"Alright, eat your breakfast. Copy what you need. I'm heading into town to restock, and I'll be leaving Mandarin Island North tomorrow…"
Reiji got up and started clearing the dishes. He really was leaving tomorrow. Gastly's ceiling still wasn't in sight, but his wallet had already hit one.
That advanced Fire Stone, the quasi–Elite Four tier item, and those beat-up books were the last things he could afford to throw in. The rest of his supplies still mattered for the road. He wasn't going to gamble everything on Gastly's final sliver of "maybe."
As for that talk about tossing in another 200 million… that was for later. If he ever made that kind of extra money again, then sure—he could burn it then. With 99.99% potential, Gengar was already ridiculous.
At least right now, it was ridiculous. Reiji hadn't even seen what a true legendary's potential looked like. The only "mythical" benchmark he'd seen was Darkrai, and Gengar's potential was even higher. In his book, that made Gengar the strongest. No arguments accepted.
Sure, against "Big-Head Fish" and "Can't Fly," Gengar might still lose. But against a mythical like Darkrai—and even against those "three idiot birds" people loved to talk about—Gengar could still scrap. Reiji couldn't help looking forward to what it would become.
Naoki watched his boss disappear into the kitchen. Seeing how little Reiji cared about those notes left him at a loss. This was the written experience of a quasi–Elite Four trainer—maybe even a firsthand record from the Black Ship captain.
He flipped through again. If a rookie got this notebook and paired it with a decent water-type starter, making Elite Four tier was basically guaranteed. It would just be a matter of time.
And yet Reiji had tossed it to him like it was trash.
Was this what separated him from real monsters?
Naoki suddenly saw his old self for what it was—like a frog at the bottom of a well. His view had been tiny. Reiji's kind of strength came with a completely different frame of mind.
And since Reiji didn't want money and clearly needed those two kinds of gems… it had to be for Gengar. Fine. Naoki would gather gems and give them to him. The more, the better.
That thought alone snapped him awake.
When Reiji came out of the kitchen and grabbed his Poké Ball bag, Naoki knew what was next—picking out a Magnemite with decent talent. He hurried after him.
Reiji studied the panels for over ten minutes, checking more than two hundred Magnemite before finally spotting one that stood out.
"This Magnemite's not bad. It's got that 'shop treasure' kind of talent. Release the rest yourself." Reiji tossed Naoki the Poké Ball. This Magnemite had 53 potential—solid enough to raise.
Now that he'd found one worth keeping, there was no point checking the rest. He also threw the bag to Naoki and headed out. He needed to hit the supermarket and restock daily necessities.
He had no idea how long he'd be staying on Rind Island. That top-tier "idiot" talent he was hunting—he was getting it. However many resets it took, he'd grind until it showed up.
"I'm heading out. Don't let those dark circles get worse," Reiji added before leaving. Sleeping now still wasn't too late. It was already morning, sure, but it beat not sleeping at all.
Naoki really had been going all-in these past few days, and the results were strong. Besides Flygon, Swampert, Aron, Spinarak, and Krabby…
He'd also caught Bellsprout, Pinsir, Geodude, Carvanha, Tentacool, Magikarp, Lickitung, and Magnemite…
Eight in total with quasi–Elite Four tier talent. One or two were even Elite Four tier—once you pushed close to 59 potential, that basically counted.
After all, outside of Darkrai, Reiji still hadn't seen a single baby Pokémon with potential over 60. So anything under 59 was the normal range for regular Pokémon. Legendary babies weren't even worth thinking about.
But when Reiji left, Naoki still didn't go to sleep. Instead, he went to the abandoned power plant, released the remaining Magnemite, then found that old man he knew and told him to keep buying gems. Naoki would come by later to pick them up.
This would be his last big gem run. Once his boss left, who knew when they'd meet again? If he happened to come across those two gem types later, he'd keep them saved.
After that, Naoki slept a few hours, got up, and spent the rest of the time copying Riku's notes—double-checking each page against the original as he worked. He treated it like reading the whole thing a second time. Reiji even came back at some point, and Naoki didn't notice.
Back at the villa, Reiji saw him still buried in those books and didn't interrupt.
He'd stocked two months' worth of food and a pile of household supplies. It cost him 300,000 Pokédollars.
A full week had passed, and he'd also taken Zubat to a private clinic to get its stitches removed—10,000 Pokédollars—plus a full checkup.
The results were great. Zubat had healed well. It could finally fly and join the others in training.
That basically wrapped up everything he needed to do on Mandarin Island North.
Watching Naoki bustle around, Reiji checked the time. 3 p.m.
He went to the kitchen and started cooking a few simple dishes. He wanted to have a couple of drinks with Naoki. He was leaving tomorrow, and who knew when they'd get another chance.
By the time dinner was ready, it was past 5 p.m. Naoki was still busy with the books, so Reiji went to the storeroom first. He fed the Pokémon a simple dinner, then returned them to their Poké Balls.
Gengar and a few others didn't need to go back in. Leaving them out was fine.
It wasn't until Reiji was about to eat that Naoki finally came over, arms full of books. He returned the original notes and kept the re-bound copy for himself.
"Boss, I finished copying everything." Naoki hadn't run around or caught anything today, but studying could wear you out just as badly.
Still, Riku's notes—and those breeding manuals—had helped him a lot. He finally had a clearer plan for raising his next water-type Pokémon. He had a direction now, instead of flailing around like a headless chicken hunting for training methods.
"Good. Come drink with me." Reiji put the books away without asking what Naoki had gained from them. He just raised his glass.
It was rare to find an adult who could drink with him. Shun didn't count—what kind of eleven- or twelve-year-old needed alcohol?
And that old drunk didn't count either. Too crafty. Always fishing for answers. Reiji didn't like dealing with that fox.
"Boss… how do I reach you later?" Naoki lifted his glass too, clinking it with Reiji's, and finally asked what had been on his mind.
Reiji was still as approachable as ever, drinking with him like this. If he weren't, Naoki wouldn't have dared bring up the future.
"Just call me." Reiji finally had his own Nokia. It was a button phone, sure, but it was still a phone. Calling was enough.
Who knew how long it would take for smartphones to show up here. When they did, he'd switch straight to a Rotom Phone. A built-in AI that could talk, plus Levitate, plus a phone that could literally float after its owner—he wanted one.
If he ever got the chance, he could even issue Rotom Phones across the League. After that, everything would be easier. One AI per person, and the League would step into a real intelligent society.
With that kind of productivity, you could support even the people who just wanted to lie flat. How much could a single slacker really consume?
Meanwhile, rich households didn't even shut off their taps. They didn't care about engine displacement either. "Environmentalism" was a joke.
Combine AI with capital, and the world heads toward the darkest ending—what people in his old life called cyberpunk. That future only happens when Rotom Phones are controlled by a tiny few.
Reiji wasn't letting that happen.
He'd treat AI as a weapon of productivity and hand it to everyone. Every person gets a Rotom Phone.
Make knowledge and learning easy. Cut down the gap caused by uneven education. Erase information asymmetry.
And if the time came, you could knock down nobles, knock down monopolies, and return oversight to ordinary people. The key piece would be that fully smart Rotom Phone in everyone's hand.
At that point, you wouldn't even need most grassroots League administrators. Each Rotom could do the work. Rotom could connect directly to Rotom—straight to the League Champion and the Elite Four if needed.
That's what an intelligent society would look like. Rotom handle what they can, and League trainers handle what Rotom can't.
A shift like that would inevitably crush a lot of entrenched interests. Not just parasites—power would get pulled away from the League's middle layers, and even some of the upper layers.
Power transitions come with blood and death. Reform always has a cost.
But with endless productivity, you could slowly replace the worms. When people don't have to worry about survival, criminals lose their breeding ground. If some still choose crime, they'll pay for it. Ambitious schemers are always a minority.
And in an intelligent society, if ordinary people raise issues and the League ignores them—or refuses to act—trust drops. Keep ignoring them, and trust keeps dropping.
Eventually, Team Rocket returns. Yes, troublemakers are few, but a few are enough to stir chaos. As long as the League doesn't race to the bottom, Team Rocket won't have space to grow. The moment it does, Team Rocket becomes the loudest voice in the room.
Reiji almost looked forward to that day. Everyone starts from the same line. All means of production belong to the League. If you want power, prove your strength as a trainer. If you don't want to grind, then lie flat.
And the thing that watches all of it is the Rotom Phone—everywhere, always present. That would be a far more transparent society. If any link breaks, Rotom can report it instantly.
If the League Champion goes rotten?
Not happening. A Champion lacks nothing. What could you even offer someone like that?
The Champion already sits at the top. People would line up to give them gifts. Trainers who reach that seat fought their way there. Without that kind of power, how could they hold it?
And it's not like there's only one Champion. Every region has one. There are Champion candidates. There are many Elite Four members.
A "family" controlling things?
By then, families like that wouldn't exist. The League wouldn't allow anyone to challenge its position. In an intelligent society, you can't hide filth and corruption. Do people think the public is blind?
Team Rocket understands comparison better than anyone. Reiji wanted the League to keep getting better. He'd even consider doing some dirty work for them—jobs the League couldn't handle openly.
Don't ask what, exactly. That kind of thing can't be said. Like the old saying goes: just be an ox and a horse. Don't think. Be a screw in the machine… and now you can't even say that out loud.
In his old life, he would've chosen to lie flat—like pouring milk down the drain so labor wouldn't "benefit capital." But in this world, you could actually fight. And he had the strength to fight.
That was why he built Spider. If some people refused to be decent, he'd help them "be decent."
Naoki, Shun, and Taihei would become his hands too. Four Elite Four tier trainers in the Orange Archipelago—outside of the League, who could stop them?
And if they were League trainers?
Then why would the League stop them?
With a big tree at your back, you get shade. Team Rocket has planted plenty of moles inside the League already. Reiji joining the League and using the League's banner didn't sound wrong at all.
If you can't beat them, join them. That was the smart move. Even in his old life's monster-catching games, it was the same—if the meta had a T0 option and you refused to use it, you were just asking to suffer.
To Reiji, the Black Ship, Kinnow Island, Trovitopolis, and Team Rocket were all small-time. The League was the real boss. If you were going to follow someone, you followed the strongest. The other factions were underground trash and not worth considering.
That was also why he joined a Gym. He wanted to be League—an insider.
…
"Boss… do you still want those two kinds of gems?" Naoki relaxed once he heard he could call. He was the one who'd arranged the SIM card, so he already knew the number.
Then he remembered what Reiji needed. He couldn't repay Reiji anywhere else, so all he could do was gather those gems.
"No need to buy more." Reiji waved it off. It sounded like he didn't want them, but the truth was simpler: he was broke. The supplies he had left were for himself. No reason to sell them now. He changed the subject. "What are you going to do next?"
"I'm staying on Mandarin Island North and building up here." Naoki quietly etched those words into his mind. Even if Reiji said he didn't want gems, Naoki would still have the old man keep buying them. He'd treat it as repayment for everything Reiji had done.
And those notebooks… a quasi–Elite Four trainer's notes, plus an oral record from the Black Ship captain—now that he'd switched tracks, those were priceless.
Naoki didn't even know what could count as repayment. He owed Reiji too much. There was no way to clear it. If only he'd met a boss like this earlier… he caught himself thinking that often.
Just sharing a meal and drinking a couple of glasses was enough to make Naoki tear up.
Reiji didn't understand it at all. Naoki's mood flipped in an instant. Reiji hadn't forced him to drink, and he definitely hadn't bullied him.
Naoki was in his twenties. Reiji was fifteen. If anything, Naoki was the older one.
They drank until deep into the night. Naoki started talking about his past—his childhood, his teenage years—then looping back and repeating it again and again…
One drinking session, and he poured everything out. Even the person he'd had a crush on. How much he'd loved her. How her family had blocked him.
He talked for a long time, then finally passed out at the table. His Pokémon carried him back to his room.
Reiji wasn't far behind. He slumped onto the sofa, head spinning, told the Pokémon to stay alert, pulled a blanket over himself, and fell asleep.
It's below zero again. So annoying. Getting up is impossible.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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