Nani!? This isn't Luck of the Draw? Welcome to a new story. Those who actively check my profile know that I have a lot of ideas swirling in my gigantic noggin, as Peony would say. This story is one such idea. I'm pretty sure I'm the first to do a story with these two respective mediums. Who knows maybe I'll set a precedent? For those who are looking at the story tags and wondering "What the hell is this guy talking about?" Well, this story isn't your average Pokemon crossover. Read on and find out!
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.
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia and Pokemon
Now let us press Start!
"Thank you! Please come again!"
Izuku Midoriya exited the Pokémon Center after giving the Nurse Joy a fleeting wave of thanks. As he entered downtown Pewter City in the twilight, he studied the pokéballs in his hand. Heracross, Budew, and Pidegotto in his right. Clefairy, Poliwhirl, and Golbat in his left. All six Pokémon blinked owlishly back at him through their pokéballs.
Inside his jacket, the freshly won Boulder Badge gleamed with a mysterious gray shine.
He'd managed to beat Brock earlier that day after a surprisingly hard-fought battle despite having a fighting, grass, and water type. The preliminaries were designed to wear down his Pokémon, and Brock was no joke himself.
He figured that just like the Heroes in his own world, the gym leaders had to be acutely aware of their weakness; especially given the numerous Mankeys and occasional Primeape that could be found in the next route over.
If he didn't have to go to the Pokémon center he would've liked to see that kid in red with the Pikachu fight, considering most rock types in Kanto had a ground sub-type. He would have loved to see the strategy involved considering his Poliwhirl and Bulbasaur breezed through Brock's preliminaries with either 2HKOs or OHKOs every round. (Sturdy was a really good ability) Maybe he would be able to take notes and pass them on to Kaminari if he ever got home.
Oh well, at least he took plenty of notes from the kid in green with the Charmeleon and Psyduck who fought before him.
Speaking of teammates. He'd have to remember to thank Uraraka and the others for lending him their Pokémon so he could have a team of six to challenge Brock. Uraraka's Pokémon in particular was actually a very capable fighter. Then again he shouldn't be surprised given who its "trainer" was.
Aizawa was only too happy for Midoriya to take ownership for the day to get it out of his hair temporarily. Midoriya supposed that was fair after he and the others had borderline forced the Pokémon onto him originally, even if he couldn't risk using it against Brock.
Tsuyu and Ryuku agreed to the chance for their Pokémon to get some experience considering they were the most recent additions to the group.
As for the gym itself. In the preliminaries, he used Zubat, Pidgeotto, and Poliwhirl. He was initially laughed at for pitting flying types against rock types but the jeers quickly became cheers when he combined Twister and Sand Attack to make a makeshift sandstorm attack which stopped the Alolan Geodude cold in its tracks. Zubat was no slouch either, surprisingly knowing the super effective absorb combined with supersonic and mean look, it made for an effective trapping and subduing technique. Huh…Guess Eraserhead did train it despite the fact every time Midoriya looked over, it was napping on his shoulder. After a tough battle with a Sudowoodo, it evolved into a Golbat. He wondered if his sensei would be happy about that.
Then came Brock himself. The first Geodude was KO'd pretty quickly via Budew's absorb, but the sustainment wasn't enough once Rhyhorn came out and it made short work of the bud Pokemon.
He should've commanded the use of Heracross' Brick Break more often to chip away at the chinks in the armor of the rock types. Fury Cutter and Night Slash were effective as parrying moves to hold off the nimble Rolycoly after he made the mistake of hitting it with Poliwhirl's Water Gun.
Horn Attack's massive flip left Rhyhorn vulnerable in the air, but he underestimated the power of Smackdown when his Pokémon took to the air to meet it, resulting in a double KO.
Uraraka's Pokémon, Clefariy pulled off the win due to a Disarming Voice being able to cancel out Onix's Screech allowing for a free chance at Metronome. He got lucky that Aura Sphere got pulled. A lucky break that even surprised Brock with Aura Sphere's never miss quality.
Brock was not happy by being beaten by what he deemed "Pure dumb luck" and that he spit on the great battle he was finally having with a challenger. Midoriya didn't have it in him to disagree. Metronome was literally a move that worked off luck. He honestly felt bad for that boy with the Pikachu.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Midoriya realized he was rambling to himself again based on the looks the pedestrians were giving him as walked by. With a sheepish nervous laugh, he mentioned a word of thanks to the Pokemon in hand then clipped the Pokeballs to the back of his belt and swiftly slipped into a nearby back alley. No need for him to risk the off chance someone would recognize him. Or call the police about a muttering maniac.
The teen eventually reached a bend in the alley where it'd be hard for someone to see him from the street. With a sigh, he quickly scanned his surroundings to make sure nobody was nearby making any back-alley deals or worse; any of the few remaining good officers and their Geodude patrols. He didn't want to blow the cover he'd just made for himself today. When he was sure the coast was clear, he set down his backpack, shuffled through the medical supplies and various books, and pulled out his frayed emerald hero costume.
Midoriya let One For All circulate through his body and with a speed that would make Clark Kent proud he stuffed his former outfit in the back and donned his hero uniform. As he fastened the rebreather over his mouth, he was now ready to go on patrol himself.
He extended his hand toward the nearest rooftop and an inky black tendril came from his white glove. With a snapping sound, it latched onto the corner of the building, and with a gentle tug, Deku pulled himself up as if it was a grappling hook.
As Blackwhip retreated back into his body, Deku squatted down on the edge of the rooftop as he overlooked Pewter city as nighttime rapidly descended upon the archeological capital of Kanto. Team Rocket had been seen in Mt. Moon so it was only a matter of time before they made their way to Pewter. Hopefully tonight he'd be able to round up a couple of grunts, or even just do general good in stopping run-of-the-mill crime. Maybe, just maybe a commander might show their face. Though he doubted someone important would come to Pewter, given how isolated it was from Vermillion, Saffron, Celadon, and Fushia.
What made Pewter a target was that it housed all the fossils and research one could ask for outside of Cinnabar Island. One fossil could generate enough money to feed a person for months on end. Simply put it was apt to finding gold. Even more so, Deku had heard rumors that the scientists of Pewter were working on a way to restore fossil Pokémon. Money and powerful Pokémon. Throw in the potential to snag a coveted gym badge.
To offset it, Brock was located in this city. He was the second-strongest gym leader in Deku's book(by default). He was a master of Rock-type Pokémon and specialized in capture and defense. Any chance run-in with him or his Geodude squad was a near-guaranteed trip to the slammer. The Geodude chains would surround the target and harass them with Rock Throws and makeshift binds. More dangerous opponents would find themselves being squeezed and crushed by an Onix, or god forbid a Golem barrage. Rumor has it that Brock even kept a monstrous Rhydon and Tyranitar in the back for particularly vicious foes he couldn't afford to hold back on. Deku had read about their prowess and even sketched them in his new analysis notebook, but even he didn't want to carelessly engage with one if Brock was packing it in a chance encounter.
Any ordinary criminal would be hard-pressed to act in Pewter, but Team Rocket was anything but ordinary.
Deciding he'd better get a move on Deku channeled full-cowling across his body at 10%. Enough for mobility without the risk of leaving a slight indent whenever he kicked off.
Moving through the low rooftops of Pewter was a breeze compared to the labyrinth city constructs of UA and Nezu's twisted mind. Every building in the downtown area was roughly the same height. If the gap was a little bit too wide; he'd finally reached a level with Blackwhip where he could safely swing through.
The patrol was pretty decent that night. Standard assaults and battery he could send Heracross to break up without he himself being seen. Assisted with the occasional dose of stun spore from Budew to subdue the agitators.
He awkwardly had to resolve an issue of a lady caught in a compromising position when she tried to take a bath with her Tentacruel. Man, that was awkward…... He was swinging by her conveniently open window when he heard her shriek. Mineta would've had a field day with that situation. Thankfully Blackwhip blended in with the tentacles as he pried the exploratory Pokémon off the poor lady long enough for her to scramble out of the tub.
Despite all that he still hadn't spotted his real target, though he had a distinct feeling of apprehension as moved through the now nighttime skyline of the major Kantonian city.
It was a little past 10 when he spotted trouble. Two Team Rocket grunts had cornered a bug catcher, ironically near the same Pokémon center Deku and left earlier. By the looks of it, the Bug Catcher was fresh out of Viridian Forest and looking for a free place to stay. He was caught unawares by the grunts hiding in the long shadows of the nearby alleyways. Bold but effective. Police patrols were more likely to be focused on areas such as the museum and the residential section after the rash of home invasions in Cerulean. Leaving the defense of the Pokémon center to the local Ace Trainers.
The Bug catcher didn't have a chance as they slunk out of the darkness and into the streetlight. The shadows cast by the twilight combined with the black uniforms they wore would have completely camouflaged them in the night hours, if not for the huge viridescent red R on the chest. Uravity and Froppy thought they looked stupid. Not that any of them had room to talk, given they were costumed superheroes in a world of mostly quirkless civilians. Aizawa stayed silent during that discussion given that his uniform was almost identical to theirs.
Silently, Deku landed on the roof of an apartment building overlooking the ongoing exchange.
"Hand 'em over kid, this is an inspection. All trainers who come through here have to go through it" The first grunt said with a sneer as he took the Pokéballs from the frightened kid "A Caterpie, a Wheedle, and a Metapod. Got a regular worm farm here doncha kid?"
"More like useless shit anyone can find anywhere," The second grunt said as he spits off to the side.
" Hold on there Rob. Check this one out. Ariados, a Johto Pokémon." The first grunt said with a wicked smile. "How'd a punk like you get your hands on that here in Kanto,"
The bug catcher flinched at being suddenly addressed. "I-I-I-Um,"
"C'mon, out with it before ya piss yourself!"
"I'm sorry! S-S-Sometimes you can find them in trees in the forest!" The bug catcher squeaked out "Near the Viridian side!" He added hastily under the menacing glare.
"Well, thanks for the information kid. I think I'll help myself to your Ariados," The grunt said after tossing the other three Pokéballs to the ground and kicking them away.
"Y-Y-You can't do that!" The bug catcher said as he charged the grunt.
Before the boy could make it to the grunt, the one named Rob stepped in with a knife. Making the boy freeze instantly as he found himself inches away from having his throat slashed.
"He can and he will," Rob said while extending the knife forward, forcing the boy back where he tripped on the curb and fell on his butt. "I'm a nice man so I'll let ya off with a warning. Tell the police or the gym leader about us and we'll come back and finish tha' job. Or…." The man gave a lopsided grin "Ya can join us. And we'll even give ya your precious Ariados back. Whaddya say, kid?"
The boy looked close to tears as he considered the offer.
Deku had seen enough; it was time to intervene. He summoned Blackwhip to grip the sides of the building as a giant slingshot. He forcibly pulled himself back and let gravity do the rest.
The bug catcher opened his mouth to respond, he had no other choice. Team Rocket may be bad, but he wouldn't have to worry about this happening again. Before he could vocalize his response, he saw two red boots flying toward one of the Rocket grunts. A dull thud rang out as the surprise kick made contact with the grunt's head instantly knocking him out cold. The Pokéball holding Ariados clattered out of his hand and rolled away onto the concrete of the sidewalk.
Before the grunt holding a knife could even angle his head to see his downed comrade, a sharp roundhouse kick sent the weapon in his hand flying. A gloved hand immediately grabbed the front of his uniform and hoisted him in the air as if he was a helpless Meowth as his black paperboy cap fell to the wayside.
"Tell me where the admins are." The figure demanded his voice distorted by the plate on his face.
"Heh, wouldn't you like to know, but don't worry, The Shinobi will deal with you fatally soon enough." The rocket grunt let out another laugh in face of the menacing glare he was receiving. The green pupils against the black sclera scrutinized his every twitch. "Or better yet, The Sailor will zap and fry your sorry ass to pieces! That's right! When groups of us start disapperin' to the hoosegow we start noticing Mr. Hero."
The figure decided this was all the info he was going to get, and with a solid punch to the gut, the second grunt's consciousness was quickly taken as well.
Now that both of the thugs were taken out, he now had the opportunity to see his savior. He wore a slightly baggy, green jumpsuit that looked recently stitched up in areas. Around his waist was a sturdy-looking red utility belt. Red and black heavy metal boots were on his feet connected to black bracers on his legs. On his hands were white gloves. A mask obscured his face with two protrusions on the end of his head and a metal plate where his mouth would be. If you asked the bug catcher, overall, he looked close to the time he saw a Cinderace on TV change colors before using U-turn. On his back was a Pinap berry yellow backpack.
"Are you okay? You don't need to worry; everything is alright now. You're safe now." His savior said as he approached him and pulled him to his feet. He responded with an absent nod of his head. Still in awe over what he had witnessed.
The figure gave him a once over then turned back to the downed Rocket grunts "Just stay here. I have to make sure these guys are secure. He unzipped his backpack and reached in, then pulled out an escape rope. The man in green used the rope to restrain the pair by their hands and knees and then to the pole of the streetlight with knot work that would make a sailor proud.
"What's your name?"
"M-m-me?" The bug catcher said as he pointed at himself. The man in green nodded in return. "It's D-D-Dion."
"Dion." The man said with a firmness that commanded his attention. "I need you to go to the Pokémon center and report them."
"W-what about you?"
The man turned away from him and stepped out of the spotlight and into the shadows. Behind the mask, Dion could see dark curly hair that had a greenish tint to it in the light "I have to go, more people need my help."
"C-C-Can I at least have your name? Of the hero who saved me, I-I mean."
The man looked back slightly "Deku."
"Useless? What kind of name is that?"
"It's Deku: The Can-Do Hero."
Green sparks surrounded the man known as Deku. He then performed a gigantic leap that defied all human capability and cleared the rooftop in a single bound. Not even a Hitmonlee would be able to clear that height.
Holy crap. He was saved by a real superhero.
When Deku came down on the next street over in one of the more dilapidated parts of town. Perfect for a fight. Strange that it was close to a Pokémon center of all things. He only had a second to react before what he suspected was a Dragon Breath attack had come roaring down on him. Deku lept behind the safety of a car before the bluish-white flames of draconic energy impacted the spot he had been mere seconds ago.
"Maybe today is my lucky day after all. Two battles were both lost by dumb luck today, but in return, I get to be the first one to encounter the mysterious vigilante that's popped up in both Cerulean and Celadon." a voice rang out on the empty street.
Deku looked up and saw the owner of the voice was none other than Brock. He was currently still shirtless as he was during the gym battle earlier that day. His tanned skin and muscled physique were exposed to the world. Six Pokéballs were attached to the loops on his brown pants. His eyes were weirdly closed but Deku got the sense the man could see everything around him just fine. A Boulder badge hung proudly from the chain around his neck.
Brock had a grin on his face as if he was the cat that caught the canary–Well Persian that caught the Pidgey in this world he guessed. The gym leader was sitting cross-legged on top of an Onix next to its fin, four Geodudes and one Alolan Geodude, had their arms interlocked together as they orbited around their master in a tight ring. The Alolan Geodude provided an electric current that when combined with the rapid rotation turned into a mobile electric fence.
It was clear these Pokémon were at a substantially higher level than the ones he used in the gym battle. The Onix especially, as its meter-wide eyes bore into him as the segments of the Rock Snake Pokémon writhed and squirmed individually like a giant rotor. Its mouth was agape ready to deal another devastating breath attack. Whether it was Dragon Pulse or Dragonbreath, Deku had no intention to find out.
Deku's jaw clenched as he realized he'd have to handle this himself, using his Pokémon here would be simply giving his identity away.
"So tell me, mister vigilante. Are you going to surrender your Pokémon, and turn yourself in nice and quiet? Or are you going to make my night?"
"I won't apologize for helping people in need. That kid was either going to be killed or gang pressed if I didn't do anything."
Brock's smile faltered and the Geodude ring started to spin faster as if responding to his mood. "You, see? That's the problem. I'm, for all intents and purposes, in charge of the police and trainers here. If I let you go, everyone and their grandma will be doing the same thing. Pokémon battles are one thing, using them to stop a crime is another. Just leave Team Rocket to us gym leaders, kid."
A tense standoff ensued, neither side willing to so much as twitch. Brock decided to voice another command, but the moment he opened his mouth green lighting poured off Deku as he charged forward towards the gym leader.
"Hrrgh…What the– Onix! Slam! Stop him right now!"
The gigantic Pokémon swung its tail with a speed that betrayed its size, only to miss as Deku leaped out of the way. The resulting impact on the concrete rattled the whole neighborhood. Black Whips suddenly encased the lower body of Onix as Deku catapulted himself onto the lower boulders that made up the Pokémon's body and tail.
Deku began to run up its body, intent on knocking out the trainer.
"You think I'll let you get to me that easy?!" Brock shouted. "Geodudes go!" At the simple command, one of the Geodudes that had been part of the ring orbiting Brock flung itself off and at the hero with frightening speed amplified by the momentum it already had. Deku jumped and managed to avoid the incoming Rock Pokémon, but the dodge only left him vulnerable in the air to the second Geodude that came flying at him.
Thinking quickly Deku cocked his leg back and swung in his shoot-style form. The strong gust of wind sent the Pokémon back at its trainer at the same speed.
"Sandstorm!"
With a bellow, Onix immediately summoned a swirling cloud of sand that encased its upper body and trainer, forming a shield that the incoming Geodude harmlessly bounced off of and floated there in mid-air, a grimace on its face as it said its name in defiance and anger.
Two more Geodudes burst forth through the wall, arms outstretched in a haphazard attempt to capture.
Deku was forced to flick his fingers to use another gust of wind to propel himself back from being caught up in the violent storm and incoming Pokémon. He landed on the top of a car a little beyond the Onix's tail
Deku's eyes widened as he felt something latch onto him. The first Geodude had grabbed his leg. The Pokémon had a savage smile as it started to flash white.
Oh no…From what he had seen so far, when a Pokémon's whole body flashed white it either meant they were evolving or….
"Self-Destruct!" Brock's confident voice called out from beyond the Sandstorm.
There wasn't any time to pry the Pokémon off him. Deku knew he needed to tank the explosion and prevent any collateral damage to the city.
"Full cowling 30%! I hope this isn't too different from Kacchan's explosions!"
Deku's vision was filled with bright light as the sound of a bomb going off reached his ears. His body was flung backward, but thankfully he was able to land on his feet as he skidded back.
"Sorry, kid. I don't know what kinda vitamins you've been eating to do that, but If you move and act like a Pokémon, I gotta treat you like one." The upper part of Onix's body and the lower part of Brock's slowly came into view as the sandstorm subsided. His remaining Geodude floated in front of him defensively "Nothing personal. Be glad I used Self-destruct instead of Explosion because I have to haul you off to jail; not the morgue. Don't know why I'm preaching to someone who's likely unconscious—Whoa!" Brock's smug smiling face quickly contorted into a frown as he saw Deku was still standing.
Deku's uniform was charred and smoking, but he was otherwise okay. The fainted Geodude was completely black and scorched and swirls were in its eyes as it let go and fell to the ground with the gracefulness of a rock.
"I've…been through worse." He spoke.
"He tried to Yamcha me. Oh god, I'm picking up Mina's memeing habits even though she's not even here. Uraraka is going to kill me if she ever finds out about this—"
"—You're pretty tough to still be standing after a point-blank Self Destruct. I've only seen Bruno do something similar. You might not be a Pokémon, but maybe you're the battle I've been waiting for." Brock said as he slowly uncoupled the Pokéball on the back loop of his pants.
"Let's go Rhydon!" Brock yelled as he tossed the Pokéball and released the creature inside.
The blue light from the Pokéball coalesced into a slate-gray colossal bipedal beast that looked like a cross between a rhino and a dinosaur. It had red eyes and a singular horn above its nose. Its cream-colored belly had three divots in it. Its hands had three claws a piece. Its face was contorted into a snarl as it gave a low growl of challenge and slammed its hands together as if it was a prized boxer.
Deku surveyed the situation and adjusted his rebreather. "It's not looking good, it's 6 vs 1 now, and Rhydon appeared. I have to avoid it at all costs." His eyes slipped towards the three remaining Geodudes that were making their way back to Brock and joining together with the fourth. "That ring is mobile and good for both offense and defense. It's probably why he hasn't let them evolve into Graveler. To get to Brock or even secure an escape route I have to find a way to deal with that ring. Rock types are weak to water, grass, ground, and fighting. I'd rather not throw myself into the middle of a group, and creating a shock wave here will damage the city. My only option is water,"
Deku then spied something nestled just beyond the car he was standing on, near the tail of the Onix. Its opposite was in full view directly across the street.
"I have an idea! But I'll only have one shot at this. If this works I can take out both the Onix and the Geodudes while ignoring the Rhydon."
Deku clenched his fist and tempered full cowling to a more sustainable 25%.
Brock spied the green lighting coming from his opponent before fading into a faint glow. A smile crept across his face. "I've heard of people with weird powers before but I've never got the opportunity to fight one. I have to warn you once Rhydon gets going he's practically unstoppable. This is your last chance to surrender."
"I told you, I can't just look away when people need help in front of me. Kanto is under Team Rocket's control. You and Erika are outgunned, and Misty isn't nearly ready to go toe-to-toe with the other gym leaders. The people here are living in fear of being mugged or forced to join a gang at any given moment. I have the power to make a change, so I want to fight for them anyway I can."
Brock's smile vanished, replaced with contempt as a vein bulged in his forehead "You're a self-sacrificing fool. Rhydon…. Take down. Follow-up with Hammer Arm. Crush this bastard before he gets himself or someone else killed."
With a roar, the Pokémon's arms glowed white as it barreled down the street at an unnatural speed, a white trail left in its wake. As it reached Deku's position it brought its log-like arms up for a devastating smash. At the last second Deku kicked himself out of the way and into the air towards a building. The contact the beast made with the pavement made a sharp boom and left a spiderweb crater. The Pokémon in question looking confused at its missing quarry.
Deku collided with the wall feet first, using it as a springboard to propel himself to the next wall, then back to the original wall. Green lighting streaked as he bounced from wall to wall just like his teacher Gran Torino. The gym leader looked befuddled as his non-open eyes struggled to keep track.
"Dragon Breath!"
The attack was far too slow to keep up with Deku as he maneuvered through the street to get to his target.
Once he got into the perfect position, he let Blackwhip shoot from his hand and grab the fire hydrant below him. With another bounce above the gym leader, the tension of the whip tore the top off and angled the pipe to face the rock-type expert.
The four Geodudes immediately flew out independent of Brock's command to block the torrent. This bought Brock's Onix enough time to move out of the way. As soon as he was out of the way the living boulders dropped like flies, unable to withstand the blast of water.
While this was happening, Deku shot out Blackwhip again. The tendrils wrapped around the massive head of Onix, slamming it to the ground as he used a separate strand of Blackwhip to accelerate his landing.
When the dust cleared the Onix had swirls in its eyes that indicated unconsciousness. The gym leader had fallen from his perch, and onto the cold asphalt of the street.
Even though he knew backup could show at any moment, Deku couldn't help but rush over to make sure the man was okay. A vague sense of danger came over him, but he pushed it to the side.
Right as reached the man, and began pulling out supplies, he heard him mutter two words.
"Grab him."
Before he could process the gym leader's low warble, two thick arms grabbed him and pulled him to its hard chest, lifting him off the ground in a crushing bear hug. It felt like he was literally in between a rock and a hard place. He could seldom move, limiting his super strength.
"Smart move, kid. Using the fire hydrant against my Pokémon." Brock said as he picked himself up and dusted off his pants.
"Us trainers have to train our bodies as well as our Pokémon." To empathize Brock flexed his biceps. "A little fall like that won't do too much," Brock looked off into the distance where sirens could be heard. He turned back to Deku who was still struggling in the Drill Pokémon's grasp, "You should've run after you knocked out Onix. Your heart is in the right place kid, but vigilante behavior is dangerous. Your information gathering is impressive to have that much data about us, but have faith that Erika, Misty, and myself will win."
Suddenly Deku relaxed in the beast's grip and almost looked serene and confident despite the situation. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to keep doing what I think is right. It'd be a disgrace to those that have placed their hope in me." inside him he felt One for All pulsate.
Brock ruffled his dark brown hair. "You're a strange one, you know that? It's almost a shame I have to take you to jail, despite that good fight you gave me."
"Who said I'm going to jail?"
Brock's eyebrows shot up in surprise. The next thing he knew his Rhydon was floating in the air, completely helpless as its captive kicked itself away from it.
"What the hell…" He murmured watching Rhydon flail its arms futilely in circles. He was about to pluck another Pokéball off his belt to both assist Rhydon and keep his captive from fleeing. As he reached his arm back he suddenly found his wrist in a vice grip. His vision rapidly shifted upside-down and the distinct feeling of smacking the ground registered on his body. The last thing he heard was a girl's voice shout 'Gunhead martial arts'
Deku watched with amused interest as the space-themed heroine in the black form-fitting bodysuit and pink bracers stood to her full height.
"Uravity, thanks for the assist, but was shouting that really necessary?" Deku said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"I don't think you have any room to talk, mister Detroit Smash." Uravity said as she stood up.
"I thought I was supposed to be the only one in Pewter, what brings you here?"
"You know, after you left, everyone figured it was only a matter of time before you bumped into trouble," Though her visor was dark, Deku could feel her narrowing her eyes at him. "Or in your case, it found you. So I volunteered to come after you."
Deku let out a nervous chuckle "Oh c'mon I can't be that bad…."
Uravity clenched her fist, put them on her hips and pointedly turned her head towards the downed gym leader then the hapless Pokémon still spinning circles in the air.
"Besides. You used my Pokémon that I worked so hard to train and raise in your destructive gym battle. I reserve the right to watch and follow you." She said teasingly.
Deku let out a breath. "I guess that's fair."
Uravity let out a giggle "It's more than fair," She then touched her side with all five fingers to make herself weightless and jump to the nearest rooftop. "Now c'mon Deku! I'd rather not get caught by the cops. The others are waiting back at the secret hideout!"
With a jump of his own Deku brought himself onto the rooftop next to her. Behind him, he could hear the sirens making their way onto the scene.
"Aren't you forgetting about the Rhydon?" Deku asked the pink heroine
She swore as she hastily pressed the tips of her fingers together. From where they were they could hear the guttural roar of the Pokémon as it suddenly fell through the air, and the distinctive sound of people screaming followed by the unmistakable crunch of metal and plexiglass crumpling in on itself. Finally, a muted police siren winded down leaving the area in pregnant silence.
"Heh heh…Sorry…" Uravity muttered in embarrassment, purposefully looking anywhere but behind them. If Deku was a betting man, he'd gamble her face was completely red right about now.
With a laugh, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along as they made their way to route 3 and Mt Moon where their base was currently located.
Once the scenery shifted from urban to nature they slowed down from their rapid pace, which allowed Uravity the chance to pull up her visor and pull Clefairy's pokéball out of Deku's bag. With a click and a pop, the pink fairy pokémon appeared in the girl's hands and she embraced it in a hug with her pinkies raised as they continued down the worn path.
"You're just so cute!" she gushed "I saw you out there battling that mean old Onix, but you show it what's what didn't you?" the Pokémon squee'd in happiness in its trainer's embrace.
Deku put a finger to his chin "I got really lucky that Metronome pulled out Aur–"
"Hush you! You don't get to take this away from her!"
"S-sorry," Deku spluttered seeing how defensive Uravity got over her Pokémon. It was actually kinda cute seeing her face scrunch up he had to admit. Even more so that the Clefairy in her arms was copying her, wagging its finger angrily.
"Let's just get back to the hideout," he said as he wandered off into the thick foliage that separated Route 3 from Celadon City, Uraraka following behind him.
"You'd better run, mister! Clefairy can beat your Heracross any day of the week."
"I doubt that. Technically, Clefairy only has one offensive move"
"But it was enough to beat an Onix!"
"Aura Sphere beat Onix." He pointed out as he moved the branches aside to reveal the faux tree.
"I challenge you to a battle, Deku! I'll show you what Clefairy can really do!" both Pokémon and the trainer pointed at Deku as he entered the hideout.
"Save it, problem children," A tired voice drawled out.
The voice was soon revealed to be Eraserhead who was enclosed up to his face in his signature yellow sleeping bag, laying on the floor in the middle of the hideout as if he was a giant caterpillar-or Caterpie/Wheedle Midoriya guessed. He really had to learn the euphemisms of this world.
"Hey, Aizawa-Sensei! You'll never believe what happened!" Midoriya greeted his teacher.
"You found us a way home?" Eraserhead's voice was tinged with monotone sarcasm which Midoriya ignored as he started to dig through his bag.
"I got the Boulder Badge!"
"Hurray….."
"And your Zubat evolved! It's a Golbat now!" He said as he released the bat pokémon as it proceeded to hover over its forced trainer.
If it was possible the man in question somehow looked like he died a little inside at this new information as he grumbled and rolled under a nearby table. Humorously, Golbat landed and folded its wings, and rolled after its master. As the bat pokémon bumped into him, Midoriya swore he heard a dark chuckle from the man. Midoriya promptly tried to put it out of his mind as he spied a head of snowy white hair heading toward him.
"DEKU! URAVITY!" The voice of a young girl called out.
Midoriya set down his bag just in time to catch the blur that leaped into his arms.
"We missed you too, Eri." he laughed as the girl burrowed into his shoulder and clung to him tightly.
"Shouldn't you be in bed right now? You need sleep if you're going to grow big and strong" Uraraka asked the girl.
From under the table, Eraserhead scoffed.
"She insisted she'd stay up and wait for you two. She's become quite attached, kero" Another voice said as they approached.
"Well then, why didn't you put her to bed, Tsuyu?" Uraraka chastised the newcomer.
The frog girl came into view, she was wearing her hero costume which consisted of a green and black form-fitting bodysuit, meant for optimal movement in the water. Yellow goggles were perched atop her head. "She's too cute, Ochako." she simply shrugged.
"And you have how many younger siblings?"
The frog girl simply shrugged again in response. "Ryukyu is waiting for you inside, kero."
"Yeah we do have to give a report," Midoriya said as he pried Eri off him and put her down. "It's time for you to go to bed, Eri," he told the little girl who frowned. Midoriya then reached down and patted her on the head, taking care to avoid her horn. "Don't worry we'll be here tomorrow."
After he finished, both he and Ochako followed Tsyu to the back of the hideout where Ryuko Tatsuma, or the former number 10 hero Ryukyu, was waiting in front of a map and an old PC. Her chensogam was in the best shape compared to everyone else's hero costume. Deku guessed that was a given since it stretched to cover her dragon form.
Off to the side of the map were photos of the known commanders of Team Rocket.
"How did Pidegotto do in the battle?"
Deku reached into his bag and tossed the Pokéball at the dragoon hero, who caught it without even looking at it.
"Pretty good, the makeshift Sand Tomb worked like a charm."
She flashed him a predatory smile "You'd be surprised what the wind can pick up," she then lightly rapped her knuckle on the board
"Did you get any information out of the grunts?"
"Yeah, The Shinobi and The Sailor are working somewhere in the area. The plan is working, frequent targets on them specifically are drawing the admin's attention."
Ryukyu picked up the picture of the man in Shinobi gear and the one of the man in military fatigues and moved them to the areas surrounding Pewter city on the map before using a push pin to keep them there.
"Any word about The Scientist or The Ace Trainer?"
This time it was Uraraka who answered, "I did hear a rumor about the safari zone being restocked via a shipment from Cinnabar…." She tilted her head in thought. "Considering what he's known for there's probably a chance he's left his lab to see his 'projects' in action"
Ryuku nodded her head "I agree. It's probably better for Asui to keep an eye on Routes 19 and 20,"
"Suneater is a good choice for that too if he can get his hands on some seafood," Izuku then looked around "W-where is he by the way? We didn't see him or Mirio anywhere."
The dragoon hero shrugged "Your guess is as good as mine. Mirio dragged off Amajiki and Nejire saying something about Johto earlier today,"
Neither Izuku nor Ochako had the heart to question why she didn't stop them. No one did considering Mirio effectively had his dream taken from him.
The Tin-Tin lookalike insisted he was fine and he had no regrets, but nobody wanted to press him. He actually seemed strangely excited about this new world for that matter.
"What's your plan Midoriya? Are you going to keep collecting badges?" Ryuku asked, hoping to change the subject.
"I-I think so…I really had fun out there. I think my Pokémon did as well,"
He pulled Heracross and Budew's Pokéballs and studied them. Heracross waived its arms in jubilation. Although he couldn't hear it, he could tell Budew was chirping in happiness as well.
"Awww Budew is just so cute. She has nothing on my Clefairy; but she's still cute too" Ochako called from over his shoulder, peering into the Pokéballs as well.
"If that's the case, then which gym are you going after next?" Ryukyu asked.
"It's not like I have much of a choice. Cerulean is the best choice, not to mention how close it is to us."
"Celedon is equal distance from us if you go off the map." Ochako pointed out.
"Yeah, but I'd have to cut through miles of forest and uncharted plateau. Then it'd look suspicious if I entered the city from the north. Besides, my Pokémon are a better match for Cerulean's water types than Celedon's grass types right now, since Heracross and Budew don't have any bug or poison type moves and…."
Midoryia then felt a gentle hand on his arm, the owner taking caution to keep their pinky raised.
"Okay, okay. We get it. Cerulean is the best option. You started muttering again Midoyoria," Ochako said soothingly
"S-S-Sorry,"
"Don't apologize, we get it," she said as she rubbed his arm. Clefairy hummed in agreement from the crook of her off arm.
Ryukyu slid her fingers through her bangs. "I guess, me and Eraserhead will patrol routes 19 and 20 ourselves"
"Why? What about Tsuyu? I thought you wanted her to be on those routes?" Midoryia's brows furrowed in confusion.
"Well, if I remember correctly from what you said the Cerulean gym is the water-type one, correct?"
Midoriya shook his head at her words
"You think Tsuyu could help me train for the gym"
"Nope!" Ochako replied, "She means Tsuyu would be the best one to keep you out of trouble when you bump into Misty during hero work."
Midoriya turned his head to look at the hero who had her arms crossed with a telling slight smile on her face. Then back at Uraraka who wore an outright look of smugness on her face.
"You guys act like it's a given!"
"With you it kinda is. You just ran into Brock today, so you really don't have a leg to stand on here."
"I guess that's fair…." He said resigned.
"Awww don't be like that, Deku. Tsuyu has been worried about you ever since Kamino. It'll do some good for both of you to spend some time together."
He picked up his head to look at her, "It's not that. I like spending time with both of you,"
Ochako had to fight to keep her blush down. "He doesn't realize how smooth he can be sometimes," she thought to herself. Clefairy looked up at its trainer in worry.
"I just don't want you guys to have to feel like I constantly need a babysitter."
"Don't look at it like that," Ryukyu chimed in. "There's only eight of us here. Seven if you don't count little Eri. We need to watch each other's backs, especially since we've agreed on continuing Hero work here."
"Yeah! We have to stick together no matter what!" Ochako said with a bright smile.
Seeing the brunette's confident optimism brought him out of his own worries and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"I should probably get to sleep then. The only way to Cerulean by land is through Mt. Moon," Midoriya said.
Ochako nodded her head "I'll let Tsuyu know too. She'll be so happy to travel with you."
"Just be careful if one of the admins does show up. Especially if it's The Sailor. Nobody in our group, including the Pokémon, can resist electric attacks, except you Midoriya."
One thing that had taken some getting used to was Ryukyu's motherly concern. It wasn't bad at all. Midoriya just wasn't used to not having to deal with constant crying like his own mom.
With a word of acknowledgment, Midoriya left the back room to start making preparations for Mt. Moon.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
With a sigh, Brock pressed the button that stopped the alarm. He'd woken up slightly earlier than his alarm which frustrated him. Though that was to be a given after what happened yesterday. Yesterday was a…Well, he didn't know how to describe it other than a mess. He lost 3 gym battles in one day, two of them by luck. Then he got his ass handed to him by someone vigilante who wasn't even using a pokémon. At least he didn't take a badge off him while he was unconscious. To cap it off, today he was going to have to give his report to Erika…..
Brock shuddered at the thought. Three new trainers running around with a flat attack boost. Thankfully none of them had rock types from what he observed.
He pulled himself out of bed and began his morning routine. It wasn't too bad since most days he opted to go without a shirt and the weather of Kanto allowed for it.
It was around 10 am by the time he reached the gym. Some of the Campers and Hikers he employed were already battling against each other in the various boxing rings around the gym.
Brock smiled as he passed them on his way to the back. Unlike the others, he had no time for tricky, flashy puzzles. His "challenge" was a straightforward contest of strength and endurance and his gym reflected that. Beat everyone and you get to him. Like a boxer one had to endure near-endless rounds of opponents, one must be unmovable like a rock. Nowadays trainers seldom had the skills to get to him. At least…they used to.
Brock swallowed his sense of dread as he entered his private room overlooking the gym and pressed the button on his computer that allowed him to call Erika, the Celadon gym leader and his direct superior.
He wiped away the sweat that formed on his brow as the electronic ringing sounded from the console.
Eventually, the ringing ceased, and the black screen was replaced by the image of a traditional Johtonian beauty. Only marred by the fact she had heavy bags under her eyes.
If one had to give her a trainer class, she'd easily fit in as a kimono girl. Her hair was just above shoulder length, stylized in a bob accented with a red hairband atop her head, though a few hairs were out of place.
From what Brock could see, she was dressed in traditional archer garb. She wore her standard yellow kimono with red hakama. A breastplate was strapped to her chest and a quiver to her back. The Rainbow badge shone with a brilliant light on her chest.
Over to the side, her yumi lay discarded in the corner of her room. Oddly Brock noted that a lab coat was draped over her arm which she was currently trying to stuff someplace out of sight.
"So Brock…" she began, "I've skimmed over the police documents for last night's incident," she then pulled out a stack of papers from underneath the monitor he assumed. "To be frank, I'm not happy. Not only did you cause hundreds of thousands in damage, but the vigilante also got away. Care to offer an explanation.
The wording indicated a question, but Brock knew it was a demand.
"In my defense…." Erika scowled at him "The guy had weird powers," he spat out.
At Erika's raised eyebrow, Brock decided his job was safer if he elaborated on what exactly happened. Then again it wasn't like she could get rid of him right now.
"You see he had super strength, and he could shoot these black tendrils out his arms and hands!" He said as he mimed the motions with his arms.
Erika sighed and put a gloved hand to her face in exasperation. "Great, that's just what we needed, Brock. Two of her running around."
"You okay there, Erika? Are…. you… still mad?" he asked nervously despite his superior's somewhat crazed look.
"Not really, no…..Just tired…. And frustrated." She pulled off the three-fingered glove on her hand. "I just returned from the lab after doing a full patrol shift last night. Extending to both routes 16 and 7 I might add. Not to even mention the Bay Area of Celadon. Tropius and Jumpluff have been running themselves ragged trying to keep up. The last thing we needed was a vigilante adding to our problems."
Brock gained a somber look as he thought to himself "That's right…All the Pokémon Team Rocket has experimented on that me and Misty come across goes to Erika. She must've been working herself to the bone along with the Nurse Joys in the area"
"To be perfectly honest with you Brock, we need help badly."
Brock raised an eyebrow in dark amusement. "You know, the vigilante said that last night. He said me and you were outgunned. He seemed to know about the whole situation,"
Erika gained an annoyed twitch. "Why wouldn't he? It's almost an open secret among the higher-up trainers. It's why the badge rate is so low. No one wants to go after all 8 badges in Kanto. He's right after all. We're a two-person war here"
"C'mon Erika, you can't tell me you're thinking about asking a wannabe hero for help? Why not ask the other regions?"
"Because we can't, Brock. Johto has had its own problems ever since Oak retired as Champion. Case and point, Walker just retired and up and disappeared. Bugsy, Clair, and Jasmine were just sworn in as part of a whole new generation of Gym Leaders. Goldenrod and Violet City are still vacant, leaving Chuck and Morty to pick up the slack. The Elite 4 has taken a stance of neutrality towards Team Rocket as well for that matter preferring to focus on Johto."
Brock's jaw loosened. "What?! I thought Norman was supposed to take over in Goldenrod? Even if he wasn't he'd still help us in a heartbeat!"
Erika moved a sleeve in front of her face, obscuring her mouth. "And he would, that man's sense of justice is strong—"
"So why isn't he here?!" Brock yelled. He was far from caring that she was his superior at this point, his earlier fear long forgotten.
"He left Johto to go to Hoenn. Hoenn has an open normal type gym leader position and simply pays more." She shrugged.
"And? He'd still come back if heard what was happening. Hoenn could just send him on loan right?"
"It's not that simple." She shook her head "Hoenn is going through a similar shake-up to Johto. A lot of the older gym leaders and elite four members retired with the rise of a new Champion. The new recruits are probably tied up in learning the ropes…. Even if Norman was allowed to take the gym leader test again," she trailed off in a murmur to herself.
"Allowed to take the gym leader test again?" Brock's eyebrows furrowed as he processed the information. Erika's eyes widened in response and her hair poofed up even more. Brock then knew she had slipped up. Probably due to fatigue. Maybe this whole conversation was something that wasn't for his ears, this seemed like real need-to-know information.
"I'm–I'm–sorry," she stammered while bowing her head.
"Erika, what do you mean? He passed the Kanto-Johto one with ease. Why isn't he a Hoenn gym leader now?
Erika looked away in contemplation "I've said too much…."
"C'mon, he's my friend too," he prodded.
Erika let out a huff "He was about to take the test but then an incident happened. His son was attacked by a Pokémon."
"You mean Garnet?! Is he okay?"
"It's Ruby, Brock," she corrected "And yes the child is more than okay. He actually fended the Salamence off,"
"I'm sensing a 'but' here"
"The child didn't knock out the Salamence completely. As a result, the wounded Pokémon went on a rampage at the nearby weather institute."
Brock waved his hand dismissively "So a bunch of eggheads lost their science homework. What's the big deal?"
A tick mark appeared on Erika's forehead as she picked up a book, turned it to a page and shoved it into the screen for the rock expert to see. The page depicted a green Pokémon he had only heard legends on
"The 'big deal', Brock, is that those scientists had managed to capture Rayquaza, and were holding it there to conduct research for the PLA! That was the homework they lost. Rayquaza escaped and all the research went poof with it," she dropped the book and emphasized her point by gesturing her hands in a cloud motion.
AN* Pokémon League Association
"Urgk!"
Erika let out a long sleepy sigh "The blame was laid on Norman's feet. And as punishment, he has to scour all the regions to track it down. He'll be mostly unavailable to even his own family until either 5 years have passed or he manages to recapture Rayquaza,"
Brock could feel his anger rising within him. "That's insane! You can't ask one man to do that! It makes my blood boil! How did they even get Rayquaza, to begin with? Why did they capture it?"
"From my understanding, it was by pure chance they found it sleeping in the embedded tower over in Johto. Your other question is above my pay grade, Brock. Who knows?" Erika shrugged "Probably some damned fool thing to try and control it for themselves. You know how it goes."
"That's probably why they aren't paying attention to us,"
Erika nodded "Essentially, yes. It's just me, you, and Misty from here on out."
"Speaking of….Where is Misty? She'd normally be on call with us" Brock swiveled his head around in search of the red-headed tomboy mermaid, even though he could see the whole screen.
Erika once again put a hand to her face and Brock noticed her forehead was starting to turn red.
"Team Rocket managed to get their hands on a Gyrados. Her Gyrados. She's been out on Route 4 and Mt. Moon to try and smoke them out."
"Do you want me to go and assist her?" Brock asked
"No. This is something she has to handle herself. She's the newest of us all. This will be the first real test she faces."
Erika's face went solemn, and Brock knew there wasn't any room for argument. Erika tended to show tough love to both him and Misty at times, and Brock wondered if it had to do with her type advantage over them. Though deep down he knew it was coming from a good place and that she deeply cared about them. In the same vein, he felt sad she was basically being asked to wage war by herself.
"What do you want me to do, Erika?"
"Stand by in Pewter, for now, and perform normal gym duties when you can. Team Rocket will probably make a move soon. They've already got footholds in every other Kantonian city except Pewter. When Team Rocket moves it'll likely be on Pewter. The museum is just too valuable a target."
"...Understood. Is there anything else?
"That's it for now Brock….Be safe out there."
With a click of a button, she ended the call, leaving the Pewter City gym leader staring at a black screen once more.
Brock leaned back in his chair and gathered his thoughts as he absently rubbed and fiddled with the badge on his chest.
For some reason, he knew this was just the beginning.
For those who haven't figured it out yet, this isn't the Pokemon gameverse. Or even the animeverse. This is the…..Mangaverse! Yeah, that was Red and Green, Midoriya alluded to early on. It's also why Brock seems OOC. In the manga he's a hothead battle junkie who hates when people earn wins off luck.
Now my goals for this story is first and foremost, get people interested in reading the manga. The adventure manga is really an unsung gem of Pokemon storytelling. People jump straight to the anime and never give the manga a chance, even though it takes Pokemon in that gritty shonen battle manga style a lot of fans crave. It's why I'm going so heavy on world building here, to emphasize just how different this world is, without going straight up M-rating. I've already got asdfo789 interested in reading it, I hope you guys will give it a chance as well.
This story is also meant to be my refresher from Luck of the Draw, which is why I picked MHA. It gives me two completely new casts to write for so things don't get stale. Though LoD will still be my main story.
Now for general chapter notes/story plans!
Firstly, that Tentacruel scene did happen in the manga, though it was limited to a magazine cover.
Second for the most part I have everyone's teams planned from the seven Heroes I've brought over. However, I am open to suggestions. If you're going to make one, In order for me to consider it there's a couple of rules.
It has to be arc relevant. Currently we're in the R/G/B arc. That means the Pokemon has to be native to Kanto/Johto. Though you are free to draw on HG/SS for suggestions.
You have to be able to explain how X Pokemon would be fit that character
You have to be able to explain how X Pokemon would be relevant to hero work relating to that character
Yes, this is another Isekai if it wasn't clear. Though I do have a self-contained story in the works for Pokémon Adventures, however. If you want to help all I'm saying is thatI'm open to suggestions for Whitley's (White-two) team.
That's about it. I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I wanted to share it with you. Comment and Review it really helps. Taka out!