Pokémon: Master of the Rain Team

At the edge of the port, Reiji had Pelipper land on a patch of sandy beach near the sea.

He pulled out the trash from his backpack — the foam box and sleeping bag — and threw them onto the sand. With a flick of his lighter, he lit the foam box on fire. The sudden blaze lit up the beach.

Letting the flames consume the foam and sleeping bag, Reiji took out the metal pot, some feeding bowls, and a bit more garbage, stuffed it all into a plastic bag, and handed it to Pelipper.

"Pelipper, go toss this into the sea. Far out, alright?"

"Pelli-pelli," Pelipper chirped, taking the plastic bag in its beak and flying out over the dark ocean, where the glow of passing fishing boats flickered from time to time on the water.

By the time the fire on the beach had mostly burned out, Pelipper had returned.

"Pelipper, use Water Gun to rinse away any trace left here," Reiji instructed.

"Pelli—pupupupu—" Pelipper let off a triple burst of Water Gun, washing the ashes away into the sea.

Once he confirmed all evidence had been wiped clean, Reiji climbed back onto Pelipper and flew toward the old man's tavern.

As for the clothes on his body, those weren't urgent. He could deal with them after leaving the black market.

A little over ten minutes later, he spotted the familiar bar and had Pelipper land just outside.

He remembered the place clearly — there was no way he'd forget. But instead of going straight through the front, he returned Pelipper and Spinarak to their Poké Balls.

Then he checked everything on his person. He removed his watch and the little Pokémon charm from his backpack zipper.

Now, the only things left on him were his backpacks, his clothes, and a black face covering that hid his nose and mouth. Anything that could hint at his identity, he left behind — just to be safe.

After a thorough check, he was down to two backpacks, a black outdoor jacket and pants, and a dagger. Satisfied, he pulled up his mask and slipped through the back entrance of the bar.

Last time he'd noticed a back door here, much closer to the wooden hatch that led to the underground black market.

But just as he entered, one of the barmaids spotted him.

"Welcome to Midnight Bar—"

"Hm?" Reiji raised an eyebrow at her welcome. Without a word, he pulled out 5,000 PokéCoins and handed it over to the barmaid, his voice rough and low. "Give this to the old man. I won't be heading in."

"Wait, are you…?" The barmaid was stunned for a second, confused why this mysterious customer handed over money without so much as a drink.

"Still feeling weak in the knees?" Reiji added flatly.

"Ah! I got it now!" she gasped. She almost screamed, but the sound caught in her throat. Instead, she clamped both hands over her flushed lips, shaking with realization.

Seeing how cooperative she was, Reiji gave her a pat on the smooth shoulder as he passed and said quietly, "You're doing great. Don't make a sound. Just give the money to the old man."

And with that, he moved past her, opened the wooden door to the underground market, and disappeared below.

By the time the other barmaids came rushing over to check what was going on, they found the one who'd spoken with Reiji had gone weak in the knees and collapsed to the floor in shock — she'd even wet herself.

If Reiji knew how terrifying he came across, he might've considered guest starring as a villain… though, come to think of it, bullying kids kind of did make him the villain.

"You okay? Why are you on the floor?" one of the other girls asked, trying to help her up — but the collapsed barmaid was too heavy for her to lift alone.

After a bit of shaking, the shocked girl finally snapped out of it. She gasped for air and waved her hand. "Hah… I'm okay, I'm okay…"

"Just give me a second to breathe," she said, resting for several minutes before finally standing, helped by the others. That's when the old man arrived.

"What happened?" he asked the barmaids.

"He's here. He went down. And this is the money he gave for the captain," the barmaid replied, handing over the coins.

"Him?" The old man counted the bills and immediately understood who she meant. "So it was that kid again…"

Looking at the shaken girl, he gave a wry smile and shook his head. "You're off duty for the night. Go home and get some rest."....

Back in the black market, Reiji didn't care what had happened upstairs — nor did he bother watching the battles. He headed straight for the trading area. He needed to get a clear idea of current black market prices and move his stolen goods as soon as possible.

The most valuable of his haul were the three near-elite Pokémon — all captured from poachers.

As for the leftover tools and gear? Bonus items at best. Whether they sold or not didn't really matter.

To figure out prices for mature Pokémon, he first headed to the vendor stalls.

This section of the market sold wild Pokémon that had passed their juvenile phase — combat-ready Pokémon meant to act as emergency strength for trainers.

But such Pokémon came with serious flaws. They had no bond with their new trainer and were treated purely as tools. Many would bolt at the first chance, or worse — betray their trainer outright.

Some retained their wild instincts and resisted. Others had their spirits broken entirely, reduced to mindless husks that obeyed commands mechanically.

These Pokémon followed orders perfectly and never disobeyed — but they also did nothing without commands. Lifeless puppets.

Seeing the black market's dark reality, Reiji silently reflected — so this is the real world of Pokémon. The public image of trainers and Pokémon, of harmony with nature, was nothing but an illusion spun by the League.

Would the League ever truly fulfill its promise of a better world?

Honestly, Reiji would love to live in that kind of world. It sounded beautiful.

He sighed.

Soon, he spotted a vendor selling an Electric-type — a Magneton.

The masked vendor had put a 4,000,000 PokéCoin price tag on it, which made Reiji raise an eyebrow. That was outrageous. Could it have some rare egg moves, outstanding talent, or insane potential?

"Excuse me, can I take a look at this Magneton?" Reiji crouched beside the stall and asked.

"You can," the black-clad vendor replied. A Victreebel stood silently next to him, staring at Reiji with a hostile look.

No need to ask whether they feared someone stealing the Pokémon. That stare from Victreebel said it all — it had probably eaten more than a few humans.

With permission, Reiji reached for the Poké Ball and checked the Magneton's stat panel...

(End of Chapter)

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