"Big bro, can you have a Pokémon battle with me?"

While he was zoning out watching the kids, he suddenly heard a boy's voice. It was one of the three boys who had blocked him at the gate earlier—his Pokémon was a Bellsprout.

Reiji came back to his senses and looked at the shyly inquiring boy. He patted Spinarak on his shoulder, letting the spider Pokémon hop down, and replied, "Sure. I'll use Spinarak. What are you using?"

"I only have a Bellsprout, so I'll use Bellsprout. I'm ready, big bro!" The boy had already assumed a proper battle stance.

"Alright, I'll let you go first," Reiji beckoned, letting the kid make the first move. He figured it was good to play with these kids once in a while.

"Okay, big bro, be careful! Bellsprout, use Vine Whip!" the boy shouted the attack command.

"Spinarak, use String Shot to block the Vine Whip," Reiji ordered in return.

"Yito! Ssss…" Spinarak's aim was precise. The white thread it spat out from its mouth wrapped around Bellsprout's vines, sticking them to the grass.

"Go, big bro!"

"Let's go, big bro!"

With the battle underway, a bunch of kids crowded around, cheering for Reiji. It felt like he had home-field advantage. That's the charm of battles, after all.

"Bellsprout, pull your vines back!" the boy ordered, but the vines were stuck fast with Spinarak's String Shot. No matter how hard it tried, Bellsprout couldn't retract them.

The boy was sweating in a panic, desperately trying to think of a way to get the thread off the vines.

"Use Acid—it should dissolve the String Shot," Reiji said, seeing the boy struggling, sweat trickling down his forehead.

"Right! Why didn't I think of that? Thanks, big bro! Bellsprout, use Acid!" The boy immediately ordered Bellsprout to spit out acid, melting the sticky threads off the vines.

"Yito…" Spinarak turned to look at its Trainer with an exasperated expression—completely speechless. What kind of Trainer tells the opponent how to beat him? If he kept this up, Spinarak was gonna quit.

"Spinarak, use String Shot—seal its mouth," Reiji gave another command with an awkward laugh. No need to be too serious when playing with kids.

"Ssss…" Spinarak also understood it was just a kid. It obediently fired more string, this time sealing Bellsprout's mouth just after it freed its vines.

Then, just to stop Reiji from giving more "helpful" advice, Spinarak quickly shot additional String Shots, wrapping up Bellsprout's limbs and immobilizing it completely. It just needed to knock Bellsprout out to win now.

But knocking it out wasn't necessary—the boy had already surrendered with both hands on his head. "Ahh, I lost! Big bro is so strong!"

"You're just bad," another boy snarked bluntly. He also wanted a battle with Reiji and immediately asked, "Big bro, battle me next!"

But before anything else, Skinny Kid pulled that boy aside and asked in a hushed voice, "Why are you calling him big bro? Didn't I tell you he's a scammer?"

"So what? He bought us all that food, and the new clothes and toys! What kind of scammer would do that?"

That question left Skinny Kid speechless.

If the boy had seen scams from Reiji's past life, he'd know how naïve that sounded. Some of the scams in that world were just impossible to guard against.

Like: high salary, great benefits, free overseas trips once you're hired. Interested?

No?

Fine, we'll pay you six months' salary upfront and then take you abroad on vacation. Still no?

Then you're just not a team player. High pay and perks aren't for you. Oh, and if your right foot steps into the office first tomorrow morning, pack your stuff. You're fired.

That's how scammers work. These days, they don't just take your money—they give you money. How do you even defend against that?

But if it's your partner, your family, your best friend... then what?

There's no answer. It's frustrating, like swallowing nails. And that's how Skinny Kid felt right now.

Truthfully, he'd never met a "scammer" like this one. What kind of scammer gives money to the director of an orphanage? Even his own miserly grandfather wouldn't be so generous.

But Skinny Kid didn't care—he was convinced he was right. He pulled the boy back and insisted, "You can't battle him. If anyone's going to, it'll be me. I'm the only one who can beat him!"

He had this unshakable confidence. After all, he'd battled a lot as a beginner Trainer. Even if it was amateur stuff, it still counted.

"We'll see about that." The boy didn't think Skinny Kid would win, but he didn't argue either. After all, Skinny Kid was the strongest among them.

"I'll battle you," Skinny Kid stepped up and issued his challenge.

Reiji didn't respond. He didn't want to waste time battling this brat. Instead, he brought up the agreement with the bartender—he was supposed to train this kid's Poliwhirl.

"Your grandpa mentioned you to me. I assume he told you? I'm supposed to help you train Poliwhirl. You want to learn?"

"Tch, learn from you? What if you're weaker than me? Why should I? Stupid old man," Skinny Kid scoffed with disdain. He didn't like the way Reiji was talking like an adult.

He'd already rejected the bartender's offer anyway. He didn't need anyone's help. He'd get strong on his own and beat every Trainer in his path until he stood at the top.

Of course, the bartender had promptly beat the crap out of him, and even his Poliwhirl had lost to the old man's Poliwhirl.

He still refused to accept it. He swore he'd prove himself by beating that Poliwhirl fair and square—starting with exposing this "scammer."

"Alright, Director, I need a witness. It's not like I didn't try to teach him," Reiji shrugged and looked at the old director, who was quietly watching the show.

"Sure, sure, I'll vouch for you," the old man nodded repeatedly. He knew the bartender must've made a deal with Reiji about Skinny Kid, but if the kid wouldn't cooperate, the deal was off.

And honestly, he was happy to see someone give that old drunk a taste of his own medicine.

"You scared or what?" Skinny Kid shouted.

"Nope," Reiji shook his head, rejecting the battle. He recalled his other Pokémon, leaving only Spinarak, Poliwhirl, and Pelipper out.

He'd seen enough of the orphanage. It was time to head back and retrieve the pendant. After that, he needed to reorganize his Pokémon's training schedule.

If he wanted to enter the circle of Elite Trainers, he needed a detailed, step-by-step plan.

Of course, to Skinny Kid, Reiji's refusal meant he was afraid of losing. "Hah! Scared, aren't you? Afraid to lose to me, coward!"

Reiji looked up sharply. "This brat…"

"Poliwhirl, come here…"

When Poliwhirl came over, Reiji bent down and whispered in its ear. Then he patted its shoulder and sent it out to accept Skinny Kid's challenge.

"Yo-bo yo-bo!" Poliwhirl bumped fists with its opponent, then cocked its finger provocatively. It hadn't had a proper battle in a while and was eager for a good fight. Hopefully, this Poliwhirl wouldn't disappoint.

"So now you wanna battle?" Skinny Kid sneered and sent out his own Poliwhirl.

He had a Shroomish too, but he didn't need a type advantage. He'd win fair and square—beat this scammer and prove to everyone that he was right.

The kids sensed the tension.

No one dared get close. They all turned pleading eyes to the old director.

"Step back, everyone. They're about to battle," the director said. He wasn't going to stop them—he just made sure the kids cleared out to give them space.

Truthfully, he already knew how it would end. He just hoped Reiji wouldn't go too hard. Just teach Skinny Kid a lesson. No need to crush him.

Skinny Kid's Poliwhirl wasn't even in the same league. The director could see that clearly. He just hoped the loss wouldn't be too humiliating.

"I'll let you go first," Reiji said, gesturing him forward.

"You'll regret that!" Skinny Kid shouted. "Poliwhirl, use Double Slap!"

And then… that was it.

Before Skinny Kid's Poliwhirl could even land a hit, Reiji's Poliwhirl gathered spiraling water around its feet—Waterfall.

But it didn't unleash the energy just yet. Once the enemy Poliwhirl got close, Reiji's Poliwhirl powered up again—this time, enveloped in a layer of bluish energy—and launched a devastating kick.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Just one combo of Waterfall and Mega Kick sent Skinny Kid's Poliwhirl flying. It crashed into the wooden gate, broke through the fence, and only stopped when it slammed into a tree at the forest's edge.

It slid down the trunk, leaving a huge dent behind. One hit KO. Done.

Skinny Kid ran out of the orphanage in a panic to check on his Poliwhirl.

Reiji just felt bored. He didn't plan to stay any longer. He pulled out a box of premium Pokéblocks and 10,000 PokéYen from his backpack, placing them on the stone table.

"Director, this is for his Poliwhirl. The money's for treatment. Make sure it gets to the Pokémon Center so it doesn't end up with lasting damage."

"Understood. I'll take care of it," the old director nodded, watching Reiji walk off.

He hadn't seen wrong—Reiji's Poliwhirl really was stronger than the bartender's, and that explosive combo... it definitely looked like Mega Kick. And maybe something else…

He had no idea where that old drunk found this Trainer, but the kid was something else.

Maybe it was good to let him teach Skinny Kid a lesson. Otherwise, the brat would keep acting like a king in the orphanage and never learn humility.

As Reiji left, the children stood back and watched from a distance as Skinny Kid knelt by his fainted Poliwhirl.

It was the first time the kids had seen such a violent battle. They were too stunned to speak. Who knew the gentle big bro Reiji could be so fierce?

Especially the boy who'd wanted to battle Reiji earlier. He and the previous challenger wiped cold sweat off their foreheads.

"Did you see that?"

"Yeah… just one kick and Poliwhirl was down."

"Gulp. I actually tried to battle big bro…"

"Heh, I also wanted to challenge him…"

"Turns out he was just humoring us. He wasn't even trying."

"Even if he was trying, you'd still get wrecked. Look at bro's Poliwhirl."

The director didn't pay attention to their chatter. He picked up the items Reiji had left and walked out.

Truthfully, Reiji had gone easy. That box of premium Pokéblocks alone cost 5–6k, and he even left 10k for medical treatment. He'd gone above and beyond.

And don't forget all the donations he gave the orphanage earlier—he really was a good person.

As for Skinny Kid, he'd missed his chance to learn from a strong Trainer. Who knew if he'd ever get another shot?

"Skinny Kid, your grandpa left these for you. Hurry and get to the Pokémon Center—if you miss the treatment window, it'll be bad," the director said, placing the money and Pokéblocks down before turning to leave.

Skinny Kid, still stunned, didn't care about anything else. He quickly packed the money and Pokéblocks into his bag and rushed to the Pokémon Center.

Back at the orphanage, the kids swarmed the director with questions.

"Grandpa Director, where did big bro go?"

"He went to work. All your clothes, food, and toys were bought with his hard-earned money."

"When's he coming back?"

"Maybe tomorrow," the director said vaguely. He knew Reiji was just a passerby to the orphanage.

"Grandpa Director! Big bro's Poliwhirl was amazing! It beat bro's Poliwhirl in one move!"

"Study hard, and one day you'll be that strong too. Now come on, time for class." The director led the way—it was finally time to teach them about Pokémon.

The boys with Bellsprout and Oddish looked at each other and quietly followed.

To these kids, Pokémon really could change their fate.

As for studying?

Well, unless you're the boss, you'll always work for someone.

And even if you are the boss… you still need to work."

[End of Chapter]

[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

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