Chapter 15: Mega Evolving the Harem Team

(A/N: Something I wish the anime had done was continue the trend of having the main female protagonist be Ash's travel companion. AFAIK the last time they did this was Serena, and then they skipped gen 5 as well. On another note, I heard that Sword and Shield got a Pokespe arc so I'm looking to check that out sometime.)

General

Red's team worked quickly to figure out what to do with the captured grunts from the various criminal organizations.

Platina initially tried to question them on their motives to see if anything was amiss, but the grunts were oddly adamant about not letting anything slip.

"Odd, usually they would have let their plans slip just through some simple questions, it's jarring to see that they're actually acting rationally" Platina thought to herself.

Platina continued trying to get information out of them but they were stubbornly holding their tongue and it was not her style to use force on someone who couldn't fight back.

Red was also at his wits' end on what to do, they didn't really have anything concrete to tell Professor Oak. Which meant the team was left with a bunch of tied up grunts and pokemon and a MIA (Missing in Action) Mewtwo.

While his face was filled with a worried expression, Yellow looked over and realized that Red was feeling lost about the whole situation.

She sheepishly walked over to him and whispered an idea in his ear. Immediately, his face brightened up and he wrapped his right arm around her right shoulder in appreciation as he gave her a quick assuring half-hug.

Yellow's face instantly took on another primary color besides her name and she enjoyed the close contact for just a moment longer before scurrying off to execute her plan.

If Red was a bit more attentive, he would have noticed that she was tactically hiding her cheeks from his line of sight as she went off.

Yellow's destination was by the side of a slightly injured Mightyena.

Instead of repeating Platina's previous failures, she gently made eye contact with the tied down Mightyena and placed her palm on its head while maintaining a gentle expression she began her magic.

To be exact, Yellow was not a magician and pokemon was not a world where humans could typically produce magic.

However, the blessing of Viridian Forest was a part of her and she healed the Mightyena and conveyed a gentle warmth into its heart that slowly calmed down its aggressive nature.

If the Mightyena's trainer had been a Rocket grunt, he might have realized what was going on. But the poor Aqua grunt had no reason to suspect that Yellow could heal with just a touch.

Yellow asked gently "Mightyena, where were you guys going to go to next?"

[Hello nice trainer woof! I heard my master's bossman say something about Lumiose City to collect Mega Stones and Bracelets needed for "the plan" woof] Mightyena barked out happily as it was happy to have its injuries healed in such a gentle way.

Yellow gave a bright smile and patted Mightyena one more time before thanking it and leaving the dumbfounded Aqua grunt to ponder what had just happened.

Moments later when Yellow was out of earshot, a distressed "OH NO!" could be heard from the spot Yellow was just at.

Yellow happily spotted Red near his original position, and succinctly reported what she had learned.

Red thought over the news and decided he'd contact the Prof. before reporting to everyone what they had learned in order to save time and to let them better use their energy to help cooperate with the authorities in dealing with the captured Grunts.

He let Yellow know the plan and politely requested that she gather the rest of the team in 15 minutes or so for an update meeting.

He then found a quiet space and contacted Professor Oak on a video call. Professor Oak looked surprised when he saw Red "you look so beat up Red, what happened?"

Red proceeded to give a thorough report of the events that had transpired before, he closed with the information about Team Rainbow Rocket's/Neo's(Red still wasn't sure what to call them) plans for Kalos.

Professor Oak looked deeply troubled, he seemed lost in thought for a bit before asking Red "I hope that the 6 agents I sent you were helpful in your conflict today at least."

Red's expression changed as he said "Yes, they've been immensely helpful partners for me and each of them have really helped me overcome these trials."

Oak looked relieved to hear that they were getting along "Great, to be honest I wasn't sure how you would mesh with this many new teammates but please understand that I need you and your team to be the main force while the other dexholders are out on more covert missions. The fact that Team Rainbow Rocket showed up here is a big discovery as this is the first time they've shown up in public besides rumors in Kanto."

This was news to Red as well and he took note of it before asking the professor "What do you think it means?"

The Professor looked lost for a bit before he refocused on the screen and said "I think it means that whatever it is that Team Neo, as an organization, is trying to do, they decided that the attack on Slateport City was the time to reveal Team Rainbow Rocket's participation in their org. and a powerful Mega Legendary pokemon as well. "

Red thought about this and suddenly he was reminded of how overwhelming Mega Mewtwo X was. This led him to suddenly ask "Professor, is there anything you can do to help the team against potential future Mega pokemon? Honestly, although we were able to prevail this time, it was incredibly tough for our current battle strength to handle something like Mega Mewtwo X."

Red was a little sheepish about admitting that he, as one of the strongest trainers, was struggling with something battle related. However, if Red had a strong point, it was his ability to acknowledge his flaws and not let himself succumb to hubris.

Professor Oak's eyes brightened up at this request and he quickly replied "Actually, I'm glad you asked. It just so happens that I have an old friend in Kalos that can help you out with this. I'll send over a request to him and arrange for you and your team to go to Shalour City in Kalos ASAP, head over to the airport in a few hours and your arrangements should be ready."

"Shalour City? What's there?" Red wasn't sure where the professor was going with this.

"You'll have to figure out where would be most relevant for you team, I can't say much more than that. I'll leave it up to you to figure out the rest as we can't let the enemy know too much about our plans." Oak gave a cautious look to Red and Red gave an understanding nod.

"Alright professor, I'll let the team know and then we'll head over to the nearest airport soon." Red nodded, with that the transmission ended.

Red rejoined his team and reported everything that he had learned from Yellow and Professor Oak.

When Sapphire heard the part about Shalour City her ears perked up. She got excited and declared "If you're wondering where we're supposed to be going in Shalour City, it's clearly the Tower of Mastery!"

Red and co. looked over at Sapphire with expressions that seemed to signal "Go on…"

"The Tower of Mastery is known for being one of the major places for understanding the concept of Mega evolution in Kalos! I heard about it back during my adventures in Hoenn as I was learning about Mega evolution." Sapphire looked proud to be the sole proprietor of this important information and she puffed her ample chest out a bit more as she finished speaking.

With that, Red understood that Professor Oak was trying to get the team to learn about the secrets of Mega Evolution and potentially power up their team as a result.

"Sorry guys, I would love to give everyone a chance to rest after how tough that last battle was, but we'll at least need to make our way to the airport soon and head over to Shalour City to find Professor Oak's friend before we can rest." Red apologetically looked at his teammates and to his surprise, no one looked the least bit miffed at him. Even Blue, who usually was known for being a habitual playful complainer, looked pretty understanding.

Seeing Red's apologetic look, Mei took center stage in the group and decided to speak for them "Red, I know you're worried about us, but I think we're just as worried about you as our leader. I think we want you to not have to worry too much, let's all support each other and get through this together just like we did during all of our previous missions." Mei then quickly glanced at the rest of the team and wordlessly they gave subtle signs of approval which she happily accepted.

White stepped up and put in her own take "I know I haven't been on the team for long, but I feel like with Red and the 7 girls here, we can go very far considering what we accomplished today."

Red nodded in agreement … before suddenly his face turned grave, as if he had seen a ghost, "Wait, 7 girls?" That was the last thought Red had before panic overtook him.

(A/N: I wonder if y'all figured out what Red just realized.)