Expedition 2.4

September 19th, 2022

Five days of travel on foot and we were traveling along the Idaitou river’s course through the Eastern Irori Plains. A mix of gently rolling plains transitioning into flat landscapes of grassland and prairies. The direct route was visible on the horizon, but Akari liked the scenic route and I was too much of a nerd not to follow.

The riverside was rich with a number of pokémon, bidoof and slowpoke were the most obvious along with poliwag splashing in the water and nearby ponds and belching masses of water. Farfetch’d kept their distance, protectively gripping their leeks with wary eyes. We had fought both drowzee and zangoose, the former after one had tried to eat my dreams and I ended up kicking it in the head and the latter were just aggressive.

The river was home to magikarp, white-striped basculin, buizel, and I had seen wooper and quagsire. Though… we had kept our distance after we saw one get dragged under by a full grown feraligator. Turns out like crocodiles they can keep growing for decades, and this one was fifteen feet tall and likely outweighed a Nile crocodile.

Though catching a totodile sounded neat… but not today, I liked being alive and not eaten by a giant crocodile monster.

I cycled out my pokémon now and then, since they needed a rest now and then and individual time with me. We could probably arrive in Irori by noon, so about an hour?

Jericho was the one currently out of his ball, trotting and casually keeping pace with us. Akari had Happy out with her, the pig pokémon occasionally foraging on flowers, fallen fruits, mushrooms and had recently picked up a dead rattata without a care in the world, scorching it to cook it.

We were approaching a shukaba, a small post town that was nestled near the river. Like most post towns they had a general layout of facilities that were more or less standardized.

The general offices that manage the post town, so the socioeconomic and political center of the town, like the elected representative, and trade brokers. There are rest areas and lodgings for officials of the League and other government officials, some of which could be offered to passerbys if they were empty. The hatago were less selective facilities that offered accommodations to general travelers and food. A teahouse was common in these small towns, remnants of when geisha were more popular and widespread. Plus shops and stuff.

These small towns didn’t have a lot of people, maybe a few hundred, the larger ones a few thousand due to having an industry or local resource that made them important enough.

But… I felt a shiver run up my spine, which was followed by the sound of explosions and battle. Akari flinched, and released her munchlax, Kirby yawning as he emerged into reality. I could see flashes of light ahead, and brought out Mirko, who shook her head, ears swiveling towards the growing sounds.

I remembered a rather important tidbit about lab-sponsored trainers, they’re considered first responders when the police force isn’t around, same with gym leaders, elite trainers, other League officials and the Champion and Rangers.

It wasn’t an obligation, but it was an implied duty as a trainer, within reason at least. So they weren’t expected to fight a century old gyarados and die for the cause. Just to help when they can.

Akari gestured, and I followed her, and the six of us ducked into the shadow of a building at the edge of town, an inn of some sort. As we approached the flashes of light became active attacks, several pokémon and people lashing out at the town. We crouched, Akari hissing as she recognized something.

There were five thugs wearing futuristic armor, a light grey metal cuirass, pauldrons and leg armor over black jumpsuits, alongside plain helmets with v-shaped visors, and gloves over their hands. There was a symbol etched into their armor that reminded me of a Chi Rho… and yet different.

They had ten pokémon, which on its own wouldn’t be too dangerous… but they had hostages, several kids who looked maybe five or six years old.

There was an older man looking at them with disgust, his electabuzz sparking with electricity but unable to do anything about it with his people on the line. The other villagers were various levels of beaten down, their pokémon almost to the point of fainting or simply unable to help.

The leader of the group was smirking, while two of his thugs kept a grip on three kids with their pokémon, two houndour snarling viciously, looking far too twitchy. Two houndour, one beedrill, one Alolan rattata, two ekans, and two kricketune for the grunts and a houndoom and an absentminded gliscor (it was looking at a bug) for the leader.

“It’s a very easy trade, your children for the location of that enclave of vulpix your village has been protecting,” the leader chuckled darkly, and flames sparked from the mouths of the houndour. “Vulpix are rare pokémon, and if we can evolve them with our new program, Cipher can expand our operations nicely.”

I felt my mouth dry at the familiar name, Team Cipher was a team from Orre, a dangerous criminal organization that I knew about both through my outside knowledge and looking up this world’s history.

Seventeen years ago, they had first attempted to conquer the Orre region by infiltrating their weak government to operate with impunity, growing their power base and developing terrible weapons like Shadow Pokémon. They had been thwarted and didn’t return for another five years… creating Shadow Lugia, failing and vanishing into the wind.

But that had changed in the past two years, especially with the re-emergence of criminal organizations like Team Rocket, Team Dim Sun, and the Pinchers. Their newest leader was a mystery, and they had been a thorn in everyone’s side for two years now.

“You’d harm children for your goals?” The older man sounded pissed and the Cipher grunt only smiled.

“No one’s getting hurt as long as you tell us where those vulpix are, old man. An easy trade.” He waved lazily at his thugs, and the two growling houndour opened their jaws, sparking with flames as they circled the frightened kids.

This was…

“I have an idea, but I need a distraction for it to work. Can you do that?” Akari asked, whispering something to Kirby who scampered off behind the building.

“I can try.” I replied, and crouched to better talk with Mirko and Jericho. “Jericho… use Dig to get under the kids, and attack on my signal.” Jericho nodded, and his claws took on a hue of smoky topaz hue before quietly diving into the soil. “Mirko buff yourself as much as you can.”

The kids had two houndour, and one kricketune holding them in place. The dark fire-dogs had a weakness against fighting-types, ground-types and rock-types and water-types. So I had Dig and Drain Punch… but I needed to get them to step off, and kricketune was a bug-type.

“Mirko, use Swift on that kricketune, keep your aim on only that kricketune,” I pointed to the specific pokémon in question. “Follow it up with Quick Attack into Drain Punch, and give the signal.” Their good sense of hearing was going to pay off here.

Mirko took a deep breath, surrounded by sparks of scarlet red, and golden energy burst into existence, becoming twisting stars of energy.

“Flame Charge into wide barrage Mud-Slap.” Akari added her own orders, and Happy let out a murmur of an oink.

The stars turned into heat seeking missiles, and smashed into the unprepared kricketune, compressed force sending the poor bug flying for dozens of meters.

“DELELELEWOOOP!” That horrible, horrible cry was cut short as the pokémon was brought down with a single attack. He was smashed into a nearby building, and slowly and painfully slid off the durable wall.

Mirko surged into the field, throwing a Drain Punch that sent the whimpering dog to the ground, knocked out in one punch. She let out a loud shriek, and Jericho emerged in a geokinetic slam into the remaining houndour, throwing a Leer and a Double Kick for good measure, cutting him off at the knees.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Who the hell—” the leader was cut off when Happy emerged in a charge of glory, cloaking himself in flame and power. He went straight for the beedrill, and the massive insect released an ominous buzz as it was covered in flames. The pig kicked off of the enraged insect, and fired Mud-Slap in every direction, including at the thugs.

The ones near the kids were blinded, and before I could take a pause for breath Akari leaped into the fray, and with a casual grace slammed their heads together, knocking them unconscious. She pushed the kids away into the waiting arms of the locals.

In the chaos I caught a glimpse of Kirby watching from a corner, and opening his mouth, and I smirked as I realized what her plan was. So with a sigh, I stepped into sight with a casualness I did not feel.

Electabuzz sent out a powerful electric bolt which was tanked by the gliscor with her ground-flying typing. Which was a problem when it came to fighting off the fully evolved pokémon.

“You really shouldn’t have done that,” Akari was giving the group of criminals a death glare, and I could feel her anger.

“A bunch of stupid trainers aren’t going to be enough to take us down, boys and girls, no mercy.” The leader stomped his foot, and his thugs went on the attack.

And not with their pokémon alone…

I did the smart thing, and ran the fuck back when two thugs charged at where I was. Their two ekans hissed, and I hissed back.

“Jericho, Confusion, slam them.” Jericho let out a high pitched cry, psychic energy bursting into life around him.

He sent out the blast of psychic energy, throwing the two snake pokémon into their trainers.

“Ekans, bite the bastard!” I flinched at the command from one of the grunts, a girl with light blonde hair who had thrown off her companion in a hurry to get on her feet. The snake coiled itself before leaping forward, and I twisted around the attack.

Holy shit, why do things keep trying to kill me!?

Golden stars blew up the offending poison-type snake, and a second burst threw the other ekans into his trainer for a second time, knocking them both out of the fight.

“Acid, Ekans!” The aforementioned pokémon sprayed fucking acid and I rolled out of the way. “Quit running away you fucking brat and fight like a ma—” she didn’t get another word in before Akari had choke slammed her into the ground with an icy expression. Her ekans yawned, jaw snapping, slowing down and with a flash of Confusion was brought down by a screeching Jericho.

That left the houndoom, gliscor, beedrill and one kricketune on the field, and one by one they were growing drowsy.

Akari breathed out. “Kirby, Rollout.” The munchlax zoomed out of the darkness, slamming into the beedrill.

“Ice Punch.” The older man ordered, his electabuzz burst into action, forcing the gliscor onto the ground, throwing punch after punch of elementally infused strikes.

The leader sneered at me. “Torch him!“ Houndoom released a blast of flame where I was standing, and it was blocked by Happy, the pig weathering the attack better than I could.

“Tail Whip, Bulldoze!” The tepig stepped up to the challenge, with a quick tail sway it collided with the much larger houndoom. He struck everywhere, trampling and crushing the ground around the houndoom, our pokémon had warning so they jumped as the earthen shockwave struck everything on the field.

The kricketune fell asleep first, collapsing into a heap, and the gliscor had gone limp in the arms of the electabuzz.

“What?” The leader questioned as he saw his thugs go to sleep as the effects of Yawn took hold. He slapped his own face, and his houndoom howled and bit his own leg to stay awake. “Use Inferno, burn this shit town to the ground if you have to!”

Happy lunged for a second time, a second shot of Mud-Slap blinding the houndoom, yet it released a wild and uncontrolled beam of caustic flame headed towards a major building. Kirby lazily blocked it, creating a hexagonal pastel green field of protective energy.

“Drain Punch!” I added Mirko to the hurt, the battle bunny smashing her fist and cracking the houndoom’s iron jaw. Jericho was busy keeping the leader from approaching, brandishing his venomous spines.

“Roar!” I flinched when Mirko and then the electabuzz were forced back into their pokéballs by the succession of haunting cries. “Hyper Beam!” I should have told Jericho to knock him out.

To my surprise, Kirby rolled into the field, summoning a second Protect right as the enormously potent blast of energy tore out of the maw of houndoom. The field took the brunt of it, but shattered and I flinched when the remaining energy knocked out Kirby in a single strike.

I threw out Mirko again. “Don’t let the trainer say another word, his houndoom is too dangerous.” She saluted, and threw herself onto the thug’s face with a gleeful cry.

The houndoom was still standing, trying to walk off the exhausting strain of Hyper Beam. Jericho went for a Double Kick… and missed, so he went for a Fury Attack at the dog’s underside. It didn’t do much, and the houndoom twisted his neck to knock Jericho aside with a headbutt.

Akari looked at the unconscious form of Kirby with an unreadable expression. Happy looked at his trainer, some wave of emotion going through him and…

He suddenly glowed with a shining white light.

Endless light of Creation.

The Sun’s Pulse.

The Earth’s Pulse.

The burning stars and the rumbling of worlds.

All is One.

One is All.

I flinched as a sudden headache came on, the light of Evolution leaving spots in my vision. When I opened my eyes, Happy wasn’t a tepig anymore.

He stood on his hind limbs, a bipedal pig with a round almost egg-like shape and covered in a thick dense layer of fur. He was almost entirely black, with patterns of yellow across his back, arms and legs, with a tail ending in a shifting mass of lava and whiskers of the same substance.

Akari narrowed her eyes. “Mud Shot.” Mud blasted at the unprepared houndoom, a jet stream surrounding the cannon blast of ground-type energy.

He released a defiant howl, attempting to stand up… and then collapsed with a heavy weight, unable to take the damage inflicted on him.

The leader tried to run, but he didn’t get far with Mirko being unwilling to let him go.

What had that been?

----------------------------------------

“Thank you so much for your help,” the older man who I now knew was named Midoriya. “Cipher has been a pain in our asses for several days, but it wasn’t until they had taken some children hostage that we realized how much of a threat they were.”

I flushed red, ducking my head so he couldn't see my face. “It was no trouble, it was really more my traveling partner who pushed me into it. I'm a bit of a rookie, so I’m not…”

Midoriya blinked. “Ahh, that’s fair young lady, the duties of a trainer can be quite taxing and knowing when to step in can be a challenge.”

“Yes, that.” I glanced at my hair, wondering if just having long hair was good enough to be called a girl when I was otherwise so… boyish. “So the police have them in custody now?”

“They do, they’ll be up against the justice system for what they’ve done but… I fear this is only the start. Cipher is insidious, and they’ve committed far greater crimes than holding people hostage or poaching pokémon.”

I nodded, there were a lot of classified and redaction marks over some of the things Cipher had done, and they had on many occasions taken over towns or even destroyed them entirely for their plans. A town in Greater Orre had been stripped for material, down to the buildings themselves being salvaged. They had stolen parts and technology from Devon and Silph, and attacked Gyms, and as I knew had been a thorn in the side of the world for years.

“So no one is hurt, but it’s been a big scare huh?” I asked, perfectly understanding the nerves of the locals, kidnapping and murderous threats weren’t a typical crime even with pokémon. Though it was more common than it should be regardless.

“Fortunately it turned out far better than I expected with your arrival,” he acknowledged Akari too with a nod in her direction as she was pestered by the kids. She didn’t seem to be dealing with it well… not even a little, her usual cool girl act obviously didn’t extend to social interaction. “And I already have a good way of thanking you.”

“That’s…”

Midoriya shook his head, pulling out a round shining disc I recognized as a Technical Machine. “I’ve had a few TMs I’ve been holding onto for some time, and I’ve decided to give each of you one of them.” He pushed the disc into my hands, and I blinked at the blue device. “This contains the TM for Water Pulse, it’s not the best but it should serve you well against the Irori Gym.”

“It’s fine, they work the way I’ve been told, correct?” I wanted to ask because the instructions for TMs sounded ridiculous.

“They are, simply place them around the button of your pokéball, and tap a switch behind the capture button to activate the download sequence.” And he proved my intuition correct on this world being insane. The police force was making their approach, and I stiffened.

“Errr…”

“They likely want your testimony on the case you suddenly cracked wide open, Team Cipher is gonna be on everyone’s radar after this.”

That’s… just great. Attention is very safe for me in this world.

“I’ll do my best then.”

…

This was going to become a trend wasn’t it?