Chapter 802 - 802 - Going Their Separate Ways

Day 27 since leaving the Orange Archipelago. Cloudy.

Seven days had passed since the cargo ship incident, and the League's response had been surprisingly restrained. Rather than launching a massive manhunt, the authorities had classified the incident as a pirate attack and quietly moved on.

Reiji and the others were relieved. The last thing Spider needed was the League publicly treating them as a major threat and deploying large numbers of officers to hunt them down.

Of course, they weren't foolish enough to believe the investigation had actually ended. The League was almost certainly looking into the incident behind closed doors, but whatever its investigators were doing remained confidential.

Life at the villa had been relatively peaceful over the past week. Kazuma's family was gradually settling in, and everyone had taken a liking to Yuzuki. The little girl had plenty of people willing to spoil her, and the family had no shortage of food or other necessities.

Being confined to the villa was beginning to wear on them, though. Yuzuki kept asking when they could go outside, and Reiji could only assure her that it wouldn't be much longer.

Once he'd finished handling his remaining business, he intended to take everyone to Kanto, far away from the increasingly unstable Orange Archipelago. Until then, they would have to be patient.

Spider's members hadn't spent the entire week resting. Several had traveled to black markets on neighboring islands or arranged deals aboard Black Ships, gradually selling off the illegal goods they'd taken during the raid.

Business was becoming difficult. The League had intensified its inspections, and many underground markets had temporarily shut down to avoid attracting attention. Even the Black Ships were reluctant to operate while the authorities were searching the waters so aggressively.

Reiji had managed to sell most of his share, leaving only three Elite Four-tier Pokémon that he planned to put up for sale at an auction that evening.

Naoki would accompany him. He had plenty of contacts in the underground market, and his experience dealing with buyers would be useful when handling merchandise that valuable.

Tai, meanwhile, was still working at Team Rocket's gang headquarters in the old district. The organization had been forced to scale back its operations under the League's crackdown, keeping its people out of sight rather than risk losing more territory.

His superiors had also given him an interesting assignment: keep an eye out for Spider.

Since the mysterious pirates had previously carried out a major operation on Mandarin Island North, Team Rocket suspected they might have left clues behind. Tai had been ordered to monitor the area and report anything he discovered.

Naturally, he passed the instructions straight to Reiji.

Reiji found the situation amusing, although Team Rocket's lack of reaction to his confrontation with Will was more surprising. He'd openly identified one of Giovanni's undercover agents, yet nobody had come after him or even attempted to warn him off.

Perhaps Giovanni was simply that confident in his own strength. Someone at his level might not consider a relatively unknown Trainer worth worrying about, even when that Trainer knew things he shouldn't.

Reiji had only exposed Will's allegiance to make Team Rocket think twice about provoking him. He hadn't intended to start a war over it, and Giovanni apparently wasn't interested in escalating matters either.

Besides, Team Rocket already knew he'd traveled through time. Even if he hadn't mentioned Will, it was only a matter of time before someone connected that incident to his knowledge of the organization's secrets.

Whatever Giovanni was thinking, Reiji was content to leave things alone. He had no reason to expose Will or any of the other undercover agents while Spider still needed time to grow stronger.

Eventually, Team Rocket might become powerful enough to challenge the League openly, at which point those hidden connections would matter far less. Until then, Reiji preferred to avoid a confrontation he couldn't afford.

The uneasy balance between them was another reminder that Spider needed greater strength. Rather than getting dragged into a dangerous game with Team Rocket, Reiji decided it was time to leave the Orange Archipelago.

Several of his companions had already made that decision.

Shun was among the first to depart. At the League's request, he'd returned to Pummelo Island to join Bruno in an investigation of the Orange Archipelago's local organizations.

According to Shun, the assignment was supposed to be part of his training, although he wasn't permitted to share the details. He did, however, warn Spider to avoid drawing attention until the League finished its investigation.

If he learned anything important, he promised to pass the information along.

Shun had also tried asking around about Spider within the League, and the response was surprisingly encouraging.

Nobody seemed particularly concerned about the organization. More accurately, the League had too many other problems to devote much attention to a newly emerged group of pirates.

Its investigators were concentrating on the tangled relationships between the Black Ships and local businesses, looking for ways to uncover the criminal organizations operating behind legitimate fronts.

Shun relayed what he'd learned during one of his calls with Reiji, who was perfectly happy with the news. The less attention Spider attracted, the easier it would be for its members to continue developing their strength.

Itsuki had also left the villa, returning to Cinnabar Gym in Kanto after nearly a month away.

His circumstances were somewhat different. He was an outside associate of Team Rocket, recruited through a mixture of threats and incentives rather than genuine loyalty. The organization had mostly used him for unpleasant assignments, and his patience with its officers had been wearing thin.

Over the past month, Itsuki had become considerably stronger. Ordinary Team Rocket supervisors could no longer intimidate him, something he demonstrated shortly after returning to Cinnabar Gym.

One of his superiors pushed him too far, and Itsuki responded by breaking the man's leg.

He could afford to be defiant because Team Rocket had little leverage left. Blaine already knew that Itsuki and his father had questionable connections, and Itsuki's presence at the Gym was partly intended to keep his father in check.

Threatening to expose those connections wouldn't accomplish much. Itsuki had never violated Cinnabar Gym's rules, and although he'd accepted benefits from Team Rocket, he frequently ignored the work they expected in return.

Now that he had enough strength to stand up to ordinary officers, he could decide for himself which orders were worth following.

Gulzar's departure took him back to Kumquat Gym, although his return didn't last long.

When he arrived, he discovered that Sabrina was gone, and Travis had disappeared with her. After asking around, he learned that Travis had followed Sabrina all the way to Kanto.

Gulzar couldn't help feeling a little abandoned. His best friend had become so infatuated with a beautiful girl that he'd followed her halfway across the country, leaving Gulzar behind without a traveling companion.

Rather than remain at the Gym by himself, Gulzar asked Luana for permission to leave on another training journey.

He packed his belongings, changed into comfortable traveling clothes, and set out carrying something he considered far more valuable than ordinary supplies: a copy of Hypothesis on Pokémon Advancement to Elite Four Tier and Energy Grades.

He had no intention of telling Kumquat Gym about the manuscript.

The Gym had invested in his training because it expected him to become Travis's assistant someday. Gulzar didn't particularly object to that arrangement. Travis was his friend, and he would gladly help him manage the Gym once he had the ability to do so.

But friendship was one thing, and the Gym's interests were another.

For years, Gulzar had wanted to learn how to raise his Pokémon to Elite Four tier. Whenever he asked the Gym for guidance, he received the same vague response: he wasn't ready yet.

Meanwhile, Reiji had given him far more useful help, despite having no obligation to support him.

After discussing the matter with Naoki and several of the older Trainers, Gulzar had begun to understand why Kumquat Gym was so reluctant to share its knowledge.

The Gym had always been somewhat cautious about his development, but that caution had gradually turned into outright restrictions. Its leadership was afraid he might become stronger than Travis, the designated heir.

Gulzar wasn't willing to let that concern hold him back.

He still appreciated everything Travis had done for him and intended to repay his friend someday, but he no longer felt any obligation to place Kumquat Gym's interests above his own future.

From now on, he would keep his friendship with Travis separate from his dealings with the Gym.

And this time, he had a clear goal for his travels.

He wouldn't return until he'd become an Elite Four-tier Trainer.

That meant raising at least three Pokémon to Elite Four tier, enough to qualify as someone who had only recently crossed that threshold.

He also needed to gather the rare materials required to help his Pokémon make their breakthroughs. Neither task would be easy, and Gulzar expected to spend at least three years traveling before he accomplished everything.

His planned route would take him back through Kanto for the Indigo Plateau Conference, then to Johto for the Silver Conference. If everything went well, he would continue to Hoenn's Ever Grande Conference and eventually the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh.

Gulzar had no intention of remaining a promising subordinate forever. He wanted to find out how far he could go on his own.

Keith and Miki had plans of their own. Once they'd finished selling their share of the cargo ship's loot, they left the Orange Archipelago together and headed for Hoenn.

With the League tightening its grip on the islands, Spider couldn't operate freely anymore, and neither of them saw much reason to stay.

Hoenn also offered something they couldn't easily find in Kanto: distance from the people pursuing them. Their enemies still had enough influence in Kanto to track them down, but Hoenn was far beyond their usual territory.

Everyone knew how close Keith and Miki had become, even if neither had made a formal announcement about their relationship. Their friends wished them well before they departed, knowing how much Keith had risked to reach this point.

He'd nearly lost his life along the way, but at least he'd found someone worth sharing his future with.

Shingo began preparing to leave soon afterward. He wanted to return to his family's dojo in Johto before deciding where to travel next.

"Maybe I'll check out Hoenn or Sinnoh," he told the others when they asked about his plans.

He'd already won the League competitions in Kanto and Johto, so there was little reason to keep entering the same tournaments. Traveling through unfamiliar regions and facing new opponents seemed like a much better use of his time.

Before setting off, however, Shingo wanted to discuss Hypothesis on Pokémon Advancement to Elite Four Tier and Energy Grades with his father.

The manuscript contained theories that could potentially change how they trained their Pokémon, and Shingo was eager to hear what someone with his father's experience thought of them.

He hoped his father might identify weaknesses in the research or offer suggestions none of them had considered. Shingo also promised that if their discussion produced anything useful, he'd share the findings with the rest of the group.

As more members departed, the once-busy villa grew noticeably quieter. Apart from Reiji, Naoki, and Kazuma's family, only a handful of their companions remained in the area.

A.J. was one of them. He intended to stay a little longer before returning home, partly because he'd finally made enough progress to feel proud of what he'd accomplished.

He had become an Elite Four-tier Trainer, even if he currently possessed only one Pokémon at that level. That was still a remarkable achievement, and he was looking forward to returning home with something to show for all his hard work.

Sou had no interest in leaving at all.

He'd always preferred a quiet life to constant traveling, and with Naoki's help, he'd recently become a Water-type Trainer instructor at the local club. He spent his days helping beginners train their Pokémon, which suited him perfectly.

His routine was simple: work at the club, then return to the house he'd bought near the beach on the outskirts of town.

Reiji had been impressed when he learned Sou had purchased his own home. Rather than waste his earnings, Sou had saved enough to give his elderly parents a comfortable place to stay whenever they visited.

He'd even brought them into the city for a while and taken them sightseeing. Unfortunately, the two were accustomed to life in their fishing village and didn't particularly enjoy spending long periods in town.

They usually visited for a few weeks during the off-season, then returned to the village they knew so well.

Sou rarely came to the villa anymore. When he did, it was usually because he'd encountered a training problem and wanted Naoki's advice, or because he'd accepted a private job that proved too difficult to handle alone.

Despite earning considerably more money than before, he hadn't changed his habits much. He still wore simple clothes, usually a clean but faded shirt, dark blue shorts, and sandals, and he seemed perfectly content with his modest lifestyle.

Reiji liked that about him. Sou had enough money to live comfortably, yet he hadn't developed expensive tastes or started showing off his success. He understood that keeping a low profile was often far more useful than advertising how wealthy he'd become.

Daishi, meanwhile, had no plans to travel anywhere without Naoki. He continued following him around, usually dressed in a black sleeveless shirt that showed off his muscular arms.

The relationship between the two was largely a family matter, and the others knew better than to pry. Daishi seemed happy enough staying close to Naoki, so nobody saw a reason to interfere.

That left Reiji and Kazuma's family.

Reiji had already settled his departure plans. After attending the auction that evening, he intended to leave for Kanto the following morning, taking Kazuma, his wife, their daughter, and the rest of the family with him.

Their new identities had been arranged through Tai's connections in the old district of Mandarin Island North. The local gangs had considerable influence over registration matters, and the chaotic state of the area's records made it relatively easy to create false identities.

Not all forged identities were equally convincing, however.

The cheapest kind existed only on paper. Someone might have a convincing-looking identification card, but their name wouldn't appear anywhere in the League's official records. A routine check would expose the forgery immediately.

The second kind was more sophisticated. These identities appeared in local registration records and sometimes even in the League's regional database, making them harder to dismiss.

Their weakness was the complete absence of a personal history. There might be an official name and address, but nothing to explain where the person had lived, attended school, or worked before appearing in the system.

A determined investigator would recognize the problem.

The third kind was something else entirely. With enough preparation, a fabricated identity could become almost indistinguishable from a genuine one.

Reiji's own orphanage background was a good example.

According to his official history, he'd lost both parents in a cruise ship disaster and had subsequently been sent to an orphanage in the Orange Archipelago.

The orphanage director and the old drunk knew his true circumstances, but they'd agreed to support the story. They had even helped manipulate the other children's memories, making their recollections of Reiji's past vague enough to fit the account.

Between the fabricated records and the people willing to testify on his behalf, they'd managed to account for the fifteen years missing from his background.

As far as the authorities were concerned, Reiji was now a native of the Orange Archipelago who had grown up in a local orphanage.

Calling that identity fake hardly seemed appropriate anymore.

And if he eventually obtained a position of real influence within the archipelago, few people would dare question his background regardless of what the records said.

The same would eventually apply to Kazuma's family. Their new identities weren't quite as thoroughly established, but Reiji believed that once he had enough authority, making those records completely legitimate would be little more than a formality.

With his arrangements reviewed, Reiji set down the pen he'd been using and pushed back his chair.

He was sitting on the villa's balcony in loose clothes, enjoying the mild weather. Sunlight warmed his shoulders as he stretched, and the cloudy sky provided just enough shade to keep the afternoon pleasant.

It was the sort of day that made him want to forget his responsibilities and go back to bed.

Unfortunately, he still had business to attend to.

The auction would begin that evening, and Reiji was looking forward to discovering what the underground market had to offer. Selling his remaining Elite Four-tier Pokémon was important, but there was always the possibility of finding something interesting among the other items.

He'd already collected plenty of valuable things from the cargo ship.

Perhaps tonight he'd find something even better.

[End of chapter]

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