Chapter 7: Just Stay Quiet
"Holy cow this city is big." Mistuhide said as the crew pulling the cart arrived at Rustburo city. It was bigger than all three towns they had previously been to put together. The buildings were massive and the vibes screamed hustle and bustle. As the first family walked with pace right past the party they glanced up at the gaggle of pokemon and the slakoth in costume and completely either didn't notice the pokemon group or literally in their hustling state thought Katsuie was a boy.
"See I told you it would work!" The treecko was very happy at this first test.
"Dude fooling one person isn't the whole world. Besides, what happens when he has to speak?" Nagamasa retorted. Sure the first trial had him happy at the potential but he was very skeptical going forward.
"Well….I guess so long as people don't demand that I speak maybe we can make this work." Katsuie replied. All agreed that people loved to talk about themselves and perhaps would never notice the boy not speaking. Luckily Mitsuhide and Motonari were literate and all understood human speak despite not being able to reply in that language.
The party did feel more emboldened and growing in faith to their cause with them passing through a pokemon center and the local nurse joy not noticing or caring that Brenden was a different kind of trainer. As they left the building all healed up the group sat down for lunch and began thinking.
"So there is a gym here. Our first challenge." The treecko let the others know.
"I hear this gym favors both you and me." Motonari replied. Roxanne was a leader under the rock variety and the Treecko and Wingull would have an advantage in the building.
"Good thoughts Motonari." Masamune replied. "Do we charge in and get that badge?" "Oh by the way I picked this for bullet seed off that corpse earlier."
"Epic find Masamune!" Mitsuhide felt very confident with a more powerful grass move at his disposal.
"Hold up guys." Nagamasa had a thought. "There are only 5 of us. Parties in combat are allowed by pokemon rules according to this pokedex to have 6 active fighters. Meaning technically we by default are running around with slakoth listed as an active party member for fighting."
"So?" Masamune didn't seem to follow the train of thought. The zigzagoon explained that if they were failing in a tough fight that an opposing trainer could see the slakoth and then begin questioning Brenden's identity.
"I don't know about that Naga." The wingull replied scratching his head with his feathers. "People aren't that smart." All laughed but they did also see a good to bolstering the party a tad before just bulldozing into the gym recklessly.
"There are two routes nearby, if we follow Brenden's legacy and rules we may be able to pick up two new friends." Mitsuhide was optimistic.
"But how will we convince them to join the cause of a stranger that they never met?" Nagamasa exclaimed.
"Well that's your job bro." Masamune said as he slapped the zigzagoon on the back. Nagamasa was not amused at being the party liaison and negotiator but also knew that slakoth spoke too slow, Masamune might eat them by accident, Motonari was too regal, and Mitsuhide…Well the actual leader of the party didn't have an excuse but Nagamasa just accepted his role in the coming moments.
"Fine let's quickly see if we can gain a couple new friends before we fight this gym. I am getting antsy." The party first trotted north to see whom they could convince.
….
"Am I drunk or is there literally just a bunch of ledges we apparently can't climb or wingull can't fly over and a body of water?" Mitsuhide was furious at this finding. Route 115 at this moment presented zero options either for training or for making a new friend. The treecko went over and bopped the zigzagoon on the head and the party immediately returned to the city, looking to head East.
"Its not my fault guys I didn't know!" He called to the others upset that his plan was now 0 for 1. "Maybe we could find a fishing rod?"
"A FISHING ROD! WHO THE HECK IS GONNA GIVE US A FISHING ROD?" The wingull spoke from atop the poochyena's head.
"DUDE I'M JUST SAYING LETS HAVE SOME FAITH HERE MOTONARI!" The Wingull slapped himself in the face as the party returned the way they came.
The group did an about face as they entered the town much to the surprise of one family sitting at a coffee shop that noticed the party of pokemon moving about.
"Why is that cluster of pokemon acting like they have a trainer and pulling that slakoth?" The wife said to the husband.
"Baby girl we don't get paid to deal with stuff like that. Let's just mind our business." He said back as he guzzled down a large mocha latte.
The party entered quickly into Route 116 and quickly saw easy access to tall grass. "Yes I told you guys!" Nagamasa exclaimed in joy as he saw that at least he was going to have 1 chance to up the total party members prior to their first gym conflict.
"This did work out Nagamasa. Alright spread out and find us that friend." The party searched quickly and then Wingull ran smack into a Whismur.
"Im sorry I must have been in your way please forgive me." The whismur bowed in reverence. Motonari laughed as he called out to the boys that they found their new ally.
…..
"So that's the story and why we are on a mission." Nagamasa said finishing the explanation. They extended a hand of friendship to the whismur.
"Do I have a choice on whether I join you or not?" she replied.
"I mean I could just eat you." Masamune spoke candidly. The whismur agreed very quickly to join the party.
"So what should we call her?" Nagamasa spoke looking toward Mitsuhide. The treecko sat down and smacked his tail on the ground a few times, he wished to honor his master's naming style and still give the whismur a fair party nickname.
"How does Kicho sound?" He asks the whismur. The she didn't seem to excited about the name and soured her face. Then Masamune growled and suddenly the name seemed quite enticing to the Whismur.
"Yes why not" she spoke. "I am Kicho!" The party was all smiles as they knew the task before them for the day was to bolster up as they could before marching on the gym.
"Be careful guys the bounty is still on Brenden's head so I bet some trainers won't hesitate to jump us." Kicho was tense at the situation to which Katsuie just told her to chill out and relax.
"HOLY COW ITS THAT DUDE WITH THAT FACE!" A voice called from the distance as if right on cue. (Huh sounds like its planned chaos by a lazy author). The trainers of the route sprang into action against the crew. Mitsuhide was ready however. A silcoon, nincada, a zagzaoon, and a marrill popped out and charged the group. Motonari fired a salvo of water guns at the nincada which dropped the mon dead after a few hits. The silcoon just sat there an hardened to which Mistuhide pounded it until it fell over passed out. The Treecko shook his head as to why a trainer would see such a monster as a defense for themselves. Masamune and Nagamasa took down the Marill and the Zigzagoon with a combination of the bites and headbutts showing that the party was ready for this flurry.
"NOT SO FAST!" from the distance a Machop appeared ready to disrupt the fun of the gang.
"Don't worry guys I got this!" Motonari signaled to the others. The others were cautious of the bird's confidence. Masamune felt the pressure of the fighting pokemon and found himself careful of it, the same with all the others. However, the flyer felt no issue at the battle. He quickly flapped high and shot a couple of water guns weakening the machop. The fighter then dropped a low kick in the bird which did almost nothing due to the move being something only useful against those with massive amounts of weight upon them. The bird laughed as he then flew high and then dropped the final water gun shot onto the machop below knocking him to the earth cold. All the party cheered as such a threat was dispatched with seeming ease.
"Watch out!" The wingull quickly dodged an incoming rock hurled his direction. Coming in quick were a cluster of 3 geodudes. All ready to chunk rocks at the gang. The gang moved behind a nearby tree stump to gather themselves as they looked to the Treecko for guidance.
"Mistuhide! What is the plan here?" The dog hollered as a rock smashed into their barrier log. The Treecko closed his eyes and began thinking. He then snapped his fingers and remembered the TM that he had recently learned, "Bullet Seed." He signaled the crew that he got this then jumped over the log and walked forward toward the trio attacking and encroaching. He then took his stance and powered up summoning the seeds. He then fired the barrage of fertile pellets upon the geodudes, who were unable to handle the rapid fire of little grass bombs upon them, knocking them down to the ground in quick succession. Their trainers quickly recalled all the mons and then fled in fear as the absence of their defenders left them without protection from the "murder of prof Birch."
As they fled Masamune chased them from range before returning and giving their leader a high five. In fact, all lauded the work of the treecko stomping the geodudes onslaught and volleys.
"Bro I was actually scared there for a minute." Masamune spoke to the others.
"I almost died there." Motonari exclaimed. Katsuie and Kicho didn't speak much but did offer thanks to the party for their valor in the moment and felt emboldened to the cause going forward. Belief in the party was on the rise.
"Guys, with the move. I feel good lets immediately go take on that gym!" Mitsuhide clenched his fists in excitement.
"We need to break for a bit first." The slakoth spoke killing the vibe.
"Why?" Masamune questioned.
"Because Kicho crapped her pants."
"No I didn't." The whismur was blushing more pink than normal. Everyone in the party looked down and saw the brown pile on the ground next to her feet. Then they all looked up at Kicho, and then back at the pile, and then once more back at Kicho.
"Kicho, there is literally a pile of poop at your feet." Masamune broke the awkward silence.
"But I didn't crap my pants!" She continued to defend herself. All looked really puzzled or just assumed she was embarrassed by the occasion. "I am not wearing pants." The statement knocked the entire party over in shock at the stupidity of the statement.
"There is a stream nearby. Go clean up we'll move back toward the village and then go for the gym in the morning." Mistuhide proclaimed to the others. They were ready for battle and knew the road ahead was theirs for the taking.