"Um… Sir, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Absolutely fucking not. But I won't have lived this long if I listened to good ideas, so there's no reason for me to start now!"
"... Sir, that makes no sense at al–"
"OI! FIRE BITCH! LET'S TALK! I BROUGHT WINE AND CABLE!"
"S-sir, she already has cable!"
"An extended subscription then. Got the latest crap from the Sinnoh region too. 'Aa-knee-may' or some shit. My grandkids love it, it's about the only good export that lousy totalitarian regime produces. Aside from its guns, of course. But given how Cerulean's AA cannons failed in that last Legendary attack, maybe it's time we ask for a refund. The people of the Indigo League paid good tax money for those, dammit!"
"S-sir, I don't think now's the time to discuss such things!"
"Why the hell not?! Boy, you think wasted taxes are a small thing?! Back in my day, I had to run across fifty miles of volcanic land just so I could skin a Ponyta to pay my shitty tithe-!"
"You have grown even bolder, Bearded One."
"Ho, finally showed yourselves huh, you flaming cock? Kaiju or not, you have some serious explaining to do!"
"..."
"...S-sir, she's that way! You are facing the wrong direction!"
"Hm? Oh, shit. Well, what do you expect, I'm still blind! Oi, Hot Stuff! Fly around and face me when you talk, damn it! You know I still can't see!"
"Oh god, we are going to die…"
"Hmm. Talking to you is always an amusing affair. I don't think I mind your insolence, so long as you keep me entertained, Blaine."
"Entertain yourself, you oversized feathered bitch. Look, I even brought you cable so you could go fuck yourself while you stream through the last ten sessions of The Desperate Housewives or whatever crap you like to watch!"
"Sir, c-can you please just tone it down-!"
"Ohhh, is that the one with 300 channels? Even the ones from Sinnoh?"
"I-what?"
"Yep, got the best just for you, bitch. Some wine here as well, courtesy of our Lord Fourth. Heard it's your favourite."
"Lorelei does know what I like… Very well, I accept your tribute. We may parley."
"What the fu– Just like that?!"
"Boy, shut your mouth. The adults are talking."
"I assume this is about the latest attack my older brother pulled off? Or rather, failed, in his case."
"He still killed a lot of people. So if you meet him, you can tell him we are adding those deaths to his tab. Reaper is going to come calling real soon if he keeps that shit up. Those casualty numbers were not what the League agreed to in the Truce."
"He's trying to provoke you into responding excessively so that he would have an excuse to escalate."
"But-t, Mighty Moltres! He's already breaking the agreed-upon casualty numbers with these excessive attacks!"
"True, but the Truce's stipulation on that part covers the collective fatalities count of all three Calamities, not just for a single bird. As you already know, the kill numbers inflicted by me and my other perverse sibling are drastically smaller than my overzealous Brother. Which means he is technically allowed to be more murderous in his rampages, to make up for our … perceived deficiencies."
"But that's–!"
"Boy, quiet. Look, Sun Crow, if this keeps up, it doesn't matter what the Truce stipulates, we are not going to stand idly by and watch as one of your kind wipes out more than a million lives. Do you expect us to simply smile and accept like an idiot child when you break the spirit of our agreement like they were worth a pile of shit?
"Smile? Of course not. We expect you to comply."
"..."
"Again and again, you humans have misunderstood your situation. We are not equals. You are our inferior. We have the power to easily wipe out your race at any time we want, yet we have humoured you with this Truce to avoid the need for wholesale genocide. You are not in a position to negotiate terms or threaten us. Even if we do not uphold our end of the bargain."
"... Should I take that as the official stance of the Legendaries?"
"Be at ease. I'm simply telling you to accept things you cannot change. I, of course, do not accept the actions of my brother as just. The Great White One is already informed of his transgressions, and will deal with him accordingly."
"A slap on the wrist? I'm supposed to be happy with that?"
"Oh, Blaine… the years have not been kind to you, have they? You who hoped and laboured beyond most for this Truce to work, to bring about a stable, albeit costly, peace to your race. But Gods are petty things. It was never going to last forever."
"Then why did you give one of your Suns away to that brat?"
"W-wait, 'gave away'? I thought our John Doe stole it?"
"Don't be daft. As if this bitch wouldn't put up a real fuss and burn all of the Sveii Isles if she actually lost something she didn't intend to give."
"Hmm… Curiosity? And besides, he earned it, through rite of combat. The boy made me a gamble, one that I lost. It was only right for the victor to walk away with the spoils promised."
"Must be a really special boy then. Daww, is that a crush I hear, Mo-mo?"
"Sir, please don't call her that ever again!"
"He is unique, I will give him that. If you ever get to my age, Blaine, you will understand that sometimes, being interesting is enough to get my attention."
"Gonna tell us what your new crush looks like?"
"All of you look the same to me. But I will remark that it is curious that this is the second time one of your kind has come over to enquire me about the Sun Thief."
"... Second time, eh? Right. Thanks for the tip. Come, boy. We are done here."
"Bring more snacks next time, will you? And get Lorelei to pay off my credit debt and send me another black card. I have already exceeded the year's limit."
"It wouldn't have burst if you would stop buying so much foreign imports, you flaming bitch! Exercise some self-control, won't you?!"
"Sir, we are leaving already? We haven't even got a name yet!"
"League won't ask me to come here if one of their own already went and talked to the bitch, so whoever is looking after this kid is not one of our own. Or at least, not officially, anyway. Given how that boy stood before the storm, I'm certain he's at least invested in protecting Kanto. Which means…"
"W-what?"
"Never mind that. We need to hurry back. My back is killing me from all this walking, and I've got a retired Boogeyman to call…"
Chapter 8: Keep Acting, Hero
The steed was large and heavy, with thunderous hooves that shook the ground as it stampeded forth into the clearing. Branches and roots splintered before its bulk, each step crushing the earth beneath with bone-rattling ferocity.
My eyes rapidly took in every detail of the beast, mind whirling as I tried to identify its species. The quadruped creature had a rounded snout atop a long, serpentine neck, bellowing hot gusts of breath that left visible trails in the cold. A thick, pale-yellow hide wrapped around its muscular frame, and surrounding its neck was a series of tightly curled emerald leaves that shivered aggressively as it paced about the clearing — as if they were alive.
Attached to its torso was a large man-made leather saddle, crafted to fit its frame perfectly. Along with that, a harness holding several bag pouches and camping equipment was strapped across its back. Riding on its back was a young woman, wearing a pair of long, khaki pants along with a plain grey shirt underneath a thick sleeveless dark green vest. Her dark hair cascades into two perfectly styled pigtails that sway with every movement, each secured just below the nape of her neck with sturdy hair clips. Her expression was cold and severe — the mark of an experienced trainer — but it did not distract me from her sharp facial features, long eyelashes, or attractive grey eyes. Upon seeing me, she pulled sharply on the reins tied to her Pokemon's neck while barking out an order.
The beast's hooves dug into the ground and reared up on its forelegs, slowing its momentum to a halt. The Pokemon turned its head towards me, and I finally recognized what it was. Red, furious eyes gazed at me warily as it bared its broad-shaped teeth in my direction. Atop its head, a long unnatural blade of grass rose, glowing eerily as a wave of power flooded the area. The flattened grass in the clearing visibly started rising in response to its movements.
A Bayleef.
Similar to the Ursaring, this was a Pokemon native to Johto and one that I had never personally seen before. In fact, this particular Pokemon was considered even rarer than the Ursaring, so much so that these days they are more often found in human hands rather than in the wild.
A Bayleef was the evolved form of the Chikorita, a Grass-type sometimes used as a Starter in the hands of wealthy rookie trainers. From what I had read, they were a popular choice in Johto, often regarded as an easy-to-train, albeit expensive, Grass-Type Pokemon with a powerful evolutionary line. Seeing the Pokemon before me, rippling with both intimidating physical and mythic prowess despite being only in its second evolutionary form, I found that easy to believe.
However, despite the magnificence of the Pokemon before me, I was far more interested in its trainer. She adroitly dismounted from the Bayleef, inadvertently showing off a hint of her long legs and toned physique. I heard my companion hissed with disbelief in my head.
"If you could please ignore your base impulses for a moment and stop leering like a pervert. We might be in serious trouble here."
"Do you see the black fingerless gloves and combat boots she's wearing?" I mentally replied. "You are not seriously asking me to just ignore her, are you?"
"Oh for the love of–! Most people just choose a set number of fetishes, not change them every time they meet a new–!"
"While I certainly would not deny her attractiveness," I mentally interrupted, amused. "I would like to draw your attention to a few things."
A set of mental images and thoughts was sent over to her psyche, and my companion paused for a moment before realising my point.
"Those are not standard issue gear that just anyone can get."
A civilian or rookie trainer would not be able to tell the differences, but as someone who spends an unhealthy amount of time with his only male friend looking over classified documents regarding the League's technological developments, I was able to discern the nature of this newcomer.
"Reinforced jacket made from Spinarak silk and the sheered wool of a Mareep. All-terrain military boots crafted from the shredded feathers of a Skarmory and the ichor extracted from a Slugma. She was dressed in mind for hostile or hazardous environments. Those gloves… specialised for Pokemon Capture. They are enhanced with a Psylink-control created from the tail of a Girafarig; the product of a recent breakthrough in Psylink technology made by Silph Co. That's the new set of equipment made for Johto's special forces. You're saying she's likely a member of ACE."
It was already problematic that someone found us here without a transponder and surrounded by unconscious Rangers, but with an Ace involved, the situation was even worse.
The ACE organisation served as the personal elite task force of the League. Their members — commonly referred to as Aces — consisted of a group of professional trainers loyal solely to the League and its mission to protect humanity. They were a notch more observant and capable than the standard battler or Ranger. It would be harder to bluff our way out of this with her here. We could always just warp ourselves out, of course. But there was a good chance that her sharp memory would remember our faces and cause more trouble for us down the line.
"You there," the woman called out as she approached. She was a lot younger than I had originally thought. In fact, she may only be a few years older than me. "Are you alright? Do you require medical attention? You look hurt."
It took me a second to realise what she meant. The upper parts of my shirt were still covered in blood, and between my lack of sleep and overuse of psychic powers, I must have looked terrible. I waved my hand nonchalantly.
"It looks much worse than it is," I replied, giving what I hoped was a reassuring smile while mentally assessing the situation. My psychic powers would do more harm than good in this scenario. ACE trainers were all trained to be resistant to such attacks, enough so that even if I could eventually overpower her mental defences, the attempt would take time and definitely not go unnoticed as she struggled against it. Her Bayleef would have me shredded the moment it sensed anything suspicious happening to its trainer.
In any case, I had no intention of harming her unless my life was at stake. The use of psychic attacks on a human was an extremely distasteful and invasive thing to do, something I know far better than most. It did mean that I was left with only my charming personality to find a peaceful way out of this situation, a trait that I couldn't say I have much confidence with against an Ace.
She remained sceptical as she looked over my form, occasionally glancing at the two Ursas still sleeping at my side. I forced myself to remain calm under her analytical gaze. "There's blood in your mouth. Did you take a blow to the head? Such injuries can be deceptively dangerous."
Right, I've forgotten about that. I coughed into my hand, turning away in embarrassment at being seen by a beautiful woman in such a distasteful state. In my head, I heard my companion sigh in irritation. "Rest assured, it's alright. I'm no amateur for you to worry about. The rangers have suffered the brunt of the damage here."
She gave me another concerned look before she shook her head, turning her attention towards the two Rangers resting against the base of the tree. Despite her suspicion of me, the rangers here clearly took a higher priority, given how badly wounded they looked. She knelt next to them, inspecting them closely. The Bayleef remained vigilant, its crimson eyes never leaving me while the blade of leaf on its head swayed hypnotically. The grass around the clearing eerily rippled in sync with it.
"It's using a sensing skill, probably to look out for threats. I'll need to move further away, or I'll risk getting caught."
My companion sounded frustrated. This could be problematic. If the Bayleef decided to attack me while my companion was a distance away, it would be a lot harder for us to escape. However, it would be far more difficult to explain my companion's unique condition if she was forced to reveal herself.
"Stay at the edge of our telepathic link so that we can still communicate without her detecting you," I mentally ordered. "Don't worry about me, I doubt the trainer would hurt me without reason."
"With your luck, you would still find a way to mutilate yourself the moment I leave your side."
"I handled myself well enough with the Ursaring, didn't I?" I mentally replied. She grumbled in acknowledgement before teleporting away, far away enough to be undetectable by conventional means but still close enough for us to communicate mentally.
"I was informed by the ranger's outpost that there were three rangers in the missing squad," she called out to me, drawing my attention. "What happened to the third?"
I nodded towards the bundle of wrapped blankets that sat away from us, slightly drenched in blood. She grimaced before sighing heavily. "I suppose I should be glad that at least two survived, considering what I saw on the mountain. That massacre up there was your handy work, I presume?"
I considered how I should approach the situation. Given that an easy escape was now out of the question, the best course of action would be to make the Ace believe that she was speaking to a trainer, rather than a civilian. Frankly, I don't see any approach that wouldn't lead to her capturing me immediately for questioning. A civilian had no business being in these woods, and if I couldn't prove I was a trainer, she was going to assume I was a renegade who had kidnapped these rangers.
Given how the situation looked, I supposed I should be glad she didn't immediately jump to the latter conclusion and attack me immediately.
"You presume correctly," I replied as I stood up, brushing the dirt off my pants. Saying I dealt with the wild Pokemon up in the mountain wasn't a complete lie, since the work was my companion's and she was technically my Pokemon. The Bayleef beside her bristled slightly at my movements, but the Ace waved for it to calm down. I stretched out a hand while I introduced myself. "Finley Thatch, intermediate Battler, at your service."
The name was another lie, of course, as well as my rank and status as a Battler. Calling myself a beginner would only invite disbelief since there was no way a real beginner battler could have been responsible for the devastation of last night, and calling myself an elite would invite suspicion as to why she didn't recognize me at all, given how all elite battlers hold some degree of fame and recognition among the populace. An intermediate-ranked battler was ideal, given their sheer number and lack of fame within the battling circuit. She watched me for a moment, more curious than wary, before shaking my hand. "Kristina, I'm a fellow battler as well."
It was no surprise she introduced herself as a battler. Aces were not allowed to reveal their true occupations. Then again, I supposed it was possible that she was not an Ace at all, but rather just a battler who managed to get their hands on some exotic gear. Her hand was smaller than mine, but her grip was undeniably strong. Her fingers were unnaturally coarse and rough. Likewise, her arms were muscular and lean, tightly corded with visible veins like those of an acrobat rather than a bodybuilder.
"An Ace Capturer?" I thought to my companion. "The arms and legs fit the role."
"Maybe," my companion replied, unsure. "Her build is nowhere as robust as Daisy's, and I'm not sensing any firearms or explosives on her person, so at the very least I guess maybe we can rule out Ace Assassin?"
"I feel like I've been around Daisy long enough to know if I'm shaking hands with an Ace Assassin."
I smiled and dropped her hand, before nodding towards the Bayleef that was still watching me intently.
"You have a magnificent partner," I said. The Bayleef was well-trained, given how Kristina kept its great innate aggression in check. It looked larger than the regular Bayleefs I have seen in pictures and videotapes, hinting at an evolution that may be soon underway. Impressive, for a trainer her age. "Under normal circumstances, I would ask for a battle, but I'm afraid that my team is a little weathered at the moment."
"How bad?" She asked, taking a step back to look around the clearing. No doubt she found the fact that I didn't have any Pokemon standing guard around me or the injured rangers when she came in suspicious, doubly so given that we had obviously just spent the night here.
"My entire team is down," I replied, nodding towards the trainer backpack beside me, implying that I had kept my Pokeballs in there. There wasn't any, of course, but unless she checked, she wouldn't know. "No fatalities, thankfully, but some are in critical condition. I would rather keep them in Pokeball stasis for the time being."
"I have healing items if you need them," she offered, gesturing to the bags strapped to her Bayleef. I shook my head, hoping my smile wouldn't covey my nervousness. My companion was on edge, ready to spring to my aid the moment my facade was seen through.
"It's quite alright, I have already administered care as best I could," I said. "They could still fight in a pinch, but I rather they rest."
"You chose to have your team rest over guarding you throughout the entire night?" she asked while raising an eyebrow. "That is bold, especially with two wounded men with you."
The Bayleef suddenly stopped waving the blade of leaf on its head, and the sudden stillness in my surroundings as the foliage abruptly stopped swaying with it left me on edge.
The beast's glare never left my face the entire time, but now it stood eerily fixed, as if it had sensed its trainer's suspicion of me and was getting ready to act at a moment's notice. My companion tensed as well, but I forced myself to stay relaxed.
"It was a calculated risk," I replied, forcing myself to sound bashful. "I did take precautions, however. I'm not an amateur. Still, I'm glad you found us this quickly. I was rather nervous, camping here through the night."
Well, my companion took precautions, at least. She didn't exactly tell me what she did to repel the night scavengers, but I could hazard a guess. It wasn't the first time we went camping at night in the woods. As for the lie I am selling, well…
It wasn't too far-fetched, but it wasn't good enough to fully relieve me of suspicion. Everyone knew that having no Pokemon on guard while camping in the wild was a rather foolish thing to do, doubly so with wounded nearby.
She was quiet for a moment, and as the silence stretched on and my composure frayed right on the edge of breaking, the trainer finally relented. She stepped back beside her Bayleef and began looking through one of the pouches strapped to the creature. I let out an inner sigh of relief. "Alright, I understand. I'm sorry for the questions. You must already be exhausted after such a night, you don't need me being accusative as well," she said, tone slightly apologetic.
"It's quite alright, I understand," I laughed lightly. "However, we should get moving. These men need medical care as soon as possible."
"How badly hurt are they? I don't want to make things worse when we move them," she asked while pulling out a bundle of rope. "I noticed you had already administered them medical aid. It's well done."
"Thank you," I replied while picking up the backpack beside me. The two Ursas are still asleep, and I don't relish the thought of carrying them all the way back to town, however far that is. Perhaps she would be willing to help with that? "It's not the first time I had to give emergency care. Hopefully, it would hold them together till they reach the hospital. Speaking of their injuries…"
I gave her a quick rundown of their wounds, the care I administered, and the monster that did this to them. I left out the advanced serum I gave them from the Professor's Doctor's Bag, as well as how I dealt with the monster. There was no way to properly explain either of those things without raising some alarm bells.
As we spoke, we made preparations to move. The two rangers couldn't be roused from their sleep, so Kristina had decided to strap them onto her Bayleef and have it carry them back to civilisation. The beast certainly looked strong enough for it, although it was clearly against the idea. The Ace had to persuade it with promises of treats, which was amusing until the beast caught me smirking at it. I will be remembering the vicious snarl on its face for a while.
"An Ursaring," she muttered in amazement. "Normally I would find that hard to believe, but the forest has been acting strange these past few weeks. Still, I never thought even they would be roused from their hibernation." The presumed Ace looked at me out of the corner of her eye as she tied the rangers to the back of her Bayleef, but rather than solely suspicion, there was a hint of respect as well. "You claim to only be an intermediate battler? You must be rather skilled to have taken down the bear. Not to mention all the other beasts you had to fight along the way."
"I'm on my fourth badge," I lied as I finished the makeshift stretcher. Truthfully, I didn't have a single one. Heck, I didn't even have a trainer's licence, which legally means I can't own a Pokemon, much less one as powerful as my companion. "It was a rough battle, but I knew what I was going up against. One of the rangers told me what happened to them before he fell unconscious. As for the rest of the beasts that came after, well… It took quite a bit to throw the local wildlife off my scent, but I think I did a good enough job."
"And even after the ranger told you that the monster who attacked them was an Ursaring, you still went and rescued them? You are rather brave, aren't you?" she said, shaking her head in disbelief as she finished securing the two living rangers.
"We took an oath," I shrugged. I was referring to the trainer's oath taken by every Pokemon Battler, made mandatory by the laws of the League. One of the lines was to always answer the call of a distress signal and lend aid to a fellow human who needs it in the wild.
"Most don't care much for it anymore," she replied, scratching her Bayleef's neck as she made a final check to ensure the rangers wouldn't fall off. "You would have been in the right to just walk away after contacting the nearby ranger stations. No one would have expected you to actually rush off to face an enraged Ursaring and save these men, especially since you are only an Intermediate battler."
"It mostly worked out anyway," I said. I eyed the corpse that remained tightly wrapped in blankets on the grass. "I only wished I could have saved them all."
Trainer Licenses
Under League regulation, it is mandatory for everyone to possess a League license to indicate their proficiency with Pokemon. The lowest grade and bare minimum of Pokemon License an individual must possess is a basic Civilian League License. Most would obtain theirs during their youth, often as part of their academic curriculum. The main purpose of the license is mostly to impart the most fundamental of Pokemon safety knowledge to the populace, while also subtly encouraging more people to train Pokemon professionally.
The basic Civilian League license allows anyone to possess a single tier 1 Pokemon. An intermediate Civilian license allows up to three tier 1s and a single tier 2. The highest civilian license allows for four Pokemon, with a maximum of one tier 3 Pokemon. Special Civilian licenses, such as those for Breeders, Coordinators, or workers whose occupation requires the use of Pokemon in a non-hostile environment, have their own sets of rules and regulations.
For Battlers, the number and tier of Pokemon the trainer can have would depend on the number of gym badges they possess. That said, however, even a basic Battler license already allows the possession of up to six tier-3 Pokemons — far greater than what most Civilian licenses will ever allow. This limit of six Pokemon will remain regardless of how many badges a trainer possesses. The rule applies even to the Champion and is strictly enforced aside from the most desperate and exceptional of circumstances.
AN
Thanks for reading. Next chapter will be up next Friday.