Chapter 385: Matsuma!
After verifying his identity, the staff members led Kenji to the elevator with
practiced, reverent bows. They ascended to the absolute peak of the tower.
At the top floor, they stopped before a massive set of double doors. The
lighting in the corridor was dim, and the decor was opulent—rich mahogany and
ornate stone carvings that gave the hallway the feel of a medieval castle or a
high-end Victorian manor.
"Honored Challenger, please enter."
The staff member stepped back, and with a heavy creak, the doors swung open on
their own.
Beyond the threshold was total, absolute darkness. Kenji couldn't see a single
thing inside.
He frowned. The atmosphere was stifling, and a cold prickle of unease raced down
his spine. His hand drifted to the Poké Balls at his waist. With a subtle,
practiced movement, he clicked one of the spheres. In a silent flash of red
light, a silhouette emerged and immediately sank into Kenji's own shadow.
Only after feeling the cool resonance of his partner guarding him from within
his shadow did Kenji feel his heart rate settle. He stepped into the pitch-black
room.
The staff member at the door didn't seem to notice the small maneuver,
maintaining a polite, plastic smile as he pulled the doors shut.
BANG.
The doors locked. The last sliver of hallway light vanished.
Fwoosh...
Four flickering blue flames ignited in the corners of the room.
CLICK! BOOM! —
In the next heartbeat, rows of brilliant white floodlights flared to life. The
sudden transition from darkness to blinding light forced Kenji to squint, his
eyes stinging.
After a few seconds of adjustment, he lowered his hand and began to survey the
room.
The space was enormous. The walls were bare and cold, centered around a single,
regulation-sized battle arena.
"This is..."
Kenji's pupils shrank. He stared at the center of the arena floor.
Painted in the very middle of the field was a massive, blood-red letter: R.
Over the last six months, that symbol had become a mark of infamy across the
planet. It was the totem of the R-Organization—the global criminal syndicate
currently being hunted like rats by every League on Earth.
Team Rocket.
A heavy, sinking feeling formed in Kenji's stomach.
Creak—
In the silence, a hidden door in the far wall slid open.
Kenji tracked the sound. The passage beyond was dark, but he could hear the
rhythmic, measured echo of footsteps approaching.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A shadow stretched across the white arena floor, followed by the man himself.
He wore a bespoke black suit, tailored with surgical precision. His shoes were
polished to a mirror shine, and his hair was cut short and neat. He looked like
a high-powered CEO or a top-tier politician.
His face was square and unremarkable, yet he carried an air of absolute
authority that made the very atmosphere in the room feel heavy. His eyes were
deep, bottomless wells of experience.
"R?" Kenji said, his voice dropping into a low, defensive growl.
Even though they had never met, Kenji's instincts screamed the answer. It wasn't
just the logo on the floor. It was the man's presence.
He looked exactly like Giovanni from the legends of his past life.
R was the codename the World League used for the mysterious mastermind behind
Team Rocket.
The man didn't look at Kenji immediately. He took his place in the opposite
trainer's box and calmly adjusted his cufflinks before finally looking up.
"Let me introduce myself," the man said, his voice a smooth, cultured baritone.
"I am the founder of this Battle Tower. And..."
He paused, a faint, cold smile touching his lips. "I am also the leader of the
R-Organization. My name is Matsuma."
Silas Matsuma.
Kenji let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. At least he didn't call
himself Giovanni.
But the reality was worse. Standing before him was the world's most wanted
criminal. Kenji's body tensed, his mind ready to order Darkrai to strike from
his shadow at the slightest twitch.
"You're a cautious one," Matsuma said, his tone conversational. "Hiding a
Darkrai in your shadow before we even met. Smart."
"But you can relax. I harbor no ill will toward you today. I invited you here
simply in my capacity as the Master of this Tower. I want a battle."
Kenji's heart hammered. He knows about Darkrai? The man was staring directly at
his shadow with total composure. Either he was bluffing, or he was so powerful
he didn't view a Mythical God as a threat.
"You're the most wanted man on the planet," Kenji said, his voice hard. "You
risked coming to the heart of Metropolis just to have a match with me?"
Kenji didn't wait for an answer. He reached for his belt. In two flashes of
light, Beedrill and Ninetales appeared by his side.
Sensing it was no longer hidden, Darkrai rose from Kenji's shadow, its single
blue eye fixed on Matsuma.
With three of his strongest partners out, Kenji finally felt the balance of
power shift back toward him. With Beedrill there, unless Matsuma could summon
something on the level of an unchained Mewtwo, Kenji knew his life was safe.
"What if I told you that was exactly why I came?"
Matsuma kept his hands in his pockets, his gaze drifting over Kenji's team with
an appreciative nod.
"Come. Let us see the strength of the Huaxia League's greatest genius. Show me
the power that has everyone so excited."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "If you can defeat me, I have prepared
a... grand gift for you."
A gift?
Kenji scowled. Knowing Team Rocket's track record with gene-splicing and
cloning, he doubted their definition of a "gift" involved anything wholesome.
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