A torrent of flame blew through the turtle's mouth. Percy felt intense heat blow over him as the Flamethrower struck the Pidgeot on top of his Pokémon. The bird was thrown backward into a building, where it lay, unconscious. Percy quickly recalled Breloom, who had been spared from the flame by Turtonator's precision.
Panic spread through TR as a bigger fish landed in their pond. The Turtonator was an elite Pokémon, well above 40. Percy guessed it was in the high 40s. Half of TR grabbed things and began running the other way down the street. Jasper took off running first, as stolen Pokémon were hauled away. Percy shot off as well, avoiding the powerful TR member.
The man's eyes tracked Percy angrily, but they were brought back to the Alolan trainer. The Kadabra from earlier teleported behind the TR member before teleporting again, taking the man with it. Percy leapt onto a woman and tore the Pokémon from her grip. His knee pressed her shoulder into the ground as Percy tossed the Pokemon to Fúria.
With free hands, he knocked her out quickly. Percy, his Pokémon, Jasper, and his Monferno caught all but one escaping member. As the man was about to turn the corner and run down the complicated city streets, Jason rounded the corner.
The TR member skidded to a stop. Both of them stuttered back and forth, waiting for the other to move. After a few attempted jukes, the TR member dashed to the side. Jason was fast; his feet adjusted quickly and shuffled to match his target's direction. He dove forward, slamming his shoulder directly into the man's stomach. He executed a perfect form tackle and took him to the ground.
Percy watched as his Pokémon dragged the Team Rocket members they restrained toward him. The Alolan trainers' Pokémon were efficiently cleaning up the remaining TR Pokemon. It didn't take more than a move or two for the higher level Pokemon to wipe out the Pokemon who were just going toe to toe with Percy's team minutes before.
As Percy watched the powerful Pokemon destroy his opponents, he felt inferior. The same thing was about to happen to him, but he was saved. Though he felt he was progressing quickly, he was still a small fish in the vast ocean of the Pokémon world. He was knocked out of his stupor by a strong slap on the back. "What's with you?" Jasper held Percy's shoulder as he grinned. "You held up well, and we delayed them long enough for support to show up."
Percy smiled and said, "Yeah, thanks for the help. I didn't expect you to just crash into all of them with no plan."
Jasper rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "I would've been screwed if you hadn't shown up. You don't know the relief it brought. But I had no option. I was not losing Kushida's Pokemon, no matter what." Jasper supposed.
Percy raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like Ash rubbed off on you a little. Going into bad situations with the intention of helping." He guessed.
"Wow… I should do some reflecting." Jasper pursed his lips.
Jason jogged over to the two and smiled. "Things ended well. Where'd Jasper come in from?" He asked.
Jasper dapped up Jason before pointing west. "Kushida and I were confronting some Team Rocket over there, ended up in a battle a little over our heads, but they were fast to flee once they took down Kushida's Pokémon. My team was banged up, but I guess they didn't want to spend any more time trying to take them down. They teleported away, but Kushida could tell what direction they went because of her psychic skills." Jasper explained.
"Is that how you knew where to go?" Percy asked Jason.
He nodded, "Yeah, but it was a particularly easy case to track. They weren't moving far, and the Kadabra was carrying a lot and couldn't mask its energy as well. Was it the same Kadabra that teleported them?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, a level 30 something, I'd guess. Didn't have any time to scan it." Jasper replied.
"Huh, so the leader was handling these separate operations with his Pokémon. The Kadabra was able to fight trainers and successfully evacuate some Team Rocket members from different locations." Percy said. He found it impressive that the man and Kadabra could manage the different locations so well.
This whole Team Rocket invasion was a monumental event. The authorities will take this as a massive domestic terrorist attack. Team Rocket's public acts have been too brave. And with the safety civilians have felt for a while, this will spark incredible fear. "Where is Kushida?" Jason asked.
"She started running the same time as me, but I teleported a fair bit and ran a fair bit faster than her. She should-" As Jasper looked around, he saw a short figure raggedly running toward them from the other side of the street.
Kushida's bright hair jumped around her hair as her thick, short legs struggled to get stride. She ran straight toward Jasper, who was gently holding her unconscious Pokemon. "Bayleef! Gloom!" She charged into Jasper and gently took her Pokemon. She breathed heavily from running, but focused on potioning her Pokemon.
They were seriously injured, but had only been beaten to unconsciousness. Kushida didn't battle much, and Percy guessed she didn't see them unconscious, mostly. She was scared of losing them. "Thank you so much. I assumed Percy and Jason helped? Thank you all." She shot each of them a grateful look and returned her Pokémon to their Pokeballs. "Is everybody else's Pokemon okay?" She asked.
Percy jumped slightly, "Yeah, we all have ours, but speaking of stolen Pokémon." He pulled out his Pokédex and sent Fay a ping of his location and a quick text telling her he secured her and Theo's Pokemon. "My security jobs Pokemon were stolen, so they'll be here soon." Percy explained.
Percy's Pokemon were carrying the knocked-out stolen pokemon. Bystanders hiding in the buildings had taken to the street to fully restrain the beaten TR members. They shouted obscenities at them and insulted the beaten-down criminals as ropes were painfully wound around their wrists.
Kushida reached toward Percy's face and touched a cut on his forehead. "Do you need Aurora to heal this? You seem pretty banged up." She said worriedly.
Percy waved it off. "No, I will get it healed soon. I'm sure they're still occupied with Team Rocket attacks." He assured.
Kushida nodded as the Alolan trainer approached the group. "Good job out there, you three. It's good to see young, courageous trainers. If I had known that guy had left to attack you, I would've pursued him faster. Thankfully, your friend told me where he went. I've got no psychic pokemon of my own to follow the trail." He smirked.
His shoulders were relaxed, and the adrenaline high teenagers were shocked at his calmness. Jason bowed slightly, "Thank you for coming. I had a feeling we still needed your help." He thanked. The kids thanked the man deeply.
His sandals flopped as he approached each of them with his Pokédex out. "Take my info, and let me know if you ever run into that guy. It's not likely, but I don't let people run from me twice." He bowed a little before backing up. "I should not have let him get away in the first place, so I owe each of you a captured criminal." His Alolan shirt blew in the breeze as he summoned a flying Pokémon and blasted into the skies.
The group exchanged some looks. "There's that Alolan kindness I've heard all about." Kushida commented.
Percy nodded in agreement. "I'm glad he showed up. I need to return these Pokémon, so I'll see you all around. It was an honor battling alongside you. I've missed it." He dapped up Jasper and Jason and gave Kushida a pleasant smile. She waved goodbye, and Percy began walking down the street, where he'd seen Fay and Theo running toward him.
Keeping his Honey Clan and Prodigy lives separate was still on his mind. Fúria and Noctowl handed their Pokémon to Percy, who carried them with a smile. He succeeded in saving her Pokemon and had survived another day in this job. Maybe, this way, he'd have a better chance at staying close to the group.
Fay quickly hugged her Pokémon and began healing them. Theo did the same but put a large hand on Percy's shoulder. "Thank you, Percy. You've earned my trust. You could not imagine the loss I was feeling. You'll have a friend in me." He expressed. A soft side of Theo was being exposed to Percy. The confident second in command was nearly teary eyed.
Percy grabbed his forearm and shook it. "It was my pleasure, though I did not do it alone." Their eyes locked, and they shared an intimate moment. Percy's eyes told Theo he was happier to help than anything.
Fay looked at Percy, and then down the street at the group of teens who were walking the other direction. "Didn't that kid help?" She asked.
Percy glanced back, "Yeah, the blond one and the green haired one. Couldn't have done it without them, I'd say." He explained.
Fay nodded and bit her lip. "I want to thank them."
Percy tilted his head. "Alright, we can do that, let me flag them down-" As much as he didn't want Fay to meet some of the Prodigies, they deserved to be thanked, and Fay deserved to thank them.
Fay interrupted, "Wait a second." Her fingers nervously flexed as she averted her gaze. She shuffled forward and put her arms out. They closed around Percy as she engaged in a distant hug with him. He held his arms up, confused, but realized she was trying to hug him. There was a full two feet between them.
Fay looked down at the floor and was surprised slightly as Percy's hand gently wrapped around her lower back. Her grip on him tightened, and her body moved closer to his instinctively. Her chest pressed against his, and her hands grabbed the hoodie at the top of his back. "Thank you for saving my Pokémon." After a few seconds, they simultaneously retreated.
Percy nodded. "No problem." He quickly turned and shouted down the street. "JASON!" He felt a pang of embarrassment; he wasn't one to yell in public, but he didn't want to dwell on what just happened. Fay's face was expressionless. In front of the group, she was a strong leader, and in front of her Grandfather, she felt she had no other option.
Jason's head turned sharply in the distance, and he saw Percy motioning for them to come. "Do you know them?" Fay asked.
"Yeah, they're my friends. I started my Pokemon journey with Jason. The blond one." He answered. Both groups walked toward each other. Percy waved as they reached each other. "Hello again. They want to thank you for helping." Percy explained.
Fay stepped forward and bowed. "Thank you for helping return my Pokémon. A friend of Percy's is a friend of mine." She said.
Theo bowed as well, "Thank you." He smiled.
Jasper and Jason smiled and said, "My pleasure."
"I'll never let Team Rocket steal Pokemon if I can."
Fay had dropped the shy act before talking to them and wanted to look like the confident trainer she was. "How did you become friends with Percy?" She asked. Percy's eyes went wide.
Jason and Jasper glanced at Percy, "We got started in this program with-" Jason started,
"We are in this Professor's program together. They sponsored us to start our journeys." Kushida cut him off. Percy breathed a silent sigh of relief. If Jason had said Professor Oak's name, Fay would be able to connect him to the Prodigies pretty easily. The Prodigies are one of Professor Oaks less known projects, and they were bottom tier celebrities.
There was plenty of information online containing their identities. But with how large the country was, there were thousands more stories bigger than theirs. If they'd gotten in the newspaper, it would be a small box in the least-read part. Their rollout was bigger, but until the group started making headlines, they'd stay relatively unknown.
It seemed Kushida had already sensed the secretive energy Percy had displayed at lunch. She was smart, especially socially. Percy gave her a slight nod. Fay nodded, "I see. Did you all challenge the Viridian Gym?" She asked.
Jasper and Jason nodded. "I did, but who knows when my first battle will be. The gym's got its hands full. They'll probably postpone challenges." Jason commented. There were a few groans from everyone. Of course, this monumental Team Rocket attack had to happen when they were around.
Percy looked around. Most conflicts had been resolved, and the sound of battles was being drowned out by response sirens. Team Rocket was fast to flee with their spoils, and Percy doubted every encounter ended as well as his did.
Kushida flipped her Pokédex open. She gasped, "Uh oh. Ash's group had a bad fight. We should head over there. Misty's been hurt." She worried. Percy took a step forward. Misty was one of his better friends, and though they haven't talked much recently, he cared for her.
Jason and Jasper tensed up. "Where are they?!" Jasper asked.
"7 blocks north, and 3 blocks west. They're near the poke center." Kushida worried as she began walking backwards.
Fay glanced at Percy and gestured at his friends. "We'll see you later. We're in the hotel on 3rd street. We got most of the rooms on the 6th floor." She turned to Theo and told him to gather the rest of her group at the hotel.
Percy nodded gratefully, "I'll see you later. Stay safe, I'd bet there's still Team Rocket in the city." Percy said as he followed behind his friends, who had begun jogging away. He didn't expect he'd join the Prodigies for a few days. But for now, his friends needed him.
(AN): Hi! I've created an Instagram profile where you can communicate your thoughts about the chapters and see behind the scenes. (@genericguy3005) There will be Q&As as well as polls to help me steer the story to a place its readers are really happy with. You can text me in my dms, I'll answer anyone. The point of this platform is to show as much appreciation to the fans as I can, so please check it out! Throw the account a follow, and a question or two. Even if you just want to ask when the next chapter is coming, you are more than welcome. All it takes is a single person with a good idea, and you can influence the story. If we reach 25 followers, I'll do a week of a new chapter every day. With each follower, I'm more likely to post more. Seriously. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the content!