Chapter 788 - 788 - We Have the Advantage

By midnight, a light rain had begun to fall over the sea. After five or six hours of sailing through increasingly rough water, the yacht finally reached the coast near the villas on Mandarin Island North. Rather than risk the harbor, they stopped offshore in a quiet stretch of water where few people were likely to notice them.

Reiji released Golbat and Sharpedo before leaving the boat.

"Keep an eye on the yacht. Don't let anyone come near it."

Naoki added one of his own Water-type Pokémon to the watch, giving them another pair of eyes beneath the surface. It wasn't long before several Flying-type Pokémon appeared through the dark sky, sent by the Spider members who had stayed behind to pick everyone up.

The newcomers circled over the yacht, then carried the waiting passengers toward the villa one group at a time. Reiji took Pelipper himself and reached the backyard ahead of most of them.

As usual, the villa grounds remained mostly dark whenever anyone arrived by air. Keeping the lights off made it much harder for outsiders to notice people landing there, so only A.J. and Daishi were waiting to receive them.

Reiji glanced toward Kazuma's family and nodded toward Naoki.

"Naoki, get them settled upstairs. Kazuma stays with us."

"Come on. I'll show you where you're staying."

Kazuma's wife hesitated before following him, looking back at her husband with obvious concern. Kazuma gave her a reassuring nod.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine."

He had spent most of the trip talking with Naoki, which made handing his family over to him a little easier. There was still plenty Kazuma didn't understand about Reiji or the people around him, but at this point, all he could really do was trust the path he'd chosen.

Once his family and Uncle had gone upstairs, Kazuma followed Reiji, A.J., and Daishi into the main room.

Eight hooded figures were already seated around the long table.

The room was lit by only a few dim wall lamps, leaving their faces buried beneath black hoods. The moment Reiji entered, all eight turned toward the newcomers, and most of those hidden gazes settled on Kazuma.

He swallowed.

None of them had even released a Pokémon, yet there was something about the room that made his shoulders tense the second he stepped inside. Maybe it was the silence, maybe it was the way everyone carried themselves, but whatever it was, Kazuma suddenly understood that these weren't ordinary Trainers.

Reiji, meanwhile, strode straight to the head of the table and sat down as though he hadn't noticed the atmosphere at all.

"Looks like everyone's here."

A.J. and Daishi took their usual seats. Reiji gave the room a quick glance and found himself pleasantly surprised by the turnout. Almost everyone had made it back in time, which was perfect for what he had in mind.

"Leader."

Everyone at the table rose together.

The coordinated greeting made Kazuma stiffen all over again. Standing behind Reiji, he suddenly felt as though he'd walked into a meeting that had been running by rules nobody had bothered to explain to him.

Reiji, on the other hand, looked far too pleased with the reception.

"All right, sit down."

Once everyone settled, he gestured toward Kazuma.

"This is Kazuma. He's been feeding me information, and for this job, he's the one who knows our target best. He'll walk us through the cargo ship's route and security."

The room's attention shifted back to Kazuma. He was the only person there with his face uncovered, which made being studied by a dozen hooded strangers deeply uncomfortable.

Naoki returned before the silence could stretch too far and leaned down beside Reiji.

"Boss, they're settled in upstairs."

"Good. Let's get started."

At Reiji's signal, Shingo lowered a projection screen along one side of the room and connected his computer. A map of the Orange Archipelago appeared across it.

Reiji nodded toward Kazuma.

"You know what we need. Route, schedule, security, and where that ship should be right now."

"Got it."

Kazuma dug his fingers into his thigh under the table, using the pain to steady himself before standing. Shingo handed him a pointer, and Kazuma gave him a quiet thanks before turning toward the map.

"The ship we're after is a cargo vessel operated by the Black Ship group around Trovitopolis. It starts at Mandarin Island South, then follows a route east before heading toward Murcott Island."

He traced the line across the projected map.

"From there it turns north. It passes Moro Island, the Seven Grapefruit Islands, Navel Island, and several smaller stops before reaching Ascorbia Island."

Kazuma tapped the marker for Ascorbia Island.

"That's one of the important stops. Ascorbia handles a lot of traffic moving between the Orange Archipelago and other regions, especially Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh. There are large storage facilities there, so goods coming into the Orange Islands and goods leaving for the mainland often get transferred or stored there first."

He studied the map for a moment, mentally running through the schedule.

"Based on the timing, the cargo ship should already be at Ascorbia. Either unloading or taking on new cargo."

Shingo spoke before anyone else could.

"Based on what timing?"

Kazuma almost answered immediately, then caught himself. The words when we tried to kill the Leader didn't feel like something he should casually throw into a room full of Reiji's people.

Reiji noticed the hesitation.

"It's fine. That's why we're going after the ship in the first place. They can hear it."

Kazuma nodded.

"When the cargo ship's captain tried to ambush the Leader..."

He paused just long enough to glance around the table.

The reaction was immediate.

"They attacked you?"

"Were you hurt?"

"What happened?"

Reiji lifted his voice before the room could spiral any further.

"I'm fine. Settle down. If this is enough to rattle everyone, we're going to have problems when something actually goes wrong."

That shut them up.

Once the room settled again, Kazuma continued.

"When the ambush happened, the cargo ship was near Golden Island. That was two days ago. Based on its usual speed, it should have reached Ascorbia by now."

He moved the pointer between the two locations.

"Once it's loaded with goods from the other regions, it'll head back along roughly the same route and distribute cargo through the nearby islands. If we want to intercept it on the return trip, the Seven Grapefruit Islands are probably our best option."

Shingo frowned.

"Why there? Why not hit it somewhere else?"

"Because there's another Black Ship operating near Moro Island."

Kazuma shifted the pointer south.

"If the cargo ship gets into trouble and calls for help, the fastest reinforcements are likely to come from that ship. The farther we are from Moro Island, the more time we'd have before anyone could reach us."

Shingo kept his eyes on him.

"You're sure the two groups work together?"

"I watched them exchange cargo myself."

That answer came without hesitation.

"It happened at night while I was working aboard the ship. The cargo wasn't legal either. Wild Pokémon, Pokémon ingredients, illegal weapons, valuable artifacts, plenty of things the League doesn't allow to be traded. Whatever their exact relationship is, they're doing business together."

Shingo nodded.

"All right. Keep going."

Kazuma turned back to the map.

"Timing is the tight part. We're almost on the opposite side of the archipelago from Ascorbia. If we leave tonight, we still have a chance to reach the Seven Grapefruit Islands before the cargo ship comes back through, but we can't waste much time."

He indicated their current position, then the likely route of the target.

"As for the people aboard, the ship is weaker than usual. Its captain lost badly during the ambush against the Leader. Right now, he should only have two Elite Four-tier Pokémon left: Slowbro and Tyranitar."

Reiji looked toward Shingo.

"Pull up the captain's picture."

A photograph appeared on the screen.

"This is Riku's brother. Riku was one of the tournament contestants, and Naoki knows him better than most of us."

Everyone turned toward Naoki.

Naoki let out a quiet sigh before taking over.

"Riku was the third mate of the Trovitopolis Black Ship. His brother was the first mate. That's what we knew back when I was still running the Rock Gang."

His tone grew more serious.

"And don't underestimate the main Black Ship itself. There are probably at least five Elite Four-tier Trainers aboard. The actual Black Ship captain is the real problem. He's a legitimate Elite Four-level Trainer with at least six Pokémon at that tier, including a pseudo-Legendary. How many of those Pokémon are at the upper end of Elite Four tier, I don't know."

He glanced toward Riku's photograph.

"Riku was the weakest of the bunch, and even he had at least one Elite Four-tier Pokémon."

Shingo leaned back slightly.

"That's not as bad as I expected. We've already got five Elite Four-tier Trainers here. Give us enough time and we could probably take the whole ship."

His eyes moved briefly toward Kazuma.

Kazuma caught the implication a second later.

Five?

Until that moment, he hadn't known just how much strength Spider had packed into this villa. Add him to the count and there were six Trainers in the room who could field at least one Elite Four-tier Pokémon.

Suddenly, the pressure he'd felt when he first walked in made a lot more sense.

It also made his previous decision to help ambush Reiji look even more suicidal in hindsight. If Reiji had sent these people after them, Kazuma doubted the Fairchild operation would have lasted very long.

At least he was on this side of the table now.

If you couldn't beat them, joining them suddenly seemed like a very sensible life choice.

"Keep going," Reiji said. "And stop looking like someone just told you the sky is falling."

Kazuma quickly pulled himself together.

"Right. During the ambush, the cargo ship's captain, first mate, and second mate used six Elite Four-tier Pokémon against the Leader. They still lost."

The room went quiet again, but this time nobody interrupted.

Several people looked toward Reiji with renewed curiosity. Some were probably thinking about Zapdos. Naoki's thoughts went somewhere else entirely.

Darkrai.

Knowing that Reiji had access to something even more dangerous than the Legendary bird made Naoki reconsider just how much of Reiji's strength any of them had actually seen.

Kazuma continued before the room could get distracted again.

"After that fight, the captain lost two Pokémon. The first mate and second mate are both dead. Most of the cargo ship's strongest combat power is gone."

His pointer returned to the ship's route.

"The bosun is only quasi-Elite Four tier. Everyone below him tops out around Advanced tier, so unless they receive reinforcements, the ship itself isn't much of a threat anymore."

Shingo immediately caught the qualifier.

"Why are you assuming they won't get reinforcements? If the ship is carrying valuable cargo and gets attacked, wouldn't calling for help be the obvious move?"

"Normally, yes. This isn't normal."

Kazuma set the pointer down against the table.

"The attack on the Leader wasn't an official Black Ship operation. The captain went after him for personal reasons, and I doubt he wants the real Black Ship captain hearing how badly it went. He lost two of his strongest people and several Elite Four-tier Pokémon without permission."

He tapped the map again.

"Until that cargo ship gets back to Trovitopolis, there's a good chance he keeps quiet and tries to clean up his own mess."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'd plan for one or two Elite Four-tier Trainers as backup. Three at the absolute worst, and even that would probably require something unusually valuable aboard."

Kazuma shrugged slightly.

"If I owned something expensive enough to justify three Elite Four-tier escorts, I wouldn't stick it on a slow cargo ship in the first place. I'd have a strong Trainer carry it directly by Flying. Faster, quieter, smaller target."

Shingo gave a thoughtful nod.

"Fair point. That makes sense."

The exchange also reminded him how much field experience he still lacked. Computers, intelligence work, and planning were his strengths, but people like Kazuma had spent years inside the kind of organizations Spider was only beginning to deal with. There were things you simply didn't learn from a screen.

Reiji looked around the table once everyone seemed satisfied.

"Then we're done talking. Start getting ready."

He counted the people in the room almost automatically. Six Trainers with Elite Four-tier Pokémon once Kazuma was included, plus seven at quasi-Elite Four tier.

Thirteen people against one badly weakened cargo ship.

For once, Reiji almost felt overprepared.

The others had reached a similar conclusion, though their thoughts were focused less on safety and more on what might be inside the ship. Ever since learning how expensive raising Pokémon to Elite Four tier could become, everyone had developed a much healthier appreciation for money.

And this was Black Ship cargo.

Nobody around the table was going to lose sleep over stealing from them.

Kazuma noticed the growing excitement and immediately stepped in.

"Don't get careless. We're stronger on paper, but these people aren't amateurs. Before anyone boards, we should scout the ship properly. Make sure there isn't an ambush waiting for us."

Reiji nodded.

"Agreed. We plan around the worst-case version of that ship, not the one we hope is there. I'll send Pokémon in ahead of us before we make a move."

He pushed his chair back and stood, and everyone else followed.

"If you've got anything to handle before we leave, do it now. We move in thirty minutes."

"Yes, Leader!"

The meeting broke apart immediately.

Tai had the most urgent problem. Since he was still undercover, disappearing for several days without arranging anything first could create questions, so he hurried back toward the old district to put things in order.

The others split off to prepare equipment, check Pokémon, or pack supplies.

Shingo stayed behind with Naoki and Kazuma, pulling both of them over to his computer so he could squeeze out every useful detail about the cargo ship's crew, possible reinforcements, and any Trainer they might encounter. He entered everything as they talked, building contingency plans while the information was still fresh.

Reiji, meanwhile, returned Kazuma's Poké Balls.

There weren't many.

Including Sharpedo, Kazuma currently had four usable Pokémon: his badly injured Elite Four-tier Gyarados, plus Ludicolo, Sharpedo, and Swampert at Advanced tier. Of those four, only Gyarados and Swampert had the potential to reach Elite Four tier.

If Kazuma was going to become useful in future operations, that roster needed work. One injured Gyarados wasn't enough to carry him forever.

"Get Gyarados treated properly," Reiji told him. "Bring it with us so people can see it if necessary, but don't let it fight."

"Got it, Boss."

Kazuma had been waiting to see Gyarados again and released it immediately.

The Pokémon hit the floor with a weak groan, too badly hurt to do much more than shift its body. Kazuma's expression tightened as he crouched beside it and began cleaning its injuries before offering food and water.

With careful treatment, Gyarados managed to recover enough strength to move slightly.

Shingo had been watching from his computer.

The sight of that injured Elite Four-tier Gyarados made something click.

He looked toward Reiji with a faint, knowing smile, but Reiji gave him nothing back and wandered toward the kitchen in search of something to eat.

That was enough for Shingo.

Kazuma clearly knew far too much about the cargo ship to be some ordinary informant. If Shingo had to guess, he had been either the first mate or second mate everyone had supposedly lost during the Fairchild incident.

And now he was sitting inside Spider's villa, calling Reiji Boss.

Shingo couldn't help being impressed. Whatever had happened between them, Reiji had taken someone who had recently fought against him and somehow turned him into an asset.

Kazuma finished treating Gyarados, recalled it, then headed upstairs.

His wife and daughter were asleep together in one of the rooms. He stood there for a while, watching Yuzuki sleep peacefully beside her mother, before noticing light beneath another door. Uncle was still awake.

Kazuma spoke quietly with him for a few minutes, explaining that he would be leaving again and asking him to keep an eye on the two upstairs.

Before heading back down, Kazuma found a large backpack and began packing it.

If the raid went well, there would be plenty worth taking.

The thought would once have felt greedy. Now it felt practical.

Hearing that Spider already had five Elite Four-tier Trainers had made one thing painfully clear: if Kazuma wanted to keep up, Gyarados wasn't going to be enough. He needed at least three Pokémon at that level if he wanted to carry his weight instead of becoming someone everyone else had to protect.

For years, nearly every extra Pokédollar he earned had gone toward Yuzuki. That hadn't changed because he cared about her any less. If anything, it was the reason he finally understood that neglecting his own strength had been a mistake.

Money mattered. Strong Pokémon mattered.

If he wanted to protect Yuzuki's future and give his wife a life where nobody could force her into anything again, then he needed both.

Kazuma looked back at them one last time before quietly leaving the room.

The door clicked shut behind him.

His wife opened her eyes almost immediately.

She had been awake the entire time.

For several seconds she stared at the closed door, tears sliding silently toward her pillow. After spending so many years apart, Kazuma was leaving again before they had even had a chance to talk properly.

She didn't know where he was going or what Reiji expected from him, but she knew Kazuma well enough to understand that he believed he had to go.

She pulled Yuzuki closer and closed her eyes again, clinging to the hope that when she woke up tomorrow, Kazuma would already be back.

Half an hour later, everyone was ready.

Tai returned from the old district just in time, and the group left the villa using Flying- and Water-type Pokémon before converging on the darkened yacht offshore.

Reiji arrived first and fed Golbat and Sharpedo while the others boarded. Naoki recalled the Water-type Pokémon he had left on guard duty, and before long all thirteen members were aboard.

Some settled onto the deck and closed their eyes. Others remained standing and watched the surrounding water, while a few disappeared below deck to get whatever rest they could before the operation.

The engines started, and the yacht slowly pulled away from Mandarin Island North.

Their destination was the Seven Grapefruit Islands, which meant crossing a large portion of the Orange Archipelago before they could even begin the raid.

The light rain didn't last.

Heavy clouds continued gathering overhead until the sky seemed to press down against the sea. Then the storm finally broke, hammering the deck with rain as lightning flashed through the clouds in blue, gold, and violet streaks.

Each burst briefly illuminated the yacht and the figures aboard it before darkness swallowed them again.

With the storm building behind them, Spider headed east toward the Seven Grapefruit Islands.

[End of chapter]

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