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Chapter Text

-Tourmaline Desert-

Looking out the train window, Kuro frowned. As far as deserts went, the Tourmaline Desert seemed more like a barren wasteland with all the wreckage and skeletons shining under the moonlight. There hadn't been a single sign of life for miles either, adding to the desert's desolate appearance.

More importantly, the fact the train was coasting through the desert meant it was nearing its destination. That should've been good news, and yet it only made the silver-haired male even more anxious. It all lied in the nature of the destination itself.

Reborn City of the Reborn region - the only city inside the Allied Regions under Unova to rank dead last in city rankings for the last decade.

'Why anyone would wanna go there is beyond me.' The sage-like words of that stationmaster echoed within Kuro's mind, causing him to grimace.

There were so many irredeemable qualities that Kuro didn't even know where to begin with when listing what was wrong with the city.

High poverty rate, low mortality rate, high crime rate, top contributor to global pollution, and so on and so forth. Calling it a glorified garbage dump was a compliment. The city's- no. The ENTIRE region's reputation was so terrible, it might as well have not even been apart of the A.R.U, much less the rest of the world.

As far as Kuro knew, only big time mega corporations and businesses like the Global Joy Institute and Silph Co. took the risk to operate within the region. Even then, the Rebornian branches of said corporations did some real shady stuff under the scene. As for individual people themselves, the region was considered so worthless, nobody important cared enough to establish influence within it.

Heck, not even Kuro's parents had eyes or ears within the region, as miraculous as that seemed.

...

That was the ONE and ONLY reason he needed to go there in the first place.

'They probably noticed I've been gone by now...' Kuro winced sourly at the thought and in an attempt to distract himself, he tore his eyes away from the window to look elsewhere. There were only six other passengers besides him, five of which likely around his age, eighteen or so. From what he could eavesdrop, they all had another thing in common.

The desire to challenge the Reborn League.

Again, Kuro could hear the stationmaster click his tongue disapprovingly. 'And yet, buncha you ambitious Trainer-type folk have been headin' out in droves.'

Maybe they wanted a challenge? Or the other leagues were too expensive? Whatever the case was, Kuro had his own reason and they had theirs. Not like he would know since he hadn't actually talked to any of them, even as some began to chat with one another.

Kuro expected that; planned it even. He intentionally covered a good portion of his face with pitch-black shades and a gray baseball cap, and for good measure, he sat in the far corner of the cabin with his back against the wall. The quieter he was, the less attention he'd get, and the less likely the chance was for someone to recognize him. This is all to say, his self-imposed isolation eased him if anything.

It was the possibility he COULD get recognized that kept him on his toes. At any moment, the wrong person could get too suspicious and his whole plan would be-

"Hi!"

Kuro jumped, a jolt of pain running through him as his leg hit the table. Rather than reel from the impact, he looked up, meeting two curious purple eyes staring at him. They belonged to the sixth passenger on the train: a notably older woman with cascading white hair.

She'd been walking around the cabin, clipboard in hand as she asked some of the other passengers questions. Was she a government official? A police officer? Arceus, he hoped not.

"Sorry, I wanted to get to you earlier, but I didn't expect for everything else to take so long!" She apologized, tugging at her black scarf draping over a loose gray shirt. Below that she wore a metal belt, purple jeans, and black combat boots. Casual clothing, sure, but they might as well have been a police uniform. Unaware of his suspicion, she asked, "May I sit here?"

Kuro nodded rigidly, eying her as she slid into the booth, sitting directly opposite to him. She was rather unmoved by his coldness, going as far as to even extend her hand out for a handshake.

Smiling, the woman explained, "My name's Amethyst, but you can call me Ame. You probably already know, but I'm the manager of the Reborn League."

She dropped the title casually, but to Kuro, it was a massive bombshell. One that made him feel like such an idiot. He'd gotten so caught up in his worries that he completely forgot that the League manager said beforehand about meeting with them on the train AND what said manager looked like.

If that wasn't embarrassing enough, he'd been giving her a bad impression the entire time.

Eager to fix that, Kuro grabbed her hand while making an effort to smile. "Kuro. Uh, nice to meet you, Ameth- Ame!"

"Kuro...?" Ame trailed off.

"JUST Kuro's fine."

Ame leaned back, giving him some sort of look before jotting something down on her clipboard. "Hey," she stopped and looked back up at him, squinting her eyes. "You got quite a… familiar face, like I've seen you somewhere before. Have you… done anything League related in the past?

Shit.

ShitshitshitshitshitshitsthishitSHIT!

Did she know? How the fuck did she know? HOW could she have known? Was it the name? The hair? He KNEW he should've gone with that hair dye and fake name when he had the chance.

"W-well," Kuro stammered, his brain stalling. "I-"

"Eh, I must be thinking of someone else," Ame immediately dismissed the idea, unknowingly causing Kuro to choke. She continued, "Probably that whole 'edgy loner' type of vibe you're giving off. Anyways, I'm asking this more as a formality buuuuut, you registered for the Reborn League Circuit, correct? If so, you'd be one of our late registries."

Kuro jumped at the opportunity to change the topic. "Yep! That's me!" He gave her last words some thought, asking, "That not a problem, is it?"

"Oh nononono! Of course not! The more the merrier, y'know?" Ame grinned. "We're finally just getting things off the ground again, and…" She lowered her eyes, frowning. "Truth is, after the... INCIDENT a few years ago, the whole region was almost completely abandoned... even by the Pokémon."

Kuro forced himself not to say anything snarky. A whole list of problems plagued the region, so her emphasis on one event in particular was… actually kinda weird.

"Honestly, I don't even get why so many of you wanna take on the Reborn League." There wasn't a single hint of irony in her voice. "With how much of a shithole Reborn is, I thought getting at least one challenger would be getting lucky! I actually feel kinda bad for you all now…"

'Is she trying to advertise her League or not?!'

She waved away her previous statements. "But hey, don't let that worry you! Reborn City might not be an ideal place-"

"You just called it a shithole," Kuro deadpanned.

"-but our Gym Leaders are like nothing you've ever seen!" Ame declared, giving an 'ok!' sign for good measure.

Kuro didn't really believe her, given what he already knew about the region and its main city, but he went along with it regardless. "Alright."

"Good! Anyways..."

Kuro allowed himself to zone out a bit as Ame rambled on. He was still pretty tense, but everything was going smoothly so far. Strangely so. Frighteningly so. He couldn't believe how easy it had all been. It was a huge gamble for sure, but if all went will, the payoff would be incredible.

Suddenly, out the window, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

"Huh?" Kuro lazily looked out the window, turned back to Ame, and then immediately did a double take. "What the..."

Running alongside the train was a quadrupedal beast, its dark blue claws digging into the dirt as it managed to keep up with the speed of the train. The rest of its body was covered in white fur with the exception of its face and a scythe like horn protruding from its head.

'An Absol,' Kuro realized, otherwise at a loss of words.

It was a strange sight for a number of reasons.

One, it was the first sign of life Kuro had seen for miles. Two, as Absols were common in the mountains near his hometown, he knew they stayed away from civilization, meaning one approaching a moving train was highly unusual. And three, he-

The Absol turned to him.

Not at the train, not even at the window, but at HIM.

The Absol's crimson eyes seemed to pierce through his shades, like it was examining Kuro, judging him. It gave him the creeps. He wanted to look away, but he didn't. And then, it opened its mouth. Kuro didn't know how to explain it but somehow, even over the loud rumbling of the train, even with the barrier of the window, he could hear a voice.

"You're in deep shit lil brah."

And then, it broke away from the train, disappearing into the night.

Scared and especially dumbfounded, Kuro blinked. "Huh?"

"Kuro?" Ame said, reminding Kuro she'd been speaking to him the entire time.

"Oh, um, sorry! Didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I'm just a bit tired." He faked a yawn. "What was that last part again?"

Even with the smooth save, he couldn't help but think about what just happened. Not because it was creepy, but because of something else or rather a gut feeling.

Something told him that seeing an Absol always meant something specifically, but for the life of him, he couldn't quite remember what it meant.

"As I was saying, once we disembark, I'll lead all of you to the Grand Hall. There, you'll immediately be given starter Pokémon to really kick off your League Circuit!" Ame paused. "Sound good?"

Starter Pokémon... Yeah... He was just doing a league circuit, nothing more nothing less.

Even if Reborn wasn't the best of cities... Okay even if Reborn might be the worst city in the A.R.U, it was bound to have a decent league.

Right?

Right!

"Yeah that sound's great," Kuro smiled, brushing off his previous worry.

She was about to say something else when the overhead lights began suddenly began to flicker, plunging the cabin in and out of darkness. A shiver ran through Kuro's body, accompanied by a abrupt drop of temperature. It all would've seen so cliché if not for the fact he was already on edge.

"Did... Did it just get c-cold all of a sudden or is it just me?" He stammered.

Kuro didn't get an answer. He watched as her already fair face went pale from the cold, or was it from fear? What disturbed him the most, however, was her gaze. Her eyes were wide, glassy, and unfocused. It was like she wasn't staring at him anymore, but directly behind... him...?

He froze.

SOMETHING was breathing down his neck.

Kuro shot up to his feet, spinning around to find… nothing.

That shouldn't be surprising since a wall was directly behind it. No sooner after, the lights stopped flickering and the temperature returned to normal. The whole ordeal seemed to have briefly surprised the rest of the passengers, but they all were relatively unfazed. Everybody, except Kuro.

"Kuro? Why'd you suddenly stand up?" Ame tried to ask innocently, but her voice betrayed her.

She saw it. She saw whatever had been behind him.

And there HAD been something behind him. Just not anymore? He felt... But now... Clearly it... There couldn't have been... He couldn't imagined it. No, he couldn't have! He felt it. He really did!

Right?

Right...?

Click

"Fuck," Before he could collapse from the conflicting emotions, Kuro caught himself on the table with one hand while massaging his head with the other.

This only made Ame more worried. "Are you doing okay?"

Click

He let out a genuine yawn. "Like I said, just a bit tired. I just... it doesn't matter."

Maybe he shouldn't have left in the middle of night.

Click

Maybe... Maybe he shouldn't have left at all. Should he have really even left like he did? Leaving without as much as a vague goodbye note?

Maybe this wasn't right at all. Maybe this had all been one giant-

Click

Kuro reflexively looked around. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, but he sure as hell heard it "Did you hear that?"

He glanced back to Ame who remained silent, her gaze fixed on the window beside her.

"Ame?"

Click

Ame squinted her eyes. "That's odd... We just entered the city borders, but..."

Click

He didn't like the sound of that. "But what?"

Click

"Something's not right," Ame mumbled. She snapped to her feet, her voice becoming more urgent and frantic. "Something not right! We should be slowing down by now!"

Click

Whatever that noise had been, it was louder now. Faster too. Though he had no clue what it was, something about it made Kuro feel sick in the stomach. The chatter in the cabin morphed into a small panic, some even getting up from their seats as well. Kuro searched the cabin for an answer, anything.

Fortunately, it came to him in the form of memory suddenly resurfacing.

'Absol: The Disaster Pokémon. It senses coming disasters and appears before people only to warn them of impending danger.'

Unfortunately, it came far too late.

Click-

"GET DOWN!" Kuro's scream was drowned out when the first blast rang out.

The explosion knocked him against the table, the sound of the impact and his violent wheezing drowned out by the cacophany of noises around him.

The sound of metal screeching as pieces crashed together.

A deafening roar as the second or third explosion rendered him deaf.

Screams of people being burned alive…

Even after Kuro forced his eyes shut, all he could see what a burning white. Something warm- no, SEARING HOT was nearing his skin.

This was it, wasn't it?

Huh.

Strangely, he didn't feel fear or anger.

Only disappointment.

Just as Kuro was about to accept his fate, he heard something. A voice? There was little to no time to think before something grabbed him. There was the sound of glass shattering followed by a loud thud as a body hit concrete. Probably HIS body, if the pain burning his dulled senses meant anything.

*You blacked out!

-Lower Peridot Ward-

Silence. A cold yet deafening silence accompanied Kuro as he saw nothing but black.

"...y! ...y, are you... okay?" A muffled voice tried to reach him.

Something groaned. No wait, that was him. Kuro tried to move, but all his muscles felt numb.

"Don't... on me... now!" The voice - Ame - reached out to him once more. With renewed vigor, Kuro tried to force his body up with what strength he could muster.

Somewhere, a muscle twitched.

"Kuro... KURO WAKE UP!"

And then the world came rushing back.

Kuro lurched forwards only to regret it a second after when a sharp pain hit him. Hard. Groaning, he clutched whatever hurt the most as he fought to blink back the dark spots clouding his vision. The only thing he could reliably make out was the silver haired woman crouching besides him.

He opened his mouth to say something only to start violently hacking out dust.

"Thank, Arceus," Ame sighed, grabbing his shoulders. With a bit of effort, she managed to help him up to his feet. "You're okay."

'Just barely.' Kuro thought, still coughing.

After Ame let him go, he stumbled a few steps on the concrete. Wait, concrete? Kuro grabbed onto a wall to regain his balance, more and more of the world began appearing around him.

And all he saw was gray.

Gray concrete, gray brick, gray buildings, gray fences, gray seas, gray smog, even his clothes and Ame were dusted gray. He thought he was color blind for a second until he stared out at the open sea. Through the thickness of the smog, he could make out the yellow sun rising above the murky waters.

It was morning? How long had he been out? Where even where they?

Wherever they were, they weren't on the train anymore. He looked around. They appeared to be in some sort of city docks? That was one of his questions answered at least.

"Where are we? What happened?" Kuro asked, turning to Ame who moved next to him.

"We're in the Lower Peridot Ward," She said without a second thought, holding out a pair of- SHADES!

Kuro brushed over his face to discover that while some of his bangs had been knocked down, coincidentally covering most of his upper face, it was otherwise exposed. Without thinking, he snatched his shades out of her hands, clumsily put them on, fixed his hair, and prayed she didn't get a good look at him.

She didn't seem to care. In fact, she was seemingly focused on something else as she added, "That train exploded right as we pulled into the station."

"Exploded...?"

Kuro followed Ame's gaze to- Oh.

He hadn't noticed the half-smoldering building behind them. He also hadn't noticed group of officers setting up a yellow tape perimeter around the debris nor that Quagsire putting out the last of the flames. That wall he was supporting himself on? One of the many not reduced to rubble.

It was all starting to come back to him. The Absol, the strange breathing down his neck, the explosion, him almost dying…

Oh. He DID almost die, didn't he?

...

"WHAT?!" Kuro's scream was higher than he probably would've wanted it to be, but he was more concerned with you know, almost DYING.

"Honestly, it's a miracle I could get us out of there at all," Ame commented much more lax than she should've. "I'm surprised we didn't burn up or die from collision. Everyone else..."

Should Kuro have been relieved he couldn't see any bodies or horrified that he couldn't even see any bodies? That too didn't matter since he felt sick all the same.

"Arceus…" Kuro couldn't breathe. "Arceus I almost died. My life… almost ended… A-and everyone else on that train... They... I... Holy shit..." He barely resisted the temptation to faint again. "I don't even know what to say. What the fuck, Ame..."

"It's... definitely a lot to take in," Ame agreed silently.

There was a short silence.

"And think about all that property damage… shoot, and we were doing so good on our budget too…"

"What?" Kuro slowly turned to her, something bubbling inside him.

Ame continued obliviously. "Maybe if I snip a little off wages then… Well, there's no use thinking about that now."

"What? What- What are you even- WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NO USE THINKING ABOUT THAT NOW?!" Kuro yelled, more shocked than appalled by the casualness of her reaction. "WE ALMOST DIED! PEOPLE DIED! WHAT THE FUCK, AME?!"

Kuro's cries fell on deaf ears as Ame inspected a particular piece of a wall. "Why did this have to happen today of all days... Who would even-"

"HEYHEYHEY!" A sickeningly peppy voice called out.

The suddenness of the voice made Kuro turn around. He saw some kind of cheerleader in a yellow outfit bounce onto the scene. Literally.

Her apple green ponytail bobbed up and down as she skipped past the yellow police tape, the officers present - though likely unhappy about it - doing nothing to apprehend her. She approached Kuro and Ame with such a smile to carefree it was unnerving in a place like this.

She met Ame's eyes, giving her a mock salute. "Captain Julia reporting for duty, boss!" .

Ame was having none of it. "Julia? What. Did. You. Do?"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Julia exclaimed, stepping back dramatically. "I didn't do anything! I was at the Gymmie-Gym and then suddenly BOOOOM, so I came running!" She hopped up and down excitedly. "Cuz, you know, if things are exploding, I GOTTA be there to see it!"

Huh. Kuro must've been so shocked, so surprised, so stupefied, it counteracted the extreme amounts of distress he was going through, thus reverting him back to a semi-normal emotional balance.

At least, that was the only bullshit excuse his tired mind could come up with. He only had one thing to say to all this.

"What the fuck, Ame?"

Ame let out a long and heavy sigh as she gestured to Julia. "She's with the league, and unfortunately for the both of us, she was the closest person I could call at such short notice." She refocused her attention back to the ruins of the train station. "Back to what's important, with the evidence given to me by the authorities, the timing, and the fact it was only OUR train specifically that was rigged to blow… I can conclude this WASN'T an accident."

"So... It was a deliberate attack on us specifically?" Kuro asked, trying to wrap his head around basically everything.

She nodded, then paused. "Or," she turned to Kuro, "maybe it was-"

"If they did want to destroy it, they could've tried a little harder! I mean, the structure's still standing!" Julia complained as if she were talking about the weather. "What's up with that! This is like a 6/10 job at best!"

"Are... Are you being serious right now?" Kuro asked, anger rising once more. "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?! The ENTIRE train station was bombed, people DIED, and all you're complaining it wasn't WORSE?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Julia giggled. "Everything!"

...Kuro didn't know how to respond to that, actually. So, he didn't.

"Dear Arceus, why me?" Ame mumbled to herself, running her hands through her hair. "Alright, look. Whoever was behind it could still be monitoring from nearby. I'll have the perimeter locked down. Julia, you stay here and keep a lookout. If we're lucky, we may be able to find them."

Julia saluted again, bouncing as she did. "You got it bossy boss!"

"You don't have to call-" Ame likely figured it was better not to waste her braincells, going along with it with a nod. "Good."

It took Kuro three seconds to realize Ame was walking away. "Hey, wait! Weren't you supposed to register us-" Kuro paused, giving the debris a quick glance, "- ME into the league?"

"That was the plan, but now I have to make a detour. Paperwork and all that jazz." Ame explained sheepishly. Her face lit up. "BUT, there is a local that was also meant to register today! I'll tell her to wait for you at the Grand hall! It's just down this road. You can't miss it. Oh, and before I forget..."

Kuro was surprised when Ame give him a genuine look of sympathy as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Listen. Sorry if I came off as a bit insensitive earlier. I guess dealing with stuff like this all the time has... desensitized me a little. I know you're probably scared, confused, and a little more than upset, but don't worry about ANY of this. Please. I promise, with the power invested in me, I'll give you the best League experience you can possibly have!" She turned around, giving him one last glance. "I'll see you soon at the Grand Hall."

Kuro watched as she crossed the police tape and vanished into the crowd that had gathered beyond it. At last, he couldn't take it anymore and collapsed against the wall of the ruined station.

"Damnit," He muttered as he tried to prevent the incoming migraine.

He'd expected to run into a bit of trouble, but not 'get blown to bits before even entering the fucking city' trouble! He couldn't even be properly traumatized before that crazy bitch Julia showed up! Wait, wasn't that actually a good thing? Whatever. Point was, this was too much for him.

Why'd he even come to this stupid city? Why did he do literally anything that landed him here? That stationmaster was right. He should've just tried out for the leagues in Unova, Galar, heck, even Kaskade! As a matter of fact, he shouldn't have left at all and stayed-

Nope.

He wasn't even going to entertain that line of thought.

Leaving was definitely the one thing he wouldn't regret, even if it led to all of this. Besides, regret wouldn't help him now. The most important thing to do would be thinking on what to do next.

He stared at the wreckage of once was the train station. Admittedly, Julia was right to an extent about the explosion since a good portion of the building was still standing. Realizing that, Kuro gave himself a good look.

His shades were fine but his hat was likely buried under three feet of stone. Besides some dust on his silver jacket and blue jeans, plus some scratches and a few first degree burns on his skin, he was fine.

Why? How?

He should've at least suffered a few higher degree burns or a broken bone, not that he was complaining. Ame was right about them surviving being a 'miracle.' That aside, he thought back to the moment the train exploded. It wasn't difficult to conclude that Ame was the one who saved them both.

Ame, no matter how strange she was, had saved his life.

...

Kuro made his decision. He'd give the Reborn League circuit a shot. Not like he had many options to leave the region since he only packed enough cash to get by. Beyond that, he did owe Ame one and he figured the least he could do was register and check everything out.

Still, the whole thing left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Fuck me..." He sighed.

"That's a bit sudden, but sure!"

Kuro yelped as he spun around to come face to face with Julia's frightfully eager expression. He stepped back and snarled, "Hey! Personal space!"

She didn't budge. "Did you get to see the train go BOOM?!" She squealed. "Ooh, I bet it looked so COOL!"

Ame's indifference was one thing - and she at least apologized for that - but Julia's hyper fixation on the blast that KILLED people made Kuro's blood boil.

Sure she was kind of hot - don't ask why that mattered to him - but he wasn't no simp.

"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, fuck you? Third of all, isn't this a crime scene?" He gestured to the yellow police tape surrounding the area. "Why'd the officers even let you by?!"

"Silly Billy! Ame told you that I'm part of the league!"

"I was hoping she was joking about that," Kuro deadpanned, though he knew of the implication of her words. If she was high enough in Reborn's Pokémon League, she could technically outrank officers. He knew that for sure.

"You're funny!" Julia giggled again. "Anyways, even if I wasn't, Jen and I go waywayWAY back! She'd let me through! In fact," she turned to the police officers "HEEEEEEY JEN! HOW ARE YOU GIRL?"

Every officer took a step away from the Officer Jenny spearheading the group. 'Jen,' realizing Julia was staring at her, grimaced, sending a discreet wave.

"...She's just a lil shy!" Julia clapped her hands, glancing back to Kuro. "You're Kuro right? Ame called you Kuro so you MUST be Kuro! You probably know by now, but I'm Julia! Captain of cheer, pep, and all things bubbly and bright!"

Once she declared that, she struck a pose with orange pompons she somehow pulled out of nowhere and held it. A second passed. She didn't move. Three seconds passed. Kuro blinked. After six seconds passed, Kuro had went from annoyed, to confused, and then annoyed again.

"So-"

"POP QUIZ!" Julia returned to life, scaring the crap out of Kuro again. "Are you, Mister Kuro, going to be taking on the Reborn League?"

"No," Kuro lied without missing a beat.

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?" Julia gasped as if he admitted to murder. "That's no fun! You have to give it a try! You gotta! You gotta! You gotta! YougottaYougottayougottayougottayougottayougottayougottayougottayougotta-"

Kuro's eye twitched. Listening to her- no, BEING in her mere presence was taking days off his life. Some dark part of his brain thought it'd be better to have died in that explosion than dealing with this.

"-Yougottayougottayougotta- Wait. Didn't Ame just say she registered you?" The gears turning, Julia playfully elbowed Kuro. "Are you doing one of those things where you pull the Wooloo over my eyes? Veryyy tricky, Kuro."

Kuro pushed her elbow away from him. "Okay, fine, I'm doing the damn league. Why do you even care so much?"

"Well, I don't wanna brag but," she pointed to herself smugly, "I AM the Electric Gym Leader! Meaning I'll be the very first hurdle you have to overcome!"

For the love of- Of COURSE she'd be a Gym Leader and the first one at that. Kuro had to restrain himself from letting out a roar of pure unbridled rage as he attempted to calm himself down.

"That's... Great..." He hissed through his teeth.

"Glad you think so!" Julia looked at him expectantly. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on! Get! Get down to the Grand Hall already!"

On one hand, he was glad to get away from her, but on the other hand, he didn't like that she was the one to dismiss him, but on the other other hand, he was glad to get away from her.

"Don't need to tell me twice," Kuro grumbled, shrugging off his sluggishness as he took a step forward and away from Julia.

It was after he took his second step that he assessed his surroundings and realized he'd forgotten which way the Grand Hall was supposed to be.

He sighed.

This was going to be one of THOSE days, wasn't it?

And that's chapter 1 finished! I'm releasing the first 3 chapters on the same day to really kick things off and I'm planning to release something once a week. Course, this may not always be the case. If you have any criticism or questions feel free to ask me! While this technically isn't my first story, I'd love to write the best story I possibly can! See you all next time!

Chapter Text

-Lower Peridot Ward-

Surprisingly, Officer "Jen" and the other officers let Kuro leave without as much as any questions, not that he was complaining.

The quicker he could get away from it all, or Julia specifically, the better.

What he WOULD complain about was the crowd that had gathered just outside the crime scene.

They parted around him as he made his way through, giving him a wide berth as big as 5 feet. Despite their obvious reservations regarding him, they gawked at him like a group of Mandibuzz eying a cadaver and talked VERY LOUDLY about him as he walked by, as if he wasn't even there!

Kuro absolutely hated it.

On an unrelated note, he definitely wasn't concerned about getting recognized by anyone.

"Wait, that's it? Only one kid? He can't be the only survivor, can he?" He overheard someone say.

"Bah! Who cares about who survived and who died!" Another man barked. "Can't believe they'd actually close the entire ward for this shit. Said I can't even get home till this whole thing blows over."

"Yeah? Well I can't even get home now that the station is bloody wrecked," Someone else said before sighing. "My wife's going to kill me..."

"My fiancé was on that train," A lone woman, who couldn't possibly be much older than Kuro, suddenly blurted out.

"..."

"..."

"That's crazy," Another woman in rather revealing clothing said, taking a drag of her cigarette. Puffing smoke she added, "But, I don't remember anybody asking."

"Damn."

"Damn."

Damn. Harsh. And just the motivation Kuro needed to powerwalk away.

-Opal Ward-

Eventually, Kuro stumbled into a new area of the city, and he only knew he did when he almost ran headfirst into a sign. In his defense, the whole train bombing thing had taken a lot out of him. He was still also trying to repress as much of the trauma of almost dying as he could.

Compared to the slums that were the Peridot Ward, the Opal Ward – as the sign had read - was obviously more well-maintained. The ward, sporting various splashes of color in the form of banners and such, was a much needed break from the monotony of gray.

Of course, any statements about its general cleanliness were relative at best.

Kuro recoiled in disgust when a terrible smell hit his nostrils. He whirled around to find a tower of trash-bags in a nearby alley sitting out for who knows long.

"What a dump," He decided then and there. "Can't believe people actually live here..."

Kuro's thoughts were interrupted by a raspy chuckle. He spun around to meet the face of some old guy setting on a bench near the ward's lakefront. The guy was dressed up in a tacky golden brown suit with a matching fedora.

"What's so funny?" Kuro demanded with a side of aggression.

Upon seeing Kuro's annoyance, the man held up his hand apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just..." He sighed. His gaze returned to the vast lake in front of him. "You wouldn't be saying that if you knew. If you've seen what I've seen. What this city once was, it was marvelous. Blue skies, clear waters, plentiful fields, a true utopia where humans and Pokémon could live in harmony. Yep. Those were the days..."

Normally, Kuro would've brushed it off as typical senile rambling, but there was something in the way the man had said it. He said it with such fondness that it made Kuro feel sympathetic? He turned towards the lakefront the man had been staring at. The sky was covered with thick smog, the lake was a murky gray, and the shoreline was littered with trash, but for a moment, Kuro attempted to envision something along the lines of what the man envisioned.

"I... believe you," He eventually found himself saying. The two continued staring at the polluted lake. That was until Kuro remembered what he was supposed to be doing. "Hey, actually, do you know where the Grand Hall is-"

When he looked back to the man with the fedora, he was gone. Kuro hadn't even heard him leave.

"Asshole."

After that little incident, Kuro decided he'd just find someone to tell him where the Grand Hall was. Surely some of the locals would give him directions if he asked nicely, so it should've been quick and easy.

Key words: should've been.

Kuro considered the first few people he asked a fluke. After the first eight, he began to suspect something. By the first seventeen, one thing had become blatantly apparent to Kuro. Maybe it was his clothes or the way he presented himself because from a first glance alone, the average Rebornian could tell he wasn't from around there. He was an outsider; a foreigner.

Why did that matter?

To put it simply, discrimination.

Most of the people Kuro approached were civil enough to flat out reject him and then walk away. Others straight up walked away if it looked like he was about to approach to them. Finally there were those who intentionally sought him out and spoke to him with such vivid and colorful language he wasn't sure he could possibly - and legally - describe such 'kindness.'

It was a grueling process. Kuro didn't even know how long it'd been. His only watch broke in the bombing and he had to ditch his phone the night before on account of its tracking system. After some time though, he figured it was easier to find the Grand Hall himself.

Course, like always, he was proven wrong. To his frustration, every map and sign he came across had been vandalized to the point much of the original text was illegible. It didn't help that every damn part of the ward looked the exact same!

It was likely late into the morning now if the position of the sun meant anything. His legs ached to the point of burning, and his thin jacket did little to warm him in the chill morning air.

While briefly toying with the idea of swallowing his pride and going back to the train station to find Julia and ask her, Kuro wandered towards a tall set of set of steps leading up to a massive bridge stretching over a wide river. From the looks of it, it connected to another area of the city, which is why he avoided it for the most part. Now, he was out of options, and it wasn't like he could get any more lost.

He approached the first step.

"Hey!"

Kuro turned to a boy – maybe in his teens – marching towards him. He stood out most notably for his matching red tanktop and cap, both clearly too big on him. He was also one of the only Rebornians not to cuss him out on sight. Unfortunately, any hope for a bearable conversation was cut short by the kid himself.

The kid put himself between Kuro and the stairway to the bridge. "Tourists aren't allowed," He added, crossing his arms while shooting him a glare.

Kuro was stunned, but quickly recovered and snorted in amusement. "I'm pretty sure you don't own this bridge, kid. 'Sides, I'm a trainer, not some tourist."

He stepped to the left in an attempt to move past him, but the red-capped kid moved with him.

"A trainer, huh? Since you're not from round here, that must mean you're enrolled in the Reborn League, riight?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Kuro asked with a sharp glare.

The red-capped boy – Red-Cap. Kuro was going to call him Red Cap – shrugged. "Well, ignorin' the fact you DON'T have a League challenger badge and probably no ID either, if you show me at least ONE Pokémon, I'll let you through."

The emptiness in Kuro's pockets felt heavy.

Noticing Kuro's silence, Red-Cap's frown morphed into a grin. "Wait. You don't even got any Pokémon, do you?"

"You little-" Kuro held back his tongue.

Of course he had Pokémon damnit! In fact, he trained more Pokémon than that kid had likely ever seen in his life! Just... It wasn't his fault he had to leave them all at hom- BEHIND. He had to leave them all behind. Course, even if Red-Cap believed him, Kuro wasn't give him the satisfaction of being right.

Wait a minute.

Kuro gave Red-Cap a quick look over. He had what five years on him, stood more than a foot over him, and he was probably stronger too. Why was he even entertaining this kid like he had any authority over him? Matter of fact, why was he still listening to him?!

"I don't have time for this," Kuro muttered as he easily shoved Red-Cap aside. "Go bother someone-"

And then Red-Cap kicked him in the kneecap so hard he could've mistaken it for that of a Mudbray.

"GAH!" Kuro screamed as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his leg. "What the FUCK!"

"Exactly what I thought. All talk and no bite. NO ID, NO Pokémon, and probably NO bitches either!"

Kuro was about to talk smack back when another sting of pain caused him to clench his teeth. He would've gotten his getback, and DAMN did he want his getback.

The only thing stopping him was not self-control. He didn't care if that little shit was fourteen, twelve, or anything in between because he still would've gladly beat his ass.

No, it was the fact that the kick to the knee reminded Kuro how exhausted he was, mentally and physically. That kick was only a supplement; train bombing aside, he'd been walking the entire morning with little to no breaks. He was angry, sure, but still had enough sense to know if on the very likely chance he tried to fight that kid and lost...

That thought alone made Kuro grimace. It worsened when he realized there was only one reasonable, albeit embarrassing, thing to do.

"Yeah, and don't come back, asshole!" Red-Cap taunted Kuro as he limped away. "That's right. Keep walking! Keep walking you-"

'Don't respond to him. Responding means admitting he's getting under your skin,' Kuro assured himself, focusing on literally anything else. 'Just take deep breaths. In and out. Yeah... In... and out. In... and out.'

As he focused on his breathing, he actually started to calm down? The fog that had gathered in his head was starting to clear up, making thinking much easier.

Breathing exercises did work. Who would've thunk? He definitely needed to apologize to his second therapist, or was it the third one he was thinking of? The fact was, he was starting to calm down. In fact, he didn't remember why he got so wound up in the first place-

"Excuse me!" A voice called to him. "You're that foreigner that was in that train exploded, weren't you? The one everybody seems to be talking about?"

And then something snapped. Something inside of him.

He remembered why. It was all because of this shithole of a city. The source of quite literally all of his problems could be traced from this stupid FUCKING city.

And you know what? He was tired. Not from only getting 4 hours of sleep, not from the explosion, and not even from walking around the ward aimlessly. He was sick and tired of this entire damn city treating him like NOTHING.

"Apologies if you're not. It's just that you seem rather lost around here and-"

Who were any of these assholes to treat them less than the dirt they walked on? Who were they to treat him like he was the bane of their pitiful existences. Maybe everyone was right about Reborn. Maybe these people were to blame for their own misfortune!

Did they even know who he was? Kuro didn't like flaunting who he was, hell he was actively trying to hide it now, but if they knew... OH if they knew exactly WHO. HE. WAS.

"Uh, hello-"

Kuro whirled around. "WHAT DO YOU FUCKING-"

Staring back at him was a woman no older than fifty with wavy indigo hair. A soft turtleneck sweater covered her buxom figure, with a golden necklace wrapped around the base of her neck, and a long dress skirt hung from her waist, all of which besides the necklace varying shades of blue.

"Want..."

Oh and she was pretty. Like really pretty, not that it was relevant to Kuro in any way shape or form. Totally.

That aside, her expression caught his attention. It lacked the contempt and disgust he quickly grew accustomed to. She looked... concerned?

The woman reacted to his outburst all at once, gasping and putting a hand to her mouth. Kuro flinched back, part ashamed and part apprehensive. He expected her to either slap him, yell at him, or, the most likely, both.

Clearly he didn't consider the secret fourth option.

"Oh my goodness, you poor thing!" She declared, rushing towards him.

Kuro's brain stalled. "Uh... huh? What? Huh?!"

She gave him a look over "Are you hurt, dear? I can't even believe they'd let you leave without taking you to the hospital! You could've broken bone for all they know!"

A single string of thoughts looped in Kuro's head. 'Pretty... Woman... Nice... To Me...'

And just like that, something changed.

"Oh, uh, y-yeah! I'm fine!" Kuro sputtered, a red hue creeping onto his cheeks. He fumbled between an 'ok' sign and a 'thumbs' up before smiling sheepishly. "Super fine, even!"

The woman glanced up at him, frowning. "Really? Nothing's hurting at all?"

Well, since she WAS asking... "Now that you mention it, my back's a bit sore. And my leg," Kuro rubbed the leg Red Cap had kicked, "does have a bit of a limp."

Another gasp. "You've been limping around Opal Ward this entire time!? What if you overexerted it or worse, pulled it! That was a very dangerous thing to do young man!"

Somehow, he forgotten to tell her the limp was recent. Oh well. Fumbling with his shades, Kuro chuckled, "Well you know... Sometimes you just gotta keep pushin' on forward. That's what separates your average trainer from an elite, y'know!"

Luckily for him, she was eating it up. "A trainer, huh?" Her face lit up. She reached into her purse and pulled out a purple bottle: a potion. Kuro studied it with confusion as she smiled sheepishly. "I know, I know. It only works best on Pokémon , but I insist you take it! Please?"

"Well, how could I possibly say no?" Kuro sighed happily, accepting the gift immediately. At that moment, a thought snapped him back to reality. Somewhat. "Uh, actually, momm- MA'AM. Ma'am, do you know where the Grand Hall is? I've been looking for it for hours."

"Grand Hall?" She tapped her chin. "Oh! You mean that building?" She pointed behind him.

Kuro glanced over his shoulder. "What building-"

On the opposite side of the sidewalk was by far the largest building in the ward. A building that was kept in pristine condition compared to the buildings surrounding it, meaning it stood out the most. A building Kuro walked past a grand total of nine times, and unfortunately for him, that number sounded right in his head.

A single tear streamed down Kuro's cheek.

"...Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm contemplating every decision that led me here."

If Kuro was paying attention, he would've noticed the disapproving frown that was quickly replaced with a smile. She clasped her hands together. "Well, I'm glad I could help you, but I'm afraid I'l have to be off on my way!" She turned around to walk away, but not before glancing back to him one last time. "Make sure to stay out of trouble, m'kay?"

"Alright!" Kuro nodded dumbly as he watched her continue on her way, smiling like an idiot all the while.

That was until Kuro blinked with newfound clarity and became increasingly aware of his recent behavior. His cheeks stayed red for an entirely different reason than before. His head snapped to the left, then to the right. Nobody was watching, at least he hoped so. That didn't stop him from cringing any less.

"I'm not a simp. You're a simp," Kuro muttered to nobody as he turned around and stalked away.

...

Damnit he forgot to tell her his name!

-Grand Hall-

"Wait!"

After climbing up a set of steps leading to the Grand Hall, Kuro was just about to enter when he was stopped by a girl with a long mane of pointy black hair. More than that though, she looked exhausted.

"Are you Kuro, by any chance?" She asked, her voice hoarse.

Kuro nodded. "Who's asking?"

"Oh, thank Arceus!" That was good enough for the girl if evident by her sigh of immense relief. "You don't have a clue of how long I've been waiting for your arrival!

It only took Kuro three seconds to figure out what on earth she was talking about before it clicked. "Hey... You're that local Ame said was waiting for me, right? The one signing up for the Reborn League Circuit?"

She cleared the scratchiness from her throat, the formalness she radiated rising. "Correct. My name is Marlow Victoria, but you my call me Victoria, Kuro-kun."

"Uh, nice to meet you, Victoria...san?"

The usage of honorifics was not lost on Kuro, amusing him if anything. While she didn't seem to be Kanto-Johtonese, though she could've easily had ancestry, she was wearing a gray and black karate uniform complete with a black belt, so that must've had something to do with it.

A brief silence followed. Then, Kuro asked abruptly, "Wait, what time is it?"

"10:32," Victoria answered without missing a beat.

He thought for a moment. "And what time did Ame first notify you?"

"2 hours, 56 minutes, and 15 seconds ago. Why?"

Eerily specific answer aside, he noticed how much she had been shivering... "Wait, were you waiting for me out here the-"

"Let's just go inside, Kuro-kun." She said with a resigned sigh.

Well, he wasn't going to argue with that.

Kuro followed her inside. The Grand Hall was pretty standard in terms of league registration buildings. A built-in Pokécenter near the front, a small Pokémart stationed to the right, and of course a registration desk all the way in the back. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people inside. Amongst the various individuals working behind computers near the registration area, Kuro spotted a familiar silver haired woman.

"Ame-sama, I have returned with Kuro-kun." Victoria stopped as she came to a stop in front of the desk, Kuro by her side.

"Yo." He waved.

Ame smiled warmly. "Hey. You're actually here! Great! For a second I thought you had gotten cold feet and changed your mind, hehe!" She said before mumbling, "Not that I would've blamed you..."

"Well, I can't exactly say the idea hadn't crossed my mind once or twice." Kuro admitted aloud. 'or a dozen.'

"Regardless, I'm glad you decided not to in the end. And before you ask, there's no sign of any suspects yet, but I've got several officers out searching the area."

"Suspect?" Victoria question. "Might you be talking about the station bombing?"

Kuro frowned. 'Great.' Just as he was starting to forget about the whole thing, it just had to be shoved right in his face again.

...Okay, that was a lie; the bombing had been playing faintly in the back of his mind like a bad song on loop.

Meanwhile, Ame gave a nod to Victoria. "That's right. If anyone responsible for the incident is in the area-"

"You mean like Jul-"

"WHO IS MOST LIKELY NOT JULIA," Kuro grumbled to this as Ame continued, "We'll find them. But until then, we'll probably have to restrict travel between the wards." Having said that, Ame stood up from her seat. "Anyways, new trainers like you two don't need to worry about that! For now, let's finish your registrations. That means picking your starters!

She looked between Kuro and Victoria.

"So, who's going first?"

"Kuro-san can go first, I don't mind-"

"I CALL FIRST!"

Victoria shot him a look, causing Kuro to chuckle sheepishly. Ame was relatively unfazed.

Kuro chuckled sheepishly when Victoria shot him a look. Ame, on the other hand, seemed relieved.

"Guess it's decided then. Right this way then, Kuro!"

"Whoa..."

When Kuro had followed Ame behind the counter and up a flight of stairs, he did so with relatively low expectations. Every event that transpired so far didn't do much to raise the already impossibly low bar. This is all to say, he was half-expecting Ame to hand him a Bidoof she picked off the street and call it a day.

So when he entered a room holding not one, not three, but twenty one freaking Pokémon - all of which were bred specifically to be starter Pokémon of their region of origin - well, to say he was speechless was an understatement of the century.

"Impressed?" Ame asked somewhat smugly, standing behind Kuro as he continued to gawk.

"Hoothoot motherfuckas," a Rowlet commented while flying across the room.

Kuro finally picked up his dropped jaw. "One question. HOW?!"

Getting three starter specific Pokémon would already cost a fortune. Getting this much...

All her cockiness vanished in an instant. "Well, we did kind of have to blow half our budget on getting them..." She perked back up. "So, who are you going to choose?"

It was at that moment that Kuro realized he hadn't actually even thought about that. He didn't want to make any hasty decisions, but he also felt like he was obligated to not take too much time on account of Julia.

He surveyed the room for a third time, the area itself a small imitation of a habitat fit for water, grass, and fire types alike. Obviously most of the Pokémon had noticed his and Ame's presence, but only a few of them actually paid constant attention to them.

Kuro eyed a Charmander lying lazily on top of a rock. If he was being honest, having a Charizard would be freaking awesome. Though, if he was going with a fire type, a Chimchar or a Torchic would be better to cover that rock weakness once they evolved. Maybe he should ask Ame about the order of the gym leaders-

'Julia's a gym leader.'

Huh?

Where did THAT come from? Instead of worrying about that, he tried to get his mind back on tracks. If he remembered correctly, he was choosing between-

'She's the electric type gym leader.'

And now he couldn't stop thinking about Julia apparently. Great! It got even better when he realized he completely forgot what he was thinking about. Even his own brain was starting to-

'Ground types are the only type resistant and outright immune to electric type attacks.'

...

Okay maybe his brain was onto something.

'Ground types, huh?' The first thing that came to mind was Turtwig - a popular grass type starter in Sinnoh. He spotted the green turtle Pokémon chatting it up with a Bulbasuar. He could go with a Turtwig... if it weren't for two glaringly obvious problems.

Kuro didn't know if and when it learned ground type moves, and it only gained the aforementioned typing in its final evolution in Torterra. In other words, the advantage Kuro wanted from it would most likely be too little and too late.

So, he turned to the second option lying on a rock near a small stream. The quadrupedal Pokémon's body was sky blue and its most notable features were the star-shaped orange gills on its cheeks and a large light blue tail fin.

Oddly enough, it was wearing something? Some kind of a trucker hat that covered the fin that could be found on the species' heads.

Mudkip: The Mud Fish Pokémon. Now, why would Kuro consider a water type starter, a type weak to electricity? While Kuro didn't know much about Turtwigs, he did know some things about Mudkips. Enough to know that It gained its dual ground typing in its first evolution. On top of that, it could learn a variety of ground type moves pretty early on. With enough training, Kuro could have the perfect counter to Julia's gym.

Kuro was about to announce his decision when he stopped himself. Would it really be alright to make his arguably most important decision in the League Circuit based on gaining an edge over one measly gym leader alone? A bad decision? No, but it was a hasty one. It wasn't like he couldn't defeat Julia without a ground type on his team. So was it all really worth it in the end?

'Did you get to see the train go BOOM?!' He remembered Julia squealing in response to the explosion that killed some and nearly killed him. 'Ooh, I bet it looked so COOL!'

Nah. It was worth it.

"I choose you!"

The declaration was followed by a loud silence as the entire room paused. All eyes settled on him. Ame, particularly confused, stared at him, looked to where he was looking, then back at him.

"Un... Choose who?"

"Huh?" Oh. Right, they couldn't hear his internal dialogue "I- uh, Mudkip. I choose Mudkip."

Strangely, after Kuro clarified that, every starter - excluding Mudkip - seemed relived, happy even. What was up with that? He wasn't given much time to think much of it before they all returned to whatever they had been doing before as Ame clasped her hands with joy.

"Great!" She exclaimed. "Truth be told, Mudkip is one of our oldest starters here, so it's great he's finally being picked! Here, let me go get his Pokéball!"

Kuro gave Mudkip once last look before following Ame towards a cabinet. Unbeknownst to the both of them, Mudkip slowly cracked an eye open, giving his would-be trainer a good lookover.

"Meh," He grumbled, returning to his nap.

"So, who have you chosen as your destiny bound partner, Kuro-kun?" Victoria asked as Kuro once he and Ame returned to the lobby.

Having shoved Mudkip's Pokéball into his pant pocket, Kuro gestured to Mudkip who had been walking alongside him; the mud fish Pokémon gave Victoria a nod of acknowledgement.

"Wait a minute," Kuro said, eyeing Victoria with suspicion "You're not going to pull a Blue on me and get a grass type specifically because I chose a water type, right?"

"Of course not! I have too much honor than to do something as cowardly as that!" Victoria defended herself. "In fact, not only have I already determined who my starter will be, but as fate would have it, they are a typing weak to your Mudkip!"

"Oh, that's cool then-"

"Some may consider this a cruel doing of fate-" She was still going, "- but I consider this to be an opportunity to push myself to new limits! A challenge I need to properly grow and hone my skills! Yes, I can see it now! This will truly-"

"Less talking more choosing!" Ame said, hauling Victoria towards the stairs mid-speech as she continued unfazed and undeterred.

Kuro twiddled his thumbs. Victoria was gracious enough to let him go first, so he figured he probably should wait for her at the very least. Plus, it gave him the opportunity for introductions with his new partner... in theory.

Mudkip had been silent the entire time, and the hat covering his face rendered his expression unreadable for the most part, making Kuro a bit more hesitant to approach him.

"Uh... Hey?" Kuro said, attempting to strike up a conversation

"Hey yourself." Mudkip's voice was low and croaky as if it had been days since he had even a sip of water. That'd be ironic for a very obvious reason.

Kuro could've believed Mudkip was an ice-type with his stone cold response. Still, he persisted. "So... how's life?"

"Alright."

"Cool. Cool..."

A short silence. Kuro scratched his neck. Mudkip was unbothered.

"So-"

"Heyyy," a new - and feminine? - voice appeared. "You're cute~"

Kuro didn't recognize the voice, but she sounded hot enough so, "You're pretty cute yourself, Ms.-"

He eagerly spun around and- Oh. It wasn't a girl.

It was a... guy? Yeah, Kuro was sure it was definetly a guy. A guy that looked like he just stepped out of a Hot Topic, silver accessories and all. His entire outfit, even his eyes and hair were all varying shades of lavender. Despite him not possibly being much older than Kuro, the latter had to crane his neck up to meet his eyes. Or maybe that was just the combat boots he was wearing.

"Uh... Wait, what did you say?" Kuro asked after realizing he hadn't said anything for a good while.

"Nothing~" The prettyboy singsonged unconvincingly, adjusting the large fringe of hair that swept over the right part of his face. He looked Kuro up and down before asking, "Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?"

"For... the cool loner vibe I'm going for?" Somehow, Kuro's was even more unconvincing than he had been..

"Uh huh..."

Fortunately, he didn't seem as half as interested in that as he was for whatever he was looking for, evident by his eyes roaming around the room.

"Was Ame just here?" He asked, his eyes settling back on Kuro. "I kinda need to talk to her."

Kuro pointed his thumb to the stairs behind the counter. "You just missed her. She's giving someone their starter Pokémon right now."

"Ohhhh, so she's with someone else. 'Kay~" Chuckling, he extended his hand out. "Name's Cain. What's yours?~"

The weird undertone in Cain's voice was throwing Kuro off a bit, but not enough to stop him from shaking his hand. "Call me Kuro."

"Kuro huh? That's a pretty name~."

"What?" Kuro deadpanned.

"Nothing~"

"Uh huh..."

Should he be worried?

Cain took a second to think. Then, he cleared his throat. "Imma just cut to the chase. Since you're here, and assuming that Mudkip is yours, I'd say you're planning on challenging the Reborn League, right? I was just coming here to resi-" The words caught in Cain's throat. "Er... To start over, yeah. Figured I'd try taking on this league instead. And seeing how I got some time to kill since Ame's doing something..."

Cain produced a Pokéball in his hand, tossing it up and down.

"Whaddya say to a battle?" He smirked. "If it's your first time, I'll be gentle~"

At the mention of a battle, something flared within Kuro. He stood just a little bit taller and grinned.

"Do I look like a little kid?" Kuro snorted. Obviously, it wouldn't his first time-

BATTLING. He's talking about battling.

That aside, a Pokémon battle sounded real good right now. He wanted to see just what Mudkip was capable of as well. Speaking of him...

"Well, what do you think Mud-" Kuro turned to his partner only to be surprised when he saw Mudkip had already taken up a stance in front of him, facing Cain.

Did he simply want to battle too? Or something else?

Whatever it was, it only further motivated Kuro who sent Cain a challenging look. "Well, I guess we both like the sound of it."

Cain's smile widened, giving his Pokéball one last experimental toss. "Innuendos aside, I won't be going easy on you."

The two trainers took up a fighting stance, prepared for the incoming battle.

Challenger Kuro vs Prettyboy Cain

BEGIN!

Chapter 2 baby! Same thing as chapter 1. If you have any criticism or questions feel free to notify me right away! The more critiques I get, the better my story is, and the happier I am! If you're enjoying this story, let me know! It lets me know I'm making something people will enjoy! See you all next time!

Chapter Text

-Grand Hall-

Challenger Kuro vs Prettyboy Cain!

BEGIN!-

"WAIT!" Kuro's abrupt shout caused Cain and Mudkip to freeze up, both of them turning to him with a mix of confusion and annoyance, especially on Mudkip's part. "Shouldn't we move to like a battlefield or something?"

Cain laughed. "Why? It's not like anyone's going care if we do it right here~" At the unamused look Kuro gave him, he further explained, "No, seriously. Look around!"

And so Kuro did. The Grand Hall itself wasn't totally trashed but it wasn't anywhere near from being well-maintained. The people inside it were a whole different problem which only got worse the more Kuro looked. A guy chugging a beer on a sofa here, two dudes smoking oddish there, a group of old men playing poker- wait, why was that one guy taking off his-

Kuro looked away just before he saw something he definitely didn't want to see, still gagging from the idea alone. Cain seemingly shrugged it off with little to no reservations. "You'll get used to it. Point is, it's not like one small battle isn't going to do THAT much more damage. If you're still unsure, you could just forfeit right here and now."

This city was going to kill Kuro physically and mentally, wasn't it? "Can we just start now?"

"Ready when you are," Cain smirked.

Challenger Kuro vs Prettyboy Cain!

BEGIN!

Cain had moved back a dozen feet or so to give them both a good playing field. Maintaining a relaxed stance, he threw his Pokéball up, a small creature popping out. A male Nidoran based on the purple coloring of his body.

Upon meeting Mudkip's eyes, the Nidoran shrunk under his gaze, his big spiny ears drooping. Despite that, Nidoran made no attempt to fully back down.

The familiar and exhilarating jitters before a battle had already flooded Kuro's senses, The moment Nidoran had been released, his mind went on overdrive, thinking about the moves Nidoran could and would possibly use. In a span of seconds, he already thought of his first command. "Mudkip, Ta-"

Kuro was caught off guard when Mudkip burst off in a sprint. Surprisingly, the trucker hat stayed firm on his amphibian head.

"Close the distance, Terrance!" The words came out of Cain's mouth smoothly, only accompanied by a small nod towards the incoming Pokémon.

Whatever emotion Terrance the Nidoran displayed earlier didn't stop him from rushing forward, head pointed down with his horn pointing right at Mudkip.

The two trainers only had a fraction of a second to make their next moves before the two Pokémon collided. Fortunately, that was all Kuro needed.

"CUT!" "DODGE!"

Terrance's horn glowed as he slashed it down at Mudkip. The attack met nothing but air, Mudkip leaping out of the way with ease. Kuro wasted no time in planning a counterattack.

"Tac-"

Mudkip Growled right before Terrance could get a second strike in. Nidorans were known to have a good sense of hearing, but that proved to be a double edged sword given by how harshly Terrance flinched back.

Inwardly, Kuro was taken aback by Mudkip's impatience, yet he couldn't exactly deny it wasn't a good call.

"O-Owie!" Terrance cried when Mudkip's tailfin slammed into his body, knocking him across the tiled floor.

Kuro managed to suppress a wince, an instinct years of battling still hadn't gotten rid of. He knew what the aftermath of a devastating attack, much less a killing one, looked like. With the strength the two Pokémon had already displayed, he had no fear they'd dish out anything the other couldn't handle.

That's why he wasn't surprised when Terrance immediately got back up no worse for wear.

"Keep your guard up," Cain suggested. Terrance nodded before running towards Mudkip once more, the latter following suit.

When they crossed paths again, Mudkip leapt over Terrance and attempted to pivot on his front legs to backhand - heh, backfin - him, but the Nidoran was faster. Terrance spun around and blocked the attack, horn and fin clashing together. They pushed back and forth, and with neither of them being able to gain a upper hand, they were forced to leap back and away from each other.

There was a brief period where none of them made a move; an unspoken truce that allowed them time to process. Kuro's heart was already starting to race. He knew his first starter battle had no reason to be THIS intense. Of course, he was using beginner ten year old trainers as his only baseline, and suffice to say he and Cain were much older than ten and definitely not inexperienced.

Cain seemed to have come to the same conclusion too. "Damn... I was wrong. There's no way this can be your first League Circuit." Cain thought aloud, moving his attention from Kuro to Mudkip. "If I didn't already know, I'd think there's no way you just got Mudkip today with how strong he is."

"Actually, it IS my first League Circuit," Kuro said, somewhat sheepish and proud. That aside, the praise would've been appreciated if Kuro was actually doing something. So far, everything Mudkip had done was on his own accord, even if his skills were admittedly impressive.

Kuro snapped out of his thoughts, chastising himself for getting lost in them in the first place. He was in the middle of a battle for Arceus' sake, and he couldn't afford his opponents too much time to recover.

As a matter of fact, "Alright, Mudkip! Keep 'em moving with Wa-"

"RAHH!"

Aaaand Mudkip charged in again, ruining the plan Kuro had thought up. Brilliant! The first two times he was confused. Now? He was starting to get annoyed.

It wasn't clear if Cain was aware of it or not, but he grinned all the same. "Keep him at bay with Cut!"

"R-right!" Terrance nodded, readying to attack.

The third time they clashed made the start of the battle just seem like practice. Terrance's horn, glowing white, cut through the air with broad yet rapid sweeps. Meanwhile, Mudkip dodged and weaved in fluid motions, evading the attacks sent at him with ease. Together, they made quite the show... if anyone besides the two trainers was watching, that is.

Kuro had to force himself not to get too caught up in their movement. Had he seen more impressive from even stronger Pokémon? Definitely, but the performance from the two was far from mediocre, especially considering they were relatively low-level Pokémon. At least, that's what he assumed.

During his analysis, a pit widened in his stomach when he realized something terrible: Mudkip was losing.

If anyone had been watching who was not knowledgeable about the ins and outs of battling, Kuro's conclusion would've stumped them. Mudkip and Terrance seemed evenly matched at first glance, both being able to land good hits here and there. But Kuro saw beyond that.

Mudkip was stronger than Terrance, significantly so in fact. However, while Terrance was lacking in accuracy, he wasn't lacking in agility and speed by any means. The Nidoran was fast on his feet and could strike in rapid succession, even if he missed. Mudkip not only was slower to counter, he also had to use more energy to keep up with him. The fact Terrance was also strong in his own right made it even more difficult for Mudkip to endure.

In other words, they weren't evenly matched at all. This wasn't a battle of strength, but one of endurance. A battle Mudkip was going to slowly lose in.

Despite the odds, Mudkip managed to get a lucky shot in, smacking Terrance away just enough to give him some much needed breathing room. Kuro didn't waste any time in trying to reach his Pokémon.

"MUDKIP! Listen!" He shouted, clenching his fists. "Don't engage in close combat! You have to use Water Gun to keep him away from you!"

For the first time in that battle, Mudkip acknowledged him. At first, Kuro was relieved that he managed to get to him, but that sensation was ripped away from him when he saw Mudkip's face. Their eyes only connected for less than a second, but to Kuro, time slowed down.

He had seen this before. The cold indifference in their eyes, the callous scowls across their faces, blatant disregard to his orders. How could he have not figured out it before?

"Naw," Mudkip said, turning back to his opponent.

That asshole had been ignoring him the entire time ON purpose!

If Kuro was frustrated before, he was fully pissed off now. "MUDKIP!"

*Mudkip pretended not to notice!

Mudkip ran towards Terrance in a Tackle, and predictably, Terrance dodged. But then Cain gave him a strange order. "Stay close and wait for it again!"

Even stranger, Terrance obeyed, but he didn't try to attack as much. No, he instead started to focus mainly on dodging. A seemingly perfect way to let Mudkip tire himself out, but Kuro felt as if there was something beyond that. And what exactly did he mean by wait for-

After yet another one of Mudkip's attacks was dodged, the Mud Fish Pokémon spun towards Terrance and opened his mouth. Cain grinned. This was the opening they had been waiting for.

"NOW! SHOVE IT IN!~"

Kuro eye's bulged. "DON'T-"

"Shove wh-"

Mudkip's attempt at a Growl was cut short when Terrance jabbed his horn inside Mudkip's mouth and flung him into the air. He leapt up after Mudkip's flying body and slashed, landing three full Cuts on him. Mudkip cried out in pain, but Terrance wasn't done yet, finishing things off with a devestating Double-Kick to the back.

"W-Was that too far?" Terrance stammered, landing as Mudkip flew, then crashed and tumbled across the tiled floor, stopping in front of Kuro's feet.

The combo of attacks went to Cain's head as he wagged his finger. "You couldn't have really expected us to fall for the same thing twice, couldn't you?"

"Mudkip!" Kuro cried out, anger replaced with panic as the Pokémon staggered up, his back marked with scratches. "You can't-"

"I GOT THIS!" Mudkip barked, pushing through the blatantly obvious pain. He stormed right back towards Terrance, causing the latter to let out a high pitched squeak.

He lunged at Terrance as the latter darted around in terror. Still, it was clear who had the advantage. Blinded by rage, Mudkip left himself wide open to Terrance's attacks. His movements were getting sluggish each time he was hit, the pain clearly taking its toll on him. That only made him angrier, leading him to get hit even more in the brutal cycle.

'Fuckfuckfuckfuck FUCK!' Kuro resisted the urge to pull his own hair out as he watched Mudkip get pummeled. Today, it seemed like he was a magnet for all sorts of bad luck and now, his own starter was refusing to listen to him and he didn't even know why! Just what was up with this stupid city?!

He barely registered Mudkip getting knocked towards him again. Ironically, the hat seemingly glued to his head was barely damaged, unlike the rest of his bruised body. It took two strained attempts for him to wobble back up to his feet. Kuro made no mistake, Mudkip would faint long before he could sustain the rare injury. The point was he WAS going to faint if he wasn't careful.

Just like the many other times in battle, Kuro attempted to reach him. "Listen to-"

Mudkip whipped back, growling. "I said I got-"

Kuro finally snapped. "FOR FUCK'S SAKE JUST LISTEN TO ME!" All the emotions he'd been bottling up flooded out with no signs of stopping. "You clearly don't got shit! You don't even know HALF of what I've been through today, and now, I'm about to lose my FIRST LEAGUE BATTLE all because someone's being an EGOTISTICAL... INSUFFERABLE... ASSHOLE!"

Mudkip immediately fell silent. He studied Kuro's gaze before finding the floor much more tolerable. Even Terrance took a step back, seemingly spooked by the mere observation of the trainer's outburst. Cain himself looked a mix of surprised and intrigued.

Kuro took a deep breath, trying to close the floodgates of red hot emotion. An angry Pokémon and an angry trainer wouldn't help them win, if they COULD even still win at this point.

"Listen... Respectfully, right now, you're acting really really stupid, and I'm not sure why. Is it a lack of respect? Arrogance? Spite? Whatever it is, my point is, you're losing. Bad. And if you lose, I lose too. I've had a really shitty day so far, and I really don't want to lose my first trainer battle in this league circuit, and I'm sure you don't want to either. And well..."

'Anime logic please don't fail me now.'

"I think you're cool."

"...Huh?" Mudkip was dumbfounded.

"Should I attack?" Asked the meek voice of Terrance.

"Nah. I wanna see what he pulls out of his ass," Cain decided.

Kuro ignored them. "No, really, I do. Swamperts are like the best water type starters out there competitively, even if most get one-shot by Energy Balls. And on the topic of YOU specifically: you're strong. Even when you're getting your getting your ass handed to you, you're still fighting. Even when you're struggling to stand, you're still pushing yourself. I like that about you."

Okay, he might've been laying it on a bit too thick, but it wasn't like he didn't mean most of it.

"What I'm trying to say is, I want to win. But I don't just want to win. I want to win with YOU. With our combined efforts, I really think we can turn this around and actually win this. To do that though, I'll need your help." He took another long breath of anticipation. "So whaddya say? Want to believe in me like I believed in you?"

Mudkip, Terrance, and Cain processed Kuro's small speech. Mudkip was the first one to speak.

"I... I don't know what to say," Mudkip croaked, meeting Kuro's eyes. "I reckon... that was the WORSE gosh darn speech I've heard in my life."

At the same time, Cain was unable to hold it in and started cackling to himself. "FUCK! I can't- I CAN'T!" He managed to say before it was overtaken by laughter.

"Uh, you know, I-I actually thought it was decent...ish," Terrance mumbled.

"Yeah? Well fuck you all too," Kuro scowled, blushing red as he crossed his arms.

Mudkip shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Still... Can't say you ain't got a point of us not wanting to lose. Reckon I don't want that either." He gave his opponent one hard look before turning to Kuro. "What're your orders?"

"H-Huh?!" Kuro stammered, surprised.

All cards on the table, he didn't expect that to accomplish anything other than embarrass himself further. But, since it DID work...

"Water gun, far range!" Kuro shouted, pointing to their opponents.

Mudkip hesitated, but fired a jet of water straight from his mouth. Startled, Terrance hopped to the side to avoid the attack. Immediately afterwards, he had to move out of the way again when another Water Gun shot towards him. Then another one. And another one. Soon, he was leaping to and from to avoid the blasts of water.

Cain's lips tightened; his posture became more rigid. "Get close to him!"

It was Kuro's turn to get cocky. He had his suspicions and Cain's latest command was the final nail in the coffin.

Terrance didn't have any ranged attacks.

"KEEP FIRING!"

And fire Mudkip did. Terrance sprinted for him, weaving past Water Guns. He was still gaining ground, but the water slowed him down significantly.

"DON'T ENGAGE!" Kuro yelled as Terrance leapt for Mudkip, preparing a Cut. "Leap back and keep it up!"

Mudkip protested, but dutifully jumped away just as Terrance's horn hit the tiled flooring. The Nidoran would've immediately tried again too if it wasn't for the blast of water crashing into him. Despite his current state, Mudkip seemed to have plenty of energy left to consistently fire off Water Guns.

So what if Terrance was dodging most of the water? He was still USING energy. Mudkip was already severely weakened from the earlier bout. No doubt one good hit would K.O him. But with Kuro's strategy, they could slowly chip away at Terrance's stamina, evening the playing field.

Terrance rolled under another Water Gun and charged. Mudkip was already prepared to fire.

"Full blast!" "Cut through it!"

Just as the blast would've hit him, Terrance used his attack's movement to part the water around him. A smart move, but not smart enough because as soon Terrance got through the attack he was introduced to the bad side of Mudkip's fin, sending him flying past Cain and almost into a wall.

Mudkip readied to make chase when Kuro yelled, "Stop! Let him come to you!"

Mudkip was confused, rightfully so. "That last attack took a lot out of 'em. One good-"

"Just trust me!" Kuro insisted.

"I..." Again, Mudkip looked like he wanted to argue. Seemingly mulling it over, he eventually nodded. "Alright."

Cain's composure was fully broken by now. To him, it was obvious Kuro was planning something, even if he didn't exactly know what. He looked to Terrance who already wobbled back to his feet. The Nidoran was soaking wet and his body's condition wasn't a far cry from Mudkip's.

"Attack, but stay cautious!" Cain warned.

Shaking off his dizziness, Terrance tentatively raced forward, prepared to dodge any attack that came his way. But Mudkip didn't rush at him nor did he attack.

Terrance, gaining some confidence, ran faster. Cain's lips tightened with uncertainty. Mudkip widened his stance, still not moving.

Finally, just as Terrance was closing in, Kuro made his call

"Aim at the floor! NOW!"

Without hesitation, Mudkip fired.

Cain was speechless.

Sure, Terrance was prepared to dodge a Water Gun at moment's notice, but he wasn't prepared to dodge the massive puddle on the tiled floor. He couldn't react fast enough. He slipped, falling onto his stomach, and began sliding.

Sliding in the direction he had been running in.

Sliding right towards Mudkip.

Sliding right into Mudkip who seemed like he was going to-

SMACK

*A critical hit!

This time, Terrance landed right at Cain's feet. He let out one final squeak before fainting, swirly eyes and all.

BATTLE WON!

It all hit Kuro at once. The calming sensation that came as his body began to relax, the relief from all that anxiety dissipating in an instant, and the familiar rush of dopamine thumping at his brain.

He won... He won!

A unstoppable grin made itself known on Kuro's face.. Even after feeling this wonderful feeling so many times before, he couldn't help himself from pumping a fist in the air. Winning always felt so... exhilarating! And admittedly, that close call with Mudkip made it even more so.

"How's that for making someone wet?~" Kuro quipped, blasting two finger guns at Cain for good measure.

...What? Cain totally would've found a way to sneak that in if he won.

Any judgement, if there was any at all, couldn't bother Kuro now. "Right Mud...kip?" Kuro looked to Mudkip only to find him too slumped on the ground. "Crap..."

Meanwhile, Cain scooped up Terrance in his arms, looking over the knocked out Pokémon tenderly.

For a second, his face showed another emotion. Guilt? Regret? Shame? Yet as quickly as it came it was replaced with a smirk as Cain looked up to Kuro who rushed to his own Pokémon.

"Huh. Cute AND Talented~"

"Like, here's your Pokébuddies-"

"Pokémon." The Trubbish next to the Nurse Joy corrected.

"Riight! Well, here they are, all healed up and stuff!"

She carried a tray holding two Pokéballs, walking back to the counter where Cain and Kuro were waiting. The two had went to the small Pokécenter to get their Pokémon healed up after situating themselves after the battle. Speaking of which, as soon as Nurse Joy sat the tray down, the Pokéballs popped open and revealed Mudkip and Terrance.

Mudkip was silent. His eyes were covered by the lip of his trucker hat, but Kuro could tell he was avoiding his gaze.

"Hey, c'mon, we won and that's what matters, right? Plus that comeback was INSANE!" Kuro exclaimed, trying to break the tension. "You're pretty strong for a starter Pokémon!"

"...Appreciate it," Mudkip eventually croaked, though the previous edge in his voice present during the battle was gone.

Cain glanced to his own Pokémon. "You did great too Terrance. How are you feeling?"

"T-thanks Cain," The Nidoran muttered. He lied on his stomach and rubbed at his eye. "Though, I'm still feeling a b-bit woozy. Could I take a nap maybe?"

"Of course. Take a good rest," Cain said softly, picking up Terrance's Pokéball. With a click of a button, Terrance vanished inside it in a flash of red light.

Mudkip hopped off the tray and onto the floor. Taking this as a sign he was more than fine, he simply pocketed Mudkip's Pokéball and glanced up at Cain.

"Hey, good battle out there. I mean it," Kuro said, holding out his hand.

"You too," Cain smiled, accepting the gesture. "I'm actually surprised. I didn't expect to get so wet, espically by a first timer~" The flirty look on his face quickly morphed into a frown. "No seriously, the bottom of my jeans and my socks are sopping wet."

"Sorry about that," Kuro sighed, already cringing at the mess OF WATER they made in the lobby of the Grand Hall. He had gotten so caught up in the fight he actually forget they weren't on a proper battlefield.

It was all so strange reflecting on it. Mudkip aside, the disparity between Cain's apparent skill level as a trainer and Terrance's fighting experience, while not too big, was still noticeable. Did he use a less inexperienced Pokémon on purpose?

Before he could ask, the Nurse Joy beat him to the chase.

"Oh! I'm supposed to like, say something to you both." She thought for a moment. "We... We uh... It was on the tip of my tongue..."

"We hope to see ya again," The Trubbish helped her out.

"Yeah! That's like totally what I was getting at! Thanks Trubby!"

"Wait, your assistant's a Trubbish?" He asked, staring at the literal trashbag Pokémon with disbelief. "Shouldn't you have a Wigglytuff, or an Audino, or even a Chansey? Let me guess, budget-cuts?"

The Trubbish glared at him.

"Listen, kid. Us Poison-types know our way 'round when it comes to da poisoning and da diseases. It's practically second nature. I haven't effectively identified and diagnosed hundreds of different infections just for my capabilities to be questioned, espically not from some boy band reject who thinks wearing shades automatically makes 'im look cool."

"Damn, my bad, I'm sorry for asking." Kuro held up his hands defensively.

...

"Okay, it might be a little bit of da budget-cuts," Trubbish admitted.

"Knew it."

"Kuro-kun! There you are!" Cain, Kuro, and Mudkip turned around to see Victoria and Ame walking towards them. Victoria greeted them by bowing before continuing. "I thought you had forgotten about our promise and ran off."

"That would've been bad since I didn't fully finish registering you!" Ame added helpfully.

"Well-"

"Sorry~" Cain interrupted Kuro before he could say anything. "I kinda stole Kuro for a bit, so my b."

"Oh... Cain." Ame's tone became somewhat reminiscent of how she spoke to Julia, thought not as cold. "Right, I forgot you were coming by today."

"It's okayyyy, when you were gone, I met Kuro and had some fun~"

What.

"'Had some fun'?" Victoria asked before gasping. She covered her mouth as she blushed beet red. "So that's the kind of person Kuro-kun is..."

Oh HELL nah. Before Cain could make it worse, Kuro spoke up. "What this dipshit means is that we had a Pokémon battle. Mudkip can vouch."

"Eeyup," Mudkip nodded, much to Kuro's relief.

Ame tilted her head. "Wait, was that not implied?"

"Yeah, Kuro. What exactly DID you think she meant, hmm?~" Cain asked, smirking.

"Don't you even fucking dare." Kuro growled.

The blush vanished from Victoria's cheeks. "Oh! I see now. That does like it would be 'Fun'! I would like to battle Kuro-kun as well. Not only would it establish our current skills but it would further cement our bonds as destiny-bound rivals and serve to strengthen our relationship. Kuro-san, I implore you to accept my proposition for a battle!"

"Did you two get all that?" Cain asked genuinely.

Kuro at least did. He didn't mind too much, as long as Mudkip didn't pull that stunt again. Speaking of him, Kuro turned to the Pokémon in question. "How are you feeling? Can you fight?"

Seemingly surprised Kuro asked him beforehand, Mudkip hesitated before nodding. "As fresh as a daisy."

Ame smiled "Great! Cain, I'll get you registered as a challenger while they do that. Follow me!"

"Ooh, yes mistress~"

Ame faltered, but didn't lose her smile nor cheerful tone."On the way there, maybe you could help with the huge mess you and Kuro made near the registration desk!"

"Mess?~"

"You have five seconds!~" She singsonged.

"Yes, Ame, sorry, Ame."

'Karma' Kuro thought with a satisfied look as he watched Ame walked away, quickly followed by Cain. He turned back to Victoria who now stood in front of him, wearing a steely eyed gaze on him.

"Let us begin," Victoria said, pulling out a Pokéball.

Challenger Kuro vs Apprentice Victoria

BEGIN!

Victoria closed her eyes and released her Pokémon, a black and red striped cat with yellow scelera. If Kuro remembered correctly, it was a Litten? Yeah, definitely a Litten.

"Kuro-kun. Mudkip-san. Your opponent is Hibana-san. In Kantonese, her name means spark -"

Unbeknownst to Victoria, as soon as Hibana set eyes on her opponents, she leapt into action, forcing Mudkip to begin as well.

"- While it is true I named her that as she is a fire-type -" Victoria obliviously continued as the Pokémon in question began to duke it out with Mudkip, "- It goes beyond that. A spark alone starts out weak, but with fuel, oxygen and time, it can grow into a raging inferno that could ravage entire forests. Just like a spark, Hibana -"

Mudkip dodged an incoming Ember.

"- with enough time -"

Hibana yowled as she was Tackled by Mudkip.

"- and I -"

Mudkip grunted as Hibana Scratched him.

"- can grow alongside each other to go even further beyond. Kuro-kun... You -"

"Water Gun!"

"- Even if you just met your Mudkip today, I can already sense a budding bond between you two. Truly, it must be fate that brought you together as was the case for me and Hibana-san. So to speak, this battle will bring us together -"

Hibana screeched.

"- to achieve our goals. My sensei once said that learning to work and train together with Pokémon would be an invaluable step on my journey of personal growth." Her eyes flared. "Kuro-san! Let us take these first steps tog-"

"Uh, Victoria?" Kuro spoke up. "I hate to break it to you... but we kind of already won. Sorry?"

Victoria looked up to see Mudkip standing victoriously over the knocked out form of Hibana.

BATTLE WON!

She gasped, too shocked to even immediately recall the Litten into her Pokéball.

"Defeated so easily?! And so fast too? I... I cannot believe this!" Victoria exclaimed dramatically. "Kuro-kun... You are no ordinary trainer, are you..."

"Uh... Thanks? I think?" Kuro rubbed his neck, torn between feeling bad and dumbfounded.

"No matter. I-"

Fortunately, before Victoria could go on another tangent, Caine poked his head out from behind the corner. "Heyy! If you're done, Ame is waiting for you guys!"

Kuro sighed in relief; saved by the bell.

After Victoria got Hibana healed up and put away in her Pokéball to rest up, Her, Kuro, and Mudkip joined Cain at the registration counter. Surprisingly, most of the mess had been cleaned up in that short amount of time. Fortunately, Ame had gotten most of their documentation done while they were 'battling,' so all she had to do was to give them the standard stuff: League information, League challenger badges, Pokéballs, Poképasses, Pokégear, a Pokédex, and all that poke-jazz.

"Oh, and before I forget-" Ame reached from underneath the counter and pulled out three boxes. "As a sort of promotional bonus, Silph Co. has paired up with the Reborn League to give each and every one of our league challengers the super special limited time only League approved Running Shoes Deluxe Pro... 2! They're not only super comfy but they're even tougher than the Running Shoes Deluxe Pro 1!"

She gave a dramatic pause.

"What do you all think?"

Everyone was silent, all except for Mudkip who had the guts to say what everyone was really thinking. "Sell-out."

Ame sweat-dropped. "Budget-cuts, remember? These shoes are practically the only thing Silph Co. is comfortable officially endorsing, and even that's pushing it... Pleasetakethem."

Well, an extra pair of shoes were always nice. Kuro took one box and placed them in his yellow league backpack now strapped over his shoulders. Once Victoria and Cain did the same, Ame clapped her hands.

"I think... you're all set now!. I'd love to take any questions any of you may have, but I've got more damage control to run, so I'm afraid I have to leave you all be now."

Victoria bowed gratuitously. "You have our eternal gratitude, Ame-sama!"

Cain rolled his eyes at Victoria's antics. "I don't know about eternal, but yeah, thanks... MISTRESS Ame-"

"I think there's a bit of water you missed," Ame stated while smiling.

"You have our eternal gratitude!" Cain bowed twice for good measure before giving Kuro and Victoria an awkward glance. "I'm uh... I'm gonna hit the road now. See ya!"

Before Kuro could say anything, Cain spun around and power-walked straight out of the Grand Hall. He wanted to ask which starter he picked, but oh well.

He turned back to Ame, making a mental note not to ever get on her bad side. "Thanks Ame. Not just for this, but for also saving me back in the bombing. Without you I would've..."

"Hey, you're the one enrolled in my league! I should be thanking you!" Ame assured him, stopping him from continuing that train of thought. "That said, if you really want to thank me-"

"AMYTHEST!" Someone shouted from the back.

Ame sighed. "Well, duty calls. Until next time. I can't wait to see your progress!" She waved to them while walking away. Once she was far enough, Kuro swore he heard her add, "I swear if that idiot broke the printer AGAIN I'm gonna-"

"Kuro-kun."

Kuro glanced to Victoria who gave him a somewhat somber look. "What's up?"

"Earlier, I forgot to thank you for the battle. In a way, losing is a better alternative than winning as we will be able to more greatly learn and grow from our mistakes. I look forward to battling you again, Kuro-kun." She bowed.

"Hey, you too!" Kuro grinned, deciding to return the bow. "And uh, good luck on your journey. May um... Lady destiny let us cross paths again?"

Victoria let out a small giggle. "I wish the same "Until next time."

Kuro watched her leave, feeling leagues better than he had been before he arrived at the Grand Hall. His opinion on Ame had shifted significantly, but his mind lingered on Cain and Victoria - his rivals? Sure they both had their own strange quirks, but Kuro definetly didn't hate them.

Unlike a certain greenette cheerleader...

He shook his head. 'Guess I should probably get going as well.'

"Kuro."

Mudkip's voice surprised Kuro. He hadn't forgotten about him as much as Mudkip's silence had made it pretty easy to overlook him. Kuro looked down, the Pokémon's frown being the first thing he noticed. "What's wrong?

"I... I reckon I should apologize on account of my behavior earlier. I don't got no excuses. What I was doing wasn't right, and we almost lost because of it," Mudkip admitted. "You... actually made some good calls back there, espically that last one about aiming at the floor."

Kuro thought about his words, wanting to give a genuine response. "It's cool dude. Really, I was more confused than angry or anything like that." 'Mostly.' "Like I said, you're really strong. I think you could've actually won without me... at least, up to the point you directly disobeyed me."

Mudkip held his head lower. "Wanted to apologize for that especially. It was real petty of me and I guess I did it on account of..." He looked conflicted, torn between wanting to say something and not wanting to. "...Nevermind. Just know I'm sorry. Real sorry. I know I can't expect you to want to start over, but-"

"I'd be happy to start over." Mudkip looked up to see Kuro crouching down with his hand held out to him. He added, "It'd suck if we had a bad relationship throughout the entire League Circuit."

Half of Kuro wanted to press the issue a bit more, but the other half knew better than to do that. Besides, admitting all the stuff Mudkip did, that took guts and Kuro respected that.

"So to start us off... Hey! I'm Kuro and well, I'm hoping to win this entire thing. I'd be happy to have you as my partner."

For the first time that day, Mudkip smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you Kuro." He extended a front foot and gave Kuro and impromptu handshake. Afterwards, Kuro stood back up, satisfied. He thought for a moment.

"Tucker," He said.

"Huh?"

"I just realized I forgot to give you a nickname. Something to make you stand out from other Mudkips, y'know? How does Tucker sound to you?" Kuro paused. "That is, if you even want a nickname."

He mulled it over for a bit. "Tucker... I reckon that's a mighty fine name. Tucker it is! And Kuro? I'd be happy to be your partner!"

"Alright!"

Kuro's grin grew wider. Maybe this whole Reborn League wasn't going to be as terrible as he thought it'd be.

"HEY, I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO YOU TWO FOR A WHILE NOW, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY YOU TWO SOUND GAY!" Someone shouted.

"GO TO HELL!" Tucker and Kuro shouted back in unison.

Mudkip joined the team!

- "Tucker" Mudkip: Kuro's starter -

Hardy Nature
Quick tempered
Ability: Damp

And that's chapter 3 finished AND the last part of the mega-upload to kick this story of mine off! It's been a heck of a journey just to get this far. I fought off de-motivation and general bad habits the entire time! So I just wanna say, to anyone who cares enough to read this story of mine and comment, thank you. It means the world to me. As always, if you have any critique or questions, feel free to notify me right away! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See you all next time!

Chapter Text

-Grand Hall-

"So if I'm getting all of this right..." Kuro stood by the entrance, facing a man in a flashy suit. "You're telling me you'll give me this BADASS POKÉMON so powerful, so utterly BADASS, it's been heralded among dragons for centuries? And you'll give it to me for a special discount of only 500 Pokédollars?!"

"That's EXACTLY what I've been saying for the past 5 minutes, yep!" There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in the grinning salesman's voice. "So, how about it? It's a fair offer, no?"

Tucker, who was lounging on a chair, flipped the lip of his hat up. He cast the man a wary look before turning to his new trainer. "Kuro, you got to have more sense than that. You really don't reckon none of this sounds shady?"

Kuro heeded his words and gave it some thought. "Well, now that you mention it..."

"What If I told you it was a shiny?"

He was promptly pelted with a fistful of cash. "SOLD!"

"Pleasure doing business with you." The salesman gleamed as he counted the green. "I promise you this! You won't regret getting your hands on this BADASS POKÉMON!"

Having said this, he gave Kuro a beat-up looking Pokéball.

"Kuro," Tucker grumbled sternly.

"Hey, relax," Kuro whispered, shooting Tucker a confident look. "Even if this is a bust and this lil' guy isn't a BADASS POKÉMON, I'm still getting a 'mon either way. It's a win-"

"YOINK!"

Mid-sentence, some rando swiped the Pokéball out his hands and burst out the Grand Hall, all before any of them could react.

"- win..."

Kuro blinked. Tucker blinked. The salesman blinked.

"Well... I got my money. So I guess," he thought for a moment, "that it's your problem now. Sorry!"

And without a hint of remorse, the salesman turned to the doors. Mid-way through the doors, he stopped.

"Buuuut, if you really wanted to get that BADASS POKÉMON, you could try and find that guy. Thieves like him are notorious for hanging around the shadier parts of the Peridot Ward near the end of the railroad tracks. If he's anywhere, that area will be your best bet. Whatever you decide to do, best of luck to ya!"

He left, leaving Kuro staring at his unbearably empty hand.

"Well?" Tucker raised a brow.

The storm of emotions that had been brewing inside Kuro culminated into one simple word:

"Fuck."

Pokémon Reborn: Kuro's Odyssey

Chapter 4: Cheesed To Meet You

-Opal Ward-

Surprisingly, Kuro's first thought wasn't to chase after the man. He wasn't just going to beat up the man who took his BADASS POKÉMON. No, he was going to HUMILIATE him. And to do that, he wanted another Pokémon. That's why he and Tucker found themselves in the lawn of the Grand Hall.

"Guess we'll have to find a Pokémon the old fashioned way," Kuro said, crouched down while surfing through some bushes.

Tucker watched him like he thought he was an idiot. He then asked, "Kuro, how many wild Pokémon have you seen out and about since you arrived in Reborn?"

Strange question. "Well..." Besides Tucker, the other Pokémon at the Grand Hall, and that Quagsire at the train station... Huh. Kuro guess he actually hadn't seen any wild Pokémon. To say that was strange was an understatement of the century.

Taking his silence as confirmation, Tucker nodded. "Exactly. You won't find much Pokémon 'round here, on account on almost everyone skippin' town some odd years ago..." He coughed. "Fact of the matter is, you done better off findin' a needle in a haystack."

Kuro believed him for about five seconds before laughing it off. If anything, with the terrible air quality, poison and ghost type Pokémon should've been appearing by the dozens.

There was no way there wasn't at least one-

-Hours later-

Kuro laid on the ground - defeated, exhausted, and dumbfounded. It had been... he didn't even know how long he had been searching, much less what time it was now. Not like any of that mattered because it was all for nothing.

He tried everything! He checked every blade of grass, he set up bait, he rechecked every blade of grass, heck, he even flat out begged for something to appear. Still, nothing.

"Is it too late to say I told you so?" Tucker grumbled, laying somewhere next to Kuro and just as tired as him too.

"No..."

"Then I told you so." Tucker licked his lips, or whatever he had in their stead. "You mind passin' me one of them Poképuffs?"

Kuro found what little strength he had to reach into his backpack, pull out one of the Poképuffs he bought earlier, and toss it to Tucker. No sooner did he presumably catch it did he begin chowing down on it noisily. Poor dude must've been starving.

"So... am I gettin' that Poképuff or what?"

Kuro was confused. "I literally just gave it to you?"

"If I was eatin' it, I reckon I'd know about it."

It was then that Kuro realized that Tucker was somehow chewing it and talking simultaneously?

"So if you aren't eating it..." Kuro raised his head slowly, "Then who is-"

His eyes landed not on the remains of a yellow Poképuff, but who was holding said remains. Sitting in between them was a small purple rodent with long cream-colored whiskers.

A Rattata - the first wild Pokémon Kuro had seen that day.

The Rattata froze when he noticed the pair of eyes on him. He stared at the Poképuff in his claws, then at Tucker, then at Kuro. "Uh... Cheesed to meet you?

Kuro never threw a Pokéball harder in his life.

Rattata scrambles in!

- "Chip" Rattata: Galarian Cheese Enthusiast -

Rash Nature

Mischievous

Ability: Guts

"Okay, was it really necessary to throw that ball at me so hard?" The Rattata - now Chip - complained once he was released, nursing a small bump on his head.

"You had it comin'," Tucker muttered, chewing on a blue Poképuff. "'s what you get for trying to steal."

Chip took offense to that. "Hey! You can say whatever you want about me, but I'm no thief! I was just strolling by when that slice of cheesecakey goodness dropped in my hand. I simply saw an opportunity and took it!"

"Mmhm," Tucker mumbled without a trace of belief.

'Huh.' Kuro thought as he stared at the two Pokémon. 'On one hand I finally found a Pokémon. On the other, I'm pretty sure I've lost all my sanity in the process... Eh, I'll go find it later.'

"So, I'm your trainer now!" Kuro declared, standing up to his feet before asking, "Is that okay with you?"

What was a potentially life-changing question that should've been giving intense consideration was answered after a split second. "Tell you what, if you got any more of those Poképuffs, I'll quite literally follow you to the ends of the Earth."

And that was good enough for Kuro. "Alright!"

After finishing his Poképuff, Tucker stretched his legs and turned to Kuro. "Well, despite all odds, you got your Pokémon. What now? You still fixin' to find that hobo who stole your BADASS POKÉMON... Darn it you got me sayin' it!"

"You know, the funny thing is I probably should do that, but you know what?" A malicious grin spread across Kuro's face. "There's someone who I want to pay a visit to first."

Chip and Tucker gave each other a glance, both somehow having a bad feeling of whatever the trainer was planning.

-Opal Bridge-

"HEY!" Kuro marched right back to the bridge where he had been humiliated. The Red-Capped kid was still there along with some other kid Kuro didn't pay much attention to.

As soon as Red-Cap noticed him, he scowled. "Great, the poser's back. Save yourself the embarrassment and just leave. Or do you need a reminder of who sent you home with a limp?"

Kuro hid behind an easygoing smile. "No need to get pressed, my dude. Just figured I'd take a walk around with my bro's," he gestured to Tucker and Chip by his side, "who I've definitely had this entire time, meaning I'm not a poser and you are a liar."

He looked Kuro up and down before scoffing. "You begged some dude to loan you his Pokémon, so what? Just havin' Pokémon don't make you a trainer." He then smirked. "Only real trainer's know how to use 'em in a battle."

"Well, if you're insisting on a fight," Kuro cracked his knuckles, "I guess I got the time. Hell, I'll even fight the both of you at the same time! Course, if you two wanna chicken out now, I won't blame you."

It didn't take much to set him off. "Fine! You'll regret being so cocky!"

"Wait!" The other kid cried. "If we lose, we'd have to go all the way to the Pokécenter! And my mom... kinda wants me back soon. She said breathing in all this smog is bad for my health."

"We won't lose if you stop being a baby and help me fight this dude!" Red-Cap snapped, then added, "Also, have you ever actually looked at the water here? If it isn't the smog, the gangs, rabid Pokémon, starvation, food poisoning, lead poisoning, or mental exhaustion from the pressure of expectations of the education system placed onto you, the water's definitely going to kill you."

The kid sighed sadly. "We're going to die before thirty aren't we?"

"Yep."

Nonetheless, he pulled out a Pokéball alongside Red-Cap. On cue, both Chip and Tucker stepped forward, prepared to fight. Kuro smiled, but it was anything far from warm.

"Water Gun," He ordered as soon as the kids released their Pokémon - a Bellsprout and a Bidoof respectively. The poor Bidoof cried as it was instantly blasted with water.

The boys panicked. "Use Rollout to-" "Go help hi-"

"Tucker, again! Chip, Tackle!" Both Pokémon rushed forth.

With the threat of a type advantage, Tucker continued after the Bidoof. There was no doubt in Kuro's mind that Tucker would have even the slightest bit of trouble with him. So, he solely focused on Chip's progress.

He watched as Chip Tackled the sentient plant before following up with a Tail Whip-Tackle combo.

'Yes!'

The Bellsprout immediately responded with a Vine Whip, and then another Vine Whip, and another. The barrage of vines never stopped, even when Chip blocked or counterattacked.

'No!'

The two continued trading blows. What was once a one-sided beat-down became a somewhat equal brawl. Too equal for Kuro's taste.

Chip wasn't doing bad by any means. He was fast, sure, but as much as it irked Kuro to admit, he was wea- lacked the strength to hold a clear advantage. So, he made a choice.

"Tucker, go help Chip!"

"Huh?" Chip whipped his head around as he dodged another Vine Whip. "Wha-"

And then Tucker barreled into the Bellsprout before blasting it with a Water Gun mid-air. It fainted before it even hit the ground. A few feet away, the Bidoof was lying unconscious in a puddle of water. The battle was over.

"Hey!" The rush of excitement was cut short by Chip's indignant squeaks. "What gives? I had that!"

Kuro scratched his head with confusion. "Well, you looked like you needed some backup, and Tucker already dealt with his opponent, so I figured he could step in to end the fight quicker."

Chip's expression became unreadable as he processed that. "Well yeah, but..."

"Hey, don't worry! You kicked ass out there, dude! In fact-" He tossed Chip another of those yellow Poképuffs he seemed to like, "- I'd say you earned this! Now..."

He turned his attention elsewhere. If he paid attention to Chip for one second longer, he would've seen him frown.

The boys were still reeling from their loss, Red-Cap especially. He was absolutely livid. "What the fuck! How did he beat us?! He cheated! H-He che-" His tune switched up real quick when Kuro began to walk over. "I-I mean, you sure showed us a great battle Mr. Trainer sir! Uh, W-We'll let you past now!"

"If you think I forgot about what you did to me earlier," Kuro snarled. "Well, I think I know something that'll remind-"

"Kuro." The young man flinched at the low voice of Tucker. "Can I ask why on earth you look like you're about to beat up a kid who don't look no older than a middle-schooler?"

Kuro glared at him, barely able to restrain his tone. "This 'kid' kicked my fucking leg earlier. Unprompted! If anything, he deserves what's coming to him."

"So you're stoopin' down to someone half your size because, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, pettiness?"

"I-" The situation was slowly dawning on Kuro. "Well, when you put it that way..."

Tucker rolled his eyes. "If you're done actin' childish, go on and thank 'em for the battle so we can all be on our way."

Kuro weakly nodded and glanced back to the kids. "Uh... Thanks for the battle-"

"Wait, don't take our money!" Red-Cap exclaimed, stepping in front of his friend. He recoiled as if Kuro was about to hit him. "W-Well, you can take mine but not his! Please!"

He produced the reward money: a measly few Pokédollars and some change. Even if he wasn't under the pressure of Tucker's cold glare, Kuro would've refused regardless. "No, seriously, it's cool! The battle was enough."

Was this seriously the same kid he was planning on drop kicking?

...

Wait, was he actually an asshole?

"Hey uh... Tucker?" The group was now walking through Opal Bridge. More specifically, Chip was resting in his Pokéball and Kuro, not wanting to admit aloud he only came to beat up a kid, awkwardly trailed behind Tucker. Neither of them had said anything since the battle. Kuro finally mustered up the words. "What I did... What I was about to do? That wasn't right of me."

Tucker didn't even look back. "It wasn't."

Not content with just that, Kuro soon persisted. "No, like, I'm genuinely sorry. I should've been more mature instead of resorting to violence."

"You should be apologizin' to those kids, not me."

Kuro's eye twitched. "Hey, it's not like they were perfect angels, y'know! I wasn't lying when I said that kid lashed at me first."

"And that makes you the innocent one?"

"Give me a break, okay!" Kuro snapped, unable to bottle it up any longer. "I've only been here for one day and so far, I spent the entire morning trying to find the Grand Hall because NO ONE wanted to help the 'foreigner', I had to give a whole ass speech for YOU to even listen to me, and I don't want to pull the victim card but I almost DIED in a fucking train bombing! Excuse me for being a bit irritable!"

Tucker didn't say anything so he continued, starting to sound more lost than angry.

"Like, what did I even do? This whole city seems to be against me and I don't even know why. Sure I get I'm a foreigner, but that can't be all, right?! Just... why?"

For a moment, it seemed like Kuro's outburst had zero effect. Then, Tucker exhaled heavily and glanced to Kuro. Instead of the annoyance Kuro had been expecting, he was met with something else.

"Kuro. 'Sides Reborn, how many regions are apart of the Allied Regions under Unova?"

"Twelve? Why?"

"And how many of them do you think has ever stuck their neck out for Reborn even just once?"

Kuro thought about it. "Not a lot."

Tucker nodded. "And do you know why that is?"

"Well going off on a limb here, I'd say it's because the wealthy don't want to be associated with Reborn in order to not risk losing their status, the same going for governmental officials. And due to the existence of stereotypes perpetrated by them, the public perceive the state of Reborn to be entirely the fault of its population, leading to virtually no support for the region on a political level," Kuro said straightly.

Tucker gave him a funny look.

"What?"

"I... nevermind." He shook his head. "You about hit the target. It's been so long that there's not much that can be done to help. Sure, there's been financial relief in the past, but it don't take a genius to guess most of it went to some rich Grumpig's pockets. And well, look who suffered 'cause of it."

Kuro glanced around. The bridge wasn't empty by any means. Most of the people Kuro saw walking by were decked in expensive looking suits and dresses, probably foreigners on business. And then there were those sitting off to the sides in tattered clothes. Even with how many of them they were - which was something in of itself - they were all simply ignored. As if they weren't even there.

As if sensing Kuro had begun to realize it, Tucker continued. "If people treated you like dirt in your own city, you reckon you'd start to hate them too, right? Next thing you know, you got stereotypes of your own. That's the cycle hatred for you."

Kuro frowned. It didn't excuse the behavior directed towards him one bit, but it did give him some much needed clarity. It made him think to say the least. He wanted to say something, anything. Yet all he could come up with was an impressive, "Huh."

The silence between them returned, somehow even more awkward than before.

"Kuro." The trainer jumped as Chip suddenly popped out of his bag. "I'm gonna snack on another Poképuff, alright?"

"Oh, uh, sure!" Kuro nodded, still processing what just happened. "Sure..."

It was a good thing he decided to linger around for longer than he intended to. It started when a guy in a real classy suit walked up to him and proposed a battle. The battle itself was beyond easy and not even worth mentioning. However, it did attract attention and one thing led to another and Kuro had folks challenging him left and right.

They weren't even doing it for the sport but because it was 'trendy.'

Kuro would never understand rich people, ironic since-

He refocused on the battle in front of him just as a Meowth lunged at Tucker. "Tackle!"

With a couple of hits, Tucker had taken some posh lady's Meowth down, adding another tally on his winning streak.

Chip, on the other hand, was facing much greater trials, evident in his own battle against the lady's other Meowth.

"Don't aim for the head!" Kuro yelled as Chip ducked under a Scratch and lunged at the Meowth. His attack connected, but then he was instantly pushed back by a volley of coins from a Payday.

Kuro clicked his tongue. As fast as Chip was, he didn't think he could take any more hits like that.

"Return!"

"Oh, come on!" Chip protested. "I've got em on the ropes! Just one more Tackle and-"

Distracted, Chip wasn't able to react in time before the Meowth clawed his back, sending him crumpling to the ground. He tried to get up, but she stomped on his tail, preventing him from moving. "Should've listened to your trainer."

Fortunately, Mudkip tumbled in before she could do anything else and with just one hit, she was down for the count.

"Nice, Tucker!" Kuro grinned. "Guess all it to beat her was one more Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-" It clicked embarrassingly late. "OH. Oh. Ohhhhhhhhh..." He winced. "Uh, that was my b', Chip."

Chip, lying face-down on the concrete, groaned. "I can't feel my legs."

Kuro didn't stay for long after that. One: the bridge had become increasingly empty and two: he had ran out of potions. He used his last one on Chip, who as expected hadn't suffered anything a simple magical bottle couldn't fix. Speaking of which, Chip had been acting... unusual. Well, unusual from the couple of hours Kuro knew him.

"Kuro, can I ask you something?" Chip had suddenly asked as they walked back towards the way they came from. He hesitated before continuing, "Do you think I'm... weak?"

"What?!" Kuro gasped, taken aback by the accusation. "Chip, of course I don't think you're weak! What even made you think that?"

"Well, besides the fact that every battle I've fought you always withdraw me the moment you'd think I'd lose and send Tucker in..." Chip shrugged. "It's just a hunch."

"Oh come on, it's not like that! You both played equally important roles! Think of it like a tag-team!" When Chip's accusing look didn't let up, Kuro resorted to Tucker. "Back me up here!"

Tucker denied Kuro's gaze by covering it with his hat. "Don't even try to drag me into this. He's talkin' to you, not me."

Kuro turned back to Chip. "Well uh... don't you think you might be blowing this a bit out of proportion? I mean, lead and switch strategies are a crucial part in skilled Pokémon battles, right? Tell you what, next battle we have I'll send Tucker out first and you second! How does that sound?"

Kuro flashed him a smile. Chip only frowned more.

"I... guess that's alright," the Rattata finally sighed. "I'm just gonna just go back in my ball."

He had already vanished in a flash of red light before Kuro could stop him. It being a bad idea to just force him out, Kuro could only continue on trucking. After a few silent moments, Tucker finally spoke up.

"I've decided something. You are by far the worst person I've seen at consolin' people."

"At least I was trying to help!" Kuro muttered bitterly before scratching his head. "I just don't get why he's making such a big deal about it. I mean, isn't it good I'm making sure he doesn't faint? You guys don't like fainting, right?"

Tucker muttered something.

"What was that?"

"I said I retract my previous statement. You're just an idiot."

"Yeah? Well fuck you-"

"Wait." Tucker stopped him mid-sentence. His eyes still held anger, but Kuro had the feeling it was no longer directed at him. "Look up ahead. Over there."

In the corner of the street, there was a small group of men and Pokémon huddled around something. It took some time, but Kuro was able to make out a Zigzagoon. A very bruised and scared looking one at that.

One of the Pokémon, a Fomantis, snarled. "She's not goin' down Boss!"

It turned to the biggest guy in the group. The 'boss' mulled it over for a bit before snapping his fingers. "Well what're you waiting for? Do it again!"

The Zigzagoon cried as the Fomantis slashed at her, retreating even farther into the corner. She was practically pressed up against the metal railing.

Kuro glanced to Tucker. "Maybe they're just trying to catch it?" He suggested.

"I'm only going to tell it to you one last time." The 'boss' stated. "If you don't give us exactly what we want, we'll throw you right over the railing."

"Yeah!" The scrawny dude with messy blond hair jeered, jabbing a finger at the Pokémon. "A nice and relaxing dip in all that toxic water! Don't that sound nice?"

Kuro blinked. "Um... okay so things are getting a bit heated, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily bad guys-"

"Man I sure do love being apart of a gang!" The hobo with the beard suddenly said.

"Yeah, being able to steal from people and beat up Pokémon is the best!"

Tucker raised a brow at Kuro.

"Well, maybe-"

"Kuro." He said firmly.

"Yeah, you're right..." He was just bullshitting anyways. Mostly. He cleared his throat marched towards the gang. "Hey!"

The gang turned to him, a mix of confusion, surprise, and annoyance. The scrawny one gave him the biggest stink eye. "Ey, beat it kid! You're messin' up our game!"

Kuro ignored him, setting his sights on the so-called 'boss.' "You mind telling me what's going on here? You three are too old to be screwing around like fucking kids."

Unlike his goons, the boss didn't get flustered at Kuro's comment. Instead, he pointed at the poor Pokémon or rather, the yellow satchel it wore. "Ya see this thing right 'ere? It took it from us. If she gave it back, we wouldn't have no trouble."

Despite her condition, the Zigzagoon stood up on shaky legs. "But it's mine! I found it!"

The boss snapped his fingers again and Fomantis' scythe-like arms were threatening her neck. "What she meant to say was she STOLE it from us."

"Erm, actually," Another Pokémon, a Trubbish with glasses, spoke up, "We stole it from someone else. Even disregarding that, are we really in any position to reprimand-"

"Jim, tell your Pokémon to shut up, or I'm throwing BOTH of you off." The boss didn't yell at the bearded hobo, but the threat shut the trash bag up all the same. His stony eyes returned to Kuro. "Listen, we're in a bit of a rush 'ere, so how's about you forget you saw any of this and scram."

Kuro refused to back down. "You do know a trainer physically assaulting wild Pokémon unprovoked is a federal crime, right?"

"Technically only we, the Pokémon, have physically interacted with the Zigzagoon in question," Trubbish explained. "So you could argue that we aren't-"

He had enough of this. "Tucker?"

Tucker immediately shoved his foot in Trubbish's face and slammed him into the ground, shutting him up for good. He gave the group a lookover and spat on the sidewalk. "Looks like we're doin' things the hard way."

The boss of the goons snapped his fingers a third time. "Boys?" At his whim, the Fomantis along with the last Pokémon, Mudbray, stepped forward.

"Really? A 1v3? You're not even gonna try to play fair?" Kuro smirked, though he had lost most of his confidence.

The bearded one snorted. "Do we look like Team Rocket to you?"

Despite the odds against him, Tucker remained undeterred. "This ain't the worse matchup I've been in. It's going to be tricky, but I reckon I got a good chance at-"

Suddenly, the Trubbish exhaled a cloud of purple gas right into Tucker's face. Caught off guard, Tucker blasted him with a Water Gun. However, in doing so, he inhaled some of the noxious gas.

Tucker stumbled back, coughing and shuddering. Kuro's eyes widened as his usual orange cheeks turned purple.

No doubt about it, he was poisoned.

"Fuck," Kuro and Tucker swore in unison.

The boss grinned. "Jump 'em."

The extremely short skirmish ended with Tucker collapsed on the sidewalk. Try as he might, there was no way to be able to fight off three opponents while poisoned. The loss hit Kuro hard. He recalled Tucker back into his Pokéball without as much as a word. The battle was over, and yet the goons looked at him expectantly.

"Wait, was that Mudkip your only Pokémon?" The scrawny one asked incredulously. "Are you serious?"

When Kuro didn't say anything, the goons started howling. Even their Pokémon joined in at mocking his expense. Kuro still remained silent as his cheeks flushed red. For once, he was glad he was wearing shades.

Eventually, the boss silenced all of them. "Alright, alright, look. I've got enough things on my plate already, so I'll cut you a deal. Out of the goodness of my heart, instead of curb stomping your ass, I'll let you leave."

It wasn't mercy; it was pity. And it made Kuro's blood boil.

"Oi!" A new voice cut off Kuro's thoughts. All eyes turned to Kuro's bag as it began to shake. A light flashed from inside and out popped Chip. "We're not done yet!"

The Rattata's appearance was met with surprise and anger, the latter emotion most prevalent in Kuro.

"Chip!" Kuro hissed, glaring at him. "What are you doing?!"

Chip's ears drooped, taken aback by Kuro's reaction. "Wha- I've heard everything from my ball! We have to stop those bloody goons or-"

"I have to stop them. YOU have to go back in your ball. Tucker's out for the count and I can't have knocking yourself out because of your rashness!"

The rage started building within Chip as he balled his fist. "I knew it, you DO think I'm weak!" He squeaked accusingly

"I didn't say that-"

"You were thinking it!"

The gang watched blankly as the two began to argue as if they'd completely forgotten about them. The bearded goon turned to the boss. "Should we wait for them to finish or...?"

"Eh, forget about 'em," He said with a wave of his hand. He turned back to the Zigzagoon. "'sides, I'm more interested in this little runt."

Kuro and Chip were so ingrained in the argument they didn't even notice them turn away from them. Chip's defiance frustrated Kuro beyond belief. "Listen, I'm just trying to make sure you don't faint because I don't think you can handle-

"And there it bloody is! You don't know, you just THINK! You THINK you know so much about me when you don't even let me show you what I'm capable of!"

"I'm serious!" Kuro snapped back. "Without Tucker, you aren't strong-" Kuro clamped his hand over his mouth, but it was too late. Chip looked betrayed. "No, I-"

Chip turned away. "You can't even afford to trust me, can you?" He sighed. "Why can't you just believe in me?"

Kuro froze.

'Why can't you just believe in me?' The words echoed inside his mind. Those were the exact same words Kuro has asked himself hundreds of times. The words he asked when nobody was there to support him. Words that made him feel cold. Alone. And then, in those dark memories, he imagined Chip in his place.

It was all starting to make sense. Why he was so insistent on battling and why he had been so upset when Kuro withdrew him. Kuro wanted to go back in time and smack himself 5 minutes ago.

Tucker was right: he was a fucking idiot.

"I'm sorry." Kuro muttered.

"Huh?"

Throwing away his pride, he spoke louder. "I'm sorry for being such an asshole. I've doubted you the entire time for no good reason, I was being an oblivious dick, hell, I even was holding you to Tucker's standards. And..."

He paused, trying to find the right words. Why did he have to suck so much at apologies?

"Tucker's right about me not being the best of consoling people," Kuro admitted, crouching down to Chip's level. "I just want you to know that I think I've been in your position before; fighting when no one else is with you. It... hurts because it makes you doubt what you're truly capable of. Nobody should have to go through that. Not me, and definitely not you."

Another pause.

"You're probably still angry with me, and you totally don't even have to forgive me, but if you can at least give me once last chance... Can you show me what you're made of?"

For what seemed like an eternity, Chip processed his words. "That... I actually think I needed to hear those words for a long time." He smiled. "Thank's Kuro."

Kuro was taken aback. "Wait, you don't think that sounded cringe or anything?"

"I feel like there's some context to that, but no. In fact I'm just relieved you actually want to give me a chance!"

Kuro slowly rose to his feet, still stunned. "Alright..." He grinned. "Alright! Let's do this shit I guess!"

"Yeah!" The wave of determination was infectious as Chip pumped his fist in the air.

He turned his attention back to the gang who had all turned their backs to him. Perfect.

He pointed to the Trubbish. "TACKLE!"

At the sound of Kuro's shout, the boss spun around. "Huh? You're still here? I thought after arguin' like idiots for three minutes, you'd-"

The boss let a guttural roar as Trubbish crashed into his stomach. The Pokémon landed on the ground with a thud, knocked out. The boss looked like he was close to joining him, stumbling on his feet and clutching his gut. He stared at the Rattata with shock, then pure unbridled rage.

"What are you waiting for, GET 'EM!" The Mudbray and Fomantis immediately charged at Chip. Fomantis got to him first, aiming a Fury Cutter down on his head. Chip weaved out of the way with ease.

"Why. Won't. You. Stay. Still!" The plant Pokémon snarled as he attacked. With each slash, his attacks became quicker, sharper. And yet, Chip was able to evade all of them.

"Nah." Chip clocked him hard in the face, taunting him with a Tail Whip.

The Fomantis growled and fired a point blank Energy Ball which caught Chip off guard. The attack sent him rocketing back, his body sliding across the street.

Despite the blow, Kuro was as confident in him as ever. "You're not going down that easily! Beat his fucking ass!"

To everyone's bewilderment, Chip got back up immediately, shook the dust off his fur, and ran. It started as a steady Tackle. Then, with a determined cry, he fired off into a full blown Quick Attack and rammed his fist into Fomantis.

"That barely hurt!"

His cockiness vanished when Chip hit him again, and then again. Chip's hands became blurs as he relentlessly pummeled into the Pokémon. Enraged, the Fomantis responded with his own barrage of Fury Cutters. Yet, slowly but surely, Chip was pushing him back.

"'Ey, what's your Mudbray doin'?!" The boss snapped at the scrawny one. "Did I say get 'em or stand by and watch like a complete IDIOT?!"

The goon shrunk and barked out an order.

Meanwhile, after one particularly heavy blow, Fomantis was sent skidding off into the ground. Chip went after him, about to finish him off when he collided with a wall. A brown and very fleshly wall. The size difference between Mudbray and Chip was significant, the latter having to crane his neck to even meet eye to eye.

"Let him have it!" Kuro yelled.

Chip yelled, unleashing a flurry of attacks at Mudbray. The Pokémon didn't budge. In fact, each hit seemed to have less of an effect than the last. When Chip finally stopped to rest, he stared slack jawed at the unfazed Pokémon.

"You done?"

"If I said no would you still-" Chip was slammed into the ground before immediately being kicked into the air.

Mid-arc, Fomantis appeared and smacked him back towards Mudbray. The brutal combo was finished off with a Double-Kick to the gut, punting Chip across the bridge. His body skipped along the ground thrice before settling into a shaky stop.

Kuro looked upwards just in time. "LOOK OUT!"

Chip eye's opened too late as the spiraling Energy Ball hit him. There was a sharp squeak followed by a cloud of dust. Kuro watched on with horror as the dust cleared up. Chip's still twitching body was covered in dust and scratches.

He was still conscious, but he wasn't making any attempts to get up.

"C'mon Chip!" Kuro yelled, desperation seeping into his voice.

He wasn't going to give up on him. Not Chip. Not Anyone.

"I believe, no, I KNOW you're stronger than them! Get up! GET UP!"

"Don't give him time to recover!" The boss snapped.

The two Pokémon charged towards him.

"COME ON!" Kuro shouted.

"I... I..." Chip groaned, attempting to rise but falling flat on his stomach.

Kuro's words grew frantic as they neared him. "If you lose now..." He clenched his fists. "I... I won't give you any more Poképuffs!

The world around Chip seemed to slow down. All his senses felt numb, and yet those words, that threat, rang clear as day in his ears.

And then something snapped, something inside of him.

"grrraaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

A sudden burst of light made the Pokémon stop in their tracks, awestruck. Kuro, hell, even the gangs went wide-eyed at the sudden light show. The source of it all? Chip.

He stood tall, his body engulfed in an orange aura. He was in no better condition than before but, his eyes, seemingly glowing a fiery red, held a newfound resolve.

"Did he just go SSJ?" Kuro deadpanned.

"What the fuck?!" The bearded goon exclaimed.

The boss didn't care about any of it. "Am I workin' with morons- FOR THE LAST TIME. GET HIM AND BEAT HIM TO A PULP!"

Chip moved first and connected his fist into Mudbray's snout. An unmovable object met an unstoppable force as neither of them budged.

Mudbray snorted. "Wait, was that supposed to do something? Honestly, with that whole glowing thing, I thought-"

*A Critical Hit!

There was a huge boom as Mudbray was sent staggering back from the sudden pain. Dazed, he was unable to dodge the blow to his stomach, or the one to his front leg; each attack hitting another weak spot which had the Pokémon reeling.

Kuro stared in wonder. Despite the odds, Chip, the person he had for so long doubted, had persevered.

In a last ditch effort, Fomantis lunged at him. Chip delivered two swift punches as the Pokémon failed to execute two Fury Cutters. Then, Chip jumped on and over his head, grabbed his arms, and – using their combined momentum – hurled him at his teammate.

*A Critical Hit!

Chip landed just as the two Pokémon collided. Mudbray let out one last whiny before collapsing. The orange aura vanishing, Chip faltered, but otherwise remained tall as he stared down his opponents.

Five seconds had passed. Neither of his opponents moved an inch.

Finally, Chip allowed himself to relax.

He had done it. Chip had done it. He had won.

He won!

"LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kuro roared, feeling proud, amazed, and a bit confused.

In hindsight, Chip was probably one wrong step away from falling down unconscious, but he summoned just enough energy to send the gang a sharp glare. "What? You want some of this too, yeah?" He put up his fists.

The boss glanced at Chip, then to Kuro, then finally at Zigzagoon. In the end, he folded. "This isn't even worth the trouble. Let's go."

They recalled their fallen Pokémon and hightailed it out of there. With the threat gone, Kuro rushed to Chip's side and held him just as he started to slump.

"Chip..." Kuro wanted to say a number of things. He decided on, "What the fuck was that?!"

"Focus Energy," Chip replied, smiling dumbly.

And that was good enough for Kuro. "Oh. Alright!"

That out of the way, Kuro pulled out Tucker's Pokéball. It felt heavy in his hands. The victory was something to be proud of, but the guilt of his ignorance towards Chip as well as Tucker's first defeat was something to consider. And then there was something else.

Why did it feel like the possibility of losing a battle had scared him more than the possibility of someone getting hurt?

He shook the thought out of his head. "We'll get you to a Pokécenter, bud," Kuro promised the ball.

"Wait, I think I can help!" The Zigzagoon exclaimed. Kuro had almost forgot about her as she approached them.

Before he could ask, she dug inside her yellow satchel, pulled out three bottles - two potions and one antidote - and handed them over to him. Judging by her slightly wet and scratch free fur, she must've used one on herself. Kuro wasn't one to question a blessing and after thanking her, he sent out Mudkip, still unconscious, and began to spray him. After that, he focused on Chip.

"Hey, you were something else out there." Kuro smiled as he sprayed Chip, affectionately patting his head. "You uh, don't think of me any different now, do you?"

Surprisingly, Chip turned his nose. "Actually, I don't think I'm quite ready to forget about all that yet!" He grinned slyly. "Unless, you have something to convince me otherwise."

Once it clicked, Kuro let out a mock sigh and handed Chip a yellow Poképuff.

"You know -" Chip took a bite and gulped it down, "- There's something about actually earning it that makes it taste better, you know?"

"Whoiswhatnow?!" Tucker came to all at once, jolting up with a dazed expression. Fixing his hat, he looked around. "What happened? Did we win?"

With their friend recovered, Chip and Kuro crowded around him. "Yeah! We won!" Chip squeaked.

"And you were right! I am an idiot!" Kuro exclaimed, matching Chip's enthusiasm. "Oh, and Chip went SSJ!"

"And Kuro learned a valuable lesson!"

Tucker blinked blankly. "Well, since I don't got a lick of what y'all are talkin' about, I'm just gonna assume you dealt with those hooligans and solved the issue between y'all?"

They nodded. "Yep!"

Tucker let out something that was almost a chuckle. "Glad to hear it."

"So what are we going to do now?" Zigzagoon asked the group.

"We?" Kuro asked.

Zigzagoon nodded. "Well, you guys seem like crazy strong, so of course I want to stick with you! I'm not that strong as a fighter, but I'm very good at finding things! That's gotta be helpful somehow, right?"

"Well... I don't see why not then!" Kuro decided. She had helped them out after all. "Welcome to the-"

"Hold your Mudsdales," Tucker stopped him, studying Zigzagoon's expression. "Just like that? You don't even want to have a good fashioned battle or anything?"

"Well, do any of you WANT to fight?"

"...Nevermind, welcome to the team."

Zigzagoon's here to help!

- "Zyla" Zigzagoon: Team Scout -

Timid Nature

Somewhat Vain

Ability: Pickup

Kuro stood up and glanced at his Pokémon: Tucker, Chip, and the newly christened Zyla. "We should probably head back to the Grand Hall now. They should have some rooms for league challengers If I read the league pamphlet right."

"You didn't read it at all," Tucker pointed out.

"Fuck you too then."

And so, Kuro led the way back to the Grand Hall. Chip, riding on Kuro's shoulder, gazed at the sky wistfully. "You know, in the few hours I've known you all, a LOT has happened."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Kuro agreed wholeheartedly. "To be completely honest, I'm a bit worn out from it all.

"I guess you could say... you're pretty cheesed off about it all?" Chip grinned.

There was a silence.

"Please don't tell me that's how this chapter ends."

Quick update on the update schedule. I think pumping out chapters is gonna take about TWO WEEKS because of all the stuff I have to do in between them. Oh, and as to why I didn't do the whole 'Challenger Kuro vs [blank]' format for the battles, I think I'm going to do that for more story relevant battles and not for simple street battles.

I'm also still trying to find a balance between the story's seriousness and humor. If any of you have any suggestions or tips, let me know!

With that out of the way, I hope you all have enjoyed today's chapter! As always, I'm open to critiques and questions if you have any! I want to make the best possible version of this story I can. This was Apollo, and I'll see you all next time!

Chapter Text

-Grand Hall-

Kuro collapsed onto the cushy bed in the room he was given, too exhausted to take off his clothes or even his shades for that matter but far too aware to fall asleep. How could he with everything that had happened still on his mind?

From almost dying to getting THREE Pokémon, and that's not even mentioning all the drama in between. If it was going to be like this the entire journey, he'd be dead before he could get to the first Gym.

But it wasn't all bad. He met a lot of interesting folks that day. Some good, some bad.

And then those named Julia.

'Did you get to see the train go BOOM?!' The memory made Kuro scowl. He wanted to get this first Gym over with as quickly as possible

The current plan was to train up his Pokémon, get Tucker to learn a ground type move - and evolve into a Marshtomp if they got really lucky - and then curb stomp whatever team Julia threw at them. Course, this was all easier said than done.

But that'd be future Kuro's problem. Present Kuro yawned. Reflecting on everything was just the thing he needed to ease his worries. He closed his eyes, relaxed his shoulders, and let himself drift away, assured he accomplished everything he wanted to.

...

'Psst. Idiot,' his brain pestered.

'Not now. Trying to sleep.'

'That's cool and all but, you remember that guy who stole your BADASS POKÉMON? The one you were planning to chase down? The one you DIDN'T chase down?'

...

Kuro's eyes snapped open.

And then he screamed.

Pokémon Reborn: Kuro's Odyssey

Chapter 5: And Then There Were 7

-Lower Peridot Ward-

It was a cold and misty morning by the docks. Kuro and the group stood quietly, their attention on the ruined building in front of them - what remained of the Train station. The yellow police tape was still strung up but lost much of its power without any officers around, shown by the fresh graffiti scrawled on some of the still standing walls.

"So," Tucker broke the silence, "This is where it all went down, huh?"

"Yep," Kuro said, nodding slowly.

Tucker studied the trainer. "I'm... sorry you had to go through that."

"But he got through it unscathed, didn't he?" Zyla asked obliviously. "At least, he seems uninjured to me."

"Physically, but what about mentally?" Chip pointed out, perched on top of Kuro's shoulder. "Watching the flames approach... too fast for you to do anything other than accepting your fate..." He shivered. "Just thinking about it makes me shiver! It must be traumatic just even looking at the building, huh Kuro?"

"Rubbin' the salt in the wounds there, Chip," Tucker muttered.

Despite this, Kuro nodded again. "Yep."

A few seconds passed.

He clapped. "Alright team, let's move out!" Having said that, Kuro spun around and started marching away.

"HUH?!" The group trailed after him, a mix of confusion and surprise marking their expressions.

"You sound like you don't care. Why do you sound like you don't care?" Chip sputtered.

He offered him a shrug. "I'm gonna be honest, most of the time I forgot about it, or I was dealing with something else. I didn't really think about it much."

"You can't be sayin' you ain't bothered by it none," Tucker questioned.

"Well..." Truthfully, he didn't know himself. Upset - definitely. Deterred - nope! Traumatized... progress pending?

Tucker shook his head, eyes hidden by the lip of his hat. "You're somethin' else you know?"

They wandered northward. It was still early, so the few people they saw were some dockworkers and what he could only suspect could be hookers. The few glares - and in some cases catcalls - persuaded Kuro to stick to the more secluded streets. While walking by one of the ward's many lakefronts, Kuro stopped to take a gander.

It was then that Chip realized something. "Wait, where'd Zyla go?" He hopped off of Kuro's shoulder.

Tucker glanced around. "Wait, she ain't with us? Come to think of it, I was wonderin' why she was awfully silent. She must've-"

Whatever they said next was tuned out by Kuro as he stared at the lake. Azurine Lake, wasn't it? The lake bordering most of Reborn City.

He gagged. This ward's view was somehow even worse than the one in Opal Ward. The lake itself was 35% percent trash, had the same consistency as toxic sludge, and unless his eyes were mistaken, he counted at least several Magikarp corpses.

Thank Arceus he insisted on only drinking imported bottled waters.

"Azurine lake, huh?" The new voice startling him, Kuro whirled around to find an old man standing next to him, though he was more preoccupied on the lake than him.

"In my younger days," The man in the orange suit began unprompted, "I stood here and gazed upon this very lake. It was named after its brilliant blue color, you know? The lake was one of the many prides of the Reborn region, and so many wondrous Water-types called it home... So what do we call this now? The shit-brown lake?"

Kuro recognized that suit and fedora. "Hey wait a minute, You're that one dude I met yesterday!"

The man looked him in the eye. "Oh, yes. We met in chapter 2 I believe, so 3 chapters ago?"

"Excuse me?"

The man waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing, Kuro. In any case, I'm glad to see you've started the Reborn League Circuit smoothly. You already have two Pokémon too! Yes, I have no doubt in my mind you'll do great things."

"Three actually and- Wait." Kuro's gaze sharpened. "How do you know that I'm a League Challenger?"

"Well, since you're a tad too young to be here for business and unless you're a tourist who somehow nabbed a League Challenger badge..." He trailed off.

Kuro could really be an idiot sometimes. "Oh. That makes sense. Well, thanks for the good words, sir."

With nothing else to say, they turned their sights back to the polluted lake. Kuro was just about to leave when the realization struck him. The man had said his name.

He never told the man his name.

"How do you know my name-"

There was nobody next to him.

"What the fuck?!"

The outburst catching the attention of Chip and Tucker, Kuro turned to them slack-jawed. "He disappeared! He was standing right here, I looked away for one second, turn back and – Poof - he's gone! You saw him right? Right, guys?!"

The two Pokémon stared at him. Then, without breaking eye contact, Tucker asked lowly, "Are hallucinations a sign of trauma?"

"Think so, yeah," Chip muttered not so silently.

"I'm not- I know what I saw!" Kuro insisted angrily. "Listen, I met this guy yesterday right? And he did the exact same thing! It's like, he wasn't even there!"

In hindsight, he probably wasn't helping his case all that much.

"Kuro, there's no shame in admittin' the impact that experience had on you," Tucker said, trying to calm the young man down.

Chip added, "And next time, maybe you shouldn't try talking to your hallucinations?"

"I'M NOT FUCKING HALLUCINATING AND I DON'T HAVE TRAUMA!" He shouted. "You two were right next to us! You're telling me you didn't at least hear me speaking?!"

Chip smiled nervously. "Maybe...?"

Kuro let out a long, heavy, and resigned sigh. "Of course."

The quest to find that Pokénapper was put on hold once more as the trio searched the ward for Zyla. More people were out and about now, meaning there were even more hard glares sent Kuro's way. Fortunately, unlike the day before, he wasn't alone anymore.

"Guys! Guys!" The group spun around to see Zyla running towards them. Her presence brought a wave of relief and irritation to the group, the latter emotion most prevalent in Kuro.

"Zyla! We've been looking for you an hour! Where-"

"Hold that thought!" She cut him off, reaching into her satchel and pulling out what looked like a small chip bag. Handing it to him, she explained, "I found like a bajillion of these just laying around! Can you believe that?"

Kuro accepted the bag and read the brand aloud. "'Pokésnax?' I've never heard of these before? Are they local?"

Chip scoffed. "The poor man's Poképuffs if you ask me. You couldn't find me eating that rubbish."

Tucker, sitting on top of Kuro's shoulder, read the tagline. "All new... Cheddar flavor?"

"As I was saying," Chip coughed, "Pokésnax is a respectable brand. While, not as delicious as Poképuffs, they do have their own unique niche. Or so I've heard."

Tucker and Kuro rolled their eyes, the latter giving it one last look before glancing back on Zyla. "This is cool and all but, where'd you find these again?"

"Oh, y'know, just something I found lying around in a Pokémart!"

They froze. Tucker gave Zyla a hard look. "Where exactly in the Pokémart?"

"Well, it wasn't like actually lying on the ground or anything. It was sitting on a shelf just like all the other bags!" She explained without a care. "By the way, we should probably get moving. This one guy seemed mad at me, and I have no clue why!"

On cue, there was a shout directed at them. "HEY! THERE'S THAT LITTLE THIEF! SHE'S WITH THAT FOREIGNER!"

"Did I mention we should get moving?"

Thanks to the abundance of empty and dank alleyways in the Peridot Ward, they were able to quickly lose the shopkeeper in one. Tucker began to chastise Zyla, something which only made her more and more confused. Kuro watched, starting to doubt if those goons the other day had been lying completely. If the shopkeeper was even as half as pissed off as he sounded, he figured trying to return it wouldn't work out for them. Everyone was fine with that, especially Chip who, despite his earlier complaints, happily chowed down on the big pellets offered to him.

Watching Chip finish up his third one, Kuro's curiosity got the better of him. "So are they any good?"

"They're alright," Chip mumbled, though he wasn't hesitant at all to accept another pellet. After gulping it down, he added, "You should probably stash them away though. Unless you want to get mauled."

"Mauled?"

Chip glanced around cautiously. "Okay, look, these things are ADDICTIVE to wild Pokémon. Classier Pokémon like me obviously have some taste, but everyone else? Let's just say there's a reason why Pokésnax got banned in every other region." He paused. "Now that I'm thinking about it, you should probably just ditch 'em entirely! Yeah, do that!"

Kuro thought on this before brushing it off with a cheeky grin. "Well, you know what I think? I think a certain someone's over-exaggerating because he like these things even more than Poképuffs."

"I will not stand take this slander!" Chip squeaked, cheeks reddening. "I-I mean, I'm serious Kuro! My bros back in the Opal Ward said they once watched some guy get MANGLED over these things!"

"Chip, even if that's true - which I doubt - it took literal hours to find you. I doubt there's even at least ONE Pokémon in this whole damn Ward." As if to emphasize his stance, Kuro waved the bag around in his hand. "What's the chance that we even run into another-"

CHOMP

"Huh. That's odd," Kuro muttered as a new sensation flooded his senses. "Why does it feel like my hand is-"

His eyes settled on a tiny ball-like Pokémon with big floppy ears. The pale purple Pokémon said nothing, its mouth somehow engulfing the entire Pokesnax bag in one single bite.

The hand holding the bag included.

And then he screamed... again.

Whismur sneaks in!

- "Lil' W" Whismur: Team Spirit -

Gentle Nature

Hates to lose

Ability: Soundproof

"There! Good as new!" Zyla declared, stepping back to admire her handiwork.

Whismur not having teeth didn't explain why that one had almost gnawed his entire hand off! Kuro winced as he inspected his now-bandaged hand. "A-appreciate it Zyla."

"THANKS FOR THE FOOD!" Lil' W chirped, cradled in Kuro's other hand. "IF I HAD TO GO ONE MORE DAY WITHOUT ANY GRUB, I'D BE FIN-ISHED!"

"You told us that five times already," Tucker muttered from below. "Also, can you stop yellin' so darn loud? You're hurtin' my nonexistent ears."

"BUT I'M NOT YELLING! I'M WHISPERING!" She protested.

"How in heck do you- Oh. Soundproof?" He questioned with a sigh.

"PROBABLY!"

Meanwhile, Kuro glanced to Chip. Though the Rattata said nothing, his face said it all. "It was just a stupid coincidence we ran into the ONE alleyway in this whole ward that had a Pokémon in it," Kuro uttered lowly. In fact, some stubborn part of him encouraged him to keep the Pokésnax with him. "Besides, what are the chances we run into any more Pokémon."

All eyes settled on Kuro.

"What?"

-Some time later-

The door to the small building flung open, Kuro barging in and expected to find a fully stocked shop. Instead, he was met with a dark and bare room. He grimaced, that making the 5th abandoned store they found in a row.

"Great, another bust," Kuro sighed. He gave his Pokémon a wayward glance. "Maybe we should head back to the main area and-"

"Qué es esto? Intrusos?!"

A small furry gray Pokémon leapt out of the shadows. Kuro recognized it as a Minccino, a very angry one at that. It smacked its long bushy tail on the ground repeatedly and shook its fist at him.

"Fuera de aquí o si no! Deja!"

"I can't speak what he's speakin', I reckon he don't sound too happy about us," deduced Tucker.

"Wait, I think I recognize the language!" Kuro said suddenly. "I think it's... Kalosian? Yeah, Kalosian!"

Kuro approached the Minccino, the group looking on with worry. "Uh, Kuro? I don't think that's-"

"Uh, Aloha!" Kuro waved as non-threateningly as possible. "We don't mean any trouble, so-"

In a instant, the Minccino had jumped at Kuro and Pounded his small fist into his cheek, the admittedly powerful Pound causing him to gag and go sprawling to the floor.

"Eso ni siquiera es Paldean o Kalosian imbécil!"

Minccino's charmed to be here!

- "Uno" Minccino: We Have No Clue What He's Saying -

Jolly Nature

Quick to flee

Ability: Cute Charm

"Perdóname por la forma en que actué," Uno apologized, giving the group a curt bow. "Espero que mi presencia en el equipo lo compense!"

"Still don't understand you," reminded Tucker.

Lil' W blushed, not seeming to mind that issue. "AWW! WHAT A TEASE! I THINK YOU'RE CUTE TOO!"

"¿eh?" Uno uttered with a tilt of his head.

"I cant eel my sheek," Kuro mumbled as Zyla continued wrapping bandages over his swollen face.

-Even more time later-

Kuro glanced to his left. The alley was empty, nothing but a cluster of garbage bins and empty boxes. He glanced to his right. No wild Pokémon waiting to jump out at him in sight. He took a cautious breath. "Hows it lookin' guysh?"

"ALL CLEAR!" Lil' W declared.

Uno looked at his new trainer with confusion. "¿Qué le pasa?"

"Oh, him?" Chip poked his head out of a pile of trash. "He's scared he'll get attacked again."

"Hold on a minute," Tucker stopped him, turning to Chip. "You can understand 'em?"

"Yeah? Don't you have subtitles turned on?" Chip asked.

"I'm... I'm just goin' to assume that made sense and ignore it."

With the coast seemingly clear, Kuro proceeded forward with Zyla egging him on.

"Come on, Kuro!" She exclaimed when he stopped for the third time. "There's nothing to be scared of! You won't get jumped."

"I'm nod scared," He muttered. "Jus bein' caushious."

Zyla scratched her chin before asking, "Did you cower in fear when that gang cornered me?"

Kuro thought about it. "No."

She smiled. "So are you going to cower in fear from a few measly surprise attacks?"

"No!" Kuro smiled back, regaining his courage. "I'm nod a'raid of ome alley okemon!" Maybe a bit too much courage. "YOU HEAR DAT PERIDOD WARD? Row whadever you can ad me! Id won't be enouf to stop-"

"*Curious bubbling*"

And then a living blob of acid jumped at Kuro, sticking itself to it's faze.

"GEH IT OFF! GEH IT OFF!"

Gulpin slides in!

- "Globby" Gulpin: Squishy -

Brave Nature

Hates to lose

Ability: Liquid Ooze

If anyone was gawking at him or his growing entourage of Pokémon, Kuro was in too much agony to notice. He ambled through the main street of Peridot Ward. It wasn't even noon yet and he already wanted to go straight back to bed. His hand still stung, it hurt to talk, and he was pretty sure some of his hair had been singed off.

The only good thing to come out of it all was the fact he had more allies to gang up on that Pokénapper with. Speaking of which, "Where is this guy?!" Kuro complained aloud. "That salesman said guys like him hang out in the Peridot Ward, but we've checked the entire place and we still haven't found him!"

Not wanting to believe he'd skipped town or something, Kuro looked to his team for answers. If not for how he met his latest three Pokémon, he'd be a little more astounded at the fact he already had a full team of six.

"Cuál?" Uno asked.

"Which Peridot Ward did he say specifically?" Chip clarified.

Kuro was confused. "Explain."

Chip scratched his neck. "Well uh, because the Peridot Ward's so big, locals usually separate them into two distinct areas. There's the Peridot Ward, and then there's the Lower Peridot Ward. We've-"

"We've been searching in the Lower Peridot Ward when we should've been searching in the Peridot Ward, haven't we?"

Receiving several nods, Kuro turned to Tucker with an accusing look. "You know this place better than me! Why didn't you-"

"Before you go on and blame me, YOU'RE the idiot who hasn't realized his Pokégear has a map function or that there's a map inside his league backpack."

Kuro said nothing, glaring at Tucker. Tucker glared back. The stare down ended with Kuro crying in defeat, his emotions finally overwhelming him.

"WHY!" He cried to the sky. "ARCEUS! Why must you torture me!"

Because it's slightly amusing.

Huh? Did he hear something?

Before he could question it, a new voice appeared. "Oh! Kuro!"

Kuro recognized who the honey-like voice belonged to before he even spun around.

"Goodness, what happened to you? You look even more beat up then you did the day before!" The blue haired lady noted as she approached.

In that moment, the pain that plagued Kuro became mere afterthoughts. He felt his cheeks heat up and he began to smile dumbly.

"O-Oh! Uh, it's nothing! Nothing at all!" Kuro grinned, ripping off his bandages to make himself more presentable. "Anyways, I didn't expect we'd cross paths again so soon! NOT that I'm complaining!" He let out an awkward chuckle.

She laughed along with him. "Why of course! It really is nice to see you again, Kuro."

"Hehe-" A sense of déjà vu rocked Kuro, hitting hard enough to snap him out of his trance. "I... don't remember telling you my name?"

The lady stopped, looking at Kuro in a mix of surprise and confusion "You did? Don't you remember?"

But he didn't. "Well-"

"And then I told you my name, Iris," She explained. A frown crossed her face. "Don't tell me you forgot? You did look awfully out of it when I first met you."

"Nononono!" Kuro sputtered, his blush returning. "I totally remember, I-Iris! It just slipped my mind for a sec, that's all!"

Well he was pretty... distracted. Maybe he did tell her and forgot? Iris didn't seem to hung up on it at least, instead glancing to his Pokémon with curiosity. "Oh, are all these cuties yours? All 6 of them?"

"Mmhm." "Cheesed to meet you, miss!" "Heya!" "HELLO!" "Hola!" "*Happy bubbling sounds*"

The chorus of responses coaxed a giggle out of her. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you! I take it Kuro's been taking good care of you all?"

Kuro stepped in with a cocky grin. "You know it! Like I said, I am an elite! It wasn't hard at all to assemble the perfect team." He pointed to himself proudly. "In fact, my latest three additions wanted to join me from the get go! If that doesn't show how good I am, I don't know what does!"

"Wait, didn't 'W, Uno, and Globby all attack-" Whatever Tucker said next was cut off when Kuro grabbed him and covered his mouth.

"As Tucker was saying," Kuro said despite the stink eye the aforementioned was giving him, "they are all pretty ATTACHED to me."

"I'm pleasantly surprised," Iris admitted. "I'll be frank, I didn't quite believe you at first, but now? You really must be something exceptional!"

"What can I say? I'm just him," Kuro said, preening at the compliment as he set Tucker back down.

"So, what brings you all the way to this area of the Lower Peridot Ward? The Electric Gym is a little closer to the Opal Ward, that is if you're already thinking about challenging Captain Julia."

Kuro dismissed that idea. "Nah, I still need to a lotta training before that. Right now, I'm heading to the upper Peridot Ward to... do some sightseeing! Yeah!"

"Sightseeing, huh?" Iris's eyes lit up. "Well in that case, why don't you check out the Seacrest Complex?" She pointed to one of the ward's apartment complexes behind her. "It might not look much on the outside, but inside, there's this beautiful little garden maintained by Mr. Seacrest himself!"

"Ooh! I've never actually seen it, but I've heard that its absolutely AMAZING!" Zyla exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

"Is it really that good?" asked Kuro, taken aback by the two's enthusiasm.

Chip nodded. "Yeah! It even has real grass too! None of that fake stuff the Grand Hall has."

Fortunately, Kuro's brain came in clutch before he could come to a conclusion and reminded him of his current objective.

"I'd love to but-"

"Even if nature's not your thing, it's a nice place to relax! And I'm sure you and your Pokémon could do with a short rest... especially you." Iris leaned closer, smiling warmly. "Promise me you'll at least check it out, alright?"

...Well, Kuro's brain hadn't been THAT useful for the past day anyways.

"You know what? Sure! I'll head there now and see what it's all about," Kuro assured her. "Thanks for the suggestion, mommy!"

Admittedly, it took some time before even Kuro registered what he had just said.

Iris stared at him blankly. "Excuse me, but did you just-"

"BYENOWHAVEAGOODDAY!" Kuro blurted out as he spedwalk away as fast as he could. His Pokémon said their own goodbyes as they rushed after him.

"So... We ain't gonna talk about that?" Tucker eventually asked.

"I dunno, am I going to stuff you all inside your Pokéballs if you mention it?" Kuro asked back.

The rest of the walk to the Seacrest Complex was made without a word.

-Seacrest Apartment Complex-

"So, you wish to enter my garden, eh?" Seacrest was a hefty old man with a long white beard and in Kuro's humble opinion, looked more like a retired coach instead of a humble gardener. The man chuckled. "Well, once upon a time I let just about anyone in but then... But then..."

And then he promptly fell asleep on the counter, doing what was probably his best impression of a Snorlax.

Kuro and Tucker stared at him with exasperation. Everyone else was tucked away in their Pokéballs on account of the complex's '1-Pokémon' rule. The trainer sighed and tapped the bell on the front counter. Again.

"Huh? Wha? Who's there!" The old man snapped awake, eyes wild before they focused on Kuro. Confusion morphed into suspicion. "Hey! Who let this hooligan in here? I swear if it was Susan again-"

"Garden," Kuro hissed. "We want to see your garden."

"Oh! So, you wish to enter my garden, eh?" Seacrest asked, stroking his beard. "Well, once upon a time I let just about anyone in, but then the careless people... of... this city... ruined..." There was snoring once more.

Kuro took a long breath, reigning in his emotions, and then exhaled. "Water Gun."

It was far from a full power blast, but it did ensure the man was awake and would stay that way.

"Huh? Wha? Who's-"

"Oh for Arceus's sake!" The Mudkip croaked, jumping onto the desk and poking the elder's chest. "Can we see the darn garden or not?"

"Alright, alright!" Seacrest muttered, holding up his hands defensively. "Do that again though, and I'm kicking you both out."

Without any more interruptions, Seacrest stepped from behind the counter and gestured for the two to follow. He led them out of the lobby and into a small hallway, talking to them as he did.

"As I was saying, I can't just let anybody into the little garden of mine. Hell, I barely let any of my residents see it!" He added as if it was an achievement. "Point is, if you want in, you're going to have to pass a test."

He ushered them into a room, one Kuro recognized immediately despite its basic appearance - A dirt battlefield.

"Really? A Pokémon battle?" Kuro said indignantly. Does literally everything in this world have to revolve around Pokémon battles? You can't even go to the bathroom without having to fight someone for a stall!"

A shiver went through Tucker. "I ain't doin' that again, by the way."

The old man was not amused. "Well, if you don't want to battle me-" He was cut off by Kuro.

"What? Hell yeah I want to battle you!" He exclaimed. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck, pumping himself up. "So, how're doing this?"

Surprised but not taken aback, Seacrest explained, "We'll do a one on one battle. No switch-ins but you can forfeit your Pokémon anytime you want. Now, I only have one Pokémon, but to make things fair, you can use all the ones at your disposal."

Kuro snorted, almost offended. "Don't get too sure of yourself now old man. I'm nothing like the trainers your probably used to."

"Hmph. That's what they all say."

They situated themselves on the battlefield. The two trainers shared a look, one eager and the other indifferent.

Seacrest fiddled with a rusty Pokéball. "If you truly are something different, go ahead and prove me wrong."

Challenger Kuro vs Elder Seacrest

Begin!

With a flash of red light, Zyla appeared. Upon noticing the opposing trainer, she readied herself and took up a stance, something of which Tucker took notice of.

"Keep your guard up," He said, nodding approvingly. "We don't know what we'll be up against, so-"

And then Seacrest sent out his one and only Pokémon: a green bug with a red antenna.

A Caterpie.

A freaking unevolved Caterpie.

Tucker rubbed his eyes twice before turning to Kuro for confirmation. "He's not bein' serious, right?"

The bug was silent. Its trainer however laughed, oblivious to looks he was getting. "You know what? I'm feeling generous today! You get the first move."

"He's serious," Kuro decided. "We're actually about to fight a senile old man?"

"Seems like it."

"Uh, Kuro?" Zyla had dropped guard, now looking to Kuro for clarity.

"Right!" The trainer nodded as he began to think. "Uh, start out with a light Tackle. Just don't go too rough on the old-"

Nobody had even realized the bug had moved until they were hit with a sudden gust of wind. Zyla whipped back around to find the Caterpie right in her face.

"Hi."

"Uh, hello?-"

Two loud booms echoed throughout the battlefield, one when Zyla was sent flying and the other when she crashed into the wall behind them. When she fell to the floor, she landed unconscious. It took a while for Kuro to process what just unfolded in front of him. But when it hit him, it hit him. Hard.

He was shocked speechless. Though it seemed impossible to tell,the bug appeared to be amused by his reaction. "You better send out your next Pokémon , or you're next."

'Was that a threat? Is this bug that somehow ONE SHOT one of MY Pokémon threatening me?!' Through his stupor, Kuro withdrew Zyla and thanked her for her efforts. It was just a fluke. Yeah, that's it! Maybe she just wasn't feeling good or something. Regardless of the reason, Kuro pulled out his next Pokéball and threw it.

Lil' W hopped onto the field. She turned back to Kuro and gave a salute. "DON'T WORRY GUYS! I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS WURMPLE!"

"Don't get distracted-" Tucker faltered mid-sentence. "Wait, Wurmple?"

Kuro's eyes burned with rage. "Hey!" He pointed at the red bug which obviously was not a Caterpie. "You said Caterpie was your only Pokémon! Either way, you said no switch-ins either!"

How did he not notice the switch anyways?

"What?" The accusation seemed to confuse the man. "I said I only got one Pokémon on me and that's Wurmple 'ere." His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "If you're tryin' to pull a fast one on my old mind, you're gonna have to try harder than that!"

Lil' W glanced back and forth between the two sides with confusion. "SO AM I MISSING SOMETHING HERE OR-"

As she was looking away, the Wurmple lunged for her.

"DODGE!"

She didn't dodge, but she put up her hands just as the Wurmple struck. The attack sent her skidding back and she was forced to block again as the bug chased after her. She could barely keep up. It was relentless, attacking with strength and speed that couldn't- no, shouldn't have belonged to a Wurmple. To make matters even stranger, it laughed the entire time it pushed Lil' W back.

Cold, hollow laughter that ushered an uneasy feeling over Kuro's side of the field.

Kuro finally snapped out of his thoughts as Tucker yelled, "Make some room with Echoed Voice!"

"I DON'T CONSENT!" Lil' W let out a sharp cry resulting in a powerful sound wave. The boom managed to knock the bug off her, though it immediately recovered.

Whatever Seacrest's game was would have to wait. "Keep going!" Kuro encouraged.

Lil' W began firing Echoed Voice after Echoed Voice, each blast louder and more intense than the last. And yet, the Wurmple dodged it all, moving so effortlessly it almost looked like it was teleporting.

"STOP! MOVING! SO! FAST!"

She let out one final scream so loud it boomed throughout the entire room. Kuro was unable to resist the urge to cover his ears. After the shock died down, she looked around with hitched breath. The Wurmple was nowhere to be seen.

"So it's definetly doin' that one thing where you vanish and reappear behind your opponent?" Tucker deadpanned.

"Yep," said Kuro just as a shadow cast itself over Lil' W. "BEHIND YOU!"

"YOU LITTLE-" She prepared to fire another Echoed Voice when a glob of webbing hit her smack-dab in the face. She stumbled back, trying to rip it off her face but to no avail.

Her mouth was webbed shut, her Echoed Voices coming out as nothing more than muffled cries.

As she flailed, trying to keep the bug away with frantic Pounds, the Wurmple used her sloppiness to latch onto her, jabbing its stinger right into her head. Kuro watched on in horror as her pale-purple fur went a shade darker; she was poisoned.

"RETURN!" Kuro snarled, withdrawing her before she could take any more damage. That marked his second Pokémon somehow being overwhelmed by two measly bugs! If the first time had been luck, anything after that would be bullshit. None of this was making sense in Kuro's mind, and to make matters worse-

"IT'S A FUCKING WEEDLE NOW?!"

Tucker blinked, equally confused. "When did he even switch 'em out?"

Like the last two bugs, the Weedle said nothing, only infuriating Kuro even more. "Okay, fuck this!" He snapped. Getting into the garden wasn't worth this, especially if this asshole was going to cheat the entire time. "Listen man, if you-"

Seacrest was asleep. Asleep as in 10 feet off the trainer podium he was supposed to be standing on and knocked out on a bench. Now that Kuro was thinking about it, when was the last time he had heard him give an order? And if he had been sleeping the entire time...

"H-How long has he been asleep on that bench for?" Kuro demanded, hand shaky as he pointed at the old man.

"Oh, him? Probably sometime after you sent out your Whismur," The Weedle suddenly said to Kuro and Tucker's astonishment. "Doesn't take much for that old fool to doze off. But," its eyes settled on Kuro, "here's a better question. When are you two going to make things interesting?"

That last part threw him off guard. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, this battle hasn't been much entertainment, no? Sure, the shocked looks were somewhat amusing, but I'm over that now." It sighed. "You worms are all the same. Thinking you're the next 'Red' or whatever champion you worship but in reality, you're nothing but the same common trash like the rest of your fellow peers. Weaklings."

'Weaklings?!' The word's brought forth a rage that had been slowly brewing inside Kuro. "Listen you... whatever you fucking are! Demon bug or not, if you-"

"'If you think you can go talkin' shit about me, you got another thing coming.'" Came a voice frighteningly similar to Kuro's, shutting the trainer up. "Is that what you were going to say? Let me guess, next you'll throw all your worthless Pokémon at me in a fit of anger. Of course, like the ones before them, they'll all fall. After that, who knows? Well I do, but that's besides the point."

"So, are all the bugs one person? Or is it a Ditto or...?" Unfortunately, Tucker's queries went unanswered as the bug laughed.

"It's a shame. If any of you worms actually had half the skill you talk up, things might be a bit entertaining."

"I-" Kuro couldn't find the words and so he remained silence. The quiet got him thinking and as much as it pained him to admit it, it was correct about one thing.

Kuro was screwing things up badly.

So what if it was somehow insanely strong and fast? Ever since stepping foot in Reborn, which was admittedly not long ago, he'd been making rookie mistakes left and right, ones he wouldn't even dare dream of making. I mean, doubting his own Pokémon? Putting some wild good chase above training? Stalling in the middle of battle?!

No. This wouldn't do at all. He'd never be able to achieve his goal if he kept fumbling like this.

He needed to lock in.

"Kuro?"

He straightened himself out and stood tall. Even if his shades hid it, gone was the lost and confused look in his eyes, replaced with determination. He turned to Tucker, and said with the utmost seriousness, "I have a plan. We're going to have to hit this bug... harder."

"...Kuro?" Tucker processed his words. "Are you high?"

"Hit me harder?" The bug was equally amazed by the brilliance of Kuro's plan, not being able to help but start cackling.

Kuro refused to elaborate, instead sending out his next Pokémon. "Chip. Quick Attack this man."

"As if that-" Chip's fist crashed into its face, punting it halfway across the battlefield.

"Huh. Guess it did work," Tucker uttered in amazement.

Kuro didn't care how fast this thing was; Chip was faster. The Rattata raced after the bug and smacked it around while it was dazed. Once it recovered from the brief onslaught, it retaliated by sweeping Chip clean off his feet and Tackling him in the gut, the force strong enough to cause Chip to cough up spit, not blood thankfully.

"Tail Whip the ground!" Fighting through the pain, Chip flipped himself around and used the momentum to slam his tail into the ground. The attack perfectly mimicked a Sand-Attack, kicking up dust right into the bug's eyes and blinding it. Kuro grinned. "Now let 'em have it!"

Chip pounced, but the bug was craftier than expected. "Caught you."

Upon making contact, it instinctively coiled itself around him, binding him in a tight hold. It began to squeeze around him. Slowly. Chip squeaked in agony, trying to worm himself out of the steadily increasing pressure. Kuro saw the Weedle's horn flash purple.

"CHIP! Look out!"

But Chip could do nothing as the horn jabbed itself into his neck, poisoning him. The effects were instantaneous. His eyelids began to droop and he began swaying on his feet the venom in his system combined with the pressure of the bug's grip sapping all the energy out of him. But just as Kuro was about to reprimand himself, Chip's weakening cries suddenly transformed into a thunderous roar.

A familiar orange-aura built up around him. The burst of the Focus Energy loosened the Weedle's grip, allowing Chip to free an arm. With another roar, he swung that arm and-

*A Critical Hit!

The Weedle was sent rocketing into the ground just as Chip collapsed. He had summoned just enough strength for one final act of defiance. Even as Kuro recalled him back into his ball, he was smiling.

"Chip, you beautiful son of a bitch!" He definitely earned a nice platter of Poképuffs once he recovered. Kuro pocketed the ball and turned to Tucker to see he had already stepped onto the field. No doubt he was itching for some payback. "You ready?"

Tucker spat on the ground and adjusted his hat. "'Bout time."

He sent a glare towards the bruised Caterpie. Kuro honestly couldn't care less of it was transforming or whatever it was doing because it didn't matter what it did. He wasn't accepting walking away with this fight with a loss. The Caterpie studied the two with a low hum. Then, it charged.

They crashed in the middle, fin and antenna clashing together as they grappled for dominance. Tucker fought valiantly against the bug. The sheer power such a frail looking thing had was astounding, but not daunting.

"Blast it!" Kuro shouted as the two broke apart from each other. Tucker opened his maw and began firing a barrage of Water Guns.

The first four missed, the Caterpie weaving through them as it raced towards him. On the fifth shot, Tucker got lucky and managed to hit him point-blank, smashing it into the dirt. Tucker went in for a follow up attack, but it managed to leap away before just barely.

The Caterpie started vibrating. Suddenly, multiple copies of Weedles, Caterpies and Wurmples appeared, surrounding Tucker. Double Team? Kuro was unable to think on it for long as they rushed at him, and Tucker, unable to determine the real one, was quickly knocked into the ground. They pummeled him from all sides, not letting him escape.

'Of course it has Double Team!' Kuro cursed to himself. While looking for an opening, he noticed the mud created from the aftermath of a Water Gun and hatched an idea. "Tucker, the mud!"

Fortunately, Tucker was on the same wavelength as him. "Right!" Rolling out of the way of a Poison Sting, he scooped up a glob of mud and flung it at his assailants. The attack went through three copies harmlessly, but hit the real one - supposedly a Weedle - head on.

Kuro pumped his fist. "Mud Slap!"

and Mud Slap Tucker did, striking the creature down. He roared, pinning it to the floor and mercilessly pounding into the Weedle with Mud-Slaps. "Arceus compels you! Arceus compels you!" He repeated, each word punctuated with a slap! to its face.

It let out an unholy shriek as it was buried deeper and deeper into the mud, a far cry from all that talk it was doing earlier. Kuro spurred Tucker on, the latter continuously battering into it like nobody's business.

The taste of victory was on the tip of Kuro's tongue. He could feel it. A few more Mud Slaps and that demon would go-

"ENOUGH!" The Weedle bellowed, shooting up so fast it made Tucker stumble back.

And with a single Tackle, a SINGLE Tackle, Tucker was sent tumbling across the field, his body skidding to a violent stop in front of Kuro's feet. He was stunned speechless. That attack... it was the most powerful one that bug displayed so far. And if it could have done that the entire time...

"You-"

"Were holding back? Surprised it took you that long to figure it out!" It said, not hiding its amusement at Kuro's discovery.

Fear returned to Kuro. Even as Tucker began to stand on shaky legs, there was no hiding how much that single blow took out of him. If everything before was just it playing around, Kuro couldn't fathom what it could have done if it was taking things seriously.

His worries were somewhat quelled as it continued. "I'll be honest, you worms actually surprised me! Not with your strength, no, you're still far too weak for my tastes. But that persistence? The tenacity? Now, THAT was something I haven't seen from all those before you. In fact, you're not from around here, are you? I can sense it. You're different from all those other worms. Maybe..."

It trailed off as if deep in thought before shaking its head.

"No. Not yet. I can't be sure just because of one single performance." It studied their faces. "Listen, I can tell you're not getting any of this, so I'll keep this so simple that even your tiny minds can comprehend it. You've impressed me and for that... you get to keep living your miserable lives! Bye!"

"Wait-"

BATTLE WON?

"-What-"

Kuro blinked once and he was suddenly off the battlefield. He was back in the hallway. Tucker was right besides him still, looking just as dazed, but he lacked any of the bruises or scratches he gained in battle. As if he hadn't even battled at all.

"Young men, are you still listening?"

Their attention went to the old man in front of them, awake as ever. Once Kuro eventually uttered something that sounded like a yes, Seacrest continued.

"Well, as I was saying before you two zoned out on me, I'm finicky with my garden, so don't go touchin' everything now, you hear?"

"Wait," Tucker spoke up. "Weren't you just... aren't you planning on batting us?" It wasn't more so a question than it was confirmation on whatever the heck just happened HAD happened.

"Battle you?" Seacrest's hearty chuckles were nothing like that bug's. "Kid, I haven't had a proper Pokémon Battle since I retired! Even if I wanted to, all my battlers are off in some cozy Ranch down in Alola. Though, I'm a bit confused. Why would you think that?"

Tucker and Kuro glanced to each other, their blank faces hiding a very long and intense discussion, after which they came to a silent agreement. They sent a nod to one another and turned back to the man.

"It's nothing!" Kuro smiled. 'Let us never speak of this again.'

"Just lead the way to that garden of yours," Tucker added. 'Agreed.'

"Woah."

Kuro was hit with a literal breath of fresh air when he stepped foot into the garden, a stark contrast to the thick pollution he had grown scarily accustomed to. The garden, for a lack of better words, was beautiful. From the rows of bushes blooming with flowers of various shades, to the crystal clear pond with water lilies and other flora. In comparison to the dull industrial city, it was a little slice of heaven.

Kuro and all 6 of his Pokémon stood there for a while, admiring the view in peaceful silence. It was Chip who finally broke the silence first. "I think I can speak for everyone when I say this was worth it?" He asked to which there was a chorus of agreements.

"Yep." Kuro was the last to agree. He glanced around, surveying the small group he had amassed. "You know, at first, I regretted coming here the moment I set foot in the city. But now? I'm actually pretty glad I came." He flashed them a grin. "Cause if I didn't, I wouldn't have met any of you. Getting my Pokémon stolen at the Grand Hall, confronting that kid at Opal Bridge, hell even the bombing at the train station! All of it led to me meeting you guys."

"When you say it like that, you're right!" thought Zyla. "Cause like, if any of that hadn't happened, some of us wouldn't even be here!"

"Yep," Kuro said, amused by her conclusion. "I mean, if I had like died in that explosion, I wouldn't have gotten to meet any of you or... anyone." He frowned at the thought. "If I had died... I wouldn't have been able to do anything, or see anything, or BE anything ever again. I... I..."

The warmth of the air turned oppressive. He found himself wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead.

"I could've died."

When the words finally registered themselves in Kuro's mind, there was an additional pause.

And then, for the second time that day, Kuro screamed.

"And there's the trauma," Tucker stated.

And that's chapter 5 FINALLY finished. I rewrote the battle scene like a BAJILLION times and I'm still not sure if it was the best direction to go with it. (There comes a point where I have to force myself to stop revising scenes or else the chapter will literally NOT get finished.) Will the Demon Bug reappear? We shall see! (Unless I forget about him which totally won't happen. Yep!)

Anyways, I'm trying to get the hang of publishing chapters on a consistent schedule. Doesn't help that schoolwork's a bitch and a half too. Definitely working on making chapters shorter as well, in case they're too long to read (AKA, not 8,000 words.)

You know the drill. I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter! As always, I'm open to critiques and any comments you may have! Wouldn't want to make a bad story for you all to read now would I? This was Apollo, and I'll see you all next time!

Chapter Text

-Lower Peridot Ward-

"Smoke 'em!"

Purple gas shot out Globby's mouth and towards the opposing Pikipek and Bounsweet.

A scantily clad woman stood behind them. She drawled, "Pecker, fly high. Candy, twirl."

The Pikipek took to the skies and the Bounsweet began to spin, swirling into a tornado of pink and green. Rapid Spin. She charged through the Poison Gas - the attack diffusing upon contact - and rushed Globby.

Kuro reacted immediately. "Uno, cut her off!"

"Si!" Uno jumped in, meeting her Rapid Spin with a Pound.

The two clashed until the force overwhelmed them, flinging them both in opposite directions. Uno stuck the landing while Bounsweet crashed into the grass, losing all her momentum.

Just as they were about to press the attack, a sharp cry came from above.

"Echoed Voice and hold it!"

At his trainer's behest, the Pikipek released an ear-splitting screech right at Uno and Globby. The two cried in pain, rendered immobile under the intense soundwave.

Kuro grit his teeth. 'Growl? Not loud enough. Sludge? No, he's too high.' It clicked. "Globby! Nap time!" Globby didn't budge. "YAWN!"

Globby inhaled, briefly expanding twice his size, and exhaled out a stream of bubbles which rose through Echoed Voice. The first few shattered under the pressure, but the last one escaped just barely.

The Pikipek didn't register the threat until it had already risen right in front of him and went-

Pop!

The Echoed Voice was cut off by a harmless yawn. Groggily, the Pikipek blinked, swayed in the air, blinked again, let out another yawn, and promptly fell asleep.

One Pokémon was free falling, one dazed, and his Pokémon were free; Kuro grinned. "Let's knock out two Pidgeys with one stone! Uno?"

Uno sprang into the air and with one good Pound, he sent the bird careening towards Bounsweet. Their collision sent them flying even further and they went tumbling through the small park.

When they finally stopped in front of a tree stump, neither made an attempt to get up.

The battle was over.

Their trainer took a drag on her cigarette. "Well, shit."

Pokémon Reborn: Kuro's Odyssey

Chapter 6: Plus Five

BATTLE WON!

Kuro strolled over to Globby and Uno as they began to celebrate. "You guys got coded attacks down a lot faster than I expected! Great work you two!"

"Gracias!" "*Victorious Bubbling Sounds*"

He smiled and approached his latest opponent, Marigold, wasn't it? Despite losing, she didn't look disappointed. That went especially true when Kuro handed her a wad of cash.

"Y'know, People usually pay gals like me to do more... intimate things, right kid?"

He was feeling good, so he'd let that kid comment slide. "Don't tell me you're complaining about some easy money? Besides... You're like, one of the few people who didn't look like they'd murk me on sight if I asked for a battle."

Even with the League Challenger badge acting as a literal 'Battle me!' sign, barely anyone wanted to challenge him, the ones that did only looking to show him up. And when it became obvious he wasn't a pushover by any means, those few became zero.

"Damn straight!" Marigold laughed. "Easiest dough I ever made, sad enough. Just wish we didn't trash the park as much as we did."

"Not sure this park CAN get much worse." The small park was a far cry from even the Grandhall's façade of cleanliness, much less Seacrest's Garden. Was it even really a park if it was more trash than flora?

Marigold's nostrils flared. "This is all we got, y'know? This tiny trashy park is like an eye in the storm, amidst all the black tar of this awful city... or some other deep analogy I'm too tired to think of." She took another drag. "You can go ahead and laugh at me, getting all choked up for some grass."

Kuro didn't find it funny. "My b'."

"I always come here to just feel a little bit better, even if it's a dump. I know these plants aren't much, and they'll probably dry up and die just like everything else. But for now? It'll have to do," She sighed. "Sorry, you didn't pay me to talk your ear off."

"I could pay you more?"

"...Fuck it. Take this," She pulled out an oval ceramic and handed it to him. "I needed to get rid of it anyway. I usually light it in my room when I can't go to Seacrest's, but my Landlord's been a bitch about all the smoke."

"This some sort of incense burner?" Kuro inspected the ceramic. Giving the contents inside a sniff, he scrunched his nose. "It smells... weird. What sort of incense is this?"

She gave him a smirk. "Oddish. The recreational kind."

"Oh... Oh. OH."

He was suddenly glad he was wearing shades.

Kuro returned to the gravel and dirt field behind the Ward's Pokécenter to find the rest of the team idling about. They had been working hard though, so Kuro would give them this small break.

After that Seacrest incident yesterday, a day and a half of training had done wonders for his Pokémon... and his mental health.

The growth they made in just two training sessions was incredible, Tucker displaying the highest aptitude for battle out of anyone. Speaking of him, Kuro set his sights on the Mudkip who was off to the side, facing away from the group.

He walked up behind him. "Yo."

Tucker spun around so fast his hat almost flew off.

"O-Oh," He coughed, realizing it was just Kuro, "It's rude to creep up on people y'know? Didn't even hear you comin'."

"I could tell," Kuro snickered.

He looked in the direction had been facing. Besides the dull grays and sickly greens of the industrial side of the Peridot Ward, he saw nothing out of the norm.

"It's gone..."

Kuro turned to Tucker. "What's gone?"

Tucker fixed his hat. He hesitated before muttering, "It's nothin. Anywho, how'd the search go? Find any more folks to battle?"

Kuro slowly nodded. "Only five people told me to f' off... so already better than yesterday. Oh, but I met this hooker! She was chill. Had to pay her a couple of Pokédollars though."

He stopped when he noticed Tucker giving him a weird look.

"What?"

"Listen... you're eighteen, so I ain't gonna micromanage you but if we're doin' this League Circuit thing, the least you could do is stay focused on that and not your other 'needs.'"

"Hey, the experience helped out Globby and Uno a lot! They actually surprised me," Kuro protested.

"That's not- wait what- Kuro- Kuro. Are you high?"

"Hmm, well I don't think I sniffed enough Oddish, but there's a slight possibility."

They stared at each other.

"..."

"..."

Tucker relented first. "I haven't even known you for a week and you're already givin' me an aneurysm."

-Peridot Ward-

"Onwards!" Kuro declared, marching through the the streets of the Upper Peridot Ward with Lil' W and Tucker in tow.

Most would consider his continuation of the search for that Pokénapper ridiculous, and Kuro would probably be inclined to agree with them if not for the fact he overheard word that the Peridot and Opal Wards were still closed off from the rest of the city, courtesy of that incident. There was still a chance that hobo was still around, and that was all Kuro needed.

Sticking close to the railroad tracks running through the ward, he entered yet another apartment and searched the lobby. Like the last few buildings, there was no familiar hobo in sight, yet he remained determined. There was nothing left to distract him.

"Ow. Hey. That hurts."

Was. Past tense.

Off to the side, a small pink-haired boy sat with an equally small pink feline cradled in his arms. The Pokémon seemed to be in pain? It's blank face and perpetually shut eyes made it hard to tell.

Strange.

'Oh well.' Kuro spun around, unbothered in the slightest-

"HEY! CAN YOU TELL YOUR SKITTY TO KEEP IT DOWN?" Lil' W shouted at least ten decibels louder. "SHE'S BEING TOO NOISY!"

An entire lobby's worth of unpleasant looks was suddenly directed towards the group.

"Damnit 'W."

Kuro made a beeline towards the boy, eager to get things over with. At least he didn't seem annoyed by him. In fact, if anything, he seemed surprised.

"Sorry mister," The boy apologized. "Skitty's technically not mine, but about a week ago she fell from a long way up. My grandma and I've been taking care of her since."

"I fell from down 5 floors," The Skitty - as strange as it was – calmly explained. "I am in indescribable pain right now. I think my entire leg is shattered."

"That-" Kuro immediately regretted looking at her paw. "Oh, wow, that's definitely a shattered bone, yep. I'm uh, gonna try to resist the urge to throw up now."

As he did that, his Pokémon handled it much better. "And it never crossed your mind just once to take her to a Pokécenter?" Tucker asked, arching a brow.

"We wanted to! Really we did! It's just... we can't. We can't afford it," He admitted sheepishly.

Upon seeing their confusion, the old lady sitting beside the boy spoke up. "My grandson's right. Pokécenters aren't exactly cheap, y'know?

At that news, Kuro instantly recovered, "They COST here?!"

"Mmhm. Course, they don't actually tell you when you go to heal your Pokémon. In fact, they never tell you how much you owe. But when they come knocking at your door, and you don't have their money..."

Kuro gulped. "They'll beat you, take your money, and make you disappear?"

"What? No! The Rebornian branch of the Joy Institute still has some dignity! That's why they'll beat you, take your money, and make you disappear INSIDE a prison."

"Still in incredibly agonizing pain over here," reminded Skitty.

The old lady looked to Kuro pleadingly. "Trainer, if there's anything you can do, anything at all, please do so. I quite literally can't afford to care for her any longer."

Well, they weren't rude to him like the others, so Kuro felt generous enough to throw them a bone.

"'W?" He glanced over his shoulder to see Lil' W already rummaging through his bag.

"FOUND IT!" She pulled out an Oran berry and held it up for all to see.

She handed it to Kuro who tossed it to the boy who in turn fed it to the Skitty. One bite and she was as good as new. Literally. The only trace of injury left on the Skitty was some slight discoloration. The boy released her, watching in wonder as she tested her newly healed limb.

"Wow, you're all better!" He exclaimed. "Hey grandma, now that Skitty's all healed up, and I've been caring for her all this time, do you think she'll let me catch her now-"

"Hello, new master," Skitty said, walking to Kuro.

"Aww man!"

The trio shared a confused look. "Uh, what?"

The grandma shrugged. "Like I said, we can't afford to care for her any longer. You healed her and well, that's how most trainer's get their Pokémon nowadays, is it not?"

"Hmph. Back in my day, trainers had to actually battle Pokémon to catch 'em," Tucker grumbled bitterly.

Kuro crouched down to Skitty's height, smiling sheepishly. "Well, hate to break it to ya, but I already have a full team of six. Sorry?"

The Skitty said nothing. Kuro began to sweat.

"But hey! At least you're healed up-" He was suddenly grabbed by the collar.

"I am only going to tell you this once. I am not leaving this place a wild Pokémon. Do you even know what it's like 'living' in this city? Sleeping on the cold ground, nibbling on scraps, fighting to survive? It is hell. Though I spent every waking moment with this family in agony, they gave me my first real taste of luxury... I am not letting that go. If you do not accept me immediately, I will do everything in my power to make your life as miserable as mine once was. Are. We. Clear?" Skitty asked calmly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"As I was saying, welcome to the team!" Kuro declared, hoisting her into the air. "I'll call you... Berry! You like Berry, right? Yeah, you're definitely a Berry! She's definitely a Berry right guys? Yep, Berry's berry good! Hahaha... hahaha... hah..."

Skitty's... here!

- "Berry" Skitty: One Refined Pussy -

Calm Nature

Likes to relax

Ability: Wonder Skin

"Notify me when we reach our residence," was the first and last thing Skitty said once they exited the apartment before she vanished into her Pokéball.

"...You're welcome" Kuro grumbled, shoving the ball in his pockets and stalking off.

Noticing his expression, Lil' W fidgeted. "WELL, WE'RE ONE 'MON STRONGER! ISN'T THAT GOOD KURO?"

"I guess." He stopped when he noticed something. Tucker wasn't following them. He turned and saw he had stopped a few feet back, facing away from them like at the Pokécenter. "Tucker?"

Kuro followed his gaze and he saw it. He SAW it. Even further back, peeking behind a street corner was something fuzzy and brown. A Pokémon? Whatever it was, as soon as it realized Kuro was watching, it vanished behind the corner before he could get a good look at it.

"Tucker, did you see-" Kuro glanced back to Tucker to find him already walking away.

"C'mon, let's go," He yelled over his shoulder. "We're wastin' daylight here."

He was about to protest when Lil' W tugged on his ear and pointed forwards. "Onwards!"

Kuro thought about it, shrugged, and followed Tucker. Whatever that was, it wasn't important.

And so the search for the Pokénapper was back on!

For roughly 7-ish minutes before they were stopped in another building.

"Excuse me young man, but have you seen a present around here?" asked a man in an expensive suit. "I brought it for my grandson and yet I seem to have misplaced it!"

"Nope." Kuro's attempts to walk past him were blocked.

"Wait! Are you sure you haven't seen it? It's a small white and blue box! Surely it'll stand out in a dull city like this. And most importantly, it's expensive. Very expensive! If someone, let's say a trainer like yourself, found it, I'd see to it that they receive a handsome reward-"

Kuro snarled. "Yeah, look, I'm not falling for that shit again! I don't care how expensive it is or how much you'll pay me, I'm not doing a damn thing."

"BUT KURO! AS A LEAGUE CHALLENGER, YOU'RE MORALLY AND LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO HELP THOSE IN NEED! IT SAYS SO RIGHT IN YOUR LEAGUE PAMPHLET!"

"When did you even read- It doesn't say that!" He turned to Tucker and murmured, "It doesn't say that, right?"

"That's strange, I thought you said you read it?" He murmured back.

"Not in the mood!" Kuro huffed.

Tucker sighed. "Well, unfortunately for us, it does say that. Now technically you can refuse to help, but then you can get reported, your account could be frozen, you could lose certain privileges, and all that mess." He hummed. "I reckon it was implemented in hopes of incentivizin' folks' to donate to the League, and knowin' Amythest..."

"Damnit Ame."

-Some Time Later-

"Oh? You're back already?" The man looked up from his watch to see the trio shuffle into the room. "After the first hour, I thought you flaked out on me, but clearly I was wrong! You certainly exceeded my-"

Kuro shoved the small giftbox right into his face. The man's grin only grew wider.

"And you actually found it too! Three cheers for the heroes of the day! Hip hip-"

"Just give us our damn reward, will you?"

"Yes, yes! As promised, you shall be showered with no small number of presents!" He laughed, reaching into his suit's pockets. "Here... They... Come!"

"Present!" exclaimed a red and white penguin, popping out of the Pokéball the man pulled out.

The trio said nothing, staring at the bird with varying expressions of shock.

"Present?"

Kuro turned to the man. "You're giving me a... Delibird?"

"Yes indeed!" He beamed.

"A Pokémon?"

"What else could he be?"

"A Pokémon that needs care and attention?"

"Erm, yes?"

Kuro's tone grew sharper. "A Pokémon that'll need to be trained, fed, and sheltered, ultimately meaning I'll have to spend money on it."

"Well- I- Um-" The man began to sputter. "It can use Present endlessly!"

"And do any of these presents have any monetary value?" Tucker questioned.

The Delibird was now looking a bit sad himself. "But... presents?"

The man squirmed under the group's scrutiny "No take backs...?"

'Breathe in, breathe out.' "I'll take the damn bird."

Presenting Delibird!

- "Nicholas" Delibird: Gift Bringer -

Quirky Nature

Somewhat of a clown

Ability: Insomnia

Trudging through the streets, Kuro had only one thing to say about today's recent events. "Bullshit!"

Despite his best efforts, he wasn't any closer to finding that Pokénapper! Even besides getting sidetracked twice, he gravely underestimated how big the ward itself was. Each minute that passed made him realize more and more how utterly pointless this all was.

"SORRY KURO!" Lil' W apologized, voice quieter than usual. "I SHOULD'VE KEPT MY BIG MOUTH SHUT."

Kuro shook his head. "It's fine. Besides, I actually like Nick." He gave the Delibird a smile. "He's chill. And yes Tucker, that was intentional."

Nicholas grinned back. Then, he reached into his tail sac - or whatever it was actually called - pulled out a gift box, and offered it to Kuro. "Present?"

All cards on the table, Kuro had no idea what was actually inside a Delibird's present. "I'll uh, pass."

Nicholas was undeterred, turning to Tucker. "Present?"

"I'm good, thank you very much."

He settled for Lil' W. "Pres-"

Suddenly, something rushed forward and snatched the box right out of Nicholas' flippers, shocking the entire group. Kuro was even more shocked when he realized the Pokémon's brown fur was familiar.

"IT'S YOU!" Kuro and Tucker exclaimed, pointing at the small Teddiursa. They turned to each other in surprise.

"So you did see it!"

"It's been watchin' us all mornin' I reckon. Though, it didn't actually approach us till now."

The Teddiursa paid them no thought, chewing and clawing at the small present in its mouth, much to the horror of Nicholas.

"My present!" He cried, trying to take it back. The Teddiursa responded by batting his flippers away and sprinting off, electing another cry from the poor Delibird. "Come back!"

Before anyone could stop him, he scurried after it.

"NICK! YOU CAN JUST MAKE ANOTHER ONE!" Lil' W shouted, hopping off Kuro's shoulders.

"Wait!" His protests did nothing to stop the two from pursuing the Teddiursa. He and Tucker shared another look before nodding and rushing after them.

They raced through the streets of the Peridot Ward, rounding corners and sprinting through alleys in a desperate attempt to catch the thief. Kuro was having the most trouble out of all of them, crashing into confused bystanders and having to make numerous shortcuts when they slipped into spaces much too small for humans.

Kuro wheezed. "Get... Get back here!"

Just as it seemed he was about to collapse, he rounded the last corner and saw he had caught up with the others. Lil' W, Tucker, and Nicholas stood in front of the Teddiursa, a concrete wall stood behind it. It was cornered.

"Listen," Kuro paused to take his breath, "We don't want to hurt you. Just give us back Nick's present, and everything will be-"

It cut him off with a roar, and for a brief second Kuro mistook it for a Ursaring. It was then he noticed its sharp and very dangerous looking claws and teeth, clearly something that not one of them had noticed before.

Tucker got in a fighting stance. "It ain't goin' down without a fight!"

Kuro stood his ground too and whipped out his Pokédex. "Alright! This is a 4v1 battle against an untrained unevolved Pokémon. That being said, we shouldn't have-"

Kuro briefly lost his voice when the Pokédex finished processing the Teddiursa's data.

"LEVEL FUCKING 14?!"

"WHAT?!"

The Teddiursa lunged at them.

"FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK-"

Teddiursa steals the show!

- "Honeybun" Teddiursa: Sweetheart -

Relaxed Nature

Likes to thrash about

Ability: Pickup

-Lower Peridot Ward-

"Your Pokémon are all healed up and stuffed!" Nurse Joy exclaimed, walking over the bench Kuro sat on. After handing him the Pokéballs of Lil' W and Nicholas, she added, "Though, like, what happened? Did you get ran over or something?"

Kuro stole a glance at Honeybun. Sitting passively between him and Tucker, she slurped on the remaining crumbs of Poképuff off her paws innocently. It was nothing short of a wonder of how something so seemingly adorable was capable of doing something so...

Kuro shuddered at the memory alone. "Something like that."

Nurse Joy giggled. "Well, Trubby said to keep those bandages on for another hour or two, alright?"

After she left, Kuro scratched at the Band-Aids littering his exposed arms. Tucker, who had his own fair share of Band-Aids, gave Honeybun a cautious look.

"You ain't gonna try to attack us again, are you?"

Honeybun's face showed no signs of hostility, or much for that matter. Yet, that only made Tucker shift further away from her. The fact she hadn't said as much as a word made it even worse. It go so bad that Kuro couldn't take it anymore. He stood up.

"Imma get some more Poképuffs!" He suddenly decided, rolling down his sleeves. "Tucker, I trust you can keep Honeybun entertained while I'm on the other side of the building, as far away from this bench as possible?"

"Kuro, you sonuva-" And Kuro had already sped walk off. After ensuring he was a far enough distance away, he let out an exhausted groan.

'One... Three... Six... Nine.' Nine. That was the number of Pokémon currently registered under his name for the Reborn League Circuit. He frowned, regretting not to pack more cash on him. 'Weren't Pokémon supposed to be rare or some shit?!'

And yet he had nine in a mere three days and nothing was going to change that. Doesn't mean it sucked any less though. This really was a pain in the-

"Are you absolutely sure there's nothin' we can do sis?"

"Nurse Joy already did everything she could. Still, no luck..."

Curious, Kuro found himself glancing towards the source of the voices. There was a boy and a girl, seemingly siblings, huddled around a bench. Something was laying on the bench, something red?

The boy crossed his arms. "Bullshit. Maybe she just didn't try hard enough. Wouldn't be surpisin' with how much of a dumbass she is."

"Language! And sure she's a bit of an airhead, but she isn't that bad!"

"Daisy, her Trubbish literally has more qualifications than her."

Curious, Kuro approached them. "Hey, is everything alright?"

The two swiveled around, allowing Kuro to get a good lack at them and... huh.

No wonder that red cap looked familiar.

"The fuck you doin' here?" Red-Cap growled, glaring at Kuro.

Kuro still felt bad about how their last encounter ended, but he never forgot how their first one went. "What? You gonna try to make me leave like at Opal Bridge? Cause we both know how that ended."

His face reddened. "Y-You- Alright, that's it! If you wanna go then-"

"Ralphie!" His sister smacked his neck. Hard. "He wasn't even doing anything!"

Ralphie flinched, "Daisy, what gives?!"

She crossed his arms. "Don't even! You always go starting fights with people you don't even know!"

Kuro had no clue what to say this. "Uh-"

"Okay, but I actually know this guy! He's the one that almost beat me and Timothy up a few days ago, back at Opal Bridge!"

"And did you do something before that to provoke him?" Daisy asked with narrowed eyes. His silence was the only answer she needed.

By now, Kuro's own anger had fizzled out. Before they could get too deep into their bickering, he cleared his throat. "So, what's going on?"

"None of your business-"

Daisy elbowed her brother in the gut. "Sorry about him. Anyways, It's our Kricketot, she hasn't been feeling well."

She stepped to the right, revealing the red Kricketot lying on the bench. Kuro leaned forward to get a closer look. Though he wasn't too familiar with the species, he could tell that it looked exhausted, abnormally so.

"About a week ago, we noticed there was something wrong with Melody. She became less responsive, a lot more sluggish too," Daisy explained.

"Have you tried getting Nurse Joy to heal her?" Kuro suggested.

"What the fuck do you think we've been doing this entire- " Ralphie stopped, met his sisters gaze, and coughed. "We have. But whatever's wrong with Melody, she can't do nothin' about it."

Then whatever this was, it was serious. "Hey wait a minute," Kuro realized, "Why not just ask Melody herself?"

Melody responded with a sorrowful ballad of musical notes.

"...Should've expected that."

Daisy frowned. "We've tried everything, and still, nothing. I'm starting to get really worried..."

"Daisy, c'mon. We managed to call in that bug-type expert, right? She should be coming any minute now to help her!" Despite his words, Daisy wasn't relieved in the slightest.

"But, what if she can't help Melody? What if Melody's like this forever?" She choked on her words. "Or worse, what if Melody's-"

"She's not dying," Ralphie's eyes hardened.

Daisy's grew glossier. "And how would you know?! You're not even home most of the time, out doing who knows what with Timothy and the rest of your lil 'gang!' It's like you don't care!"

Shit, was she about to cry? People were starting to look too. Should Kuro do something? He felt like he should do something.

What should he do?!

In a moment of panic, Kuro said the first thing that came to mind. "Who wants ice-cream!"

The two froze, turning to Kuro. "What?"

"Well..." 'Roll with it Kuro.' "Kids like ice-cream right?"

Fortunately, they did like ice-cream. Along with two packs of Poképuffs, Kuro had bought a cone for all of them. He sat on a set of steps alongside Ralphie, watching as Daisy coaxed Melody into eating a Poképuff.

"You think Melody's gonna be alright?" Kuro broke the ice. "I feel for you two. If it were one of my own Pokémon, I can't imagine how I'd be feeling."

No response. Kuro gulped.

"Well, with that expert coming by, it'll be smooth sailing from there, right? I mean, you'll finally be able to know what's wrong with her."

"...I know why."

"Huh?"

"I know why," Ralphie repeated, staring ahead. He took a bite of his Rocky Road before continuing, "Days ago, I tried to figure out what was wrong with her myself. I can't explain the more sciency parts of it, but from what I read, it's 'cause she's lonely... I know it sounds stupid but..."

"Well, Bug Pokémon usually live in large colonies, so social interaction is probably important for their development," Kuro thought aloud. "The fact that they evolve relatively quickly would make it doubly so."

Ralphie was surprised by his deduction. "Huh. You some kind of Pokémon expert or something?"

Kuro sheepishly grinned. "I wouldn't say that, but, I guess I do know a lot about them. Anyways, if you already know what's wrong with her, what's the problem?"

Ralphie sighed. "It's cause we can't do nothin' 'bout it. Daisy and I got school y'know? Even then, she spends most of her time carin' for our granny."

A look of shame crossed his face.

"She ain't' wrong about me not being home though. I'm usually out, takin' up odd jobs to rake up some cash for us, y'know? Point is, it's not like we don't try, it's just that we can't."

Kuro tried to come up with something. "What about your folks? I'm sure they'll-"

"They're dead."

"Oh." Kuro was suddenly very interested in his vanilla ice-cream.

The dairy did nothing to soothe the sudden dryness in his throat... or how utterly useless he felt in that moment.

"Well," his mouth moved before his brain did, "Have you tried going to an orphanage or something?"

"What?"

Ralphie stared at him like he was insane, and in his defense, Kuro probably was in that moment.

"Okay okay, I know it sounds bad, but... they got free room and board right? You all sound like you're tight on money, so it seems like a good idea to me?"

If literally anyone else was there, especially future Kuro - who would be particulary embarrassed given he would know of the irony of his suggestion - , they'd say the exact thing Ralphie said. "You're a fucking dumbass." And that was that.

'Damnit Kuro!'

If he hadn't been wearing shades, his face would be buried in his hands. There were so many things with what he had just said! Who would even willingly go to an orphanage?! He was right. He was a dumbass.

The silence was eating at him. He had to do something, preferably not as stupid as the last one. And well, did something he did.

Ralphie's initial reaction to having a stack of Pokédollars tossed in his lap was confusion. He shot a glare at Kuro.

"Bribery? Seriously?"

"Hey, it works on 99% of the population! The remaining 1% are either liars or aren't being paid enough."

"I don't need your pity."

"Okay I'm being genuine here, alright? I'm sorry. I really am," Kuro protested.

Ralphie rolled his eyes. "Sure you are dude."

"Cut me some-" Kuro held his tongue; getting mad wouldn't do anything. "Listen, I can't pretend to understand what you're going through, but I know that a kid like you... shouldn't even have to be dealing with this. Heck, when I was your age, the worst thing I had to worry about was tests and shit."

Kuro's gripped his forehead, sighing to himself.

"What I'm getting at is, you're strong kid, a lot stronger than me if that means anything. You and Daisy seem like good kids. I know my apologies and money aren't worth much but, I hope they at least do something."

When Ralphie remained silent and continued refusing to look at him, Kuro finally gave up. That was fair, he supposed. He was just about to excuse himself when Ralphie suddenly spoke up.

"If... If we can't help Melody... If we can't spend more time with her... do you think they'll take her away from us?"

Kuro was surprised. "What, no! I mean, why would they? You guys aren't mistreating her by the sounds of it. Even then, who knows? Maybe we're wrong, or maybe there's a cure for her! That expert still hasn't given her two cents and... Your sister doesn't know," He realized.

Ralphie shook his head. "If my sis knew that Melody was like this because of her... I couldn't do her like that. It'd break her heart. Pathetic, I know."

"Caring about your sis isn't pathetic, kid," Kuro assured him. "You love her, and you probably love Melody just as much. You're a good kid, and I'm sure it'll all work out in the end."

"You think so?"

"I promise."

Ralphie's face softened. "Thanks. And, I'm sorry for kickin' you back at Opal Bridge."

"Hey, don't even worry 'bout-"

"And for makin' you cry like a bitch."

"... I retract my previous statement, you're still a little shit." Despite his words, a smile tugged at his lips.

"Yeah? Well I still think you're a dumbass. You're one of the good ones. The kind you can use for free stuff," He made a show of pocketing the money.

"Don't remember you being this confident back at the bridge," Kuro snickered.

And then the two laughed, the tension vanishing in seconds. Kuro supposed he was getting better at this kind of stuff. It felt nice actually. When it was over, Ralphie gave him the nicest look he'd seen from him.

"Alright, in all seriousness, you ain't half-bad, Kuro." He thought for a moment. "So, what were you doin' here anyways? 'Sides healin' your Pokémon."

Kuro scratched his head. "I... actually forgot. I know there was something I was doing though, something important."

-Meanwhile-

Honeybun was soundlessly asleep on the bench, cuddling a blue and not so fluffy pillow.

"Imma kill him," The blue pillow grumbled.

Kuro shrugged. "Eh, it's probably nothing."

They stared at each other, shrugged, and went back to their ice-cream. As he was finishing up the rest of his vanilla, he overheard Daisy and another's voice.

"And you said she's been like this for a week, right?"

"Y-Yeah. How's she looking?"

"Well, I can say this for certain... not good."

The boys looked back to the bench. Along with Melody and Daisy, there was another girl with them.

This girl seemed only slightly older than Daisy and Ralphie themselves. Her lavender hair was wrapped into a long ponytail trailing down the entirety of her back and she wore a mint green blouse and skirt. Kuro thought she looked slightly familiar, and when he got a good view of her face, he realized why.

'What is SHE doing here?!'

"Shelly?!" Kuro gasped as he and Ralphie approached the girls.

The girl squeaked at his sudden exclamation, spinning around to meet him. "O-Oh, um, Hello? Do we know each other by chance?"

Realizing his slipup, Kuro shook his head. "N-no, I've just heard about you. That's all!"

Her appearance here out of all places was a surprise, one Kuro berated himself for somehow not knowing, but not one that would jeopardize everything.

Daisy smiled. "Shelly was checking over Melody! She's an expert on bug types!"

Shelly blushed at the praise. "Honestly, I wouldn't call myself an expert since that suggests a level of hands-on experience I don't quite have yet! I see myself more as a scholar really, focusing on research more instead of practical applications-"

"NEEEERD!"

Ralphie received a smack in the neck for that.

"So what's the diagnosis?" Kuro questioned

She fidgeted with her hands. "Ummm, well, the good news is that Melody isn't sick! I fed her something that should revitalize her a bit actually! But the symptoms she was showcasing, loss of appetite and period of lethargy... in layman's terms, it's loneliness."

The atmosphere dramitcally shifted. Kuro cursed himself for being right, Daisy softly gasped, and Ralphie clenched his fists.

"Are you sure?" He asked with bated breath.

"Unfortunately, yes. It's actually relatively common within b-bug type species, however, I don't want to bore you with the intricacies of it all. Tell me, how often does Melody here get out?"

Daisy stared at the ground. "Not much. I know we haven't been able to spend as much time as we used to, but I didn't know it was affecting her THIS much," she turned to Melody. "Is this true?"

The Kricketot nodded, singing sadly.

"That will do it," Shelly sighed. "Listen, this might be a bit... difficult to hear, but if you are absolutely certain you unable to spend a significantly greater amount of time with her, I think it would be best if she was with an active trainer-"

"What?!" "WHAT?!" Even Melody joined in with her own shocked cacophony. Shelly flinched back form the sudden outbursts.

"What do you mean? You can't just take Melody away!" Ralphie cried.

Kuro tried to calm him down. "H-Hey, I'm sure that's not what she meant! Right?"

"S-sorry! T-That came out wrong!" Shelly stammered. "I'm not attempting to take her away from you or anything, it's just that, If nothing changes, she'll continue being lethargic. It won't kill her, but besides the fact it might stunt her development, I don't see her symptoms getting any better. It's not a matter of what you want... but what she needs."

They all turned to Melody who looked conflicted, glancing back and forth between Shelly and her trainers. In the end, she said nothing, averting her gaze.

"If it's like that..." Daisy eventually said, "then it might be for the best."

"Sis! Don't tell me you're seriously agreein' with her!" Ralphie snapped. "How could you-

"But she's right!" Daisy snapped back. Kuro half expected her to cry, but she remained firm. "I don't want Melody to leave, but I can't stand seeing her like this! Is this how you want her to live?"

Ralphie was speechless. He turned to Shelly, who cast him a sympathetic look. He turned to Melody, who hesitantly nodded. He turned to Kuro. Kuro looked away in shame.

He turned back to his sis. "I- Who would we even give her to?"

"I was hoping you'd know," Daisy admitted. "I don't think any of my friends can. How about yours?"

"Well, if by friends you mean people who won't pawn her off to the highest bidder if given the chance... Timothy can't. His mom barely lets him havin' just one slide." He looked to Shelly. "What's our other options?"

"Well, since releasing her in the wild is a terrible idea for obvious reasons... not a lot. You could send her to a ranch or daycare, but I've heard they've gotten pretty expensive nowadays. It wouldn't be sustainable for the long term anyways."

"Dammit!" Ralphie grunted in frustration, clutching his head. "Is there really nothing else we can do?!"

Shelly chewed on her thumb, thinking for a moment. "Well, I could-"

"I'll take her."

The declaration surprised everyone, Kuro especially when he discovered it was he himself who said it. Under the gaze of four sets of eyes, he shifted on his foot.

"Well, Melody needs to get more active, right? And what better way to do that than to participate in a League Circuit with yours truly!" He laughed awkwardly.

"You'd... You'd really do that?" Daisy mumbled in disbelief.

Fake it till you make it as they say. Kuro gave them the widest grin he could muster. "C'mon, I can't just leave you guys hanging! 'Sides, I'd be happy to have a 'mon like Melody on my team! Bug types are WAY too underrated anyways!"

He faltered when none of them said anything. Had he said something wrong again?

"It doesn't even have to be permanent either! Once you guys have the time, I can always give you Melody back. Oh, and it's not like you can't see her! We can do weekly check-ins, video calls, I could record some of her matches for you and-"

"Thank you!" Daisy crashed into him in a tight hug.

Kuro, having no clue how to respond, patted her head unsurely. He

Daisy's joy was infectious. Shelly clasped her hands. "Well, before you make any official arrangements, what do you two think?"

Melody's hopeful chimes were a nice contrast to the ones earlier. She seemed to have perked up upon hearing her situation wouldn't have be to permanent. They looked towards Ralphie who looked back in awe.

"So you're expectin' me to trust this stranger we barely even know with our Pokémon? I mean, he seems cool now, but for all we know, he could be a total psychopath!"

"Oh, I'm not a psychopath. It's like you said, I'm a dumbass. A skilled dumbass."

Ralphie mulled this over. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out a Pokéball, faded and plastered wit stickers, and tossed it to him.

"Take care of her, alright?" He asked, the bill of his cap obscuring his eyes.

Kuro reassured him with a smile. "Hey, I promised everything would be alright, didn't I?"

"Am I interrupting something?" Kuro asked when he returned to the bench, having been met with an interesting sight.

Tucker, currently acting as a makeshift bed for Honeybun, glowered at him. "Just get her off me, will ya? My back's killin' me."

Kuro savored the moment a second longer before recalling Honeybun back into her Pokéball. Now free, Tucker leapt down and stretched his legs. He opened his mouth to speak when he noticed the small figure hiding behind his pant leg.

"Who's she?" Tucker gestured to the Kricketot, causing her to retreat further behind Kuro. "I thought you weren't catchin' any more 'mons?"

Kuro rubbed her head. "It's kinda complicated, I'll explain it to you later. For now, Tucker, this is Melody. Melody, this is Tucker. He's my starter."

Melody poked her head out, singing a curious albeit hesitant xylophone-like tune. Tucker responded with a gruff hum.

"Pleasure to meet you, Melody," Giving her a small nod, he glanced to Kuro. "So, about that Pokénapper..."

To his surprise, Kuro groaned. "Honestly, I'm over it. It's not like I need that BADASS POKÉMON now anyways. And it's been like what, two days? I doubt II could even find that Pokénapper."

Tucker's gaze moved elsewhere. He asked, "So, hypothetically, if you were to spot that Pokénapper, you wouldn't even care enough to chase him?"

"I dunno," Kuro shrugged. "I guess I'd be a lil' upset. Why are you asking..."

He trailed off when he caught a glimpse of the hobo currently strolling towards the Pokécenter's exit. Though it had been days, Kuro immediately recognized him and in a instant, the rage he had almost forgotten had skyrocketed tenfold.

"YOU!"

"Huh?" The hobo turned around. "Uh, do I know you from somewhere-"

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Kuro charged.

"OH SHIT!-"

-Peridot Ward-

The Salesman hummed a happy little tune to himself, counting the cold hard cash he had 'earned' from yet another day of swindling gullible idiots. That was until his associate burst into the small empty shack and slammed the door behind him.

"Pack everything up!" The hobo warned, rushing over to a pile of cash and sweeping all of it into a duffel bag.

"Fredrickson, what in the blazes are you-"

"I SAID PACK EVERYTHING UP!" He barked. "We don't got time for this shit! We gotta get outta here now before he shows up!"

"Before who-"

Suddenly, the door of the shack crashed down in a cloud of dust. A silver haired trainer emerged from the wreckage, growling like a feral animal would to its prey.

"Give. Me. My. Damn. BADASS POKÉMON!"

The Salesman's associate looked absolutely mortified, but the Salesman himself was undeterred. In fact, once he recognized the trainer, he stepped forward in a theatrical manner.

"Aha! So you've finally caught on to our little operation, Kuro, wasn't it?" He boasted.

Kuro said nothing, but that didn't stop the salesman from continuing.

"Yes, it must be quite the surprise that I, the one who gave you your BADASS POKÉMON, was in cahoots with the one who stole your BADASS POKÉMON the entire time! How foolish you must feel right now! But now that you know our little secret, I can't-"

"Honeybun?" A teddiursa materialized by Kuro's side. "Maul them."

Before the cons could react, the bear pounced at them. With a ferocious roar, she lodged her claws into their foreheads and pulled. The smell of blood overpowered the musty odor of the shack as she tore the skin off their faces effortlessly.

...

The faceless Salesman scoffed. "Well, that was rude. You could've at least let me finish first."

"Dear Arceus, just shut the hell up!" The equally faceless hobo snapped.

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport Fredrickson! Can we at least have a good old fashioned Pokémon Battle, Kuro old pal?"

Kuro pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay look, I'm a little pressed for time right now, so can we skip to the part where I win and you give me what's rightfully mine?"

"If I must," He sighed. "Here's your rightfully earned BADASS POKÉMON... Is what I would be saying if I still had it."

Kuro's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

"Don't blame me, blame the ruffian I encountered the other day!" He huffed indignantly. "On my way here, I got pickpocketed by that little brat! Worse, he managed to sneak past the guard and into the Obsidia Ward before I could catch him!"

"So... you don't have my BADASS POKÉMON?" His eyes twitched.

"Nope!"

Meanwhile, the hobo looked like he was about to strangle the man. "Are you fucking serious Ted?! Now how are we supposed to make a livin' out here if we have no Pokémon to scam people with!"

"Don't be too down my dear Fredrickson! We've already made a huge profit this month! I'm sure we'll be able to find another one before the end of it."

Kuro stared at the two cons. "And what's stopping me from just taking my money back now?"

The Salesman tapped his skinless chin. "Well, now that you happen to mention it... NPC OFFSCREEN TELEPORTATION TECHNIQUE!"

The lights cut out for only a split second, but when they came back on, the two faceless men were nowhere to be seen. Just like that, they were gone.

Countless hours of searching and frustration gone down the drain only for Kuro to not get his BADASS POKÉMON or even get his revenge.

He fell to his knees just as Tucker and Melody finally managed to catch up to him.

At his distraught expression, Melody offered him a sympathetic hum.

Honeybun watched on, silent as usual.

Tucker shook his head. "They got away, didn't they Kuro?"

"STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID!" Kuro sobbed, pounding his fists into the floor. "IT'S NOT FAIR! I PAID FOR THAT BADASS POKÉMON! IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE DAMNIT!"

"Um... excuse me!"

Kuro sniffled and glanced over his shoulder to see a small Budew behind him. The Budew, realizing he was crying, squirmed.

"O-OH! Sorry if I'm interrupting something!" She mumbled frantically. "I've been following you around for a while now, a-and I meant to say something earlier but I couldn't really muster the courage to a-and... Well, you've been catching a lot of Pokémon right? I know this might be a bit sudden, but is there a possibility I... could join too?"

"You know what? Welcome," Kuro sniffed, "t-to the team."

"J-just like that?" The Budew gasped in awe. "No questioning or anything? An interview? Not even a battle?"

"That's what I've been sayin'," Tucker grumbled.

Kuro did his best not to break down crying. "Look kid, do you want in or not?"

"P-please take care of me!" She bowed.

Budew shines bright!

- "Rosa" Budew: Smells like Daisies -

Timid Nature

Often dozes off

Ability: Leaf Guard

-Lower Peridot Ward-

After doing what he did best and shoving the Pokénapper incident into the far recesses of his mind along with everything else that had happened, Kuro somehow moved on. The rest of the day was spent training and getting the newest members of the team accustomed to everyone else. And like that, it was evening before they knew it. Long after the main area of the Pokécenter had shut its lights, one room was still lit.

"Alright, alright," Kuro cleared his throat and the incessant chatter that had populated the packed room died down.

He glanced among the eleven members of the team. His team. He'd really have to get used to that.

"Before we begin our first official team meeting, I think some official introductions are in order?"

"Howdy y'all. Name's Tucker," Mudkip tipped his hat in a greeting.

"Chip's the name!" squeaked Rattata.

"Zyla!" Zigzagoon waved.

Whismur pumped her fists in the air. "LIL' W IN DA HOUSE!"

"Uno, y estos son mis amigos," Minccino gestured to the Kricketot and Gulpin, "Melody y Globby."

"Nicholas, present and prepared!" cheered Delibird.

Honeybun the Teddiursa blinked.

"You may call me Berry," Skitty said.

And last but not least, Budew chimed in, "And I'm Rosa!"

Kuro grinned. "Great! Now, with that outta the way, let's get the topic at hand! As some of you already know, I'm undertaking the Reborn League Circuit. And I'm not merely participating in it, I'm gunning to win the entire damn thing! Since this is our first meeting, we'll sweat about the small stuff for now. Tucker?"

Tucker was sitting on the coffee table beside Kuro's chair. He sent him a nod.

He nodded back. "Right. Now, to keep things simple for y'all, I'll only cover our first obstacle: Julia. Like all Rebornian Gym leaders, she'll have a full team of six. She'll be trick to counter too on account of her specializin' in the electric type. All in all, defeatin' her is gonna be tough."

He paused, his eyes roaming over the large group.

"Any questions so far?"

"One for you specifically," Berry spoke up. "Since you're a water type, does that mean you will not be participating because of the type disadvantage?"

Nicholas raised a flipper. "Will I also be present? I'm a dual flying type, after all."

Tucker contemplated this. "Well, given the fact we suddenly went from six to eleven members in such a short amount of time, we haven't actually settled on a de facto roster yet. That bein' said, don't think any of you can take it easy just because you might not be goin'. Kuro and I expect everyone to train no matter what."

"What if we're not good fighters?" Rosa asked quietly. "I-I haven't really fought much before this..."

Tucker regarded her a soft look. "I promise you that there's others on the team thinkin' the same thing. That's precisely why we're trainin'. There's more to battlin' than just hittin' hard, y'know. It takes skill and strategy. No matter what, as long as you're given' it your all, there's a place for you on this team."

At his words, Rosa perked up. "I see. I'll do my b-best then!"

Tucker seemed to smile. "That's all we're askin. Any more questions?" When no one said anything, he continued, "Good. We'll begin first thing tomorrow morning. Everybody got that?"

"You got it cap'n!" Chip saluted proudly.

"Captain?" Berry queried.

He nodded. "Tucker was here before any of us, yeah? He's arguably the most mature here too, so I thought it fit him."

Tucker frowned.

"Well when you put it like that, it does make sense," Zyla decided. "Actually, that cool hat of his totally screams 'leader', doesn't it?"

Kuro, who'd been relaxing during all of this, suddenly stepped in. "Hold up, shouldn't I be the captain?"

"Eh, debatable."

"I'm literally your trainer!"

Zyla giggled. "There's your problem! You're too immature! You don't have a cool hat either!"

"Okay, that's just baseless slander!"

As the group bickered amongst themselves, Tucker remained silent, even for his standards. To anyone observant enough in the room, they would've noticed the mortified look on his face.

Finally, the squabble came to a close with the entire group coming to some sort of agreement.

"That settles it. Tucker's the cap'n then!" Chip announced.

"I still think this is bull, but Captain Tucker does sound cool."

"Stop..."

"Captain Tucker does have a nice ring too it!"

"Exactly!"

"I said..." His protests were drowned out as their cheers grew louder.

"Capitán Tucker!"

"Captain Tucker!"

"Captain-"

"I SAID STOP!" He hollered.

Just like that, the entire room went dead silent. They all turned to Tucker, mostly confused, some even startled. Tucker, realizing all the attention on him, coughed.

"Sorry. Just wanted to get everyone to settle down... before we wake anyone up." Despite his claim, it was obvious what he was really angry about.

Chip's shoulders sagged. "Sorry, Tucker. I didn't think the nickname would upset-"

"I ain't-" Tucker took a deep breath, "I'm not upset."

"Are you sure?" Kuro asked reluctantly. "You sounded pretty pissed-"

Tucker stood up. "I'm sure."

The group watched as he hopped off the coffee table and made his way to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Tucker stopped, looking Kuro dead in the eye. "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, don't we? I'm plannin' to get some shuteye. I reckon y'all should start doin' the same."

He left, leaving everyone dumbstruck. Kuro was the most stunned out of anyone. Tucker had always seemed rough around the edges, and this display was pretty similar to the one back at the Grand Hall.

Except it wasn't.

Back then, during that Battle against Cain and Terrance, when they had locked eyes in the middle of the battle, Kuro only saw disrespect, anger even.

Here, instead of seeing any of those in his gaze, he found something else.

He found... fear?

"CAPTAIN-"

"'W."

"YEAH I KNOW..."

So... Guess I gotta explain myself, and I've already hit the 9,000 words mark so... Testsandlackofmotivationandstudyingandbadwritinghabitsandabunchofotherthingsleftmewithlittletimetoworkonthisstory.

Will I ever stop writing in the foreseeable future? Hell no!

Will I make shorter chapters? I dunno. I like making long chapters so you all have something to read!

Will I come up with a better writing schedule? Yes. Maybe. Possibly. Perhaps. Okay I'll try my best to actually lock in.

So with all that having been said, I'm sorry for making you wait like 5 weeks for another chapter? Really, I am. Like I said before, I'll do my best to actually stay consistent.

Now, with that out of the way, I hope you did enjoy today's chapter! As always, I'm open to criticism and questions if you have any! I do want to make the best possible version of this story, after all! This was Apollo, and I'll see you all next time! (Which will be sooner than 5 weeks I swear.)