Pokémon Trainer Hero
Chapter 81: Hero Killer Arc, part. 4; The Public Perception. Act 4
"Is it safe to be making public appearances at this point?", Gar asks Photo as the two of them walk down a not-so-busy street wearing his Flying Type outfit.
Several people stare at him as he walks by, and he returns it with an uncomfortable smile and wave of his own.
"Of course! After what happened at the interview, you're already so well-received! To take advantage and take to the streets to see your slowly growing fan base is exactly what you need!", Photo tells him with her usual chipper and overly enthusiastic tone.
Gar raises his eyebrow and asks himself, "Why am I getting Deja Vu?"
Photo then whirled around, grabbed his shoulders, and exclaimed, "So go out there and smile, wave, sign autographs, be approachable and attractive!"
"That last part shouldn't be so hard.", Gar said with a joking tone while snickering.
"That's the spirit! Now let's go!", Photo proclaims while grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards their fan meet-up spot in the park.
Later
After a very short walk to the park, only a very few people came to meet Gar. Most of them just happened to be there. So now Photo was standing by, looking out into the park of causal goers, seeing if any huge crowd was about to form any minute, but none did. Gar stood some yards away from her, signing different things and letting people pet his Pokemon. He felt bad for the overly excited woman who now looked completely dejected and tried to draw in more people by taking out Darmanitan, though to little effect. Since everyone in the park seemed to be more concerned with what they were doing or the many scores of wild Pokémon wandering around.
"Not as many as I was expecting.", Photo said, disappointed.
"Honestly, I did. It's only been a few days and as you said, my image is already on the Rock Types. Amazingly, I got this many.", Gar told her as he signed the very last autograph for a group of teenagers.
"I guess….. perhaps I got ahead of myself.", Photo sighed in sadness, sinking into herself.
'Ya think?', Gar said in his mind.
Before Gar could say anything to comfort her, he quickly noticed a large group of people surrounding something on the far side of them. There were dozens of people swarming in at a time. The commotion and sound were easily detected by anyone. It even freaked out some of the wild pokémon and made them leave.
"Hey, what's that over there?", Gar pointed out to the crowd. He looked over and commented, "Wow, a lot of people."
Photo looked over to where he was looking and went from dejected to furious as she angrily exclaimed, "And they're being pawned over there instead of here to you! Come on!", With that she grabbed Gar and yanked him over to the crowd with Darmanitan in tow.
Photo hastily pushed through the crowd of people not even caring to be even somewhat polite. Gar had to quickly apologize on her behalf as he was pulled through with Darmanitan following behind and creating an even bigger gap in the crowd. Once the woman had fully pushed through the crowd to the front where a pocket of opening had been created, she quickly stopped causing gar to crash into her back.
Asgar rubbed his bruised nose from slamming into her, Photo said, "Oh, now I see why they're all here."
"That was a quick change of pace. What's the kicker?", Gar asked while rubbing the pain away.
Photo pointed her finger to the center of the action and said, "Her."
Gar looked to where she was pointing and saw a stunningly beautiful woman! Her blonde hair was done up like a runway model, her makeup was perfect, her eyes were the same shade of purple as her dress coupled with high heels, and she had three snakes in her hair. A garter snake, a rat snake, and a cobra.
Gar recognized the woman from the hero talks he had with Izuku and said, "Isn't that Uwabmi? Man, they weren't kidding when they said she was popular."
"She was one of my greatest successes.", Photo said with a dreamy yet sad sigh.
"Gar?", The man heard his name and turned to see two familiar faces.
"Momo? And Kendo? What are you two doing here?", He asked the two girls, who had their hair and makeup was done to the perfection of Uwabami herself.
"We could ask you the same thing.", Kendo joked back with a dry laugh.
Gar quickly connected the fits and stated, "Wait, don't tell me the two of you are with Uwabami."
"Yes, we are.", Momo admitted, not looking very pleased about it.
Gar nods his head and inquires, "I see. So did she choose you two to shadow her because of your intelligence, prowess, skills, and resourcefulness?"
"...No.", Momo finally admitted after the two girls refused to say anything.
"Then what?", Gar asked for elaboration.
"She wanted us 'cause we're pretty.", Kendo told him with a huff and dejected sigh.
Gar looked between the girls and back to Uwabami and asked, "How vain can one person be?"
"Pretty vain.", Momo agreed.
"I'm guessing this isn't what you were expecting?", Gar asks them.
"How could ya tell?", Kendo asks back dryly.
Gar could see the tired and disappointed expressions on their faces. Their bodies held no vigor or excitement. Just a bland cold outlook on everything they were doing up to this point. Gar swore dropped, not knowing how to reply, and put it as gently as he could, "J-Just a feeling."
"What about you? How are things with your public perception revival?", Kendo inquired, trying to change the topic.
Gar jumps at this, knowing the girls didn't want to talk about this, and explained, "Well I was put through The Distortion World and back with a photo shoot where I was encouraged to do nudes."
"Did you?", Momo tangentially asks in shock, her hands over her mouth.
Even Kendo blushed at the thought and looked away in politeness.
Gar shook his head and hands, stating simply, "No. Anyway, I almost went through a petty attempt at a hostage situation. I saved a talk show host from mind control, along with the rest of the media, and now I'm here to meet my fans in public."
"Sounds…..interesting….compared to us.", Momo commented on it.
Seeing as this conversation wasn't going anywhere he wanted, Gar changed the topic this time, looking over to Uwabami and saying as she took pictures and signed autographs, "UCK! Just look at her. Eating up all the attention like some regular celebrity. How does someone like her become a hero?"
"Beats me.", Momo shrugs, while Kendo silently nods in agreement.
Suddenly Uwabami stops signing an autograph mid-way as her snakes begin to writhe and hiss! Within a second she yells at the crowd, "Get out of here!"
Immediate confusion circles around the now surprised and panicked crowd as they look between one another and the hero herself, unsure of what to do. Even Momo and Kendo looked taken aback by this sudden outburst.
"What's gotten into her?", Gar asks the girls who only shake their heads and shrug.
Before anyone could ask her what she meant, Uwabami shouted at them again, "There's no time to explain, you all have to evacuate this area immediately!"
"Uwabami, what's wrong?", Momo pushes through the crowd of people to ask her.
Uwabami and her snakes look to the treeline and she points at it while saying, "Something is coming. And coming in hot!"
All eyes turned to the tussling trees and within a minute a huge Pokémon burst out and roared loud and angrily! Right then, all the people scream in fright and begin to run away in panic!
"An Ursaring!", Gar shouts.
"Ursaring?!", Kendo exclaims in question.
Rotom pops up and brings up the entry while explaining, "Ursaring, the Hibernation Pokemon. Dex #217, a Normal type, and the evolved form of Teddiursa. In the forests inhabited by Ursaring, it is said that there are many streams and towering trees where they gather food. This Pokémon walks through its forest gathering food every day. When the cold season arrives, this Pokémon will wander fields and mountains alike in search of its favorite berries. Ursaring's hunger during this time makes it a ferocious danger."
Ursaring is a bipedal, ursine Pokémon. Its broad body is covered in brown fur, except for its muzzle, inner ears, and paw pads, which are a light tan. It has narrow eyes, a triangular, black nose, and a wide mouth with small, visible fangs in the upper jaw. The fur on Ursaring's shoulders is longer and more structured, with rectangular extensions. A female Ursaring has longer fur on its shoulders than a male. There is a large, tan, ring-shaped mark shaped like a new moon on its chest. Ursaring's forelimbs are long, ending in five claws each, while its hind legs are short and thick, ending in three claws each. Its tail is large and spherical.
Ursaring roared as it tried to slash at the people closest to it, but Darmanitan jumped in front of the people and blocked the attack with its hands, going into a struggle with the Pokemon! The two strong Pokemon pushed against one another until Ursaring managed to get the upper hand and pull out of the grip before swinging a Slash attack at it! Darmanitan took the blow and before Ursaring could come in with another, he switched into Zen mode and used his psychic power to erect a force field! Leading the pissed-off Ursaring to wildly slash at the shield to little effect.
However, this kept the Pokémon's full attention and Uwabmi looked to her temporary interns, and commanded, "Quickly Cerati, Battle Fist, evacuate the citizens! I'll take care of this!"
The two girls stood taught and at attention while replying with vigor and surprise, "Yes ma'am!"
"Everyone please come this way!", Momo created two neon orange flags to get everyone's attention.
"Quickly now! Hurry!", Kendo joined in, inflating her hands and waving the frightened citizens to safety.
The terrified people took no time in following the two girls out of the area like a stampeding herd! Unfortunately, this also caused Photo Finished to get swept alongside them, and made it so Gar had a hard time keeping at the front to give commands to Darmanitan!
At this point, Ursaring had finally gotten through the psychic shield and was about to rake its claws across the Zen form! But Uwabami jumped in front with arms out to block the attack!
Gar, who was still fighting to get through the panic, yelled, "Uwabami, wait!"
Although Ursaring flinched at the initial surprise, it went through in taking a swing at the woman who easily dodged the attack! Then another, and another, and she dodged again! Ursaring tried to use Crunch, but Uwabami brought her foot up and kicked it right under the jaw! Ursaring staggered back for a moment then tried to use Take Down, but she dodged that with a spin! Ursaring turned around and tried to swipe at her once again, but this time she hit the attack away with a kick in the opposite direction, causing both to cancel out! When they both staggered back, Uwabami snakes went into action and all three stretched out to bite the Ursaring. Once all three snakes were on, Uwabami jumped over the Pokemon, and using the momentum she lifted the Pokemon into the air before pile-driving it head-first into the ground!
Gar, who had finally managed to break through, saw this and blabbered out in awe, "Oh. My. Arceus."
Ursaring fell to its back, swirls in its eyes while Uwabmi's snakes retracted into her hair. While the woman herself began to dust her dress off.
Gar blinked in surprise, Momo and Kendo Now joining him as he said with his mouth wide open, "Now I see…now I perfectly see."
Later
Ursaring was now sitting in the grass and happily eating a pile of Pokéchow and fresh berries and roots while Gar patched up the injury on its head. Once the patch was secure, he rubbed the Pokémon's back while cooing, "There now. All better?"
To which he grunted appreciation.
Uwabami, who has just finished talking with the Authorities on this matter, carefully approached and asked, "What are you doing?"
Gar sprayed the bite marks on the Pokémon's face with a special medicine, and answered, "This Ursaring was starving. He attacked out of hunger, not anger. He's a lot better now."
"So…..he was hangry?", Kendo sums up.
"Don't bears eat anything, even garbage.", Momo inquires.
Gar shook his head and answered, "Not Ursaring, they're all natural. If it ain't fresh they don't touch it. They'll even refuse to eat people's food, it has been scientifically proven."
By now a large Truck is back into the area of the park and several Police Officers with Pokemon at their sides come flooding out. These are the Specialized Pokemon Police Brigade of Japan, or S.P.P.B.J for short, who has come to collect the rowdy Pokemon for transfer. They opened the truck and brought down a ramp, which was followed by Darmanitan who grabbed a huge double arm full of food and dropped it in the back for Ursaring to follow in calmly. Unfortunately, he almost messed this up as he couldn't take his eyes off Uwabami. Recently becoming enamored by her for witnessing her skills and prowess in battle. Once Ursaring was in the back and eating happily, the ramp and trunk were closed and the S.P.P.B.J took their leave.
Uwabami tapped a perfectly manicured nail to her lips and said, "Handsome and smart to boot. I like it.", Gar didn't know how to react to the compliment so he just gave her an uncomfortable closed-eye smile. Uwabami took this in…..some kind of way and then offered, "Say, how about-."
Gar immediately knew what she was gonna ask and before she could, he cut her off by looking at Rotom, from the wrong side and yelling, "BY THE CHERISHED NAME OF HO-OH! LOOK AT THE TIME! I REALLY SHOULD BE GOING! WELL, BYE-BYE!", With that he returns to Darmanitan, grabs Photo, and runs as his life depends on it!