"So, you're telling me there's a difference between Rock and Ground-type Pokedudes?"

"Please stop calling them that," Jasmine said in a faint, ragged voice.

Jasmine, Thad, and Chad had just reached the forested outskirts of Ecruteak City after a day jaunt from MooMoo farms. The training had not slowed for either of the trainers, with Jasmine's legs still wobbling like al dente pasta from Thad's morning or how Thad was trying to scribble notes in his journal about Pokemon.

Thad rubbed his head using the end of his small gold-style pencil. "Right...so why are they different? Why not call them earth types?" Thad gave Chad a knowing look. "I'm making sense, right, my dude?"

The Machop tilted its head; its grey lips forming an uneven line. "Chop?"

Jasmine suppressed a groan. "Because, Pokemon scientists have deduced a difference in their genetic makeup."

"But you said Dwayne is both types?" Thad asked, thoughtfully. "So can I call him an earth type?" He scribbled down a note and then sighed. "Also you said something about Steel types. I think that works well with my earth-type theory."

"It can't be a theory because we already proved these variances!" Jasmine lightly faced palmed, dragging her hand down her face. "Please...can we change the subject? Anything else. For the love of Arceus."

"They like your Jesus or something?" Thad asked.

Jasmine stopped in her tracks. "My what?"

"Nevermind," Thad said, shaking his head. "Let's just get into Ecruteak. I see a check-in building up ahead. We still got some daylight to explore a bit if we hurry."

Jasmine picked up her feet and tenderly trotted after Chad and Thad. After a quick flash of their trainer ID cards to the waypoint attendant, they cleared the checkpoint and entered Ecruteak City.

The city was surrounded by a swath of verdant trees, though the skies were dominated by large towers that loomed nearby. The architecture reminded Thad of his visits to Chinatown in Los Angeles, but with a more homey feel. It wasn't the bustle of Olivine City, but the air was warm and wind chimes hanging from minka-styled buildings lazily rang out.

Chirps and coles from distant bird Pokemon saturated the air as no noise of industry or bustle of civilians swallowed up the streets. Thad felt tranquil as he followed Jasmine toward the center of town, and Chad too looked on with a dreamy look upon his face.

This place is quiet, like a meditation chamber. Thad looked northward, to the charred half of a tower looming at the edge of town. Maybe not always peaceful though.

"The Pokemon Center is right down that street," Jasmine pointed south, "but we can still check out the gym, Burned Tower, or the dance school. I think the Bell Tower is closed at this hour."

Thad's ears twitched as he turned toward the short brunette. His lips drew into a faint, crescent smile. "Dance school?"

"Yes, the Ecruteak Dance Theater is well renowned for its kimono dancers," Jasmine explained. She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes on the hunk. "Why are you making that face?"

"What face?" Thad asked, puzzled. "I'm just excited to experience other cultures."

"You didn't strike me as the artistic type."

Thad placed a hand over his mouth, hiding a smile. "Oh, I'm a big fan of culture. I'd be rude to ignore the customs, right?" He cast a wary glance over his shoulder; the breeze tickling his jacked back muscles. "So...these dancers. Where can we see them?"

"This way," Jasmine said, walking further down the street. "They might have an evening performance going on. I haven't seen one since I was a child."

Thad trotted ahead of Jasmine, a giddiness in his step. Chad followed behind his trainer, though in truth, more excited because his trainer was excited. Jasmine groaned as she picked up her pace; her thighs reminding her of the terrible overexertion of the morning. Mercy wasn't a component of Thad's regiment.

The bamboo double doors to the dance theater were slightly ajar. Thad pushed open the door and strutted inside with a swaggering gait. His eyes immediately zeroed in on the performance stage where he spotted three men in dark grey shirts and caps talking to a young black-haired woman in an orange and red kimono adorned with patterns of flames.

"Just take the money and do it already," one of the men growled, waving a Pokeball. "We've got plenty of cash, so get to it or else!"

The woman's smile was strained and her eyes immediately flickered toward Thad for a moment. She broke contact as one of the pudgier men shouted at her, causing her to jump slightly.

Thad paused and held up a hand as Jasmine entered the building. He looked over his shoulder and put a finger to his lips. "Think something's going down that ain't on the program."

"Then we should intervene and talk-"

Thad placed a hand in front of Jasmine, stopping her. He puffed out his chest and winked. "Keep an eye on Chad. I'mma go see what the problem is. Wait," Thad lowered his voice, "are guns a thing here?"

"No?"

"Perfect. Now, let me work my magic and keep an eye on the lil' bro."

Begrudgingly, Jasmine nodded and helped usher Chad over to the side of the entrance. Thad rolled his shoulders and neck, managing to get a few cracks, and then marched toward the stage.

"Hey my dudes," Thad announced; his voice in a low and booming tone. The three men's heads whirled around, all craning upward slightly to look the bronze adonis in the eyes. "We got a problem here?"

The lead man, a gangly fellow with a red 'R' on his chest like his two slightly overweight accomplices, gave Thad a scathing look. "Not any of your business, meathead." He turned back toward the kimono dancer. "Now, I said I'd pay—hey!"

Thad had snatched the man's Pokeball from his hand, holding it high and out of reach like one might do to an unruly child abusing a toy. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Now, now, I can take an insult. My feelings are as hard as my abs, but is that any way to talk to a lady?"

"Don't talk down to us," One of the chubby grunts barked. "Don't you know who we are? Move along!"

Another one of the grunts pulled a Pokeball from his belt. "Unless you want things to get ugly."

The lead grunt chuckled. "See? You may be big, but you're a tad outnumbered. Know your place. I'll ask you once to give me that Pokemon back before things get ugly."

"Outnumbered?" Thad pulled the Pokeball down, observing the cool blue texture with two red bevels. "Sure, I'll agree with you there." He pocketed the Pokeball, much to the goons' dismay, and smirked. "But not outmatched, bro. Maybe apologize and we can try again."

The lead grunt's face flared red with fury. He pointed a finger toward Thad's face and screamed, "teach this punk a lesson!"

"Can't fight me without your backup dancers, eh brah?" Thad outstretched his arms in a beckoning manner. "As they say in my country: come get some."

The kimono dancer gasped and retreated from the stage as the 'R' grunts rushed toward Thad. The gangly one was the first to step before Thad, throwing a hurried punch. The fist collided with Thad's flexed abs, and a faint crack followed by a howl of pain rang out. The other two grunts immediately followed up with punches of their own, but Thad didn't wait for their strikes. With his greater reach, Thad reeled back and delivered a sharp jab to one and then used his momentum to execute a quick roundhouse kick, introducing his foot to their skull.

"Agh," the leader of the group hissed, holding his crumpled hand. His face formed into a feral snarl. "Damnit, get your Pokemon out!"

"Not man enough to fight me three on one?" Thad taunted. He dropped into a low stance, knees bent and hands raised. "Now, we gonna do this in here?"

"Screw this!" The leader of the gang howled, throwing his hands up in the air. He motioned for his friends to follow and ran past a grinning Thad. He stopped at the entrance, turning around to point at Thad. "We'll remember this! Next time we'll grind you into paste with our Pokemon!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Thad said, waving them off. "Against me or my Pokemon, I'll spank you so hard you'll be calling me daddy by the end of the match."

With one last exasperated groan, the grunts disappeared into the night. Thad brushed off his chest, observing his abs where he got struck. Little dude hardly made a scratch, Thad pondered as he felt the spot. That round cow had more of a punch than that boy band member.

"Thad!" Jasmine walked from the entrance, her eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. "That was…"

"Awesome? Amazing?" Thad raised his arms and postured his calf, flexing and posing while he waggled his eyebrows. "Incredible?"

"Risky and dangerous is what I was going to say," Jasmine said, and Thad's shoulders slumped slightly. "I gave the authorities a call on my PokeNav while you had them distracted. They should be combing the area for them. Where there's a few, there's usually more."

"The boy band that I just flattened?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No. They're Team Rocket members. A criminal organization. Quite the nasty bunch, but usually they aren't in public areas harassing people." Jasmine looked toward Thad's gi pocket. "You stole their Pokemon?"

"More like holding onto it until they behave."

Jasmine hummed. "We can check it in the registry at the Pokemon center tomorrow. They can see if it's been stolen from another trainer or anybody else that's been wronged."

"And if it's not been stolen? Just some jerk's Pokemon?"

Jasmine shrugged. "I'd say let the Pokemon decide. Team Rocket is notorious for abuse. We can let them out in a non-threatening environment tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Jazzy." Thad gave Jasmine a cheeky thumbs up. "Speaking of safety," he turned toward the stage, spotting the woman in the red kimono, "ey, dancer chick, you doing alright?"

The woman hurried down from the stage, taking careful movements to not let her kimono drag on the ground or get twisted. Her eyes lit up as she looked at Jasmine. "Oh, you two had great timing! Those terrible men stayed after our last performance, and began to ask quite rude things of me."

"Why were you out here alone?" Jasmine asked in a soft, gentle tone. "Where are your sisters?"

"It was my turn to clean up, so they had gone out to dinner and were going to bring me back a meal." She gave a formal bow. "It warms my heart to know that a gym leader and their bodyguard managed to swoop in for a rescue. I'm Koume by the way."

A sexy and exotic name for quite the cutie. Thad furrowed his brow and rubbed his chin. Or is it just a normal name because I'm the exotic one? Hmmmm. She's still cute though so it doesn't matter.

"It's good to see you ain't rattled by some creeps. I'm Thad and this here is Jasmine," Thad pointed to himself then the shorter girl. He then pointed toward the entrance. "And back there is my main man, Chad, holding Jazzy's gear like an absolute unit."

"Macho!" Chad shouted back, raising his arms triumphantly.

"Exactly," Thad replied, giving his Pokemon a toothy grin. He returned his attention to the women before him and cleared his throat. "So, uh, no more performances tonight?"

Koume tilted her head to the side in a thoughtful manner, gently tapping his lips with her index finger. "Well… perhaps we can do a private showing for you two. We are technically closed, and I think I could persuade my sisters upon their return."

"A private dance you say?" Thad purred. "How could we say no?"

"Good." Koume's eyes were squinted and a hint of blush upon her cheeks as she looked Thad up and down. "I think we can arrange something amenable to both of you. If you'd excuse me."

Koume walked away toward a door near the stage, leaving Thad and Jasmine in the seated cushion area. Thad's gaze lingered on Koume's departing form, watching the sway of her hips as the door closed behind her. He perked up as he heard Jasmine clear her throat.

"Perhaps we shouldn't take advantage of their hospitality," Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. "They're just probably trying to be polite. We don't need some kind of reward."

"I'd hate to be rude and turn down an offer," Thad countered. "Besides, isn't it good to learn about other cultures?"

"Well, yes, but," Jasmine huffed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We could just as easily do that in a library. Or better yet, we could visit Morty at the gym!"

Thad nodded along, though a coy smile remained on his chiseled face. "I'm more of a… visual learner, Jazzy."

Before Jasmine could respond, the doors backstage opened and three kimono dancer's filed out. Chad rushed up to Thad; excited chirps emanating from the superpower Pokemon. Thad gave the Machop a back pat and watched the women spread out across the stage.

The dancers wore matching kimonos, though with a variance in the color as Thad identified Koume in the center of the group garbed in red and orange, while two similar-looking women wore their own outfits; one a blue mix and the other a yellow and gold. All their hair was done up in a tight bun, and the hem of their kimonos revealed no shoes on any of their feet.

"Hello there, patrons," Koume's silky voice filling the room, "we've something quite unique to show you tonight. It's a dance that dates back to the people who would hail Lugia to bring them rain across Johto, and this is what it looks like." She gave a nod to her fellow dancers, and they began to move.

Thad and Chad took up seats in the second row, watching with rapt attention. The dancers twisted and turned, and plucked large paper fans from their brightly colored obi. They began to twirl the fans around in their hands, the water-colored pictures and shapes changing as they opened and closed.

Jasmine stood beside Thad, her posture rigid and tight. She really needs to lighten up. We did a good thing! Thad patted a seated cushion beside him, nodding for her to saddle up next to him.

"I'm fine, thank y-ah!" Jasmine yelped as Thad poked her in the thigh, causing her to tumble onto the cushion. Faint giggles could be heard from the dancers, though they didn't slow in their performance. Jasmine hastily propped herself up, brushing her hair out of her face. "Really? You know I'm sore."

"Exactly. So pop a squat next to me, give those noodly legs of yours a break, and enjoy the show!"

Jasmine rolled her tongue around in her mouth as if trying to find the strength to frown, but couldn't. "Alright. You win."

Thad pulled Chad and Jasmine toward him in a big side hug. "That's better! And after this, we can go check out the gym. Probably enter tomorrow when they're open."

"Actually, they should be open," Jasmine said. "Morty runs a late shift."

"A twenty-four-hour fitness?" Thad's eyes widened. "I'm really starting to like this town."

"Well, actually-"

"Shhh," Thad whispered, putting a finger to his lips. "Let's just watch the show. I'd hate to miss a hip movement that could, uh, lessen my understanding of the local culture."

Jasmine's lips became a thin line, and she leaned against Thad's warm and exposed torso. She dared not call it comfortable, though she smiled anyway. "Very well," she whispered. "Just answer this though. How do you feel about ghosts?"

Thad chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Pssh, ghosts aren't real."

A/N: And that's this week's chapter, with the crew solidly in Ecruteak City! The next stop should be a fun and revelatory one for Thad :P
I'm also looking into what next Pokemon shall be joining him and it will be coming up shortly, so stay tuned! The goal is to post every week by Sunday, but odds are I may finish early. Like this update. Whoohoo!

Review Response: Wow! Thanks for all the feedback! You all rock!

Frankieu: He's having a good time, just by being himself. And more Pokemon battles to come!

Crowbars357: Weirdly enough, yes. I have a journal I write in when I get ideas in the middle of the night.

AzureDragonZX: It's all in light-hearted fun, with a pinch of seriousness here and there. As for Inceneroar, that is a very interesting choice. I like it. Hmmmm.

Scatman SSJohn EX: They are a good water doggo. Perhaps they'll turn up again?

SebatadeS: I shall strive to keep up the quality!

Cavik: Oh yeah. It's all coming together.

Amargi'Nodachi: Eyyyy :)

Gouravsilentreader: Thank you very much!

RandomCoolGuy: I could, but the problem becomes time management at that point. I already have quite a few projects.

ilayhams: Thanks, bro.

UDTimburrhog: Wanted to avoid stockpiling his team too quickly. Gotta get Dwayne and Jasmine more screen time.

TheHiddenLettuce: Poliwrath, eh? That could work. He did see Chuck had one...

HiKKiNEET: There's a bit more to Thad, but he's unapologetically himself. And Jasmine is here to be the ice to his fire. Or steel to his flex, if you will.

FlamelessRider: Hawlucha? Okay, that's a good one to consider. Wrestle bird is awesome.

Shangadang33: Much appreciated!

rainfallMyth: :)

The Black Kraven: Subtle? Was never in the plan hahaha.

For more quality fics from tons of other talented fanfiction authors, writing advice, memes, or if you want a place to chill and/or bug me, come stop by the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord at discord. gg / 9XG3U7a

Until next week, take care, and thanks for reading!