.
Reiji was not going to reward only the ones who had appeared on television.
None of the gifts looked particularly extravagant by itself, but buying something appropriate for everyone added up frighteningly fast. By the time Reiji finished, he had spent around five million Pokédollars.
Raising a large team was expensive.
His phone rang just as he finished packing the last purchase away.
"Rai, where are you?" Cissy asked.
"Out shopping."
"I'm coming to find you."
"All right. I'll wait at the drink shop."
Reiji ordered something cold and found a table.
Cissy arrived not long afterward and sat across from him, immediately launching into everything he had missed.
"Rai, the closing ceremony was so much fun! It was almost as busy as the opening ceremony, and there was a fan event afterward too."
Reiji slid the sweet fruit drink he had ordered toward her.
"Drink first. Then tell me."
Cissy happily took it and continued talking anyway.
Once she finally reached the end of her story, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out another souvenir.
"I got an extra one."
Reiji took it.
It was a miniature model of Pummelo Stadium.
"You weren't supposed to take extras, were you?"
"There were piles of them, and they let us engrave them there." Cissy gave him a pleased little smile. "I did yours too."
Reiji turned it over.
Both of their names had been engraved on it, along with the date and his final placement: seventh.
He looked back at Cissy, who was clearly waiting for a reaction.
Reiji set the souvenir carefully on the table.
"I took the team to get a big photo earlier. Want to take one with your Pokémon too?"
Cissy's eyes lit up.
"Yes!"
Her drink was immediately forgotten.
She grabbed Reiji and dragged him back toward the studio.
They spent the next stretch taking several photographs with Cissy's team, followed by more with the two of them together. The cloned Pikachu, Meowth, Dewgong, Vaporeon, and Wigglytuff were included as well; all five had fought during the earlier part of the trip, and this tournament had finally given them the chance to get out and experience the wider world.
By the time they finished, evening had already arrived.
The final festival was about to begin.
Cissy promptly dragged Reiji back onto the streets for dinner and more shopping, which reminded him that going out with her had changed very little. There were still only three basic activities: buying things, eating things, and stopping every few minutes because she had found something else interesting.
Reiji went along with it.
Meanwhile, the other plan had already started moving.
He had sent word for A.J. to begin and told Tai to stay close enough to intervene if something went badly wrong. Reiji could not personally supervise the operation while Cissy was beside him, so Tai would have to keep watch.
Not long afterward, Gengar brought back a message.
Everything had gone smoothly.
Komai was now under Blaine's protection.
Tai was almost embarrassingly grateful. Reiji had not only found somewhere safe for his sister, but had also given her a Magikarp before she left.
It was the same Magikarp that had followed Reiji since the deserted island. He had arranged for Mikan Gym to send it over, then had Gengar deliver it to Tai so it could become Komai's partner.
Tai knew better than most that Pokémon Reiji personally selected tended to be unusual.
And this one was a Magikarp.
Once it evolved, Komai would have a powerful protector of her own.
Tai had more news as well.
Team Rocket had begun assigning its infiltrators a recruitment mission connected to the Orange League. Their targets were Trainers who had competed in the tournament, with better offers prepared for anyone who had placed particularly high.
Tai expected to be busy for a while.
With Komai finally safe, he was ready to focus on the work Team Rocket expected from him.
Reiji read the message and decided there was nothing more he needed to do tonight. He ordered A.J. to disappear for a while and keep his head down. Since he had never shown his face during the staged attack, Blaine had little chance of tracing anything back to him.
Then Reiji returned his attention to Cissy.
The festival lasted well into the night.
By the time the crowds began thinning after midnight, the two had eaten one last late-night meal and finally headed back to the competitors' village.
Tomorrow, they would take a ship back to Mikan Island.
The Orange League journey was finally over.
Reiji lay back and allowed himself to enjoy that thought for approximately a few seconds before the same unresolved problem returned to his mind.
Shingo.
He still had absolutely no idea how to recruit him.
That one was going to be a pain.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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