Welcome back to another exciting round of your favorite Saturday morning cartoon!
As always thanks and credit goes to my Beta NJGrasshopper. My IRL friend Frosty Yang. Last but not least, special credit goes to asdfo789. To all three of you; thanks for putting up with my nonsense.
It was still dark when Midoriya opened his eyes and woke up. Not even the Pidgeys were chirping yet.
He yawned as he sat up, the half-awake Budew that had nestled on his chest chirping as it hopped off to the ground and tottered towards the entrance to the tent. She began to take in what sunlight there was as the bud began to open.
Judging by the width of the opening, Midoriya figured it was close to evolving. Red had said so last night when he compared it to how his Bulbasaur was before evolving.
Off to his side, the person in question was still snoring away, mouth open, body splayed as one leg stuck out of his fittingly red-colored sleeping bag.
After they had separated into their tents, he and Red got along like a house on fire. They would trade rapid-fire questions about the other's battle tactics and strategies. As Daigoro put it "they geeked half the night away."
He was just happy he had someone of his gender who took a similar interest that he did. His love for Heroes and quirks simply moved over to Pokémon and Trainers. The variation was simply endless. The battle aspect was something Red seemed to particularly relish. His tenacity for victory reminded Midoriya a lot of Bakugo without….the excessive swearing.
He dressed silently in his standard gym shorts and meme shirt (Thank goodness Kanto had them too), making sure not to wake Red.
When he stepped outside the cool winter air nipped at his face as he began his warm-up routine. Tsuyu stepped out of her tent to join him as he prepared for his jog.
"I told you this would happen."
Her statement caused him to misstep and fall on his face. Inside his mind, Daigoro was laughing mercilessly at him. He was aware of the look she gave him yesterday when they learned they bumped into Misty, though he avoided verbalizing it to Tsuyu to try and avoid the ensuing embarrassment.
He pushed himself up to his knees and wiped the dirt from his face before he spoke. "Yeah, but I didn't think it'd happen so fast though."
"As we said, you're simply a magnet for trouble,"
He sensed Yoichi's calm agreement on the subject.
"She's not wrong, Ninth. If you're not attracting it, you're actively looking for it,"
"I don't regret it, she was in trouble. Like All Might said, 'Meddling where you're not supposed to is the essence of being a hero.'"
He smiled as he brought himself to his feet and the frog girl mirrored his expression as she joined him on his early morning run.
—-
By the time they got back to camp, daylight was beginning to make itself known in the sky and they saw Misty was up and about, having already packed up the girl's tent. Red was groggily trying to pull himself to wakefulness as he stumbled out of the opposing tent.
"I was wondering where you guys went—" his sentence was interrupted by a massive yawn. "Also, does your shirt say 'pants'?"
"Gross. Would you yawn that way?" Misty said as she fanned in front of her face.``It was kinda obvious they went on a run, any self-respecting trainer needs to keep their own body in shape too. Though I guess you don't need to consider you're only thirteen."
Now fully awake, Red's face twitched in annoyance.
"You say it like there's a big difference between us. If it's so important, why didn't I see you out there?"
"I don't run, I swim. If I'm not mistaken, I don't see any bodies of water out here. Besides, somebody had to babysit you."
Red was about to open his mouth for another retort, but Midoriya decided to intervene.
"Maybe we should get ready to leave guys, there's still a long way to Cerulean,"
Both parties replied with a "hmph" simultaneously and proceeded to get ready. Midoriya let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
After they had packed up camp and begun to hike up Mt Moon, the air slowly grew tense and Midoryia could simply feel it was dangerous. A far cry from when they encountered the Clefairy that Uraraka now calls her own.
"Uh….guys? I'm not so sure about this," Misty said as she peered into the opening.
"I'm not too keen on it either now that I look at it…" Red admitted.
"But, there isn't any other way to Cerulean unless you have a flying Pokémon." Red pointed at one of the Pokéballs clipped around Misty's waist "Last I checked, that Gyrados wasn't exactly friendly to us,"
Tsuyu looked at Izuku and he knew what she was going to ask "Midoriya? Would you mind leading the way? You've been here before right?"
"Wait, you've been here before?" Red asked incredulously.
"Um….yeah. M-Me and a friend caught a Clefairy around here,"
Misty made a shooing motion at him "Then lead the way…."
"Shouldn't you because—"
Misty arched an eyebrow and cut him off.
"Shouldn't I….what?"
The message to shut up about her identity was clear as he reluctantly trudged his way to the front of the group.
"Hold on, Midoriya," Red cried out, then threw a Pokéball at the ground which released his Pikachu.
"This little guy should help us light the way for you! Think you can do it bright eyes?"
Tsuyu looked skeptical as she studied the yellow mouse Pokémon.
"Puns aside, he doesn't exactly look happy to be here Red."
Red laughed her off "Nonsense, c'mon Pika, can you use flash for us?"
Red's Pikachu adopted a nasty grin as its cheek pouches began to crackle with electricity. An act that wasn't missed by the others.
"See there's nothing to fear. He's about to make our day a little brighter, that's all,"
Warning bells sounded out in Midoriya's head.
"Watch out kid, that rat is up to no good."
"No rat ever is apparently…." Yoichi added.
"Um….Red?" Misty called, she raised her hand in front of her face defensively, as did Midoriya and Tsuyu. Pika's whole body cackled with faint electricity not entirely different from Kaminari's tells.
"I think it's about to use—"
*ZAAAPPP*
"Thundershock….." she lamely finished.
A crispy, steaming Red fell over on his side.
"Paahh" A plume of black dust came out of Red's mouth. "I'm okay….just….just give me a minute,"
The naughty Pikachu snickered at its trainer's current state.
Daigoro seemed amused at the display, "It's amazing he survived that without serious injury, humans in this world must be made out of tougher stuff than ours,"
"I think that Pikachu needs more training, Red," Misty snidely remarked.
"No kidding…." Red replied.
"A friend of ours had the same issue. You should probably get some insulated gloves and maybe a circuit breaker put into your jacket,"
"Thanks for the idea, Midoriya…" Red winced out as he got to his feet.
"Pika, return," The mischievous Pokémon was recalled in a red beam of light still chuckling to itself.
"Sorry guys, looks like my idea was a bust," The young teen lamented.
"At least you scared off the Geodudes that were around here," Tsuyu pointed to the scurrying living rocks that were crawling into any crease and crevice they could find.
"B-besides I have a couple of flashlights," Izuku offered.
He pulled a flashlight out of his bag and clicked it on, illuminating the vast cavern in front of them. He then handed the others to his companions as they began their slow trek through the mountain.
"Do you know how big Mt. Moon is, by the way?" Red asked.
"Not too big," Midoriya replied, walking forward. "Only two floors until you get to the Cerulean exit unless you find the hidden way up to where the Clefairy live."
"I'm guessing you've been there since you mentioned catching one. Did you happen to get a Moon Stone too?"
Izuku beamed at Misty "Yep! There was a group of Cleffa, Clefariy, and even a Clefable, and they gifted one to us. We happened to walk in on them dancing one night and they seemed to like my friend Uraraka."
"Pokémon that evolve from a Moon Stone are pretty rare and strong, I wouldn't be surprised if Team Rocket was after one."
Red pulled out a strange machine and started fiddling with some buttons. His spare hand brushed the last of the soot out from his hair "Powerful huh, hmm lessee…."
"Cleffa, the Star Shape Pokémon. Cleffa is the pre-evolved form of Clefairy. Their star shape has led some to believe that they reach the Earth riding on shooting stars. Strangely, many Cleffa are often found on nights of meteor showers."
"Clefairy. This impish Pokémon is friendly and peaceful. It is believed to live inside Mt. Moon, although very few have ever been seen by humans. Some theorized that they arrived to earth on a spaceship."
"Clefable, an advanced form of Clefairy. These unique creatures are among the rarest Pokémon in the world. They are believed to have a strong connection to space."
Misty stared in amazement as the device spat out facts on the Clefairy line. Izuku and Tsuyu were less so, coming from a place where smartphones were common.
Tsuyu tilted her head in thought as she walked "They're connected to space. That's probably why they liked Ocha-chan so much."
"Why? Is she from space?" Red said with snark lased in his tone, ignoring the following 'Rude' that came from Misty.
Izuku laughed off the sarcastic insinuation. "She wishes. She just loves anything space related. It's why I wanted to catch her a Baltoy if I saw one but they seem to be pretty rare…"
"Yeah, good luck with that." Red scoffed "From what I heard they only appear in swarms. Otherwise, they live underground, you'd have to literally dig them out, Midoriya"
"I think it's sweet you're thinking of her like that," Misty cooed, resulting in Midoriya becoming a mumbling, blushing mess. Just beyond his field of vision, Tsuyu adopted a dour look for a fraction of a second.
Misty's attention then turned back to Red who was replacing the device in his pocket "But, Red? What is that machine of yours? I haven't seen anything like it,"
"This little thing? It's called a Pokédex. Professor Oak gave it to me so I can help him catalog all the Pokémon I come across. It can even track Pokémon it marks, and tell me their basic info and stats along with their habitats,"
"What?!" Misty screeched, causing everyone to stop and stumble forward.
Red picked at his ears "Wha—What's the big deal?"
"A lot of what you said is a big deal! You're sponsored by the Professor Oak and he gave you a device that gives you most information that the public wouldn't have immediate access to."
Red started to back step from the Gym Leader nervously.
"Um….Is it really that big of a deal?"
"Yes! People would kill for that thing if it was used on a legendary Pokémon. There's a maniac in Johto casing Suicune right now. He'd probably mug you if he knew about that device,"
Red paled as the implications dawned on him.
Izuku couldn't exactly blame him. In his world's terms; he could basically determine a person's quirk and its ins and outs just by looking at them. He'd been able to catch someone like the Hero Killer in no time flat. Nomu would be a non-issue.
"When you put it like that Ninth, that little machine is probably one of the most dangerous pieces of tech in the world,"
"Imagine if that Nezu guy got his hands on it," Diagoro shivered.
That was a disturbing thought. Midoriya could feel the color drain out of his own face as his mind ran through the possibilities. Tsuyu looked up at him, worriedly.
He leaned over, whispered the idea in the frog girl's ear, and watched as her face warped into a rare outright scowl.
"Please don't let that happen."
He gave a grim nod and started moving forward again, prompting the others to follow.
After a couple of minutes of walking, the constant presence of Pokémon gradually but significantly lessened.
Misty tilted her head up at the bare stalactites hanging from the ceiling
"That's strange….Normally by now we would have seen and battled through a cauldron or two of Zubats by now.
Warning bells went off in Izuku's head, quite literally it seemed.
"FREEZE KID!"
At Banjo's command, Midoriya stopped in his tracks causing the others to bump into him.
"Kid, you've gotta listen to your instincts more. There's something in front of you, it's faint but you can barely see it in the light,"
"What's the big idea, Midoriya?" Misty complained, rubbing her face after pushing off from Izuku's back.
As Banjo had said he could catch a faint glimmer in front of him on every pass of his flashlight.
Without a word he unclipped Budew's ball from his waist, and pressed the button in the center, releasing the small green Pokémon onto the ground in front of him. She seemed slightly freaked out, suddenly finding herself in a cave with no natural light. He figured it was a given since she was technically a plant.
"Hey," he spoke soothingly and stroked the vine that comprised the top of its head. The Pokémon chirped and leaned into his touch "Can you use Stun Spore and aim it in front of us? As large as you can."
The bud Pokémon timidly nodded and turned to where he was pointing. The top of its bud started to open and glow, then a huge yellow pollen cloud with faint sparks came from each the red dot and blue dot inside the bud.
As he had intended the pollen coated everything in front of them, the walls, the ceiling, and even rouge Geodude that were now inflicted with paralysis.
Most importantly, the Stun Spore revealed that five to ten horizontal cables were interspersed in the area Izuku knew led to the ladder downward. Including two that were mere feet in front of them. The closer one knee high, the latter one, neck high.
"The hell is that?" Red asked as he shuffled around Misty and Tsuyu, bent over, and reached out to touch the closer cables.
Before he could, Midoriya's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist and, the green-haired boy wordlessly shook his head no at a shocked wide-eyed Red.
Izuku said nothing in response to Red's ensuing protest.
He then swung around his bag so he could reach in. He pulled out a white padded glove with a green underside, the same one he used for hero work.
Red and Misty were bewildered as they watched him put on the glove, Tsuyu however, had a look of realization.
Izuku tenderly reached out to grab the cable, gripped it for a second or two then released it.
"It's blade wire…" he said then showed the flat side of his fingers where the glove was slightly torn, dripping with purple liquid.
"It must be specially made if it cuts through your gloves, Izu-kun. I know they were made specifically padded for you. Not only that, it's seeped in poison,"
"I'd bet…just look at the Geodude," Misty gestured to the still paralyzed Pokémon. Upon closer look, Midoriya noticed small sections of them looked smoother than others; as if it was sheared off.
"The combination here was to get some poor sap to trip then hopefully decapitate them. Saw shit like this everywhere before heroes became commonplace. Whoever did this means business, Kid,"
With a nod at Banjo's words, Izuku called out Heracross and commanded it to use Night Slash to clear out the area. Normally he'd use Blackwhip or the durability of Full Cowling to rip the wires out, but he had to maintain his cover in front of Misty who without a doubt would report back to Erika.
Red grimaced as he took in the sight of the destroyed traps as proceeded forward. "I could've lost a finger there….Thanks, Midoriya."
Misty took care to make extra large steps over the wire "This is probably Team Rocket work. A trap like this screams that The Shinobi is here," Red growled at the mention of the organization.
"Shinobi?" Red questioned her harshly.
Misty flinched back at his sudden tone shift.
"He's—He's one of the five commanders of Team Rocket. As his moniker implies, he specializes in traps, stealth, and espionage. If he can, he'd rather take out his opponents before he's seen. If I had to guess they're probably here for a Moon Stone—"
"And they used your Gyrados as a distraction to keep people from the mountain," Tsuyu finished her thought.
Red forced a smile and turned his cap backward, his hand was already clutching a Pokéball.
"Guess it's do or die time! Saur! Help us out here!"
Red's grass-type was released in a blue light, a determined look already on its face.
"You're going to fight him?! Even for a Gym Leader, he's extremely dangerous!" Misty chastised him. Midoriya knew it was coming from a good place of genuine worry for his safety.
"We don't exactly have a choice here,"
"Yes, we do! We can always turn back and go get Brock."
"And then what?" Red retorted. "By the time we do that someone is going to get hurt. You saw those Geodude, Misty! If he set those traps here, who's to say he didn't set them on the Cerulean side too? It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt or killed. Not only that, we can't let them get their hands on that Moon Stone."
"It gets worse than that." Izuku added "If they get the Moon Stone, they might just directly attack Pewter or Cerulean. We're probably the only ones who know about it here. If we stop them, we can prevent them from becoming a bigger problem later."
Misty looked frustrated and a tad ashamed, almost enough to cry, as she listened to the tirade. He instantly felt bad, he looked over and saw that Red also looked distinctly uncomfortable seeing her expression.
"I'm sorry Misty, you don't have to come with us. You can go get Brock and we'll hold out here for as long as we can. But we can't just let them be."
Red nodded his head in agreement at his words.
A red blush started to form across her face, but Midoriya got the feeling it wasn't from embarrassment.
"YOU MORONS!" Misty yelled, then wiped her eyes which were now dripping with tears. Tsuyu went to her side and grabbed her arm without a second thought. That's when it occurred to him that the situation was eerily similar to how she reacted after Kamino ward.
"It's you guys I'm worried about! They'll kill both of you without even a second thought!" She cried out. "…..I'm not strong enough to take them on….I'm scared…" She finally fell to her knees confessing her fears.
A couple of moments went by where the only sound in the air was that of Misty sniffling. Eventually Red decided to break the silence.
"Then….come with us, Misty. We'll be safer if we all stick together."
Red clenched his fist, his leather fingerless gloves strained under the pressure "I'll be honest with you, I'm scared too….but I can't leave knowing I had a chance to do something about them. Too many times they've taken Pokémon from kids in my town and I couldn't do anything about it. Now that I have the power; I have to stand up for what's right!"
Midoriya also steeled his nerves in response to Red's speech.
"He's right. If we wait for the Gym Leaders to intervene by then it'll be too late, they'll probably find a Moon Stone. Then they might be able to even overwhelm a Gym Leader."
He then opened his notebook to his notes on Edgeshot.
"Shinobi rely on misdirection, right? If we stick together we can cover more angles, so the more of us there are, the better of a chance we'll stand. AOE attacks can keep him from trying to hide in plain sight. Not only that you'd be a pretty good match-up here, Misty. Shinobi typically use poisons, whether it be to incapacitate or kill. Both you and Tsuyu have a Pokémon with Natural Cure on hand, along with Red's Ivysaur and my Budew, poisons are effectively useless unless they hit us directly."
Misty stopped sniffling and looked up at him.
"Sounds like you've got a plan, Greeny," she said "but the only problem is that your Budew isn't really a fighter…."
The Pokémon in question toddled over to her as quickly as it could and angrily trilled at her. Though it seemed to have the opposite effect, making it look adorable in the Gym Leader's eyes as she picked it up and cradled it to her chest.
"He doesn't need to be, he has Heracross and he has us. We can't all attack all the time." Tsuyu pointed out.
"Yeah, he can easily work as a backline support." Red agreed.
"Actually, I would rather Budew be on the frontline."
"What?!" Red and Misty yelled in unison.
"This little thing?" Misty held up Budew in front of her for emphasis. The Pokémon in question looked mighty pissed in, as it squirmed to get out of her grip.
"Yes. Budew is a really strong AOE attacker" To illustrate his point Izuku gestured to the cavern that was still covered in yellow.
"I'll make sure that he stays in our sight no matter what he does."
"It's not like we have a better plan right now, besides I trust him. He seems to know his stuff," Red nodded in consent. Misty looked at him with reluctant acceptance and Tsuyu's face remained blank.
"Alright then let's go." He said, making his way to the latter that descended further into the cave.
—-
It didn't take long before Midoriya spotted the ashen black uniforms, emblazoned with the signature scarlet 'R'.
With trained ease, he performed a takedown and caught the man's head in a rear naked choke hold. Taking care to keep his elbow across his mouth to muffle his grunts and cries for help.
Tsuyu immediately deprived the man of the Pokéballs on his belt as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Midoriya stood up, dusted himself off, and turned to the shocked expressions of Misty and Red.
"Huh? W-what's wrong?"
"I thought the Pokémon were fighting, not us!"
"What was that move you used? It was super cool! Also now that I'm looking at you, you're….. really buff."
Midoriya blinked and stepped back at the contrasting reactions. He decided to address Red first.
"Um….Thank you?…I-It's a rear naked choke hold. Good for subduing people,"
"….But he's wearing his clothes?"
"You dummy," Misty insulted Red. "It just means he didn't use the guy's clothes to choke him,"
"That's great and all, but we should get a move on."
Tsuyu called to them from a little bit ahead, having a second Rocket Grunt in a Triangle hold between her powerful legs.
A strangled noise came out of Misty's throat. "….What's the point of having Pokémon if we're just gonna choke the crap outta everyone?"
"I'm not complaining, we can conserve our Pokémon for this Shinobi guy or whatever," Red reasoned.
Misty rubbed her hand on the side of her face "I'm surrounded by crazy people…."
Misty was promptly ignored as the rest of the group continued onward.
Midoriya and Tsuyu continued to take out any lone grunts they saw. Red even contributed occasionally, having Saur constrict stragglers with its vines.
Midoriya thought they were progressing at a good clip. Everyone they came across had their Pokémon taken from them in the event they woke up. Tsu and he hadn't even had to use their quirks, though he did notice on occasion that Tsu had to reign her tongue in. It must've been hell for a mutant-type like her to fight against her instincts. He made a mental note to apologize later.
"Don't apologize, Kid. You'd be insulting her if you do. She knew the risks and hardships of going undercover; if anything you should thank her for a job well done,"
Midoriya gave a thumbs up, ignoring the comments from Misty over what he was gesturing too.
"The Fifth is right. What's more worrying is the lack of presence from the commander."
"Duh, Ninjas aren't supposed to have a presence if they could avoid it. I'd ask my Mop Topped junior, he'd know more about this than us, but you don't have his quirk yet kid,"
Midoriya felt a faint annoyance that wasn't necessarily his own. He assumed it came from the sixth wielder.
Pushing the alien feeling to the side, had to concede both points; aside from the blade wire trap near the entrance, no other signs or traps had popped up.
"We should be getting close to the Cerulean exit now," he said to the others.
"You mean we can bump into the commander at any moment,"
As he led the group around a corner a faint echo of a voice echoed through the cave. Midoriya held out his hand and stopped everyone behind him, and turned off his flashlight. The others followed suit in a panicked hurry.
"—You already took them all! Do you have any idea how long it took to find that Old Amber? Let alone a Helix and Dome Fossil. Not even Brock and his family are as good as me! I even found you a couple of moonstones for Pete's sake."
"You guys hear that?" Red whispered, barely talking over his breath.
Misty gave a grim nod "Sounds like someone's being coerced—"
"And that is why we 'appropriated' your work. Be honored. Your work shall help the boss obtain what he desires most and usher in a new age of Team Rocket."
This time the voice was noticeably deeper and slightly muffled. Izuku could only guess it was The Shinobi.
"Kiss my posterior, you footie pajama-wearing pauper! Save the holy cause speech for someone who cares. I couldn't give a Pikachu's methane emissions over what your little gang is after. You've been saying that crap since we got here. Team Rocket this, Team Rocket that." The first voice mocked. "All I know is that you hired me to perform a service and I expect to be compensated appropriately."
"—Or it could be a wage dispute…." Misty lamely corrected as they inched closer to the opening to see the conversation that was taking place. Two people were talking in the last opening before Cerulean, the area dimly lit up with lanterns placed sparsely in the area.
From what he could make out, two people were in the middle of a cavern arguing. Off to the side a plastic tub sat containing numerous shrunken Pokéballs
Izuku could barely see the participants of the conversation due to the lighting and distance.
The first person was someone even he would only describe as a 'nerd'. Taped glasses, unkempt frayed hair, and antennae sticking out of his pocket; he had the look down pat.
He could only see the lower half of the Shinobi from his point of view. Black harem pants with gray socks and black leather open-toed sandals. His waist was tied with a red belt with a white R etched on the edge.
"It's like a dark reflection of Edgeshot…" Izuku muttered to himself barely audible but the others were close enough to him that they heard him anyway.
"Who's Edgeshot?"
"Quiet, Red! You'll get us caught!"
"As I have assured you, you will be. The finest labs in Kanto will be at your disposal, along with the opportunity to work with The Scientist himself."
The first person laughed, which to Izuku sounded more akin to Mineta whenever he had some sort of perverse scheme in mind.
"As much as that interests me, I'll have to pass. I know who this Scientist is and he doesn't impress me in the slightest. None of your kind do. And in case it wasn't clear to your feeble mind, I'm not talking about Team Rocket. Just give me the cash for my projects and we'll call it even."
The Shinobi growled "Arrogance. It will be your downfall."
"Yeah, yeah but not today. Now defecate or get off the commode,"
"Hmph. As you wish. But first…"
Izuku saw the briefest flash of movement come from the Shinobi's guard-covered wrist, in that split second, with warning bells, his mind put two and two together.
He raised his hand and caught a kunai by the handle, inches away from embedding itself into Misty's forehead.
Tsuyu had also caught one with her tongue, by sheer instinct. Thankfully before anyone could witness she dropped it in her hand and retracted the appendage.
Misty fell backward on her butt.
"It seems we have four baby rats to exterminate."
Midoriya and Tsuyu leaped into the clearing, followed by Red who wasn't far behind. Misty still had yet to recover, frozen by fear.
The Shinobi appraised each one of them with a critical eye. Izuku looked over at the man in turn. He wore a black gi on his torso. The V-neck line was outlined with red and accented with purple. The lower half of his face was covered by a red mask and atop his head sat the black Team Rocket standard busboy cap.
In contrast, the Nerd looked at them with almost a perverse fascination, something that made Tsuyu unconsciously twitch.
"So you finally decided to stop hiding in the shadows huh?" Red taunted.
"I do not believe you plebeians have any room to talk." The nerd said as he pushed his glasses into place.
"As my companion Miles has so graciously said; you are throwing stones while living in a glass house. You should be careful before—"
"ARGH! None of that matters, call out your Pokémon so I can take you down already! Saur, go!"
"I respect the kid's guts, but that's reckless. Even for me."
"Impatience is abound in bundles today I see—" The Shinobi then flashed a killer smile in the face of the charging grass type "But who said I haven't already done so?"
Alarm bells immediately went off in Izuku's head. He shifted his fingers just enough to glimpse the unmistakable red and white sphere embedded in the kunai's handle.
With lightning-quick OFA-enhanced speed, he snatched the kunai's twin out of Tsuyu's hand. With a deft flick of his wrist, he launched the weapons to the other side of the cavern and embedded them into the wall just as blue light began to pour forth.
The teens shielded their eyes from the bright light in the darkly lit area. Saur had also stopped in its tracks, also blinded by the light.
Once it had subsided, two Pokémon that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a rhino stepped forth. One purple. One blue.
"Nidorino and Nidorina. Two of the finest specimens Team Rocket has to offer. Miles, you take Nidorina. Taste what we have to offer first hand."
"I already told you, I have no interest in whatever asinine goal you may have." Miles huffed "But, I'll accept anyway; the girl in green has piqued my interest if what I saw was correct. I may try my hand in capturing her. This may be my chance to study someone like The Ace Trainer up close."
"No thank you," came Tsuyu's simple reply as she sent out Staryu.
"You won't have a choice in the matter! Now, Double Kick!" Miles cackled.
"Horn Attack."
The gender counterpart Pokémon charged forth with a glowing horn and legs respectively.
"Like I'd let you! Saur, Take Down on the Nidorina!"
"Rapid Spin."
Surprisingly to both Red and Tsuyu, the clash between both Pokémon ended in their favor, sending their opponents flying backward, with Saur even knocking out the Nidorina in one shot. Izuku had Budew follow up by coating the two in a dose of stun spore, preventing them from any further movement.
"How ya like that huh! All that hype means nothing if you can't back it up." Red boasted. For some reason, Izuku had a bad feeling.
Miles snorted in agreement "The small one is right. Utterly pathetic." He said, not acknowledging Red's indignant cry.
"They count their chickens before they hatch." The Shinobi reached into his pocket and pulled out two granite rocks, each with a crescent carved into them. "This is why I had you gather the Moon Stones, for exactly this reason."
He then chucked each of the stones at the two Pokémon where they seamlessly sunk into their bodies and caused yet another blinding flash of light to emanate from the pair, this time white instead of blue.
Their bodies started to shift to being completely bipedal from all fours. Their arms and tails began to elongate to the size of logs, similar to the Rhydon Izuku encountered a couple of days ago. As the light subsided he saw that the main difference, however, was that these pokemon looked more reptilian than the Rhydon did; with more spikes on the back as if to prove a point.
Red gritted his teeth and pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the two newly evolved combatants.
"Nidoking, the Drill Pokémon. One swing of its mighty tail can snap a telephone pole as if it were nothing but a matchstick."
"Nidoqueen, the Drill Pokémon. Nidoqueen has thick skin covering their entire body, protecting it from whatever techniques are used against it. However, it's been known to fiercely defend those it considers its children, including its trainer,"
"Now for an extra measure….." A syringe appeared out of nowhere in the Shinobi's hands.
Miles gasped as he viewed the item. "Gerk…. Is that? No, it can't be…..You must be insane!"
With no hesitation, he injected the serum into both Pokémon. Nidoqueen's eyes shot open and both pokemon's bodies began to twitch and crackle with faint orange sparks that warred with the yellow of the paralysis. Nidoking's mouth started to froth. Then they let out a bone-rattling roar that shook the entire cavern.
"Now then shall we continue the battle?" His mouth couldn't be seen but his eyebrows were curled up, indicating a smile.
"That–That serum." A voice called from behind them. "I-It makes Pokémon go crazy, doesn't it? Did you… happen to use it on a Gyrados recently? Or maybe a Magikarp?"
"Ah, you're the owner. As I thought our counterparts will be of no consequence to our ambitions,"
The Shinobi's taunt had the desired effect of turning Misty's whole head red, not with embarrassment but with anger.
"Starmie!" She called out "Hydro Pump!"
The Mysterious Pokémon let forth an unreal amount of water from its gem. It sprayed forth as if it was a fire hose and Pokémon: The fireman.
"Both of you, Sludge Wave."
Sickly purple filth came from the maws of both Pokémon and shot forward and met the Hydro Pump in a violent collision.
It seemed even at first but the Sludge Wave started to slowly devour its way through the Hydro Pump, before overwhelming the water type with a burst of power.
The Starfish was sent hurtling back toward the wall. Misty jumped in front of the Pokémon trajectory to try and shield it from the wall using her own body.
However Red jumped in Misty's path, taking the brunt of the force as they slammed into the cave wall. A dull thud came out similar to someone dropping a sack of flour. Izuku could help but wince at the sight.
Red grunted as they slid down the wall.
"Y-Y-You okay there? T-That was…pretty reckless…"
Misty looked behind her to look at Red coughing from the hard blow, a look of shame smeared across her face.
"Like… you're one to talk," she said between sniffs as she cradled her knocked-out Pokémon.
Miles chuckled, viewing the two trainers downed state "How sweet. It seems Becky and Tom care for each other."
"Finish them off." Came the stern command from the Shinobi.
The two beasts trudged forward, intent on carrying out the order. The only thing between them was Saur.
Izuku had full cowl ready to roll at the moment, not caring about the need to remain undercover. Then he noticed the spark in Red's eyes. The glimmer of defiance that said it wasn't over yet.
His eyes focused on the Pokémon in front of him and saw that Saur's bulb was beginning to lightly glow.
It was about to use Solarbeam.
His eyes went back up and met Red's who had a look of pleading smeared on his face.
He turned towards Tsuyu who saw the exchange and nodded at him.
"Swift."
"Stun Spore!"
The golden flurry of stars served to not only hide but disperse the paralyzing pollen more effectively.
Both Pokémon were frozen in their tracks just long enough to buy Red the time he needed.
The large golden beam tinged with green fired from the bulb on Saur's back and made direct contact with the Nidoqueen.
The female drill Pokémon tried to endure through sheer rage and willpower, but an added Water Gun and Mega Drain was simply too much to endure.
It was blasted back between Miles and the Shinobi, smacking against the cave wall, leaving a spiderweb crack on impact as she slid down to the floor, eyes rolled up. KO'd for the second time in quick succession.
"Ha….take that….jerk," Red said weakly but proudly.
Crease lines appeared on the Shinobi's forehead. He wasn't impressed in the slightest.
Miles cowered in fear at the near miss.
"Useless. This one will have to be put back in the training circuit." He said emotionlessly as he recalled the Pokémon.
"You," He addressed the Nidoking "Unless you want to end up like this one, I suggest you win this battle."
Despite its current enraged state the Pokemon still had enough sense to give a nod.
"Now then, Earth Power."
The male drill Pokemon gave a loud bellow and stomp that was accompanied by various spots in the cave erupting with tectonic pressure; specifically the spots below Budew, Staryu and their respective trainers.
Izuku and Tsuyu hopped out of the way of the numerous attacks, using their quirks and superior mobility, but not enough to give away what they were.
Staryu simply used rapid spin to avoid the attacks coming its way. Budew, however, wasn't so lucky and was sent flying.
Avoiding another Earth Power attack, Izuku leaped and then transitioned to a baseball slide as he caught the baby Pokémon.
He heard that the Shinobi finally gave the order to slow down the reckless onslaught lest they risk the integrity of the cave.
Not even his partner Miles escaped unscathed, his clothes frayed and singed in places.
"While I'm glad you decided to not kill everyone. Why didn't you at least kill those two?" Said Miles who gestured to Red and Misty who were currently unconscious.
"Their fight is over." Izuku could have sworn he saw the man's eyes soften with some unknown emotion. "I will not attack a downed opponent. Especially children."
"You decide now of all times to have an honor code?! What about before?!"
A quick kunai flew past Miles, shaving a good chunk of his hair along with it on its way to the wall.
"Do not forget who is in charge here. Kill them and you'll bring the full fury of Team Rocket upon your head," Miles gave a terrified squeak of acknowledgment and a dark spot started to form on his pants.
"Now then…."
The Nidoking roared and stepped forward only to be met with harassment from Staryu's Swift attack. Despite Tsuyu's creativity in hiding her Pokémon among the stars, it was about as effective as a bee sting to a bear after honey.
Izuku had to think of something. Neither Staryu nor Budew could tank a hit from an enraged Nidoking.
His eyes fell on the lone Ivysaur in the middle of the battlefield. It too had escaped damage by virtue of its trainer being unconscious.
"That's it!" Izuku gave a single leap that cleared the distance between him and Red's Pokémon.
"Saur, can you use Solarbeam for me? And aim it up?" He cautiously asked.
The Pokémon gave a glance back to its unresponsive trainer, grunted in what Izuku assumed was agreement and his bulb started to glow once again.
Unfortunately, the Nidoking had finally managed to break through the star storm.
"Stomping Tantrum."
With another bone-rattling bellow, the purple beast charged forward, each footfall slamming on the ground as if it had personally insulted it.
Despite it being doused with Water Gun the Nidoking still continued its advance.
Left with no choice, Izuku set the tiny grass type in his hands on the ground, then leaped in front of the poison-type powerhouse.
He could see the surprise of his sudden move mark itself across both the Pokemon and the two trainers behind it.
The Nidoking slammed its arm down, only to find it couldn't hit the ground.
Izuku had caught the monstrous purple appendage in his firm grasp. Sparks of bio-lightning rippled off his arms.
The beast tried to pull back but Izuku gave it no ground. He yanked it closer to him, not willing to give it any kind of leverage against him.
"Another one!" Miles exclaimed as he stumbled backward, hand in front of his face.
"Grrrr," He growled, then it slowly turned into peels of perverted laughter, eyes filled with some sort of realization.
"Both of you have dark green hair….Just. Like. She. Does. I wonder if we've stumbled across relatives perhaps? Definitely in the age range to be siblings if not cousins. Maybe her bloodline is blessed? No… impossible. They must have some kind of quirk in their genome sequence. Could I breed them safely? What would the result be? If they should be captured the potential is limitless,"
The Shinobi glowered at him as Miles continued to rant, his fist repeatedly clenching and unclenching.
The Nidoking raised its second arm, intent on finally crushing him. Izuku mentally prepared himself to block this attack too.
At the apex of its wind-up, it found it couldn't move its arm. The beast craned his huge head to see its appendage was wrapped in vines. Unlike Saur's, these vines were clearly barbed.
Purple acrid-smelling smoke came off the Nidoking's thick arm as the black barbs dug relentlessly into its flesh.
Izuku traced the vines back to their owner.
From where he lept, sat a small green Pokémon. A trio of green thorns sat atop its roundish head. Its body was covered in a leaf tunic with similar leaf epaulets on its shoulders. Instead of hands, it had two beautiful-looking roses. One red and one blue. From the center of the roses came the vines that were currently binding its opponent.
Budew had finally evolved into a Roselia!
"Selia…."
Izuku looked on in awe as the Pokémon grunted with effort and opened its eyes. The newly evolved Pokémon sent him a suave wink with its new eyelashes.
"Whips! I knew I liked this one, Kid!" Came Daigoro's excited voice.
It shifted its flowers and with a cracking sound, it effortlessly pulled back Nidoking's arm to the point of dislocation. Even more so the vines seemed to be making an effort to rip the appendage off entirely! Though the victim didn't seem to care in the slightest, snarling and frothing in anger, like a mad dog straining against its leash.
Upon careful inspection, Izuku noticed that vines entangling the appendage were glowing a sickly green. Further smaller green tendrils had begun to form as if they were veins. Overall the appearance looked as if it was trying to drink the enraged Pokémon through a straw. A clear effect of a newly learned Mega Drain and Leech Seed.
Even more impressive, she had already taken Red and Saur's application of Leech seed and made it her own!
Izuku's heart swelled with pride at the sight. He would have started crying if he wasn't preoccupied at the moment trying to stop a seven-foot behemoth.
"Saur! Ivysaur!"
He didn't have to speak Pokémon to understand that cry.
Izuku quickly let go of the arm and swiftly stepped into the poison type's chest. With a thrust, he sent the Pokémon flying backward, in the same fashion as Nidoqueen earlier.
Ripping free from the vines and sailing through the air, the Nidoking managed to right itself by digging its claws into the ground, uncaring of its still-searing injury.
Before the Pokémon could right itself, with a whirring sound, Saur's Solarbeam fired and impacted the ceiling above the Drill Pokémon, knocking loose a gigantic boulder and kickstarting a rockslide.
It didn't deter the Pokémon in the slightest. Lost in its own rage it straightened up and marched forth to the shower of earth dividing the two parties. Only the Shinobi recalling it back to the Pokéball kept the Nidoking from taking its chances with the natural disaster.
With a snap of his wrist, The Shinobi sent a small object flying at Izuku, expertly weaving its way through the thinnest gap in the falling debris.
When Izuku caught the object, he saw it was a small pink heart with a dividing line down the center. He had seen this object before; it was the Soul Badge.
Izuku clutched the badge in his hand in frustration.
"There's no doubt now as to who he is, sometimes Ninth, even heroes are corrupt."
Through the rock and dust, Koga's cold hard eyes were clearly visible to Izuku.
Though he didn't get the feeling of pure malice behind them. There wasn't any danger behind his gaze. It felt more like a piqued interest.
"He didn't give ya that badge because ya earned it, kid. It's a promise….A promise he'll come to take it back from you one day. Congratulations, you have your first assassin after your head…."
"Or…If you want to look at the brighter side; he's marked you as his personal target,"
Wordlessly Koga nodded, then turned his back and headed further down the cave.
Miles shot one last nervous look at the disaster in progress and followed him just as the last of the rocks settled into place blocking the path off.
It was going to come to this either way. No matter when Koga showed up again he'd be ready.
With a shake of his head, he clipped the fuchsia pink Soul Badge right next to the pewter gray Boulder Badge on the inside flap of his windbreaker jacket.
Roselia walked up to his side triumphantly like a model on a catwalk.
Izuku chuckled to himself and crouched down "See? I knew you were close to evolving," he said as he rubbed her head between the points. Roselia, unable to resist, leaned into his hand and hummed happily.
"You did really well today!"
Removing his hand, he then turned fully to check on his fallen comrades.
At the wall, Tsuyu was already attending to them, pulling various supplies out of her bag.
"They're just unconscious," Tsuyu said as he made his way over.
"Red took most of the damage. Might want to check him for a concussion. His ribs are definitely bruised if not broken. But if he took a Thundershock from Pikachu he should probably be okay,"
"What about Misty?" He gestured to the redhead whose face was tear streaked as she tightly clutched her Starmie to her chest.
Tsuyu tentatively put a hand on the younger girl's forehead.
"…Hmm….She seems okay. It's probably more mental for her,"
Tsuyu's words were as blunt as ever, and her face locked in its usual unflappable stoicism, but her eyes were alight and portrayed her unspoken worry.
He knew it wasn't either the time or place to press for answers.
"If it's okay to move them…we should bring them outside at least. I'll take Red."
His gaze shifted to the bin of Pokémon. Summoning Blackwhip he ensnared the tub and brought it to himself. Another strand served to strap Red to his back, taking care to grab his trademark hat as well.
Tsuyu's tongue wrapped around Misty and her Pokémon and bound them to her back similar to Red.
Red's Ivysaur looked in shocked amazement over what it was witnessing.
"You won't tell anybody about this right?" Izuku asked the gaping Pokémon.
The grass type vehemently shook its head as it half ran half hopped to catch up with Midoriya and Tsuyu who had already begun to move to the cave exit.
XXXXXX
About a half hour later they were on the gentle slopes of Route 4 that lead to Cerulean City.
Underneath an apricot tree, Izuku and Tsuyu had set the two trainers down to wait for them to come back to the waking world.
Red was missing his shirt and jacket.
Izuku had taken the liberty to wrap the boy's torso. He wasn't bleeding but it would provide some stability for comfort—provided Red didn't move around too much.
"Doubtful"
The first disagreed in his mind. Can't a guy hope?
"No."
Party Pooper.
Izuku sat on the edge of the nearby ledge, and Tsuyu sat next to him, not too close but not too far either.
Together, they watched the mid-afternoon sun, and everyone's Pokémon playing in some strange form of tag that involved both the Poliwhirls encasing the others in bubbles.
"You know I got my second badge out of that encounter." Izuku finally decided to break the silence between them.
Tsuyu tilted her head. Izuku had spent long enough with her to tell it was an expression of amusement.
He opened his jacket that now displayed the rarely obtained Soul Badge.
"So I guess we were right then. Koga is The Shinobi."
Izuku reluctantly nodded his head.
"And I bet that Nidoking wasn't even part of his main team. Given how fast he beat Misty, it's only a matter of time before Kanto is theirs. Erika is strong, her Vileplume isn't a joke, but she's at a disadvantage against at least 3 of the admins."
Tsuyu shook her head in somber resignation.
"I'm worried about Misty, kero,"
"Does it have to do with why she passed out?" He softly asked.
"She's self-conscious of the fact that she's the weakest of the gym leaders, I don't really feel comfortable leaving her alone right now,"
"Unless you want to become one of her gym trainers, we might not have a choice,"
Her gaze dropped downward "I know but…"
"The least we can do is stay for a bit under the excuse of training for the gym. Maybe we can get Uraraka to join?" He offered a suggestion.
"Hgnn…"
Whatever Tsuyu was about to say next was cut off as the person in question was beginning to come to.
"What happened, did we win?"
Izuku discreetly zipped up his jacket while Tsuyu walked over to the girl's side.
"Not….Exactly. We escaped and we got the Pokémon back though,"
"Oh…Okay." She said gingerly as if she could wake up at any moment. She gave a look to Red that had shame written all over it.
Waving off Tsuyu's assistance, she stood up on shaky legs, then took a step to the tub. As if a bolt of lightning hit her she suddenly became wary of her surroundings and braced herself against the apricot tree.
Izuku raised an eyebrow at the scene.
"She still has some wherewithal to try and keep her cover intact but it's pointless after running into Koga,"
Izuku felt the first's attention shift to the still-unconscious Red.
"Well….maybe not in his case…He's harem protagonist dense,"
As if to not startle a small animal, Tsuyu steps closer to Misty.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She hesitantly asked.
"I'm-I'm fine," Misty replied as her eyes scanned the area.
"This is Route 4 right?"
The greenette pair nodded in sync.
"Great, then my place isn't too far away, it's just outside of Cerulean. We can stay there."
Izuku flinched back. "Y-Y-Yo-Your place?!"
"Yes, my place. I doubt any of you three have a place to stay right?"
Again the two aspiring heroes nodded in sync.
"Then it's settled. Once Red gets up, we'll go to my place."
Izuku's brain short-circuited. Going to Momo's mansion was one thing. Going to a girl's house was another…..Even if Tsuyu was there as well.
From behind him, he heard the hearty laughter of the fifth, followed by a slap on the back that sent him face-planting to the ground, resulting in Misty shrieking.
"W-why did he just fall!"
"He gets like that sometimes around girls,"
Part of Izuku was disappointed she had said it as simply as one would say 'The sky is blue.'
He only did it around pretty girls….Not that Misty was pretty. No, that was wrong. Not that Misty wasn't pretty, she wasn't his type. She was just as pretty as Tsuyu. Jeez, what was he saying? Wait. Saying?
Above him, he heard a pair of feminine giggles. Reluctantly he aimed his eyes up, not bothering to stand.
"Glad to know you think we're pretty," Misty said, her hand in front of her mouth, poorly trying to suppress her laughter.
"You were muttering again, though I think you figured that out."
With a groan, Izuku let his head hit the dirt again.
At least Misty was feeling better….At his expense.
Gym Leader Notes
#2 Koga
"The Poisonous Ninja Master!"
Age: 39
Type Specialty: Poison
City: Fuchsia
Badge: Soul Badge
Release technique: Throws Kunai with Pokéballs embedded in the handle.
Supervisors: Erika(Technically), Agatha
Subordinates: Ninja boys/Kunoichi, Cue Balls/Roughnecks, Jugglers, Tamers
General Analysis:
Koga is the mysterious shinobi that serves as one of the stronger gyms in Kanto.
As the way it goes with Kanto Gym Leaders, it's a very noticeable occurrence when someone earns the Soul Badge. He's handed out less than 20 in the decade and a half he's been a Gym Leader.
He reports to Agatha along with Sabrina, Morty, and the Azalea leader.
He seems to be the leader of this world's counterpart to the Iga-ryū and the Kōga-ryū schools of Ninjutsu. As he shares the same name as the school I did further research and found out that his actual name is Kyō and Koga is the title each male takes when they ascend to the head position of the clan.
He does have a daughter named Anzu who'll take up the name Janine once she takes over. Though no one has ever seen her, which I guess is a testament to her prowess as a Kunoichi.
His fighting style is what you'd expect of a ninja. He emphasizes speed and status effects. He'd rather inflict poison or burn then use his speed to stay out of reach while the status wears down his opponent.
That's how I knew he wasn't serious at all in our encounter in Mt. Moon. It's surprisingly well-documented that he has a Crobat as his ace, backed by a Toxicroak, Ariados, Venemoth, and Wheezing for smokescreen support. Nidoking and Nidoqueen do not fit into his fighting philosophy at all.
For a ninja clan, there's certainly a lot of information about him to be found…
He's also The Shinobi, one of the five commanders of Team Rocket. Each commander takes charge of one section of operations. Koga's is storage. Any and all Pokémon Team Rocket acquired at some point have gone through Fuchsia. Or more specifically the Safari Zone.
To outsiders and civilians, the Safari Zone is simply a jungle tour or a place where a hopeful trainer might catch an exotic Pokémon. However, to the Team Rocket criminal underbelly, it's a place to store and breed the Pokémon they steal. Basically, it's a glorified transit center.
Each section denotes where each Pokémon goes and what purpose they serve. The three majors sections are:
Shipping to Saffron for training
Shipping to Viridian for distribution
Trial Period for the "adjusted" Pokémon that come from Cinnabar
Due to these factors, Fuchsia is almost impossible to take by force. Koga simply has too much manpower to overrun without forcing a full siege war.
(Side note: The presence of the Safari Zone also made Fuchsia a stronghold when Sinnoh tried to colonize Kanto and Johto)
The best way to take him down would be to catch him away from Fuchsia City such as during one of the meetings he has with Agatha or with the other commanders.
The problem with the latter is that Agatha is a recluse at best. Actively hostile at worst. Sometimes her hometown of Lavender Town is unapproachable due to the wandering Ghost types attracted to her.
Author's Note
And that's the Koga Arc folks. There'll be a sort of epilogue wind-down chapter before we transition into the real meat of the R/G/B chapter. Not much I have to say here that wouldn't be spoiling too much.
Miles: Let's start with him. He's actually a villain, not just an OC. He's the initial opponent in the Yellow chapter, so I took advantage of the fact it's a nerd that gives you the fossil in the first place and made it Super Nerd Miles.
Also, you may have noticed, no Pikachu shenanigans here. Made no sense to me when Red had both a Poliwhirl and a Bulbsaur at the time. But I guess the mascot has to mascot.
On top of that in the original Koga had a Rhyhorn. I feel this is way more fitting for him.
As always, R&R, I read everyone's comments!