In a glistening light, Hendrik´s Greninja appeared on the battle field as he bowed before Mine and went into a fighting position. "Do you really want to fight me with an overgrown frog?" Mine asked mocking and loaded her imperial arm. "You should watch what you´re saying. And you should especially don´t make the mistake to underestimate us," Hendrik warned and cracked his fingers.
Mine just snorted disdainfully as Kira stood up and took place near to the battle field. "What are you doing?" Najenda asked. "I will take over the role of the referee. There must always be one in a Pokémon battle," Kira explained. Then she raised up both of her arms and took her breath before shouting: "The battle begins!"
Greninja jumped in the air immediately and over Mine´s head. She raised up her weapon and gave several shots on the Ninja Pokémon. But she fired into nothing as Greninja landed on the ground without a problem.
"Use Water-Shuriken!" Hendrik ordered as his Pokémon formed a star of water in his hands and threw them towards Mine who jumped aside surprised. "How can bare water be that strong?" Akame asked the other trainers who sat next to her. Crowley just grinned and raised an eyebrow before taking out his Pokédex and showing Night Raid while the entry of Greninja was played:
"Greninja, the Ninja Pokémon. It creates throwing stars out of compressed water. When it spins them and throws them at high speed, these stars can split metal in two."
"Are you serious?" Tatsumi asked impressed while Crowley packed away his Pokédex. "Dude, we´re talking about Hendrik. When he goes serious, every opponent will be running to his mom, sooner or later," Crowley said appreciative. "Believe me. I must know that. It is impossible to count how many times he has beaten me in a Pokémon Battle since we know each other."
"Exactly 432 times," Abigail said and grinned towards her friend. Crowley snorted amused before they focused their attention to the battle again. Mine seemed to be very angry now since she wasn´t able to hit Hendrik´s Pokémon just a single time. Greninja on the other hand had landed several hits already.
"Are you giving up or do we have to take it serious?" Hendrik asked, but without malice in his voice. "Do not make a fool of yourself!" Mine yelled and loaded her weapon again. "You´ve got to know one thing about my imperial arm: the higher my damage is, the stronger the weapon gets!"
Hendrik just raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath. "Then we will show you what happens when we use our full power!" Slowly, he held his clenched fist in front of his heart and closed his eyes. "Greninja, our hearts are fully united. The power of friendship will overcome all obstacles."
Greninja copied his movements and then was surrounded by a tornado of water which changed his head to a bright red and gave him a big shuriken on his back. "Now that your Battle Bond is activated: let´s end this!" Hendrik shouted and stretched out his arm as Greninja jumped up high and took his shuriken.
Mine couldn´t even react when the star was thrown right in front of her. They disappeared in a cloud of steam.
Greninja jumped out of the fog and stood before Hendrik with crossed arms as the Ash-Form disappeared again. When the view got clear, they could see Mine who was lying on the ground and didn´t stand up.
"Incredible. No one was able to do that before," Bulat said slowly while Akame jumped up and ran to her comrade to help her getting back up. "How... could that guy beat me?" Mine asked when she stood on her feet. "It´s quite easy: my Pokémon are my best friends, and we always fight together," Hendrik explained shortly while he called Greninja back in his Pokéball.
"Now, after the battle, do you have enough proofs that we shouldn´t be underestimated?" Kira asked Najenda who was still staring at Hendrik. "At least those things have shown their strength more than satisfactory."
"Pokémon, if I may ask," Hendrik corrected automatically. "Whatever you say. I think you are ready for your first mission."
"What, already now?!" Mine disagreed who still couldn´t stand. "They are here for less than a day and you want to send them after an enemy already? You can´t be serious, Boss!"
"I´m absolutely serious. Someone who beats you without a problem must have the recommended experience. Enough experience to beat a lot of enemies."
The four trainers looked at each other for a moment, then they shrugged. "We don´t really care about the time when our first mission starts. We will focus on stopping that emperor and, in the best case, finding Giovanni and get back to our home world," Kira explained.
"Speaking of Giovanni: we have sent someone directly to the palace to get some new findings about those Rainbow Rocket guys," Bulat said and opened a door to let a young man with chin length green hair which were lying over his right eye in the area. He wore special gloves over his hands with strange threads on it. "That´s Lubbock," Bulat introduced. "He is also one of Night Raid´s assassins as well and he uses the imperial arm called cross tail. He just returned from the palace, and he sure has some information for us."
The green haired boy nodded and reached closer to the group. "Actually, I could listen to a curious meeting between the highest ranked minister and a guy named Giovanni. This guy in his suit has offered himself and his people as an ally. And it seems like he wants to tell them everything about some strange creatures. He called them Pokémon if I remember correctly."
Then he noticed the four trainers and stopped his report. "Who are they?" he asked surprised and pointed on them. "They are a group of strangers from another world. From the same world as that Giovanni guy comes from. They are now official members of Night Raid by their ow. You can speak totally free in front of them."
"Well, own choice would be a detailed discussion," Crowley meant and grinned. "Come on, don´t talk so much and keep on listening," Akame ordered. "Anyway: this guy is now a part of the imperial army with all of his people and their Pokémon. They want to wipe out every single rebel without any mercy, especially us."
"But it won´t come this far," Hendrik said determined. "Even before they´re getting started with fighting the revolution, we will have defeated all the ministers."
"I´m glad to hear that you´re all motivated, but don´t get pretentious," Najenda warned and raised one finger. "Many of the ministers have got imperial arms as well. And without your Pokémon or other weapons, it can be very dangerous for you."
"But they ARE armed," Akame interrupted and stood up from her place. "When we first met in the woods, you somehow earned rifles and helmets. What about that?"
Slowly, Kira reached inside her pocket and took out her S.W.A.T. brand. "These objects help us. We have developed them to have weapons in cases of emergency."
With one movement, the trainers opened their brands and gained special helmets, protective vests and heavy fire weapons. The Night Raid members gasped for breath and slowly went around them. "But you actually have imperial arms," Bulat finally said. "You´re wrong. We have normal, but high mechanicalized weapons. And even if it would been so, what would be so bad about it?" Abigail asked. "As a matter of fact. When two persons with imperial arms start to fight against each other, one of them will always die." Najenda waited for a moment before adding: "But when your weapons aren't imperial arms, the risk is getting a lot smaller."
The trainer nodded shortly. Then Bulat went closer to them. "Your Pokémon are true really impressive and so on, but what about yourself? How does it look about your hand-to-hand combat skills?"
"All of us are well trained police officers," Crowley remembered him and grinned. "Of course, we´ve got high combat skills. Hendrik and Kira are both really good teachers."
"And you´re like the annoying little brother who has a frozen grin," Abigail said and smiled towards her friend. "If you´re done with making jokes, you could go preparing lunch," Leone interrupted. "I would like a piece of fish."
The trainers looked at her as if they couldn´t believe their ears. "We´re not your personal maids!" Kira complained angry and reached closer to her. "But as new members of Night Raid, you´re starting at the lowest level," Leone said malicious and laughed shortly. "I´m afraid she´s right," Najenda said with a bare smile. "Even when you´re on a higher rank at your organisation, you and Tatsumi are beginners at Night Raid. And because of that, you will now head for the river near to our base to catch a couple of fishes. Maybe you will have Sheele for a bit support if she doesn't have anything to do."
"And who shall that be?" Hendrik asked. "You´re about to find out. And now go. We´re expecting you for lunch in the given time."
"Man, if I would have known that, we may would have decided to go another way," Kira bleated as the four trainers went to the near river together with Hendrik´s Lycanroc and Charizard to catch some fishes. "Come on, it could be even worse," Hendrik said and stroke her shoulder. "It´s a fact that no one of us was thinking about when we agreed to join Night Raid. And if you remember, it was the same when we started at Dragonbreath."
"But at Dragonbreath, we had to clean the toilets," Crowley remembered and grinned while they now had reached the river. "Especially you. We can´t count how often you were slithering through the base and destroying all of the facility," Abigail added and laughed. Crowley snorted amused before they lied down near to the river.
Thanks to Lycanroc´s excellent senses, the trainers had filled their baskets and watched their yield happy. "As far as I am informed, the wild animals can´t really understand human beings," Hendrik said. "And because of that, the people here are eating them, like in a food chain."
But suddenly they heard a loud and shrill scream which startled all of them. "What was that?" Abigail asked the others. "I don´t know. But depending on the sound, someone is in danger. Come on, let´s go help them!"
Loaded with their yield, they ran back the way through the forest while looking for the owner of the voice they heard.
After a short run, they found Hendrik´s Charizard who was standing in the area and looked at a tree next to him. He looked as scared as all of them which was really not easy. "Hey, buddy. What´s happening here?" Hendrik asked his team member. He just snorted and pointed to the tree he was facing.
The four trainers followed his view and spotted a young girl with long violet hair and eyes with glasses on her nose who was pressing herself against the tree and her knees against her stomach. Her whole body was trembling while she was only looking at Charizard.
"Hey, I think I know who that is," Kira said quietly and went closer to the girl who didn´t dare to make a single move.
Kira reached down to her and asked: "Sheele?"