Day 15 back in the Orange Archipelago. Cloudy.
After a full night of gossip, the story of the Lightning Gang's young master getting humiliated had spread everywhere. Naoki went to work that morning and called Reiji afterward, saying people were talking about it all over the city. Trainers especially were planning to head to the old district tonight just to watch the show.
By breakfast, word had spread into the city.
Good. A bigger crowd meant more people filming from more angles, and Keith could hide among them without standing out.
By tonight, the name Smiling Spider would be all over the Orange Archipelago.
During the day, they kept things normal. Reiji only skipped the harder training. There was going to be a real fight tonight, and exhausting the Pokémon before a raid would be stupid.
The story kept spreading. More people headed into the old district, and the restaurants there had a better day than expected.
Some people came for the show. Others saw trouble coming and got out early. Not everyone was willing to risk their life for gossip.
By evening, the old district felt ready to snap. Shops that wanted no part of it closed early, and plenty of owners left before things turned ugly.
Then the Lightning Gang's young master arrived with his men.
The crowd stirred at once. People moved aside without being told. No one wanted to block his path.
The Lightning Gang was here.
Now everyone was waiting for the mysterious Trainer from last night.
They waited until night fell, but he still did not appear.
Some people started whispering that he had run. Even the young master looked like he thought he had been played. His uncle told him to calm down. Last night's challenge had been made after eight, almost nine, so there was still time.
Reiji was already there.
He and the others were on a nearby rooftop. Plenty of people had climbed onto roofs tonight, so their group did not stand out.
There were 9 of them now, numbered from 0 to 8. Since Tai was joining this job, Reiji wanted the others to at least know there was such a person, even if they did not know who he really was.
Only Reiji and Naoki knew Tai's real identity. Tai, however, knew everyone else's.
Keith kept glancing at him. Tai was number 8, which meant Keith was no longer last. That alone put him in a good mood.
He had no idea Tai was probably one of the strongest people here, right behind Reiji and Naoki. A.J. might not even beat him. Tai had come out of Team Rocket's training camp.
Reiji checked the time. It was already past eight. Tonight might take 2 or 3 hours, so they could start.
He turned to the 8 behind him and nodded to Keith and Tai.
Those 2 would not fight here. Keith would stay outside and film. Tai still had to report to Team Rocket, then meet them at the manor.
Team Rocket would not have time to send people. By the time they reacted, the job would already be over.
And if Team Rocket had already set an ambush?
That was even less likely. Tai was in charge of their undercover agents here. If Team Rocket had moved people into the area, he would have heard about it. He had not.
"Stick to the plan," Reiji said. "There are 2 quasi–Elite Four Trainers down there and 6 Advanced-tier Trainers. Ignore the small fry. Drop the important ones fast, then we head for the manor. Once the Lightning Gang is done, we leave."
"Understood," the 8 of them said.
Keith and Tai stayed back. The other 7 had Ditto masks on their faces, all white, all marked with numbers. Reiji stood at the front with the smiling number zero mask.
"Peli, peli."
Pelipper grabbed Reiji. The others were lifted by their own Flying-type Pokémon. All 7 pulled up their hoods and dropped from the rooftop, landing together on the battlefield from last night.
For a second, the whole street went quiet.
Seven figures in black had fallen out of the sky. The battlefield lights hit their masks, and every eye turned toward them. The young master's uncle stepped in front of him at once.
"Who are you?"
Reiji raised his head, showing the pale smiling mask. A Spinarak crouched on his shoulder.
"You forgot already?" he said. "Your young master still owes me an Electabuzz."
Plenty of people recognized the outfit.
When Reiji hit the cargo ship, cameras had caught him. Someone had taken the image and put it on the black-market bounty.
Black clothes. Black hood. A Spinarak on his shoulder. A white smiling mask with a zero on it.
In the underground black market, people called him Smiling Spider.
"You're..." someone shouted. "Smiling Spider! That's Smiling Spider!"
The crowd blew up.
Fear spread fast. The League's bounty had painted Smiling Spider as a killer. According to the official story, nobody on the cargo ship had survived. To most people, that meant this group did not leave witnesses.
Some people started backing away.
"Raaah!"
At Naoki's signal, Flygon roared above the street and released its Elite Four-tier pressure over the whole battlefield.
The shouting stopped.
"That pressure..." The uncle's face changed. His Pokémon's Protect shattered under Flygon's roar, and the impact hit him hard enough to make him cough blood. He clutched his chest and stared at the white masks in front of him.
They were in trouble.
Reiji looked at the frozen crowd and smiled.
"You're still here? Blood's about to hit the ground."
That was all it took.
"Run! Smiling Spider's killing people!"
"Move! Stop pushing!"
"Fly if you can!"
Someone shouted, and the street broke apart. Trainers with Flying-type Pokémon took off first.
Everyone else ran for the exits. The street was wide, and the people flying away opened enough space for the rest to move. Otherwise, the stampede would have crushed someone.
Once the crowd scattered, Duel Street emptied fast.
Only the 7 masked figures remained on the battlefield.
Across from them were more than 20 Lightning Gang members, all gathered around the young master.
And in the darker corners, a few desperate people stayed hidden, waiting for a chance.
[End of chapter]
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