[Bonus Chapter]

The second day after arriving on Kinnow Island was cloudy.

Reiji slept until nearly noon—his first time in a while sleeping in so late. Though he hadn't forgotten his goal for the day, it wasn't urgent; the visit to Midnight Lounge would happen at night.

For now, he had the whole day to rest and prepare for the night mission.

Still lying inside his jungle-camouflage tent, Reiji stared at the ceiling, thoughts drifting back to last night.

He'd spent the night robbing people nonstop, heart racing the entire time—especially after hearing the distant wail of police sirens. For a moment, he thought he'd get caught and thrown in jail. Now, every siren made him flinch like a spooked bird. He'd bolted the moment he heard it.

As he mulled it over, a large blue face suddenly entered his view—Poliwhirl had noticed he was awake and had leaned in close.

"What are you staring at, Poliwhirl?" Reiji shoved the face aside and sat up. The Pokémon had clearly been awake for some time, probably standing guard while he slept.

Judging by Poliwhirl's injuries, it had mostly recovered. If anything went wrong today, he'd need Poliwhirl ready to act.

Right now, Poliwhirl was easily his strongest ally. The others were still a bit lacking, mostly serving support roles at best.

"Yobo," Poliwhirl replied, following Reiji as he unzipped the tent and stepped outside. Since Reiji had been sleeping so deeply, Poliwhirl hadn't woken him—so both of them ended up getting a rare lazy morning.

As they exited the tent, Spinarak quickly swung over from a nearby tree branch where it had been keeping watch.

"Yito, yito!" it called out in greeting.

"Thanks for keeping watch, Spinarak. Want to rest in your Poké Ball now?" Reiji asked, first releasing Krabby and then turning toward Spinarak with the Poké Ball ready.

"Yito, yito." Spinarak shook its head. A night of standing watch was nothing to it. Back when it ambushed prey, it would lie in wait for days without moving.

"Alright, then. Take a break while Krabby and Poliwhirl take over the watch," Reiji said, giving Poliwhirl two brief orders before packing up the tent and starting lunch prep.

He still had a few days' worth of ingredients left in his backpack—enough for maybe three or four meals. That was about the time limit to deal with the poacher's leftover inventory.

He also needed to sort out a fake ID, restock food, find a place to stay…

Not to mention giving every Pokémon a full medical checkup to spot any hidden training injuries.

He'd have to hire a professional to give his team a proper massage, too—help relieve their built-up fatigue.

There was a lot to do, but no rush. Lunch was soon ready.

None of the dishes were made from Pokémon meat.

Now that he was back in human society, he had to respect its rules—no casually eating Pokémon anymore.

Only species explicitly approved by the League—like Magikarp—could be consumed. And even then, only specific meat types.

Thud, thud, thud—

Before eating, he released the entire team: Rhyhorn, Butterfree, Pelipper, Wishiwashi, Slowpoke, and Magikarp.

Most of them hadn't eaten since yesterday. They were starving, especially Rhyhorn—his gluttonous appetite had hit its limit.

Reiji had estimated his food stock could last three to four days, but with Rhyhorn devouring like this, even two days would be a stretch.

Once lunch was over, he returned Rhyhorn, Slowpoke, Wishiwashi, and Magikarp to their Poké Balls.

They wouldn't be needed for now. Better to let them rest full and quiet—especially Rhyhorn, who burned calories just by moving.

The rest of the team—Poliwhirl, Krabby, Spinarak, Pelipper, and Butterfree—remained outside.

It was only 1 p.m. He dared not enter the city during daylight.

After hearing those sirens yesterday, Reiji figured he might already be on Officer Jenny's wanted list. His outfit—a black hooded coat, black tactical pants, black hiking boots, and a black mask—didn't help.

If he really needed to go into town, he'd have to change clothes first. No way he could risk going like this.

With the whole afternoon ahead of him, Reiji didn't plan to sit idle. He packed up his tent again, returned Poliwhirl and Krabby, slung on his backpack, let Spinarak perch on his shoulder, and mounted Pelipper to head for the coastline.

He figured he'd kill time fishing until nightfall.

At the beach, he released Poliwhirl, Krabby, and Farfetch'd.

"Poliwhirl, Krabby—help Farfetch'd with its training. Here's some food and water; let it eat before starting," Reiji said, pulling out his fishing rod.

He also took out Farfetch'd's Poké Ball, some bread, Oran Berries, and clean water to help it recover some strength.

"Yobo," Poliwhirl said, taking the items. It didn't bother Reiji while he fished. With Pelipper, Butterfree, and Spinarak keeping watch, his safety was covered. They just had to keep an eye on Farfetch'd.

Reiji ignored the sparring happening on the sand and searched the beach for mollusk meat to use as bait. He cast his line and started fishing.

It had been a long time since he last did this. Ever since the Sharpedo incident, he hadn't dared try again—afraid of reeling in another one that might chomp off all three of his legs.

But after guarding the bobber all afternoon, there was still no bite. Maybe he was too close to the port again. Another complete miss.

Sighing, Reiji packed up his rod and began preparing dinner by the shore.

Farfetch'd, meanwhile, refused to give up.

Every time it got knocked out, it got back up and challenged Poliwhirl and Krabby again—only to get knocked out once more.

While prepping dinner, Reiji finally returned the stubborn duck to its Poké Ball and sighed.

This poor thing… When would it learn that if you can't win, you need to endure, bide your time, grow strong—and then one day get revenge on humans and reclaim your pride?

Once dinner was done, he released the other four Pokémon again. This was the only time of day they got to stretch their legs.

Kinnow Island wasn't a remote island anymore. There were too many new and tempting things. He couldn't let Rhyhorn roam wild here.

After a peaceful dinner and watching the unique sunset with all nine Pokémon, he returned Rhyhorn, Slowpoke, Wishiwashi, Magikarp, Krabby, Poliwhirl, and Butterfree.

Only Spinarak and Pelipper stayed out.

It was finally time to head to Kinnow Port to investigate this so-called Midnight Lounge.

Reiji had prepared thoroughly. Aside from wearing yesterday's outfit and carrying his belt knife, he'd also brought along Electrode and Gyarados.

These two were from the poacher's collection.

If things went south, he'd unleash both to create chaos for his escape.

More importantly, they were there for deterrence. Electrode could self-destruct—perfect to threaten anyone greedy enough to make a move.

If anyone dared come for him, he was ready to go down together. He didn't even know if Electrode would obey, but…

Even if not, a little provocation and it would explode anyway.

Aside from the unstable Pokémon, he'd strapped a fake bomb to his waist. It wasn't real—but others wouldn't know that.

This was his second line of defense. If Electrode's threat failed, he'd rip off the fake bomb harness and bluff a suicide attack.

Nobody wanted to mess with that kind of lunatic.

That was his reasoning anyway. He didn't believe anyone was crazier than him.

As night fell, Reiji mounted Pelipper, with Spinarak clinging to his back, and flew toward Kinnow Port—ready to find the Midnight Lounge.

If he could locate it, he'd assess whether it was the real deal.

His guess? Probably just a watering hole for dockworkers—drinking and swapping tall tales.

Of course the chubby kid had been warned not to go. This wasn't a place for children.

And if it catered to rowdy grown men after work, it shouldn't be too hard to find.

Reiji and Pelipper landed on the edge of the port. He didn't fly straight in—choosing instead to walk the streets.

That way, he could ask around if needed.

But after wandering deep into the port, he found nothing that even looked like a bar.

Finally, he came across a skinny old man sitting under a streetlamp, night fishing.

The old man wore a light shirt, shorts, and flip-flops.

Not wanting to search anymore, Reiji approached and asked, "Hey, sir, do you know where the Midnight Lounge is?"

The old man turned and gave him a look, then returned to his rod before replying in a dry tone, "You looking for the Midnight Lounge, kid?"

"That's right," Reiji nodded.

The old man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he rubbed his fingers together—unmistakable gesture.

"How much?" Reiji didn't get mad at the greed. It was just business, something he was used to in his previous life.

"1,000 Pokédollars," the old man quoted, testing his response.

To his surprise, Reiji agreed immediately.

"Show me."

Little did he know—that one answer had already marked him as prey in the old man's eyes.

He knew he was being overcharged, but what choice did he have?

Wander around all night? Ask someone else? Wait until midnight?

If this old man knew where it was, then fine—he'd pay. But it better be worth it.

The old man was grinning inside. A clueless little chick like this? Of course he'd bleed him dry. Let the kid learn a lesson: the black market was deep and deadly.

A brat still wet behind the ears daring to play in the adult world? He should be home suckling milk, not poking around here.

Cheerfully, the old man packed up his rod and continued probing, "Judging by your accent, you're not local. Here on vacation?"

Reiji didn't answer. Just stared silently.

He knew exactly what this fox was doing—and silence was the best response.

Sensing his wariness, the old man smartly dropped the subject and led the way through a maze of port alleyways.

Reiji followed, taking mental notes of the route—even if he got lost, Pelipper could fly him out.

Eventually, the old man stopped and called out, "Here we are. This is the Midnight Lounge!"

"There's nothing here," Reiji said, peering ahead in the moonlight. Just a bare alley with a wooden door at the end—no sign, no lights. He didn't dare approach.

"This is just one of the entrances. You're early—the sign's not up yet," the old man explained, knocking on the wooden door.

Knock knock knock—knock knock knock.

A creak. The door opened inward, casting a strip of warm yellow light.

Reiji heard the sounds—glass clinking, rowdy shouting, swearing, the chaos of a real bar.

Sounded legit. But he needed to see it for himself.

"Kid, Midnight Lounge—this is it. You haven't paid me yet," the old man said, stepping inside. Moments later, he reemerged holding a glowing sign that he hung by the door.

Reiji scanned the alley. No suspicious people. He cautiously approached.

The neon sign blinked: Midnight Lounge.

One look—and Reiji knew.

He'd been played.

But he was already here. He couldn't just turn back now.

Whether this place was a dragon's den or a pit of vipers, he had to step inside and get a feel for it.

Even before he entered, a wave of heat and stench hit him in the face—alcohol, smoke, perfume, sweat, and a whole lot of noise. Overwhelming.

He smoked himself, but hated secondhand smoke. He frowned.

Still, he scanned the interior. Once satisfied, he relaxed and stepped inside.

The decor was simple. The bar was spacious, but crammed—round tables, stools, empty bottles.

Reeking men, half-naked, sat in groups drinking and yelling. Skimpily dressed waitresses weaved among them.

Tip them and they'd drink with you. Get handsy without paying and they'd smack you away.

All normal.

Reiji had seen it all in his past life—no emotional reaction here.

He looked toward the center of the bar—the most eye-catching spot.

The old man who brought him here was behind the bar mixing drinks, flashing him a lewd grin and beckoning him over.

Reiji strode straight to the bar and sat on a tall wooden stool, curious to hear what this old man had planned.

You wanna skin a fat sheep? Fine.

Let's see if you choke on it.

[End of Chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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