A Hero's Adventures

by Takamura Rules

Overhaul was beaten...Should have been a simple clean-up right? Deku has never been that lucky. A quirk mishap launches all the heroes on the scene into a new strange world where people and creatures work together. Seems great until they learn the world is thriving with criminal organizations in the shadows. Maybe he was sent here for a reason... Deku is here to help.

5. Vs Misty: Battle for the Badge

Hey, guys, it's been a while, right? Well, I'm bringing you a beefer of a chapter. By far the largest one. Mainly because it's our arc ender, we've got our first proper 3-on-3 battle here. Not a brawl for once. Time to flex and stretch my technical battle writing skills. Are you excited, cause I know I am!

Italics=Thoughts

---

"You see, if it weren't for my Saur, we never would've taken that Commander down. Team Rocket just doesn't compare to me!" Red boasted to the maids while he stuffed himself with various meat dishes.

Underneath his fuzzy red robe, he showed off his bandages with an almost arrogant pride at the head of the table.

He'd been bragging non-stop for the past week they'd been at Misty's mansion.

When the maids reluctantly looked at Izuku for confirmation once again, he could only plaster a nervous smile on his face as an attempt to play along and to not rock the boat.

"I-uh-Um-Y-Yeah. Red's Ivysaur was a big help,"

"See, how about me and you ladies go somewhere tomorrow where I can show you personally how tough my Pokémon are!"

Underneath the table, Tsuyu pinched his hand, which Izuku ignored, making sure to keep his face in a positive visage.

He subtly adjusted his thick green robe that seemed determined to come loose, unused to having so much of himself exposed but he currently had no choice; his clothes were drenched in wet pollen and poison.

At least he wasn't the only person who was distinctly uncomfortable….

Misty was also seated at the head of the table next to Red in an elaborate blue sleeveless ball gown with white evening gloves. Various gems and jewelry ostentatiously adorned her neck and ears and even her hair.

Every so often she'd fidget with her dress, or scratch at her neckline underneath the precious metals she wore. It was clear as day wearing the dress wasn't an option for her.

However, her hair was still in its tomboyish side ponytail style in what Izuku assumed was a subtle act of rebellion. It absently made him wonder what that orange-haired girl from 1-B would look like in a dress.

A sour look was seemingly permanently etched on her face as she listened to Red regale the maids, butlers, and anyone who'd listen, to the Team Rocket encounter.

Tsuyu feigned obliviousness to the whole thing as she slowly ate her soup at Izuku's side.

The tension was thick enough that you could cut it with a knife…...

….And the person causing it didn't even realize it.

"I'm telling ya, with me around, Team Rocket doesn't stand a chance!"

"Could you get any more cliché?"

Tsuyu mumbled under her breath, but it was caught by some of the maids who giggled in response. Inside his head, Banjo was also laughing.

"What was that?"

"What she was saying is that it would be wiser for us to do some training" Misty intervened waving her hand to bring the attention to her.

"Team Rocket is just going to keep getting stronger. Who's to say this time wasn't a fluke to begin with? Midoriya-san did most of the work."

Red waved his drumstick and scoffed at the thinly veiled jab. "San? Please. He did it with my Pokémon. So that means they aren't all that tough. Especially if they had to forcibly evolve them to get by."

Misty fumed, unable to come up with a reply as her mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

Red stood up, bent over, and smirked in the girl's face then wagged his finger mockingly.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch ojou-sama. Just let us 'low-class' ruffians manage this while you go back to sipping tea with your pinkies extended."

The maids stared at Red incredulously.

Midoriya gulped.

Asui croaked but it went unnoticed as the attention shifted to Misty.

Misty's face became almost as red as her hair. Surprisingly, she didn't blow up at Red as she had in the past. Instead, she slammed her cloth napkin on the table and stormed off down a hall. The maids and butlers also dispersed with her departure

Red scratched his head in confusion. "What? I don't exactly see the problem."

"You're a real jackass you know that?"

"You wanna go frog face?!" Red shouted, shaking his fist at Tsuyu.

"Not worth it. Not anymore at least." Tsuyu replied getting up to leave as well.

Red collapsed into his seat and slouched, running a hand through his hair. "Geez, what's everyone's problem? I'm just saying if Team Rocket shows up again, I can handle them. What's so wrong with that, Midoriya?"

Izuku's smile turned sad. "It's nice to have the strength to protect others, but don't you think it's kinda pointless if no one can stand with you? Eventually, someone is going to come along that you simply can't handle by yourself. You simply don't know who is on the other side… Sometimes the heroes lose. Sometimes because they have better, stronger people."

Red looked away and tugged on his cap. "Then I just have to get strong enough to where people can just see me and they'll know it's safe again,"

"By yourself?"

"Yeah. My Pokémon are strong enough to beat Team Rocket as we are now, and we did that on our own. It should be plenty to handle anything that comes our way."

Izuku scratched his head and looked up at the ceiling. "That's exactly what Misty has been getting at."

Red narrowed his eyes. "If that's what she's been getting at, then why has she been on my case ever since we came out of Mt. Moon?"

"That's not what I meant,"

"Then what did you mean?" Red said, a tinge of anger starting to slip into his voice.

Izuku slid out from the table and stood up. "Well, I already told you. It's pointless if you don't figure it out for yourself."

As he walked down the hall, he could have sworn he heard Red mutter 'Am I wrong?' He rounded the corner and bumped into one of the maids sending them both tumbling to the floor. Unlike the others, this maid was substantially younger, probably around Red's or Misty's age if not a bit older. Her clothes were a bit different as well. While the other maids had long dresses meant for service, hers was far shorter in comparison; exposing like those to be worn in a maid cafe.

"Tee-Hee," she let out a light giggle and brushed her shoulder-length brunette hair out of her face revealing vibrant blue eyes that looked him up and down. Izuku noted that while she was smiling, her eyes were fairly cold and distant.

"Sorry, I ran into you…Never thought that little 'ole me could knock over a strong guy like you. I ran head-first into your abs, and they are rock hard let me say. Aw well, look at me rambling on." she continued, pushing her chest together in an effort to look cutesy.

Izuku stood up and helped the maid to her feet, where she lingered just a bit too long on his arm. "It's okay, it happens sometimes. I-I should know," he said, a bit flustered at the sudden attention and compliments he received from a girl no less.

"Hm, okay. That makes me feel just a tiny bit better," she said gesturing her hands for emphasis. "By the way, that green-haired girl–your sister I'm guessing? She went to the baths just to let you know."

Her piece said she dashed away with frighting speed, her hand on the hem of her dress to avoid exposing her modesty to him.

"Hey, I didn't even get your–name… Oh well."

With a sigh, Izuku continued on to the room Misty has lent him for the duration of their stay. The hand-carved maple wood door gave way to a huge four-poster bed decorated with cerulean blue curtains and sheets. A little ways away was a lavish elaborate desk upon which his two pokéballs sat, the creatures inside fast asleep after a day of training. His emerald green jacket was draped over the back of the chair. The radio next to them was softly relaying the news.

"Clear skies tonight. Next a swarm of Pokémon not commonly seen in–"

The one thing that wasn't normal about the room was the fact it was currently occupied by someone. Misty herself was currently sitting at the desk, the hem of his jacket in her hand, staring intently at the two badges pinned to the fabric. Izuku helplessly spluttered at her appearance, causing her to look up at him and flick off the radio.

"So….I see you got the Soul Badge," she said as she started rubbing her thumb across the almost putrid pink fuchsia-colored badge.

At Izuku's lack of reply, she continued. "From Koga, right? The Team Rocket commander, correct?"

"I–"

"-Save it, greenie. It's pretty much an open secret among the more well-known trainers," she cut him off and let go of his jacket, opting to stand up and confront him by grabbing the flaps of his robe. "I noticed you only had the Boulder Badge when we first met, then after Mt. Moon you had the Soul Badge! I'm not naive like Red is; I have eyes that work."

Izuku calmly grabbed her wrist and without a fight removed her hands from his person. "If you knew the whole time then why confront me about this now?"

"Because I have something I want to request of you."

Before he could ask what or why, Misty bowed her head at him. "Please battle me!"

"W-W-Wait a second!" he said, taken aback at the sudden proposition.

Misty gave him no room to argue as she rose back up and unclipped her lone earring and presented it to him. "We both know that sooner or later you're going to need the Cascade Badge. Why not make it an official battle for it?" she said with a smile and tilt of her head. The badge caught between her index and middle fingers as if it was a playing card.

Izuku's eyes were spinning. "This is all going so fast! I have so many questions! At this time of day? Also, how did you know that I knew you were a Gym Leader."

"Isn't that a tongue twister you just said?" Misty mused. "To answer your questions; It's better if we battle now, I don't want Red to catch on to what we're doing. I'd hate for that jerk to find out and then come pestering me for a gym badge. Or even worse, demand that I hand it over," Her face twisted into a scowl at the mere thought. "As for your second question, Tsu told me. Us girls talk ya'know. She's aware you're trying to avoid being alone with her. It's rude to deny a girl her victory."

Izuku slumped in defeat. "Everything else aside, I don't have three Pokémon though,"

"How did you win the Boulder Badge?" Misty asked incredulously.

"I borrowed my friends…." he admitted with some embarrassment.

Misty slapped him on the shoulder which surprised Izuku as he was expecting to be made fun of

"Well then, the solution to the problem is simple. Just catch another Pokémon on the way to the battlefield."

"Wha–"

Misty walked over to the window and pushed it open, filling the room with the cold night air that brought goosebumps to Izuku's skin.

"We'll battle at the Cerulean Cape. A three-on-three official battle. You'll have to go through both Route 24 and 25 to get there, so you should have plenty of opportunity for capturing."

To Izuku's complete astonishment, Misty tore off the dress and jewelry and tossed them on the bed, revealing a two-piece navy blue swimsuit that emphasized her abs and thighs. Utterly flushed, Izuku put his hand in front of his face in an effort to protect her modesty.

"Your clothes!"

"Really even now?" Misty said as she threw one leg out the window. "You can open your eyes. It's a swimsuit, Izu. It's meant to be looked at."

With a herculean effort, Izuku opened his eyes and parted his hands to Misty's soft smile.

"There you go. Now meet me at the Cape. Follow the Nugget Bridge, you can't miss it!" She then left out the window, which Izuku noted was on the second floor. "And don't forget to bring Tsuyu! She'll be our referee!" she added as she hit the ground and started running.

With Misty gone, Izuku fell back on his butt, just as Tsuyu entered the room behind him and tapped him on the shoulder with her tongue. He made the mistake of looking up and seeing she was only wearing a pair of black panties underneath her bathrobe getting an unobscured glimpse of her smooth stomach and of the underside of her breast.

"Dah!" he shouted, covering his nose and jumping to his feet. "Tsuyu?! Why aren't you wearing a bra?!"

"Hm. It gets uncomfortable at night when I'm trying to sleep, so I don't wear it," came her simple reply.

"That's not the point!"

"You're starting to sound like Iida. It's not like I haven't seen your chest before. They're just boobs, ribbit."

"Ninth, the others are laughing at you,"

Face red from the whole situation, Izuku decided to give up on reasoning with her, his poor heart couldn't take any more scantily clad women for the day. "What are you doing here anyways?"

Tsuyu tilted her head and put a finger to her chin, making no attempt to adjust her robe. "I was coming to say good night when I heard you yelling."

"Oh. I'm sorry," he said, taking a deep breath, calming his nerves.

"You're fine, Izu-kun. What happened?" she said as she stepped further inside the room and looked at the still-open window.

"Misty…She challenged me to a battle for her Gym Badge."

"Did you accept?"

"I don't think I had a choice in the matter."

"You were going to challenge her at one point or another. Doesn't make much of a difference in the end." Tsuyu walked back into the hallway. "We should go get dressed then we can sneak out too."

XXXX

Thanks to the cover of night the duo was afforded use of their quirks as they effortlessly crossed the rooftops of the riverside city.

"I'm guessing that's the Nugget Bridge," Tsuyu said gesturing to a nearby bridge that despite it being nighttime was glimmering golden in color.

As soon as they approached the bridge as if out of thin air five figures leaped onto the bridge.

A boy in a dark cap and yellow tank top stepped forward out of the crowd.

"If you wanna pass this bridge you gotta beat all five of us, The Nugget Crew! Even this late at night!"

Next, a young girl wearing a schoolgirl outfit walked up and stood next to him "We'll even do double battles since there's two of you. Ohohohoho! On a date, I'm assuming? I don't blame you, this is a good spot."

Izuku and Tsuyu looked at each other in confusion.

"This is probably going to be a long night, ribbit"

XXXX

About an hour later, just past one. Izuku and Tsuyu found themselves on the edge of Route 25. Both teens' chests were heaving as they clutched their Pokeballs in their hands. Three in Izuku's and two in Tsuyu's.

"I didn't think the bridge on Route 24 would be guarded this late at night…." Izuku said with a hand on his knee. He and Tsuyu had endured a grueling series of five double battles in a row in order to gain access to the next route.

"Then there was that swarm of Pokémon on 25 too. Do you think she was planning for this night specifically? Or did Red piss her off enough and the rest was just a coincidence?"

"How about a little bit of both?" A familiar voice called out from up ahead.

The duo looked up to see Misty standing just ahead of them on a streetlight-lit battlefield in the deep shadow of the towering lighthouse that served to guide wayward sailors, illuminating their path on the eastern Kantonian coast.

"You see as a Gym Leader, anyone who wants my badge has to complete a 'gym challenge' under the association's law," Misty explained. "My gym wouldn't exactly be up to snuff at this hour of the night, so I decided to 'borrow' the Nugget Bridge trainers. They're a pain in the ass for anyone who wants to go to the Cape for fun, but no one can deny that they're among the strongest trainers in the Cerulean area, perfect for a gym challenge!" she pushed the corners of her lips up in a smile and did a quick twirl on one leg. "...Though the swarm was just an added bonus," she added at the end.

Izuku recovered, walked over, and took his spot opposite Misty. "Forgive me, but I'm a little confused. You weren't exactly this–"

"-Happy? Excited before?" Misty teased as she unclipped a ball from the waistline of her swimsuit.

Tsuyu took a position on the sideline between them. "That's an understatement."

"Just because Red isn't taking things seriously doesn't mean that I can't! I've been training this entire time. Koga was only a taste of what's to come and I refuse to be treated like some damsel in distress any longer. I'm going to beat Izuku here to prove to myself that not only do I have what it takes to be a Gym Leader but the ability to stand with my fellow Gym Leaders!"

Misty's chest was heaving, having started to shout halfway through. The Cascade Badge on her ear gave off a vibrantly blue light that seemed to illuminate the darkness.

Izuku clipped two of his pokèballs to his belt and raised the remainder up toward Misty. "Alright then, I challenge you for the Cascade Badge."

A smile crossed the redhead's face as she crossed her arms above her head like a pitcher winding up for a throw. "I, Misty the Tomboyish Mermaid and Gym Leader of Cerulean City accept your challenge."

Tsuyu raised both hands up, parallel to the ground, one each pointing at the two combatants. Izuku had given her the rundown of what she was supposed to do earlier.

"This will be a three-on-three battle between the challenger Izuku Midoriya and the Gym Leader Misty Waterflower. The battle will end when all of one side's Pokémon are either unconscious or deemed unable to continue. Substitutions are allowed for the challenger, but not the gym leader. The first move also belongs to the challenger. If both of you understand, then you may begin, ribbit"

Tsuyu had accidentally croaked at the end, but it went unnoticed as both Izuku and Misty nodded and tossed their Pokéballs to the center of the battlefield.

"Roselia, I know you can do it!"

"Misty chooses….Golduck!"

The thorn Pokémon landed on Izuku's side of the field. She stumbled a bit on her landing before striking a pose due to previous damage from earlier battles.

On the other side of the field, the duck Pokémon landed in front of Misty, sternly glaring at its opposition.

"You didn't have this one before," Izuku said, his eyebrow raising in surprise. He was expecting Staryu or Starmie; not a Golduck.

"What? Were you expecting Staryu or something?" she unintentionally voiced his thoughts out loud. "I can't stay predictable as a Gym Leader and peacekeeper Izu. I got this guy back from all those Pokémon you rescued in Mt. Moon. Allow us to show our thanks!"

"Roselia! Use your whips and grab it!"

As she'd done during the battle with Koga, the tiny grass-type sent its barbed vines out to its target. However, the vines unnaturally stopped just short of the target. The tip of the vines was coated in an ethereal blue energy. Suddenly the vines were sent right back to their owner.

Roselia leaped up into the air to avoid the attack, but the vines followed and made an impact while the Pokémon was helpless in the air. Roselia's body was then coated in that same blue outline and brutally slammed onto the ground, scattering spores everywhere.

"Confusion." Izuku said, his voice low, gazing at the gleaming red gem on Golduck's forehead.

"Yep. How many idiots with a Bulbasaur or Ivysaur do you think come running into my gym expecting an easy win? One is sleeping in my house as we speak. Now Golduck, Ice Beam!"

Golduck formed a frigid blue ball of energy in its bill and fired without hesitation at its struggling opponent.

"Magical Leaf but keep it around you!"

Roselia unhesitatingly obeyed his instructions and made a makeshift wall moments before the Ice Beam collided with it creating an explosion and blasting Roselia back close to where its trainer was.

"Can you keep going?"

Roselia gave a weak grunt of affirmation and shakily stood back up.

"This isn't good. The damage is piling up from both now and the Nugget Bridge."

"We need to block their vision, let's go with Stun Spore,"

Roselia thrust her flowers forward and a thick yellow cloud emanating faint sparks came from the pores. It quickly obscured Izuku's side of the battlefield all the way up to the center line dividing the two sides.

"Don't panic, Golduck. It's just an area denial. Try a Water Pulse to scout it out."

Golduck formed a couple of blobs of water between its webbed hands and fired them into the cloud, but they harmlessly came out on the other side and sailed past Izuku and off the cape and out to sea.

"Remember what we practiced?" Izuku shouted to Roselia. "Magical Leaf."

Scores of dark green and brown leaves burst through the pollen and at Golduck. Golduck dodged it nimbly but when it tried to escape the leaves followed it like heat-seeking missiles. Nicking and scratching the Pokémon, it was harassed like a swarm of bees.

"Use Confusion and get rid of them all!"

With the glow of its red gem, all of the leaves became coated in blue, and with a loud cry, they burst into ash.

"Magical Leaf again!"

Golduck prepared to dodge a second volley of projectiles but found out it couldn't as its legs were entangled in vines. The Duck Pokémon squawked in surprise at being ensnared and being forced to take the full-on force of the Magical Leaf attack.

"Mega Drain!"

The squawking quickly turned into cries of pain as the Pokémon's body was enveloped in a green light.

"Push through and use Ice Beam straight ahead." Misty calmly commanded.

Wasting no time, the frosty beam fired into the cloud and the sound of it hitting its target was apparent to everyone. Izuku could do nothing but clench his jaw as the cloud dissipated revealing an unconscious Roselia. Inside his head, Banjo let out a grunt of disappointment.

"That Magical Leaf attack was just to get us in position to get caught by that Leech Seed attack of yours." Misty confidently explained as Golduck ripped its feet free from the roots. "Stands to reason that if you wanted us at a specific spot, you be right in front of us," she finished with a peace sign.

"Roselia is unable to battle. Izu-kun please call your next Pokémon."

With a smile and word of thanks he returned the Thorn Pokémon to her ball.

"I could use Heracross here, but Confusion will do some real damage and Heracoss is even more banged up than Roselia is,"

"Use the newbie, problem solved. You have nothing to lose here."

He tried to think of an alternative but eventually, he reached the same conclusion Banjo did.

"Frighting I know," Yoichi agreed with him.

With a grimace, Izuku put Roselia's ball back on its clip and replaced it with the one he had just caught. The moment his hand clasped it, the ball began shaking around violently as he brought it in front of him.

"Uh, you okay there Izu?" Misty said nervously upon watching the sight of Izuku's arm being jerked around. Tsuyu pretended not to notice.

"Yeah–I'm fine!" he said having to resort to using one percent of One For All. With a slight reluctance, he tossed the ball into the air where it released its occupant.

The blue light eventually coalesced on the back of Izuku's side of the field into a small bipedal form with two long ears with tan fleece covering the tips. One of its ears was coiled up like a boxer getting ready to throw a heavyweight punch. It had a small puff of a tail sticking out it's backside.

"Is that a….Buneary? Isn't that a Sinnoh Pokémon?" Misty said confused "And why does it look so pissed off?"

As soon as she finished her sentence the rabbit Pokémon leaped off. Though not at the Golduck standing opposite of it, but at Izuku himself!

"What the–"

Izuku raised his forearm a blocked a barrage of kicks and jabs. Out of instinct he launched a kick himself and found it met in turn with one of the Pokémon's own. A burst of air rang out as the two clashed. Izuku sent the Pokémon flying back onto the battlefield, only for it to bounce toward him once more, throwing jabs using its ears.

"I–told–you," he said between dodging and blocking. "We can fight later, I promise! For now, That Golduck is really strong too," He finished with a light push that sent the bunny back into the arena again.

Golduck's eyes widened in surprise at being mentioned. It then recoiled upon the rouge rabbit turning to face it and leering at it.

"What's up with that Pokémon ?" Misty said with her arm in front of her face in case she was attacked.

"Long story. We found her–at least I think it's a her– in the middle of a swarm on Route 25," Tsuyu said. "It was beating up all the other Buneary, Buizel and even some Lopunny in some kind of fight club. She tried to attack Izuku, but he fended her off. She didn't like that and kept attacking so Izuku had no choice but to capture her. I think she knows he'd be a good fight."

"Just what kinda delinquent did you pick up Izuku?"

"If you guys are ready you can–"

Before Tsuyu was even able to finish her sentence Buneary rocketed towards the shellshocked Golduck with a savage smile on her face and the blinding speed of a Quick Attack at her back.

"Water Pulse!"

Golduck obeyed the order as quickly as it could, but the rabbit hopped over it and Golduck's head a split second before it fired.

Once above it, the Pokémon rained a flurry of ear jabs, knocking it to the ground. Relentlessly, Buneary landed on Golduck's back. With a combination of jabs and bounces consisting of Double Kick, Golduck was put swiftly out of commission. After it had knocked the poor Pokémon unconscious, it still kept one of its feet on its back and spit off to the side before backflip ping back to its side of the field.

"Golduck is unable to battle. Gym Leader Misty, please call out your next Pokémon."

Misty could only watch in amazement as her Golduck was knocked out in record time and without even a single command from Izuku. Furthermore, the rabbit had the nerve to glare at her and gesture its paw as if to say "Bring out someone tougher." With a twitch of her eyebrow, she recalled Golduck and exchanged its ball for another.

"One hell of a Pokémon you got there," Both Izuku and the Buneary smiled in response–Though one was sheepish, humble, and shy; the other was cocky, arrogant, and vicious.

"Alright, Misty calls Starmie!"

With a spin, the Mysterious Pokémon broke free from the blue light and landed on the ground.

The Pokémon immediately howled in pain upon touching the ground and purple sparks trailed over its body. After the sparks dispersed the Pokémon wilted over.

"Huh? Poison? When did that happen?"

"When Golduck slammed Roselia into the ground. She scattered Toxic Spikes everywhere." Misty took a closer look at the battlefield and saw a layer of small purple spikes coated around the center circle where incoming Pokémon would usually land. That's when she realized Izuku deliberately released Buneary outside of the circle.

"I was expecting Staryu," he admitted, drawing a scowl from Misty. "So, we practiced on how to deal with Psychic attacks. I'm not too familiar with Golduck yet, but using Confusion was a pleasant surprise for us. The fact that it's hard to see in the dark helped too. It's a bit underhanded in my opinion, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices to win!"

"Spoken like a true underground hero. Junior would be proud." Sure, enough to Banjo's words, Midoriya felt a muted sense of pride.

The whole time Izuku was talking Buneary was tapping her foot impatiently, had her arms crossed, and sending him various looks of annoyance.

Izuku laughed nervously before giving the Pokémon its first actual order.

"Uhh—Quick Attack?"

With the command given, it leaped at top speed once more.

"Stop it with Flash."

Starmie's gem began to glow iridescently underneath the colossal shadow of the lighthouse. It got brighter each moment as it stored up more light. However, before it could release its stored-up energy, Buneary unexpectedly disappeared from sight and then reappeared in front of Starmie and forcibly slammed its palms onto Starmie's gem, sending it flying backward.

"That was Fake Out!" Izuku said in awe. "It makes a Pokémon flinch and stops whatever move they were trying to do!" he said with sparkles in his eyes as he scribbled down everything he witnessed.

"Only works once though," Yoichi added.

"Where do you get these notebooks from?" Misty called in exasperation.

"I stopped asking a long time ago," Tsuyu chimed in.

Buneary, taking advantage of its opening, leaped after its opponent, one of its ears coiled and crackling with what looked suspiciously like electricity.

"Hydro Pump, don't let it get close!"

Right when the rabbit's punch was about to connect, a huge torrent of water connected at point-blank range sending the Pokémon flying into the air.

"Nail it with Thunderbolt!"

A brilliant golden bolt of lightning streaked through the air and made direct contact with its target.

The rabbit howled in pain for the few seconds the attack lasted. Once the steam of electricity stopped Buneary was finally allowed to hit the ground where it landed on its feet and began bouncing in place in a boxer's shuffle as if the attack didn't even affect it outside of patches of singed brown fur. A cocky if not battle-lusted smile was still plastered on its face.

"Wow! That was Thunder Punch! With the ear too! She probably learned Thunder Punch to deal with the Buizel and Poliwhirl in the area," Izuku gushed.

"He's like a kid in the candy store…"

Tsuyu scratched her head as she watched Izuku rave. "It's no use. He's in full geek-out mode now. I can't tell if he's the trainer or spectator."

"And who said Buneary were only for looking cute? Guess we need to work on the duration of that Thunderbolt attack. Though it was still pretty good for the first use of it in battle, Starmie." Misty praised her Pokémon and Starmie raised its tips in glee before wilting one again as the poison took effect.

"Damn. That poison is going to take us out even if that monster doesn't. We have to finish this up quickly. Starmie, Rapid Spin!"

The two halves of Starmie began to spin opposite one another as the Pokémon hovered in the air. A miniature tornado started to form around it as small purple spikes were pulled out of the ground and sucked into the vortex.

"Alright, let's repay the favor!"

The poisonous tornado-clad Starmie flew at Buneary like a demented shuriken star. The hare used the momentum of its boxer shuffle to spring launch itself to another part of the field.

"Chase the bunny!"

A cat-and-mouse game immediately ensued through every part of the battlefield as Buneary bounced around.

Izuku looked up from his note-taking to see the chaos currently going on.

"Hmm, A vortex made from rapid spin ... .Hey," he waved to address his newest Pokémon. "If you hop directly over it, you'll have a clear shot to hit it!"

"Buneary-Bun" She yelled out as she did a pivot on her heel and leaped above her pursuer. Izuku had the sneaking suspicion that if translated it would be something along the lines of 'she knew that already'.

With ears coated in electricity, Buneary dived head-first into the cyclone and nailed a one-two combo on the dead center of Starmie's gem, sending the Pokémon crashing to the ground and scattering its cargo to the wind.

Feet glowing and falling through the air, Buneary's mal intentions were clear as it tried to perform a Moonsault Leg Drop using Double Kick.

"Hydro Pump. Don't let it land!"

The high-pressure stream of water shot up into the night sky, however, unlike last time, Buneary used one of her feet to cut through the blast like a child stomping on a fountain jet.

Like a hot knife through butter, the rabbit's attack landed home further pushing Starmie into the ground creating a crater.

Buneary had no time to admire her handy work as her body was enveloped in the same blue glow that had taken down Roselia previously.

"Punish it with Psychic."

With more ease and precision than Golduck, Buneary was lifted up effortlessly and slammed into the ground. Also, unlike Golduck the attack didn't subside after one burst, Starmie maintained its hold and repeatedly used the ground as an instrument to brutalize its victim.

Midoriya tried to recall the Pokémon, but the beam was blocked by that of the Psychic energy. His mind immediately snapped to the next available option he read about.

"Baton Pass! Get out of there!" Midoriya said, giving his order. He at least knew enough to know the Buneary line had the benefit of a soft switching move. A series of moves that allowed the user to retreat from battle no matter the situation or interference being ran. It was Buneary's only option at this point.

The Pokémon growled at him and ignored his command, continuing to let itself be at the mercy of the ongoing attack.

"Looks like you haven't earned Buneary's full respect yet. I'll take the win though." Misty said confidently.

Miraculously as soon as Misty finished, Starmie's relentless assault began to run out of steam. The telekinetic slams became slower and weaker until they finally stopped and deposited the rabbit on the ground. Buneary then stood up wobbly but still with a feral smile on her face. The same couldn't be said about her opponent that still lay motionless on its back.

Misty leaned forward worriedly "Starmie?"

The Pokémon didn't respond or even move its trainer's voice. That made Tsuyu finally raise her hand in the decision.

"Starmie is unable to battle. Gym Leader Misty, please call your next Pokémon."

Misty's cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment. "I guess the poison finally took its toll….Me and my big mouth," she said reservedly and recalled Starmie to its ball.

Midoriya tried to recall Buneary as well, but it dodged the beam with a quick if not shaky hop.

"C'mon, you can't keep going like that."

Tsuyu raised an eyebrow at him "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black."

"If it doesn't want to retreat then I'll just have to knock it out!" Misty yelled as she tossed her final Pokémon into the arena. "Misty calls…...Gyarados!"

The atrocious Pokémon immediately roared upon taking the field. To Buneary's credit, it didn't cower in the slightest despite its ears being blown back. She even managed to glare at the giant water type which prompted a return glare. On the sidelines, Tsuyu crouched in fear with her hands on her head.

"Is that….?"

"Yeah, it's the same Gyarados I lost and recaptured. Once we flushed all the hallucinogenic poison out of its system, he remembered me just fine. Together he and I are going to protect Cerulean."

Gyarados snorted and raised its body in both approval and intimidation. As if to challenge the whole world. Or in this case, the small rabbit on the field opposite it.

"Let's start this off right with Dragon Rage!"

A blue dragon-shaped beam of energy came from Gyarados' open mouth and straight towards Buneary.

Using Quick Attack, Buneary darted underneath the blast and rushed to Gyarados' position.

"Aqua Tail!"

Gyarados swung its huge tail coated in water at the smaller Pokémon. Buneary leaped over the attack as it impacted the ground and then landed on Gyarados' body.

Before anyone could realize what was happening Buneary landed on Gyarados' long body, dashed up, and landed a barrage of quick Thunder Punches straight to its huge head leaving faint sparks behind.

"Grab it with Crunch!"

Buneary tried to use its momentum to launch itself away, however, Gyarados shrugged off the fierce attack and with a twist of its neck snagged Buneary out of the sky.

To everyone's amazement, the sound of impact never came. Midoriya opened his eyes to see that Buneary was inside Gyarados' mouth!

Her feet were pushing on the bottom row of feet and her ears were straining against the top row. Like a carjack, Buneary kept Gyarados' mouth wide open refusing to budge or give in.

"That Pokémon is a freak. It doesn't know when to give up…"

Midoriya cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted "Buneary!" His voice was so loud it gained everyone's attention and scared away some local Hoot-hoots. "You need to get out of there, if you keep going, you'll end up dead if you're not careful. You'll have plenty of opportunities to fight another day, but for now, trust me and use Baton Pass!"

Tsuyu managed to pick her head up slightly to look curiously at Midoriya.

Buneary, under intense efforts, managed to slightly turn her head in consideration. After a moment, her body burst into white light and shot back to the Pokéball in Midoriya's outstretched hand. Not a second too soon as Gyarados' massive jaw snapped shut.

Heracross' Pokéball released itself in exchange as the Bug-type took the field.

Midoriya heaved a sigh of relief as he clipped the ball of the rowdy Pokémon back onto his belt.

The single horn Pokémon had some damage to its carapace, but it was still raring to go as its wings fluttered behind it.

"Aerial Ace."

At Midoriya's simple command, Heracross took to the night sky, wind trails coating its body.

"Knock it out of the sky with Twister!"

With a swing of its tail, another huge cyclone appeared on the battlefield, only this one was glowing bluish-purple with draconic energy.

Quickly spinning, Heracross dodged out of the way and flew right past Gyarados' head nicking it in the process. Using its aerial mobility, it swiftly turned around and began a series of attacks.

Misty grabbed her ponytail in panic. "Grab it with Crunch?!"

Gyarados attempted to grab the beetle as it made yet another pass, but its body cackled with electricity.

"Paralysis? But why?" Misty said confusedly before her eyes lit up in realization. "Those Thunder Punches from earlier!"

"Damnit…... Guess it was too much to ask to avoid it. The amount that Buneary threw…the numbers game played in their favor, even if Intimidate meant it didn't do much damage."

"Doesn't matter. We'll just fight through it! Waterfall, Make that yucky bug get off you!"

Ripples of water temporarily overrode the cackling of the sparks on the pseudodragon's body.

Both Midoriya and Heracross shrieked in sync upon seeing Gyarados take to the sky and barrel toward the bug-type.

"Heracross isn't the only one here that can fly," Misty said smugly as Gyarados flew side by side with Heracross.

"Don't let it get close to you! Out to the sea!"

Both Pokémon danced in the air in a rolling scissors motion. Every time one got too close, they'd bounce off the other like sky-borne Beyblades as they flew off the battlefield and above the ocean.

"Even with Aerial Ace, flying over the ocean is a pretty dangerous move. Heracross' wings aren't meant to get too wet." Misty informed him, half out of confidence and half out of concern.

"I have an idea, that's why! Now Night Slash!"

Heracross blurred from view, making Gyarados pause mid-flight.

"Huh?"

*THUD*

All of a sudden, Gyarados' head rocketed forward and the Pokémon fell into the water with a splash. Heracross then faded back into view, hovering idly over the water.

"Hah it worked–That's a relief…" Midoriya sighed as he wiped his forehead with his arm.

"Mind explaining what just happened?" Misty asked eerily calm.

Midoriya rubbed the back of his head. "Well….Night Slash refers to the act that Samurai would do when they wanted to assess out a new sword. They'd hide in the dark or in ambush and slash at some unlucky passerby. So, I figured that if we used that attack at night time it might let us get out of view for a moment. Heracross' dark blue color help with that…heh heh…..."

"There's one thing you forgot."

"Uhh..What's that?"

"Two can play at the surprise attack game,"

As soon as the words left Misty's mouth, Midoriya's eyes flitted toward the water, however, he was too late. An orange beam shot out of the water, illuminating the night and hitting Heracross square in the chest.

Heracross was sent flying all the way back to the field where it landed in a smoking heap.

"That was Hyper Beam. Any fully evolved Pokémon can do it, but I'm sure someone as smart as you already know that."

Gyarados rose from the water, flinching a bit from the paralysis before returning to the field itself. Though, it was not without injury as Midoriya noted the scales around the back of its head were an angry red, and it was extremely sluggish even taking the paralysis into account.

"I think this fight is just about over; don't you think Tsuyu,"

The frog girl was still cowering and only offered a meek ribbit in response.

"That was weird but anyways, like I said, this battle is–"

Misty's eyes widened and her jaw came loose a little upon seeing Heracross pick itself up across the battlefield.

"I amend my earlier statement Midoriya. None of your Pokémon know when to quit!"

"You've trained them well, kid!" Banjo said with pride.

Gyarados and Heracross exchanged weary yet determined looks. Both Pokémon looked as if they could fall over at any second.

"Dragon Rage!"

"Bullet Seed!"

Thick hard cased seeds met draconic energy in the middle of the field creating an explosion coating the center in fog.

Without waiting for the smoke to clear, both Pokémon charged in, both with appendages glowing with dark-type energy.

Gyarados, its teeth.

Heracross, it's claws.

A heavy impact rang through the cloud, but neither could tell what happened as all went silent.

Eventually, the sea breeze blew away the smoke revealing the two Pokémon.

Heracross' claw was raked across Gyarados' face, but the poor bug-type was firmly caught in the atrocious Pokémon's jaw—Both were unconscious and slumped onto the field.

"Aww they drew." Yoichi said with a hint of disappointment.

"Impressive they fought that hard. Still got a long way to go I guess."

Midoriya and Misty were speechless. Tsuyu hesitantly picked her head up, having not been paying attention.

"...Is it over?" she whispered then looked over at the two collapsed Pokémon. "I guess it is…" she raised her hands "Both Heracross and Gyarados are unable to battle this match is a draw. Because Izuku still has one active Pokémon, the challenger wins this battle 3-2," her piece said, Tsuyu went back to crouching.

Buneary immediately released itself, hopped on top of the defeated Pokémon, and celebrated.

Misty walked out and pointed a finger at the rabbit. "If it wasn't for you, I would've won. When I said 'Catch a Pokémon' I meant something like a Pidgey, Rattata, maybe a Butterfree–Not a fluffy little monster like you!" the rabbit Pokémon simply started mocking her making Misty mad enough to start pinching Buneary's cheeks and stretching them.

"Uh….Misty? I don't think that's a good idea?"

Buneary then retaliated by pinching and stretching Misty's cheeks in return.

"The rabbit reminds me of our own resident heroine also that one with the rabbit ears you like,"

A feeling of both pride and mischief came from Nana even though he couldn't see or hear her yet.

Midoriya gave a light chuckle and held up their Pokeballs, returning both Buneary and Heracross.

"You're actually kind of right you know," Midoriya said, walking up to Misty whose arms were still outstretched.

Misty stood up straight with her arms behind her back and a nervous smile on her face. "I was just kidding! You won fair and square Izu,"

"Buneary didn't even need to be commanded…"

"I think that's only half-true," Misty countered while returning Gyarados. "I doubt Starmie would have been taken down as easily if you didn't tell Buneary to leap over it,"

"But–"

"Take credit for it Midoriya. She's still your Pokémon at the end of the day, just build on what you learned here–Besides, a win is a win; a loss is a loss. You've earned this." Misty silenced him by grabbing his jacket and pinning the Cascade Badge to it.

Midoriya bowed at the waist, tears streaming comically down his cheeks "Thank you so much!"

Misty grabbed his shoulders and forced him to stand straight. "I should be thanking you, I never would have got my Pokémon back if it wasn't for you. The fact I got this far against you tells me that as long as I keep training, I know I'll be able to stand alongside the others," she then wrapped him up in a hug and kissed him on the cheek in gratitude.

While his brain was shutting down, he managed to see Tsuyu off to the side. There was….something in her eyes as she looked at him. Something he felt he should be afraid of. He wasn't given the time to ponder over it as he passed out to the tune of Banjo's boisterous laughter.

-X-

"That was unnecessary," Tsuyu said as she picked up the unconscious Midoriya and carried him piggy-back style

Misty shrugged her shoulders "Eh, you were going to do it if I didn't. He was gonna faint either way, so I don't see the issue. Also, he is pretty cute when he's being teased. He makes me feel like a girl for once–not a tomboy,"

"That's true, that's part of why I like him. But I still wanted it to be me who made him faint."

"Snooze you lose. All's fair in love and war. Anyways, now that I notice–you're pretty strong to pick him up like that, he's like all muscle, isn't he?"

This time it was Tsuyu's turn to shrug, making Midoriya's head loll back, mouth open. "It comes with the territory."

"Of what?"

"Being a superhero."

"Quit pulling my leg."

Tsuyu tilted her head and put a finger to her chin. "Okay."

Misty then wilted a little, putting a hand to her forehead. "Now I have to figure out what to do about Red. I need a way to get his lazy butt in gear before he gets himself killed."

"I have two ideas."

"Do share." Misty leaned in conspiratorially.

"You could crush him in a gym battle."

Misty pondered for a moment. "That is an option. But I want him to be more aware of Team Rocket, I don't think he'll get the message. He might just assume licensed format losses are whatever,"

"Then make it so that he loses to an enemy in a controlled environment,"

Misty slammed a fist in her open palm. "Good idea. But how do you suppose we pull it off? I don't think we're exactly the threatening type, Tsuyu."

"You'd be surprised at what he could do when he gets mad," Tsuyu said flatly tilting her head at Midoriya. "But there's something we have to show you."

Tsuyu then led Misty back to Route 24 right next to the end of the Nugget Bridge. She gestured for her to come toward a bush off to the side. Setting Midoriya down, she pulled back the branches of the bush to reveal a KO'd Rocket Grunt restrained in rope.

"Whoa, where'd he come from?"

"He was the last member of the Nugget Gang." Tsuyu said, "He ripped off his disguise and tried to take our Pokémon so we knocked him out,"

"You two did more than that," Misty replied appraising the various bruises and bumps on the grunt's body.

"He pulled a knife when he lost."

"Ahh, then you felt no need to hold back and kicked his ass, right?" At Tsuyu's nod, Misty continued "So we steal his outfit then beat the crap outta Red!"

"That's the general idea, yes. Don't wanna overdo it though, we might traumatize him." Tsuyu's words were as stoic-toned as ever but Misty did get the sense there was a modicum of care underneath.

"Okay I'll make sure I don't freak him out too bad," Misty grunted as she sat up the body of the Rocket Grunt. "Help me strip this guy so we can go to the Pokémon Center and get healed up,"

Tsuyu grabbed the cap off the top of the man's head "They're still open?"

"They're like hospitals. You never know when the next idiot who hurt themselves is going to walk in–" Misty paused for a second. "-Or have an impromptu gym battle in our case."

XXXX

Red didn't have the most restful sleep–That is to say, he wasn't sleeping at all.

He was simply laying on the bed, arms behind his head, frown on his face. The house staff was avoiding him like the plague. Only that one girl wearing the clearly-cosplay maid dress that barely covered her panties and garters had interacted with him after dinner, and frankly, she gave him the heebie-jeebies. She eyed him like a Lycanrock in front of a piece of meat and she frisked him like a Wigglytuff. At least he saw her underwear! A cute blue-striped color on a cute heart-shaped rear. The stuff of teenage boy dreams.

"I guess the rich can afford to hire weirdos like that girl." Red thought to himself as he shifted to his side.

His gaze settled on the three Pokeballs that sat on the desk across the room. Pika's was rolling around the desk like a billiard ball, the Pokémon inside almost as restless as he was. Meanwhile, Saur and Poli were sleeping peacefully. The blue light on his Pokedex flashed idly.

"I can handle anything thrown my way. If Saur can beat them now, then they aren't that big of a deal. With Pika and Poli added to the mix, they don't stand a chance…All I have to do is beat them down and then the gym leader. Then, all those maid girls will be begging me to go out with them….But why do I feel like I'm missing something?

Rain began to fall outside, pelting the window.

"That's weird, I'm pretty sure rain wasn't on the radio forecast," Red said to himself as he got off the bed and approached the window, putting a hand on the glass.

As soon as he touched the glass, the wind picked up immensely to the point the glass started to crack. Red barely had time to cross his arms in front of himself as the glass shattered and the wind blew him back.

Red let out a gasp when his back hit the wooden floor, the air rushing from his lungs. Coughing, he scrambled to his Pokeballs. He barely managed to clutch his Pokémon to his chest before the wind swirled in his room and formed a twister. Red wasn't afforded the chance to release Ivysaur to help him as the wind current picked him up and carried him out of the room.

Red squeezed his eyes shut as the dark, rain-washed scenery of the Wallflower estate passed underneath him as he tumbled through the air. Eventually, the feeling of soggy grass and damp soil could be felt underneath his body as he was deposited. The smell of spring pollen entered his nose as saw the whole area was obscured in some kind of fog. The rain falling everywhere made it even worse as his robes and underwear clung to his skin like a second skin.

"What the hell?"

"So, this is the punk who gave our boss so much trouble huh? He doesn't seem like very much,"

Red's head turned to the sound of the voice and saw a figure deep in the fog. He couldn't tell who it was but the busboy cap on their head was a good indicator of who they were.

"Team Rocket! Show yourself!" Without waiting he threw Saur's ball and released the occupant "Vine Whip!"

The green tendril flew through the air at a shocking speed, but it was to no avail as it failed to impact anything.

"Heh don't need to if that if that's all you got. Let me show you some real power!"

An icy-blue beam penetrated through the cloud and hit Saur dead on, the drenching from the rain serving to help freeze the Pokémon solid.

"Grrrr…Eat this! Ice Beam! Thunderbolt!" Red called as he tossed Pika and Poli's balls. Only Poli managed to launch its attack. The moment Pika touched the ground something sped through the clearing, and Pika disappeared in a streak of white light.

At least Poli's Ice Beam gave off the sound of hitting something. Red was about to say something snarky when a gigantic tail wrapped around him and Poli in a blink of an eye. The gigantic body of a Gyarados came into view with a face that made even the bravest of men falter.

"Too bad. I thought he'd put up more of a fight. This guy couldn't even beat the gym leader of this backwater city. If he's the creme of the crop, I'd hate to see the bottom of the barrel."

"Coward come out and actually face me! I can beat the gym leader and I'll certainly beat you!" Red said putting up false bravado, however, even he could hear the fear that started to leak into his voice as the atrocious Pokémon put the squeeze on him.

"I'm the bad guy, twerp; cowardly tactics is what I do. Besides, last I checked you're the one who's about to pop like an Oran berry." the figure then started to move closer. "I'll let you in on a little secret since you want to be such a hero,"

The figure then came into view and the orange hair tucked under the cap instantly registered in Red's mind.

"Misty?!" Red said dumbfounded.

"I am the Gym Leader, Red! You just lost to me."

"Huh? Wha–? Why?" His brain finally settled on the last question, still trying to process everything else while his world collapsed around him.

The fog dissipated to reveal it wasn't fog at all, but a pollen cloud created by a Roselia. Off to the side Pika was pinned underneath a Buneary and a Golduck was staring him down with more menace than any Psyduck evolution had any right to have.

Misty walked up to him, hips swaying, and grabbed his chin with her gray-gloved hand.

"Why? To teach you a lesson of course," She said with syrupy sweetness in her voice. Red recoiled back from her hand as her smile did not reach her eyes at all. "I want you to understand what kind of position you're in. That 'Commander' you beat? His name is Koga and he's the Gym Leader of Fushia City."

Red's eyes widened, but he didn't dare utter a sound. He may have not been the most well-versed on the Gym Leaders but even he had heard of the Koga clan that occupied Fushia. He'd gone through a ninja phase after all. The pieces started to fall into place. If Koga who effectively controlled Fushia was on Team Rocket's side….His body started to break out in a cold sweat.

Misty's eyes turned cold and uninviting. "I see you're starting to understand. He could've carved us up six ways to Sunday if he wanted to and there wouldn't be a damn thing, we could do about it. We got lucky Red, face it. He's leagues above me, he's leagues above you! Then you want to go play gigolo tough guy, thinking you can just barge in and bust heads? You're just asking to die!"

He saw Pika unconscious and underfoot another Pokémon with little effort. Saur who hadn't even begun to thaw out. Poli, who couldn't even lift a finger to help behind him. Utterly defeated and trapped in the blink of an eye.

"You simply don't know who is on the other side. Sometimes the heroes lose….Sometimes because they have better, stronger people."

Midoriya's earlier words echoed in his head as Misty continued to yell at him. Hot tears started to unwillingly pool in his eyes.

"...I've been a real…A real ass, haven't I?" Red finally said between sniffs and interrupted Misty mid-rant causing her to pause.

Tears leaked down his cheeks mixing with the rain, unimpeded as he couldn't use his arms to wipe his face.

"I'm sorry. I thought things would work out like they always do because they always had before,"

"Things worked out because you had help along the way, didn't you?" a new voice interjected.

Red turned his head and saw Midoriya come out of the woods with Tsuyu clutching his shirt behind him and burying her head in his back. He raised a Pokeball and a red beam shot at the Buneary and returned it to the ball. He then repeated the process with Roselia.

"If I remember correctly, you mentioned Professor Oak and he gave you the Pokedex, right? He also gave you Saur." The green-haired teens walk up before him and stood next to Misty.

"If that's the case, he's been supporting you this whole time. An awesome piece of tech and a rare Pokémon. I can't say I've been training Pokémon for as long as you have, but I can say that you have people looking out for you. I can also tell you that Koga probably has information on us thanks to being Badge carriers. In other words, Team Rocket could come after us at any time for both interfering with them and for our badges if that's what they're truly after. We can't afford to not take the opportunity to get stronger while we can."

With a wave of its trainer's hand, Gyarados released Red and Poli, allowing them to fall to the ground.

He had never felt so humiliated. All Misty was trying to do was save his life and he acted like a complete bully to her. He became the exact thing he hated back in Pallet.

Red moved an elbow over his face, not willing to allow the other three to see his face. "You guys are right. I'm sorry for the way I acted and the things I said to you, Misty. Is there any way you can ever forgive me?"

He felt a gentle tug on his arm.

"C'mon, idiot." came Misty's voice. "You can repay me by training with the rest of us. It may not seem like it, but I don't want you to die. If we work together, I'm sure things will work out, just like you said,"

Red let his arm fall and opened his eyes to see Misty holding out a hand to him.

"Are you sure you want me…? I'd understand if you wanted me to leave,"

"Would you quit being silly? You are still pretty strong for only having one. Maybe afterward you might, and I say 'might' earn your second badge."

He managed a smile through his tears and snot as he grasped her hand.

"You're on!"

---

The Koga estate was quiet. One would almost say too quiet.

That was normal for the estate.

Everyone from the servants to the trainees to the Pokémon strove to move about the facility both quickly and quietly as humanly possible.

The installed culture also made the estate a tranquil safe haven for those that dabbled in the mental arts.

For some, it meant concentration while practicing Kyūdō.

For others, it simply meant reading a book.

For Koga, it meant meditating.

He sat in the middle of the main chamber on top of a throw pillow, his legs crossed, eyes closed.

Even without his eyes he still had his other senses. His ears, his nose, and his body.

He could feel the gentle breeze on his body that came in through the window. He could hear the wind as it contributed to the ebb and flow of the candles ringing the room.

He could feel the subtle rustling of his hair as the wind blew through it, and the Crobat nestled in it moved slightly in its sleep.

Meditation was a favorite pastime of his when he wasn't out on missions or training with his daughter.

It was his one escape from duty….honor…pride. With meditation, he could just empty his mind and focus on anything but being the 5th Koga to lead the clan.

Koga's ears twitched as he picked up the sound of creaking floorboards just outside his chamber. His arm strained against his arm guard.

The shinobi's eyes opened as the door opened, and Koga flicked his wrist. Three ninja stars embedded themselves in the wooden door frame right next to the head of an elderly woman.

"Deary, I only come bearing tea. It's good for the soul,"

He threw another round of stars this time headed for the lady herself.

The woman caught the stars in the gaps of her fingers.

"Didn't get you this time either huh?"

"You're still 10 years too early to challenge your old man."

The old woman tossed the drink tray up and ripped off her disguise revealing a green-haired teenage girl.

The girl smiled and stuck out her tongue as she caught the plate of refreshments on the pads of her fingers, not spilling a single drop of liquid. She entered the room, taking care to step over the divides in the tatami mats as she served a cop with a courteous bow of her head.

Koga took the drink and put it to his side out of sight.

Knowing his daughter….it was probably poisoned.

In a way he was proud.

Another, he was worried.

Her anemic poison concoctions had been steadily improving lately. One wrong move….

Well, he was glad he made the decision to move to indoor plumbing during his tenure, as many servants have found out over the years.

"Why have you decided to serve me today, daughter?" He asked her.

"Do I ever get the benefit of the doubt? Maybe I just wanted to spend time with my father."

"You? That only happens when you butt heads with Walker's boy. And our semi-annual continental meeting was last month." He raised an eyebrow. "Or perhaps….I should be worried about grandkids already?"

Most kids would have shouted in anger. Anzu wasn't like most kids.

With an embarrassed flush, she backstepped, grabbed the stars embedded in the frame, and threw them at her father.

Almost reflexively he slipped his fingers in the middle of the projectiles, completely stopping their momentum. Rotating his hand, the stars slid harmlessly to the joints of his fingers.

"Ugh! Don't mention that pigheaded bird brain to me. If you must know Father; I come with a message."

The girl pulled up her mask across the lower half of her face, a sign she was in 'business' mode.

"Your employer requests your presence,"

Koga's eyes narrowed as he stood up, he too, covering his face with his mask.

The Crobat in his hair chirped, having awakened. With a flap of its four wings, it took off towards the ceiling rafters.

In the time it took for him to adjust his mask, Janine had melted into the shadows, her presence long masked and long gone.

Koga leaped up into the rafters himself, following his Pokémon. At the end of the rafter beams lay a vent which he squeezed himself through.

The vents were also something else he installed into the estate during his tenure as leader. It provided a much-needed airflow in the subtropical southern Kantonian peninsula. It also had the benefit of being a more effective hiding spot for secret passageways to other areas of the complex. The original intent when the estate was first built by Koga I.

The one trade-off was that it was harder to squeeze through the narrow vents. But it encouraged him to never slack on his training as the years started to catch up to his body.

Koga came to an intersection in the vents where he dropped down the center. After sliding down the vent, he kicked through the breakaway grate that deposited him in one of the hidden rooms in the estate, not accessible through normal means.

Adorning one of the walls was a detailed political map of the Kanto-Johto continent. Icy blue throwing stars were stuck in various places around western and southern Johto. Blazing orange stars were in the northern parts of both regions and a few other odd places such as Lavender Town and the Sevii Islands. Even further past the Sevii Islands towards Hoenn, a singular cyan kunai sat by its lonesome.

Opposite the map sat his personal arsenal. Swords of various sizes, tonfa, kunai, shuriken, and senbon. Anything a shinobi could possibly need to complete their mission.

On the back wall was a workshop table. It was filled with odds and ends ranging from various mixtures of Arbok poison to delicately carved blowguns

The last wall contained a shelf that sat various pictures.

A photo of him with his father.

A photo of him with his late wife.

A photo of him holding his pride and joy, Anzu.

The last picture depicted a younger Koga back around the time Anzu was just born. In front of him were three kids, each with a different hair color.

On the far left was the only girl in the group with her aqua-blue hair. Her temperament, however, was the complete opposite of what her hair suggested.

In the middle was the youngest of three, a blonde-haired boy who was crying his eyes out. Even as a young adult, he was still the same old crybaby. Albeit one on the cusp of obtaining elite four rank in a region far far way.

On the right was a boy with fiery orange hair. His face was upturned in a confident grin, almost bordering on arrogant…...

He should have seen it then.

Without sparing a second glance Koga flipped the picture face down. Memories would stay just that–memories.

Koga went and sat seiza style on a special pillow in the middle of the room that was a putrid pink in color.

A gift from Sabrina. He'd rather meet in person, but the others insisted that discretion was necessary. Hmph. A mockery of his skill, but he needed Team Rocket. Strength beyond strength was needed for his goals.

The moment he got situated his mind was whisked away. His consciousness came to in some astral plane filled with stars. Sabrina had quite the habit of trying to show off to the other commanders.

The girl in question was floating above him lackadaisically. Unlike the other female members of the team, she wore a white dress reminiscent of an astronaut. She wore black tights underneath the dress due to her habit of floating to where she needed to go. In so many ways she was both similar and polar opposite to his daughter.

"As always you're the first one to show up, how boring and predictable." She said to him as she rolled over to where she was upside down, lifting her head to stare down at him. Her verdant green hair fell in curtains around her.

"A shinobi prides himself on his punctuality, it is a key to his discipline. You should be grateful I don't conduct myself like the other two and our boss."

"I didn't say I wasn't grateful, just bored; you bore me, Koga. Team Rocket meetings and our quarterlies with Agatha; always first, never last. Your disciplines make you an open book, yet as a shinobi, you pride yourself on the enemy knowing as little as possible. Quite contradictory don't you think?" She said floating around him wagging a finger in his face.

"Everyone must seem predictable for a girl who can read minds,"

"Like I'd wanna read your mind. You keep your mind as blank as possible around me-no point. Besides your disciplines do all the talking you never do."

Damn girl. He couldn't even call her the most insufferable because they all were.

"Aww thank you! You do care."

Koga was tempted to point out she had just read his mind but found it fruitless to do so. The girl did as she pleased.

Thankfully, he was saved from having to endure her company alone when a third figure appeared.

His black hair was cut close to his scalp. His black eyes were filled with both ambition and determination. He wore a baggy Unovan-style suit that lacked a tie. A red R was emblazoned on the suit's pocket.

"Greetings, Giovanni ."

"Oh… Hey there boss,"

"I would appreciate the scenery going to something a little more….simple, Miss Sabrina," Giovanni said craning his head and frowning at the scenery.

Sabrina sighed and with a snap of her fingers, the room turned into an oriental sitting room, complete with a set of tea already made. Koga found it unnecessary in the fact they need not eat or drink while in the psychic plain. He also found it irritating that the room matched one of the ones in his estate exactly. Judging by the look on the teen's face she had done it purposefully.

"You're a party pooper, you know that boss? But guess now it makes sense why'd you hire someone like Koga. You're two peas in a pod."

"Don't patronize me."

Giovanni rested a hand on his knee and let out a light chuckle. "I see you two are as lively as ever."

Sabrina let herself fall to the ground and inspected her nails "Hardly, Koga is dull as dirt as usual."

Koga ignored the jab in favor of addressing his superior. "Are Blaine and Surge joining us today?"

"Blaine? No. Surge? Late as usual."

Koga raised an eyebrow. "I assume his project has reached the final stages?"

"Moreso than that, It's in the testing and adjustment stages. He'll have his hands full for the next couple of months or so."

He wasn't privy to the details of Blaine's project, but he knew it was of great interest to Giovanni as Blaine had missed more meetings than he ever attended.

Sabrina tilted her head up at them. "Baldy McNosehair aside; The Rillaboom man is about to log in,"

Not a second later the last member of their meeting appeared. As Sabrina had alluded to, he was a large man wearing Unovan military fatigues. His blonde hair was cut in a crew cut befitting his style of dress. His usual sunglasses weren't on his face but clipped to his shirt.

"Eh? Is Sabrina talkin' shit again?"

"Does it matter? All you're going to do is fling it like the Rillaboom you are."

"How 'bout you come to Vermillion, and I put you underneath me for once and for all?"

"Gross."

Lt. Surge spluttered at the insinuation. "Dah-Wha-Why you-"

"Enough." Came Giovanni's calm voice, instantly putting an end to the discussion. "Let us start the meeting. Since you were last to join us, you get to be the first to report."

"Again? Guess I should be used to it at this point…"

Lt. Surge reached inside his jacket and scratched his hairy chest in thought. "Not much, the next shipment for me to personally guard isn't due for another couple 'o days. Otherwise, the transportation department isn't doing too shabby–on land at least. Reports of dragon attacks have been coming from Routes 19 and 20. I think it's just Gyarados or Dragonite mating season though maybe it's Team Aqua looking for the 'Embedded Tower' again-shit that doesn't exist. Might look into it either way 'cause the little guys have been bitchin' so much," He said shifting his hand to pick at his ear.

"And what about Erika? Has she given you any trouble?" Giovanni asked.

"Pshh. Erika, Jessica, Angelica, don't matter. We still get into the Celedon base via the southern port just fine if that's what you're asking boss. I mean–we've had border skirmishes on the Vermillion Sound, but no all-out battles. Her Jumpluff spores are friggin' annoying and control the airspace. That's all I have to say."

Sabrina looked at him in disgust as he flicked some nonexistent earwax off his finger. "Could you be any more gross? Anyways, I guess it's my turn. Training is progressing smoothly, simple as that. You be hard-pressed to find a trainer able to stand up to us in either Kanto or Johto. Of course, other factions still pose quite a problem. We have the badge advantage of course, but that means nothing in the face of on-field experience. Similar to Surge, I also share a border with Erika. I've pretty much ceded Route 7 to her. It isn't really worth fighting over considering how close our cities are." Absent-mindedly she started to float up in the air. "I hate to admit it, but she's ranked number three in the Kanto-Johto area for a reason."

Giovanni nodded his head "Acceptable. As loathe as I am to say it If I were to fight her, I'm not completely sure who would win. Both of us along with Koga and Blaine are masters of our type and are at or at least nearing Elite Four Level."

Lt Surge sneered. "Now I've seen everything…The 'Self-Proclaimed Strongest Trainer' admitting he might lose? That's a new one."

"Part of being strong is knowing your limits. Banging one's head on a brick wall leads nowhere. Likewise considering everyone a pebble to be stepped on is just asking for your own downfall. One must always take into account the possibility of losing," Giovanni closed his eyes as if looking back on fond memories.

Koga did respect that about the man, he didn't mince words. If he thought you were going to win, he'd tell you so. Likewise, if you were going to lose, he'd let you know about that too. Of course, this only extended to the commanders–there was no need to freak out the grunts.

"That leaves you for last Koga. I believe I had you perform a mission in northern Kanto."

"Yes. I was assigned to cripple both Cerulean and Pewter in preparation to take their badges."

"Were you successful?" His smile told him he already knew the answer but wanted him to speak it to inform the others. He had submitted his report the day after the incident happened. It just so happened that the next meeting was not for another two weeks.

"No." Sabrina and Surge looked at him in shock.

"Oh?"

He could sense Sabrina rapidly probing his mind for the answer. Through sheer willpower, he forced her out of his mind. The girl let out a faint gasp of pain in response.

"This should be good. Hey 'Brina, think us up some popcorn. It's not often he doesn't produce results."

"Forget it." Sabrina snapped back at Lt. Surge who gave her the finger in return.

"Stealing the Gym Leader's Pokémon was simple enough. However, we met resistance once we got to Mt. Moon to collect some Moon Stones before heading to Pewter. A couple of trainers and the Gym Leader Misty."

That seemed to amuse Sabrina with the both of them being in the same age range. "She finally grew some backbone huh? It's about time. I thought she'd be dismissed before we had to deal with her."

Koga scoffed. "Misty wasn't the three trainers she had as bodyguards. They managed to take down a freshly evolved Nidoking and Nidoqueen."

"Impressive." For Giovanni, that was some of the highest praise he could give. "Ground types tend to rage when they first evolve–Only second to Dragons. Do you have an ID for the three?"

"Two of them are taking the Gym Challenge. Red Taijiri and Izuku Midoriya. One and two badges respectively."

Sabrina once again fell to her cushion and went completely still. After about a minute photos of the two boys appeared behind her.

"I went ahead and looked them up on the old dinosaur the league gave us. Turns out your wrong, Koga. They both have another badge to their names–Misty's; here I got my hopes up. Well, the Red kid anyway. Mr. Broccoli has your badge to his name Koga."

"Don't sweat the small stuff," Lt Surge said, waving his hand dismissively "That was probably a mark of challenge or whatever. Just means the baby has potential. I feel bad for the poor bastard having caught Koga's attention, still, not my problem. I'm more interested in 'da other baby. He looks like someone who speaks my language."

"Gibberish?"

"Yeah! Wait–Fuck you!"

"They don't seem too special to me," Sabrina said, ignoring Lt. Surge frothing in the background. "The next stop in the recommended order is either Surge or Erika. I'd be surprised if one of them doesn't drop out."

"Like our boss said I wouldn't underestimate them," Koga said earning a nod from Giovanni. "There are only three Kanto challengers this year so far. However, I thought I'd ask you a couple of questions about them, Sabrina."

The green-haired girl tilted her head and pointed toward herself. "Huh? Me? Why?"

"Do you have any sort of known family?"

Any traces of curiosity vanished from her face to be replaced with rare outright anger. Lt Surge edged away in fear. "You and the Boss know the answer to that question. What's your point?" she said snappishly.

"The Midoriya child and the girl with them– In addition to both possessing green hair, they also exhibited unusual powers…."

Sabrina's face twitched while Giovanni and Lt. Surge leaned forward in interest.

"What sorts of powers?" Giovanni said as he steepled his fingers under his chin.

"The girl has numerous amphibious qualities to her, including a face that resembles a Politoed, a stronger jump than normal–"

"Lame."

Koga's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "-And a long prehensile tongue capable of picking up objects and reacting fast enough to stop one of my kunai."

"So, the girl is a big ass frog is what I'm hearing. Not too threatening in my opinion."

"I'd beg to differ. We don't know how strong she might be physically. Also, she might be able to use moves or even turn invisible," Giovanni reasoned happily. "Please continue, Koga."

"The boy is a bit more of an enigma. From my observations, he possesses both super strength and super speed. Electricity also came off him. Unknown if he can attack with it. Given the similarities to our own psychic, an inquiry into her family history felt warranted."

Sabrina had been unnaturally still until that moment, her eyes were focused on the photo of Izuku Midoriya with a mixture of sudden hunger and longing.

"I'm going to Vermillion. Surge, I'm staying at your gym."

Lt. Surge went bug-eyed "Why now?!"

"Badge challenge. Your gym is up next in the suggested order. Ergo there's a high chance they go there next. I want to see them for myself, I will look into and evaluate them. Therefore, I will be relocating myself to your gym for the time being." Koga noted she was twirling her finger in her hair, whether consciously or not was anybody's guess.

"Hey, boss you're just going to approve this?!"

Giovanni simply shrugged and offered him a mockingly sincere smile "I don't see why not. You were just shouting about challenging her a moment ago."

Lt. Surge deflated as he leaned back, his arms supporting him. "A battle is different than her crashin' at my place all of a sudden."

"It'll be a nice teambuilding exercise until it's time for the SS Anne to set sail again." Giovanni chuckled at Surge's dismay. He then turned to Koga, that same ambition written over his face, the shinobi tightened his mask in anticipation.

"As for your assignment….I think it's time you were afforded the chance to stretch your legs, don't you think?" At Koga's lack of a reaction, he continued. "I want you to go to Lavender Town."

Sabrina and Surge snapped to attention.

"Now?"

"Ah, so we're gonna fuck with them now."

"Not exactly, Lt. Surge. While we could knock the good Gym Leaders of Kanto out of the game at any point, we need to think long-term. Lavender Town is of very strategic importance. It's the home of Dr. Fuji. If we can capture him, he would be a great boon to Blaine and the science division."

"I'd imagine its current resident wouldn't take too kindly to our presence in her town," Sabrina said.

"Precisely why Koga is being sent. It will no doubt turn into a battle. There's no need to take the city, just capture Dr. Fuji and if he can–kill or capture the opposition. I have my utmost faith that you will prevail." Giovanni smiled at him.

Koga bowed. "I will make sure it is not displaced."

"You are all dismissed."

With a snap of her fingers, Koga's consciousness was returned to his physical body. Without a moment's delay, he got up and went to his weapon's wall.

He was just thinking about how his skills were wasting away; now he was presented with a golden opportunity. This mission would require it all.

Espionage.

Infiltration.

Tactics.

Brute Strength.

Despite everything else….He was excited.

---

In the spirit of the Manga's ending pages, after every arc so to speak I'll list relevant teams and levels

Izuku Midoriya:

Badges: 3(Boulder, Soul, Cascade)

Heracross-Male-Level 25

Ability: Guts

Nature: Quirky

Characteristic: Takes plenty of siestas

Roselia- Female-Level 22

Ability: Natural Cure

Nature: Mild

Characteristic: Alert to sounds

Buneary- Female-Level 29

Ability: Limber

Nature: Adamant

Trait: Likes to thrash about

---

Omake 2:

Current Gym Leader Ranking Revealed! (As per Midoriya's Notes)

Pryce(Leader of Johto)-Lance

Giovanni-Lance

Erika(Leader of Kanto)-Lorelei

Clair-Lance

Blaine-Lance

Koga-Agatha

Chuck-Bruno

Sabrina-Agatha

Jasmine-Lorelei

Lt. Surge-Bruno

Brock-Bruno

Morty-Agatha

Misty-Lorelei

Unable to be ranked:

Azalea-Agatha(Unoccupied)

Goldenrod-Bruno(Unoccupied)

Violet City-Lorelei(Unoccupied)

The Gym Leader ranking changes twice a year! Unlike in my world, the rankings are decided directly by the Elite 4 according to strength and overall skill. There's a totally different ranking for the safest cities as a result. Example: Ecruteak City is considered remarkably safer than Vermillion despite Lt. Surge being ahead of Morty in the standings. Violet City is actually at the top of the standings due to the last leader Walker being the head of the Police in addition to being a Gym Leader.

The Gym Leaders are required to meet with their assigned Elite 4 supervisor every quarter for an inspection. As such every Elite Four member is assigned two Gym Leaders to keep track of. The Kanto-Johto Elite Four are responsible for two regions unlike the others, so the number of their charges increases to well…Four. The Elite Four also receive the right to drop in at any given gym under them at any time. However, it doesn't seem to be that much of an issue.

---

Author's note:

Yeah, baby, we are entering AU territory now! Koga's backstory has been completely changed here. Koga is the character I've been itching to write about once I thought up his story. Pokémon Adventures lends itself surprisingly well for villain vs villain conflicts, but we really only see it in R/S. But not here. Buckle up. Koga's got his own mission, and Team Rocket is just the vessel for him to carry it out.

Also, you may have noticed that Buneary, Starmie, and Gyarados used 5 or more moves in that battle. I'm not adhering to the 4-move limit, the way I see it if it's useful you keep it. Then with the way move remembering works you might as well have more than 4 slots during the in-game campaign. It also gives me a lot of flexibility in how battles go too. The manga also plays into this with the Thundershock vs Thunderbolt/Thunder discussion that pops up in the Emerald chapter.

(For those who don't know, Anabel has her Raikou use Thundershock occasionally because it's easier to control over more powerful Electric-type skills. It's to the point she's able to model a cage from it. Take that Regielecki!)

Red's wake-up scenario also changed there too. He did actually lose to Misty in a gym battle. The manga in its early days heavily mirrored the anime.

Well folks, that puts a neat little bow on the first arc. I'll be taking a break from this story to plot the next arc entirely. I can tell you to be excited because the next chapter is an Eraserhead pov. Please feel free to comment, kudos and review. I love reading everything you guys put.