Woof, took a while to make this one. Fighting scenes are really hard. I put a poll about whether to do the evolving or no, it should be in my profile, if not, please tell me and if anyone knows how to do it, write me instructions that a child could understand. Technology and me are like directions and Zoro, sometimes is easy sometimes is a struggle. Really glad that people are enjoying both of my stories. I have planned a few interesting changes, some minor, others mayor. They will have repercutions. Or not. Next chapter will be the end of Orange Town Arc, then I will go to My Aura Hero and so on, and like that. I plan on writing these two stories and as soon one of them is finished I will write a new one. I left a list I plan on writing in the future. Most likely, by April-May. Hope you like this chapter!
2
"What do you mean you haven't found my map!? How can a simple girl evade the best pirates in the East Blue?!" Captain Buggy screamed at his men. The captain resembled a clown with his red nose and blue hair tied by a ponytail. Vertical scars crossed both of his eyes, and a crossbones tattoo stood on his forehead.
Buggy the Clown Pirate was furious. A single girl had stolen his map. The map that showed the Grand Line. Buggy remembered that cruel and dangerous sea. He knew how dangerous it could be. Having a map of it would be a huge advantage over many pirates. Mostly the rookies and the ones that had never seen the most treacherous and dangerous sea ever created.
A single girl was making a fool out of him. And his useless men were unable to catch her!
"AAAAARRRRRGGHHHHH!" He yelled furiously. He was so angry that he started to throw knives randomly. His men jumped and evaded the deadly projectiles. Most impacted the deck and mast of the Big Top, the Buggy's pirates ship.
After a while he started to relax. He thought about how to find the thief. Orange Town wasn't that big, but she was slippery. They hadn't found her boat yet. She could escape at any minute with the map. And then, how would he find her?
"Captain, look!" One of his men pointed at the sky. A light was blinking. It changed into a shape, a big one. It started to grow. No, it was getting closer.
"Get cover!" Buggy ordered his men.
The object impacted, ripping one of the sails and destroying part of the deck. The crash kicked up a cloud of dust. When it parted the Buggy pirates saw that it wasn't an object. It was some of his men.
"Wait, this is Sako and his friends. They were the ones chasing that fucking thief! She must have done this!"
The pirates started to scream. They wanted blood for their comrades.
"Captain, let me go. I will find that thief and avenge our comrades" the man that spoke wore a white furry vest, with his white hair shaped to look as if the man had bear ears on top of his head. Mohji the Beast Tamer, Captain Buggy's first mate. What made him so dangerous was his pet lion Ritchie, a dangerous beast that only he could command. Mohji claimed that he could control any animal that he wished but his comrades never saw him do it.
"Mohji! Perfect. Go show this thief what happens when one crosses with the Buggy's Pirates!" Buggy's crew cheered at his captain's proclamation.
Mohji smirked smugly at another pirate. His rival just glared at him for his little victory. It didn't matter. He would get his chance to prove himself superior to Mohji. He just had to be patient.
Back in the town three people and one Pokemon were walking.
"Why are you two following me? I told you, I hate pirates" Nami glared particularly at Luffy. The pirate just stared at her blankly before pointing at himself.
"I'm just looking for a store to buy some things. Pikachu and I still have a long journey ahead"
"I'm hungry. I want some food"
Nami just kept walking. If she had been alone with Luffy she could have easily fooled him, maybe keep pretending he was her boss and let him carry all the guilt. Fooling a dumb guy like Luffy was easy. Fooling two people was different. She didn't want to know what it felt like to be electrocuted after all. She just wanted to leave this island and keep moving. She couldn't die. Not here. Not now.
"Wow, these pirates really did a number here" Luffy looked at the destroyed houses "I hope there is meat left. I want to eat meat"
Nami's eyes twitched. She really hated pirates. Selfish brutish thugs that destroyed everything they touched.
"Woof" the three stopped. In front of them stood a small white dog. The dog was sitting in front of a pet store that somehow wasn't destroyed.
"Ah, a dog. Come here buddy" Luffy smiled cheerily and went to pet the canine. That's when the dog bit his hand.
"AHHHHHHHHH! STUPID DOOOOG!"
"Hey Luffy, do animals hate you or something?" Ashley asked seriously. Based on his previous story, she started to believe it.
"Stupid dog! What's your problem?!" He angrily shaked his bleeding fist at the dog. The canine growled at him and bared its teeth.
"He probably senses that you're a pirate" Nami stated with her arms crossed.
"You really hate pirates don't you Nami?" Ashley looked her straight in the eyes. Nami´s eyes narrowed.
"Pirates are thugs and monsters that just care for themselves. They kill and destroy everything in their path"
"So, you think all pirates are the same?" "Yes" "Shame" Ashley sounded sad. Nami gave her an incredulous look. How could anybody believe that pirates could be good people? She smiled at the orangette.
"Before coming here I traveled a lot back home. I met lots of people. Some were good, some were bad and others were horrible. There were three of them that basically followed me everywhere just to capture Pikachu. They were kind of idiots, but I saw how loyal they were to each other and to their Pokemon. There were a few times when they just did normal things, like sell food or participate in competitions to earn some money. And when it was necessary for everybody to put aside their differences and work together, they did it"
Trainer and Pokemon remembered fondly those three idiots. Despite being nuisances and criminals, they were good people. At the bottom of course.
"Wait right there you hooligans! Don't you dare hurt Chouchou!" A man came running towards them. He was an old besplected man wearing a leather armour around his chest, arms and legs.
"Wait, wait we are not going to hurt him!" Nami stepped in front of the stranger.
"Like I will believe you, bunch of pirates! Wasn't it enough that you destroyed this beautiful town? Now you want to hurt a poor dog? Shame on you!" The old man grabbed a lance from his back and pointed it at them.
"Wait, look. Yeah Luffy is a pirate but we just got here. And he doesn't even have a crew" Ashley started to explain their situation. How she came across him while at the sea, that they cam to the island to reunite with his friend Zoro and restock some supplies. How they met Nami by chance while she was being chased by some guys.
The man stared at them. Nami gulped and looked ready to bolt. Pikachu leaned against his trainer leg. Both Ashley and Luffy stared back at the man. He didn't say anything. Then his grip relaxed and he sighed.
"I believe you. My name is Boodle, I am, well was, the mayor of Orange Town" Boodle said bitterly.
"Were?" Nami asked.
"Yes. When those blasted pirates first came they destroyed our beautiful home. It was ironic. This town was formed by people who wished to avoid pirates. In the end, it was for nothing"
The bitterness and anger in his voice was palpable. Nami grabbed her left arm, Pikachu jumped to Ashley's left shoulder and rubbed his cheek against hers, trying to comfort her. Luffy seemed quiet, but Ashley could note that he wasn't. The boy may be a pirate, but he didn't agree with what had been done to Orange Town.
Boodle walked towards the store. Chouchou didn't stop him. After a few minutes he came back, with a bowl of food and one filled with water. He put them next to Chouchou and talked to the canine.
"Make sure to eat it Chouchou. You are going to need your strength" the mayor smiled at the animal. The dog just barked and after glancing at Luffy and the others started to eat.
"After the pirates attacked we all left, all except for Chouchou"
"Why?" Nami asked
"Because of the store. The man who opened this place was my friend, Hocker, and Chouchou was his dog. He was his best friend. They spent all their time together. Until Hocker got ill. He didn't want to worry Chouchou so he told him to protect the store until he got back. He never did. He died a few days later in the hospital. I tried to explain it to Chouchou dozens of times, but he refuses to leave. Even when the pirates came and destroyed everything, Chouchou stood there, protecting the store. I guess, that in Chouchou´s mind, this place is his treasure"
They all stood there in silence. After the animal stopped eating he went back to his previous position. Luffy stared at him and then turned to the street.
"Where are you going?" asked Boodle.
"I´m hungry, I want meat" his tone was simple. Ashley and Pikachu went with him.
"Eh? Ashley?" Nami sounded confused.
"I still need to find a place with supplies. Besides I promised Luffy that I would help him find his friend. I keep my promises, right Pikachu?" "Pika"
"Really? Thank you! Hey, wanna join my crew?" the rookie captain asked the trainer.
"Mhh. I don't know… What do you think, Pikachu?" she turned towards her starter. The mouse rubbed its chin and thought about it thoroughly. On one hand Luffy was a pirate, which made him a criminal immediately. On the other, as soon as their identities are leaked, they will have the entire World Government and who knows what else coming for them.
Pikachu leapt from Ashley´s shoulder and stood in front of Luffy. Mouse and human stared into each other's eyes. Pikachu wanted to know if this human was trustworthy, like his trainer and the friends they made in their journeys. Before he could voice his opinion a roar interrupted them.
"ROOOOOAARRR!"
Coming from their opposite direction was a lion. The beast was bigger than a normal lion, snarling and glaring at them. Riding it was a man whose white hair resembled a bear's head.
"Damnit, that´s Mohji and his pet lion Ritchie. He is Buggy´s first mate" the mayor was nervous. If the lion attacked, then none of them would survive. He couldn't protect his town, all he could do was evacuate his people. Even then he wasn't able to save them all. If he left now, then these kids and Chouchou will die.
"Stay behind me and run" he turned towards the white dog "Chouchou you need to listen to me. You must run. If you don't run you will die" Chouchou didn't listen. He kept stubbornly staying in front of the store.
"Forget Mister Boodle, we need to run now before he sees us" Nami grasped the mayor's arm. She may be a thief, but she wasn't about to let an innocent man die in front of her. The mayor refused to leave. While Nami discussed with Boodle, Ashley prepared herself. She grabbed one of the Pokeballs on her belt and prepared to activate it. Pikachu went to her side, his tail stood straight and his cheeks sparked. The mouse Pokemon was getting ready for a fight.
Luffy didn't move. Whatever the pirate was thinking he wasn't showing it.
"A girl with short orange hair and big bust wearing a sailor's shirt" Mohji pointed towards Nami.
"Ah ah, flattery will get you everywhere mister" Nami blushed at the compliment.
"You are the thief that stole the Captain's map and beat up our comrades. Ritchie eat her"
Nami´s face became white snow at Mohji´s order. She took a step back.
"The comrades you are talking about were three guys with swords and guns?" Ashley suddenly asked. Mohji looked at her suspiciously.
"Yes" "Ah, Nami didn´t beat them, I did" "Pika" "Ok, ok, Pikachu did it. Happy?" "Chu"
"I see, you are this thief teammate." "Nope, I just don't like it when somebody else takes credit for my team and mine´s achievements. We are prideful you know" Both trainer and Pokemon nodded proudly at her statement.
"I see. Ritchie, eat them all" the lion started to move when he started to sniff. His head moved towards the pet store and he started to walk there.
"Wait Ritchie, what are you doing? Oh, you want a snack first. Fine, but then we are killing these two" Ritchie roared in agreement and kept walking towards the store.
Chouchou immediately blocked the lion´s path and began to bark and growl.
"A dog? What a drag. Fine. Dog, I order you to stop your growling and to follow me" Mohji imperiously pointed at Chouchou. He leapt and bit Mohji on his leg.
"AHHHHHH, STUPID DOOOOOG! GET OFF! GET OFF!" The so-called Beast Tamer shaked his leg and punched the dog, trying to dislodge it from his leg. Eventually Chouchou let go and fell to the ground. He kept growling and snarling at his foes.
"Ritchie, deal with this pest"
The lion lifted a paw and struck him. The little dog´s body crashed against a lamppost. He began to get up and kept growling when a figure walked past him.
"Stop" "Hmm?" "That store is Chouchou´s treasure. So leave" Luffy stared seriously at Mohji. The elder pirate just made a motion and Ritchie lifted a paw to strike the younger pirate. Luffy took the blow completely and crashed against a house.
"Ha, stupid kid" Mohji sneered at the house.
"Luffy" Nami said. She didn't like pirates. She hated them. But Luffy was different. All the pirates that she had stolen from were brutes and thugs that didn't care about anybody else. But Luffy, he risked himself for a dog. To protect a dog's feelings.
"That kid…" Boodle was sad, he was just a useless old man who couldn't even serve as bait.
"Don´t worry. Luffy is tougher than he looks" Ashley was relaxed. Luffy could take care of this idiot by himself. She knew it the moment she dragged him from the ocean and saw barely a bruise on his cheek. The cheek that Pikachu hitted with Slam.
The thing with attacks like Slam or Mega Punch was that they weren't just physical attacks, a small amount of energy fortified them. In those two cases it was Normal type energy. That energy was dangerous, it was what made the attacks much stronger, especially when the Pokemon that wielded it was strong.
A sound was heard from the house that Luffy had crashed into.
"Gomu Gomu noooo Rocket!" Luffy crashed right into Ritchie. The impact made the tamer and the animal fall to the ground. Luffy bounced back to the street. A wild grin was on his face and his right hand holded his straw hat to his head.
Ashley smirked. Luffy was a fighter. She knew it.
Ritchie was the first to get up. The beast crouched and then jumped right at Luffy, his claws out on this occasion. Luffy just pivoted on his leg and prepared to launch a punch.
"Gomu Gomu nooo Pistol!" Luffy's arm stretched and hit Ritchie's upper jaw before he could land on top of him. The lion fell on his back and didn't move again.
Luffy's arm whipped and went back to its normal shape.
"W-wh-what the hell?!" Nami and Boodle screamed at the same time. Nami had seen Pikachu electrocute those pirates, yes. But Pikachu was an animal from a strange place. Luffy was a human, like she.
"I am a rubber man, I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi"
"A devil fruit. You ate a devil fruit" Mohji trembled at that fact. His captain needed to know. He needed to know!
"Sorry Ritchie! I will come back later for you!" Mohji ran straight to the port where the Long Top was docked.
"Not so fast, Pikachu Quick Attack!" "Pika pika!" Pikachu ran so fast his form blurred. He hit Mohji in his back. The pirate screamed in pain and fell forward unconscious.
"Well done buddy" she scratched his head "Pi kaaa" he leaned into her touch happily.
Trainer and pirate shared a smile.
Chouchou limped back to the store. He managed to reach the entrance before collapsing.
"Chouchou" Boodle murmured. It was hard for the mayor to see the canine unable to leave his self appointed post.
Luffy sat alongside Chouchou. The dog stared at him for a while. Then he whined.
"Don't worry. Even if this store falls your owner won't be mad. He didn't want you to be worried, so he lied. He isn't coming back"
Chouchou's face started to crumble in sadness. The canine knew it. He knew it. But he can't leave. Hocker told him to protect the pet store. To protect their home. If he left it, how would he remember Hocker?
"You don't need a place to remember him. You loved him, didn't you? As long as your heart remembers then you two will always be together" Ashley added her own thoughts. She knew what it was to lose a friend. She knew what it was to not know if she was ever going to see her friends again.
"Chouchou" the mayor knelt in front of him "I too miss him. He was one of my best friends. He was one of the founders of this town. I knew him for so many years. I try to remember the good things, the good times we spent together. This pain, it will be there forever Chouchou. But it won't always hurt so much"
Tears began to fall from the canine's eyes. The mayor pet him, rubbed his fur and sat there with him.
"Mayor Boodle, you said that when the pirates attacked the villagers escaped" Ashley began.
"Yes, we went to the forest until they decide to leave. This island is too small and unimportant for them to keep. Most likely they will leave sooner or later. We just need to keep hiding until then" his tiredness and bitterness was obvious. Only the bare hope that the pirates would eventually leave kept him standing.
Ashley grabbed her bag and began to look for something. It was some type of spray bottle, the body violet and the sprayer white. She knelt next to the small dog.
"Chouchou, this is going to sting a little, but then you will feel much better. When you are better please leave with the mayor. I am sure they will all be happy to see you alive and well. Ok?"
The canine didn't answer. Finally he gave a small nod. The trainer smiled and sprayed the potion on his injuries. Chouchou whined a little. Pikachu patted him and comforted him. A few seconds later his injuries started to close until they were gone. Chouchou got up, smelled himself and gave a lick to Ashley's hand and barked at Pikachu.
"Much better right" "Pika pi" "Bark bark"
Chouchou looked at Boodle and nodded. He would go with him. He looked at Luffy and gave him a grateful look for saving his treasure. The pirate just grinned and nodded. He understood how precious and important it was own person's treasure.
For Luffy, his straw hat was more important than anything in the world.
Except meat. Meat was the best thing ever.
"Let 's go Chouchou. You three can come too. It's not a five star hotel but it's safe"
"No thanks old man" Thank you but no" "Chuu"
"Eh?" "We have to take care of something, right Luffy?" "Yes. Besides we are still missing Zoro" "Maybe the fight will work as a beacon" "Shishishishi! Yeah you are right!"
"Wait, don't tell me…" Nami began to realize what they were about to do. But why? Luffy was a pirate, and Ashley was a stranger. Why?
"Why?" The thief asked the trainer and the pirate. They both stared at each other and then responded.
"Because I really want to beat up that jerk"
And with that they began to walk to the direction Mohji and Ritchie had come from.
Nami stood next to Boodle. The mayor was trembling. Not in fear, but in anger. Two children were about to risk their lives and they told him to run and protect himself.
"Young lady please protect Chouchou. I will save your friends"
Friends. Save. No.
Nami blocked his path with her arm.
"I'm the reason Buggy is still here. If I hadn't stolen this map he would have already left. I am a thief that steals from pirates. Like hell I'm letting another pirate solve my problems"
She ran to the others. Boodle wanted to follow them. He wanted to stop feeling so useless.
"Wait, this isn't your fight! I will take care of Buggy" Boodle ran to them. He stood in front of Luffy. He just wanted to protect his home. To prove that he could do it.
Pain erupted from his abdomen. He looked down and saw Luffy's fist. The young pirate had hit him. In mere seconds he was unconscious, with Luffy supporting his weight.
"Why did you do that?!" Nami screeched at his actions. Luffy's face was blank. He put Boodle on the ground, next to Chouchou.
"His people need him more alive than dead. Chouchou, make sure he goes back to the others when he wakes up" "Bark"
"You really are the wierdest pirate I had ever seen" Nami murmured.
Luffy grinned and kept walking.
He didn't care what others thought of him.
He wasn't a hero.
He just wanted to break Buggy's face for insulting the villagers feelings.