บท 69: Rocky Mountain Mercs
"Punching!"
"Kicking!"
"Punching!"
"Kicking!"
Lucario and I watched the exchange between the two martial artists for several minutes, as they argued over which was the 'superior' style of fighting, punching or kicking alongside their Pokemon. A Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee.
They both wore white Gis with black belts, and had jet black hair styled into bushy ponytails. On top of that they looked identical, with the sole exception being that one had an X shaped scar on his left cheek, and the other had a matching scar on his right.
"Quite the stupid argument." Lucario commented.
"Maybe, but they're both technically wrong since there is no 'best' martial art. There's pros and cons to all of them, all that matters is your own mastery." I replied, making Lucario look at me weirdly.
"That almost sounded smart..."
"Thanks. I try." I responded, before looking up to see that the two martial artists and their Pokemon had noticed us while we were talking.
"Hey you!" The one who was talking about punching declared.
Both of the men rushed up to me with their Pokemon in tow, before looking both Lucario and I up and down analytically.
"The two of you look like you could be decent fighters if you put in some training! How would you like me to teach your Pokemon Mega Punch as you embark on the path of the Roaring Fist of Thunder?" He asked excitedly.
"You moron! Why would he want his Pokemon to learn such a USELESS move, or join a useless path? He obviously wants his Pokemon to learn Mega Kick, and join the path of Blazing Feet of Fury!"
"Mega Punch!"
"Mega Kick!"
"Mega Punch!"
"Mega Kick!"
Lucario and I side-eyed each other as they devolved into ANOTHER argument over who was going to teach us what style and move, until they seemingly forgot we were even here.
"Uh..." I said, drawing their attention back to us. "I actually practice MMA style of fighting."
""MMA?"" They asked in unison.
"Mixed Martial Arts." I stated. "It's a style of fighting that blends numerous styles into ones own unique form of combat. I personally like to utilize both kicks and punches."
In an instant their expressions turned from excitement at teaching me, to disgust and disappointment as the kicking guy spat,
"You can take this one. I don't want to taint my beloved arts with a poser."
"No no no. By all means, YOU teach him and his second rate Pokemon." The punching guy said in return.
"You!"
"No, you"
"YOU!"
"NO, YOU!"
""...""
Lucario and both fought back a groan as they devolved into yet ANOTHER argument, this time over who wold have the 'honor' of teaching us.
"Must they argue over EVERYTHING?" Lucario uttered to me in voice that only I heard.
"Shush." I told him quietly. "If they hear you, then they'll probably argue about how much they DON'T argue."
The two of us chuckled quietly at my joke, before I suddenly sensed a shift in the air.
"Partner..." Lucario uttered seriously.
"I can feel them." I said while pulling out my Pokedex, and changing some of the Pokemon I had on hand.
"Feel what?" One of the two asked as they stopped arguing, and noticed what I was doing.
"A disturbance in the force." I replied dryly, looking over their Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, figuring they'd be useful in the coming battle, through typing alone if nothing else.
Once I finished switching the Pokemon I wanted, I then started removing all of my weighted clothing in case I'd need to fight as well, surprising the two martial artists as they saw my body, and the scars decorating it.
And no sooner than when I finished packing away my weights into my bag did the brush around us all begin to rustle, and dozens of figures appeared around us composed of both humans and rock type Pokemon.
"Greetings, Ace Ketchum." The man who appeared to be the leader of the group said the second he saw me.
Though he was scrawny and seemingly weak, I could tell there was more strength in his body than his appearance suggested. Even his clothes were baggy and unkept, while his brown hair was styled into greasy dreadlocks.
"Greetings, but I'm afraid you have me a disadvantage." I said with fake politeness and a matching smile.
"Oh? Forgive my lack of manners then." The man said, before his face twisted into a sneer. "I am Rocko, leader of the Rocky Mountain Mercs."
""The Rocky Mountain Mercs!?!"" The two martial artists exclaimed as one.
"What are they?" I asked them quietly.
"Though they call themselves Mercs, they're actually a group of bandits that operate in this area!"
"It's rumored they even have ties to Team Rocket, and will send some of the Pokemon they take from their victims to them for money!"
They answered one after the other.
"You know, you shouldn't listen to rumors too much." Rocko said with a tone of amusement.
"But boss, we DO sell Pokemon to Team Rocket?" One of the grunts surrounding us said in confusion.
"I never said we didn't, just that they shouldn't listen to rumors." Rocko stated humorously.
"Besides..." He suddenly added while directing a look at me and pulling something from within his clothes. "We've got something here MUCH more valuable to seek to Team Rocket right now."
As he said that, Rocko held up my wanted poster for all of us to see.
"So that's what this is about..." I groaned, since I figured it would've been a few days at least before I had to deal with any assassins coming after me. "How'd you find me?"
"Well it wasn't too hard. That Pidgeot of yours is QUITE distinctive, especially when you fly it right to the door step of the Pokemon Center when one of my guys is making a run into town. And then you flew the damn thing right into our own backyard! It's like you're BEGGING us to catch you!" Rocko declared while trying to hold back tears from amusement.
The rest of the men and rock type Pokemon around him however WERE in fact laughing at me, as if amazed by my stupidity.
"Partner, please tell me I'm not the only one getting annoyed here." Lucario growled irritably.
"No, you're not." I assured him.
"So what now?" I asked while turning my attention back to Rocko.
"Now? Now we take you prisoner of course." He smirked as the numerous rock type Pokemon around us growled and flexed menacingly.
"Don't worry!"
"We'll fight beside you!"
The two martial artists declared as both they and their Pokemon prepared for battle.
"We appreciate it!" Declared Lucario in voice loud enough that everyone heard, startling them more than a little.
"A talking Pokemon!?!"
"How is that possible!?!" The two martial artists declared while the Mercs around us made similar declarations.
"You wanna talk about it, or do ya wanna fight?" I asked while holding up the rest of my Pokeballs.
"Go!" I roared while throwing them all out, before they all responded back with a cry of their own.
"Charrrrrr!"
"..."
"Sneas..."
"Twig!"
"Tangela!"
"TOR!"
"Wartortle!"
"Bui bui!"
Charmeleon, Grovyle, Sneasel, Turtwig, Tangela, Exeggutor, Wartortle and Buizel all leapt out, their claws, vines, and teeth bared and at the ready to face the new foes before us.
"The fool really wants to fight US!" Rocko smirked in amusement, before barking out, "Onix team, Wrap this up!"
There was a series of powerful roars from numerous large Pokemon, before the earth began to shake as no less than twenty Onix burst up from the ground around my team.
"Buizel, Sneasel and Grovyle, tie them up! Tangela, support them with your Vine Whip, and Turtwig use Razor Leaf! Exeggutor, man the back line and make sure nothing gets too close to Tangela or Turtwig! Charmeleon, tear them apart with Metal Claw! And Wartortle, make it rain!"
All of my Pokemon promptly leapt into battle at my command, with Buizel leading the charge as he cloaked himself in water for an Aqua Jet. On either side of Buizel was Sneasel and Grovyle, the former with her claws coated in razor sharp ice, and the latter with the move Leaf Blade at the ready.
Wartortle meanwhile had used the move Rain Dance, before pulling all his limbs into his shell to spray water from all the holes, completely soaking all of us and the area around us. Not only did all of the rock type Pokemon around us take damage from the attack, but all of my grass Pokemon also felt refreshed and powered up from the nice shower.
The one who was powered up the most was Buizel and his Aqua Jet, which made the Onix he hit recoil in pain with a roar.
Meanwhile both Grovyle and Sneasel swiped the Onix on either side of Buizel with ice and grass type attacks, not doing as much damage, but gaining their attention.
As the Onix focused their attention on trying to Wrap the three of them, Turtwig rapidly swung his head to fire off numerous Razor Leaves at them, while Tangela's entire body seemed to come alive the blue vines covering her assaulted the Onix.
"Go Magcargo! Burn those vines with a Flamethrower!" One of them declared while sending out a trio of the rock/fire type Magcargo.
"Wartortle! I'll leave them to you." I stated to my little turtle.
"War!" Wartortle declared as he rushed at the trio of Magcargo.
"Lairon squad, go!" Another one declared, as half a dozen metal armored Lairon curled up into a bunch of heavily armored balls.
They then used Rollout to try and take Wartortle out.
"Partner!"
"On it!" Lucario answered as he made to rush forward, but before he could even take a step another duo stood right in the line of the Lairon.
"Break that shell, Hitmonchan!"
"Kick those balls around, Hitmonlee!"
"Chan!"
"Lee!"
Both Pokemon declared as the former unleashed a barrage of powerful Mach Punches, and the latter delivered a deadly rain of Double Kicks.
"They're not that bad..." I said as the two fighting type Pokemon made quick work of the Lairon.
"But they're too unbalanced..." Lucario said critically. Though I had to admit he was right.
It was obvious these two, as well as their trainers, only focused on training what they specialized in. Hitmonlee more than likely worked exclusively on its legs to train its kicks, while Hitmonchan did the same with its upper body for its punches.
A balanced training regimen was what they needed to draw out every ounce of their power.
They were lucky they had the absolute type advantage this time around, as Lairon were four times weaker to fighting type attacks than usual.
"Graveler grapplers, go!" Another one of them yelled, as no less than ten Graveler appeared and headed right for us with their four arms held wide.
"Pidgeot, Steel Drill!" I commanded right before a sonic boom could be heard above us.
"GEOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
With both wings glowing from using the move Steel Wing, Pidgeot swooped in while spinning like a drill, doing significant damage to all of the Graveler he passed by.
"Geo!" He stated victoriously as all of the Graveler collapsed from his attack.
"Damn it!" One of the thugs shouted as the battle turned against them. "Have a taste of this Pokemon we got all the way from Alola, Graveler!"
I looked over to see one of the Graveler trainers throw out another Pokeball, before another Graveler appeared with numerous yellow spots and barbs all over its body.
"Gravvvvvvv!"
*Crackle.*
The Graveler growled while crackling with electricity menacingly, focusing on Pidgeot as it built up power.
"Lucario!"
"On it!" Lucario stated as he started gathering aura into an Aura Sphere, before throwing it right as the Graveler tried to blast Pidgeot out of the sky.
*KABOOM!*
Thankfully the Aura Sphere intercepted the Thunderbolt before it could hit Pidgeot, who then readily swooped down to do another flyby on the Onix that everyone else had knotted up by now.
"Take it out." I ordered him.
"Gladly." Lucario said as he rushed forward. And while I had expected him to use either any one of his numerous fighting type moves, or the ground type move Bulldoze, instead I noticed a concentration of aura forming in his hand that wasn't Aura Sphere.
"Bone Rush!" Lucario declared as the aura concentrated into the shape of a bone, which he smashed into the Graveler several times to deal significant ground type damage.
"Nice!" I exclaimed at the sight, excited by his new move as the Graveler instantly went down.
"Tch." I heard Rocko click his tongue from the way things were going.
"If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself!" He declared, before throwing out his own Pokeball to reveal none other than a massive alpha Tyranitar.
"TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" The Tyranitar roared as it charged us, throwing any of the other rock type Pokemon in its path like they were small pebbles.
"Exeggutor." I said calmly.
"TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!" Exeggutor roared back as he unleashed all of the energy he'd built up until now.
Solar Beam!
A concentrated beam of grass type energy assaulted the charging Tyranitar, dealing significant damage to it, but not quite stopping it.
"Tangela, Turtwig!"
"Tang!"
"Turt!"
Crying in affirmation, the two grass type Pokemon also attacked the charging Tyranitar, the former trying to restrain it with her blue vines, and the latter spraying out numerous Leech Seeds to limit its movements and sap its energy.
"Taaaaaaaar!" Tyranitar growled angrily as it continued trying to push forward, only to receive a double Aqua Jet from Wartortle and Buizel.
The impact from both of them, combined with the energy being drained from it and all of the damage it had accrued until now, sent the Tyranitar to its knee, but not yet down.
"Grovyle." I ordered calmly.
"..."
Wordlessly, Grovyle seemingly appeared out of nowhere and delivered a devastating Leaf Blade to Tyranitar's back, making sure not to slice the vines from Tangela or Turtwig's Leech Seed as he did so.
FINALLY, Tyranitar fell forward to hit the ground with enough force that I swore I could feel it shaking beneath my feet.
"No way..."
"Tyranitar's NEVER gone down before..."
"Isn't this, really bad?"
"Quick! Let's get out of here!"
And with that, all of the bandits around us began recalling their Pokemon, before numerous Solrock and Lunatone appeared.
"Cowards." The punching guy spat as they all quickly teleported away, all but one that was.
"You WORTHLESS IDIOTS!" Rocko roared as all of his men quickly fled with their Pokemon.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Lucario asked questioningly.
"And then what? You're talking an entire day or two's march back to Cerulean at their pace, WHILE also trying to make sure none of them escape." I answered, before focusing on the only one not to escape yet. "Then again, just the leader would be infinitely easier to handle."
Rocko looked at me condescendingly when he heard what I said, and sneered back, "oh yeah? Just try it then!"
The man then charged right at me with an almost feral look to his eye, which reflected madness alongside his aura.
"Look out!" The kicking guy exclaimed worriedly to me.
"Don't worry, he can't beat me." I said back calmly and confidently.
"What was it you used to tell me? 'Pride cometh before the fall'?" Lucario asked humorously, surprising everyone yet again from him being able to talk.
I just ignored him though as I focused on this fight.
While the man did possess a surprising amount of strength, he was all instinct and emotion, worse than a wild animal.
It was child's play to sidestep his wild grab as he tried to grapple with me, before sweeping my foot to catch his ankle and knock him off balance. And as Rocko staggered I quickly planted my open palm again his chest while channeling my aura.
*Boom!*
*Crash!*
My eyes widened in surprise as Rocko was blasted back into a tree, before crumpling to the ground as his body began to twitch slightly.
"Was that a Force Palm?" Lucario asked me curiously.
"... Maybe...?" I replied back in confusion.
I know I'd been practicing with Rock Smash, but Force Palm was entirely new to me. I even somehow managed to paralyze the poor bastard.
Well, while he was down I pulled out some zip ties and tied his arms and legs together. I made sure to use several just in case. I also made sure to return his Tyranitar to its Pokeball so that it couldn't get back up and rampage.
"Think one of you could sprinkle some Sleep Powder and Stun Spore on him?" I asked my grass Pokemon once that was done.
"Tang!" Tangela cried out as she shook her vines to sprinkle the powdery spores onto Rocko.
Once that was done, and the man was fast asleep, I called down Pidgeot before saying as I pointed to him, "can you take him back to Cerulean city for us Pidgeot?"
"Geo!"
"I'm not asking you to let him ride you, just carry him in your talons and dump him off in front of the Police Station." I told him.
"Geo." He stated, though he wasn't too happy about it.
Pidgeot then grabbed Rocko with both of his talons as he took off into the sky towards Cerulean city.
"I wonder if he'll just drop him somewhere and call it good?" Lucario asked out loud.
"I hope not. Something tells me that the leader of a bandit crew would have a bounty on his head." I said back to him. Though, I also couldn't help but wonder if I could even claim such a reward as a Ranger.
"Excuse me." Another voice asked suddenly, making me look back at the duo from before.
"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, just remembering they were there.
"Did you REALLY use the Pokemon move Force Palm?" The punching guy asked.
"Yeah, I think I did at least." I answered while looking to Lucario for confirmation, to which he nodded in affirmation.
"Can you use other Pokemon moves as well? Like Mega Kick?!" The kicking guy asked.
"Who cares about Mega Kick? I wanna know if you could learn to use Mega Punch!" The punching guy declared.
I thought for a moment as I considered their questions, before saying, "well, if I saw them then maybe I could learn how to use them. But I'm more familiar with moves like Rock Smash and Force Palm."
Since they were the first moves Lucario knew from when he was born, I had seen him use them more than any other moves.
But, as I was thinking of other possible moves I could try to use...
*SLAM!*
Both martial artists slammed their heads on the ground before me and declared,
""PLEASE TEACH ME, MASTER!""
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