Beta: Gerald_Of_Revea
AN: I'm changing this story to M-rated on FF .net I swear too much in my fics for that not to be the case. Also, forgot to mention but Zoopydee is friggin Psychic for guessing Cloud stole from the Team Rocket Hideout before Chapter 3 was even out!
-Celadon City-
"Jenny!" I grinned into the phone. "It's been ages since I've heard from you, how have you been?"
"...I'm sorry, but who am I speaking to?"
"Yeah, it's great to hear from you too!" I ignored her trying to correct herself. "Anyway, Jen dear, I'm in a Rocket hideout right now, got some lovelies here that could use a home, want to meet up for brunch?"
"Are you saying that you are in a Team Rocket Hideout?" she questions in a serious tone as I turn the corner to the next hall.
"Yep, accidentally stumbled on it, didn't have the warmest of welcomes but I got some Pokémon here that could- Oh wow."
My surprise was genuine, even if it didn't sound like it. Granted, most people would probably have a much more visceral reaction to seeing someone bleeding out on the floor with 3 stab wounds in the chest.
The problem I had was that I didn't really know the proper way to react to these situations.
"You know, I think it's best I make a call to you later, don't worry I'll come with the goods," I say, ignoring Officer Jenny's protest. "Love you, bye!" I hung up the phone, rushing towards the man lying up against the wall.
"James?" I whispered, my hand gravitating over the claw marks on his chest.
He was breathing, but lucky to be alive. If this was a movie I'd say he was dead for sure.
Now that I get a better look at the wounds, It obviously wasn't from a sword or a knife or any other bladed weapon that I previously thought it was. Honestly, it was a stupid thought now that I got a closer look at what were obviously claw marks.
"Dragon Claw?" I muttered, getting a chuckle from the man in front of me, which quickly turned into a hacking cough.
"Shit, sorry. Sinastra, get me some bandages," I start to say, but Sinastra placed some in my hand before I could finish my sentence. Giving a nod in thanks, I inspected the wounds more closely.
"Any other wounds or is it just the three on your chest?" I ask while unfolding the bandages, in which James just shook his head.
"Leave me," He croaked. "I don't-"
"Yeah, I don't do that song and dance," I interrupted him. "Ya think I'm going to let ya die, James?" I grinned, "Legends never die."
I was full of shit, but I'd feel bad if I didn't give him some comfort if he died.
I wasn't a medic, and most of my healing supplies were for Pokémon. With Sinastra's help to keep James still, I carefully wrapped the bandages around the wounds, ignoring James's pained cries for now.
"We need to get you to Nurse Joy," I frowned. "Closest thing to a hospital is the Pokémon Centre, and Joy has Pokémon that can treat those wounds. I don't."
"They will turn us in," he croaked. "Our Pokémon-"
"That's going to happen anyway," I admit, getting a harsh glare from him. "Red cleaned this base out. And I don't want someone like you dying on me."
"Have we met before?" He asked, his eyes noticeably glassy.
"...James, you, Jessie, Meowth. You guys are legends." I say, to which he just gives me a confused look. "When I think of Team Rocket, I think of you three. People act like you. People want to be you." I continue, but he just looks more amused than anything.
"Come on, how can Team Rocket protect the world from devastation without someone like you behind the wheel?"
He jumped, his look of pained amusement turning into a startled shock.
"We…we are famous?" He asked, and it was hard to describe the look of glee on his face. He looked excited, happy even, but it was tempered by the pain.
"Not famous, you guys are legends," I nod, tipping my hat to the man. "And remember, what I said earlier?'
"Legends never die," he smiled a warm teary smile at me.
"Call for help," he stated with authority. "But not yet, get yourself out there. And take this with you," he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out something very familiar.
I felt my heart jump as soon as I saw it. The more I looked at it, the less sense it made. Questions were running through my head. How did James get it in the first place, why did he have it and not Red? But most importantly…
'...What Pokémon was this used on?' I wondered, looking at the red button under the 'M' that signified a capture.
"You need to protect him," he smiled, placing the Master Ball in my hand, grasping my fingers so I would firmly close my hand around it.
"That's an order," he wheezed, spitting another glob of blood on the floor.
"Protect him, and secondly," he gulped, allowing him to say one last thing before he passed out.
"Become a Legend."
-Clavell-
'Why is it that I am always cleaning up after children?'
It was an unfair thought, Clavell immediately regretted thinking it as soon as he thought it. He was the director of Uva-Naranja Academy, 'cleaning up after children' came with the job.
He just wasn't fond of how often it occurred, especially since these children were not any of his students.
'Well, one of them is a past student,' he noted, even if that past student is now technically his boss.
Geeta was very different then. She did not care for politics or reputation. He had watched many of her matches when she was younger. Her expression showed nothing but the joy of battle.
However, like with every Champion, their love of battling is slowly chipped away day by day after they reach their goal. They have become the Champion.
However, that means there is no one stronger. No one to train to defeat, no one to stride to be better against. It was something he noticed a long time ago, that once a trainer becomes a Champion, they stagnate. They become unhappy. After all, how can someone continue to climb to the top if they are already at the peak?
Clavell wasn't sure of the last time Geeta genuinely smiled.
'To think Cloud would get this much attention', he idly thought, reminiscing over his last few streams.
Despite Cloud being a relative unknown to most of Paldea, that wasn't the case for those in Uva-Naranje Academy.
Cloud was quite the popular figure amongst both students and staff. Dendra has especially taken a liking to him, often using clips of his streams in her own classes.
He thought it was bad luck when Geeta overheard Cloud's stream on Jacq's computer when she was in the faculty office. Now the clip has over 20 million views and he realized it was inevitable that she would have gotten word of it.
Geeta was obviously annoyed by Cloud's words. Issuing a challenge to him soon after his stream, and that's what has led to current events.
Unlike most of the staff who thought Cloud had next to no chance of winning, Clavell disagreed. He was willing to bet that Cloud would win.
On paper, Cloud seemed like a good trainer. A recognized Ace Trainer with 8 badges in 3 regions. Good, but not near Champion level in terms of strength. And on a cursory glance, he would have also believed that.
However, his streams on battle theory would have immediately disregarded that notion. He knew too much to be just a 'good' Pokémon trainer. The Pokémon and how to utilize them the most efficiently spoke of experience with how to use those Pokémon.
And considering those were the tactics he was freely talking about made him wonder about the the few that he was keeping close to his chest.
Either way, he was very interested in seeing which Pokémon Cloud would bring to the fight. And what tactics he plans on bringing to the battle.
A beep from his computer brought him out of his musings. Upon checking further, it seemed to be an email from Cloud himself.
'Be there in 5 minutes.'
Cloud, while thankful for the offer to be reimbursed for travel expenses, declined the offer saying he would travel on his own. He was notified earlier that he plans on landing in the schoolyard.
Of course, the media immediately learned of this and now said schoolyard was filled to the brim with both cameramen and his own students alike.
The evening classes were canceled, and now all he had to do was go to the schoolyard and be ready to greet Cloud & company on arrival.
Turning off his computer, he frowned, realizing something was out of place.
Actually no, that wasn't the right wording. Everything looked exactly how it was supposed to be. The office was cleaned this morning and there wasn't a mess in sight.
Turning towards the window, he blinked, finally noticing what was different.
"Is that…music?"
-Cloud-
You would think Sonia would have been against this.
Well, to be fair, she is usually against most of my ideas because she's smart, but I didn't think her eyes would light up with such wonder once she saw our ride.
"This is amazing!" Sonia shouted, leaning out the door where the wind was hitting her full force.
"Make sure to smile for the camera," I added, and Sonia turned towards it to give a peace sign.
[CurrentlyHuman: This is the craziest thing I have ever seen.]
[Gerald_Of_Revea: Bro, I'm dead! XD]
[TheQueenOfBlue: That one has the heart of a dragon!]
[Happy2Help: For the love of Arceus, Please sit down on the seat Sonia!]
[ThisFire: Wait, I think I see you guys!]
[MilesAhead: My word, I never knew I wanted a helicopter before.]
[Smoker: GAHAHAHA]
[Mel: What is this music? I have never heard it before! It is very interesting!]
[BlueSky: This is the best thing I have ever seen on this stream. I want to learn how to fly a helicopter now!]
This is fun, no doubt about it. But the coup de grâs?
"Some folks are born, made to wave the flag! Oh! They're red white and blue!"
Music.
I mean seriously, you expect me to fly by helicopter and not do it style?
Leaning out the open door of the helicopter, I got a good shot of Mesagoza down below, the chat going wild while I did so.
Despite how dangerous it seemed, we were perfectly fine. Psyclone would catch us even if we did fall.
The most worrying thing about this was the Data Roaming cost. It's going to be in the high thousands alone for this. I was just happy I was loaded enough to get away with it.
Getting a SIM card will be the most important thing to do in Paldea.
"We will land in two minutes," Psyclone announced, lowering our altitude to get closer and closer to the yard of the Academy.
To call it a schoolyard is honestly a bit insulting. You would mistake it for a stadium if there were seats.
It was located at the very top of the Academy, and it would have been part of the roof if there wasn't another roof covering it. However, Pokémon could still fly into the building and there was plenty of space for the Helicopter to fly in.
As soon as our Helicopter got in, we were immediately greeted by flashing camera lights. If Psyclone was affected by that, he didn't show it, just gracefully flying over the middle of the cleared-out area.
"Think you can take over?" I asked Sonia, in which she just rolled her eyes and took the camera from me.
Grabbing the handlebar by the door, I was basically hanging out of the helicopter, grinning all the while
"GOOD MORNING PALDEA!" I saluted the crowd, ignoring the fact it was evening. The crowd didn't seem to care though, based on how big of a cheer I got.
It didn't stop as Psyclone landed the Helicopter. Honestly, it seemed like more pictures were taken.
Even a few were aimed at Psyclone, which I honestly don't blame them for.
I mean, how often do you see someone in a suit of armor with a headset piloting a helicopter?
"You must be Cloud," a thin man in an orange suit approached me. "I am Director Clavell, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, lifting his hand.
"Likewise," I nodded, taking his hand in my own. "You've got quite the place here, probably has a great view."
"That it does," he smiled. "However, I was under the impression you were traveling by Pokémon. I'm afraid what will happen if your helicopter is left out in the open like this."
"Don't worry about it, Psyclone is just dropping us off," I threw a thumb back towards the chopper.
Where Mewtwo keeps all his things, I don't know. But I didn't really care.
Looking behind me, Sonia was helping Meowth with the luggage while Rotom had already controlled one of the suitcases, sliding up beside me.
"Ah, that's good to hear," he smiled. "I must admit I was worried there for a moment. Come, I have prepared rooms for the four of you. I assume you can contact Cyclone?"
"Course I can," I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry about him."
"Excellent! You may follow me. He says, ignoring the barrage of questions by his students and the reporters alike.
"What's your favorite Pokémon?"
"Cloud, what Pokémon do you plan on using to battle Geeta."
"Why haven't you apologized for your personal attacks on Geeta?"
"Why can Meowth and Rotom talk?"
"Cloud, Is it true you think Geeta is the weakest because she's a woman?"
"Sup Fuckers!" I grinned at the cameras, getting a cheer from the crowd and an angry Sonia dragging me inside the building.
What can I say? They love me!
"Although I am glad a trainer of your caliber is staying with us at this academy. I must ask you to refrain from using expletive language in the school halls." Clavell said, away from the eyes of the students.
The guest rooms were not as close to the dorm rooms as I expected them to be. It was on the same floor that some of the staff stayed. However, there was more than enough room for extra people.
"Fair enough," I shrugged. "We wouldn't want them to think I'm a bad influence or something, right?"
"Quite," he agreed. "Now then-"
"Cloud! I fucking love you!"
'I'm glad that Clavell insisted I turn off the stream until I was in my own room.' I thought, waiting for the woman who picked me up and started to swing me around in circles to stop.
I knew Chat wouldn't shut up about it for at least three days if we were streaming.
"It's so awesome to meet you!" The woman grinned, "I'm Dendra! I love your streams!" The woman said, lifting her arm for a handshake, before freezing in place. "Shit, you aren't recording right?"
I smiled.
"Y-You're not recording. Right?"
"No we are not recording," Sonia sighed, slapping me in the back of the head. "Director Clavell insisted on it."
"With due reason," He countered. "I would prefer it if you and your friends are not harassed. If people knew you were staying here for the duration of your stay, I'm afraid you would have to be relocated for your own safety."
"That's a relief!" Dendra grinned, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry about picking ya up like that. I get huggy when I'm excited. Hey! You should meet the rest of the guys! Sal just-"
"If Cloud wishes to meet the rest of the staff, he may." Clavell cut her off. "But please allow him & his company to enter their rooms first."
"Ah shit, my bad." She chuckled, "Enjoy your stay and all that shit! See ya around!" she waved us off.
"Please tone down the bad language!" Clavell sighed and I felt like it fell on deaf ears.
"I'm sorry about that." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please follow me."
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Sonia groaned, seeing the view count of the latest clip of Cloud that has gone viral.
It hasn't even been an hour and it's already gotten 5 million views. Apparently saying 'Sup Fuckers!' on national television is attention-grabbing enough to do so.
Meowth couldn't stop himself from cackling like a madman, and frankly, I wasn't much better.
After putting our suitcases into our respective rooms, we met up in Meowth since he had most of the equipment with him.
Getting connected to the local wi-fi was the number one priority. Watching anchormen be scandalized about someone cursing on air was a hundred percent more entertaining than anything I've ever done.
"You know, I should be surprised," Sonia admits quietly. "I'm disappointed that's not the case. Every time you do something like this, a spark of your credibility gets chipped away."
"More like respectability," I shrugged. "But beating Geeta will kind of switch things up from folks seeing me as just arrogant to someone that has the skill to back up their arrogance."
"Do you plan to try for Champion?" Sonia asked quietly.
"Sounds like extra work for me." I yawned. "Hearing you describe what Leon has to do as the Champion of Galar just sounds like a pain. Besides, I wouldn't have time to stream with you guys if I had to actually have a job."
"Oh my poor heart!" Meowth swooned, a hand to his chest. "You would sacrifice your chance at being a Champion for little ol' me?"
"Definitely," I spoke gently. "I would definitely sacrifice you so I wouldn't have to become Champion."
"That's wonderful," Sonia smiled softly, and I had to suppress a giggle.
"Hey Cloud," Meowth called to me, turning the computer towards me. "Looks like they are moving things up. They're setting up a press conference for tomorrow."
"Well at least they are giving me a day to settle in," I mutter. "It's a bit early for that though, isn't it?"
"I don't know." Meowth shrugged. "What I do know is that the Elite 4 will be there along with Geeta. Any ideas Sonia?"
"I might be misreading this completely," Sonia admitted. "But Leon did the same for a few of his matches because he was eager."
"So ya think Geeta's eager to go to pound town with Cloud? Huh?" And I almost choked at the phrasing.
"That may be the case. She might not be trying to inconvenience you, she may be just eager to battle."
"Has she said anything since I've talked about Veluza?"
"That's it!" Meowth snapped his fingers. "She has the perfect chance to fight back on the big stage!"
"She's going to humiliate you on national television," Sonia muttered, a hand covering her mouth.
"Nah, that doesn't add up," I say, shaking my head. "If she was going to humiliate me, she would leave it until the battle. Let her Pokémon do the talking for her."
"Cloud, you need to prepare for this, if Geeta doesn't say anything the reporters will."
"Won't they do the same to Geeta as well? I mean, I talked shit, but I actually gave reasons why her team was bad."
"I still forget how young you all are," Rotom said, speaking for the first time. "Greta won't be the target of any hard-hitting questions. I can guarantee you of that."
"Why wouldn't she?" I cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, I talked a lot of shit, but the fact that she's rising to the bait isn't helping her."
"There's an old saying I'm fond of. I believe it goes: 'Talk shit, get hit?'" he questioned, and I blinked for a few moments, realizing he just cursed. "Yes, that is the saying. But I don't doubt that this Greta girl will receive nothing but high praise."
"Is she really that loved here?" Sonia questioned. "I mean, I don't doubt her skill, but Leon was still questioned harshly as a Champion. Why would it be the same for Geeta?"
"Because she's not just a Champion!" Meowth said, piecing things before I could. "She's the chairwoman of the Paldea League! Being champ' and being the chair' got her her own title!"
"Are you sure she earned that title by herself?" Rotom questioned. "La Primera is a bit too cavalier to be normal. Are you sure the title wasn't bought?"
"You think she bought off the reporters to give her a fancy title?" Meowth asked, scratching his chin. "Is she that loaded?"
"Hold on for a second guys. This is all circumstantial." I frowned. "We don't even know how this conference is going to go. Me and Geeta might actually get along and go for ice cream afterwards."
"I highly doubt that," Rotom huffed. "Although you are correct in this only being guesswork. But I implore you to prepare yourself for hard-hitting questions. And to not let the reporters get the better of you."
"This is why I don't do politics," I let out a breath. "More tiring than Pokémon Battling ever could be."
"Indeed," Rotom said with amusement. "On that note, I think it's time we retire for the night. Best to seize the day ahead with a good nights rest." He finished, and I agreed with him.
Well…I agreed with the sentiment, at least.
"I swear Cloud, ya better have a good reason for wantin' to talk this late."
"I have a bit of a request," I said, showing Meowth the brochure in my hand. "What do you know about the shrines?"
"Shrines?" Meowth muttered. "How the hell are these shrines? They're a lot closer to being murals."
"There are four of those shrines in Paldea. But that isn't important. What is important, however, is that there are 32 stakes in the ground all across Paldea, none of them being in Area Zero.
"And what's this gotta do with me?" Meowth asked, not sounding amused.
"They come in four different colors, 8 each to represent the shrines of Paldea. I could use a hand in helping me find them all."
"And why would I help ya with that? A cat's gotta get some sleep!" He said, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
"Because I brought something with me I think you'll like," I said, holding out a briefcase that Meowth instantly recognized.
Bags can fold space. Just like Pokeballs, bags made by Silph Co allow you easy access to a box of infinite storage. The problems arise when you're trying to drag everything out. After all, imagine trying to find your toothbrush when you got a table, a bed or maybe even a car in the way.
"You did the right thing," Meowth said sagely, putting his paw on my leg before immediately snatching it up the briefcase and jumping off the balcony with a cackle.
And on that night, a hot air balloon, one shaped like a Meowth, took to the skies of Paldea.
-Psyclone-
'Improbable.'
It seemed to be the only fitting thing to describe Area Zero. Impossible? No, it existed. Therefore it was possible.
The strength of the Pokémon within this caldera easily rivaled the strength of many of Cloud's own Pokémon. However, those were not the Pokémon that interested him.
'Paradox Pokémon' Psyclone's mind supplied. 'Evolution of a Pokémon through time. The Past, The Present, The Future. Can be seen in Slither Wing, Volcarona, Iron Moth.'
He was a clone, yes. But he was different. It was why he was dubbed Mewtwo.
Thinking about the name made him clench his fist in anger, only to slowly release it. Calm Mind working wonders to bring him back to a calm and focused state. Allowing him to think more logically and not be a slave to his emotions.
The Past, Present & Future. The Past Pokémon shows how a certain species would have looked billions of years ago. The Future Pokémon shows how a certain species will look billions of years into the future.
'A fluke.' That was what he was called by his creators. He along with his brethren were created using the genes of Mew. Out of the millions of failures, he was the only one that came out stronger than the original.
His brothers were tossed aside. Labeled as trash. They tried to use him, he rebelled.
'A man chooses, a slave obeys.'
Man is arrogant. Despite being the dominant species of the planet, they are foolish. Individuals learn but the species do not learn from their mistakes.
Evolution seemingly affects all species. Legendary Pokémon are no different. From Walking Wake to Suicune or Virizion to Iron Leaves. It makes him wonder.
'Would they dare?'
Will they try again? Create a 'Future' variant of his bloodline? A MewThree?
Letting another use of Calm Mind work, he shook his head.
Wondering about the future mistakes of humanity was not why he was here.
Letting out another breath, Psyclone teleported deeper into the depths of Area Zero.
Answers will come with time.