Hey! Welcome back peeps.
2 weeks in a row! Who are you and what have you done with Taka?
Sad to say my upload streak is probably gonna end here. Not that much to say here that hasn't been said in other stories and in the bottom note.
But I wanted to show some love to you guys, as you have been waiting for updates on this story for 4 months now.
Thanks goes to NJZGrasshopper, asdfo789, and my IRL buddy Frosty Yang. The latter two both have their own stories I'd really appreciate you guys check out.
Anyways, on the with the show!
Misty was not having a good day.
Or week.
Or month for that matter.
Her life lately was simply a conga line of misery at this point. Tears of frustration threatened to spill from her eyes as she crouched behind a boulder for cover. She rubbed the vibrantly blue Cascade badge she was currently using as an earring, one of the only signs on her person to remind herself of who she was—A gym leader, supposedly one of a region's prized and prided few.
She was the newest of the Kanto Gym Leaders so she was still on her probationary period while she really learned the ropes. She had inherited the position from her mother, similar to how Brock, the gym leader of Pewter got his from his father. The only difference being her three sisters were the first choice for the job. Each of them declined the position so it was forced on her. Not that she complained, it was her dream to be a water-type expert so it only made sense that being a gym leader was the first step.
She was ecstatic to learn that one of her idols Lorelei would be one of her direct superiors. The redhead was the pure model of what the pinnacle of Ice and Water type trainers should aim for.
Lance was the choice of most run-of-the-mill trainers, but having met the man, he rubbed her the wrong way. There was something….off about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. His smile didn't seem quite 100 percent genuine. Lorelei was by far the better choice in her opinion.
Her other superior was Erika, who she could never seem to please.
Erika felt like an older sister to her, but the key difference from her actual older sisters being that they simply ignored her existence. Erika continued to make contact, much to Misty's both chagrin and relief. That made it hurt all the more when she'd see the dissatisfied look in the older woman's eyes every time she gave a report on her hardly improving situation.
She was the youngest gym leader on the continent at the ripe age of 14. This meant she had low expectations due to her age and inexperience, yet somehow she still felt like she failed to meet them.
Firstly, she took over a city that was currently rampant with break-ins and did not have enough manpower to match the hours needed for patrol routes. Normally the police led by the local Officer Jenny would have jurisdiction over this set of crimes but there was evidence that the perpetrators used Pokémon so that left the task up to her section of law enforcement.
She did put together that they were targeting those with either rare TMs or Pokémon. But it was of little use because they were never in time to catch the perpetrators. Whenever she scrounged up the manpower to lay an ambush, it just so happened multiple targets were hit at the same time.
She was currently in last place in the quarterly Kanto-Johto safety standards. She was even behind the Team Rocket-controlled cities. Ironically they tended to place near the top of the list.
Team Rocket committed a lot of crimes but that didn't mean they tolerated other people's crimes. The very thought was soul-crushing for the young gym leader.
Then there was that green-clad vigilante running around. He'd popped up in Cerulean first but he was the epitome of the reaction time problem she had. She never encountered him directly, only second-hand information was given to her from the trainers they saved.
Not that she was compiling per se….but half of her patrol force consisted of her maids and butlers. Who, while extremely loyal to her, weren't exactly the fighting types. A good chunk of the other half were fishermen who thought the solution to most problems in life was to throw a Magikarp or Feebas at it. Granted, if they could ever evolve into Gyrados and Milotic, they'd be a force to be reckoned with.
She only had 3 Swimmers and 2 Sailors as worthwhile active situation correspondents who also did double duty serving as gym trainers. Needless to say, the Cascade badge was easy pickings for Team Rocket.
She knew they were after it. She had taken the liberty of keeping it on her person at all times. Despite that, it was only a matter of time before they came for her directly. Erika and Brock couldn't offer any help; their own hands being full in the defense of their cities. She saw the bags under Erika's eyes and the clenching of Brock's jaw as he attempted to bite off a yawn. It was simply unfair to ask even more of them.
This led to her current problem. She captured a Magikarp herself in an effort to add a Gyrados to her own team. It seemed like a surefire plan. Magikarp was fairly quick to evolve if trained right and Gyrados would be a powerful addition to her team. They even learned fire-type moves, which would help against Magnemite and Magneton which for some unexplained reason seemed to be weak to fire.
For about two weeks she had been keeping it and training it in the Cerulean Cape where she was teaching it to go up waterfalls by using her other Pokémon. It had grown to be almost three times the size of any other of its kind, she was particularly proud of this one. She estimated that it was about 2-3 days away from evolving so she moved it to the Gym.
The day after, however, it suddenly disappeared from its tank in the gym, along with every other domestic Pokémon they kept in the gym.
Of course, she immediately launched an investigation. It didn't take long for the fingers to be pointed toward Team Rocket. Who else could be that brazen?
She guessed they might've come looking for her to take a badge, but without her there they took the next best thing. Gym-trained Pokémon.
As she began to seek them out, she took care to try and keep the situation under wraps as tight as possible. Only Erika currently knew of the situation, she'd lied to her Gym Trainers that she had taken the Pokémon out for some "Special Training". It wouldn't be pretty if this somehow got out to the newspapers, that the Gym Leaders were just as vulnerable as the trainers.
It would do nothing but cause a mass panic, and possibly lead to Lorelei filing a movement to Lance for her dismissal as a Gym Leader. Then again, The Elite Four were surprisingly apathetic to Erika's petitions for aid in the past.
After two weeks, she had managed to track rumors of the stolen Pokémon to route 3 and Mt. Moon, which she supposed made a certain amount of sense if they planned to use her Pokémon against Brock. Going down south to Vermillion or Celadon made no sense whatsoever–in more ways than one.
That brought her to her current situation. Facing down her now evolved Gyrados; she knew it was hers by its sheer size. Team Rocket had successfully evolved it and….. Released it oddly enough. She tossed a Pokeball at it out of curiosity and it actually went in for a brief moment, but then broke out. It also had the added effect of attracting its attention to her….And boy was it pissed.
Misty knew Gyrados was famous for its temper but this was more in line with Primeape or Tauros than Gyrados. She tried talking to it but it didn't recognize her at all. It seemed as if her voice made it even angrier. After she dodged a wayward Aqua Tail she knew beating it was the only option left. She sent out her ace Pokémon in preparation for battle.
Her prized Starmie was no match for that atrocious Pokémon. Both Swift and Scald bounced harmlessly off its scales. Gyrados swiftly retaliated with Hyper Beam, putting a quick explosive end to the Mysterious Pokémon. By a saving grace, Starmie had Recover along with its natural regenerative biology, so in time, it would be back on its feet but she was still forced to return it to its ball lest it becomes food for the rampaging Pokémon in front of her.
She then took cover behind a nearby boulder as her Gyrados began to fly into Outrage. She closed her eyes and prayed, praying to Ho-Oh, Arceus, or whatever Pokémon or god that was out there listening for some miracle to occur.
Gyrados roared and it was deafeningly close to her, it had sniffed her out. She heard the intake sound of another Hyper Beam being charged up and knew her final seconds were upon her.
"Aerial Ace!"
"Take-Down!"
A sharp tearing sound and a heavy impact were followed by the sound of Hyper Beam being fired into the open air. She slowly opened her eyes in shock, taking in the fact her body wasn't burnt to a crisp. She hesitantly turned and peered over her sparse cover.
Her Gyrados was right in front of her, but its huge head was forcibly turned to the side and Misty spied a gash next to its eyes leading to its fin. On the opposite side, near the middle of its body, its scales were cracked in a spiderweb fashion. Both attacks were critical hits. Impressive. The Pokémon was staggered and stunned, granting a moment of reprieve
She looked and saw standing in front of the serpentine Pokémon was a Heracross? And a Bulbasaur? She rubbed her eyes in confusion. Sure the Heracross line was known for its strength, but they were seldom seen in Kanto. Then Bulbasaur couldn't be that strong right?
"Alright, Saur! I knew you could do it, we finally got the hang of Take-Down,"
A boy who looked to be no older than herself came jogging from over the hill. He had on a short-sleeved red baseball jacket, blue baggy jeans, and red and white sneakers. His black spiky hair was kept underneath his red cap. His most defining feature to Misty was his vibrant red eyes.
"Cool a Heracross! You don't see those very often; I should probably log it for the Professor,"
The boy then pulled out a strange metallic device, unfolded it, and pointed it at the bug Pokémon.
"Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon. Though gentle and docile, Heracross possesses great strength and power. Their favorite food is the fresh sap of leafy trees."
A robotic voice came from the device as it fed information to the boy. Satisfied, he folded the device back and returned it to his pocket.
She was about to scream at him to get away from the area when she heard another voice come from beside her.
"Are you okay Ma'am?" A boy with emerald green hair and freckles on his face suddenly said to her.
"Kyaaa!" She shrieked and fell on her butt in response to the unexpected presence.
"I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"
"Izu-kun, you know you're not supposed to approach people when they're off guard like that. Nor are you supposed to apologize," A second calmer voice made its presence known.
A girl whose head she could see was on top of the boy's own. She guessed he was giving her a piggyback ride by the position they were in. Her hair was also green but a shade darker than the boy's own. Misty would have pegged them for siblings if only their faces didn't look radically different. The girl honestly looked amphibian-like. Like a Politoed or a Bulbasaur. Kind of cute, especially the way she seemed to be nestled into the boy's wildly fluffy hair. Though, she wouldn't dare say that out loud.
She focused her eyesight on the newcomers and scrutinized them.
"Thanks for the save-'' She expressed her gratitude as she picked herself up and brushed off her legs and denim shorts. "-but, who the hell are you?!" Misty yelled. "Who the hell is he?" She gestured back to the boy clad in red who was jogging over, the Bulbasaur in tow behind him.
"Hmm?" The boy's eyebrows furrowed together. "Actually….we don't know him. Where did he come from? He did come from the same direction as us, yet we never saw him…."
"Man, you're loud. Who the hell am I, you ask?" The boy said as he walked up to them. "I'm Red, the guy who's saving your sorry butt!"
Misty looked him up and down "Yes. You are wearing red, I can see that. Now tell me what you're really doing here?"
Red flinched back "H-Hey! My name is Red, Red Tajiri for your information! I saw you needed help so I stepped in!"
"Yeah, and I assume his name is Green and her's is Emerald or something like that?"
Red shrugged helplessly. "Listen, I didn't choose my name, my mom did. And Green is my rival by the way, and he definitely doesn't look like those guys."
Misty blinked in response. What were the odds of two people being named Red and Green? Much less them knowing each other.
"Umm….M-My name is Midoriya, Izuku Midoriya!" The boy clad in green said and offered a short bow. "A-and this is–"
"-I'm Tsuyu Asui. It's nice to do meet and greets, but don't we have a bigger problem to worry about, kero,"
Misty's eyebrow raised "Did she just–"
"Nah, I've got it handled. Look." Red said then pointed at the side Bulbasaur had used Take-Down on. She looked closer and saw thin green vines spreading out from the point of impact.
"Whoa! That's Leech Seed! You used Take-Down to disguise it didn't you? That's pretty clever, but normally from what I've read it takes more time for Leech Seed to start going like that, how did you do it?"
Misty was taken aback as Midoriya seemed to say the whole spiel in one breath while scribbling in a notebook she didn't even see him pull out.
Misty was grateful they had come to her rescue, but why did all of them seem to be weirdos?
"This time look up," Red said smugly. Misty looked and saw a massive snot bubble coming out of Gyrados' nose and its eyes were closed shut. "When I ran over I had Saur use Sleep Powder to send it into dreamland to make it more vulnerable for Leech Seed to take effect. Your Aerial Ace attack made it easier to work though, so thanks….Midoriya was it?"
Weakened. Asleep. This was the perfect opportunity for her. Without hesitation, she chucked a Pokeball at the defenseless Gyrados. With a whistling sound that attracted everyone's attention, the Pokeball made direct contact with the center of the crest on Gyrados' head.
Like a rock, the now full Pokeball fell through the air and bounced on the ground a couple of times shaking as the Pokémon inside made its attempt to break out.
After what seemed like forever she heard the click of confirmation after the final shake of the ball. With a sigh of relief, she walked over, picked up the ball, and clipped it to her waist.
"Hey who said you get to capture it, I did most of the work," Red called out.
"You're really annoying you know that?! For your information this Gyrados is mine, Team Rocket took it from me."
To her surprise, everyone's eyes became sharp as soon as she mentioned Team Rocket.
"I hate those guys! They're always poaching near Pallet Town."
"Are you okay?"
"Where did it happen?"
Misty had to take a step back at the sheer intensity they were radiating.
"Yeah… They took it from me in Cerulean, and I tracked them here where I got attacked by my own Gyrados."
She decided to omit the part that she was the Cerulean Gym Leader…..Mostly out of her own pride. Pride that was currently hurting seeing the Gyrados that had beaten her so easily be taken down in the same fashion.
"Do you think you'll be safe heading back to Cerulean by yourself? Me and Tsu would be glad to accompany you; we're heading that way ourselves," Midoriya asked. On his back, Asui looked at her curiously as if she knew exactly what she was going to say.
She kicked the ground in disheartenment, and she unclipped Starmie's ball and observed it was still unconscious from the battle. "Normally….I would say no. But my Pokémon aren't in any shape to help me right now. I'm assuming that Heracross is one of yours and it doesn't look that great of shape either." She said while pointing at the frozen parts of Heracross' body. Midoriya rubbed his head sheepishly in response, something his Pokémon mimicked.
"Would you guys mind if I tag along too? I was going to Cerulean too and there's safety in numbers and all that jazz…." Red asked as he fiddled with the brim of his hat. "Besides, all three of my Pokémon are still in good health and the sun is starting to go down."
"Sure, why not…. Let's get the Pokémon treated first though" Misty drawled then pulled out a couple of Oran berries from her bag and tossed them to the Heracross who deftly caught them and chirped in happiness.
"I do have a question for you Red." Asui started. "Why did you come from the same direction as us? I'm pretty sure I didn't see you,"
This time it was Red's turn to rub his head in embarrassment as he refused to make eye contact with the girl on Midoriya's back.
"Well, ya see…. I happened to see Midoriya's battle against Brock. I was the next one after him. Then I happened to see you on Route 3 where I was camping earlier today, so I thought I'd challenge him…."
He then pressed his index fingers together under the scrutiny of the girl's gaze.
"I saw you two start to battle and you looked strong too. So I thought maybe I could….challenge the winner?" His voice trailed off.
"So you were stalking us," Tsuyu said bluntly.
"Uh…. Let's call it, following with intent?"
"Stalking."
"Okay, fine I was stalking…."
Misty raised an eyebrow at the exchange "Should we really gloss over that?"
Midoriya shrugged "He didn't mean any harm. If I saw an interesting qui—"
Asui gave him a hard thump upside the head then put her arms back on his shoulders.
"I mean Pokémon or move, I might do the same thing," He continued as if nothing happened.
"I don't really care. I just want him to know that's what he was technically doing," Asui added, her face oddly devoid of emotion.
Red sweat dropped and began to walk in the direction of Mt. Moon, forcing the others to follow, "Moving on. I had to go full speed to keep up with you guys, which by the way what's with the piggyback thing going on? She looked perfectly fine before."
Misty hummed in agreement. She had to give Red credit for the smooth deflection.
"Hm?" The girl put a finger to her chin and looked as if she was choosing her next words "I tend to freeze up around certain Pokémon. Gyrados is one of them."
"But it's in a Pokéball now?"
"I'm comfortable right here,"
Red and Midoriya couldn't look more confused if they tried.
There was a gleam in her eye that Red missed. It was one only another girl would pick up on.
That territory was clearly marked.
Well, she supposed Midoriya was cute in an adorkable kinda way, with his freckles and how easily he got excited.
She would definitely pick him over Red. For some reason, he rubbed her the wrong way. Like he'd be the person to destroy her bike and not pay for it.
And he admitted he stalked someone! Ew. Even if he had no bad intentions, it was still ew.
Red finally shook off his confusion and narrowed his eyes.
"Okay, Yoda." Midoriya chuckled to himself, earning a confused glance from Red and Misty.
Tsuyu puffed out her cheeks in response to Midoriya's comment. It might've been her imagination but Misty swore she looked just like a Politoed before it stuck its tongue out
Red decided to ignore everything and continue marching. "Let's just get going. We can probably make the base of the mountain by dusk and we can cross it tomorrow. Maybe we can even squeeze a battle in if we're quick enough!"
Misty rolled her eyes as she picked up her pace to match Red's
XXXXXXX
They quickly fell into a groove with Red leading, Midoriya and Tsuyu in the middle and her bringing up the rear.
After about half an hour Midoriya and by extension Asui slowed down to match her pace.
"I was curious…..So, we introduced ourselves…. but we never got the chance to hear your name?"
She was uncertain if she should put her name out in the open, but her identifying badge was hanging on her ear currently.
"Name's Misty…." She decided to rip the band aid off.
"…."
She got varied reactions to her name. Midoriya looked downright mortified. Misty had seen that Asui didn't emote much, but she looked…...strangely smug, with a hint of….what looked like vindication. She figured they had put two and two together of who she was.
Red on the other hand…...
"Ha! You were talking about my name. You have two Water-type Pokémon, and your name is Misty. I'll bet my buttons you're aiming to be a master water-type trainer too huh? Call me cliché."
…...Decided to be an ass.
"Oh yeah! What happened to you? Was Charmander already picked when you went to get your starter?!"
At least he didn't seem to catch on to who she was.
She bickered with him all the way to the base of the mountain where they decided to set up camp for the day. Nobody was willing to cross the mountain at night with Team Rocket on the loose. That and the chance of the odd Clefairy abduction.
"Okay, now that we're here, how about we really get to know each other with a battle!" Red exclaimed emphatically as soon as he set his bag down in the clearing.
Tsuyu hopped off Midoriya's back and then shrugged at him. What followed was some sort of silent conversation between the two before he finally relented and agreed.
"How about we make it a tag battle? Me and Midoriya never finished ours."
"I'm cool with that, the more the merrier I say." He then turned to Tsuyu "I guess that means it's me and you versus Midoriya and Misty?"
Misty balked, having suddenly found herself roped into a surprise battle.
"Hey! I never agreed to this!"
"I think it would be a good team-building exercise since we're traveling together now," Tsuyu reasoned.
"I wouldn't call it traveling together; I just met you people. It's more like going in the same direction." She retorted back.
"I'll have your back if anything goes wrong," Midoriya gave her an innocent smile that she just couldn't say no to. It would be like punching a Growlithe.
"Fine. I'm counting on you, okay?"
She then walked over and stood next to the green-haired teen while Red and Tsuyu took the field opposite them.
At some unseen count, all four trainers tossed their Pokéballs at the same time.
"Saur, I choose you!"
"Heracross! I know you can do it!"
"Misty chooses, Starmie!"
"You've got this Staryu."
In flashes of blue light, the four Pokémon appeared between them.
"Alright, we'll take the first move! Saur grab that Starmie with your vines!"
Two thick green vines lashed out from beneath the pod and made a beeline toward the mysterious Pokémon.
"Dodge it!"
"Block it with Night Slash,"
Before either Heracross or Starmie could act the last trainer called out her command.
"Swift."
The pre-evolution of Starmie took to the air and let loose an unavoidable attack using its aerial advantage.
The stream of golden stars outpaced the vines and connected with both Pokémon keeping them in place just long enough for the vines to wrap around Starmie.
Misty mentally started to panic knowing what was coming next due to the earlier defeat of Gyrados.
"Water Pulse!" She ordered in a hurry.
The Pokémon paused for a moment before a brilliant blue orb of water came from the center gem of the Starmie.
"Go through it with Take Down" Red counted. Misty watched helplessly as the Bulbasaur slingshotted itself effortlessly through the water blast and landed a direct hit on her Pokémon. It used the resulting momentum to swing itself away, taking the recoil damage without interference.
Midoriya gave her a curious look she tried to ignore.
Just as before, in addition to the damage it caused and the vines still squeezing it, it also left a Leech Seed that was slowly encroaching its way around Starmie's points.
"Breakthrough that Swift with Horn Attack!"
On the other side of the field, Heracross spread its wings and took flight. It made its way through the barrage of stars as if it was an Olympic-caliber swimmer performing a breaststroke. The golden stars dissipated harmlessly off its large glowing horn. Tsuyu grimaced as if she had eaten something sour.
"This again?"
"Now use your vines and slam it into Heracross!" Red cried out in response.
As soon as the Pokémon landed, it tightened its vines around Starmie and with a mighty heave, flung it into the unaware Bug-Pokémon, knocking it out of the sky.
Both Pokémon landed in a heap as Red cheered.
"Don't worry, me and Saur have your back, Tsuyu," He assured her.
Even though Bulbasaur was a grass type, it annoyed and frustrated her with how easily her Pokémon were being manhandled.
"Misty we should—"
"Starmie, get back up and use Rapid Spin!"
"Star!" With a shout, the Pokémon hopped back to its feet and began to spin, each of its two halves in a different direction like a giant ninja star.
In no time flat the Leech Seed was torn to shreds and her Pokémon was freed from the strength-sapping move.
"Now, keep going and take down that Bulbasaur,"
"Get up and follow behind with Aerial Ace and use Night Slash at the same time!"
Starmie rocketed off through the air with its increased speed, Heracross in close pursuit inside its shadow, claws rippling with dark energy. Misty was impressed it actually pulled off both moves at the same time
Red smirked in the face of the coming blitzkrieg. Something unsettled Misty about his expression.
"Wait for it…..." He commanded, Saur's pod started to open in preparation for intercepting the speeding opponents.
Misty gave a quick glance at Midoriya just in time to see his eyes widen in realization.
"Misty he's going to– " He was cut off before he could finish
"Solar Beam!"
A split-second after, Midoriya shouted his own command.
"Do a barrel roll!"
A golden beam of light tinged with red and green fired from the pod on Saur's back and connected point-blank range on Starmie, blasting it to the ground and gauging out a crater as the bean continued above it.
"Starmie!"
Behind Starmie, due to Midoriya's realization, Heracross managed to escape the worst of the attack thanks to the sudden evasive maneuver. The barrel roll also had the added effect of directing the attack toward the hovering Staryu.
"Minimize." The green-haired girl called calmly in defense.
A sharp dark colored blow from Heracross' dominant claw landed right on the red gemstone Staryu called a core. The off-hand blow was missed because of the Pokémon's shrinking form.
"Retreat using Bullet Seed,"
In a reversal from the start of the battle, Heracross was raining its attack from above, the impacts on the ground created a dust cloud that covered the whole battlefield.
Heracross made its way back in front of Midoriya as it finished its attack.
The dust finally settled to reveal a Bulbasaur that was no worse for wear, and an unmoving Staryu and Starmie.
Misty facepalmed as she took in the sight of her Pokémon lying defeated in a crater. She knew it was due to her own hastiness too. With a click of her tongue, she returned it to its Pokeball in a beam of red light.
Across the field, Tsuyu gave a dejected sigh and did the same.
"Zero for two…." She muttered just loud enough for Red to hear.
Red gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Looks like it was a critical hit. Happens sometimes, especially with Night Slash."
Red then turned his attention to Midoriya and Heracross.
"Guess it's just us now, huh? I knew you were good, but you're already putting moves together? Despite it seeming like a no-brainer, that's pretty advanced stuff. Couldn't tell ya how long it took me and Saur to get the Take-Down/Leech Seed combo going. Let's make this one a good one. First, I'll beat you, then I'll beat Green!" Red was absolutely beaming at the opportunity to go one-on-one with another trainer that walked the same path as him.
Midoriya gave a smile in return "If that's the case, then allow us to make the next move." He then pointed at Saur "Harass it with Aerial Ace,"
"Hera!" With a shout, the beetle Pokémon took to the skies again with silver wind trails flowing off it. Heracross started to lightly graze the Bulbasaur from all angles with effective hit-and-run tactics utilizing its aerial supremacy.
"I see even here you take a lot from Bakugo. Those movements are something he would do," Tsuyu called out to Midoriya.
"When it comes to winning, he's the first image I think of," He replied.
"The way he wins? I don't think that's healthy, Izu-kun, but I guess it's working here."
"Whose side are you on?" Red retorted.
"My side." She answered. The combination of her monotone voice and stoic face caused Misty to giggle a little watching Red get flustered at her lack of a reaction.
"Okay… " Red smacked his cheeks to focus back on the battle at hand. "Chase after it with Vine Whip!"
The thick green vines that gave Starmie so much trouble chased after Heracross like a heat-seeking missile. The speed of the attack didn't compare to earlier. It then occurred to Misty that Red was intentionally trying to coordinate with his partner. Something she failed to do. The thought instantly sobered her from her giggle fit.
Heracross rolled. thrashed and twisted through the air. The vines unrelenting in its pursuit.
"Dive in with a Horn Attack."
"Clever. The vines are harder to use in close range," Misty commented to her partner.
"Not clever enough! Saur, block it with your legs, force it back."
Saur stood up on its hind legs and with a loud impact, met Heracross head-on with its front legs.
"Heracross, power through!"
Using its greater momentum Heracross began to force the Bulbasaur back despite its valiant effort. Groove lines started to form in the ground underneath Bulbasaur's feet.
"Saur! I know you can do it!"
Saur gave a grunt then a shout of its name and then started to glow a bright white.
"No way?!"
"What?!"
"How lucky."
Red's grin threatened to split his face in half "Saur's bulb has been starting to bud for days now, I figured it was only a matter of time before it evolved. I knew you guys would give us that last little push we needed,"
The white light started to dim revealing a newly evolved Ivysaur. It had gained significant size from what it was as a Bulbasaur. Its skin had darkened from a light green to a navy blue. Its bulb had turned into a bud and had sprouted fronds.
"Ivy….Saur!"
Its increased weight and size allowed it to push downwards on Heracross and stop its momentum.
With a thud, the bug-type was forced into the ground.
Heracross had no leverage to even use its horn as the bulb Pokémon was now planted firmly on its back.
The bulb on Saur's back started to shine once more and the Pokémon aimed its maw at the defenseless part of Heracross' back where its wings parted.
"Midoriya you should—"
"Bullet Seed at the ground to flip him off you!"
Heracross swiftly unleashed a flurry of seeds at the dirt, propelling itself back to its feet and flinging its unwanted passenger away.
Heracross then charged at the recoiling opponent, sparking off rapid-fire exchanges of Night Slashes and Take-Downs
Watching the battle Misty had to admit she was impressed by both Red's instinctive awareness of the flow of both the battle and his Pokémon, and Midoriya's rapid, adaptable thinking to adjust tactics on the fly. She was vaguely interested to see what they could really do in a proper six-on-six format.
Eventually, the sheer strength and adrenaline of Saur's evolution started to overwhelm its foe. Take Down met night Slash in the middle of the field for the umpteenth time. Neither side was willing to give up even an inch. Red's face had his trademark smirk painted on it; Misty knew he had something up his sleeve.
"Sleep Powder."
A cloud of sickly teal spores was launched from Saur's bud. Heracross had no room to dodge and took the full blast of spores to the face.
"Heracross!" Midoriya cried out as he watched his Pokémon slowly close its eyes and drift off into dreamland.
"This battle is over, Midoriya. With only one Pokémon, being put to sleep is an almost guaranteed KO,"
Midoriya paused for a moment in thought, then nodded his head and returned Heracross to its ball. After a few words of thanks, he clipped it to his belt.
Red's Ivysaur ran over to him and leaped into his arms. Red strained a bit under his Pokémon's newfound weight but stood firm as he shouted his congratulations.
Eventually, he returned Saur to its ball after commending it for a well-fought battle.
The two trainers then walked out to the middle of the field and shook hands.
"If Saur didn't evolve when it did, you probably would have won the battle, Midoriya," Red admitted.
"It looked like you predicted it. How did you know the exact moment it would evolve?"
Red put his hands behind his head "Dunno, I've always had a feeling for things happening in battle ever since I was a kid. Just comes naturally to me I guess?"
Midoriya pulled out his notebook and started to write things down and mutter to himself at an unreal speed to everyone else.
"Umm….Should I be afraid?"
Tsuyu walked over to Midoriya's side "Not really, he gets like this sometimes." She gingerly poked his side, an action the boy didn't seem to notice in the slightest.
"Normally, me or Ocha-chan could get him to stop, but I should probably let this one play out."
"Why does he do that?" Misty asked, walking up to join the others.
Tsuyu only offered the ginger a shrug in response. " When he sees new…." She paused for a moment and Misty got a sense she was trying to carefully select her words again. "Information…. He likes to catalog new strategies and tactics,"
"If he's going to be like that for a while, we may as well start setting up camp," Red reasoned, receiving nods of agreement from both girls.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Not too long after the battle, it didn't take long for them to fall into roles which was a nice change of pace for her since they had just met each other. Kanto natives weren't overly friendly in the current climate.
Red true to his name took no time at all to get a fire going. He spent the rest of the time teasing her over having both a Starmie and a Staryu. He gave Tsuyu the same treatment for having a Poliwhirl and Staryu as well, but the girl didn't seem to care as she simply replied "It's what feels right, right now," [1]
Midoriya and Tsuyu set up the tents after treating everyone's Pokémon for their wounds.
And Misty herself made the meal for the night. A simple beef and vegetable soup, but effective in filling up three sudden additions to the group.
After it was finished they had gathered by the campfire bowls in hand. Their various Pokémon off to the side were also eating together.
Red had slurped down his food faster than a Snorlax after hibernation. Three bowls of it for that fact.
Surveying the area and seeing no one else including the Pokémon was close to finishing he decided to start up a conversation.
"How old are you guys? I'm thirteen by the way,"
"I-I'm s-sixteen….." Midoriya stammered out, slightly blushing.
"I'm fifteen, though I turn sixteen pretty soon,"
In comparison to her companion, Tsuyu spoke with a degree of straightforwardness.
"Fourteen," Misty said quickly, and they lapsed back into silence only broken up by the various sounds of eating.
Red drummed on his thighs and pushed air through his lips as he tried to think of another topic.
"I saw you battling earlier with your Poliwhirl, Tsuyu. It was pretty cool to see you take advantage of Swift Swim like that. It gave me some ideas on how Poli and I can use Ice Beam for movement and area control."
Red's Poliwhirl, which was noticeably bigger than Tsuyu's, raised its fist in acknowledgment, momentarily distracting it from voraciously stuffing another chunk of food into its swirl. The Pokémon was just as much of a glutton as its trainer. Misty didn't need to ask Red to know that Pokémon was going to be a Poliwrath rather than a Politoed one day.
Tsuyu set her bowl down beside herself. "I assume yours doesn't have that ability?"
"Yeah, mine has Damp."
"Swift Swim is actually a pretty rare ability for the Poliwag line," Misty added after she swallowed the last of her soup "Though I wouldn't underestimate Damp. It does have its uses"
"What does Damp do if you don't mind me asking?" Midoriya said, a notebook pulled from his bag and placed it on his knee so he could write with one hand. Misty noted he lost his stutter when he started info gathering.
Red flinched, taken aback at seeing the notebook. "Wow dude, you're dedicated. Anyways, my Poliwhirl secretes excessive moisture and mucus and then disperses it into the air around it. That moisture keeps other Pokémon from using explosive moves,"
"Your Poliwhirl simply looks like a healthy frog to me. Is it poisonous?" Tsuyu commented while studying Red's Pokémon.
Red lifted his cap and scratched the back of his head "Nope. Even though it's not, it still comes in handy though as Misty said. From what I've heard, a lot of the Gym Leaders have Pokémon that tend to blow up,"
"Hmm-hmm," Misty hummed in agreement. "Geodude, Electrode, Wheezing, Executor, and Magcargo, etc.….It's definitely good not to have to worry about being randomly blown up, to say the least. But it's also useful for an officer too. They commonly carry around Poliwrath at least in Kanto and Johto"
"You know, Poli was my first Pokémon. I always thought that if being a trainer didn't work out, I'd just go be an officer. So, we could help people in need. I hate bullies, and I was always the one who helped break it up when the other kids started fighting so it seemed like a natural fit,"
"That's pretty noble of you Red," Misty let her voice soften a bit "But why are you taking the Gym Challenge? If you wanted to be a trainer there are definitely easier paths to take,"
"Simple. I want to be the best. And to me, that means facing the strongest trainers I can and bringing out all the potential I can out of my Pokémon."
Midoriya chuckled in response then froze when he saw everyone was looking at him.
"I'm sorry, it's just that he reminded me of an old friend of mine. One I haven't seen in a while."
He then tilted his head. Misty saw something flash through his eyes, but she couldn't identify what.
"Say you become the best, what's next for you after that?"
Midoriya and Tsuyu looked expectantly at Red as he took a moment to gather his thoughts.
"Then I become an obstacle for the next generation." Red said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I become someone the next person has to be better than, so they can be the new standard. To keep pushed everyone to be the best they can be,"
Red's, Bulbasaur, and Poliwhirl cheered in response. His Pikachu just paused for a moment then returned to eating. Midoriya started full-on laughing, and Asui just shook her head though there was a smile on her face.
"If that's the case, why don't you just become a Gym Leader eventually?"
Misty saw Red's eyes widen in interest at her suggestion.
"You can combine both dreams into one,"
"What do you mean?"
"Gym Leaders are more than just an obstacle and skill check for up-and-coming trainers Red-"
Midoriya interjected before she could continue.
"-They also function as one of the branches of Law Enforcement. While the regular police deal with Human on Human, and Human on Pokémon crimes, Gym Leaders deal with Humans using Pokémon to commit crimes and other extreme extraneous threats, such as Legendary Pokémon rampages."
He was reading off one of the pages in his notebook. Why did he have that written down? Misty didn't really want to know.
"You'd get to chase after Team Rocket all day and you'd get to fight all the trainers you want. It'd be a win-win for you."
Maybe he'd do a better job than she currently was. He certainly seemed to have the drive for it–even if he lacked a type specialty.
"But there's already 8 Kanto Gym Leaders…." Red countered as he poked the flames with a stick.
"And? Johto has a couple of open positions. Then there might be a turnover in Kanto in a year or two. As long as you pass the test you can be one of them."
Misty had to bite her tongue to resist adding she might be one of the ones getting canned, though with the way Tsuyu was looking at her, the message was clearly written on her face. Misty couldn't get her eyes to meet the other girl's out of shame. She hoped Red and Midoriya wouldn't pick up on it as well.
Red gripped the brim of his hat, pressing down his spiky hair into bangs obscuring his eyes. "It's…. Something worth thinking about, I guess."
Misty didn't know why but it seemed as if a dark cloud passed over the normally outgoing boy. As soon as she noticed, it seemed to evaporate like a late spring rain.
"Are you taking the Gym Challenge too? You seem to know a lot about it." He blurted out at her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Midoriya gag on his current spoonful at Red's question. Tsuyu laughed at her partner's predicament as she rubbed his back in sympathy. She couldn't help but let a light giggle escape her own lips at Red's obliviousness. It was almost kind of adorable how innocent he looked.
"Well…. I look up to some of them….Like Lorelei and Erika."
She decided to go with a half-truth but she could see the question mark above his head.
She put her hand to her forehead in mock frustration "How are you taking the Gym Challenge and you don't even know who you're going up against? Lorelei is one of the Elite Four over the Gym Leaders and Erika is the Gym Leader of Celadon City and the supervisor of them all."
Red had the decency to look embarrassed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his finger.
"I just know where they are, I thought I'd save learning who they are as a surprise ya know? So, we can start clean."
Midoriya recovered from his coughing fit and snapped his notebook closed. "I can see your point….But if you're going into a fight Red, it always pays to know what your opponent might do,"
"But the Gym Leaders don't have that advantage though," Red shot back.
"They actually do most of the time, in Kanto and Johto at least. Gym Leaders are required to report whenever they hand out a badge."
She stopped for a second as she pondered if she was overstepping the line.
"Then…... not many people take the Gym Challenge in the first place, much less win a badge or two, like you and Midoriya, Red. They might not know which Pokémon you've caught between one Gym and the next, but they always have an idea of what they're getting into,"
Misty in fact probably had an update waiting for her back in Cerulean about Midoriya and Red's profile.
"Why do they have such strict regulations on badges in that case? Seems kinda extreme for a simple hunk of metal." Tsuyu croaked out.
Misty guffawed at the question "They're anything but hunks of metal. Each badge grants the holder's Pokémon power."
That caught everyone's attention. Even the Pokémon paused and looked at her attentively.
"Every badge promotes an increase in a certain stat. Then on top of it, any Pokémon that has the type that matches the respective badge gets a flat power boost in that trainer's hands."
Misty could see the gears turning in Midoriya's head.
"Between Kanto and Johto there are badges correlating to 15 of the 17 types. That means…...You could almost be unstoppable." The green haired teen reasoned.
Red scoffed at the insinuation "No one is ever unstoppable. Pokémon battling is a combat sport at the end of the day. That's why it's so hard to stay at the top. I bet having that power and knowing how to use it are two different things," he said in protest.
Misty couldn't help but agree, it was why the average Rocket grunt wasn't a match for a Gym Leader or the gym trainers under their command. It seemed Midoriya begrudgingly did too, as he bent his head down and nodded. Tsuyu looked at her green-haired counterpart in worry.
Misty straightened up as she decided to play devil's advocate. "You're right. But you can't underestimate the power of the badges, Red. With enough badges, even a simple Water Gun can hit like a Hydro Pump. Skilled or not, it still hurts."
Red gave a gesture of agreement as he relaxed back onto the log he was sitting on.
What Misty neglected to tell them is, that is the very reason why Team Rocket is after the badges and why they're so dangerous. They already have five in their possession. If the general public knew they'd freak out.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by a yawn from Tsuyu.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to go to sleep."
"I'm ready to hit the sack myself," Red replied, stuffing his hat in his back and swapping it for a Poliwag-themed nightcap.
Misty suppressed a snort at the oddly adorable choice of nightwear by excusing herself to her tent to change.
Her amusement wore off as she began her routine to get ready for slumber.
While she was changing her clothes, she heard the familiar unzipping sound of someone entering her tent.
"Should I go back outside and wait?" The voice of Tsuyu came from behind her, seeing her state of undress.
"No….We're both girls anyway….Unless you swing that way and want an eyeful; then yes."
"No, I do not," she responded.
"Yeah, you obviously like Midoriya," Misty said smugly as she pulled her shirt down. She got a sense of satisfaction at seeing the face of the normally stone-faced girl actually twitch.
It was a blunt thing to say, but it was rare Misty got the chance to have a girl talk with someone her own age. Erika, Jasmine, and Clair weren't exactly in her age group. She'd heard Koga had a daughter but no one had seen her, and if she was anything like him and Sabrina, that was a firm no. Her sisters? They were walking, talking Dodrio. No thank you.
"I do," She confessed, her face schooling back to its normal visage.
"You guys don't seem to be together though. Why is that?"
"He's extremely dense. He'd probably combust if he realized I was flirting with him. Also, my friend has feelings for him too, I don't want to interfere with that,"
"This Ocha-chan you guys keep mentioning?"
Tsuyu nodded in confirmation as she began to change herself. "Ironically, we both developed feelings for him the same way. He happened to save our lives. Separate incidents of course."
"That's actually kind of romantic when you put it like that. Prince Charming comes dashing in gracefully on his Rapidash…" Misty blushed, put her hands to her cheeks, and swooned as she imagined the scenario.
To her surprise, Tsuyu snorted at her as she pulled up her pajama bottoms.
"He was more like a Scorbunny jumping in front of a Poliwag to save it from a Braviary."
"Wouldn't the Scorbunny…."
"Exactly. But at that moment it was extremely touching. From there I kept seeing him do it again and again for people he barely knew….. and watching him get hurt….hurt me. That's when I knew I had feelings for him."
Misty paled a little bit at that comparison. She didn't think the green-haired teen had it in him. Sure he showed flashes in his battle with Red, but he didn't seem like the brave type to throw himself in harm's way like that.
"That's adorable. Also noble of him. Well, not the self-sacrificing part.… Why don't you at least make him aware of your feelings? I'm sure if he knew he had people who loved and cared for him, he'd be less prone to doing stuff like that."
"Again, he looks so happy when he's with Ocha-chan, I don't want to mess with that. Also, he's the type that doesn't say no to anyone. He loves to help people; he'd probably give it up in a heartbeat if me and Ocha-Chan really wanted him too,"
Tsuyu paused and her face dropped a little as she pulled her knees to her chest.
"Helping people is his dream…." She said dourly, "…And I don't want to take that away from him. I only want to get stronger along with him so maybe… he wouldn't have to hurt himself as much if he can rely on me."
"The getting stronger part is something I can understand, myself. You saw how easily Red took me out of that battle," Misty said with false bravado to play off how she really felt. "Anyways, if you can't tell him…. Does this Ocha-chan know about your feelings at the very least?
"She doesn't,"
"Hmm. Just from the way you refer to her, you seem pretty close. You should tell her. It's unfair to her if she unintentionally steps on your feelings, then it's unfair to yourself if you keep it bottled up. It's only going to make it worse, it's something my older sisters had to learn the hard way."
Her words seemed to send the older girl into her thoughts for a brief minute, then she nodded her head in agreement before changing the subject.
"You said you wanted to get stronger right?"
"Yes….?" Misty hesitantly answered.
"Is it because you're the Gym Leader?
She deflated at the question. "You really don't beat around the bush you know that?"
The other girl shrugged "Takes one to know one. You started off by outing my feelings."
"You could've denied it though," Misty shot back
"Not my style. I saw no reason to lie, also I'm not ashamed of my feelings. You can't help who you like. " It amazed Misty how at ease Tsuyu was at the prospect of openly loving someone. She was sure that she personally would be freaking out over having her business put out for everyone to know.
"...Yes, I'm the Cerulean Gym Leader. Was it that obvious?"
"I saw your earring. Then the fact you used water Pokémon was a confirmation."
Misty facepalmed. "Does Midoriya know? Red obviously doesn't,"
"Yep," Tsuyu confirmed "He's currently avoiding being alone with me because I told him so before we even talked to you. He started up a conversation with Red and they've been going non-stop," She said as she slipped into her sleeping bag.
"Please don't tell him." She pleaded as she got into her own sleeping bag.
The girl sent her a pensive look and Misty got the feeling she could see right through her.
"...I won't"
Tsuyu then turned the lamp off, leaving Misty alone with her thoughts and the distant sound of chatter as silhouettes of the two boys still around the campfire stretched across the tent.
Hero Notes: Notable Trainers
#1 Red Tajiri
"... ... ... ... ... ... Words are unnecessary! Let's Battle!"
Age: 13
Type Specialty: None
City: Pallet Town
Badge Count: 1(Boulder)
Battle Philosophy: Whatever works at the moment.
Rivals: Green, Myself
Pokémon on hand: Ivysaur(Saur), Poliwhirl(Poli), Pikachu(Pika)
General Analysis:
A trainer me and Tsuyu first encountered on Route 3 after a Gyrados attack. Though technically I first saw him during my Pewter Gym trial and in the forest when we first arrived. He quickly marked me as a rival after our first battle.
He seems to have started his adventure by happenstance rather than having it planned out. When asked he replied he was doing Professor Oak a favor. He also mentioned being cleared for trainer's leave, and his mom was fully prepared for the day he'd up and leave. A wanderlust he said was shared by both his father and grandfather.
He has a brash personality; always moving before thinking. Not necessarily a bad thing since he seems too adept at working a situation with only what's on hand. Almost unnaturally so as he was able to predict his Ivysaur's evolution. His instincts for battle almost match if not exceed Kaachan from what I've seen. I would say I'd be interested to see a conversation between the two, but my instincts tell me it would quickly devolve into a fight.
His brashness can easily cross over into abrasiveness and arrogance as seen during his interactions with Misty. However, he seems to know where the line is and when not to cross it.
Despite this, he has a heart of gold and will unhesitatingly lend his aid to those that need it. This was also evidenced by the fact his original goal was to become an officer.
Given that he's just starting out, his tactics mainly revolve around speed and timing rather than overwhelming power. His Ivysaur is currently his most dangerous Pokémon because it's packing Solar beam; a move that most capable Pokémon don't learn until they're fully evolved. When talking to him he reasoned that he was Ivysaur's bulb shining in the light and thought "Why not?"
I don't know whether to say that's a testament in itself to Red's instinct or if his Ivysaur is a cut above the others. If it's the former Red's potential is only limited by his imagination. Maybe I should mention Synthesis to him?
Author's Notes
[1] This is a two-fold joke. In Japan the Cinder Badge is simply called the "Red Badge" so Misty is likened his name to Blaine who uses Fire Types
The second part is that in the FR/LG arc, Mewtwo makes a joke about Red and Green's names after they trade Venusaur for Charizard. He goes "Fire Red and Leaf Green….How fitting,"
Next Adsof678 pointed out to me that line about Magnemite and Magneton. In the Manga, the Steel-Type wasn't discovered until the Kanto vs Johto Gym Leader Exhibition arc in G/S/C (Read that arc btw). Here it remains the same, it's actually plot-important for that arc. Everyone save for two people is operating under the logic Steel-Types don't exist. That doesn't hold true for Dark and Fairy however as you can gather from Heracross using Night Slash. Abilities too, especially since Kosaka went back and gave all the pre-gen 3 characters abilities for their Pokémon.
Just hold that as a rule of thumb for anything that might seem….strange that you read. Like Brock having Rhydon instead of Rhyperior. Just assume it's plot important that they haven't discovered it yet.