Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

”Damn that bastard. If I ever run into him again, I’ll—”

”B-Boss, this is bad.” One of the subordinates looked around. More than a dozen furious Rhydon had them surrounded, and three Elite Four-tier Rhydon were clearly leading the pack.

”Th-this...” The captain swallowed hard. The four of them stood back-to-back, each facing a different direction. Around them were angry Rhydon. Above them were more than a dozen Pidgeot, and some of those were Elite Four-tier too.

From the look of it, there were at least six or seven Elite Four-tier Pokémon here. They had kicked the biggest hornet’s nest imaginable.

There was only one place in the Orange Archipelago with this many Elite Four-tier Pokémon: Fairchild Island. Team Rocket had scouted this deserted island before.

According to the exploration team’s report, the island had enormous development value, but the difficulty was just as high. The biggest problem was the sheer number of Elite Four-tier Pokémon living here. Somehow, he had stumbled straight into it.

But what was going on with that guy? Why was he hiding behind the Rhydon, and why hadn’t they attacked him?

Right. The intel said the target had a Rhydon. Maybe that Rhydon had talked to the wild Rhydon for him. That would explain why they left him alone.

”Does anyone have a Rhydon?” the captain asked the other three. If they wanted to talk to Rhydon, they needed one of their own.

”No, Captain...”

”I don’t either, Captain...”

”Same here...”

”Damn it. Then use Pidgeot. These Rhydon and Pidgeot look like they’re on the same side. Send out your Pidgeot and try to convince the flock overhead. If that works, we can escape by air.”

”Pidge! Pidge!”

None of the four Team Rocket members had a Rhydon, but all of them had a Pidgeot. That was one of the reasons they had been able to stay so close on Reiji’s trail.

They released their Pidgeot one after another and sent them up to talk to the wild flock, hoping to get permission to leave.

The four Pidgeot shot into the sky and flew toward the strongest-looking one. Before they could even get close, the flock swarmed them. All four were knocked out of the air.

Those Pidgeot were not part of the island’s flock, and the leader knew it. Any Pidgeot born naturally on this island either submitted within its territory or got chased out. These four came in aggressively, so the leader didn’t bother talking. It simply ordered the flock to attack.

”Damn it. We’re done.” The captain’s expression darkened when he saw the four Pidgeot go down. Two of them had their wings badly cut and could no longer fly.

They still had other Flying-type Pokémon, but the Pidgeot leader’s reaction gave him a very bad feeling. At this point, fighting for their lives might be the only option left.

The four of them threw out every Poké Ball they had.

Each Trainer had six Pokémon.

They had no intention of digging in and defending their position. Two quasi–Elite Four-tier Trainers and two Advanced-tier Trainers could not possibly hold out against several Elite Four-tier Pokémon.

As soon as their Pokémon were out, they ordered their Ground types to use Dig. The plan was simple: let the rest of their Pokémon hold the line while they escaped underground.

As for the Pokémon left behind, they would have to fend for themselves. Their own lives came first. If they lost their Pokémon, Team Rocket could always train new ones for them, even if they got demoted for it. If they died here, they had nothing.

”They’re trying to escape underground!”

”Rhy!” The Rhydon leader reacted the moment it heard Reiji. It let out a roar. ”Rhy-don!”

The Rhydon herd heard the command and saw the four humans following their Ground-type Pokémon underground. In the next instant, they stamped the earth together, sending shockwave after shockwave through the ground.

Rumble. Rumble.

The four had barely gone underground before the Earthquake forced them back up. If they stayed down there any longer, they really would be buried alive.

Pokémon using Dig took double damage from Earthquake, pushing it to 200 base power. Even Pokémon could barely endure that, let alone fragile humans trapped underground.

If the Pokémon fainted underground, that was the end. They would not even get the chance to run. One unlucky man never made it back out.

”Damn it. Dig won’t work. Flying won’t work either. Break through toward the lake. There should be an underground river connected to the sea. We’ll escape through the water. Get over here! We’re heading for the lake!”

”Boss, we’re still missing one! He hasn’t come up!”

”We can’t wait. Move! Break toward the lake!”

”Yes!”

The other two immediately gathered around the captain. The three of them pulled their remaining Pokémon into a wedge formation and charged toward the lake.

”They’re trying to escape through the lake. Stop them!” Reiji saw through their plan at once and warned the Rhydon leader.

”Rhy!” The Rhydon leader moved into their path, blocking the route to the lake. Two more Elite Four-tier Rhydon stood beside it.

”Damn it. Push through!”

The captain took the lead and ordered Victreebel to attack with Grass-type moves, which hit Rhydon’s x4 weakness.

But just as Victreebel attacked, five or six Rhyhorn rushed out in front of the Rhydon leader. They charged straight through the Grass-type moves. Were all of them Rock Head?

Hanhan had spent years ramming trees with their heads, so their skulls were absurdly tough. With the force of their charge behind them, they powered straight through the Grass-type attacks and sent Victreebel flying.

The Rhyhorn kept charging, smashing several of the three Trainers’ Pokémon aside before their remaining Pokémon finally stopped them and knocked them back.

But now each Trainer only had three or four Pokémon left. Despair crept onto their faces. They couldn’t break through the Rhydon line. A wall of Rhydon was waiting right in front of them.

The air was locked down too. Pidgeot guarded the sky from every angle. Even Golbat got knocked down, so sending Pokémon to break through from above was impossible.

The three had just reached the Rhydon leader when two Golem rolled in. The moment they collided with the Rhydon line, the leader swatted them away with one arm. They crashed into the charging Pokémon behind them and knocked two more aside.

The three Trainers threw every Pokémon they had into the push, but the Rhydon knocked them all away. Houndoom was pinned under one massive foot, biting desperately, but it couldn’t break through Rhydon’s armor-like hide.

The fight ended quickly. The three Trainers were knocked unconscious. The one who never climbed out had suffocated underground. When Kingler dragged him out, the Ground-type Pokémon beside him was still alive, though it had already fainted.

The rest of their Pokémon were dragged over too. Reiji checked them one by one. Once he confirmed none were missing, he had Spinarak wrap them all tightly in silk, then use Toxic.

He had no intention of keeping these Pokémon. Call him cruel if they wanted. Against Team Rocket members and their Pokémon, he would never hold back. Leaving enemies alive was just inviting them to come back.

If Team Rocket found this place, these Pokémon could become guides and lead them straight to Fairchild Island. That would endanger the island and expose the fact that Reiji knew the Boss Pokémon here.

If Team Rocket learned what was on this island, they might send several Elite Four-tier Trainers to sweep the place and build a base here. That would be a disaster for the entire ecosystem, and he would not allow it.

Both out of gratitude and for his own reasons, he could not let Team Rocket retaliate against Fairchild Island.

After Spinarak poisoned all the Pokémon and the three remaining Team Rocket members, Reiji called Weezing and Scyther into the woods. Then he had Kingler and Golbat drag all of Team Rocket’s Poison-type Pokémon in after them.

What happened next did not need to be said. Most of these Poison-type Pokémon had been raised with toxins, and their poison sacs were excellent food for Weezing and Gengar. They were far more nutritious than toxin crystals, especially since these Pokémon were not weak.

He would only go this far with Team Rocket’s Pokémon. If they had nothing to do with Team Rocket and had not been raised on toxins, there would be no need. Letting them go would not put him in danger.

But Team Rocket was a monster of an organization. Against them, he couldn’t even afford to be careless with their Pokémon. Team Rocket had ways to pull information from a Pokémon’s mouth.

Once the Pokémon were dealt with, he stripped every held item from the four Trainers’ Pokémon. Those were the only truly valuable things they had, and the best spoils he could get from them.

All four had full teams of six, and between them they carried twenty held items. Two were quasi–Elite Four-tier items, twelve were Advanced-tier items, and six were Elite-tier items. It was a decent haul.

Their bags were all shoulder bags, not especially large, so they didn’t carry much. Most of what they had was Pokémon food, survival supplies, tools, and personal items.

There were gas masks, diving gear, parachutes, healing sprays, repels, and all kinds of supplies. There wasn’t much real treasure inside, and they barely carried any cash.

Maybe these people used Team Rocket points instead. Any money they earned was probably turned straight into strength. In Team Rocket, power came first. Saving money was a bad habit. It just meant leaving a prize for someone stronger.

These people probably lived with no sense of safety at all. The moment they had money, they spent it on getting stronger. People like Reiji, who could sit on hundreds of millions in savings, were probably rare.

After sorting through the four bags, he had his Pokémon drag the four men and their Pokémon to an open area in the forest. Then he cut down some of the surrounding trees to keep the fire from spreading.

He dug a large pit, dragged all the bodies inside, poured in all the fuel from their bags, and set it on fire.

Who would have thought they were even carrying fuel? They really had packed the full murder travel kit. After that, he threw their personal belongings, communication devices, and phones into the flames as well. He kept only the tracker.

He watched the fire burn until night fell and the flames finally died out. Then he had Poliwhirl and Kingler cool the pit with Water Gun, and Kingler covered it with loose soil.

After that, he had his Pokémon find some saplings and plant them in the scorched patch. Hopefully, by next year, they would grow well.

Once Team Rocket’s bodies were handled, he went to the lake to treat the injured Pokémon from the Rhydon herd and the Pidgeot flock. He used the healing sprays from the four Team Rocket members’ bags.

Every time he finished treating one Pokémon, he gave it a box of Pokéblocks as thanks. The Pidgeot received Normal- and Flying-type Pokéblocks. The Rhydon received ore, and each Rhyhorn got a small pile of it. Even the Pokémon that had not been injured received food.

A lot of that food had belonged to Team Rocket’s Pokémon. Reiji was just making full use of the enemy’s supplies. Being generous was a lot easier when someone else paid for it.

Once he finished thanking the wild Pokémon below Advanced tier, it was time to thank the quasi–Elite Four-tier and Elite Four-tier Pokémon that had done most of the work. Thankfully, there weren’t many Pidgeot and Rhydon at that level.

For the Rhydon, he brought out Ground Gems, Rock Gems, and Hard Stones, letting them choose for themselves. The two quasi–Elite Four-tier Hard Stones were taken by two Elite Four-tier Rhydon, along with plenty of ore.

For the Pidgeot, he brought out Flying Gems, Normal Gems, and Sharp Beaks. The Sharp Beaks were only Advanced-tier, but they still got picked, along with a large supply of Pokéblocks.

Finally, for the Pidgeot leader and the Rhydon leader, he took out his last Elite Four-tier Hard Stone and Elite Four-tier Sharp Beak and gave them to the two leaders as thanks.

He had originally owned two Elite Four-tier Hard Stones. Hanhan had already dissolved one in its mouth, so the remaining one went to the Rhydon leader.

The Rhydon leader and Pidgeot leader looked at each other after receiving the two Elite Four-tier items. Both seemed very satisfied with Reiji’s thanks.

As Elite Four-tier Pokémon, they could naturally sense the energy inside the items, and it matched their own energy well.

Reiji had no choice. He knew Elite Four-tier items were precious, but the Pidgeot and Rhydon had saved them. Without the two groups, if he had died on this deserted island, these items would have belonged to Team Rocket anyway.

And what would happen to his Pokémon then? Would they be forced to breed? Killed and buried? Beaten until they submitted? He didn’t even want to think about it.

To survive and protect his Pokémon, an Elite Four-tier item was nothing. If he had to swallow his pride, obey someone else, or even work under Team Rocket like a servant, he would do it.

As long as he was alive, there was still a chance to turn things around. Once he ended up like those four Team Rocket members, burned to ash in a pit, everything was over.

What did winning or losing matter? What did a moral bottom line matter? In his previous life, plenty of people had thrown theirs away long ago. He was no different. If it meant surviving, he would use whatever method he could, just like when he had first been stranded on the island.

So yes, good people could get lost. Bad people survived better. He was that kind of bad person when survival was on the line.

Well, if this were his previous life, forget all that. No chance. Lying flat and fishing was much more comfortable. He was perfectly aware of the double standard.

Since Team Rocket might come looking for the missing pursuit squad, he had to leave as soon as possible. He didn’t want to bring trouble to the island’s two major Pokémon groups.

With Team Rocket’s tracker in hand, he would leave the deserted island tomorrow. If he dragged this out too long, Team Rocket would get suspicious. Only by drawing their attention away could he keep Fairchild Island out of their sights.

He took out his map and checked it. He had two choices next: Kinnow Island or Mandarin Island North.

While he was still being hunted, those two islands were his best options for two reasons.

First, he could get help on either island. Second, it was time to unload the black-market goods he was carrying.

Between the two, he leaned toward Mandarin Island North. He was a Trainer from Mikan Gym and heading toward Mikan Island would look normal, and Team Rocket would be less likely to question it.

Kinnow Island was possible too, but Cissy’s grandfather was on Mikan Island. That was the most reliable help he could get.

He put the map away and decided to rest by the lake for the night. Pelipper needed a proper rest too. It still hadn’t fully recovered from last night, and tomorrow they had to fly all the way to Mandarin Island North in one go. Once they reached the nearby sea, he would throw the tracker into the water.

That would make it look like he had been tangled up with the pursuit squad on the deserted island for a long time, then escaped all the way to the waters near Mandarin Island North before the squad lost contact.

He still didn’t know why Team Rocket was chasing him, or why they had only sent Trainers below Elite Four tier. But he had escaped. That was all that mattered.

Next, he would have to hide out at the Gym for a long time, at least until Gengar woke up. He was not stepping outside without Elite Four-tier strength. If an Elite Four-tier Trainer caught him, there was only one ending: death. He understood that perfectly. The pursuit squad was already dead.

Once he settled on his next move, he lit a fire near the edge of the forest and lay down in a tree to rest.

He had been chased for half the night, then hounded again all morning. Right now, he just wanted to rest properly. His Pokémon needed rest too. Since Poliwhirl was injured, even Scyther, that battle maniac, took the rare chance to stop training and didn’t drag Poliwhirl into practice.

There was one extra visitor, though. A Pidgeotto kept coming over, pestering Pelipper, Poliwhirl, and Kingler with questions. It seemed very curious about the outside world.

In response, Pelipper pulled out the big group photo and showed it off, making it clear that they had won a championship at a major competition. Pidgeotto’s eyes lit up as it stared at the photo. It looked like it desperately wished it were in the picture too.

Reiji couldn’t understand what the Pokémon were talking about, but a chill ran down his back. When he noticed the Pidgeot leader staring sharply in their direction, his heart tightened, and any thoughts he had about Pidgeotto died on the spot.

There was nothing he could do. Pidgeotto’s mother had a nasty temper. Even if Reiji had any ideas, he didn’t dare make a move. That would be asking to die, and he hadn’t lived enough yet. Better to wash up and sleep early. They still had to travel tomorrow.

[End of chapter]

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