the world's gonna know your name

by transbakugou

The ride was bumpy, long, and obnoxiously loud. With every bump, Bakugou would smack his head on a box and groan. The boxes within the truck would vibrate and slide, causing Bakugou to have to reach out and catch them before they fell over. Overall, the hour-long ride was torture. Pulling out his Pokenav, Bakugou opened the message from the local professor of this region.

The ride was bumpy, long, and obnoxiously loud. With every bump, Bakugou would smack his head on a box and groan. The boxes within the truck would vibrate and slide, causing Bakugou to have to reach out and catch them before they fell over. Overall, the hour-long ride was torture. Pulling out his Pokenav, Bakugou opened the message from the local professor of this region.

'Hi! Sorry to keep you waiting! Welcome to the world of Pokemon! My name is Birch. But everyone calls me the Pokemon Professor. And this…' a picture of a Pokemon pops up on the screen, right next to Professor Birch's avatar. '...is what we call a Pokemon. This world is widely inhabited by creatures known as Pokemon. We humans live alongside Pokemon, at times playing together as friends, and at times helping one another out. And sometimes, we just like to have fun battling others like us! But as close as we are,' Bakugou reaches up and strokes the Pokeball hanging around his neck, 'we don't know everything about Pokemon. In fact, there are still many, many mysteries surrounding Pokemon. I do research to try and unravel those Pokemon mysteries. But that's enough about me!' The message cut off suddenly, a selection popping up. Birch's icon was stood next to two smaller icons, 'What about you? Are you a boy? Or a girl?' Bakugou snorted, clicking in the icon depicting the word 'BOY'. The screen faded to black before a textbox appeared on screen 'Will you give me your name, too?' Opening the keyboard, Bakugou quickly typed in his name. 'So you're Bakugou Katsuki?' He clicked the 'yes' button. The screen faded into the map of Hoenn, Birch's textbox showing below it, 'Be courageous and leap into the world of Pokemon where dreams, adventures, and friendships await! I expect we'll be meeting again soon. Come to see me in my Pokemon Lab!' All that was left was the map, as well as a small icon leading to Bakugou's profile.

The ride continued for another couple minutes as Bakugou fiddled with the Pokenav, getting a feel for its features. Suddenly, the truck started to slow down until it came to a stop. Bakugou stood up and stretched, grabbing his bag from the floor and taking the Pokeball of his necklace. "We are finally here." He mumbled towards the Pokeball, hoisting his bag over his shoulder and pushing the truck doors open. He stepped out of the back of the truck, gazing at the trees and grass surrounding the tiny town. The day was bright and sunny, a warm welcome to his new home.

The truck was parked next to what Bakugou assumed was his house, and when he glanced over the door opened. Out came his aunt, who gave him a big smile as she rushed over to him. "Katsuki!" She cried out, grabbing him in a hug. He allowed it, returning the hug with a small pat on the back. His aunt pulled away, still smiling. "I'm glad you made it safely. I hope the ride wasn't too bad."

"It was bumpy as shit." Bakugou groaned out, rubbing his sore shoulder. "I can't believe I had to ride in the back of the fucking truck."

His aunt laughed, "Sorry about that, the driver is extremely picky about his personal space. Anyway," She led him to the door, talking as they walked, "The movers have already got most of your things into the house. They work fast." They entered the house, where two Machoke were placing boxes down. "The house is a bit small but it should be fine for the two of us."

Bakugou looked around the downstairs level, the wooden floors giving the house a cozy feel. "It's fine." He grunted, spinning the Pokeball in his hand. He glanced at the television, and then at the small kitchen next to the stairs.

"Your room is upstairs, feel free to check it out! Don't be afraid to move things around, make yourself at home." His aunt gave his shoulder a small rub before she walked into the kitchen, continuing the meal she had left when she heard the truck pull up.

Bakugou walked up the stairs leisurely, occasionally stopping to glance at a photo on the wall. Most of the photos were of his aunt and his late uncle, but a couple were of him. He recognized one in particular, as it was his aunts favorite. He smiled softly at the photo before he continued upstairs. He opened the door to his room, calming looking at the interior. The room was well decorated with a 17-year-old in mind, containing a desk, another map of the Hoenn region, as well as a bed and his own Television along with a gaming console. He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that it was a little past noon. Bakugou sat on his bed, holding the Pokeball out in front of him. "Come on out, I know you must be cramped by now." The ball released a flash of red, a white figure coming out.

The white glow faded out, the orange and tan of his Pokemon partner showing instead. The Pokemon shook out its fur, before barking happily at his trainer. Bakugou smiled at the Pokemon, patting the side of his bed. The Pokemon ran and jumped onto the bed, licking his trainers face. "Yeah yeah," Bakugou laughed, softly pushing the Pokemon's face away from his, "I missed you as well buddy. You know I wouldn't put you in the Pokeball unless I had to." He rubbed the top of his partner's head, frowning "I hate that fucking driver. Made me sit in the fucking back of the truck and wouldn't even let me keep you out." The Pokemon barked in agreement, pushing his head into Bakugou's hand.

After a couple minutes of petting his Pokemon, his aunt knocked on the door before entering. She smiled at the two laying on the bed, Bakugou on his back with the Pokemon's head resting on his stomach. "I'm glad to see Growlithe made it ok! When I didn't immediately see him with you I was worried that you didn't bring him."

"Nah, that fucking driver wouldn't let me keep Explosion out of the Pokeball," Bakugou growled out in annoyance. "Said he 'didn't want fur everywhere' or some dumb shit like that." Explosion woofed in agreement also annoyed about having to stay in his ball.

His aunt smiled at him, leaning to rest against the door. "Again, I'm sorry about that Katsuki. Next time I'll make sure to not use that company." She said. "Head downstairs soon and grab some lunch before you head out to meet the Professor! I heard he's handing out some Pokemon to new trainers today so he should be ready to register you there." Bakugou nodded and she headed downstairs, closing the door behind her.

Bakugou looked at Explosion, "Let's get ready to go." Explosion jumped off the bed, stretching out with a content whine. Bakugou reached over and picked his bag up from the side of the bed, walking over to one of the boxes on the ground labeled 'clothing'. Grabbing some essentials, he zipped up the bag and headed downstairs, Explosion following at his heels.

By the time he had reach the ground level, a plate of food was waiting for him on the table. Across his seat sat his aunt, who was blowing on her tea. Bakugou reached the table, sitting down and picking up his fork. Explosion sat at his feet, eating from the bowl of Pokemon food. Bakugou's aunt greeted him warmly, setting her tea down and grabbing her own fork. "So are you excited to go on your adventure?" She started the conversation smoothly, taking a bit of her food. "You seemed rather set on Hoenn instead of Kanto."

Bakugou frowned. "There is nothing for me in Kanto." He took a harsh bite from his food. The room was silent as his aunt waited for him to continue. Bakugou sighed after she continued to stare at him, "I wanted a fresh start away from everyone there." He growled. "I'm going to be the best there ever was without their help."

His aunt smiled sadly, "Of course you are Katsuki. I'm just-" She cut herself off with a shake of her head, and took a sip of her tea. They ate in silence until his aunt spoke again, "I know you don't want my pity or anything but I'm just worried about you after…" She trailed off, eyes looking through him, "After everything."

Bakugou grunted in response, wanting the conversation to be over and done with. Explosion whined and rested his head on Bakugou's lap. He rubbed the Pokemon's head absentmindedly. They finished the meal in silence, his aunt picking up the empty dishes and taking them into the kitchen. As she cleaned the dishes, Bakugou pulled out his Pokenav and started to fiddle with it. Finally, it reached 3 pm and Bakugou stood up to leave. "I'm heading out." He called out, grabbing his bag from the floor and heading to the door. Explosion jumped up after him as his aunt yelled out a farewell.

Bakugou and Explosion left the house, the sun shining down on the two of them. Explosion ran into the town with an excited woof, smelling the grass and wagging his tail. Bakugou walked lazily behind him, ignoring the curious eyes of the townsfolk. As he walked towards the Professor's Lab, a red blur shot out from a house and slammed into Bakugou, knocking them both over. Bakugou hit the ground with a pained groan, causing Explosion to growl and bark at the assualtent. "Watch where you are fucking going." Bakugou snapped out, pushing the other off of him.

The redhead hit the ground with a yelp. "Sorry sorry!" He panicked, quickly standing up and shaking the dirt off of himself. "I'm running late! I was rushing and wasn't watching where I'm going." The red-haired boy looked at him, "I've never seen you before, you must be new! Nice to meet you I'm Kirishima!" He held a hand out towards Bakugou, offering his help.

"And I don't give a shit." Bakugou smacked his hand away, pushing himself to his feet. Explosion ran over and sniffed him, checking to see if his trainer was ok.

The other boy frowned, before adjusting his bag. "Normally I'd try and get more out of you, but I'm running late! I'll catch you later." He yelled out as he ran away, waving a hand as he went.

Bakugou watched him go with an annoyed frown, "What a fucking loser." He said to Explosion, who nosed his hand in response. Giving the fire Pokemon a pat on the head, he opened the Pokenav and opened the directions to the lab. Heading towards the lab again, Bakugou enjoyed the feeling of Hoenn's warm sun on his skin. The walk was short and sweet, as the town was extremely small. When Bakugou reached the lab, he opened the door and called Explosion over, who trotted inside.

The inside of the lab was well kept and clean, what Bakugou expected out of a Professor. A couple of bookshelves lined one wall, a scientist standing nearby reading some sort of chart. On the other side of the lab was a bunch of machinery that Bakugou knew nothing about, but they looked fancy and expensive. In the back of the lab near a group of desks stood who Bakugou assumed was the Professor and Kirishima, the redhead from before. As Bakugou closed the door, the older man looked over from where he was talking to the boy towards him. He smiled, "You must be Bakugou! Welcome to the Hoenn Region." He greeted, drawing Kirishima's attention.

"So that's your name!" The redhead spoke, sending Bakugou a huge, bright smile.

Bakugou shoved his hands in his pockets, stomping over to them. "I'm here to register as a trainer." He grunted out, ignoring both of the greetings.

The Professor kept smiling at him anyway, "Ah yes! Of course!" He turned towards his computer, opening up a program. "I heard you already have a Pokemon, is that correct?" The Professor looked over his shoulder. Bakugou nodded towards Explosion, who woofed. "Oh, a Growlithe! Those aren't native here, so a rarity indeed!" The Professor said, gazing at the fire type.

"Male, the nickname is Explosion." Bakugou said in response. Professor Birch nodded, typing the information into the system.

Kirishima snorted, "You named your Pokemon Explosion?" He laughed a bit, eyes on Bakugou.

Growling, Bakugou sent the red-haired boy a glare, "What's it to you, Shitty Hair?" Explosion growled along with him.

"Shitty Hair?" The boy blinked, confused. He placed a hand on the top of his head. "It's not that shitty…"

"It's fucking shitty." Bakugou stated, turning to face the redhead. Since he was so mad at the other boy earlier, he didn't give him much attention. The boy looked to be the close in age to him, also about the same height as him, but a bit shorter. He had tan skin, vibrant red eyes, and the same colored hair. His hair was tied back into a ponytail with a couple of loose strands framing his face. He also had weird, yet cool, shark-like teeth. Altogether, Shitty Hair made for one interesting guy.

Bakugou continued to look at him, while the redhead turned back to the Professor. "Are you setting me up as well?" Kirishima questioned, enthusiasm bursting from his voice.

Professor Birch laughed, "All in due time Eijirou." He typed a few more words into his computer before clicking a couple buttons and turning to Bakugou. "You're almost all set! All you need is the Pokedex, which I'll give you after Eijirou here picks a Pokemon."

Bakugou frowned, "Don't take fucking forever Shitty Hair I have things to do."

Kirishima frowned at him, before walking up to the table that 3 Pokeballs were placed upon. Professor Birch stood on the other side of the table, placing his hand down on the left Pokeball before speaking, "This is a huge choice so think about it before you chose, Eijirou. This Pokemon will be your partner for life." Bakugou leaned against one of the desks, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched on. "Are you ready?" Kirishima nodded, his face set in a concentrated frown. "First up is the Grass-type Pokemon, Treecko." He grabbed the Pokeball and released the small, lizard-like grass type. Treecko looked up at Kirishima with casual indifference, his yellow eyes searching. "Next up," Professor Birch moved to the middle Pokeball, picking it up and releasing an orange chick Pokemon, "Is the Fire-type Pokemon, Torchic." Torchic chirped at Kirishima, shaking his feathers. Kirishima cracked a small smile at that. "Finally we have the Water-type Pokemon, Mudkip." He released the last Pokemon, a blue fish-like Pokemon coming out. The Pokemon stared blankly at Kirishima's face, never blinking. Kirishima seemed to be a bit unnerved by that. Professor Birch stood back behind the table, eyes landing on Kirishima. "Now it's time to make your choice Eijirou."

The next couple minutes were silent as Kirishima walked back and forth, debating with himself which Pokemon he would choose. Every few minutes he would stop moving and stare at one of the Pokemon, open his mouth as to speak, before closing it and continuing his pacing. Bakugou had moved to lean against the wall with Explosion laying at his feet, sleeping. Professor Birch was waiting patiently for Kirishima to make his decision. After about 10 minutes, Bakugou groaned aloud. "Come on Shitty Hair just make a damn decision."

Kirishima frowned at him, "Its not that easy of a choice dude! You clearly wouldn't know." He muttered, glancing at Explosion.

"Walk me through it," Bakugou spoke, moving from his spot on the wall to stand next to Kirishima. "What are you thinking?" He boredly spoke, glancing at the redhead.

Kirishima looked at him, before speaking. "Well…" He started, looking a little lost. Bakugou waited for him to gather his thoughts. "Treecko is really cool but I've always had this… thing with grass types. We don't work well together. But I can tell that he's strong." Kirishima moved to stand near the fire type next, "Torchic is a fire type, which I love! But…. the first gym is rock type and he's not the best defensively. Lastly," he stood in front of the Mudkip, who was still watching him blankly, "this guy seems really cool. His stare is a bit… weird but he looks so cool! Plus water types are good for facing a rock gym." Kirishima finished, looking towards Bakugou again.

Humming, Bakugou stepped forward. "You can immediately cross of Treecko. You don't want to pick a Pokemon you won't fucking work well with together, dumbass." He watched as Kirishima nodded, "You seem to want Mudkip. Easy, done, can I get my Pokedex now?"

Kirishima frowned, "Something is drawing me to Torchic though…" he trailed off.

"THEN PICK THE FUCKING CHICKEN SHITTY HAIR!" Bakugou screeched, causing Explosion to jump up and shoot an Ember attack towards Bakugou. He moved out of the way, glaring at his Pokemon. "Chill the fuck out." Explosion woofed at him, running up to Bakugou to get pat.

With wide eyes, Kirishima stared at Bakugou. "Uh… Ok- Yeah ok!" He started of nervously, before his tone changed to enthusiasm. "Yeah ok! Ill take Torchic!" Kirishima smiled towards Professor Birch.

"Wise choice Eijirou!" Professor Birch said, returning the other two Pokemon to their balls. Grabbing Torchic's ball, he heads back to the computer, leaving Torchic out to interact with his new trainer. Bakugou watches with annoyed eyes as Kirishima picks up the small bird, lifting him into the air as Torchic chirped with glee. Professor Birch finished typing and faced the two boys. "Two more things, and then you both are set!" He spoke, gaining their attention. "All I need is your Pokenavs." Both boys handed over the Pokenavs, Kirishima having to quickly place down Torchic in order to grab his own. The Professor took them with a smile, pulling out two new Pokedex and typing on those as well. After about 2 minutes, he turned back to the boys. "All set! I updated your Pokenavs to connect with your Pokedex as well as set up your Pokedex with the newest features." He smiled at them.

Bakugou grabbed his, shoving them both into his bag and whistling to get Explosion's attention. As Explosion trotted over, Bakugou turned his attention to the Professor. "Thanks. See you around." He turned around and started walking towards the door.

Kirishima squawked, running after Bakugou. "Wait, dude!" He called as Bakugou closed the door on him. "How rude." He pouted, before turning to face Professor Birch. "Thank you so much! I'm going to go catch up with him, I'll see you soon!" He ran out of the door, the sound of the Professor's laughter being cut off by the closing door. Kirishima sprinted across town, quickly finding Bakugou and Explosion.

Bakugou had just walked into Route 101 when Kirishima smacked into him for the second time that day. "What the fuck Shitty Hair?!" Bakugou screeched, barely stopping himself from falling. Explosion gave Kirishima a welcoming woof, walking over to be pet by the redhead.

Reaching down to pat the top of Explosions head, Kirishima smiled at Bakugou as he ignored the blond's death glare. "Sorry! You left before I can ask you something." Kirishima said, causing the blond to raise an eyebrow.

"The fuck do you want, Shitty hair?"

Kirishima's smile turned into a smirk. "Simply put," He grabbed the Pokeball from his belt, "I want a battle."

"Oh?" Bakugou gave a smirk of his own, walking a couple feet away from Kirishima. "You want to lose your first battle?"

The shark-like teeth glinted in the sunlight as Kirishima tossed his Pokeball, letting Torchic out. "Who said I was going to lose?"

Laughing, Bakugou gestured to Explosion. "Tough words from a newbie." Explosion ran into the field with an excited bark, standing a bit away from Torchic. "Let's do this." Explosion barked in agreement. Bakugou's smirk was confident and deadly, "You can have the first move Shitty Hair."

Kirishima nodded, looking at Torchic. "Let's do this buddy!" He smiled at the small fire type, giving him a thumbs up. Torchic chirped in response, facing Explosion with his eyes narrowed. Kirishima breathed in deeply, preparing himself for the battle. "Let's start this off with an Ember attack!" Torchic breathed in deeply, drawing in energy. Before the attack could be released, Torchic suddenly froze in fear. "Wha-" Kirishima gasped.

Bakugou looked pleased. "Explosion's Intimidate ability activated. Your attack has been lowered one stage." While Kirishima retained this information, Bakugou snapped into action. "Explosion, use Bite!" The fire dog lurched forward, running towards Torchic. Explosion's teeth started to glow white.

"Dodge!" Kirishima called out, watching as Torchic snapped into action and attempted to dodge the attack. Torchic managed to only get grazed by the attack, quickly shooting to the side to avoid the gleaming fangs of the other fire type.

"Ember." Explosion spun on his feet, shooting off a small burst of fire which smacked into the other fire type, who cried out after the hit. "Use Bite again." Explosion shot off towards Torchic again.

"Dodge again, and attack with your own Ember!" Torchic moved out of the way just in time, quickly shooting of his own fire attack. The attack smacked into Explosion's side, pushing him back a couple inches. "Ember again!" Torchic shot off another burst of fire.

"Dodge and hit him with Bite." Explosion ran towards the incoming fire attack, leaping over the fire and towards the small fire type.

"Use Scratch." Kirishima called out, desperately. The tiny fire-type leaped forward, scratching the side of the fire dog. Explosion took the Scratch attack with a wince, before grabbing the other Pokemon in his gleaming jaws. Pressing down, he released once Torchic let out a sharp cry of pain, leaping backward and waiting for his next command.

Torchic was clearly injured, and Kirishima was startled by Bakugou's battling ability. Bakugou's commands were relentless, barely giving Kirishima time to think. "Get in close and use another Scratch attack." Kirishima commanded, noticing that Explosion took more damage from the normal type move.

Torchic ran in towards Explosion, who didn't move. Just as Torchic almost reached him, Bakugou gleefully called out, "Grab him with another Bite attack!" Explosion lunged forward, grabbing Torchic in his jaws again. Pressing down, Explosion spun and launched Torchic towards Kirishima.

When Torchic landed, the fire type had fainted. Kirishima smiled with a small sigh, returning the fainted Pokemon to his ball. He looked over to Bakugou, who was petting an excited Explosion. "Good job," he called, gaining Bakugou's attention, "I guess you aren't all bark and no bite." Kirishima laughed a little bit. "Or I guess I should say Explosion isn't all bark and no bite." Explosion wagged his tail, giving Kirishima a small woof.

Bakugou gazed at him with a prideful look. "Of course he fucking isn't, he's my partner after all."

Kirishima sweatdropped. "Rather big ego you got there buddy."

Bakugou ignored his comment, still looking him with those egotistical eyes. "I fucking told you I'd win. Challenge me again when you actually have some experience as a trainer you dumbass." Bakugou shoved his hands in his pockets, spinning around to head farther into Route 101.

Kirishima paused. "Wait," he called out towards the blond. Bakugou ignored him. "Wait please.." Kirishima sighed, "I just want to ask you one more thing."

Bakugou looked at him over his shoulder with a grimace. "What the fuck do you fucking want, Shitty Hair?" The question was growled out.

Nervously, Kirishima kept eye contact with Bakugou. "I'm not too confident in my ability to be a good trainer." He admitted, looking away from Bakugou's red eyes. "Nobody in my family was a trainer. In fact, my father was rather against Pokemon in general. When I expressed interest in being a trainer, he shipped me off to Littleroot Town, where Professor Birch took me in." Kirishima wasn't sure why he was telling Bakugou all of this but it just felt… right. He looked back up to Bakugou, who had turned to face him with a blank expression. Kirishima fumbled with the bottom of his shirt as he talked, "I never held a Pokemon until I moved here. I'm not sure…" he smiled at Bakugou, "I'm not sure how to properly take care of my Pokemon." He said, smile turning sad, "I'm afraid of messing up and hurting them."

Bakugou's face was calm, blank. "You did fucking fine just now." He said, eyes never leaving Kirishima. "You just need to get some fucking confidence in yourself." Bakugou narrowed his eyes, "Why are you telling me all this shit anyway."

Kirishima kept eye contact. "I want to travel with you."

"No." Bakugou's response was immediate, "I don't need some fucking lackey following me around. I'm going to become the best fucking trainer in the Hoenn region, in the world," He eyes were lethal, "all on my own."

"I'm not going to be your lackey." Kirishima frowned. "I'm going to be your friend."

Bakugou sneered, "I don't need any fucking friends, Shitty Hair."

Shrugging, Kirishima didn't back down. "Maybe you don't need any friends," he spoke, confidence growing in his voice, "or want any friends or whatever. But I do know this. Bakugou, you are clearly already an amazing trainer. You are going to be one of the best trainers ever." Kirishima said, watching as Bakugou's glare became a bit confused. "There is no question about it, I can tell. You have that air all around you. But," Kirishima made sure Bakugou didn't look away from him, "you don't need to be alone. The road is going to be dangerous, and long, and probably lonely. You will have Explosion and other Pokemon by your side but," Kirishima cut off for a second, taking in a deep breath, "but I can help you. We can learn from one another. Maybe you don't need or want anyone, and the thought of help pisses you off. But I need help. I want to be strong, I want to help my Pokemon reach the potential they have deep inside of them. And I know you can help me."

It was silent as they gazed at one another. Bakugou's eyes were narrowed, searching. Kirishima refused to back down, he refused to flinch. Finally, Bakugou sighed. "Fine. Fucking whatever. But the moment you become anymore annoying or useless," he walked forward, jamming a finger against Kirishima's chest, "I will kick your ass so hard your Pokemon will feel it." Bakugou growled.

Kirishima couldn't help but snort a bit. "Got it-"

"And," Bakugou cut him off, poking Kirishima's chest again, "we have some fucking ground rules. Number one, we go at my pace. If you can't keep up, get lost. Number two," Bakugou's face left no room for argument, "don't bitch about stupid shit. If your feet hurt or you're hungry, suck it up. I'm not your fucking mother. Finally," Bakugou made sure Kirishima's eyes were on his, "I will put my Pokemon before anything else, that includes you. Got it?"

Kirishima gulped, rubbing the back of his neck. "Loud and clear."

Bakugou crossed his arms, "Good." He checked his Pokenav, clicking his tongue. "Get your ass home. Tomorrow we head out, at ten. I want to get to Petalburg by noon, one at the latest."

---

The next morning, Kirishima knocked on Bakugou's door at 9:30 am. He knew Bakugou had wanted to meet at 10 am, but Kirishima was so excited that he couldn't help but get ready super early and talk with the Professor. Kirishima felt a lot more ready then he did yesterday, so here he was. After a minute or so, a woman answered the door. She seemed to be in her late 30s, with dirty blond hair and warm brown eyes. She looked a bit like Bakugou. She smiled at Kirishima, "Oh! Hello, you must be Kirishima! Katsuki mentioned you'd be here soon, you are a little early though." She chuckled, letting him in the house. "Katsuki's still up in his room, feel free to take a seat anywhere while I go get him."

Kirishima smiled at her and nodded his thanks, taking a seat on the couch near the television. Bakugou's house was very similar to the one he was staying in, although the kitchen was on the other side of the house. Kirishima glanced around, looking at framed photos on the wall. A couple of seconds passed before Kirishima heard stomping coming down the stairs, and an orange blur tackled him. "SHITTY HAIR WHAT THE FUCK DID I SAY ABOUT GOING AT MY PACE?" Bakugou roared.

Explosion was licking at Kirishima's face, clearly excited to see the other trainer. "Sorry, Blasty! I was just really excited!" He smiled at the blond, patting the excited fire type Pokemon. "Better being early than late, huh?"

"I'll let it go this time." Bakugou narrowed his eyes, before heading into the kitchen. As he walked in, he suddenly paused before spinning around to glare at Kirishima. "Wait what the fuck did you just fucking call me."

Kirishima kept the smile on his face, "Blasty!" He crowed, "Get it? Cause your personality is so explosive and you named your Pokemon Explosion!" Explosion's ears perked at his name, giving Kirishima another kiss. He laughed, "It fits so well!"

Bakugou continued to glare at him, "I take it back get the fuck out of my house."

"Katsuki!" Bakugou's aunt called, laughing at the two boys, "That's no way to treat your friend."

"He's not my friend." Bakugou grumbled, patting his thigh and whistling. Explosion got off of Kirishima, trotting to his trainer.

Kirishima pouted, "At least Explosion likes me."

Laughing, Bakugou's aunt approached Kirishima, "Did you already eat, dear?"

"Yep!" Kirishima smiled at her, "Thank you though!" She nodded, heading back into the kitchen as Bakugou came out. Bakugou walked over with a plate of food, plopping himself down on the couch next to Kirishima, who glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Bakugou shoved food into his mouth, chewing aggressively. Kirishima snorted, yelping when Bakugou stabbed him in the arm with his fork. "Why are you like this?" Kirishima pouted, rubbing his arm.

Bakugou looked pleased with himself, "You fucking signed yourself up for this." He stated, shoveling more food into his mouth. As Bakugou continued to eat, Kirishima pulled out his Pokedex, scrolling throughout the dex. Bakugou leaned over, raising an eyebrow. "What the fuck are you doing?

Kirishima angled the Pokedex towards Bakugou. On the screen was the entry for Mightyena. "I'm checking out the local Pokemon," Kirishima said, going to the next entry. "I want to have an idea of what we are going to encounter so we can be prepared." Kirishima read through the entry, looking up to notice Bakugou staring at him blankly. "What?" Kirishima asked, confused.

"That's fucking smart." Bakugou narrowed his eyes, "Who are you and what the fuck did you do to Shitty Hair?"

Kirishima squawked, "I am smart!" Bakugou rolled his eyes at him, and Kirishima pouted. "I have a name you know."

Snorting, Bakugou flicked Kirishima's arm, "Yeah. It's fucking Shitty Hair."

As Kirishima went to retort, Explosion came bounding into the room, jumping up next to Bakugou. Following him was Bakugou's aunt, who carried a container. "It's about 10," she started, gaining the boys' attention, "you should head out to Oldale Town now if you want to reach Petalburg by noon." She stopped in front of Bakugou, handing him the container. "I packed enough lunch for the both of you. I assume you both have Pokemon food on you?" At their nods, she smiled. "Good, good. You're all set." Bakugou stood up, and his aunt lunged forward and wrapped him in a hug. "Be safe Katsuki." She mumbled into his ear.

"Of fucking course. I'll be fine," he gave her a pat on the back, "I have Explosion with me."

"And me!"

"And Shitty Hair." Bakugou added, rolling his eyes.

His aunt smiled and pulled away, wiping a small tear from her eye. "I'll trust in you two then," she looked at Kirishima and Explosion who were still on the couch, "Keep my little Katsuki safe."

Kirishima saluted while Explosion woofed in agreement. Bakugou rolled his eyes, "More like I'll be keeping his sorry ass safe." He jammed a finger in Kirishima's direction. In response, Kirishima jumped up from the couch and hugged Bakugou. "WHAT THE FUCK SHITTY HAIR!" Bakugou screeched, slamming his elbow into Kirishima's gut.

"You do care!" Kirishima fake sobbed, squeezing the struggling Bakugou tighter.

As Bakugou squirmed and screamed, his aunt walked over to Explosion. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the Pokemon's forehead, muttering, "I trust you'll take great care of them." As she pulled away, the fire dog licked her cheek. She smiled and pat his head, before turning back to the wrestling boys. "Katsuki." The boys stopped, Bakugou turning to look at his aunt with an annoyed look on his face. "I need to give you one last thing." She spoke, watching as Bakugou shoved Kirishima's face and approached her. When he stopped in front of her, she pulled a stone out of her pocket. It glinted a brilliant yellow as fire seemed to burn inside of it, "I'm sure you are aware of what this is." Bakugou nodded. "Consider it a gift." She handed Bakugou the Firestone, which he gently placed within his bag.

"Thank you." For once Bakugou's voice was soft and filled with gratitude. She acknowledges his comment with a nod of her own, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Bakugou looked at Kirishima, "Let's get fucking going Shitty Hair. I hope you already said your goodbyes 'cause I'm done with this shitty lovey-dovey crap."

With an excited laugh, Kirishima stood next to Bakugou, bumping his fist into the other's shoulder. "Yep! I'm ready when you are!" Bakugou nodded, calling for Explosion as he walked towards the door. Explosion jumped off the couch and followed the two boys, who called out farewells to Bakugou's aunt. As the door closed, Kirishima ran forward, joy in every feature. "Let's do this!" The redhead cheered, punching his fist into the air. Bakugou couldn't help but smile a bit as well.

They walked through the town in energized silence, both content yet pumped for the new adventure. Kirishima stayed next to Bakugou as they entered Route 101, where they had their battle the day before. Pokemon moved around in the grass, a pack of Poochyena rough-housing nearby. Bakugou eyed them carefully, yet made no move to catch one. As they continued towards Oldale Town, Kirishima glanced at Explosion who had sent a small burst of fire towards a nearby Wurmple. As the Wurmple crawled away, Bakugou looked at the redhead, sunlight shining on his blond hair. "What's on your mind Shitty Hair?"

Kirishima looked thoughtful, "Ever since I met you, Explosion has been out of his Pokeball. Why do you keep him out?"

Bakugou looked at the fire type, who had walked ahead and was sniffing at a patch of grass. "He fucking hates to be in his Pokeball, so I keep him out. Plus he's my fucking partner, you got a problem with it?"

Raising his hands in a peaceful manner, Kirishima smiled. "No problem! I was just curious!" Bakugou grunted, and they continued on. Route 101 was only about a 30-minute journey, and it was rather peaceful. The day was sunny and warm, typical of the tropical Hoenn region. A small breeze caused leaves to flutter around, adding to the serene air. The boys walked in relative peace, only stopping when the other encountered a battle. Bakugou managed to defeat an astounding 7 Wurmples, who were oddly attracted to his bright blond hair. Kirishima laughed and teased him about it, but the roles were reversed when Kirishima failed to catch a Poochyena.

As they reached Oldale Town, Kirishima was moping as Bakugou looked confident and amused. When they walked into the town, a man in a blue apron ran up to them. "Hi, there!" He called out, stopping the two trainers. "I work at the Pokemart. From what I can see, you two are novice trainers. Am I right?"

Bakugou pointed at him, "He's the fucking novice."

"Rude! You are technically a novice as well!"

"Ok." The Pokemart employee said, sweatdropping at the arguing duo. "Well being super kindhearted as I am, I'm going to give you some useful advice. First of all," he spun a bit, gesturing to a blue-roofed building, "that's the Pokemart there. Just look for our blue roof. We sell a variety of goods, including Pokeballs for catching Pokemon! I'd like for you two to have these as part of a special promotion!" He handed them both 5 potions and gave them a big smile. "Potions can be used at any time, so they can be very useful to have." He gestured for them to follow, before leading them to the front of the Pokemon Center. "And this," he looked at the red-roofed building, "is a Pokemon Center! Look for a red roof. Talk to Nurse Joy inside and she'll restore your Pokemon's health, free of charge. That's it! Some advice from your loca-"

Bakugou shoved past him, "We aren't fucking stupid. Thanks for the free shit. Goodbye dumbass." He walked through the open doors into the Pokemon Center, Explosion following behind him.

As the door closed, Kirishima made eye contact with the surprised employee. "Yeah sorry about- yeah…" Kirishima sighed, "Have a nice day sir." He said before he too entered the Pokemon Center.

The doors to the Pokemon Center closed behind Kirishima, who looked around for Bakugou. The interior of the Center was spacious, with bright lights and a comfortable feel. Patrons walked around the Center, talking to one another and showing off their Pokemon. Kirishima quickly found Bakugou, who was talking to Nurse Joy. The pink haired woman gave him a bright smile, walking away while Explosion trailed behind her. Bakugou leaned against the counter, gazing boredly. Kirishima approached him, smiling when Bakugou's gaze landed on him. Bakugou raised an eyebrow, "I thought you fucking got lost or some shit." He spoke as Kirishima stopped next to him, "Nurse Joy took Explosion to the back to check on him. Since he doesn't like his fucking Pokeball we have to do it the old-fashioned way." Bakugou studied him for a second, before smirking. "Even though you fucking failed at catching that Poochyena you should still get Torchic checked out." Bakugou recommended, "It'll only take a couple seconds."

Kirishima hummed in agreement, "Why must you bully me so." He teased, leaning next to Bakugou while they waited for Nurse Joy. The conversation between the two was light and casual, light teasing thrown in as well. Eventually, Nurse Joy returned along with Explosion, who ran up to the boys.

Nurse Joy approached them from the other side the counter. "You're all set!" She said to Bakugou, who nodded his thanks. She turned to Kirishima next. "Good morning! Welcome to the Pokemon Center. Would you like for me to heal your Pokemon?" Kirishima nodded with a smile, handing over Torchic's Pokeball. "Ok," she replied, carefully taking the Pokeball, "I'll take your Pokemon for a few seconds." Nurse Joy said as she placed the Pokeball on the healing machine. As the ball glowed, symbolizing the healing process, an icon depicting Torchic appeared on the screen above her. She picked up the Pokeball, handing it back to Kirishima with a small bow, "Thank you for waiting. I've restored your Pokemon to their full health. I hope to see you again!"

"Thank you!" Kirishima said in response, waving to her as they headed out. As they walked out of the door, Kirishima leaned over and whispered to Bakugou. "Why did she say she hoped to see me again? What does that even mean?"

Bakugou snorted, shoving Kirishima's face away from his. "I don't fucking know. Anyway," he looked at his Pokenav, "I want to check out Route 103 before we head to Petalburg, so let's get fucking going."

Following behind, Kirishima looked at him oddly. "I thought you wanted to get to Petalburg ASAP?"

Bakugou hummed, glancing at Kirishima, "I want to see if there is any fucking good Pokemon there. To be the best, you have to have the fucking best Pokemon." Explosion growled in agreement.

As they entered Route 103, Kirishima sent Bakugou a sunny smile. "We should play a game to get to know one another better!"

"No."

"I'll start," Kirishima ignored him. "It's going to be, uh, two truths one lie? Or, hmm."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, "Just pick a fucking game." He retorted, glancing around the route.

Humming, Kirishima continued to think. "Wait no! Let's just do 20 questions." He laughed, "It's not really a game but it'll work." At Bakugou's annoyed grunt, Kirishima started. "How old are you?"

"17. My birthday is April 20th."

"Blaze it."

"Die." Kirishima laughed, causing Bakugou to roll his eyes. "Ok fuckass, how old are you?"

Kirishima smiled at him, "16! Mine is October 16th." Bakugou nodded in recognition, continuing to look around the route. He spotted a couple of Wingull, yet made no move towards them. "What's your favorite color?" Kirishima questioned, eyeing another Poochyena.

"Orange. Yours?"

Pouting, Kirishima looked at him, "Stop asking the same questions I ask you."

"Fucking fine. What's your fucking favorite type of Pokemon?" Bakugou snarled out, glaring at the smiling redhead.

"Hey, that's a good one!" Kirishima responded, before looking thoughtful. "I'd have to say fighting types? They are just so manly!" He explained, snorting when Bakugou shoved him. "Why'd you move to Hoenn?"

Bakugou's glare turned deadly as he stopped walking. Snarling, he faced Kirishima head on. "That's none of your fucking business you Shitty Haired fuck. This game is over." He spun around, heading back towards Oldale Town. "Let's get fucking moving, there is nothing worthwhile on this shit route."

Kirishima followed behind him, silent for once. As they entered Oldale Town, Kirishima muttered to Bakugou, "I'm sorry."

Raising an annoyed eyebrow, Bakugou snorted at him. "For what you shit?"

"Asking that question." He continued to mumble, making Bakugou more annoyed. "I should have realized that it was too soon to ask such a personal question." The redhead moped.

Bakugou growled, slapping Kirishima in the back of the neck. Hearing the redhead yelp in surprise, Bakugou spoke, "Look I don't give a shit. You didn't fucking know, get over it. Let's just get fucking moving, Petalburg is a long walk from here and it's already fucking 11." Kirishima instantly brightens, sending another bright smile to the blond. Bakugou rolled his eyes but smiled softly to himself. They walked through the town in comfortable silence, only stopping for Kirishima to help an old woman into her home. He returned with two candies, one of which he forced Bakugou to take.

Route 102 looked very similar to the other two routes, although there was a small pond off to the right. Kirishima approached the pond, staring into the shiny water. A Marill watched him from underneath the watery surface, flinging water at him when he bent down to get a closer look. Kirishima laughed after the water hit him in the face, continuing to look as the Marill came to the surface and stared at him. It dunked back under at Bakugou's yell, causing Kirishima to groan good-naturedly, jogging back over to the blond. "I'm never going to be able to catch a Pokemon at this rate." He joked, nudging Bakugou with his shoulder, "Your screaming keeps scaring them off."

Bakugou went to retort but was cut off as a young boy made eye contact with Bakugou. "You!" The child screamed, rushing over towards Bakugou. "You made eye contact with me!"

A deadly smirk grew on Bakugou's face. "So I fucking did." His voice was sharp, slicing through the peaceful air. "What of it, you little shit?"

The child looked a bit uncomfortable, "Th-That means," he stuttered, not looking away from the blond, "That means we have to battle."

Bakugou's smirk grew even larger, "Oh a battle?" His voice held complete and utter confidence, causing the child to look even more nervous. "If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get you little fuckshit." He sang, gesturing for Explosion to get ready for the battle.

Kirishima shoved Bakugou, "Stop cursing at children." He said, pointing at the child. "You're scaring him."

"He better be fucking scared! I'm going to kick his sorry ass so hard he's going to regret challenging me for years."

The child was shaking from nerves. "I-I won't lose!" He called, pulling out a Pokeball. "Go Zigzagoon!" He released a little, shaggy Pokemon. It was brown and tan, with a dark brown band surrounding its brown eyes. It's shaggy tail stuck up behind it, it's brown ears perking at the sight of a battle.

"Let's go Explosion." Bakugou commanded, watching as the orange fire dog ran in front of him. The Zigzagoon froze, a sign of Explosion's Intimidate ability going into effect. Bakugou gave the Pokemon no chance to recover. "Grab it with Bite!" He said, watching as Explosion's fangs glowed with power. The fire type Pokemon shot forward, running towards the frozen Zigzagoon.

"Dodge it and hit him with Tackle." The youngster called, watching as Zigzagoon moved backward to avoid the bite. However, Zigzagoon was not fast enough, and one of his legs was caught by Explosion. Seeing the opportunity, Zigzagoon rammed into the fire dog, shoving him backward.

Both Pokemon took damage but looked ok. "Get in close and use Ember." Bakugou commanded again, Explosion moving forward quickly at his trainer's command. Explosion stopped next to the rival Pokemon, hitting it with a burst of fire. The other Pokemon skidded backward, wincing at the burning flame.

"Tackle it again." The youngster called, causing Zigzagoon to lurch forward and hit Explosion with a powerful Tackle attack. Explosion yelped, taking the hit and moving back towards Bakugou.

Bakugou smirked. "Use Morning Sun." He called, confident. Explosion's fur started to glow white, the fire type recovering it's lost health. The youngsters face paled as the fire dog stopped glowing, shaking out his fur. "Let's end this." Bakugou smirked, "Bite."

Explosion leaped forwards, grasping the startled normal type in his jaws. He bit down, releasing once the other Pokemon had fainted. The youngster let out a disappointed sigh, returning his Zigzagoon to its Pokeball. He looked up at Bakugou and Kirishima, and smiled, "Thank you for the battle." He said, still nervously. He cautiously approached Bakugou, handing him 270.

Bakugou accepted the money with a prideful smirk, "Make sure you actually challenge someone at your level next time." He jeered, motioning for Kirishima to follow behind him.

As Bakugou walked away, Kirishima approached the youngster and gave him a solid pat on the back. "You did great!" Kirishima cheered, sending the nervous boy a smile. "Continue working hard." He said before running towards Bakugou with a wave. As the youngster called out his thanks, Kirishima reached Bakugou. He nudged the blond with a small frown, "You didn't have to be so rude. He's just a kid." Kirishima told him.

"A kid with a fucking Pokemon," Bakugou growled, rolling his eyes. "He should be focusing on school or some shit, not fucking running around with a Pokemon and challenging trainers." The blond huffed, picking up the pace slightly. Kirishima followed behind him.

They continued along Route 102 at a decent pace, slowing down only at the sight of Pokemon or when Kirishima was challenged by another trainer. Kirishima kept an eye out for a Poochyena, still slightly interested in catching one after his failure on Route 101. Bakugou seemed annoyed that he couldn't find a Pokemon he wanted, tching everytime they passed a Wurmple or Zigzagoon. Explosion walked cheerfully alongside the both of them, stopping to smell at the grass or let other trainers pat him.

Their walk through the route lasted another 40 minutes, but as they approached Petalburg City, Kirishima pointed at the sky with excitement, "Look!" He gasped out, drawing Bakugou's attention. Above the trees flew a small group of Beautifly, the graceful bug types fluttering towards Petalburg. Kirishima turned to Bakugou, who was looking at the Beautifly with silent wonder, "Let's take that as a good sign." He said, causing Bakugou to look at him. Kirishima smiled, grabbing Bakugou's hand and dragging him towards the entrance to the new city, "Let's go!" He laughed, causing Bakugou to let out a tiny smile of his own. Explosion followed behind them, running after the boys with excited barks.

The two boys ran into Petalburg City, the redhead laughing and pulling the other while the blond allowed it with a small smile. As they reached the Pokemon Center, Kirishima slowed to a stop. Bakugou yanked his hand from Kirishima's, rolling his eyes at the panting boy. "We didn't have to fucking run here." He teased, smacking the back of his head.

Kirishima yelped, "But we got here faster." He whined, rubbing the back of his head. Bakugou stared at him as the redhead stood up straight, pieces of his vibrant red hair falling in front of his faces. Kirishima puffed out a bit of air, moving the bangs away from his eyes. With a sigh, Kirishima reached up and took his hair out of the ponytail. The spiky hair fell to his shoulders as he placed the air tie between his teeth, reaching up to grab the red hair and bundle it together again. Once he got his hair where he wanted it, he grabbed the ponytail from his mouth and tied his hair up again. Fixing his bangs, he met Bakugou's eyes with a smile. "Sorry about that." He said, his sunny smile still in place.

Blushing slightly, Bakugou turned so his back was to Kirishima. "Let's just get our Pokemon fucking healed so I can challenge the gym." He growled, embarrassed.

Kirishima hummed in response, moving and wrapping an arm around Bakugou's shoulders. The blond immediately shoved it off, rolling his eyes as Kirishima's pout. Together they entered the Center, approaching Nurse Joy and giving her the two Pokemon. As they watched Explosion walk away with the nurse, Bakugou turned to Kirishima. "Get out your fucking Pokedex." He demanded, approaching a table within the building. Kirishima scrambled to follow him while grabbing his Pokedex from his bag. As they sat down, Kirishima showed Bakugou his Pokedex with a questioning look. "Open it and check out the nearby routes." Bakugou said, placing his feet on the table and leaning back on his chair.

"Whatcha looking for?" Kirishima asked eyes on the Pokedex.

Bakugou snorted, "Something fucking useful." He said, ignoring the displeased looks from the other people in the Center. Kirishima hummed, leaning slightly against Bakugou so they both could see the Pokedex. The conversation between the two was quiet, only talking when they stopped to debate a Pokemon. After a few minutes Nurse Joy called out to the duo, and they approached her. They left after she thanked them, Explosion nipping at his Trainers fingertips. "Let's go to the Gym." Bakugou said, patting the top of his Pokemon's head.

Kirishima sent him a worried look, "Don't you want to have more than one Pokemon for the Gym?" He asked, eyeing the Pokedex. "There are a couple-"

"I don't need anyone but Explosion." Bakugou growled. "Let's get fucking moving."

They walked in silence to the Gym, which was only a couple of feet away from the Pokemon Center. As they approached, the duo noticed a man and a child standing outside of the gym. The child had just returned his Pokemon to its Pokeball. "Not bad…" The man spoke, returning his own Pokemon. "It was a good battle."

"Th-Thank you, sir!" The child said in response, still looking up at the man with awe.

"Come back and challenge me anytime. I'll be looking forward to seeing you and your Pokemon again when you are a bit stronger." The man smiled, waving as the boy walked away. Bakugou approached confidently, Kirishima following behind him. "Hm?" The man hummed, watching Bakugou approach. "Hello there." He greeted, "I'm Norman, the gym leader here."

"Bakugou Katsuki," Bakugou spoke, voice flat. "I'm here to challenge your gym."

The man raised an eyebrow, "And how many badges do you happen to have?"

Bakugou looked at him, annoyed and confused. "Why does it fucking matter? I thought this was the first gym." Kirishima sighed next to him.

Norman nodded, "Come on inside and I'll explain." He said, turning and walking inside of the Gym, Bakugou, and Kirishima following behind him.

The interior of the gym was traditional Japanese styled, with tatami mats and wooden doors. The air was chilly, but not enough to be considered cold. Kirishima looked around, taking in the sight of the cool yet simple gym. "Nice place!" He said, standing next to the blond boy as he stopped.

Norman stood a bit in front of them, standing with perfect posture. "I'd like to welcome you to Petalburg City, as well as welcome you to the Petalburg Gym." Norman started, crossing his arms over his chest. His stance oozed power and confidence. "As I said before, I am Norman, the Gym Leader here. But," Norman said, looking directly at Bakugou, "I am not the first Gym Leader."

Bakugou frowned, pissed off. "Then why the fuck is your gym the closest to the Professor's Lab?" The blond snarled, not intimidated by Norman in the slightest.

The same could be said about the Gym Leader, who regarded Bakugou with calm eyes. "Most trainers start out at the age of 10, so I battle them to give them a test of a Gym Leader's strength." He explained. "Ever since the Pokemon League Association decided to mend the rules, making it so that you can not challenge a Gym Leader in an official battle until you are at least 16, my job has been to be an introduction to the Gyms." He eyed the two of them, face blank, "Although the two of you look old enough to legally challenge Gym Leaders. Would either of you like a practice battle?"

Before Kirishima could respond, Bakugou growled out, "I don't need a fucking practice battle. Just tell me where the first fucking Gym is so I can stop wasting my fucking time here."

Ever calm, Norman continued to look at Bakugou. "You seem rather confident. Ok then, I will say this," The room suddenly felt tense, an air of anticipation surrounding the trio. "Challenge the other 4 Gyms, and then return. I'll make it a battle worth your time." Norman's blank face turned into a confident smirk, which Bakugou returned with his own infamous one.

"You better."

Suddenly the tense air was broken by the Gym door opening and a small, nervous voice, "Um… E-Excuse me... I… I'd like to get a Pokemon, please…" A pale, green haired child entered the gym, and slowly approached Norman and the two boys. The boy walked with little to no confidence, seeming to be completely huddled in himself. He appeared as small and sickly, not meeting eyes with anyone else present in the Gym.

Norman regarded him softly, "Hm? Aren't you… You're Wally, right?"

The green haired boy nodded slowly, blinking nervously, "Y-yes… I'm supposed to go stay with my relatives in Verdanturf Town for a while. But I thought I might be lonely by myself, so I wanted to bring a Pokemon with me… But I've never caught a Pokemon by myself… I'm not sure if I can..."

"Mm-hmm. I see." Norman said, uncrossing his arms. "I'm a bit busy right now, but if you can wait about 30 min-"

Kirishima cut him off, sending Wally a huge, sunny smile. "I can help him!" The redhead spoke, drawing the attention of everyone in the Gym. "Actually," Kirishima said, grabbing Bakugou's arm and dragging the blond a bit closer, "we can help him catch his first Pokemon."

Bakugou mumbled something angrily in response, but it went unnoticed as Norman blinked in surprise. "Oh? I'd really appreciate that." The Gym Leader said, before turning his head and looking at Wally, "Is that alright with you Wally?"

The boy looked a bit nervous but still nodded. "Yes, that's fine." His voice filled with determination, "Thank you." Wally said, looking at Kirishima.

"Here Wally," Norman spoke, approaching Wally and handing him a Pokeball, "I'll lend you one of my Pokemon." Wally's eyes shone in thanks. "Hmmm. I'll give you a Pokeball, too, so go give it your best." Norman said, handing the boy an empty Pokeball before turning around and heading farther into the Gym.

"T-Thank you, Mr. Norman!" Wally called after him. Wally faced the two boys, a nervous blush taking over his face. "U-um… Nice to meet you two… I'm Wally."

Kirishima smiled at the boy again, "Nice to meet you as well! I'm Kirishima and this blond jerk," Kirishima yanked Bakugou's arm again, causing the other boy to roll his vibrant red eyes, "is Bakugou!"

Bakugou stared at the sickly green haired boy, eyes blank. Wally stared into his eyes, nervously shifting a bit. Bakugou finally looked away, mumbling out an annoyed greeting. Wally also looked away, eyes on his own fidgeting hands. "L-Let's go to Route 102…" He said, turning to walk out of the Gym. Kirishima walked behind him, Bakugou following his red-haired companion.

For the first time, Bakugou was deathly silent. The blond wouldn't look at Kirishima or Wally, keeping his eyes on the town and the trees surrounding it. The air between the trio was tense, so Kirishima tried to make conversation with his new friend. "So Wally!" Kirishima said happily, gaining the nervous boy's attention, "How old are you?"

Wally returned Kirishima's smile with a small one of his own, continuing to fiddle with his hands. "I'm 16…" He trailed off, playing with his coat, "I get told I look a lot younger than I am." Kirishima noted that it was true, Wally did look quite a bit younger, around 12 or 13. Next to Kirishima, the boy looked small and frail. His skin was a sickly, pale color as well as his frame being extremely light and small. Kirishima looked like a bodybuilder compared to him.

"Hey, we are the same age! When's your birthday?" Kirishima kept the conversation between the two of them going, as he also kept an eye out to make sure Bakugou was still following. The blond still hadn't said a word, letting his hand graze on Explosion's fur as they walked.

The trio entered Route 102, Wally stopping in front of a patch of grass. He sent Kirishima a nervous look, which to the redhead responded with a bright smile. Wally entered the grass, a Pokemon quickly jumping out at him. "W-Whoa!" Wally said, as he quickly let out the Zigzagoon given to him by Norman. The Pokemon was small and white, with a green bowl-like circle on its head. Two red triangles poked out from said green 'hair'. Kirishima yanked out his Pokedex, identifying the Pokemon as a Ralts.

As Wally battled the Ralts, Kirishima noticed that Bakugou disappeared. Kirishima looked around, slightly panicked. He noticed a figure in the distance, causing him to squint. He recognized the figure as Bakugou, who seemed to be engaged in a battle of his own. Kirishima returned to focusing on Wally's battle, knowing that Bakugou could handle himself. "You got this! Throw the Pokeball once it is weak!" Kirishima encouraged, watching as Wally shyly commanded the gifted Zigzagoon.

Wally's battle with the Ralts was short and sweet, as he managed to quickly bring down the wild Pokemon's health before using a Pokeball. The ball shook a couple of times before a 'ding' went off, symbolizing the capture of a Pokemon. "I did it!" Wally cheered, a huge smile appearing on his face. The sickly boy approached the Pokeball and picked it up, gently bringing it to his chest with a joyful smile.

Kirishima watched the boy with a soft smile of his own, raising an eyebrow as Bakugou reappeared at his side. "Where did you go off to, you missed Wally catch his first Pokemon," Kirishima asked softly, keeping his eyes on the green haired child who was celebrating with Zigzagoon. Bakugou huffed in response, showing Kirishima a new Pokeball. Explosion sat next to Kirishima, licking his fingertips. "Oh!" Kirishima said, "Well, congratulations." He smiled at Bakugou.

Bakugou rolled his eyes at Kirishima as Wally approached. "Thanks so much, you two!" Wally said, the smile still present on his face, "Let's head back to the Gym." The walk back to the Gym was filled by the conversation between Kirishima and Wally, as the two new trainers talked about Pokemon. Bakugou and Explosion took up the rear, Bakugou twisting the new Pokeball in his hands.

When the trio entered the Gym, Norman was standing in the front room. "So did it go well?" The Gym Leader asked, his eyes on Wally.

"Yes, it did! Thank you so much." Wally responded as he returned Norman's Zigzagoon back to its original trainer. Wally turned back around, and faced Bakugou and Kirishima, "And you two… Thank you so much for coming with me! It was because of you two that I was able to catch my very own Ralts." Wally grasped the Pokeball closer to his chest. "Oh, I've got to go. My mom's waiting for me." He headed to the door, waving as he went. "Thank you all so much!" The door shut behind the green haired boy.

Norman coughed to regain the duo's attention. "Hm. That boy is worthy of keeping an eye on. Again, I wish to thank you for watching Wally. His parents told me that he is rather sickly, so they didn't want him to go alone." Kirishima smiled and Bakugou let out a bored hum in response. "But for now…" Norman began, eyes on Bakugou. "Focus on getting stronger and come back here. The first Gym is in Rustboro City, which lies beyond this town. There, you can challenge Roxanne for your first Gym Badge." Norman ended, heading farther into the Gym without another word.

It was silent for a couple minutes. "Friendly guy," Kirishima said, looking at Bakugou. "So what's next Blasty?"

Bakugou growled at the nickname, "Let's go to the fucking Pokemon Center." He said, heading out of the Gym. Kirishima followed behind him. "I want to heal my team and check out my new fucking Pokemon before we go to Route 104."

"Oh yeah!" Kirishima smiled at the blond, "You caught a new Pokemon I almost forgot! What is it?" He asked with curious eyes.

Bakugou smirked at him, "You are going to have to fucking wait and see Shitty Hair." Together they headed to the Pokemon Center, Kirishima asking Bakugou questions along the way. When they reached the Center, Bakugou gave his Pokemon to Nurse Joy, who took them with a smile. "Shitty Hair shut the fuck up."

"Just tell me already," Kirishima whined, leaning against Bakugou, "the anticipation is killing me."

Bakugou shoved him, "It's only been fucking five minutes stop being so fucking dramatic." The redhead continued to pester Bakugou as they waited for Nurse Joy to return with Explosion and the mystery Pokemon.

A couple of minutes passed until Explosion bounded over to his trainer, barking happily. Bakugou approached Nurse Joy while Kirishima bent down to smother the blond's partner Pokemon with a hug. As Explosion kissed Kirishima's face, Bakugou took the Pokeball from the nurse with a nod of thanks. Bakugou returned to Kirishima, who looked up at him while the fire dog continued to kiss his face, "Can I finally know?" Kirishima said, smiling at Bakugou.

Bakugou nodded, heading to the door. Kirishima and Explosion followed behind him, the other boy clearly excited. They left the Pokemon Center and Bakugou took them to a small pond next to the Gym, out of the way of the townspeople. He showed Kirishima the Pokeball, "This is another Pokemon I'm going to use to kick your ass." Bakugou said, smirking as the redhead rolled his eyes at him. "Come on out." He released the Pokemon in a flash of red, the glowing white forming a short Pokemon.

Kirishima smiled, "A Ralts! That's what Wally caught!"

Bakugou frowned, approaching his new Pokemon and sitting next to it. He placed his hand on the Pokemon's head, rubbing softly. The Ralts cried out happily, moving closer to his trainer's side. "Well, mine's a lot fucking better than that losers." He snarled out, Explosion laying next to him.

Kirishima sat down in front of the other trainer, running his fingers through the grass. "You didn't say a word to Wally the whole time we were with him," Kirishima said, eyeing the blond as he continued to play with the grass. "What's up with that? You love to yell at people."

"That's none of your fucking business." Bakugou raised his nose in the air, looking away from Kirishima.

Kirishima playfully pouted, "Bakugou that's not what you should say to your best friend." Kirishima teased, tossing a clump of grass at the blond.

The grass landed on his leg, causing Bakugou to flip him off. "Who the fuck said you are my best friend." The blond growled. "Explosion is my best friend, not your worthless ass." Explosion barked in agreement, rubbing his nose along his trainer's leg. Bakugou pats his head in response.

Kirishima flopped onto his stomach, his face a couple of inches away from Bakugou and his Pokemon. "Why do you treat me so?" He jokingly cried, reaching his hand out towards the Ralts. "At least Ralts likes me, right?" The psychic and fairy type cried out in agreement, throwing his hands up.

Bakugou frowned at his Pokemon. "You traitor." He said to the small Pokemon, who looked at him with happy eyes. They continued to sit in the sun, basking in its warmth. Bakugou got to know his new Pokemon, who kind of reminded him of Kirishima has they both were happy and excited constantly. At one point Explosion moved to lay next to Kirishima, who was laying on his back with his head on Bakugou's feet. The townspeople paid them no mind, continuing about their day.

Eventually, Bakugou stood up and returned his Ralts. Kirishima blinked up at him as the blond boy kicked his side. "Let's go." He grunted, stretching. "We are wasting time just fucking laying here."

Kirishima stood up as well, stretching. "What's next?" He asked, watching Bakugou pull out his Pokenav.

The blond hummed, "Next we need to head through Route 104 until we reach Petalburg Woods. Better be fucking ready," Bakugou said, placing the Pokenav back into his bag and looking at Kirishima. "We spent a lot of unnecessary time helping that green-haired fuck. We need to pick up the pace if we want to reach Petalburg by tonight."

"His name is Wally." Kirishima frowned at Bakugou, following the blond.

Bakugou rolled his eyes, "Yeah sure, what the fuck ever." Together the duo walked towards Route 104, Kirishima waving at the townspeople. They smiled and waved back, wishing the boys a safe journey. Bakugou rolled his eyes and sped up, Explosion trotting happily behind his trainer.

Kirishima ran ahead of them, stopping at the short ledge leading to the beach on Route 104. He smiled and took a deep breath, taking in the sounds of the waves and the smell of the sea. Bakugou and Explosion reached his side, the fire type barking and running into the sand to chase the Wingull. The bird Pokemon took to the air, crying out as they flew away. A soft breeze ruffled Kirishima hair, causing the red-head to tuck his bangs behind his ears. "Where to Blasty?" He turned his attention to the blond next to him.

Bakugou was standing next to him, hands in his pockets and gaze on the ocean. His eyes were narrowed as he watched a trainer approach his Pokemon. "You should battle that trainer." He gestured with his head. "You need some fucking practice if you want to challenge the Gym after I destroy it."

Kirishima frowned at him, the breeze continuing to ruffle their hair and clothing, "Don't you want to train your Ralts though?"

"Go fucking battle the fucking trainer Shitty Hair or I swear-"

Kirishima raised his hands, "Fine fine I'm going!" He said, running down the stairs onto the beach. He approached the trainer who was carefully trying to pet Explosion, although the Pokemon was playfully darting away everytime the trainer came close.

As Kirishima approached, the trainer looked up at him. "Oh hello! Is this your Pokemon?" He smiled.

Explosion walked over next to Kirishima and sat next to him. "No, he's my friends." Kirishima responded, looking at the blond who was watching him with an annoyed glare. Bakugou flipped him off. Kirishima turned back to the boy with an awkward smile. "So… Wanna battle?"

The boy looked at him, surprised. "Oh, sure!" The youngster smiled, pulling out a Pokeball, "You got your own Pokemon or are you using your friends?"

"I have my own." Kirishima responded, pulling out his own Pokeball. He turned to look at Explosion, "Go back to Bakugou now." Explosion barked at him and didn't move, causing Kirishima to stare at him. They continued to look at one another until Kirishima gave up with a sigh. "Ok fine."

The youngster laughed, "My name is Billy!" He called out, regaining Kirishima's attention. Billy threw his Pokeball into the air, releasing his Seedot. "Let's do this!"

"Come on out!" Kirishima released Torchic, the small bird-like Pokemon chirping when it hit the sand. Torchic stared at the Seedot, and the battle began.

"Use Harden." Youngster Billy commanded, his Seedot's posture going rigid as small sparkles of energy shone around the Pokemon. Its defense stat rose one level.

"So physical attacks are a bad idea…" Kirishima murmured to himself, "Good thing I'm a fire type. Use Ember!" Torchic let out a burst of flame at his trainers call, the fire hitting the small seed Pokemon who was still stationary.

The Seedot cried out in pain at the super-effective move. "Are you ok Seedot?" Billy cried out, watching as the seed Pokemon nodded, "Ok! Use Bide!" Seedot shone a pale red, collecting energy.

"Use Ember again!" Torchic spat another flame out at the seed Pokemon, who took another direct hit and fainted. Kirishima smiled at his Torchic. "Good job buddy! That was easy."

Youngster Billy smirked at him, "Don't get ahead of yourself Red. I still have another Pokemon." Billy ignored Kirishima's laugh at the nickname, "Your turn Taillow!" His next Pokemon was a small, navy colored bird. "Use Peck!" Taillow flapped its wings, flying towards Torchic.

"Dodge it!" Kirishima said, watching as Torchic attempted to move out of the way. However, Torchic was not fast enough and was clipped by the Peck attack. "Use Scratch!" Torchic leaped at the bird, scratching his claws on the Taillow's wing, who cried out and flew away.

"Another Peck attack!" Billy directed, causing Taillow to loop around and speed towards Torchic again.

"Stay there and use Ember!" Torchic released a burst of flame onto the incoming Taillow, who took a direct hit to the face. The Taillow continued to fly forwards and hit Torchic with it's Peck attack. "Use scratch again!" Kirishima called out, causing his Pokemon to stand up and jump at the Taillow, landing another scratch attack.

Taillow fell into the sand, fainted. "Return Taillow." Youngster Billy returned his Pokemon to its Pokeball, approaching Kirishima. He held out a hand, offering the red-haired trainer 96. "Great battle." Billy said, smiling.

Kirishima held out his hand for a handshake, "You as well!" He replied, shaking the boy's hand. Kirishima took the money and watched as Youngster Billy headed towards Petalburg City. A grunt sounded from next to him, causing him to spin around. Standing next to Explosion was Bakugou, who must have silently approached Kirishima during the battle. "Oh, you scared me." Kirishima laughed, placing the money into his backpack.

"You suck at battling," Bakugou stated, causing Kirishima to frown. "I could have won that fucking battle in a heartbeat."

"Well, you have more experience-"

Bakugou tsked, glaring at Kirishima. "Shut the fuck up and listen to my fucking advice Shitty Hair." Bakugou growled, watching as Kirishima blinked in surprise. "You handled that useless Seedot well enough, but you could have fucking easily beat the Taillow without taking two hits." Bakugou rolled his eyes, grabbing a Potion from his bag. He gestured for Torchic to come closer. As the small bird walked to him, Bakugou continued to speak. "You have to be fucking aggressive, don't fucking stand there and wait for the Pokemon to come to you. Use your Pokemon's speed to outmaneuver the other fucking Pokemon." Bakugou sprayed Torchic with the Potion, smiling slightly at the fire types cry of thanks. "Torchic doesn't have a great defense stat, but it does have a fucking decent special attack one. Use Ember more than Scratch, and keep Torchic away from physical hits."

Kirishima watched as Bakugou stood up, cleaning the sand from his pants. Kirishima picked up Torchic, holding the Pokemon in his arms as he smiled at the blond. "Thank you, Bakugou."

Bakugou rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah whatever. Hurry the fuck up we have places to be." He said, heading back towards the grass and off the beach. Explosion followed behind his trainer, Kirishima scrambling to return his Pokemon and rush after the blond. As they continued down the route, Kirishima observed the nearby Pokemon. They were rather carefree and loud, playing and flying around. A group of Wingull flew above the duo, Explosion barking at them. Kirishima noticed that there was no longer any Poochyena and frowned, Bakugou noticing and raising an eyebrow at the boy. "And what the fuck is wrong with you?

"There is no more Poochyena…" Kirishima said, slightly kicking the dirt. "I still kind of wanted one."

"Want to go back and fucking catch one?"

"No no, it's cool!" Kirishima shook his hands, smiling at Bakugou. "I'll either run into one later or it just wasn't meant to be. Let's get moving though!" Kirishima laughed, running ahead. Bakugou followed behind him, rolling his eyes with an amused smirk. Explosion ran after the redhead, panting in excitement.

The entrance of the woods appeared, Kirishima and Explosion running towards it. Suddenly, a boy with bright blond hair and wearing a navy suit walked onto the path, causing Kirishima to stop running and look at him. The new blond boy eyed him with arrogance, "Oh I was expecting something a bit… better." The blond said, scrunching his nose.

Kirishima tilted his head, confused. "What?"

"Oh, nothing nothing." The blond laughed, "You just look rather trashy."

Frowning, Kirishima looked at Explosion who was glaring at the blond boy. "Oh… That's ok!" Kirishima smiled. "I'm going on an adventure, not a dinner party! Can you please move, I need to get into the woods." Explosion barked in agreement.

The blond boy raised his nose in the air. "It's a disappointment that a Pokemon as beautiful as that one travels with someone so ugly. Battle me. If I lose, you can go into the woods. If I win, I get the Pokemon."

"He's not my-"

"And people tell me that I'm the fucking asshole." Bakugou laughed, finally catching up to Kirishima. "First off Fuckface, that's my Pokemon. Secondly," Bakugou's smirk was deadly, "are you seriously so fucking weak that you need to take other trainers Pokemon instead of catching your own."

The other blond frowned at Bakugou, "Such vulgar language. It's almost as ugly as you." The boy laughed, raising his hand to his mouth. His eyes shone with humor. "And I'm clearly not weak if I beat you in a battle. Again, it's a pity for such a lovely Pokemon to travel with someone like… well, you."

Bakugou growled, "Oh so you want to fucking battle? I'll take you up on that." Bakugou's glare was sharp enough to cut through metal. "But let's change some shit up."

"Oh?" The blond looked mildly interested.

"New fucking terms. You win, you get Explosion." Bakugou gestured to his Pokemon. "I win," he growled, his smirk growing, "I get to fucking leave and never talk to you again."

Sighing in disappointment, the blond responded, "What a horrible nickname. And those are just the same terms but reworded. However, I'll accept the deal." He walked forward and reached for his Pokeball. "A gentleman always tells his name before a battle. You can call me Winston."

Bakugou laughed, "And I'm not a fucking gentleman. Let's get this shit over with we have places to be." Explosion took his place in front of Bakugou.

"Come on out my lovely!" Winston sang, releasing his Pokemon. Out came a Zigzagoon, who cried out and shook its fur.

Bakugou couldn't help but snort. "Really, a fucking Zigzagoon? Here you are bitching about fucking beauty or whatever the fuck and your fucking Pokemon is a Zigzagoon?" Kirishima chuckled quietly from behind Bakugou.

Winston whined in annoyance, "I'll have you know that my lovely Princess has a pedigree! She has been bred down for generations after generations, from my great-great-great-great-grandfather's Linoone. She's the best you can get. Plus," he swooned, eyes gazing upon his Pokemon, "look at her adorable face! You can't get anything cuter."

Bakugou stared blankly at Winston, "I can name a lot of fucking Pokemon cuter than a fucking Zigzagoon." Bakugou growled out, annoyed. "Anyway, let's get this fucking over with. You can have the first move."

Winston smiled confidently, "You will soon regret this lapse in judgment!" He pointed at Explosion, "Princess, hit that Growlithe with a Tackle attack!" The Zigzagoon attempted to move forward before freezing, symbolizing Explosion's Intimidate ability going into effect.

Bakugou didn't waste a second, "Use Bite." He commanded, his voice cocky. Explosion ran towards the frozen Zigzagoon, latching onto the Pokemon's body with his glowing teeth. Princess the Zigzagoon cried out in pain, wiggling out of Explosion's attack and running back to her trainer.

"Oh, my dear! Are you alright?" Winston cried out, running to Princess. The Pokemon nodded and faced Bakugou. Winston frowned, "Be careful! You could have really hurt her!"

Bakugou glared at him, "Have you ever fucking battled before? Your Pokemon will take damage you fucking idiot." He snarled, "This is boring. Explosion, Bite." Explosion ran forward and bit the other Pokemon again, causing it to faint.

Winston cried out, "My darling Princess!" He ran forward, cradling his Pokemon in his arms. "How dare these heathens treat you so roughly!"

Walking forward, Bakugou glowered at him. "That was a huge waste of fucking time. However," Bakugou smirked aggressively, "I believe we had a bet."

Winston returned his Pokemon, "Yes we did, and a gentleman never goes against his word. Good day!" The blond ran off, heading towards the Pokemon Center. Bakugou and Kirishima watched him go, Kirishima laughing awkwardly.

"Fucker didn't even pay me. Well," Bakugou shoved his hands into his pockets, "we got places to be Shit Hair. Let's get a move on." Bakugou turned and walked towards the opening to the woods, Explosion scrambling after his trainer. Kirishima followed, walking next to the fire type.

The entrance to the woods loomed above them, a small white fence on either side of the opening. The trees were tall and full of leaves, casting a shadow on the ground. Sunlight peeped through at odd intervals as the trio entered the Petalburg Woods. Rustling sounds were heard from the nearby grass, a telling sign that Pokemon were nearby. Kirishima walked forward, approaching an old wooden sign next to a large tree. "'Welcome to the Petalburg Woods,'" he read aloud as the rest of the team approached them, "continue north to reach Rustboro City.'" He finished, standing up straight and looking at Bakugou, "So north. Awesome. Which way is north again?"

Rolling his eyes, Bakugou pointed straight ahead. "The way we were going, shithead. That's why it said 'continue north' and not 'go north.'" Bakugou strolled on ahead, heading into the grass. Kirishima followed behind him, making sure to stick close to the other boy.

They quickly reach an impasse in the form of crowded trees. Kirishima frowned, a bit worried. "I hope we don't get lost. I don't think we are going to be able to stay strictly north the whole time."

"The Pokenav has a map of the woods." Bakugou stated, pulling out his own Pokenav and opening the map feature. As Kirishima drew closer to look over his shoulder, Bakugou pressed a couple buttons until the screen showed a close up of the woods. Bakugou shifted the screen so Kirishima was able to see as well. "Now we won't get lost so don't fucking worry." He said, heading west.

A group of Taillow cried from the nearby trees as the boys walked silently through the woods. Suddenly, a young boy jumped out of the grass, startling Kirishima. "Go, go, go! My Bug Pokemon team!" The boy struck a pose as Kirishima put a hand to his heart, taking in a deep breath. "My name is Lyle and I'm a Bug Catcher! Let's battle."

Bakugou eyed Kirishima, "Have fun." The blond said as he went to sit at a nearby tree, Explosion laying at his feet.

Kirishima frowned at his friend, "Thanks." He groaned out, facing the Bug Catcher. "Guess I'm your opponent."

"PREPARE TO LOSE." The boy screamed out, causing Kirishima to jolt and let out a soft curse. "Let's goooo Wurmple!" Lyle threw a Pokeball forward and letting out his Pokemon. The red and white bug let out a cry of happiness.

Kirishima released Torchic, "Let's win this quickly." He said to his Pokemon, smiling. "I don't want to be in this forest when it's dark."

Lyle screamed again, "The best time to catch Bug Pokemon is during the night! Wurmple, use String Shot!." The bug launched a string of sticky web from its mouth at the command.

"Dodge and use Ember." Kirishima instructed. Torchic ran out of the way and released a burst of flame from his mouth. As soon as the fire hit the bug type, it fainted.

Lyle frowned, "Return Wurmple." With a flash of red light, the Pokemon was returned to its ball. "Let's see you defeat this Pokemon! Go Wurmple!" Out came another Wurmple, who also let out a cry of happiness.

Kirishima laughed a bit, "You can have the first move?" It came out as more of a question, but the Bug Catcher seemed to get his point.

"You'll regret that! Wurmple, use String Shot." The Wurmple nodded and sent out its attack. Kirishima called out the same command as before, and again the Wurmple fainted. Lyle frowned, "Dang you're good. But not good enough to defeat this Pokemon! Go Wurmple!" Out came yet another Wurmple.

"How many Wurmple do you have?!" Kirishima cried out.

"3," Lyle stated proudly, "and this Wurmple is the strongest one. Wurmple use Tackle." The Wurmple moved surprisingly fast for such a small bug and rammed into Torchic.

Torchic took the hit with a small cry and stepped back. He opened his beak and released an Ember attack. The Wurmple fainted. "You didn't even let me command you." Kirishima said to his Pokemon. Torchic chirped at him as he ruffled his feathers.

Lyle sighed, "I'm sorry I failed you Wurmple." The final Wurmple was returned to its ball. Lyle approached Kirishima.

"Wow. What a riveting fight." Bakugou drawled out, walking towards Kirishima. "I was on the edge of my seat the whole time." The blond glared when Kirishima hit him with his elbow.

Lyle reached out his hand, "Thank you for the amazing battle!" He yelled, causing Kirishima to wince a bit. After the two shook hands, Lyle reached into his bag and handed Kirishima 124. With a nod, the Bug Catcher ran back into the grass and out of sight.

Kirishima returned Torchic to his ball, "Well that was… something." He said to Bakugou, who raised an eyebrow. "Which way now?"

Bakugou pointed to the east. Kirishima nodded and the two headed in that direction, idle chit-chat filling the air. For the next 10 minutes, not much happened. A couple of Pokemon battles, 3 of which were against Wurmple causing Kirishima to say he never wants to see a Wurmple again, and Kirishima tripping over a tree root later they had reached a small clearing. In said clearing stood a man. The man was dressed in a white lab coat and wore huge, round glasses on his face. His brown hair was ruffled and messy, looking as if he had run his hand through it many times. The man clearly looked nervous as he turned back and forth, quietly muttering to himself.

Bakugou stepped on a branch, causing it to snap and make a noise. The man faced them with wide eyes, "Oh hello! Have you seen any Pokemon called Shroomish around here? I really love that Pokemon and I can't seem to find one-"

Suddenly more snapping sounds came from behind the man, who spun around to face the sounds. Out of the grass came another man, however, this one was dressed in an outfit similar to that of a pirate. A black bandana with a symbol on it covered his black hair. His clothes consisted of a white and blue striped and slightly tattered shirt with gray pants and black and blue shoes. Black gloves covered his hands as the man sauntered forward with a confident smirk placed on his face.

"I was going to ambush you," he started talking as he approached the scientist, "but you had to dawdle in Petalburg Woods forever, didn't ya." His voice was rough and annoyed. "I got sick of waiting so here I am!" He stopped walking and leaned forward slightly. "You!" The pirate-like man shoved a finger towards the scientist, "Devon researcher! Hand over those papers!" His eyes drifted to the clipboard held by the scientist.

The scientist shook in fear and scrambled behind Kirishima and Bakugou. Bakugou glared at him as he accidentally bumped into him. "Aiyeeeh! You two are Pokemon Trainers, right? You've got to help me! Please!"

Bakugou groaned, "Why are you making us fight your battles? If you fucked with the wrong crowd, deal with it yourself."

The scientist shook his head, "I don't know this man! But he is from Team Aqua, a notorious group of criminals terrorizing the Hoenn Region!"

Raising an eyebrow, Bakugou faced the Team Aqua grunt. "Oh? No problem them." Bakugou gave the man a deadly smirk, "Kicking the shit outta criminals happens to be a favorite activity of mine."

The Aqua Grunt laughed, "Hunh? What do you think you're doing? What, you are going to protect him? No one who crosses Team Aqua gets any mercy, not even a teenager like you! Come on and battle me!" He moved into a pose, smirking as he released his Pokemon. A black dog-like Pokemon came out. It shook its fur and let out a growl at the sight of Bakugou, Kirishima, and Explosion.

"I got this one," Bakugou said to Kirishima, the smirk on his face. Explosion ran forward with a growl of his own. The Poochyena flinched as the battle started, and Bakugou used that to his advantage. "Use Ember." He commanded, causing Explosion to release a strong burst of flame from his jaws.

"Dodge and use Tackle." The Grunt said, watching as his Poochyena jumped over the Ember attack and ran forward to slam into Explosion.

Explosion took the hit, sliding back a bit, "Use Bite." Explosion lunged forward, latching onto the leg of the other Pokemon. Poochyena cried out and yanked his leg free. "Follow up with an Ember attack." The fire move hit the other Pokemon straight in the side. Poochyena winced at the damage but rushed forward at his trainer's command. Unleashing his own Bite attack onto Explosion, the dark type growled. The two Pokemon traded blows for a minute before Bakugou instructed Explosion to move back.

Both Pokemon were panting, clearly injured. However, Poochyena seemed to be the better off of the two. The Grunt smirked, "Let's end this, Tackle!"

Poochyena ran forward. Once the dark type was in close, Bakugou called out his move. "Ember." Explosion fired off another Ember attack, which hit the running dog-like Pokemon in the face. With the second's spared from that move, Bakugou said his next command. "Morning Sun, and then Ember." Explosion started to glow white, the sun's rays absorbing into his fur and healing him. Once he was completely healed, Explosion charged up an Ember attack and landed another direct hit onto the struggling Poochyena.

Poochyena let out a cry of pain as it fainted, causing the Grunt to let out a displeased tch. "Grr... You've got some nerve meddling with Team Aqua! Come on and battle me again! ...I wish I could say that but I'm all out of Pokemon. And, hey, we of Team Aqua are also after something in Rustboro. I'll let you go for today." The Grunt grunted as he returned his Poochyena to it's Pokeball. He wandered off back into the direction that he came until he was out of sight.

The scientist carefully walked out from where he was hidden before. He adjusted his glasses and coat before softly clearing his throat, "Whew… That was awfully close! Thanks to you," his eyes drift to Bakugou, "he didn't rob me of me of these important papers. I know! I'll give you this as my thanks!" He stepped forward and handed Bakugou a bundle of potions, as well as some other healing items. "And with this, I'll restore your Pokemon's health. It's a technical advance that I'm proud of!" He leaned down next to Explosion, placing the device next to the Pokemon. A quick minute later, Explosion was back to perfect health. The fire type licked his cheek in thanks.

Bakugou blinked, "Thanks I guess." He handed some of the gifts to Kirishima, who placed them in his own bag for safe carrying.

"...Ah! Didn't that Team Aqua thug say they were after something in Rustboro!" The scientist stood up in a panic, quickly grabbing his device and clipboard. Scrambling to face Bakugou and Kirishima, he spoke again, "Uh-oh! It's a crisis! I can't be wasting time!" He took off without a farewell, leaving the trio behind.

It was silent for a minute. Kirishima turned to look at Bakugou, "Should we follow him and make sure it makes it safely?" He asked, glancing at the direction the scientist had run off to.

Shrugging, Bakugou responded, "I don't fucking know. I think he will be fine." They started to walk forward again but tension still riddled the air. Kirishima looked thoughtful and worried, keeping silent as they walked forward. After about 5 minutes of walking, Bakugou let out an aggravated sigh. "Usually I can't ever get you to shut up. What's wrong dumbass."

Kirishima didn't react to the insult, "Team Aqua… I've heard of them before."

"Oh?"

He nodded in response, "Yeah. My father was talking about them- Oh that's right you are from Kanto. You probably don't know anything about what's been happening recently." Kirishima cut himself off and stopped walking.

Bakugou stopped slightly ahead of him with a sigh. "No, I don't. All I know about is the Team Rocket shit back in Kanto, I haven't heard about any Team Aqua or shit like that."

Kirishima frowned a bit, "Recently, two rival organizations have sprung up. Not much is known about their goals, but we do know their names. Team Aqua and Team Magma. They have been attacking trainers and robbing establishments, but fights between the two have been reported as well. It seems they are working against one another to reach their goals."

"Seems fucking inconvenient."

"Yeah…" Kirishima muttered. At Bakugou's raised eyebrow, he continued. "My father, a couple days before he sent me to Littleroot, was talking about them. He mentioned that my uncle had an encounter with the leader of Team Magma. They took all the Pokemon he had with him." Kirishima sighed, "I think we got lucky today. We should be careful and keep an eye out."

"Luck had no part in it." Bakugou denied. "That grunt was a weak piece of shit, which means they aren't as big and bad as they seem-"

Kirishima cut off Bakugou, "Or it means they are stronger than we think, it the point they can not worry about having weak grunts." Kirishima walked forward, ending the conversation. Bakugou followed after him with a scowl. Explosion trotted after them, sensing the tense mood and not exploring.

The tense silence continued until Kirishima noticed some rustling in a nearby patch of grass. His attention drawn to it, he stopped walking which caused Bakugou to slam into his back. "What the fuck. Why did you fucking stop moving." Bakugou growled out, shoving Kirishima slightly.

The redhead pointed at the moving grass. "Look."

"Cool. It's a patch of grass with a Pokemon in it, just like the fucking thousand other ones-"

Bakugou stopped talking when the Pokemon walked out of the grass, sniffing along the ground. The Pokemon was small, shaped similar to that of a fox. Its fur was brown, with a collar of cream fur and a cream tipped tail. It's two pointy ears twitched as it lifted its head to look at the boys. "It's an Eevee." Kirishima gasped out, "They aren't native to Hoenn! I wonder how it got here… I'm going to catch it!"

Bakugou growled, "What if I wanted to fucking catch it."

Kirishima had already taken out Torchic's Pokeball and released the Pokemon. "You already have Ralts, you will be fine." Torchic chirped in agreement.

Eevee sniffed the air again, slowly approaching Torchic. Before Kirishima could say anything, the smaller Pokemon reached Torchic and started to smell it. With a purr-like sound, Eevee rubbed its cheek along Torchic's face. The fire type sent a confused look to its trainer, backing away from Eevee. Eevee cried out and followed Torchic, starting to rub its face along the other Pokemon again. Bakugou snorted, "Great battle going on here. I'm betting my money on Eevee."

"Why is it acting like that?" Kirishima asked, watching as the fox Pokemon continued to rub its face on his Pokemon.

Bakugou let out another snort, approaching the two Pokemon and crouching down onto his knees. Eevee looked at him and sniffed his hand. Sensing no ill-intent, Eevee rubbed its face on Bakugou's hand. He reached around and picked up the Pokemon. Eevee looked startled for a second, but quickly relaxed against Bakugou and purred. "It's a fucking baby," Bakugou said, walking over to Kirishima. "Have you seriously never seen a baby Pokemon before Shitty Hair?" The blond asked.

Leaning down to look at Eevee, Kirishima answered the question. "No. Remember my dad is very anti-Pokemon." He lifted his hand to let the baby Pokemon sniff. "Can I catch it or is that bad?"

"It wouldn't wander too far from its mother if she was nearby, so I think you are safe." Bakugou shifted the Pokemon to sit more comfortably in his arms. "It-" he cut himself off and grabbed his Pokedex, scanning the Eevee. "She won't know how to battle though, so you will have to train her from square one."

Kirishima scratched her chin, causing Eevee to purr. "Do you know how to train baby Pokemon?" Kirishima asked, a bit apprehensive.

Rolling his eyes, Bakugou glared at Kirishima. "I happened to be fucking fantastic at taking care of baby Pokemon. Look," he gestured with his head towards Explosion, "I trained that lovely shit since he was a fucking baby."

"Sorry sorry!" Kirishima laughed, "Forgive me for the doubt but you don't really have the whole Poke Parent thing going on."

"Just catch the damn Eevee and let's get moving." Bakugou handed the Pokemon to Kirishima, who looked a bit panicked.

"Hey, Eevee…" He cooed awkwardly to the Pokemon who was blinking up at him. Kirishima started to bounce her a bit, causing Bakugou to cackle in the background. Ignoring his rude friend, Kirishima kept his eyes on the curious Pokemon. "Do you mind if I, uh, catch you?"

Bakugou cackled louder. "She doesn't understand you, just tap her with a Pokeball and immediately let her out of the ball when she's caught. She needs to get used to you."

Kirishima nodded, struggling to reach an empty Pokeball while holding the baby in his arms. Once he finally grabbed one, he gently touched the Pokeball to Eevee's head, causing her to vanish in a flash of red light. The Pokeball shook twice, before letting out a ting to announce the capture. Kirishima immediately let out the baby, who shook out her fur and trotted back over to Bakugou, sitting at his feet. Bakugou gave a smug look to Kirishima as he reached down and picked up Eevee. "Seems like your Pokemon already likes me better." He crowed out, allowing Eevee to settle in his arms.

Pouting, Kirishima approached his friend and his Pokemon. "I'll remember this betrayal." He mock-sniffed, returning Torchic to his ball and petting Eevee's head. "Since Eevee wants you to hold her, I'll take the lead with the Pokenav." With Bakugou's nod of agreement, they continued on towards Rustboro.

The rest of the journey was rather uneventful. The boys reach battled a trainer, switching who was holding Eevee during the battles. Bakugou spent some time training Ralts once they were close to the exit since Ralts would have to also fight in the Gym battle due to Explosion's weakness to Rock-type moves.

Finally, they walked out of the forest into the sunlight. Immediately Bakugou noticed that they were not at Rustboro City. "Fuck," he groaned, exhaustion slipping out in his voice. "I forgot about the rest of Route 104."

Kirishima smiled wearily, "At least we shouldn't be too far." Kirishima checked his Pokenav. "Just a little walk and a bridge and boom, Rustboro City." Bakugou answered with another groan, and off they went. They forgoed entering the flower shop close by, although Kirishima did send one of the women there a wave, and they headed towards the bridge.

Stepping onto the bridge, Bakugou gazed over the lake. "Great." He grunted out, looking down at Eevee. She was wiggling in his arms, curious about the lake. Bakugou handed the squirming Pokemon to her owner, "Your turn. Make sure she doesn't drown or something."

Kirishima attempted to calm down his Pokemon, but she was determined. With a sigh, Kirishima looked at Explosion. "If I set her down can you make sure she doesn't fall in?" Kirishima asked the fire type. Explosion barked happily, wagging his tail. "I'm taking that as a yes." He said as he set Eevee down. She immediately rushed to the edge of the bridge, almost slipping off. However, Explosion was quick to grab her by the scruff of her neck and pick her up. Eevee cried out in slight fear and stuck close to Explosion when he set her down.

Together they all walked along the bridge. Bakugou noticed that the sun was starting to set and they should head to Rustboro quickly, as they did not have the proper camping materials. Mentioning it to Kirishima, they sped up. However, they quickly ran into two young girls who were sitting on the edge of the bridge.

One of them ran up to them with a giggle, the other one not far behind her sister. "We're twins, so we battle Pokemon together, too!" She said, stopping in front of the boys.

Her sister laughed as well, "All right! You are going to battle our Pokemon! My name is Gina, and that's Mia! Let's battle."

Bakugou sighed loudly, "Fucking fine. Explosion," he looked at his starter Pokemon, "keep an eye on Eevee. Ralts and Torchic can handle this."

Kirishima looked excited, "It's our first time battling together Bakugou." Kirishima said with a large smile, "Let's do this!"

"Let's go Seedot!" One twin called out, releasing her Pokemon.

"You as well, Lotad!" The other replied, sending out her Pokemon as well.

Bakugou and Kirishima sent out their Pokemon as well, with Bakugou taking the lead. "Ralts, use Confusion on Lotad." He called out, catching Kirishima's attention as Ralts attacked. Bakugou mouthed the words Focus on Seedot to the other trainer, and Kirishima nodded in response.

Honestly, Kirishima wasn't too sure what Bakugou said. He couldn't tell if it was Fuck you shithead or Fuck this situation, so Kirishima just decided to ignore it for now and focus on the battle. "Torchic, use Ember on Seedot!" Torchic's Ember attack quickly struck the grass type, causing it to faint.

"Seedot! No!" Gina called out, returning her Pokemon sadly. She stepped back and started to cheer on her sister.

"Lotad hit that fire type with a Water Gun." Mia called out confidently, her Lotad reacting quickly.

"Use Disarming Voice on the Water Gun." Bakugou commanded. Ralts let out a loud cry, a bundle of hearts and sound exploding from his mouth. The attack hit the Water Gun, causing it to explode. "Hit Lotad with another Confusion." Using his psychic abilities, Ralts managed to land another hit onto Lotad.

Kirishima saw an opportunity to attack, "Use Scratch." Risking the close encounter, Torchic lunged forward and scratched at Lotad. The Pokemon fainted, causing its owner to cry out.

"My poor Lotad!" Mia cried, returning her Pokemon to its Pokeball. She approached the boys with a smile, "Y'all did amazing! Thanks for the battle."

"Thanks for the battle!" Gia repeated, handing Kirishima and Bakugou each.

Bakugou nodded and continued down the bridge. Kirishima said goodbye to the girls and followed behind Explosion and Eevee, who were still walking on their own. The rest of the walk on the bridge was smooth. When they reached solid ground, Eevee stopped by Kirishima's feet and whined. Her trainer reached down and picked her up, speeding up to catch up to Bakugou and Explosion.

Finally, after hours of walking and exploring a forest, they reached Rustboro City. The sunset shined behind the rustic looking buildings and Kirishima let out a happy sigh. "Finally," his voice was laced with happiness, "we finally made it. God that took years."

"Stop being so fucking melodramatic." Bakugou said, stretching out with a yawn of his own. He gazed around, acknowledging the beginning of the nightlife. "Let's find the Pokemon Center and decide what we are going to do." Bakugou walked farther into the city, Explosion staying close to his owner.

Kirishima laughed, "Remember what the clerk in Oldale Town said, Pokemon Center's have red-"

"I know what a fucking Pokemon Center looks like Kirishima." Bakugou snapped, flipping off the other boy.

"So you DO know my name!" Kirishima laughed again, smiling at his companion. Choosing to ignore the other, Bakugou continued on towards where the Pokemon Center should be. The city goers would wave at the two trainers from time to time, but otherwise, their walk was not interrupted. When they reached the Pokemon Center, Kirishima noticed a close by building. "Look," he nudged Bakugou to get his attention, "the Gym is just across the street, how convenient!"

Bakugou nodded, and they walked into the Pokemon Center. "Do you have any rooms we can rent for the night?" Bakugou asked Nurse Joy as they handed her their Pokemon. She smiled and handed him a room key, saying he can pay when they got their Pokemon later. Bakugou and Kirishima said their goodbyes and headed up to their room to get ready for the night. "I'll grab the Pokemon and pay when the timer goes off." Bakugou said, opening the door and throwing his bag on the bed closest to the window. "I guess I'll fucking challenge the Gym tomorrow."

"Thank fuck." Kirishima wheezed out, throwing himself onto his bed. "If I had to think anymore today my brain would explode."

"I'm surprised you made it this far." Bakugou chuckled, flipping Kirishima off when the boy threw a shoe at him. Bakugou sat on the edge of his own bed, leaning back onto his hands. "So what's the fucking plan for tomorrow? I kick the Gym's ass then you do the same?"

Kirishima frowned, "I'm not too sure…" He trailed off, staring at the ceiling. At Bakugou's grunt, he continued to speak, "I'm not too sure I'm ready for a Gym battle y'know. I've had my Pokemon for a day, and one of them is still a baby and can't battle yet." He sighed for what felt like the millionth time, "How long have you had Explosion?"

"Since I was born." Kirishima turned his head so he was facing Bakugou. The blond was also gazing at the ceiling. "I don't remember ever not being with him. My… fucking shit of a mother gave him to me when I was a baby. He was still a baby at the time as well. He was my first friend…" Bakugou stopped talking, his brow creased in discomfort. "But that's not fucking important. What would make you feel ready for a Gym battle?"

Kirishima shrugged. "I'm not sure, honestly. Maybe Eevee having some training, since Torchic isn't going to be able to solo a Rock Gym. But do I really want to battle the Pokemon Gyms? I mean what else is there to do." He let out a hollow laugh. "I don't want to do contests, or be a Pokemon breeder. But I also don't have any particular want to be the Pokemon League Champion." Bakugou eyed Kirishima as the redhead talked to him, but did not interrupt. "I guess I'll watch your battle tomorrow and then challenge the Gym Leader myself. Maybe that'll help make up my mind."

Grunting, Bakugou laid down on the bed. "Yeah, that sounds like a fucking plan. And hey," Kirishima let out a hum, "I'm not going to kick your sorry ass to the curb if you don't want to do Gym Battles. As long as you aren't useless I don't give a shit. Plus," Bakugou snorted, "Explosion would miss you."

"Would you miss me, bro?" Kirishima teased. Luckily, the timer went off and saved Kirishima from being hit by his blond friend. Bakugou stalked out of the room and Kirishima stretched out on his bed, his foot knocking his backpack off the bed. Gym battles… Kirishima thought, reaching down and taking off his socks, is this what I really want to do? I want to go on an adventure and make friends, but do I want to collect Gym Badges? He sat up and grabbed his bag, heading to the attached bathroom. He approached the sink and splashed a bit of water on his face, reaching up to let his hair out of his ponytail. Before meeting Bakugou the answer was yes. But now… I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I'm strong enough to do so. He thought of his two Pokemon. I know I want to continue on and train them. I want to see the world and go on this journey with Bakugou. That should be enough for now. Shaking his head, Kirishima finished getting changed and ready to sleep.

As he left the bathroom, Bakugou threw his jacket at him. "Don't take 10 fucking years next time Shit hair." The blond walked past him and slammed the bathroom door shut. Kirishima walked farther into the room, setting Bakugou's jacket on the edge of his bed near Explosion. The sleeping Pokemon flicked an ear at him, but didn't wake up.

Walking to his own bed, Kirishima noticed Eevee sleeping on one of his pillows, curled up in a small ball. Moving the other pillow over slightly Kirishima laid down and closed his eyes. He was unconscious before Bakugou even left the bathroom.

---

Waking up the next day was weird. Bakugou hadn't slept in the same room as another person in a long time, especially not someone as loud as Kirishima. The redhead's snoring didn't keep him up for too long but it was definitely something to get used to. As they got up and got ready, Bakugou threw a pillow at Kirishima to get his attention. "Before we head to the Gym we need to stop by the Pokemart and grab some supplies," Bakugou said, putting on his shoes and grabbing his jacket. Kirishima nodded and finished getting ready, giving Bakugou a thumbs up when he was ready to go. "Let's get out of this bitch." Bakugou grunted, getting Kirishima to laugh a bit. Together, with Eevee and Explosion, they headed out of the Pokemon Center and into the city of Rustboro.

Kirishima looked around the city, noticing more details in the sunlight. "Wow, it's been years since I've been here." Kirishima smiled, looking at Bakugou. "Did you live in a big city in Kanto?"

"Not really." Bakugou grunted, walking towards the Pokemart. "Bigger than Littleroot and Oldale Town, but not as big as Rustboro seems to be."

Kirishima hummed, "Kanto seems nice, I want to go one day." Bakugou didn't reply and continued on. Once they reached the store, Bakugou instructed Kirishima to wait outside while he went in and got everything.

As he waited for Bakugou, Kirishima sat on a bench and pet Eevee. He would wave to the people he made eye contact with. A small older woman stopped by for a quick chat, but she to headed off in due time. Eventually, Bakugou reappeared, carrying a lot of gear. "That's a lot of stuff you got there buddy." Kirishima grabbed the bags Bakugou held out to him, glancing at the content.

"Better be safe then fucking sorry Shitty Hair," Bakugou explained, gesturing to each item. "This shit is needed so we don't fucking die while on the road. So unless you enjoy freezing to death, be thankful." Once they got everything settled and packed away, Bakugou looked at the direction of the Gym. "Let's get this shit over with. You still going to battle after me?"

"Yeah…" Kirishima said, petting Eevee's head slightly, "Don't think I'll win but might as well try."

Glaring, Bakugou looked back at him. "You won't ever win with that fucking mentality. Be more confident you shit."

"You cursed less when you were tired." Kirishima observed, "Maybe it's a mental thing?"

"Don't make me fucking punch you."

With that, they walked to the Gym. As they approached the entrance, a trainer with green hair stopped them. "Have you ever taken on a Gym before?" Bakugou didn't answer, instead choosing to stare blankly at the man. Bakugou's staring continues for a minute before the man grew obviously uncomfortable. "Anyway, good luck! Roxanne uses Rock Type Pokemon so be careful." As soon as he finished talking, he was off, speed walking away.

Bakugou watched him go with a proud smile, "That shit always works." Kirishima rolled his eyes and inside the Gym they went.

As soon as they entered, they were greeted with an impressive sight. The walls of the Gym were covered in rocks as if it were a cavern. Two statues of fossil Pokemon graced the left and right walls, leading to what looked like a large podium. Behind said podium was a fossil of a dragon-like Pokemon, it's huge head and body taking over the majority of that space. It was impossible to tell from this distance if they were real or not. Along the main entranceway stood glass containers and other tables, showcasing a variety of fossils and stones. In front of all this stood a woman, a bit taller than Bakugou. She had long brown hair which was held up by pink ribbons, and she wore a gray dress-like outfit. As the doors closed behind them, she turned to face Bakugou and Kirishima. "Hello." She nodded respectfully. "Which one of you is my new challenger?" Bakugou stepped forward, and she turned her attention to him. "I am Roxanne, the Rustboro City Pokemon Gym Leader. I became a Gym Leader so I may apply in battle all that I've learned at the Pokemon Trainers' School. If you defeat me in battle, I'll present you with a Gym Badge as proof of your strength as a Trainer. Please take up the challenge. I look forward to seeing you as a challenger." She turned around and headed towards the back of the Gym.

"Well, that was formal," Kirishima muttered to himself as the man Roxanne was talking to faced Bakugou. With a smile and a nod, the man gestured for Bakugou and Kirishima to head forward. "I guess I'll follow behind you since you are the challenger." Bakugou nodded in agreement, stepping forward to the first trainer.

Battling the four trainers before Roxanne took Bakugou about an hour. Afterward, he quickly went back to the Pokemon Center to heal up. Once he returned with his team feeling refreshed and as good as new, they walked up the podium to Roxanne. "Just as I expected..." she smiled at the blond. Kirishima took this as his queue to sit on the nearby benches, so he was out of the way. "I knew you and your Pokemon would be able to get this far. Now, would you kindly demonstrate how you battle with your Pokemon?"

Bakugou moved to the opposite side of the battlefield. "I don't know if kindly is the word I'd fucking use." He smirked. "Be prepared for an ass-kicking."

"Interesting language." Roxanne muttered, "However, I'm not your teacher. Let's get this battle started. Geodude, you are up first." She released her first Pokemon, a strong looking Geodude.

Bakugou gestured for Explosion to take the field, "You got this Explosion. Let's fucking win this."

Roxanne raised an eyebrow at his choice of Pokemon. "A fire type? Brave. However a stupid choice. Geodude, let's use Rock Tomb." Geodude flinched slightly at the Intimidate ability but recovered quickly. Rocks started to float in the air than hurtled towards Explosion.

"Dodge!" Explosion managed to dodge the majority of the rocks, but one hit him and he took some damage. Wincing, Explosion continued forward towards Geodude. "Use Bite!" Explosion grabbed one of the rock types arms in his mouth and flung him into the ground, inflicting a good amount of damage. "Explosion, return."

As Explosion ran back to his trainer, Roxanne looked a bit confused. "Are you ok Geodude?" Geodude responded by letting out a powerful cry.

"Come on out Ralts!" The tiny Pokemon let out a cry and he landed on the battlefield, eyeing Geodude.

"Another Rock Tomb!" Again, rocks hurtled towards Bakugou's Pokemon.

"Use teleport to dodge!" Ralts disappeared just as the rocks landed where he stood before. "Use Disarming Voice." Ralts appeared behind Geodude, scoring a Critical hit against the Rock Type. Geodude fainted. "Ralts, return." Ralts was returned to his Pokeball and Explosion trotted out onto the field again.

Roxanne looked a bit confused at the blond's course of action. However, she didn't focus on it and turned her attention back to the battle. "Come on out friend! Nosepass!" Her next Pokemon resembled a walking rock with a large, red nose shaped like an arrow on a compass. The Pokemon waddled slightly in place.

Bakugou moved first this time, "Use Bite again!" Explosion launched forward quickly as Nosepass also flinched due to Intimidate.

However, Nosepass was quicker to recover, "Use Rock Tomb!" The rocks hit Explosion dead on, causing the fire type to cry out at the super effective move. Wincing, Explosion continued forward and landed another Bite attack, flinging Nosepass towards its trainer. When Bakugou called Explosion to return again, Roxanne's eyes opened wider in understanding. "I see!" She called, drawing Bakugou's attention. "You are sending in your Growlithe to hit my Pokemon with the Intimidate, as well as using one attack to knock off my Pokemon's Sturdy ability! You are very smart."

"Thanks, but that much was fucking obvious. Come on out again Ralts, finish this up!" Ralts came out with another cheerful cry. "Use Confusion!"

Ralts launch his attack, hitting Nosepass with a wave of psychic energy. The rock type groaned but stayed standing. "Tackle it!" Roxanne called out, hoping the psychic type wouldn't be able to dodge quickly.

However, Bakugou had trained his Ralts to quickly Teleport, knowing his weak defense and health stats. "Teleport!" Ralts vanished, causing Nosepass to slam into the ground. The rock type struggled to stand up again, and Ralts appeared behind it. "Finish this with another Confusion attack." The psychic wave hit the rock type before he could stand up, causing it to faint.

Roxanne returns Nosepass with a small smile. "You are a very talented trainer." She addressed Bakugou, who looked up at her after returning Ralts. "You used your Pokemon's abilities to their full potential. I am honored to give you this," she held out her hand, "the Stone Badge. Keep it close, as it is proof of your victory here." Bakugou grabbed the badge from her hand, motioning for Kirishima to approach. Roxanne continued on speaking, "Your next Gym is located in Dewford Town. I wish you safe travels."

Bakugou nodded his head at her, "Thank you for the battle." With that, he turned around and headed towards the exit to the Gym, Kirishima following behind.