Chapter Forty-Five: The Poochyena Gang.
At first Lucas didn't react to the man's request. After a several day trip from Sinnoh to Hoenn, the teen had arrived in Littleroot Town to speak with Professor Birch so he could get registered with the Pokemon League and legally start training in the region. After talking with an assistant, Lucas had learned that the professor had gone out on a field experiment. In a hurry to start the next part of his adventure, the teen went after the man. Now he stood stunned as he found the so-called 'Pokemon expert' treed by a group of Pokemon like a chased cat.
The man called out again, "Hi there, excuse me! I've been stuck here for hours, could you please help?"
At the repetition of the request, Lucas finally went into action. He pulled out his Pokedex to examine exactly what he was up against. According to the machine these Pokemon were Poochyena. Lucas had remembered the warning fliers posted all along the way from Petalburg to Littleroot and realized these must have been the creatures the posters had described. The Pokedex also pointed out that the majority of the dark-type were actually incredibly low level. These creatures had clearly ganged up together in the interest of strength in numbers. What Lucas couldn't understand is why these Pokemon were attacking people like this in the first place. But the answer would have to wait. Once the Trainer knew what he was fighting he commanded Gizmo to hop into battle. The difference between the Eevee's level and the Poochyena was massive, so Lucas had to be careful how he would attack. It was not in his interest to harm the Pokemon, simply to scare them off. The teen commanded the small normal-type to use his Shadowball attack. The ghost move would be largely ineffective against the dark-types but would be enough to intimidate the roving gang.
Lucas was right. As soon as the Eevee released the ball of sparking black energy in the largest concentration of Poochyena the Pokemon all scattered. All, except one. A single Poochyena stood his ground, barking and snarling at Lucas and Gizmo with all its might and power.
"You must be the leader," Lucas said aloud, "You're a tough little bastard but I'm giving you fair warning. I can be just as much of a bastard as you are, if I have to. Gizmo, get ready to attack again,"
Though the leader Poochyena was tough, it wasn't stupid. As the Eevee got ready to launch its next assault the Poochyena gave one final growl and turned tail to disappear into the bushes after its posse. Lucas had to shake his head and smile. Though the Pokemon was unnecessarily vicious, he had to admire its guts. In a small way the Pokemon reminded him of himself. With the danger over he returned his attention to the man in the tree.
"You alright?" Lucas called out.
With a surprisingly athletic move, the professor pulled himself up onto a branch above where he was sitting and used it to swing to the ground with a strong thump. He picked up the abandoned rucksack and dusted off the dirt and twigs that had accumulated on it. He then walked over to the Trainer and stretched himself out, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks a ton. I had come out here to investigate and take care of this Poochyena problem but they caught me off guard. I dropped the bag with my Pokemon in it and got treed before I could do anything about it. I've been up there since pretty much this morning,"
Upon closer inspection Lucas realized that even as far as scientists go Professor Birch was an oddball, and his erratic office was only the beginning. From a distance the man seemed stocky and overweight, up close the teen could see the mass was almost pure muscle. Not only that, the man's arms, legs and face were weathered from constant sun exposure and the beard seemed more a dislike of shaving rather than as a deliberate statement. The Professor's build and cheery disposition seemed more appropriate for an outdoorsman than a trained academic. Only the sudden observation in his eyes suggested he was even remotely interested in science. Now closer to Lucas, the stocky man seemed to be studying him as much as the teen looked over the man.
Professor Birch beamed and suddenly smacked his fist against his other hand, "Wait a second! You're Lucas!"
The teen cocked his head slightly in confusion as Gizmo ran back to his usual spot on his Trainer's shoulder, "Yeah, that's right. How did you know?"
"Professor Oak called me a few days ago to let me know you'd be arriving to my neck of the woods to get your teeth into the Hoenn League. He told me to watch out for a kid a mohawk and an Eevee. You fit the bill," the professor let out a hardy laugh.
Lucas had to smile. It seemed yet again his mentor was watching out for him. He'd have to message the man once he got the chance. Together the two men headed back to the Littleroot Lab to take care of the teen's business. When they finally returned the Pokemon expert haphazardly tossed his sack onto a pile of papers that collapsed into a messy pile on a desk. Professor Birch then shoved another pile off of his keyboard onto the floor, oblivious or simply indifferent to the documents getting caught in the wheels of his chair. Once the computer was all booted up, Lucas handed his Trainer ID to the scientist. When Lucas had first gotten the card from Professor Oak in Eterna City the super thin, computerized card was a red color, indicating that he was just a novice. Now the card was a dark blue color with the words 'Champion' listed as the rank as well as his total funds and Pokemon collection listed as well.
The scientist hummed as he entered the data and finished the registry by swiping the card through a machine right next to the computer's tower. Done, he held the card between two fingers and gestured it back towards Lucas, "Bingo-bango, you're now legal. You can now battle anyone in the Hoenn Region or catch any Pokemon. Speaking of which, since you're here I want to check up your Pokedex,"
"Oh, sure, of course," the teen replaced the card in the vest pocket over his heart and exchanged it with the Pokemon cataloging device.
The professor looked over the item, "So this is the new model. Pretty snazzy. And it looks like you're not doing too badly with catching Pokemon. It looks like you could do with evolving more of the Pokemon you already have. Hoenn doesn't have the same kind of variety that Sinnoh has in terms of land and air Pokemon, but the water's jumping with all sorts of species. Get ready to spend a lot of time fishing, surfing and diving,"
"Diving?" Lucas replied in surprise.
"Yup, Hoenn has just as much going on under the surface as above. You'll need to get the badge from Mossdeep before you'll be able to use the move on your Pokemon, but some cities you can't even get to without it," the professor explained, "Oh yeah, and before I forget lemme run you by some of the rules and things of training in Hoenn. Most of the rules between Sinnoh and Hoenn are the same, but you should remember this stuff: you can't pick berries unless replant some of the fruit you harvest. Some of the berries species are really rare so it's important to keep the population up. Another thing is tourism is extremely important in Hoenn. So make sure you don't bother anyone except Trainers unless you see a tourist about to do something stupid. Other than that you should be all set. Have fun on the road, get lots of Pokemon and if you run into my son while training, tell him I said 'hi,'" With this final comment Professor Birch picked his rucksack again and started heading out.
"Oh hey, where are you going?" Lucas called after the man, somewhat in shock that his orientation of this new area was so short.
"I need to go back out and do something about those Poochyena," Professor Birch replied but did not stop walking.
Lucas trotted back after him, "Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask about that. What's up with those Pokemon?"
"As a scientist I have a few working hypotheses, but between you and me I'm honestly not sure. Poochyena aren't the most friendly Pokemon to begin with, and they'll attack anyone who comes into their territory, but these Pokemon are acting very strangely. Normally they only run in packs of five or six. This gang I've counted with at least fifteen members. And they never, ever come into the city, but these guys have run down the main street of Oldale and have attacked people. They've been around for a few months. Normally you don't have to worry about these kind of weird shifts in behaviors because sooner or later a Trainer will drive them off, but problem with Oldale and Littleroot is that strong Trainers usually don't come within miles of here since there aren't any Gyms or rare Pokemon while the rookies couldn't possibly handle a pack that big with their starters. So it's up to me to sort this mess out before a person or Pokemon gets seriously hurt,"
"So what's the plan?"
The professor scratched at his scruffy beard, "Well, I guess my only option was what I was originally trying to do before I got sucker-punched by the Poochyena ambush. That's to knock them all out and hope that will scare them all off,"
A knot formed in the teen's stomach. Even though what the Poochyena were doing was dangerous and destructive to the local townspeople, it seemed wrong to injure so many Pokemon just to get them to stop, "Is that the only way?"
"Only plan I got," the professor admitted.
"You said a strong Trainer should be able to do something right? Well, I'm a freaking Champion, why I don't stop the Poochyena?" Lucas proposed.
"Hey kid, if you're willing to do it that's fine by me. I'm a scientist, not a Trainer, I rather observe Pokemon than fight them. If you can figure out a less brutal way to stop the Poochyena from going after the people of Oldale and Littleroot then that'll make me one happy camper," Professor Birch beamed a huge smile of relief. He grabbed his rucksack again and lobbed it over to the younger man, "You might as well take one of these starters while you're at it. Something of a 'thank you' in advance. New region and all that,"
"Yeah, wow, thank you," Lucas replied awkwardly. The Hoenn starters considered of the first fire, water or grass-type starters that were the essential beginning tool of most Trainers. In this tropical area the starters were Torchic, Mudkip and Treeko. All three Pokemon had valuable assets and would be helpful in the fight, especially since the teen wanted to start with a new set of Pokemon and something closer to the Poochyena's level. After a moment's contemplation, the boy settled on the water-type Mudkip. Once he made his selection he handed the bag back to the professor.
"Alrighty then. Seems like you're all set up now. I'm going back into the field now to catch up on the work I missed from being in the tree all morning. If you need me, just contact me with your Pokevice and we'll meet back here at the lab," the professor slung the backpack onto his shoulder and immediately started heading back out the door, "Good luck Lucas, these towns are now counting on you,"
Lucas left shortly after Professor Birch and headed back to the Pokemon Center in Oldale Town to formulate his plan. With his new Mudkip Bruce, the teen went to the PC to get some more Pokemon for his team. While he'd have an opportunity to catch Pokemon later, for now he needed some of his older Pokemon to stand up to the Poochyena. The PC system was slow and hectic, and difficult to access. He remembered the Pokemon PC creators Bill and Bebe were working on an upgraded system to communicate better from region to region, and now having experienced the difficulties himself, hoped they would have the new system up and running soon. But after great difficulty he finally got some more Pokemon. He added to his team the Turtwig he had received from Professor Rowan in Sinnoh and the Beautifly he had trained earlier in his Journey. He decided with Gizmo's strength for backup, four Pokemon would be all he would need for now since he still wanted a way to stop the rogue Pokemon without having to harm all of them.
He got some food from the vending machines and looked up as much information on the Pokemon as possible. Poochyena were dark-types, a part of Lucas wanted to call his friend/rival Morgan to ask her opinion on the situation. Though the two Trainers butted heads and insulted each other constantly, Lucas couldn't deny that few people knew more about dark-types than the daughter of a former dark Gym. But before he could get her contact information from his Pokevice, a tablet-like device developed specifically for Trainers, he heard shouting and screaming outside the Pokemon Center.
Without any hesitation Lucas went to investigate what was going on. In the middle of the main road of town, the Poochyena gang were stampeding down chasing stray people who hadn't run inside, and tearing apart stands and displays in front of the few shops the small burg had. There were far more of the small dog-like Pokemon than what had trapped the Professor, Lucas' best estimates were upwards of twenty-five. His first instinct was to send out his own Pokemon and hash it out, but he held himself back as he realized that even if he scared them away without hurting them, they would only return again a short time afterward. As much as his personality was to fight first and ask questions later, he knew he had to think strategically if he wanted to stop these attacks for good with the smallest damage possible. First making sure no one was being harmed by the Pokemon, the teen Trainer stopped and watched exactly what the Poochyena were doing. While they weren't holding back as they chased citizens down the small streets and alleyways, Lucas soon noticed there was a method to their attacks, one he was surprised the professor hadn't observed during his planning. Their attack was split into two, most causing panic and chaos, while a second division grabbed food from the displays. In the middle of melee, a single Poochyena seemed to be barking orders. The tattooed young man immediately recognized this Pokemon as the same one who stood up to him and Gizmo. The leader.
That's when Lucas realized why could figure out what was going on when many seemed not to. During his early time with his gang in Cherrygrove, a rival gang would constantly pick fights on territory Lucas' gang largely controlled. While the best fighters tried to fend off the invaders, the other part of the gang would tag walls, destroy hide outs and steal things from Lucas' gang. All under the order of the leader. Then one day the leader was arrested for an unrelated crime and sent to a military school far away. Without the gang's leader, the members fell apart due to infighting and cowardice, and Lucas' gang once again took over the territory. He began to wonder a similar move would stop the Poochyena.
Lucas hid around a corner and called up Morgan, "Hey Morgan, it's Lucas. I need to ask you a question about something. Do you know anything about Poochyena?"
"I know everything about Poochyena. If you're asking about them I assume you've made it to Hoenn. But as cute as they are Poochyena aren't exactly a tough Pokemon to deal with. Wait, you just became Champion didn't you? Don't tell me you've gone brain dead since I last saw you, because otherwise I don't understand why you're bothering me," Morgan's snide tone was just the way he remembered it, and he ground his teeth as he tried to keep his patience.
"Listen, I can handle Poochyena, Vampira, I just don't want to be responsible for having to knock out like forty of them to get them to not attack people,"
Morgan's tone shifted, "Wait, what now? Since when do Poochyena get in groups that big? And what do you mean attack people? Are there like teams of people going into the grass or something?"
"I don't have time to explain, I just need once question answered. Poochyena are a bit like real dogs or wolves, right? That means they all listen to a leader. If I knock out or catch the leader, do you think that would get the rest of the Poochyena to scatter?"
There was a moment of quiet as the dour expert thought, "...I think so. They'll be pretty disorganized for a while until a new leader fights its way up. But I don't think any Poochyena can command a pack that big. Be careful Rooster Boy, if what you're saying is true about the group being that large that lead Poochyena is going to be a lot to handle, even at lower levels,"
Lucas' lip twitched at the insulting nickname the girl gave him because of his Mohawk, "Hey, I'm the Champion, I know I can handle this. Later Witch-girl. And uh, thanks," Disconnected from Morgan and pushing the Pokevice back into one of his vest pockets, Lucas went to put his theory to the test.
Coming from back out of the alley, the teen ran for the leader. The Poochyena continued their raid, ripping apart packages and papers in the now abandoned streets of Oldale. The leader continued to direct his followers to gathering food but its attention was soon turned to the lone human running towards him. It was clear to both Lucas and the Pokemon that they had both recognized each other, and the tension that had appeared earlier in the day returned. With a decisive snarl, the Poochyena leader commanded some of the Poochyena to focus on the new threat. The teen responded in turn, summoning the Eevee on his shoulder to the heat of battle. Like the earlier fight the human ordered his charge to spook but not harm the Pokemon. And soon fear outweighed obedience as many of the Poochyena scattered back to the tall grasses and trees that surrounded the small city. Several braver Pokemon remained but as Lucas and the leader were now face to face to one and other, the main Poochyena barked a final command to the remaining few. They would not be needed in this fight, the leader would take on the human alone. The last few Pokemon looked to each other for confirmation before nodding and following their more timid brethren back into the woods.
"Just you and me now pal," Lucas said to the small dark-type, "I warned you before that I'm just as tough as you. And now you're about to find out just how much of a bastard I can be,"