"You?" Reiji thought someone was trying to snatch his catch. He turned around and saw a stranger who somehow felt familiar—a young man with a bright, sunny vibe.
The man wore a tan safety helmet that covered his light-blue bangs. Sooty gray-black smudges streaked his face. He had on plain hiking clothes, and a miner's iron pickaxe rested across his shoulder.
"Why?" Reiji stopped and looked him over, genuinely puzzled.
"I saw you catch that Crystal Onix, but you didn't look happy about it. If you don't like that Pokémon… could you give it to me?"
"So that's what this is." Reiji watched him set the pickaxe down and pant for breath. He figured the guy had come to dig crystal too—Reiji had passed plenty of pretty stones along the way.
Noticing Reiji's eyes on the pickaxe, the man smiled and explained, "I'm traveling. I heard there's a Crystal Onix here, and the crystal ore is really beautiful, so I came to take a look. I was planning to dig some stones and bring them back."
"Then you can have it." Reiji studied him for a moment, then—without hesitation—tossed the Crystal Onix's Poké Ball over. He didn't even bother stuffing it into his backpack first. Then he turned and walked off.
The guy's smile was warm, and Reiji didn't mind him. But that wasn't why he handed it over. He wasn't into men, and this wasn't some love-at-first-sight nonsense. He gave up the Crystal Onix so easily for another reason.
"Hey—wait." The man stared at the Poké Ball he'd just caught, completely thrown off by Reiji's generosity. "You don't even know who I am, and you're just giving me a Pokémon like that?"
"What, you don't want it?" Reiji stopped and crooked his fingers at him. "If you don't, give it back."
"Haha—no, no!" The man flushed red with embarrassment, waving both hands fast. "That's not what I meant! I can trade you something. What do you need? If I have it, I'll swap—"
"Forget it. You don't look like you've got money anyway. It's just a Pokémon. Take it." Reiji waved him off, turned around, and kept walking. He didn't want to slow down and get grabbed while the guy insisted on repaying him.
"What a weird trainer…" the man muttered to himself. He wanted to explain that he was actually rich, but the words never came out. Instead, he called after him, "Hey! What's your name?"
"Rai." Reiji didn't give his full name. That would've felt forced.
"Rai—thanks for the Crystal Onix. I'll remember this." The man looked down at the Poké Ball in his hand. The whole thing felt unreal.
He'd said two sentences, and some random trainer handed him a rare Pokémon he'd just caught. Didn't ask who he was. Didn't seem to care. Just left.
Unless the guy recognized him from the start, nobody would be that generous. But even if he did recognize him, the usual reaction wasn't "no strings attached"—people always tried to get something out of it.
And he'd disguised himself this much—face smeared with dust and grime. Half the time he couldn't even recognize himself like this. So how could someone else?
Was he really that famous? Famous enough to be recognized like this?
He frowned at his filthy clothes, then asked the Metagross beside him, "Do I really still look like me?"
"Meta." Metagross shook its head, basically saying: Not a chance.
The man decided he was overthinking it. The idea of being "that recognizable" was embarrassing enough to make his ears heat up. Sure, he was well-known in the Hoenn region—because he was an Elite Four member.
But this was the Orange Archipelago. And that trainer didn't look especially strong—maybe Advanced tier, at most.
If anything, trainers here should be more familiar with the Elite Four closer to the Orange Archipelago—Kanto and Johto. Hoenn was a stretch.
Still… overthinking aside, that trainer really was unusual. Trust came easily to him, and he'd given away a freshly caught Crystal Onix with no reward. That was what stood out.
And if the guy had some hidden agenda, he'd already left without asking for anything. He didn't even know who the man was. That didn't fit.
This trip had been a casual outing anyway—dig a few crystals, maybe run into Sunburst Island's "legend," the Crystal Onix.
Instead, he got an unexpected haul: a pile of beautiful crystal stones, a Crystal Onix in hand, and a strange new friend.
What a fun trainer. No idea if they'd ever meet again…
…
Reiji reached the edge of the islet, released Pelipper, and flew back to town on Sunburst Island. Before he entered the town, he had the Ditto hanging around his neck turn back into a mask.
Only after he shut the wooden door to his inn room did he finally let out a long breath. If he wasn't mistaken, that guy had been Steven from Hoenn. What was he doing here—seriously just digging rocks? Big shots really did have weird hobbies.
Still, he wasn't Champion yet. He was only one of the Elite Four, and he'd take the Champion seat within the next few years—same situation as Lance.
Reiji hadn't pegged him as Steven just because he looked similar, or because of the "rock collector" stereotype. It was because Darkrai sensed a powerful psychic pulse in the woods.
"Darkrai. Was it Metagross?"
"Yeah. A silver Metagross." Darkrai slid out of the shadows. "How did you know?"
"Read the news once in a while and you'll get it. He's a public figure." Reiji finally relaxed. Giving that Crystal Onix away wasn't a loss at all.
A Crystal Onix for a favor owed by Hoenn's future Champion? That was a bargain. He hadn't expected to run into Steven here.
"By the way, I almost got spotted." Darkrai's voice dipped, still uneasy. "I only glanced at it from far away and it nearly locked onto me. That Metagross is strong."
When Metagross's psychic sense swept past, Darkrai had dove into shadow immediately. A split second slower and it would've been pinned down.
"Good. That's what I wanted to hear." Reiji waved it off and drank some water to steady himself, telling Darkrai not to make a big deal of it.
The favor was already in the bag. Next time they met, they'd at least be "acquainted"—normal friends, on the surface.
And Lance too—another future League Champion. Ever since Reiji beat up Lance's Dratini, he had no idea if Lance would come looking for him. If they met again, that would count as "ties" as well.
He didn't want those ties, but the Dratini had already been hit. Nothing he could do now.
Two Champion "friends." Before he had real strength, they could only be treated as ordinary acquaintances. Once he had the strength, then the relationship could matter.
That was also why he hadn't tried to cozy up to Steven just now. He was thinking long-term. Honestly, even one favor was already a huge win.
The whole "couldn't care less" act had been deliberate. Big names never lack for things. What they like are rare, interesting things—rocks, sure, but also interesting trainers.
If Steven really wanted to catch a Crystal Onix, he could do it without breaking a sweat. He didn't need to ask Reiji at all. Asking was basically handing Reiji a favor on a silver platter, and Reiji had to take it.
Same logic: Steven wouldn't care about trading something in return. He had the money for it. He could probably even pull out a premium Water Stone on the spot.
But compared to a League Champion's favor, a treasure like that suddenly felt small—especially if it meant becoming friends with Steven.
Good thing he held back and didn't force familiarity. If he'd acted eager, Steven would've suspected an angle. Looking indifferent was what made it interesting.
Next time they met, it would tug at that memory. That alone meant Reiji's plan had worked.
As for suspicion?
What was there to suspect? Steven looked like a miner, face smudged with soot and dust. First impression: not rich. Reiji's response had no leaks.
"Not rich," so Reiji gave the Crystal Onix because he liked him—not because of money or valuables. Simple. No need to overcomplicate it.
Reiji's thoughts were pure. He just wanted to be friends with a Champion. That's all. Nothing deep. Don't paint him as some mastermind—he was a laid-back guy who fished on the side.
That was the point: willing bait, willing hook. He didn't even do anything. Shun, Tai, Naoki, Lance, Lorelei—Steven too.
They all showed up on their own. It had nothing to do with him. Somehow, he just kept meeting people like this and ending up with friends.
Later, when he traveled to other regions, those connections would matter. Once his strength caught up, he could walk anywhere and get by.
When he eventually traveled to Hoenn, he could even ask Steven about using Float Stone in Steel-type training. Scyther's future would be set.
Thinking that, Reiji headed out happily to get dinner—only to run into Naoki, who had already returned.
"Boss, heading out?" Naoki stopped and asked when he saw Reiji open the door.
"Dinner. Coming?" Reiji waved and started toward the inn's exit. Naoki hurried after him.
"Boss, follow me. I know the best place in town." Naoki led him to a restaurant and even booked a private room.
"Did you catch any Geodude? We're leaving tomorrow." As soon as Reiji sat down, he asked about Naoki's haul. The sun was already dropping. After dinner they'd rest, and tomorrow they were heading for Mandarin Island North.
Once they got there, he still needed to push Gastly's potential further. Ghost-type resources here were scarce and overpriced. He needed to reach Mandarin Island North to keep improving Gastly—and he also needed to move some black-market goods there.
"I caught a few hundred. Boss, want to check now?" While telling the server to start bringing food, Naoki pulled out his backpack full of Poké Balls.
"The food's not here yet. Now works." Reiji beckoned. Naoki handed the bag over at once and waited while Reiji inspected the Poké Balls.
Reiji picked up the Geodude Poké Balls and checked them one by one. He went through more than two hundred before he finally found one with decent potential.
"This one's got good talent—shop treasure potential." Reiji tossed that Poké Ball back to Naoki.
The chosen Geodude had 55 potential. If trained well, reaching quasi-Champion tier wouldn't be an issue. The rest depended on how Naoki raised it.
"Thanks, Boss!" Naoki clutched the Poké Ball, grinning like an idiot. Shop treasure potential again—he finally had a Geodude again.
"Alright. After dinner, release the rest." Reiji didn't want to spoil the mood, but he still reminded him. "You already caught them. What are you keeping them for?"
"I know, Boss. I'll have Flygon take me out to release them." Naoki was still smiling, but he'd figured it out—his boss didn't like buying and selling wild Pokémon, but black-market Pokémon were a different story.
"Release these too. I meant to give them to you at noon, but I forgot." Reiji took out four or five dozen Poké Balls—Ground- and Rock-types he hadn't released yet.
"I can release them together with the Geodude." Naoki accepted the Poké Balls and packed them in the same bag. Right then, the food arrived.
They ate and chatted. When they got onto the topic of Mandarin Island North, Naoki asked, "Boss, aren't we buying ship tickets?"
"No need. We'll fly over tomorrow morning. It's not far." Reiji waved it off.
"Boss… there are black ship people on Mandarin Island North too. If we sell goods, won't we—"
"What I'm having you sell is all common items. When the time comes, disguise yourself with Ditto and sell them…"
"Boss, that's not necessary." Naoki relaxed. "I thought it was something super valuable. If it's just common stuff, I've got contacts on Mandarin Island North who can handle it."
"Then that's settled. Eat up." Reiji pointed at him with his chopsticks. "We still need to release Pokémon. If you skip sleep again and fall into the ocean tomorrow, I'm not fishing you out."
"Boss, that was embarrassing… I worked myself stupid in the woods last night. I woke up this morning and my head was still spinning…"
"Enough. If you want to catch more Pokémon, do it on Mandarin Island North. Plenty of wild Pokémon there."
"Boss, let me toast you." Naoki raised his cup. "This time it's not bitter wine. That night I drank bitter wine and puked everywhere. Next morning my throat tasted bitter the whole time…"
Reiji laughed. "I remember you saying you wanted to 'die of bitterness.' I told you it was a dream. You just wouldn't believe it."
"Boss, try this dish. It's good." Naoki nudged the plate over. "Back when I ran cargo on ships, I ate here all the time…"
"So that's why you brought me here." Reiji glanced around. "You're a regular."
"Not really." Naoki raised his cup awkwardly. "I've only been here like… a dozen times."
With the clink of their cups, they finished dinner.
Reiji went back to his room to sleep. Naoki, drunk as well, followed him back to the inn and crashed too.
For the releasing work, Naoki had Flygon carry Spinarak. The two Pokémon flew to Dead Volcano and released everything in the bag.
When Naoki woke up, it was already morning. They got ready to leave for Mandarin Island North.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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