A/N

So yeah, it seems like the last chapter got some good reception, which is great to see. Took a couple days off of writing to get some shit done. I also may have been playing trackmania united forever to get a sub 24 on AO-1 Race. Unsuccessfully, I might add.

Prepare for Grimm to be a very angry person at Team Rocket. Also I've started capitalizing more words because it might be better, let me know what you think.

Another one about 4.7k this time, featuring an actual Pokemon Battle. Only took 6 chapters for a real one.

Enjoy it if you want.

I glared up at the two figures hovering above the trees on a massive hot air balloon, partially hanging from it with a pair of megaphones. I recognized them instantly, how could I not considering their ridiculous hair.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

I felt my eye twitching fiercely by now. I'm already in an annoying situation where I'm going to be interacting with the main cast, which I really don't want to get involved with, and these two jackasses are going to make one of their asinine attempts just when I happen to be nearby? Fuck that.

"To denounce the evils-" Jessie continued, only to be interrupted by my incensed voice.

"OI, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yell up to them over their megaphones.

Jessie glares down at me before scoffing and continuing.

"To denounce the evils of Truth and-"

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME YOU JACKASSES? SHUT THE HELL UP!" I continue yelling. Out of the corner of my eye I see Ash and Co standing up themselves and looking worried over me and my reaction.

Too bad for them, I'm absolutely pissed off at this point and there's no point until I work it out of my system. They have the absolute gall to interrupt me with an explosion and send me flying just so they can do their goddamn introduction?

The pair huff and throw their megaphones into the basket of their hot air balloon.

"Well, it looks like we have a Mega-Twerp on our hands. Such a rude one too, interrupting our introduction like that." Jessie says, lightly fanning her face with one hand in a relaxed manner.

"Meowth, That's Right!" Meowth says, popping up from inside the basket just as annoyed as the others.

"You interrupted me first! Get the hell out of here, we are in the middle of something!" I reply, still glaring at Team Rocket as the trio I was already talking to walks up.

"Damn, who do they think they are? Slam me into a tree with an explosion and then get mad about not being able to do their introduction." I grumble, crossing my arms.

"Well, you'd know who they are if they finished their introduction." Brock says, looking amused at my reaction now.

"Eugh, they are Team Rocket. That's all I have to know about them." I reply, trying to calm down my twitching eye.

I was getting ready to tear into Team Rocket again when I was interrupted by Ash tapping me on the shoulder. I turn to face him, and I guess my face is looking a bit too angry for his taste because he flinches away and looks nervous.

"Ahh, Grimm? You have something…" He trails off, pointing behind me. I crane my neck over my shoulder and look to where he was pointing. Only to find my Zorua tail poking out behind me. Whelp, cat's 100% out of the bag now. No point hiding it after this.

"Ah, yeah that's what I was going to talk to you guys about. Just give me a second, going to take care of these idiots first." I say, relaxing my face a bit as I reapply my illusion to rehide my tail.

Ash looks confused about this, but nods and puts his arm back down at his side before looking back towards Team Rocket. Gotta love Ash's trusting nature, didn't even push me on it.

I turn back to Team Rocket, leashing my anger back under control. "The hell are you guys even doing here? Isn't Team Rocket a criminal organization? Why are you bothering people who aren't even adults, we don't exactly have money you know." I ask in a neutral tone. It was technically a lie, since Brock and Misty are Gym Leaders and Ash completed a whole League but I knew they didn't want money.

I was still seething internally, but I knew when to reign myself in. I can't technically afford to fight them because they'll find out my secret, and I really don't want to become Pikachu #2 to them on their list of Pokemon to grab.

I swear, if these guys had the option of catching fucking Arceus or Pikachu, they'd choose Pikachu in a heartbeat. I know it's for plot reasons, and Pikachu is really fucking strong when the plot wants him to be, but they have an obsession with the mouse.

Both Jessie and James point their fingers towards the sky, using opposite hands.

"We are here to do our mission, to identify and capture powerful Pokemon! Like that twerps Pikachu. And…" Jessie says while trailing off. They level their fingers directly at me in a dramatic fashion before James continues. "You! Any Pokemon that can disguise itself as human is surely powerful and worthy of serving Team Rocket."

Oh, well shit am I found out already? How the hell did they even know, I had only told Nurse Joy and she sure wouldn't be working with these guys. Okay, well, time to earn my pay as an actor.

"Uh… what? Surely any Pokemon that could do that would be famous and probably be a legendary Pokemon. And if you're calling me a legendary Pokemon, thanks for the compliment I guess? I'm not even a Pokemon trainer and haven't ever really battled but sure." I say, acting like I just heard a particularly good joke.

Jessie smirks at me, still pointing accusingly. "Nice try Mega-Twerp, but we overheard that thing about Zoru-ah or whatever its name is. From that Pokedex right there too!" Oh, I guess they were snooping around when I was walking down the street.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you but my name is Grimm, not Zoru-ah or whatever. I mean, if you want we could use that Pokedex to 'check me' and see if it says I'm a… Pokemon. Or should I be saying 'Grimm Grimm' and play charades with you?" I say with a large chuckle. I'm really banking on them being as easy to fool as they are in the anime and them not just calling me on it and attacking.

After listening to me bluff like a Poker player holding an off suit, Ash takes Dexter from his pocket and flips him open towards me. Both Misty and Brock seem to have figured out what was going on and I could see they were trying not to laugh.

"This unit can only evaluate Pokemon, not Humans." Dexter says out loud for all to hear. Team Rocket looks shocked and devastated. Holding back a smirk, I keep going.

"Hey Pokedex, got any information on a Pokemon called Zoru-ah?"

"No Data."

"Well that's that. I don't see a Pikachu around here either, so could you actually just leave so we can get back to what we were doing?" I ask, finally releasing the smirk I was holding in. I need to get Dexter a gift for that cover up, he's now designated as my ultimate Wingman just for that.

Jessie seemed to be incensed, almost snarling. While James suddenly looks nervous like he is having second thoughts and grabs Jessie's and Meowth's attention. The three of them huddle up inside the basket and have an intense discussion that I don't pay enough attention to hear. Returning to their original positions on the balloon, they strike another pose.

"Team Rocket will leave you for now, Twerps, but don't expect us to next time!" Jessie exclaims.

"Because if you do, it won't turn out fine!" James replies.

"Team Rocket's lifting off again!" All three of them say as they drop some ballast out of the balloon and rise up over the canopy and out of sight. I run my hands down my face and look around at the new clearing that exists in the woods now, with us standing in the center of it.

Turning back to Ash, Misty, and Brock I give them an exasperated shrug.

"Sorry about that, they must have overheard me and your Pokedex talking Ash. Really hoped to keep the cat, or in this case the fox, in the bag. Thanks for being a great Wingman there Dexter, really saved me there." I say, rolling my shoulders and dusting off my clothes. Putting most of my weight on one leg, I look at Ash.

"So, what I was about to say before we were rudely interrupted…" I take a look around to make sure they weren't about to come back before continuing.

"I am, in fact, a Pokemon that can turn into a human like they said I was. I just really didn't want to get a criminal organization known for stealing rare and powerful Pokemon on my back if I'm honest." I explain for Ash's benefit, because it looks like both Misty and Brock already understood.

Ash immediately began to gush over how cool that was, freaking out as he essentially fawned over me. It wasn't really weird, considering how much this kid adores all Pokemon, but it was more than I had the energy to put up with so I quickly stopped him.

"I'm glad you think it's cool, Ash, but I really don't have the desire to have you gush about how cool I am. I just want help becoming a Trainer and then I'll go on a journey." I explain, holding my hands up defensively as I saw literal stars in his eyes.

"Speaking of which, why does a Pokemon want to become a Trainer?" Brock asks while Misty nods along.

"Well, why did you?" I ask rhetorically, not expecting an actual answer just trying to use it as a point.

"Because it's my dream to become a great Pokemon Breeder! I would much rather look after Pokemon than battle them if I'm honest, but I had a responsibility to take over the Gym while my Father was gone. Now that he's back I can follow my dream of taking care of both Pokemon and the Woman of my dreams!" Brock explains, getting more excited near the end and hearts literally appearing in his eyes.

"Okay, and what about you Misty?" I ask, steadfastly ignoring Brock's sudden swooning over whatever Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny he is thinking of this time. Maybe it was someone else but I would never bother asking.

"Hmpf, I want to become the strongest Water Type Specialist there is!" She states, full of determination and striking a pose. Geez, why does everyone here strike poses all the time? Should I figure out a pose to make when I get excited?

"Ash, you're a total League fanatic. I already know that, I saw how excited you were showing off that Hive Badge to anyone that would listen." I say, interrupting Ash when I turned to him. He deflated, hanging his head. I could hear a quiet "It's not that obvious, right?" from him that I didn't respond to.

After all, it really was that obvious when you know that he will challenge literally every league on this earth rather than just focusing on one.

"And as for me, like most other Pokemon I am a battle maniac who loves to fight. I just view being in the General's Chair as much a part of that as standing in the arena, so I want to do both. I already checked the rules, there's nothing stating I can't do it in the Johto League. I meet all the criteria except I'm not 11 years old… since I'm a Pokemon. I can get around that by having someone from the group I mentioned sponsor me as ready to journey." I explain, and Brock nods thoughtfully at this.

"Say, how about you borrow one of my Pokemon and have a small battle with Misty? If you do well I would be happy to sponsor you." Brock says, handing me a Pokeball. I gently take it, looking at it and back at Brock then at Misty. She was already smirking and standing across the clearing, tossing her own Pokeball up and down in hand.

"Okay, give me a minute to chat with this Pokemon Misty, I need to know what moves it knows." I say with a raised voice, to which she nods in acceptance. I was hoping she would let whatever Pokemon she was going to use out, but no luck on that.

Opening the Pokeball, I was greeted with Brock's… Geodude? It was strong looking, as expected of one of Brock's Pokemon, but still.

Turning to Brock with a raised eyebrow, I ask the question on my mind in a deadpan. "Did… did you give me a Rock/Ground Type to fight against a Water Type Specialist for my first ever battle?" At this, Brock merely smiles.

"Hey! I'm strong enough to take a few splashes of water!" Geodude says, bashing his fists together.

"Geodude, if Misty only used Splash in this battle I wouldn't exactly be worried would I?" I snark, looking at Geodude with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, that's right! Since you're a Pokemon yourself you can actually understand what they are saying. That'll probably end up being useful when you become a Trainer." Brock says happily, crossing his arms and nodding. I give a nod to Brock and crouch down, biting on my thumb lightly while thinking.

"So, Geodude, what moves do you know?"

"Tackle, Defense Curl, Seismic Toss, and Dig." Geodude replies, looking at me with attention now.

"Okay, so we can work with that. I'm not sure what Misty will be using, but it probably won't be close range. Our goal will be to get you in close, using Dig, and try and bully whatever she puts in with Seismic Toss. I have an idea for a finisher, so get close and listen... " I say with a slightly dark grin before making my smile normal again. We talked for a few minutes, this time in Pokespeech.

Once we are done conversing, I stand up straight and nod towards Misty. Taking place opposite of her with Geodude in front of me already, my face goes from it's normal slightly friendly grin to a serious and focused face.

Misty finally opens up her Pokeball to reveal her Staryu, announcing its presence with a cry as it floats in the air. Ever heard of Overkill, Misty? It really seems like it to me.

…Okay that's a lie, I don't believe in that either if I'm honest.

Brock walks up to the middle spot between us, and raises one arm. "Are both sides ready to battle?" He asks sternly, looking between us. I gave him a blank nod, not looking away from that Staryu for a moment more than I had to. Getting answers from both sides. He nods and throws his raised hand down.

"Begin!"

"Approach Geodude!" "Swift, Staryu!" Our voices called out the moment the go ahead was given.

Geodude sounded off an affirmative, before digging down below the ground. Gem glowing, Staryu spun for a moment before unleashing a torrent of yellow stars. Sadly for the stars in question, they all dug into the ground before expiring.

"Swift again, below you!"

Just as Geodude shot out of the ground, Staryu shot another Swift barrage directly into the path Geodude was about to shoot out from. Holding in a grin, I wait a moment to not clue them off. Geodude had cancelled the attack portion of the dig prior to leaving the ground, instead using defense curl to make himself a cannonball and protect against any retaliation.

The already ineffective move crashed against Geodude's defense curl and did no visible damage as he wasn't even slowed down. Misty called out the dodge a little bit earlier than I hoped, as Staryu was only clipped by the speeding Rock Pokemon. Sadly, I was hoping for a direct hit into a Seismic, but it's still free damage judging by the very slight dimming of Staryu's crystal.

"Try to get close with a Tackle Geodude" I called out as Geodude stopped flying through the air and was on the ground again.

"Keep him away with Water Gun Staryu!" Misty calls out, making a motion with her arm.

"Dodge it and keep moving in!" I order, knowing that the Dig trick isn't likely to work another time.

Geodude dodged a couple bursts of Water Gun, but was overall making no progress as Staryu would move away between shots. Gritting my teeth, I feel the frustration of playing against a ranged kiter as a pure melee.

"Go for it Geodude, we aren't getting in otherwise!" I yell, straightening my back as I wait. Geodude faithfully goes below ground, using Dig again and disappearing from sight.

"That trick won't work again, Grimm! Out of ideas already?" Misty taunts, but I won't show my hand over such a low level manipulation. Countering back, I rub the back of my neck sheepishly and grin.

"Well, I didn't have much time to come up with plans. I can't really close in any other way because you're such a strong battler. I can see why you're a Gym Leader!" I say, noticing out of the corner of my eye that the ground was rumbling slightly in one spot. Misty was busy basking in my compliment for a moment and was slightly late noticing it.

Geodude shot from the ground again, this time sans defensive curl and instead going for a straight Seismic. Misty orders a Water Gun instantly, but it is rushed and Geodude's momentum carries him through it as he grabs onto Staryu with an iron, or rock in this case, grip.

"Quick Staryu, use Rapid Spin to throw Geodude off!" Misty calls out, and my heart sinks as Staryu begins to rapidly rotate. Just before the intended double impact, Geodude is flung off and skips along the ground towards me from the momentum of the spin. Staryu still crashed into the ground, but it lost a lot of the possible impact in that last second.

I look over Geodude, and he seems to be fine to continue, but Brock still calls a close to the match. Looking at him in disappointment as he runs to the middle of the clearing between us.

"That's enough! I've seen everything I need to." Brock calls out, making sure we both understand to stop. Groaning at this, I oblige since he is the Referee for the match and I walk over to check on Geodude. On closer inspection, he seems mostly scuffed up having only taken moderate damage from the flight. Staryu appears to be fine as well from what I can see. Misty was busy glaring at me between worrying over Staryu's light damage.

"What gives Brock? It was a good match so far." I ask, thanking Geodude for his effort and teamwork as I return him to his Pokeball.

"Oh, I saw that you already understood how everything works. Much much more than I expected someone new to battling to if I'm honest. I feel pretty comfortable saying you are ready to go on a journey after that, and I highly doubt you are going to mistreat Pokemon considering you are one." Brock explains, taking Geodude's Pokeball back from me and attaching it to his belt. Misty comes stomping over, having returned Staryu to its Pokeball as well.

"What was that for Mister, pulling a dirty move like distracting me in a battle like that." She says irately. In response, I give a light shrug and put my hands in my dress pants.

"I'm a Dark Type trickster Pokemon, what did you expect?" I say with an amused grin. It was always great when someone got angry over basic shit talking or focus breakers.

"Hmpf!" Is Misty's eloquent reply, as she turns and stalks away.

Meanwhile, Ash comes running up with his Pokedex open. "Wow, that was a great battle! Did you catch all that Professor Oak?" Ash asks excitedly, and I felt my brain record scratch.

"Ash… were you recording that battle and showing it to Professor Oak? Possibly the most famous and influential person ever in terms of the Pokemon League and Pokemon in general?" I ask, getting slightly more incredulous as I keep talking.

Seriously, in this world it basically mixed all of the fame of Oak from all mediums and smashed it into one person. He was the Undefeated Champion of Kanto for about 30 years before retiring by his own decision, during which time the only person who seemed capable of giving him a hard time consistently was Agatha. Upon retiring, he became the single most knowledgeable Pokemon Professor from any Region due to his intimate experience with Pokemon from all around the world during his earlier travels. He is also the creator of the fucking Pokedex, an invention so amazing it revolutionized the League practically overnight as everyone clambered to get the design schematics from the man. It may have been due to time travel shenanigans with a minor paradox, but it's not like anyone really knew that.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah! He's really interested in Pokemon of all kinds, so I thought he'd love to see what a Pokemon acting as the Trainer was like." Ash replied brightly, turning the Pokedex around so I could see Professor Oak's grinning face.

"I must say my boy, that it was very interesting seeing you battle. Judging from your form and mastery over common, I'd guess you are a Zorua or Zoroark." Oak says, closing his eyes and nodding at the end.

"Ah, well that's flattering to hear from you of all people. And I'm not evolved, but you're absolutely right." I say, internally panicking a bit. Damnit Ash, I know you mean well but I need time to prepare for these things.

"Ah, a Zorua then. Tell me, why would you want to be a Trainer when you're a Pokemon?" Oak asks, echoing the question form earlier as he leans forward on the screen.

"Well, like most other Pokemon I am a battle maniac who loves to fight. I just think being in the General's Chair is as much a part of that as standing in the arena." I explain to him.

"And you're in Johto, correct? How did you end up there?" He continues.

"Mmm, well I hatched from my Egg here. I think it was probably that some Pokemon Thieves like Team Rocket stole my egg to bring me here and something made them lose me." I reply, shrugging.

"Most concerning. If they hadn't lost you we might have been in trouble. Zorua and Zoroark are considered restricted Pokemon to own, as they can easily commit identity theft and frame people for crimes with none the wiser." Professor Oak explains.

Huh, I didn't know about that. Makes sense for why a Zorua egg was on the continent and no one knew though. Also, boy am I glad I wasn't hatched in Team Rocket captivity. I would have pulled a Mewtwo so goddamn fast it woulda gave Giovanni whiplash and activate his probable PTSD.

"Well, I certainly don't feel like going along with a criminal organization whose public stance on Pokemon is that they only exist to be exploited by them, so I think we are safe on that front." I joke, giving the Professor a smile.

"You seem remarkably well informed for a Pokemon, mind telling me how that is?" He asked me.

"Well, I went into human form and walked inside of a Library. They didn't require a card or anything to use their computers so I just kinda… looked stuff up on them." I say. I'm not even lying either, which is the best part of the explanation.

He seems slightly shocked at the mundaneness of my answer, but composes himself and coughs.

"So, Johto you say? I don't suppose you are a legal citizen?" He asks, typing on his computer.

"Nope, but I am working on that. So far I'm halfway there on the Trainer requirements here, actually three fourths since Mr. Gym Leader here is ready to sign off on me being ready." I answer, pointing my thumb at Brock.

"Well, go ahead and head over to Professor Elm's laboratory. I'll let him know you are coming. I think I have a solution for your problem. In return, I want you to keep some sort of journal on your experiences as, well, a Pokemon Trainer. Pokemon and Humans think in different ways, so your insight on training Pokemon while understanding and being able to perfectly communicate with them will be a great boon to my field." Oak states. He phrased it as a request, but I recognized it as a requirement for his help.

Immediately acquiescing, before remembering something.

"Oh, by the way there's one other thing you might be interested in." I say with a grin. I quickly turn back into my normal Zorua form, in all my shiny glory, just long enough for Professor Oak's eyes to widen. After I turn back, I immediately start to walk away while thanking everyone for the help and trying my best not to laugh. I could hear Professor Oak talking excitedly in the background as I shook Brock's hand and went on my way.

It's the little things in life, the little things.

LINE BREAK

Professor Oak rubbed his chin after he ended the call, leaning back in his chair thoughtfully. Ash's new acquaintance was a strange one by any metric, but didn't seem malicious at all. A Pokemon wanting to be a Trainer? Completely unheard of, as they generally loved to do battle themselves and most would get upset at watching others get to battle when they themselves could be out there.

The Zorua's (Grimm was his name?) answer and face during the small time battle cleared it up, however. He was the type to get into the flow of battle, and place a bit of himself in every battle. Everything, from the smallest hit to a knockout, would be personal to him. Every loss and every victory would be his along with the Pokemon he travels with.

It was an application of a Pokemon's mentality in a unique way, he must admit. And if that Zorua ever stepped into battle himself, he would be a monster. A Dark Type known for being a trickster that could strategize on level with humans with a probable vicious streak if he got a team and it got hurt? Most Trainers wouldn't even know what hit them.

It was also a gold mine of study material. Grimm seemed to recognize it as well, having the look of someone who had his bargaining chip requested when he was asked to keep that journal. Now, all he has to do is find out how to get a Pokemon a legal Johto citizenship. It shouldn't be too hard. After all, old Professor Oak has plenty of strings to pull from his time on the plateau.

"Tracey, grab me my books on Johto's laws if you could?"

A/N

Alright, that's it for this chapter. Grimm made some good inroads and impressed people enough for them to think he is ready to be a trainer. A little outside look at Grimm too from Oak. I always love seeing those sorts of things when I read so expect them semi-frequently.

Got to finally showcase a battle, even if it was only one where both sides knew about 4-5 moves like in the games.