บท 40: Report

The trip back to the inn was rather uneventful compared to my trip to the precinct. I was however the target of numerous dirty looks and slurs from those recognized me from earlier.

It was funny cause you'd think they'd notice something was off with me standing side by side and chatting with two Rangers, AND the Captain of the Officers. Without handcuffs at that.

But no. That wasn't the case.

We just paid them no mind since no one was throwing anything at me this time. Instead I chatted with Wendy and Kate, swapping stories of what we'd been up to since I last saw them on the day my journey started.

I told them the details about the attack on the Viridian city Pokemon Center, as well as the turf war between the Beedrill and Combee; and they told me about flying around Kanto, trying to collect any information they could use against Team Rocket. Unfortunately they hadn't been able to do much more than identify and capture the lowest of the grunts.

I wanted to share my knowledge regarding the different attacks that I recalled would be carried out by Team Rocket in the future, but I had no idea just yet which ones would still happen or not. Especially since one difference I recalled between the game and the anime was the attack on the st. Anne, which happened in the anime and not in the game.

The entire time we were talking I could see Captain Jenny listening intently out the corner of my eye, though she didn't say anything the entire way.

Finally the dreaded moment arrived as we walked through the doors of the inn I had been staying at, and every eye turned towards us. And why wouldn't they? After all, it wasn't every day that you got to see two Rangers and the Captain of the city Officers.

And then there was me. Who wasn't wearing his Ranger jacket, so that left everyone wondering who I was.

Or not?

Again, I found myself the center of angry looks and muttering as everyone seemingly recognized me, preceding a tidal wave of oppressive and negative auras that were so thick that even the Rangers and Captain fidgeted under it.

"""Ace!""" A series of voices cried out, directing our attention to Daisy, Dawn, May, Misty, mini Joy, and the professor, their auras a small oasis in the sea of oppression.

Concern was evident on their faces, making me wonder how they'd already found out about what happened when a monitor in the lobby suddenly changed what it was showing. Displaying the pictures and videos that were trending right now on Pokevision, the top of which showed an Officer Jenny attacking and arresting a suspected member of Team Rocket.

"Are you ok?" Daisy asked immediately as she looked me over like a concerned wife.

"Of course he isn't! He got tasered and pepper sprayed!" Misty exclaimed with a rare sign of worry on her face as well.

"That damn Officer Jenny! I can't wait to give her a piece of my mind!" May declared as she swore vengeance.

"Now now May. You can't say such things in public. We need to wait until we're behind closed doors." Dawn told her with an unusually sinister gleam in her eyes. Was that really MY Dawn?

"Are you injured?" Demanded mini Joy, who immediately lifted my shirt to reveal the X shapes wound on my chest. It had already progressed from enflamed to severely infected, as numerous ugly purple lines of infection began to spiderweb out from it.

"Everyone calm down. Let Ace catch his breath before bombarding him." Professor Oak said placatingly while trying to heard us towards his suite, both to talk and to treat my wound. Though I also noticed a fury within his eyes that I hadn't seen since the day I told him the truth about Giovanni.

And while I could see that her demeanor was still calm and collected on the outside, I could sense Captain Jenny's aura fluctuate wildly once she saw professor Oak, probably realizing that my arrest was going to be an even bigger issue than she already thought.

To her credit, she did immediately start working on damage control.

*PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII*

A quick blast on her whistle and every eye in the room was immediately on her, as the Captain stated in loud yet leveled voice,

"Everyone! I know what Pokevision and the television are probably showing you, and what you all may think. However, as Captain of the city's precinct and with two Rangers to back me up, I can tell you all with certainty that this man has absolutely NOTHING to do with Team Rocket. In fact, he had HELPED us against their attack, and deserves nothing but your thanks and praise for doing so. Anything said otherwise will be considered slander, and anyone who confronts or otherwise harasses him will be charged with assault and harassment! That is all!"

In an instant the oppressive atmosphere evaporated to be replaced by confusion instead, as everyone began muttering to determine what she was talking about. Meanwhile I noticed Captain Jenny looking particularly sour after the announcement, especially since at this rate she'll probably have to do a press release or something.

Her situation was already bad enough with one of her Officers assaulting and falsely arresting a Ranger. But now, with the videos people had apparently taken of the scene, it was going to make their reputation and credibility as a whole plummet.

"You alright?" I asked her quietly as the professor led the way to his suite.

"Yeah... But my niece won't be when this is all said and done."

I tried not to let my real emotions show on my face as she said that. Or to imagine my own creative forms of punishment for the annoying Officer Jenny.

I just nodded slowly.

When we arrived at the professor's suite, I opened the door and was unsurprised to see Riolu sitting there on the table, his arms crossed like a parent who caught their kid sneaking in late at night.

"Ri?"

"I didn't call you because you were too far away, and I had it handled with Pidgeot."

"Ri."

"I DID have it handled. That was from something else actually."

"Ri?"

"The Officer Jenny from yesterday that wanted to arrest me. She blindsided me with pepper spray and a taser, before beating me with her baton as she hauled me off to jail."

"Ri?"

"No. But I'm pretty sure I made her piss herself with fear after she watched me destroy the jail cell door like it was a tin can."

"Ri!"

"Pussy!"

Even as he called me a bitch for not taking revenge on Officer Jenny for what she did, I noticed the edge of Riolu's mouth curl upwards in amusement from our usual banter.

He then hopped down from where he was sitting to make room for me, and I sat down so that mini Joy could hurriedly remove my shirt to treat my infection.

"You just couldn't wait to strip me again, could you?" I teased mini Joy slightly at the situation, making her blush heavily at the implication.

"What did you get in your wound?" She asked instead of addressing her embarrassment, apparently already in her serious 'nurse' mode instead of her usual clumsy mode.

"People were throwing trash at me all the way to the precinct, and one kid had his Grimer lob its gunk at me as well. It soaked through the shirt I had on, so I'm pretty sure that's what did it." Mini Joy nodded seriously as she muttered,

"So rather than infection, it's more like poisoning... I'll need..."

Entering her own world, mini Joy began treating my wound using all sorts of foul smelling chemicals and ointments. They all stung like a bitch, but I could feel the throbbing in my wound slowly fade away as the minutes passed.

This world sure was lucky they had a group like the Joys running the entire medical field. They were truly passionate about caring for their patients over merely securing profits.

And trust me, I spent enough time in hospitals in my previous life as a result of my fights to know just how predatory they were.

Just as I was mentally comparing the two though, I suddenly noticed a small chiming sound in the air before a feeling of contention washed over me. When I heard the chiming again, I turned to see my Happiny looking focused as she used the move Heal Bell to cure my poisoning.

"We don't usually use our Pokemon to directly treat our human patients, as then people try to become over dependent on them. But since she's yours I can't say anything." Mini Joy said in mild exasperation. However I could tell she was glad for the assistance, even as her own Happiny acted as her assistant.

With mini Joy actually treating my wound, and Happiny help to cure my poisoning, I then reported everything I needed to everyone present.

I started with how I'd gone flying with Pidgeot, and when we were returning to town we heard an explosion. And when we went to investigate we found Team Rocket attacking the fossil Pokemon sanctuary.

I then detailed everything that happened afterwards. The fight, Team Rocket being sent flying, staying behind while sending Pidgeot away to rest, removing my coat and stuff since I didn't need them anymore, and trying to help Cranidos and return him to his enclosure before detailing everything that happened during my arrest. I told them about how Officer Jenny hadn't identified herself, how she had automatically attacked me with her pepper spray and taser, loudly speculated about my motives and background without any actual basis, and hit me with her baton any time I tried to explain otherwise.

By the time I finished explaining how I had been paraded through the streets on the way to precinct, with numerous people slandering me and throwing trash and stuff at me as we went, everyone was thoroughly angered on my behalf. So much so, that professor Oak immediately rounded on Captain Jenny and demanded,

"Why was such a person even still an Officer?! Surely someone like THAT has a record of incidents like this?"

Captain Jenny sighed exasperatedly before explaining, "you're right, she does have a horrible record that would've seen anyone else dismissed. But unfortunately getting herself fired wouldn't stop her. If anything, she'd be even worse with no one keeping her in line, and with a point to prove that she could be a proper Officer. Keeping her on the force and working petty jobs is the only we have to try and control her."

"And that worked out so well." Oak stated venomously, making the Captain flinch at his tone.

Looking away from professor Oak and Captain Jenny's back and forth, I noticed Dawn, May, and Misty all muttering amongst themselves about getting revenge. I shook my head at their antics, before watching in amazement as mini Joy slowly joined them in their plotting now that my treatment was over.

Turning to Daisy, Wendy and Kate, who were all still beside me, I asked the latter two, "so what now?"

"Now? I have to send my own report about what happened to headquarters. They'll want to know about one of Rangers being arrested. After that we'll probably get our own room for the night."

"Woohoo!" Kate whooped happily when she heard that, making the rest of us smile wryly at her.

"I agree. It'll be nice to soak in the baths after spending the last few days flying around Kanto." Wendy said with an relaxed smile.

"Feel free to join the rest of us tonight then. The company'll be nice." I told them with a smile that didn't appear at all to have any ulterior motives.

"Haaaa!" Kate gasped dramatically while covering her petite chest. "Pervert! You just want to see us naked!"

I didn't even flinch under the accusation, instead tilting my head confusedly as I asked, "and? What's wrong with that?"

Kate answered by turning away while sticking her tongue out at me, making Daisy giggle from her attitude before saying, "Why not? It's always fun when there's more people. Plus Dawn, May and I could use the backup."

Kate went wide-eyed at Daisy's implication, while Wendy sent me an incredulous look while I merely shrugged to as if it were helpless. But before either one could say anything,

"Ok! This is where I take my leave!" Professor Oak declared, obviously wanting to escape the awkward discussion of his granddaughter's sex life.

He then stood and swiftly departed, leaving us with Captain Jenny, who I looked at and asked while leaving no room for confusion, "what about you Captain? Wanna join us later? After today, you could probably use the chance to 'unwind'."

As I said that I looked her body up and down, making it quite clear what I meant by 'unwinding'. to my surprise, and slight disbelief, she actually appeared to consider my offer for a few seconds, drawing even the conspiring girls attention before she sighed and answered,

"I'd actually like to take you up on that offer, but I can't. I've got to file all the reports about today, especially what you just told us, and prepare something for the news after the publicity this whole thing has gotten..."

While I lamented the lost opportunity, Captain Jenny suddenly stood up and approached me, her demeanor shifting so that she was like a predator on the hunt. She then raised one leg, and planted it on the table beside me, giving me a perfect view up her skirt and of her tight black thong.

"But, if you're gonna stick around for a few days, then I might accept." She purred seductively, before leaning forward so my gaze was drawn upwards. "Just remember, I like it really rough. And I have high expectations of you Ace Ketchum."

Lingering just a second after saying that, allowing me another look at her thong beneath her skirt, Captain Jenny then turned and departed the suite with a seductive sway to her hips. Every eye was on her as she departed, but once she exited and closed the door behind her, they all turned towards me questioningly.

"What was THAT about?" Misty asked incredulously.

"Well... She's going to be under a LOT of stress and scrutiny over the next few days because of this, so she probably wouldn't mind using me for some stress relief. Especially since I showed off how strong I was when I smashed the jail cell door, and she could probably guess my sexual prowess from how we were talking." I said with a cocky smirk.

What was funny was that I could tell all three of them, Misty, May and Dawn, wanted to refute me, but none of them could. Meanwhile both mini Joy and Kate were completely red in the face from how 'adult' our discussion was, while Wendy was just looking at me pensively the entire time.

"As enticing as that does sound, I think I'll have to pass this time." Wendy said finally, shooting me down, but also leaving the chance for something to happen in the future. Though Kate gaped at our senior in complete disbelief.

I just shrugged before saying sadly, "oh well then, I tried." I then looked at the other group as I stood up from my seat, and said, "hey mini Joy, wanna join us?"

"Eh!?! Really!?!" She shrieked at my sudden question.

"Yeah, there's still some time left before we turn in for the night, so I wanted to get some battles in and thought you'd be able to keep my team in decent shape between them."

"..."

Mini Joy stalled as she registered why I wanted her, before she seemed to shut down completely as her face turned Crimson and what looked like steam appeared over her head.

But apparently she hadn't completely shut down, as when I made to leave the room she quickly followed while declaring with a pout, "hey! Don't say something so misleading! And it's JOY! Not 'mini Joy'!"

"Hehe, alright. Whatever you say, Joy." I told her as we arrived at the doors leading to the arena we'd trained at this morning, within which I could sense a few dozen or so trainers with their Pokemon.

Deciding to enter with a bang, I kicked the double doors open, restraining my strength to not damage them, and cried out while channeling my aura,

"Alright you bitches and knob bobbers! Who wants to get their ass kicked first!?"

The effect was instantaneous as the cockiness and arrogance I was radiating through my aura affected them all, immediately creating a line of trainers who wanted to knock me down a peg.

'Looks like Taunt was super effective.' I thought jokingly to myself, right as the first guy threw out his Pokeball.

"Go, Blastoise!" He cried out, before a large blue turtle appeared in the middle of the arena.

"Go, Exeggutor!" I declared while throwing out my own Pokeball, and my grass/psychic type appeared on the battlefield as well.

What followed was a tough battle against a strong Blastoise, that only ended once Exeggutor used the new move he learned from the TM I bought as a reward for defeating all of those Beedrill.

"Come here Exeggutor and Blastoise! I'll heal you up!" Joy declared as the battle ended, even as my next opponent stepped up.

"Go Magmar!" They cried out.

"Go Squirtle!" I responded, sending my own little turtle out against their fire type.

Again and again me and my Pokemon fought against the seemingly endless stream of opponents, while they would be treated between battles in preparation for the next one.

Occasionally my guys would lose against their opponent, which I would then send out Riolu or call Pidgeot to our side to cover the slack to ensure it didn't become an actual loss on my trainer card. Or I'd send them out for a double battle when I wanted to give Combee or Happiny a chance to go out into the arena.

It only took a few tries before Combee managed to fully learn the move Arial Ace, while Happiny mostly worked on learning to properly support her team during battle, as well as getting used to using the moves she had at her disposal.

Eventually every member of my team had a chance to fight except for Charmander, and that was only because I was still trying to keep him hidden. Though he had REALLY wanted to come out and fight as well.

Eventually Joy had to call an end to the battling due to the curfew the inn had, so everyone had to disperse. I did however promise them I would be here tomorrow as well to kick their asses again.

After thanking Joy I returned to Daisy's room, to find her, May, and Dawn waiting for me with tiny towels wrapped around their bodies, ready to get into the baths for the night. I also pretended not to notice a certain tomboy peeking at the four of us bathing, though I did wink knowingly at her once.

***

*Earlier, in Viridian city*

"Whatever you say, Joy"

Joy

"!!!"

A certain Pink Haired nurse suddenly shot to her feet from her station as she looked northwards, feeling a disturbance in the air. As if she were about to be replaced.

"My Ace! He NEEDS me!" She cried out dramatically.

"See see!" Her Chansey said to her.

"Yes! We must go to him! NOW!" Nurse Joy exclaimed, before turning her attention to the monitor strapped to her ankle.

"First I need to get this damned thing off of me!" She declared, before going to find something to do just that.

(A.N. Ace's Pokemon list and statuses have been updated in the auxiliary chapter for anyone interested.)