Experimenting with a more brutal Red has begun.

A Day at Work – Red:

Celadon City, Kanto, 12 pm…

Red took a bite out of Blue's homemade sandwich while watching his target in the distance. The target, as per the agreement, was the leader of a group of thugs that delighted in bullying the helpless. There were a lot of those around Celadon City, as to be expected in a huge city, and most tended to stay in the Cycling Road or in dark alleys behind the condominiums after sunset. But this particular group seemed to have gotten far too brave and reckless and deemed themselves as being untouchable, as the members were hanging out in the middle of the day in full view of the public, making quite the rude gestures to random people around them.

The client was a recent victim who lived in Saffron City, whose daughter had been mugged and raped by the thugs on the way home from Lavender Town. But with no witnesses to speak of, the case hadn't progressed anywhere. And with very little capability of fighting or battling directly, the client had resorted to hired help. And so Red had accepted the contract. Once he finished his job and it became evident that he had, he would be able to pick up the rest of the money as promised.

Red took another huge bite out of the sandwich and momentarily savored its taste. Oh, it was so good, he wanted at least two more. But Blue hadn't packed that much, unfortunately. Oh well. At least she would be making him an equally delicious dinner later. He took a sip from the soup that she had also packed for him and it was absolutely amazing too. He took a rapid series of sips and then greedily stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth.

No liquor bottle this time, though. He didn't want Blue scolding him again, and today would be actually important, so he needed to stay fully focused.

Only after licking the sauce off of his fingers did he remember that he was here to observe his target and quickly looked around. Fortunately, his target remained loitering outside the southern condominiums, harassing random people who happened to pass nearby.

Red shook his head as he took out the last sandwich from the lunch bag. His assessment of the situation hadn't really changed in the past few days. He liked to think that he learned something or two about taking precautions from Blue, so despite him having made his conclusions a long time ago, he still decided to continue observing to see if he could gleam any more information. But so far, nothing new that he didn't know from the past few days.

The target and his band of thugs were… just that. They were a bunch of thugs who were physically impressive but the opposite in everything else. If they were going to learn a lesson, it would have to hurt a lot, in the only way they understood. Red could take them on directly in a battle, but that would unfortunately reveal his identity, given the Pokémon he'd be using. He couldn't take chances of these thugs wanting revenge. Even though they were based in Celadon City, they certainly seemed capable and willing to take their operations far outside the city. So what would happen if they knew who he was, and then tried to hurt those close to him? What if these thugs tried to assault Blue or Platinum?

Red clenched his teeth at the thought. That would be absolutely unacceptable. So using Pokémon would be out of the question. At least certainly not in a frontal battle. Now, taking on the thugs by himself was probably not going to go so well, at least if that was to be a fair fight. These thugs were more aggressive and violent, they would not be fighting fair, and there were quite a few of them. But who said this had to be a fair fight?

He took Blue's recommendation and did a lot of scouting in the past few days. He had discreetly followed the target for possible methods and locations for dealing with them. And he found the perfect place. The target and his little band of thugs had their own hideout of sorts, as if they were trying to be the next Team Rocket or something. Of course, Team Rocket's hideouts were massive business buildings. These thugs' hideout was more like an abandoned cabin near the entrance to the thick forest in the southeastern corner of Celadon City, far away from population centers. Red tracked the gang to this hideout every single night, and was certain that these guys would go there again tonight. And so that's where he'd strike tonight.

…

Several hours later, Pallet Town, 11 pm…

…

"All set and ready to go," Red said as he stood in the doorway of his house.

Blue crossed her arms while leaning against the wall, still looking concerned. "… Are you sure?"

Red checked his bag again. Yep. He had all the toys that Blue had made for him for this job. "Yeah, I have everything."

"… I should really go with you for support," Blue said with a sigh.

"Maybe next time. I got this one," Red said with a smile. "Don't you worry. I'll be back by morning."

"Yeah…" She approached him and gave him a gentle hug with a soft kiss on the cheek. "Be careful, Red."

"I always am," Red said as he returned the hug.

"Yeah, right," Blue said, rolling her eyes.

"… Well. I'll be careful this time." Red opened the door and stepped out. "I'm off!"

And as Blue waved at him, his Aerodactyl grabbed his shoulders and he flew off towards the sky, quickly disappearing from sight in the dark night.

Thanks to the cover of the night, his approach to Celadon was impossible to detect, and especially since he landed in the middle of a forest. Red returned his Aerodactyl and took out a small radar that he borrowed from Blue, so that he could locate the stash of equipment he buried near the target's hideout.

By the time he arrived at the stash, it was a little before midnight. The gang usually arrived at their hideout a few minutes past midnight, so he was right on time. He dug up the large plastic bag and put his bag inside along with his vest. He then took out a costume he had stashed in the bag and proceeded to put it on. Once his disguise was on, he put on the plastic mask of a jolly old man, fake glasses, and a voice modulator (borrowed from Blue) he brought for this occasion. And with Blue's Ditto filling in the rest, his disguise was now complete.

Red took out the large white sack he stashed inside the plastic bag and slung it over his shoulder, so that it would be easy to take out the long, wrapped object in a hurry. He then took out all the gadgets Blue had given him and put them in his coat's large pockets.

Once everything was ready, he put the plastic bag back into the hole and covered it up. He was now wearing thick black boots that led to a large, baggy red pants with white fluffy padding on the calves, with a thick red coat with fluffy white edges, a thick black belt around the very round body, clean white gloves, a soft, red cone-like hat with fluffy white edges that ended in a soft white ball. With the Ditto giving him a long white beard and hair, and the plastic mask of a jolly old man and fake glasses, Red now looked exactly like Santa Claus. With the voice modulator altering his voice so that he sounded like an old man, he even sounded the part too.

Santa crept towards the lone cabin where the target would be arriving soon. He hid in the shadows near the trees and waited. Before too long, a car rolled up in the driveway and five guys stepped out. They all seemed a little drunk already, having hit the bar before returning to the hideout. Santa focused on his hearing and didn't hear any female voices. Good. No witnesses… other than the thugs themselves. He was here to teach them a lesson. Not to terminate them. And this night would be a one to remember.

He waited a few minutes after the gang went inside the cabin, to make sure that none of them would randomly come back outside for something. Once he was sure that everyone would stay inside and begin watching whatever crap they brought for the evening, he crept around the cabin to start the job.

First, he took out a small device from his pocket and set it up by the drainage pipe in the back. The device let out a small beep to indicate that it was active. Good. With this signal jammer, the thugs inside wouldn't be able to call anyone for help, as all the phones would be jammed.

Next, Santa crept around towards the entrances of the cabin and propped up wooden boards against the doorknobs so that the doors wouldn't open. He then crept around towards the back again and began to climb up the drainage pipe. And once he reached the roof, he quietly crept towards the logical insertion point for Santa: the chimney. Since it was still in the summer, the fireplace wasn't in use, so there would be no issues in dropping in from the chimney. But Santa knew that he wouldn't actually fit through the thing, and then getting out of the fireplace would be another issue. So he'd need another insertion point.

Santa thought for a second but soon came up with a solution. He reached into his pocket for one of the gadgets Blue had made for him: a small, directional explosive charge, also known as a breaching charge. It was meant to blast open locked doors or safes without obliterating everything on the other side. So Santa planted the charge on the center of the roof and stepped away.

"… Show time," he said, pressing the detonator.

…

The thugs were having a nice, enjoyable night, munching on some snacks and drinking beer while watching some cheap action movie, when the ceiling exploded, creating a huge hole, and someone came tumbling in from above.

"Oh, what the f*ck?!" one of the thugs yelled, coughing amidst the dust created.

When the dust started to clear, the thugs could see a plump old man sitting on the debris waving to clear the dust as well.

"Ho, ho, holy sh*t!" the old man coughed out as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Hey, who the f*ck are you?!" one of the thugs demanded. He did a double take and rubbed his eyes once he could clearly see who had burst through the ceiling. "… F*cking Santa?!"

"Sorry fellas," Santa said as he brushed off the dirt on his signature red coat. "Santa was doing a bit of a practice run, when he had to make an emergency landing. And Santa's not good at emergency landings. Good thing he didn't crash the sled through the ceiling, or the insurance costs would've gone through the roof! … Get it?"

"What the f*ck is this," the thug leader said, looming over Santa.

"Ho, ho, holy sh*t!" Santa said as he looked up at the leader who stood at least a foot taller than him. "You're a big son of a bitch!"

"Come on, boys, let's waste this freak," the thug leader said menacingly. "Payback time for all that worthless sh*t I got when I was a kid."

"Yeah, let's f*ck him up," another thug said as he held took out a switchblade.

Santa glanced at the five thugs surrounding him, and raised his hands. "Now ho, ho, hold on there, fellas. There's no need for that! Santa's brought a gift for you!" He reached into his pocket and took out a… rubber Ducklett. He then looked at the thug leader and gave it to him. "Here you go, son. It's on the house."

The thug leader looked at the rubber Ducklett now in his hands, and stared at this lunatic in utter disbelief. He crushed the Ducklett in his hands and was about to throw it at the intruder's face, when the toy exploded into a burst of very bright light, blinding him and the two thugs next to him.

"Santa's got a flash grenade!" a blinded thug yelled as he stumbled about.

The other two thugs tried to rush at Santa, but Santa was ready for them, having taken out the long, wrapped object from the white sack on his back. He slammed the wrapped object into the ribs of the leading thug, knocking him down to the ground. The other thug was taken aback by the counterattack and Santa took advantage of that moment of hesitation and slammed the object into the side of his head.

By the time the blinded thugs recovered from the flash, Santa was standing in front of them, ripping apart the gift wrapping paper from the object he was holding, revealing a… baseball bat, painted over to look like a candy cane. "Sorry, Johnny, Santa will make it up to you in time later this year," he said, tossing aside the last of the wrapping paper.

"Get him!" the leader roared.

A thug rushed him, swinging his switchblade. Santa slammed his candy cane bat into the thug's leg, right at the knee, making him topple over. He then swung the bat with both hands and into the thug's shoulder, dislocating the joint and incapacitating him for this fight.

"You're all very naughty, trying to gang bang Santa Claus," Santa said, his plastic expression and tone still very, very jolly. "Looks like y'all need some good old fashioned discipline."

The thug leader tried to make a break for it, making a beeline towards the door. But it was jammed shut from the outside. He tried to kick it open a few times but realizing it was futile, tried to jump out the window. He shattered the window but before he could even start crawling out, something hit him in the back of head, making him stumble. He saw that the object was a Pikachu action figure, doing a V-pose with its fingers. And before he could get a closer look or attempt to escape again, the Pikachu action figure's head exploded into a cloud of gas. The gas immediately affected the thug leader, and he rapidly passed out, collapsing in a heap while the gas escaped through the shattered window.

"Santa's got a gas grenade!" the last remaining thug yelled in horror.

"Santa's got a frag grenade too if you don't shut up," Santa said with a growl.

The thug gasped in terror when Santa loomed over him, hefting his candy cane bat. With a loud shriek, the thug ran, ducking under the swing of the bat and sprinting towards the back door. But of course, the back door was also jammed shut. And when he glanced back, he could see Santa sprinting after him, the candy cane bat poised to crack his head, while the jolly old man himself had a big jolly old smile on his face, as if he was having a jolly old time.

"Santa, no!" the thug cried out, but the jolly old man was merciless. The bat cracked into his ribs, and then struck him on the side of the neck, making the thug topple over unconscious.

…

Santa sat down on the couch, having finished tying up the thugs so that they couldn't fight back. They were all tied with flexi cuffs, with their wrists and ankles bound so no one could do anything. Most thugs had each of their wrists and ankles bound to another thug, leaving them in a tangled mess of limbs, like a group contortionist performance gone horribly wrong. The last thug had his left wrist bound to his right ankle behind his back with his right wrist and left ankle bound together but under the other binding, while the limbs themselves were bent over and around the binding. So he was now on his side, his body bent in the shape of a doughnut, completely harmless and incapable of doing anything.

The thug leader was tied up on the sturdy dinner table that had been dragged out into the living room, each of his wrists and ankles bound to a different leg of the table. And now, Santa simply stretched and waited while the thugs slowly regained consciousness one at a time.

"Santa's checked his lists," he said once everyone was awake. "And you've all been so very, very naughty, you're not even on the naughty list anymore!"

"So… are we… good?" one thug feebly asked.

"You are all on the extra naughty list!" Santa said with a jolly laugh. His tone became deadly serious. "Santa doesn't take kindly to those in the extra naughty list!" He took out a red and white decorated device and scrolled around a bit. "Kidnapping, rape, shoplifting, armed robbery, mugging, group beatings, illegal parking, smoking under a no smoking sign, and not tipping the waiters at restaurants! So very naughty!"

"Wait… isn't the list supposed to be a long piece of paper?" the thug asked again.

Santa slowly shook his head, as if he was disappointed by the stupid question from a stupid little boy. "Welcome the era of technology and wireless connections, son. Get on with the times." He stood up and picked up his candy cane bat again. "Now then. You've all been misbehaving greatly and it's time to atone. Santa's going to have some fun with you. It's going to involve a lot of pain, but you'll survive. And while you're recuperating later on, you're going to remember this night. If you so much as litter, or steal a magazine, or curse at an old woman…" He tapped his bat on his other hand. "… Santa will come back for you. All of you. And he will tear off your skin like wrapping paper and deck the halls with your guts. Understood?"

All the thugs nodded. Santa walked towards the closest thug and mercilessly beat his arms and legs with the bat, breaking all sorts of bones but keeping him well enough alive. He then moved onto the next and the next, leaving the three thugs tied up together in a mess of tangled broken limbs.

"No, no! You don't have to do this!" the last thug yelled in terror and panic as Santa loomed over him next. "I… I'll put out a lot of milk and cookies for you!"

Santa stopped in his tracks. "… You dare bribe Santa?! He's going to shove coal so far up your stocking, you'll be coughing up diamonds!"

"No! Please!" the thug cried out, but it was futile. Santa simply beat him with the candy cane bat, breaking his arms and legs.

"You better watch out," Santa said ominously as he approached the thug leader. "You better not cry. You better not pout. And Santa's telling you why. Santa Claus has come to town. He made a list, and checked it twice. And he found out who's naughty and nice. And now he came to punish the naughty and reward the nice."

"Please don't do this," the thug leader begged. "You don't have to do this! I can give you-"

"Didn't you see what happened to the last guy who tried bribery?" Santa asked, shaking his head in disgust while keeping his oddly jolly smile. "There's nothing you can give Santa, and there's nothing you can say. People like you are different. To truly get it, you need an unforgettable lesson."

"Please don't," the leader said, beginning to openly sob.

"Too late for that," Santa said, hefting the candy cane bat again. "But don't worry. You'll pass out quickly. And remember this when you wake up again in the hospital. Santa sees when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been good or bad. So be good, for your own sake. Or Santa will go jolly on your naughty asses with a candy cane axe, and it's going to be a red Christmas." He lifted the bat and gave a hearty laugh. "Ho, ho, ho. Let this face etch into your memory forever!"

…

Pallet Town, 4 am…

…

Santa unlocked the front door of his house and quietly crept inside, so that he didn't wake the other occupant. But the lights were on inside, as if the occupant had left them on for him so that he didn't have to stumble in the darkness. Santa set his stuff on the floor next to the door to the basement and headed upstairs after locking the door.

When he reached the bedroom and quietly opened the door, he saw Blue slowly sitting up on the bed, groggily rubbing her eyes. She must've heard the key going into the slot in the front door, and heard him making his way upstairs.

"Hey Red," she said tiredly without opening her eyes. She finally managed to open them to a squint and jumped in surprise at seeing Santa Claus standing in the doorway. "What the…"

"Ho, ho, ho," Santa said heartily, his hands on his belt. "Looks like you've been very-"

"Ditty," Blue said flatly, snapping her fingers. Her Ditto instantly obeyed and began to slither off of Red, thus removing most of his disguise.

"Ho, ho… … ohh…" Red groaned as the Ditto completely rolled off of him. "… Now I just look like an asshole."

Blue shook her head but smiled. "Welcome back home, Red."

"Sorry for waking you," he said as he took off the rest of the Santa costume. He took the voice modulator off and set it on the table next to the bed. "But job's finished. And there were no issues whatsoever."

"Good." She stared at the Santa costume and shook her head. "… Red, I have to ask. … Why Santa?"

Red shrugged. "Well, it was either Santa or Frosty, but I figured that hitting them with a shovel might do too much. So Santa it was."

"… Curiously, that only adds more questions, but… I don't think I want to know. … Now get cleaned up and let's just get some sleep."

"Yes, ma'am."

Next up:
Researchers' gathering! … Shield's debut?