.upg: Here you go!

frankieu: Thanks for the comment. Nah, those nasty grunts are not safe for consumption. XD

lonetigar20: Thanks, here you go.

Route 2, Kanto

"This is much more troubling than I expected."

Tai let out a tired sigh as he, his Pokemons, and Scyther left Viridian City after they dropped off Team Rocket Grunts with Officer Jenny. Tai was paid another 15,000 Pokedollars for dropping Rocket Grunts, which has been applied since the rise of Team Rocket in Kanto.

After dropping those grunts, Tai decided to be more cautious and asked more about Team Rocket as he believed that this Team Rocket might be different from the useless grunts from the anime. Sadly, he didn't get much info other than they are notorious for hunting down Pokemon and selling them in the black market for some cash, and it seems that they have chosen to lay low ever since the champions of Kanto and Johto declared them as national threats.

Tai tried to ask them why Team Rocket was declared a national threat, but all he got was silence. Tai deduced that it's either they don't know, or it is classified information, one that does not allow anyone to slip up. Tai decided not to ask more, but he felt frustrated for not knowing about it, especially after finding out that Yuuki brought their attention and they were bold enough to capture them and reveal themselves to others to do so.

"I'm sorry…." Yuuki mutters. "I should've remembered that my existence brought so much unwanted attention. And neither of you all were prepared to face such evils…."

"You know about Team Rocket? You sound like you know them based on how you called them ' scums.'" Tai says while emphasizing the last part.

"No one in the Hall of Origin didn't know who Team Rocket is," Yuuki says disdainfully. "And it seems that you knew as well."

"I do. The fiction in my home world describes how bad they are. But, it has different iterations." Tai explains. "Some stories are telling how they create a clone of Mew which they named Mewtwo-."

"Ah, that…." Yuuki mutters in disdain. "Do they think they could be close to Allfather just because they made a clone of Mētēr theōn? Blasphemy."

"Mother of all Gods…." Tai mutters before looking at Yuuki. "What is the relationship between Ar-, I mean, Lord Arceus and Lady Mew?"

"Why do you ask-!?" Yuuki pauses before widening his eyes. "L-Lady Mew is one of Allfather's children! She was called Mētēr theōn because the majority of Pokemons were born from her! Don't assume weird things!"

"S-sorry! I don't know, that's why I ask!" Tai exclaims, wishing the earth would just open and swallow him.

"I….guess that make senses…." Yuuki mutters as they continue to walk. Gintama, who's been sitting on Yuuki's back, decided to hop off onto Tai's shoulder and nuzzled his cheeks. Tai can't help but laugh, feeling a bit ticklish due to Gintama's furs. "Do you have plans for this issue?"

"It's….still a work in progress," Tai replies while petting Gintama.

"Take your time. I'll keep those scums away from you." Yuuki says as Tai merely nods. Yuuki turns his head back with a glare. "What about the extra baggage?"

"Scyth!" Scyther yells in an offended tone, his yell comes from their back. Tai and Gintama turn their heads to face the Scyther.

"Remind me why do you allow him to join us again?" Yuuki asks in a deadpan manner.

"Yuuki, you know why." Tai sighs.

"I know, but do you have to?" Yuuki asks. "I mean, you were right. This requires a professional to help him."

"Yuuki, is there a reason why you seem to be more hesitant towards Scyther but not Gintama?" Tai can't help but ask.

"…..He could at least show some gratitude towards you," Yuuki mutters in annoyance. "You could've saved those portions for later yet you end up giving them away to him. And what did he do? Gives you nothing but a suspicious glare."

Tai can't help but smile at Yuuki. He and Yuuki only know each other for less than a day, yet Yuuki has shown many times how loyal he can be. Tai pats Yuuki's mane, causing him to stiffen a bit before he relaxes.

"Thanks, but that wasn't necessary, Yuuki," Tai says. "I simply hate seeing someone starving. I've experienced them multiple times and hate having people endure such moments."

"… You willing to spend all the money you had to ensure anyone doesn't starve?" Yuuki asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yuuki, I'm not that selfless," Tai says while laughing humorlessly. "I will try to help, but not at my expense. No one, not even heroes should sacrifice themselves for people they don't know. Helping them is okay, but not at the risk of their own life. It may sound noble, but to me, it sounds pointless…."

"Why?" Yuuki asks curiously.

"…..they would hurt their loved one's hearts just by hurting themselves. Try to imagine if you died." Tai says as Yuuki's eyes widen. "Would you have the heart to do that?"

"…..no. I wouldn't want to hurt lord Ho-Oh that way either." Yuuki mutters as Tai smiles.

"People may find my reasons behind it stupid, but I ain't gonna listen to them and let them force me to change my ways," Tai says as Yuuki nods in agreement.

"Indeed," Yuuki says as Tai smiles a bit. "But, I still think carrying extra baggage is unnecessary." Just like that, Tai's smile turns into a blank deadpan expression.

"You just had to go there, did you?" Tai mutters in disbelief.

"I am just being honest." Yuuki defend himself.

"Please don't be rude to our new ba-, I mean, guest," Tai says, trying to react to his slip-ups.

"Hah! You almost admit it!" Yuuki cheers as Tai looks like a deer in a headlight.

"I-I do not! Don't accuse me!" Tai exclaims in annoyance as Yuuki merely laughs. Meanwhile, Scyther could only hear from the distance and scowled at them. He gets that he wasn't the nicest Pokemon they got to deal with, but do they have to be so nonchalant about it? He can't help but find some of Yuuki's choice words hurtful.

Back when he had a trainer, he was the trainer's first Pokemon they ever caught. They had been together for a long time. But, when the trainer decides that he'll evolve him into Scizor, he refuses. It was the moment that became a starting point of his life went wrong, horribly.

First, he was outshined by every one of his trainer's Pokemon, everyone grew stronger than him and he lags. At first, this didn't affect the trainer, but over time, they started to grow annoyed at it.

Second, he becomes a target of constant verbal abuse from his trainer's other Pokemon. The famous words they constantly use are 'useless waste of space', 'weak trash', 'good-for-nothing', and 'baggage'. Just like how his performance annoyed the trainer over time, the trainer soon joined in with the verbal abuses.

Then, the verbal abuse turns into physical. The poor Scyther had to endure being the punching bag for his trainer's other Pokemon, newly caught or the old members. The trainer made excuses for his abuses like 'toughen it up' and 'made him as durable as Scizor'. Scyther didn't raise his voice to complain and endure it, so he could be somewhat useful to his trainer. He didn't even beg his trainer to bring him to the Pokemon Center even when his condition worsened.

In the end, his efforts didn't matter for his trainer. He was released into the wild because the bastard replaced him with a gift Scizor he got from his parents for his birthday. He declares that now he has an actual Scizor, and the Scyther seems to be of no use to his 'well-balanced' team. He had to watch his trainer competing in the tournament and win, without him.

After a long time living under the roof as a trainer's Pokemon, Scyther had trouble re-adjusting to the life of a wild Pokemon. He has trouble hunting for food, the berries seem to be very rare in the forest, and all the accumulated injuries prevent him from flying away from the forest. He had to sleep on cold ground with grasses brushing every part of his exoskeleton and dirt entering the gaps between it. He got too comfortable with his life as a trainer's Pokemon and he hates being in the wild.

He had been in the forest for weeks and he was starved to the point he was unable to move until he managed to catch a heavenly scent that gave him a last bit of strength to move. To his delight, there's food. To his horror, it's a food made by a trainer, who was bare of his legal age and somehow possesses Suicune and a shiny Eevee as his Pokemons. He didn't know how to react, baffled at his insane luck, or in fear at his strength to tame a legendary beast and his skill in getting a shiny Eevee.

After one thing and another, he ends up joining this group of weirdos. One thing that he was surprised the most is the Suicune, as he didn't expect him to be so loyal towards the brat and vulgar enough to insult people with so much venom in his tone.

"*sigh* Anyways, our next stop is Pewter City," Tai exclaims, getting everyone's attention. "We might need to pass through a forest filled with Bug-Type Pokemons, the infamous Viridian Forest."

"I don't recall Viridian Forest being infamous among the human community," Yuuki exclaims, blinking in confusion.

"Nah, I just made that up." Tai chuckles. "I call it infamous because I had…..bad experiences in a forest. So, whenever I encounter a forest, I have to call its name while 'bestowing' the infamous title to it."

"That's…..so random…." Yuuki mutters as Gintama nods in agreement. "So, what made you start calling them that."

"Back when I was a kid participating in a school's camping trip along with my classmates, I got lost there for a few days. I was starving, unable to find food as my survival skills are shits. I…..had to rely on eating living bugs just to survive. It's when I start to never forget to bring some edible foods and try to save it as much as possible for the future when I go on any camping trip." Tai chuckles nervously as the Pokemons can't help but sweatdrop at his words, except for Scyther who seems to turn pale after hearing his story.

"I…doubt that's the only reason, is it?" Yuuki asks uncertainly as Tai nods.

"Yeah, so…..there's another camping trip I had with my parents. It was the worst day ever. When we reached the camping trip, it was raining heavily. We were stuck in our car for what? Ummm, 6 hours. I never felt so cramped in my life, especially since I overprepared, after being traumatized by my first camping trip while ignoring my parents that I don't need to bring so much shit." Tai chuckles. "After raining, Dad had a 'good idea' to set camp on a ground full of mud. Everyone reluctantly does so, while mildly protesting with Dad about his ideas. Let me tell ya, it's a very bad idea. When we sleep, there's this uncomfortable cold feeling on our back, and somehow, water and some mud could leak into our sleeping bag. We were FREEZING that night. And to make it worse, Dad somehow made us set a camp near a bear's nest. And when we're grilling fish that we caught, we attract its attention. We had to cancel the entire camping trip, leaving all of our stuff there, and bolts to our car. The entire family agrees to never go back to any forest ever since that day…."

As Tai continues to tell his story, his smiles slowly fade, which concerns Yuuki and Gintama. They get closer to Tai before nuzzling his cheeks. Tai can't help but give them a shaky smile and pet them, forcing himself to not tear up. Tai may have accepted his current situation, but his heart keeps hurting whenever he remembers them. But, who could blame him? A boy who has a loving family and a promising career was stripped away from his home and forced to live a new life he never asked for.

To be continued