Fifth day at the Gym. Light rain.
He slept in past eight. Mist hung between the trees and over the lake when Reiji finally got up and made breakfast. After the Pokémon ate, he left out the rest of the day's food, then rode Pelipper to work.
With Pelipper accelerating the whole way, he arrived at Mikan Gym right on time. Inside, he spotted Senta and Cissy—and a boy he didn't recognise.
So that young man really had left. Otherwise Cissy wouldn't be hanging around the Gym. With the citrus harvest on pause, Reiji no longer needed to fill in as Acting Gym Leader either. Finally, he could focus on training the little guys properly.
"Rai, you did pretty well while you were Acting Gym Leader," Cissy said the moment he walked in. "Were you hiding your strength?"
"No. The challengers were just bad," Reiji said smoothly.
You never overperform in front of your boss. That's how you die.
Work harder and they don't reward you. They just hand you more work. There's always more suffering for people who "can take it."
Sympathy? Please. The boss is already off living it up.
Nobody sympathises with the worker except other workers.
"Gym Leader, he's lying. He's obviously strong," the boy cut in from the side, aiming the line straight at Reiji.
Reiji glanced at the stranger. Thirteen or fourteen, maybe. Reiji didn't know him, had never met him, and still the kid jumped in to step on him. On purpose.
Cissy didn't scold him. If anything, she looked satisfied. "Let me introduce him. He's my cousin's cousin. He'll be staying here to learn for a while."
"So you're his younger cousin," Reiji said. "I'm Rai."
"Don't talk like you're close to him," the boy snapped.
"Got it," Reiji said, still smiling.
If this weren't a civilised place—if this were the underground—mouthy little brats like that didn't get second chances. They got buried. Reiji wasn't going to start trouble here, though. The kid was obviously being left behind to keep an eye on him. As long as he didn't interfere with Reiji's day-to-day at the Gym, Reiji could ignore him.
"Gym Leader, it's all a misunderstanding," Reiji added. "If you still don't believe me, we can battle again. Those challengers were only around elite level. It wasn't anything special."
"Enough," Cissy said. Watching him get mocked without losing his temper almost impressed her. If it were her, she'd have exploded already.
Reiji headed for the kitchen. food was part of the deal. He wasn't skipping breakfast.
After Reiji disappeared inside, Cissy flicked a look at the boy. "Cause less trouble. If you're here, then learn properly."
"Yes, Gym Leader," the boy muttered, instantly obedient. Even his "big brother" didn't dare talk back to Cissy. He certainly wouldn't.
"Good. He left you here so you'd actually learn something," Cissy said. "And I'll start you from the beginning. Water Gun target practice."
Breakfast in hand, Reiji went straight to the training room. Filling in as Acting Gym Leader meant he'd trained on the main battle field between challengers. Now that Cissy was back, he had no business claiming her arena.
The trainers who'd been teaching his Pokémon were already waiting inside. Cissy had heard why they came and sent them here.
"Acting Gym Leader," the three greeted.
"Don't call me that. Just call me Rai," Reiji said, waving it off. "I'm a regular Trainer like you. I joined the Gym to make a living."
"We'll call you Rai-bro then," one of them said immediately.
They weren't going to call him by name like an equal. Not after what they'd seen.
Nobody had earned a Gym Badge during the days Reiji held the fort. Whether it was Water Gun marksmanship or straight Gym battles, challengers got shut down. That record spoke for itself.
And just because they were being paid to teach his Pokémon new moves didn't mean they thought their Pokémon were stronger. If they were really that good, they'd have taken the Acting Gym Leader job themselves. They couldn't.
Reiji released his three—Poliwhirl, Kingler, and Scyther. "I'm counting on you. Keep going."
A larger group of Trainers stood off to the side as well, clearly drawn by the tutoring job notice. Today's request was for Pelipper.
"This one's for Pelipper," Reiji said. "Send out your Pelipper."
Poké Balls opened around the room as one Pelipper after another appeared.
"Any Pelipper that knows U-turn, Hydro Pump, Hurricane, Stockpile, Spit Up, and Swallow," Reiji said. "Anyone got five of those?"
Silence. They looked at each other, then relaxed. No one wanted to be the only person sent home.
"Then four?" Reiji tried again.
A couple of hands went up at once.
"My Pelipper knows four—Hydro Pump, Stockpile—"
"Mine knows four too—U-turn, Hydro Pump—"
"All right. If your Pelipper has four of the moves I listed, you stay. Everyone else can go," Reiji said, trimming the group down to three.
Then he cut again.
"Which of you doesn't have Hurricane?"
One Trainer understood the question immediately. If Reiji asked that, it meant Hurricane was the priority—and he didn't have it. He turned around and left.
Reiji nodded and looked at the remaining two. "From those four, I need Hurricane, Hydro Pump, and U-turn. Which of your Pelipper has all three?"
"I do! I do!" A dark-skinned boy in a sleeveless shirt and shorts shot his hand up, practically bouncing.
"Fine. You're up," Reiji said.
The boy looked ordinary enough, but the heavy fish smell clinging to him gave him away. Local fisherman. Mikan Island, born and raised.
"Thanks for picking me, Acting Gym Leader," the boy said, grinning and rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't think I'd get chosen. My mum forced me to come. Said it was a good chance to get close to you."
"It's not about getting close," Reiji said. "Your Pelipper fits what I need. I'm leaving mine with you for a few days. Fifty thousand per move. Teach as many as you can."
He released his Pelipper and motioned toward the door. "You'll need space. Hurricane isn't something you practise in a cramped room."
"Leave it to me!" the boy said, eager as anything. "My mum also said following you means I'll eat well and won't have to fish in the sun and wind every day. I'm sick of fish anyway—"
Reiji's mouth opened, then closed. He had no idea what to say to that.
The boy froze. "Uh… Acting Gym Leader, did I say something wrong? You look unhappy."
"No, no," Reiji said quickly, waving both hands. The kid was so honest it hurt—and his social instincts were a bit of a disaster.
"What's your name?" Reiji asked. "You fish for a living, right?"
"Acting Gym Leader, you're amazing!" The boy gave him a thumbs-up. "You could tell at a glance! Yeah, my family's fishermen. I've only got one Pelipper. It helps me fish, and it's my best buddy too."
The other Trainers nearby frowned. That "at a glance" line was ridiculous. Everyone in the room could smell him from a distance. Nobody had even wanted to stand next to him.
Still, the boy's flattery was so blunt it looped back around into awkward.
"No wonder your Pelipper's built like that," Reiji said, forcing it into something normal. "You've raised it well. Go on—teach mine outside."
"Acting Gym Leader really is incredible. Mum was right." The boy beamed, then reached up with rough hands and patted the Pelipper perched on his arm. "Mine's great at fishing. It eats well every time we go out, so it's strong—"
Reiji's Pelipper turned its head and looked at Reiji with pure resignation, as if asking, Are you sure this guy can teach me anything?
Reiji laughed a little too loudly to cover it. "You're doing great. And the Gym covers lunch. If you get hungry, come back and grab food."
"All right!" the boy said, glowing. Praise clearly wasn't something he got much at home. "I'm heading out!"
He trotted off, already imagining how he'd tell his mum the news. Out of a dozen Trainers, he'd been the one picked. He'd even spoken to the Acting Gym Leader.
With the fisherman gone, Reiji didn't worry much about whether Pelipper would learn the moves. If the boy's Pelipper wasn't an idiot, then sooner or later it would get the idea across.
Everything was finally arranged. Reiji was about to release Shelmet and see if it needed any tutoring too, when Senta walked over.
"Rai-nii, these are the Pokémon Grandpa helped me catch. Check them for me," Senta said.
"Poliwag? Slowpoke?" Reiji wasn't surprised. He just didn't understand why Senta was still so fixated on the tadpole line. With his background, he didn't need to settle for "normal" picks.
"Rai-nii? What?" Senta asked, confused.
"Why did you still go for Poliwag?" Reiji asked. "You've got better options."
Senta scratched his nose, embarrassed. "Don't you have a Poliwhirl too?"
Reiji sighed. That answered it. Senta was copying him.
"Fine. It's your call," Reiji said, then pulled up their panels.
He saw Poliwag at 56 potential, and Slowpoke at 58.
Reiji almost swore.
That kind of number wasn't just good—it was obscene. Poliwag's potential was even higher than the one Shun had.
What was he supposed to say to that? This was what "trainer family" really meant. If he had a grandpa like that, he'd happily be the grandson too.
Shun only had that old man backing him, and he still ended up with an Elekid around the same tier. These people weren't competing on dads anymore. They were competing on grandfathers.
Damn it.
"Both are solid," Reiji said, handing the Poké Balls back. "Raise them properly."
"How do they compare to Squirtle?" Senta asked, still anxious. He didn't want to find out later that they couldn't carry him far enough.
"Do you really not trust your grandpa?" Reiji said, smiling as he ruffled Senta's hair. Old men like that didn't hand their own grandson junk. If anything, they worried the kids wouldn't live up to what they were given.
"Of course I trust him," Senta said at once, finally satisfied.
He ran off with Poliwag and Slowpoke to practise Water Gun. If nothing else, he'd drill the basics until they were clean.
As Senta left, Reiji caught the other boy—the one Cissy had introduced—pulling his head back behind a doorway. Watching him.
Reiji didn't care during work hours. Let him stare. If the kid tried tailing him after hours, though, that was a different story.
[End of chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]