20 VS Brock
Two days had passed since the events at the Pokémon store.
Since then, I've been having nightmares about ending up in jail.
What will Looker do? I was foolish and didn't leave my microphone in my room.
They know everything I did. Will they approve of my terrorist acts?
Speaking of the devil, I had 20 missed calls from an unknown number.
I figured it was Looker, or someone from the International Police.
Resigned, I answered.
"Tell me," I said.
"Kid, we need to talk," said Looker.
"Oh Looker, what can I do for you?" I said, knowing where the conversation was headed.
"Do you know anything about the events at Mt. Moon?" Looker got straight to the point.
Huh?
"What do you mean?" I was cautious.
"It seems that Team Rocket's machines suffered some malfunction and activated, killing all the recruits inside the base. Also, the terrifying Beedrill that attacked Pewter City's museum the day before was found."
"But the most curious thing is that what is believed to be the corpse of Proton, the newly discovered Team Rocket executive, was found inside a Victreebel, disfigured by acid along with a bike and a gun. We still haven't been able to confirm it. Do you know anything? Your microphone stopped working."
Wait, what?
Porygon.
Porygon broke the microphone.
"I went to Mt. Moon to recover my Pokémon as a formal member of Team Rocket, but when I was about to leave, a swarm of Golbats attacked us, and my Murkrow, Shuppet, and I had to retreat." I lied.
"That's what the reports say. Now I want the truth; you killed the executive."
His words stopped my heart for a few seconds.
"You're not that smart; you were seen on several cameras stealing a bicycle, the same one that Proton had. The time in those videos also doesn't match your alibi. The time of your departure from Pewter City doesn't match what you told the regional police. You killed Proton; now stop the nonsense and give me the real version of the events."
Was I recorded by the store cameras?
With no other choice, I 'confessed' that I killed Proton, claiming that I found him fleeing, trying to steal my bike, and kill me.
"It was self-defense; I'm sorry, I didn't want to end a life," I lied again.
"That's the least of your problems. Connor Brown is dead, he was Silph's brother."
Silph, it rang a bell...
"Silph S.A."
Damn
The largest company in Kanto suspects my innocence.
"Silph Brown is furious; he has demanded that you be handed over to him for questioning. Obviously, we told him no, since there is no evidence that you can create such a natural disaster on your own."
I responded with silence, burning Looker's words into my mind.
"Many have died; we're lucky that only one innocent person died, speaking of humans... the Pokémon from Mt. Moon will take time to recover. The League has instructed Brock to prohibit anyone from approaching that place."
I felt some guilt.
I remained silent, awaiting Looker's verdict.
"You need to watch your back; Silph won't settle for this. He has hired the Jenny Police Agency."
"Jenny Police?" I asked curiously.
"They're Kanto's elite police, clones just like the Joy nurses. They'll play detectives with your case."
So, the Jennys and Joys were clones.
"Are clones amoral?" I said, recalling moral things from my world.
"I think the same, but nothing prevents mad scientists from playing with life."
We fell silent.
"Do you need us to hire a psychologist for you?" Looker said.
"No, I'll be fine, just some nightmares, nothing serious."
"Good, I'm out of Kanto now, criminal organizations abound like flies; we'll see each other another time. A partner of mine will give you a new microphone; stay one more day in Pewter Town."
Looker said some reassuring words before leaving.
"If you feel guilty about the Bedrill trainer, if it helps you feel better, he was Team Rocket's hitman. The death toll has exceeded 400 in the last 10 years."
And with that, Looker hung up.
I'd have to thank Porygon and think about what Looker said.
I cursed my luck, finding 2 Team Rocket executives in two of my vacations… At the same time, I received a message from Siri, my Pokédex.
Brock has reopened his gym.
I'm surprised considering how messed up Pewter City is right now.
With Proton's attack on the museum and now Mt. Moon's route closed, Pewter City will be going through a rough time.
I wonder if Hilda and Rosa found Brock in the end.
Anyway, I'll go; I need to clear my mind.
I went to the gym when on the way, I met some friends.
It was Hilda and Rosa, who were surprised to see me.
"Mello!" Hilda and Rosa exclaimed.
"Yep, what's up?"
"What's up?! We were worried about you; we heard you burst into our hotel! We didn't know where you lived; you didn't answer my messages."
"Work," I simply replied.
Rosa and Hilda reacted as if they understood.
"Is it about Mt. Moon? There's a rumor that there was a Team Rocket base there."
"Shhhh," I silenced them.
"We haven't talked in a while, so how about we go grab a coffee for once?" I joked, pretending to smile.
They nodded.
Once we were served at the table, I told them my typical alibi: I was robbed, I tried to go to Mt. Moon, Golbats attacked me, etc.
"You were robbed?!"
"Yes."
"Those bastards. Are your Pokémon okay?"
"Yes, just that Gligar and Kirlia were injured because they resisted, Kirlia more than Gligar."
"Phew, thank goodness," Rosa said.
"And what have your superiors told you? Anything you can share? Who is responsible? Many Pokémon suffered the tyranny of those villains."
It's me, I wanted to confess. Rosa was making me feel bad.
"Rosa, be careful. There may be things she can't tell us."
"Oops, sorry."
"It's okay. I'm glad there are trainers like you," I said with a smile. "The leader of that squad was Proton, the recently discovered executive in the museum attack. He's been pronounced dead."
"Dead?"
"Yes."
We stayed silent for a while until Rosa broke the silence.
"Thank goodness, he was a monster. He killed 10 trainers in the museum and injured just as many others."
Hilda and I nodded at Rosa's words.
"Well, you know what I've been through. It's been a crappy few days, so you know why I'm feeling down. Hey, girls, what have you been up to these days?"
"Well, we looked for Brock, we were worried about you when you left, we did some sightseeing, and... ta-da!" she said, showing me her medal case, with the Rock Badge in it. "Although it was very easy. Brock didn't use strong Pokémon like Misty did; he only put them at the level of a fourth gym. My Deino weakened them all," Hilda finished sadly.
"He must be busy with all the mess going on in Pewter City now," Rosa said. "By the way, I also got the badge with my Serperior. It was easy."
"Well, in that case, I'll go tomorrow. I have to train more with my Pokémon to get them in shape."
"Oh, can we come see you? I think we can stay here for one more day, right, Rosa?"
Rosa nodded.
"Oh sure, come see me. I could use some cheerleaders."
"Yes, we'll cheer you up!"
"Great, I'll issue the challenge tomorrow at 4 p.m."
Shuppet lvl 33 Murcrow lvl 32 Kirlia lvl 25 Gligar lvl 25
I was surprised at how eager my Pokémon were to train after their kidnapping.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, since I didn't have a microphone now, I tried to talk to Porygon.
Porygon moved to the Pokédex after we retrieved it.
"Porygon."
I called.
Out of nowhere, the polyhedral Pokémon appeared.
"Y-y-yes, tell me."
"Thanks for breaking the microphone."
"W-w-we were doing something i-i-illegal, it's natural," Porygon continued.
"There's something I want to tell you."
"What is it?"
"T-they're trying to spy on us; they've bugged the Pokédex."
It didn't surprise me; it was just as Looker had warned me.
"I've deactivated the Pokédex's recorder when you're talking to Looker."
Once again, I was surprised by the usefulness of this Pokémon.
"Thanks again."
"You're welcome. Porygon has detected 4 cameras in your room and another in the shower."
Oh great.
"Do you want to train?"
"I've a-analyzed the situation; nothing good will come if they discover my e-existence. The answer is no."
He was right; if they find out about Porygon, I'll just give them the evidence they're looking for, and they'll arrest me.
So, I can't use Porygon properly.
Luckily, I had another idea for this multifaceted Pokémon.
"And what do you think about training to make games?"
"G-g-games?"
One strange difference between my old universe and this universe was the lack of a developed entertainment industry. The world of leisure wasn't as developed here.
If I manage to recreate the Earth's applications, I'll be rich.
I could start with Angry Birds, finish with more complex games like Minecraft, Rocket League, social apps like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok.
Is it plagiarism? What is amoral? I didn't know there was copyright in other universes.
No one can stop me.
And for that, I need Porygon.
"Yes, you know how to program and stuff. Heck, you're a program yourself. Can you help me create a company? You know, the—"
"I know, I know what a company is," the duck interrupted.
He entered my Pokédex and took me to a Pokenet webpage.
"How to Start a Company: Step-by-Step Guide for New Entrepreneurs
Refine your idea. ...Write a business plan. ...Market research. ...Choose your business structure. ...Register your business. ...Get a federal tax identification number. ...Get a business license. ...Finance your new startup. 9 Open a business bank account 10 Get the right commercial insurance 11 Determine how you will receive payments 12 How to pay employees 13 Set up the right equipment 14 Grow your new business 15 Use your resources"
I read aloud.
Porygon came out of the Pokédex again.
"It's not a bad idea; it would give me something to do other than being at home."
"What ideas do you have?"
I told Porygon about my games from another universe.
"That could work. Well, you take care of creating the company, and I'll program the games and maintain the company. Try to be clear with your ideas," he said.
We chatted about our future plans for a while, so much so that I even managed to nickname him.
"Do you mind if I call you Fulgrim?"
Fulgrim, primarch of Warhammer 40k, obsessed with art, seemed appropriate because games are a form of art.
"Master," an intrusive Kirlia caught me talking to Porygon.
"Oh, hello Porygon, I suppose."
"Good, call me Fu-Fulgrim now."
"Okay, I see you also have a nickname, I suppose."
"Hey Beako, what's up? Have you finished training?"
"Yes, and I also came to tell you that Murcrow has learned a new move; now he can summon rain."
"A new move?"
I went to see Corvus and his new move.
I was surprised by what I saw; Corvus was creating clouds in the sky, and they were releasing water.
"Hey, Corvus, did I teach you that?"
"Mmm, no," the black raven said. "I was inspired by the attacks of the former leader and did the same as with that lightning to learn Thunder Wave. It was a surprise."
"Incredible," I praised him.
"Mmm."
Just by receiving hits from a certain type of Pokémon, it learns moves. This Pokémon is a genius.
"I got it. What do you think if we go see the others?"
We went to the other side of the training field; I saw Gligar practicing Bulldoze and Corvus tearing down a tree with Shadow Claw.
"Your Shadow Claw is already a real claw."
"Haha, it was easy. Did you bring the berries?"
I took some pinia berries from my backpack and threw them to Shuppet.
Shuppet lvl 32 Gender: Male HP: 100% Moves: Shadow Claw, Shadow Sneak, Will-o-Wisp, Shadow Ball, Knock Off, Thief, Trick Ability: Frisk
"Have you forgotten several moves, right?"
"Oh, are you referring to Feint and Pursuit? Well, the truth is, if I tried to accumulate Dark Energy now, it wouldn't come out at first, apart from Knock Off and Thief."
"Interesting."
So, Pokémon forget moves.
It makes sense; what use is Tackle anyway? It's logical to forget moves you're never going to use.
"I've also learned an ability, I suppose!" Beako exclaimed, startling me a bit.
That piqued my curiosity.
"Really, which one?"
"Well, this..." my Kirlia interlocked her fingers. Is she blushing?
"Well, since you had nightmares and wouldn't let us sleep, I've developed a new Psychic ability."
Nightmares?
"Did you learn Dream Eater?" I said.
Beatrice's blush increased.
"Yes, I approach your bed and touch your forehead. This cures your bad dream in exchange for a bit of life energy."
"So, you learned Dream Eater, huh?" I said. "As expected of my lovely Beako."
Beatrice smiled at me with satisfaction.
Now it was Escorpius's turn.
"And you, Escorpius?"
"Hello, trainer. Gligar has improved Bulldoze; soon Gligar's attack will become Earthquake."
"Good, get ready to give Brock the beating of his life."
My Pokémon nodded determinedly.
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I arrived at the field, which was full of rocks, among which you could hide.
"Sorry for the wait, 30 minutes late, today I have a full schedule," Brock said kindly, he was a strong man about 23-25 years old with slanted eyes.
"No problem, it's normal considering you closed the gym the last few days. Thanks for opening it," I replied.
Brock nodded, smiling.
"How many Pokémon do you have?"
"4."
"Alright, you seem like someone who enjoys challenges, or so Misty told me."
"The battle will be a 4 vs 4 instead of a 3 vs 4," the referee said, surprising me.
Damn it, Misty, don't make things up.
"Let's start, go, Onix!"
"Come on, Mello, you can do it!" Hilda said, embarrassing Rosa, who covered her face.
Wow.
It was a giant Rock snake.
It was rare to see.
"Alright, choose your next Pokémon."
"Corvus, just like we rehearsed."
Corvus came out and brought a drizzle to the field.
"A flying type, you're brave. Well then, I'll use this, use Stealth Rock."
Stones formed around Onix and floated in the air.
"Peck!"
"Corvus used Thunder Wave."
Corvus created an electric storm, surprising the enemy as always.
"Alright, after 2 attacks, I can switch Pokémon."
After reading the rules, I learned that in this universe, you could only switch Pokémon after it had made 2 moves.
I set the weather and paralyzed the enemy.
Time to analyze.
Onix Lvl 32
I watched the enemy's moves, taking advantage of the 30-second rule. Brock waited patiently.
"Alright, use your Pokémon or you'll be disqualified in 5, 4, 3."
I sent out Konrad, who resisted the Stealth Rock as best he could.
Then the snake and the puppet faced each other; after some good hits, the puppet won with a Shadow Claw.
"Very well, you have your Pokémon well taken care of," Brock congratulated me, "but can you handle the next Pokémon?"
"Brock will send out Kabutops, do you want to switch Pokémon?"
I shook my head.
Damn, it was Kabutos.
Kabuto lvl 36 Ability: Swift Swim
And it was still raining, Brock had everything under control.
Shit.
At least it was its pre-evolution.
The little prehistoric crustacean moved twice as fast as Konrad.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Hydro Pump? Is he crazy? I only have 2 badges!"
Shuppet could barely move.
Shuppet lvl 32 HP: 17%
"Shuppet, return!"
I sent out Corvus again, whose life was reduced by 25% by the floating stones on the field.
"Peck!"
He used the same attack as always. Kabuto may be fast, but he couldn't dodge a thunderstorm.
This storm hit Kabuto.
"Rock Slice!"
The rock avalanche hit Murcrow, weakening him.
The rock is effective against flying types; it knocked him out in two hits.
I sent out Konrad again, the rain finally stopped, and the stones hit him again.
"He's paralyzed; it's your moment."
"Rock Slice!"
"Dodge it and use Double Shadow Claw."
Shuppet dodged it and gave two Shadow Claws to Kabuto's head.
Kabuto lvl 36 HP: 16%
"Water Gun!"
"Shadow Ball!"
The attacks collided.
"Very well, Konrad."
The outcome of the battle was decided by who could spam their attacks faster.
Of course, it was Konrad.
"The next Pokémon is Rhyhorn, do you want to switch?"
I shook my head again.
If I switched again, Konrad would be weakened by Stealth Rock.
Plus, we knew exactly what strategy to use with Rhyhorn.
"Konrad, do the same as with Giovanni."
Konrad understood what I meant and smiled.
"Rock Throw!"
"Will-o-Wisp!"
Konrad burned Rhyhorn before falling, weakening its physical attack.
"2 - 2, both have 2 Pokémon left."
I sent out Escorpius, and he lost some life due to Stealth Rock, making me a little nervous.
"Bulldoze / Earthquake." The ground lit up brightly.
Escorpius's attack hit Rhyhorn's legs and caused an explosion in its legs.
"Rhyhorn, Rock Slice!"
A rock avalanche went toward the little Gligar, but it was dodged again.
Rhyhorn lvl 33 HP: 8%
Gligar lvl 25 HP: 88%
"Rhyhorn, return," Brock said, surprising me.
"Go, Graveler!"
"Rock Throw!"
Graveler created a rock and threw it at the flying type.
Gligar lvl 25 HP: 18%
"Max Power Bulldoze!"
"Jump and use Rock Throw in the air!"
Graveler dodged the attack for the moment and threw the rock at Escorpius, who fell unconscious, but Bulldoze was still active and damaged Graveler quite a bit.
Graveler lvl 30 HP: 25%
"2-1, the challenger only has one Pokémon left; he has half a minute to send it out."
"Don't give up, Mello, trust your Pokémon!" Hilda shouted.
"It all depends on you," I said.
I released Beatrice.
"Kya," she said as the stones hit her.
I clenched my fists; if I were an anime protagonist... wait, what did Ash do?
"Beako, hit the sprinklers with Thunderbolt!"
Beatrice correctly aimed at 2 sprinklers above Graveler, creating the effect of drizzle. It was annoyed by the rain.
"Hahaha," Brock, who didn't command anything to his Pokémon, laughed. "You're ingenious; no one has ever activated the sprinklers like that before. I guess I'll have to buy new ones now."
"Thank you, and I'm sorry?"
"Don't be sorry; the League will pay for it."
"Alright, then, Thunderbolt!"
"But it's useless; Graveler, Self-Destruct!"
I opened my eyes, "dodge it!"
I watched in slow motion as Beatrice tried to jump out of the blast range without success.
"Beako!"
Beatrice got up with difficulty.
Kirlia lvl 25 HP: 12%
If this were the games, I would have lost. Fortunately, this is the real world, and Graveler isn't fast enough to get close to Beako.
"1-1, Leader Brock will send out Rhyhorn."
"As I said, it's useless," Brock said. "Your Kirlia had an accident, right? Her horns are uneven, so she doesn't use psychic attacks."
"Yes."
"Go, Rhyhorn!"
"Use Rest."
Rhyhorn healed its burns and fell asleep with its HP at maximum.
Beako and I didn't hesitate and nodded to each other.
It was time to debut her new move.
"Kirlia, use Dream Eater."
I watched as Kirlia regained health.
Kirlia lvl 25 HP: 12 + 24 = 36
The battle continued the same with this plot twist until Rhyhorn's HP reached zero.
And with this turn of events, we won the Boulder Badge.
"Well, that was anticlimactic."
"I can't deny that you were lucky, but I also can't deny the bond you had with your Pokémon."
"Thank you," and with those cliché words, I said goodbye to Brock after a handshake.
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"That battle was brutal," Hilda congratulated me. "I hardly ever see battles so evenly matched; I felt like my heart was going to explode."
"Hahah, thank my Beako," I replied.
We were currently walking the streets of Pewter, sightseeing.
We continued until I bumped into someone.
It was a hooded man wearing a detective cap.
"Sorry," I said.
I checked my pockets and backpack to see if he was a pickpocket, only to realize he didn't take anything from me; instead, he handed me a microphone.
So, he was Looker's friend.
Back to the routine.
Being watched 24/7 was starting to wear on me.
"What happened? Did someone steal something from you?" Hilda asked, concerned.
"No, luckily not."
"So, when are you leaving?" I didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
"Today," she replied, somewhat dejected. "We have a matter to attend to; it's our sponsor's friend, and he needs our help with an invention."
"I hope you take good care of Ferroseed while I'm away."
"Who do you take me for?"
"Someone even more stingy than Silph Co."
"Hey, stop telling me truths like castles."
We laughed for a while.
"Well, I missed your crazy stories where you always miraculously survive," Hilda said.
"And I missed you guys too."
This brought smiles to both of them.
Hilda hugged me.
"You always have our number; call us if you get bored."
Rosa hugged me too, to my surprise. "And don't neglect the badges; your Murcrow wants revenge."
"I'll win."
"Good joke. Well, someday we'll have another coffee together."
"Yeah, another date."
"Idiot, I wouldn't mind a date with you," Hilda whispered.
"Did you say something?" I asked incredulously.
"Nothing at all," Hilda said, blushing.
Rosa, who saw this, had a strange look on her face, like jealousy.
We said goodbye with this strange interaction, feeling sorry, but the time had to come someday.
Had they developed feelings for me during the trip?
Which one should I go for?
Well, I'll decide on the next trip; there's no time now.
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"I have decided that there will be more than 6 Pokémon, so you can request which Pokémon you want in the comments.
Regarding mature content, do you want there to be explicit scenes in the story? Please let me know in the comments of this chapter; I'll listen to the majority, although those chapters will be skippable."
