Chapter 152: Hero squad debut!

Chapter 152: Hero squad debut!

I eyed Flannery as we walked toward my office. So youre saying you found a base in Cerulean City? I asked, somewhat sceptically despite knowing that Flannery wouldnt jest about this.

I was sure the Guardians had swept through there in the last few weeks. How had they missed it and Flannery had picked up on it?

Flannery grinned. We did some footwork around the City! Her head bounced from side to side, delighting in being the centre of attention as she strutted. And I just knew it would be something youd be interested in!

Alright, so you want to show me on a map where it is for tomorrow? I said, nodding along.

Flannery winked at me. Yeah, that, and I'll show you something else. Something pretty cool, she said, grinning wider if possible.

I eyed her for a long moment. Then I turned my attention to Roxanne, who looked a little embarrassed, while Brawly looked amused. So, something embarrassing for Roxanne but not something shes protesting too much?

Flannery tried to push open my door, only for it to still be locked. She stumbled, face-planting into it. She stayed there, face pressed against the door.

When she took a step back she had a red mark on her face. She gave me an unimpressed look. You lock your door?

Standard security procedures, I said, my eyes flicking up to the red mark on Flannerys forehead.

I stared long and hard; after all, it was common sense for such a secure room to automatically lock. I tapped the side of the door, unlocking the door with my keycard, causing it to swish open.

Flannery grumbled something but was quick to shake off her bad mood. Alright! So, I know youve been worried about reprisal with Team Rocket, but I thought of something! What if they have no idea who it is that is raiding them? she said.

I raised a hand to point out that wasnt really an issue, but Sabrina pushed it down and shot me a look that caused a doubletake. Wait, did Sabrina want to go ahead with whatever Flannery had planned? Sabrina looked excited. Alright, it looks like Id have to at least hear Flanenry out.

Flannery, unaware of what had just happened, drew out a pair of small cases from her backpack. The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñòv€l-B1n.

She turned them around and clicked open the latches before lifting the lid. What if it wasnt Brock or Sabrina attacking Team Rocket what if it was the Hero Black!? she said theatrically, revealing a black spandex outfit with a helmet that was the lovechild of every Mighty Morphin Rangers mask, coupled with a black theatre mask.

Sabrina inspected the case that was placed in front of her. I noticed the twitch of her lips and the slight wiggle she gave as Flannery gave out other cases to Roxanne and Brawly. Sabrinas outfit was extremely bright yellow and seemed to be shaped like a Pikachu. I could tell she didnt like what she was seeing now. Oh good, she was probably thinking through how ridiculou

Hmmm, Id prefer a Jolteon mask, Sabrina said, causing me to sigh and rub my temple. I shot my own mask another look to see what I had gotten.

The visage of a Houndoom snarled back at me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Flannery were not children.

Brawly snorted as Flannery stomped her foot. I know that! But this is serious! If we act as masked heroes, Team Rocket wont know who to go after! This is a way of protecting your loved ones!

She gestured wildly, and I knew she was trying to come up with a valid argument. Its pretty much what Lance is doing anyway with his G-men! she said.

The police have to know were good guys, though; we cant just be vigilantes or well cause others to copy us, I pointed out.

Sabrina coughed. Actually, we could probably be part of Lances G-men without much effort.

Flannery bounced back and forth on the spot, her excitement growing. There see! What Sabrina just said! If anything, were merely acting in support of what hes already setting up!

I can make some calls. Dont worry Brock, Lance will approve, as its very similar to what hes already doing, Sabrina said, raising her transceiver to begin typing out messages before she stepped out of the room to make some calls. Her costume floated after her.

I raised a hand to stop her only for the door to click shut. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

That wasnt really what Lance was doing, but he had established aliases for some of his Agents. That wouldnt be possible with people like me though who are well-known public figures. It would work for Koga, who was a ninja. People would have to be crazy to attack him.

Then again, chances were he didnt live where he listed if he even listed his home address. It would make sense for officials to accept it as a personality quirk that he could get away with without too much complaint.

Heck Surge, Sabrina, Blaine, and the Cerulean sisters all had their own quirks that people knew to work around rather than trying to work through. Which kind of let them all get away with a lot of things.

Honestly, I was kind of envious.

I need a quirk I said aloud, causing Flannery to do a happy dance.

Yes! Thats the spirit! she said, snapping her fingers and then waving them towards the opened case. Exactly! Cut loose! Live a lot! Punish crime! Be Hero Black and win the hearts and minds of the people!

I rubbed my forehead, eying the mask. A Houndoom though? That certainly isnt a pokemon people will associate with me. If anything, theyd think of Karen before me.

Maybe we should go with a Honchkrow, or well, I cant say Graveler here

No point having it be a pokemon youre known for, Roxanne said.

I nodded and pointed at Roxanne. Yeah, that. We need to be careful with what pokemon we use. I waved at the mask. There's no point in wearing these if were just going to get spotted using iconic pokemon, I said considering what sort of pokemon I could call upon for that purpose. Clefairy had been doing rather well and was ready to fight at a high level. The same could potentially be said of Sudowoodo as merely an uncommon pokemon.

Who else could I use? Izumi would work; Id just have to not mention her name. Geodude were common pokemon for people to own after all. I paused as I considered another pokemon that I knew no one would ever associate with me.

Cypher, the Porygon would be perfect for fighting crime.

I paused as I replayed the last minute back through my mind.

Oh, Arceus, I was seriously committing to this, wasnt I?

How did I find myself in these situations? I stared at Flannery. Yeah, it was probably her fault. Sabrina stepped into the room with her outfit on and a pleased expression on her face. She gave the room at large a thumbs up.

Flannery shot back a thumbs up, only to frown. Hey! You have a key to Brocks office?

Sabrina gave Flannery a look that made the other girl realise how obvious that should have been.

Brawly chuckled. Hehehe, that makes sense! Anyway, for pokemon that people wont associate with us, I have some good ones already! Plenty of people have Makuhita, Medicham, and Machamp!

I raised my hand. Not all of those at once, I said pointedly, causing Brawly to shrug.

What are your masks like? I asked.

Flannery raised up an Arcanine mask that was snarling, making it seem very fearsome. Roxanne raised a Clefairy mask, and Brawly raised a Blastoise mask.

Pretty choice, hey? Brawly said, waving his own mask around.

Sabrina put her mask on and sighed. I still want a Jolteon mask. Pikachu is too cute.

I eyed the mask, agreeing with her that it was obnoxiously cute, but that only made it more appealing to me. It was strange to see Sabrina looking like this. I kind of like it, I said, rubbing the back of my head.

Sabrina hummed and tucked her hair into the mask. I sighed and toyed with the mask. Ok so.. Tell me about the Cerulean Rocket base? I decided to give up on pretending I was going to not take part in this madness

That way, someone responsible could make sure things didnt get too out of hand. Yeah, that made sense.

Sabrina teleported us onto the rooftop of the building across the street from our target the next morning.

Flannery bounced to the edge and peered over. Perfect! Lights are still on, so the Rocket Grunts must be home! She turned and pointed at us. Remember that we need to use our code names from here on out, alright?

Copy that Red! said Brawly as Blue.

Y-yes! said Roxanne in her pink outfit.

Sabrina and I shared a look before nodding. Yeah, maybe wed just do the strong, silent type. Flannery turned to us and wilted when we shot her thumbs up and mimed agreement.

Urgh! Spoilsports! Alright, so were going to use Yellows she said, making sure to emphasise the code name. scouting abilities for this. Yellow? Is there anything around us we need to be mindful of?

I turned and started surveying the area, knowing that simply relying on Sabrina would be a poor trick that wouldnt cover all the angles. Outliers like myself, as a dark specialist or ghost pokemon wouldnt be picked up by Sabrinas psychic senses.

I started observing the street, looking for any people or pokemon that seemed a little too casual.

I instantly spotted a Raticate who was merely pretending to scavenge in a tipped-over trash can. It didnt make anywhere near enough noise for it to be actually scrounging, and it kept too much of a lookout.

Got a sentry, I said. Raticate on the corner, watching the approach to the warehouse Red, I said.

Flannery inspected the pokemon and pointed at Roxanne and Brawly to look around for any other pokemon or people that stood out. Brawly pointed out a house that had the blinds drawn, but a slit stayed open. Kind of odd that the lady in there is still awake no?

Sabrina turned her head in the indicated direction. No, shes a shift worker who has come home late. Shes catching up on the news before going to bed, she said.

Roxanne shifted back and forth. Its rather disturbing how you can do that so easily.

I didnt need to penetrate her mind for that. She is tired, and often tired peoples thoughts project themselves as the boundaries of their mind relax, Sabrina said dismissively.

Eh? said Roxanne. What do you mean?

Sabrina turned her attention back to the warehouse across the street. People think that thoughts only inhabit their brains, but that is often not true. It might not seem like it, but if we are with someone, we exchange more information than we realise. It goes beyond being able to see, hear, smell, or sense them consciously.

Sabrina made a circle with her hand in the air and said, There is a certain mental presence to people that is constantly being emitted. These are thoughts, or the mind, if you will.

Really? Roxanne said, sounding deeply interested.

I had heard this before, but it was always fascinating to hear Sabrina talk about the metaphysics of the mind.

Indeed, researchers that work with psychic specialists have determined that everyone has latent untapped abilities. We might not be conscious of the links that occur when we get within the range of each other, but they do exist.

She made a gesture from herself to me. Certain actions can make it easier to pick up on certain emotions and thoughts. These can be looks, actions, or even the intensity of emotions being felt. Most people experience this when they lock eyes with another.

No! No! This isnt how its supposed to go! This was supposed to be how I fixed things! This is all that Charmanders fault for being weak! the kid whined.

I frowned, a memory stirring regarding a kid with a Charmander. Whats your name kid? I said pausing a few feet away from him.

d-Damien? he said nervously.

Well, looks like youre blaming others for your own shortcomings. Now, youre going to be arrested, and you have a chance to fix things for yourself. Bad news? Its going to involve a lot of work. Fess up to any crimes and work hard, and you can do better.

Im not weak! snarled the now-revealed Damien, the boy who had once owned Ashs Charmander. He threw a punch at me, only for Brawly to catch it and force it down before I could.

Were all weak sometimes, kid; allow yourself that luxury and think about what I said, I said, cuffing him to a fixed-in pole as Brawly frisked him.

Im not weak! snarled Damien at my back.

I walked away, shaking my head.

Flannery waited until I was out of earshot of the kid. You know that kid?

Nah, not really. I know of him, but thats it. I sighed. Right now, Im wondering if my knowing him at all might have been something that would have spared him this moment. He didnt make it to face me, from what I recall, I said vaguely.

Id never seen him, but seeing him falling in with Team Rocket.

It wasnt all that surprising I realised.

I did wonder how it had happened but I could make some enquiries. Oak would know.

I inspected the empty alcoves of pokeballs. There were only a few scones with actual pokeballs in them, but I had no doubt these were all stolen pokemon. This was a small facility at the end of the day, but it was still good to take it out of Team Rockets control.

Lets clean this place up and call the cops, I said. Well need to make some calls to make sure the right people get here first.

The local Jenny, yeah? Flannery said with a nod.

Yeah, shell do, I said. "We need to make sure these Rocket Grunts get processed properly without being able to skate free.

Flannery hummed. Right, well, it seems like its time to see who Hero Yellow called in favours with, yeah?

Officer Jenny dismounted from her motorcycle, with other officers moving to cordon off the street. A woman opened the door of her house to watch them in her dressing gown, but soon closed it when officers asked her to go back inside. A news van pulled up, and some reporters piled out, cameras and reporters primping for an early morning news article.

Jenny snorted. There always seemed to be spectators around for this sort of thing. She approached the warehouse, not sure what to expect. The caller who had made the claim had weaved a story of what to expect that truly beggared belief.

Then again, it wasnt for Jenny to question; she merely enacted the law.

Police! Were coming in! She roared into the warehouse.

She then had the officer enter through the front door. They did so with textbook strategy, moving quickly and with support, pokeballs in hand and ready to be sent out.

Clear! the first shouted.

Clear! barked another as they rounded the door, moving in the opposite direction.

Jenny joined in and they soon had the entrance checked over before moving deeper in. Jenny went left and found herself in a computer room where the caller had said theyd find Team Rocket and the group.

She wasnt sure what to think as she opened the door.

She paused as the masked individuals turned towards her. The Black masked hero nodded in greeting while the Yellow crossed her arms under her bust. Pink shifted back and forth nervously while Blue laced his hands behind his head and demonstrated some rather glorious muscles as his arms flexed.

Red straightened and approached them. Ah, Cerulean Police, excellent! Our contact informed you of the capture, I take it?

Jenny nodded slowly, her mouth dry, as she realised the caller hadnt been joking when theyd announced that Team Rocket had been taken in by a Hero group. Y-yeah! Jenny said.

Excellent! Weve been able to remove the passwords from the computers and have five Rocket Grunts locked up.

The Rocket Grunt to the side sneered at them. Heh! Cute try! Our lawyers will be hearing about this! You cant storm in wearing masks and be upholding the law. Were innocent! They dragged us here! said the smarmy-mouthed man.

Jenny chuckled at that. Actually, they can, seeing as they are part of the G-men group that Lance has been organising.

The Rocket Grunt blinked. What!? But thats just a group of cops! Not these posers! And he hasnt organised that yet!

Hero Red rounded on the man. These posers cracked your operation open like an unfertilised egg! She then coughed. So, no, youre not walking out of this, thanks to a technicality.

Jenny nodded, pleased that theyd set things up beforehand and were willing to go through the normal police procedures.

For a moment, when shed first gotten the call, shed worried theyd think themselves above that. What with calling themselves a Hero group. She led the Heroes off to the side and debriefed them, all the while marvelling that this might be something new that she would have to get used to.

Before they left, she coughed politely. So the rumours werent false? Lance is setting up a super cop division?

Red and Black shared a look before Black coughed into his fist. Thats on a need-to-know basis, Im afraid. But. theyre certainly paying attention to certain individuals. Keep up the good work, Officer Jenny.

Sir! Maam! Thank you for your work! She saluted the group as they moved to the front.

Their exit caused the media outside to begin making a lot of noise. Jenny shook her head. It was going to be weird seeing the news later announcing the super-cop division, but it would be better than the news just talking about unsolved crimes.

She shifted, maybe she might get asked to join?

She chewed her lip, which colour would she ask for? Blue would go well with she shook her head and got rid of the idle thoughts.

She turned to the computers and started documenting the rest of the crime scene, glad that she wasnt higher on the organisation chart in the force just yet.

Theyd have to handle the press trying to get details on the elite police force Lance had set up.

The next morning, I pointedly tried not to listen to the news as I ate breakfast with my family. At my side, Sabrina fed Ralts, as behind us, the news blared on about a shocking reveal of the new Superhero division of Lances G-men.

That instantly had my family fleeing the table to inspect the news.

So cool! said Salvadore.

Pretty! said Suzie.

Ha! Theres more girls than there are guys! said Cindy.

Ha! They suck at posing! said Tommy causing me to twitch.

Oh, right. Id tried to forget that moment.

Wed decided to not approach the press and instead remain aloof, but Flannery had still demanded we hero pose before we departed.

Only it wasnt something wed practised, resulting in Flannery, Brawly, and Roxanne all adopting different poses that had nothing to do with each other.

Awwww! Black and Yellow look cute! said Yolanda.

I twitched. Sabrina and I had defaulted to raising our arms out from each other with our inner legs raised while standing next to each other. I still wasnt sure why wed gone with that pose, but wed made things more awkward with how choreographed we looked compared to the others.

The news was extremely excited about the development, and lots of people were talking about what this would mean for police work going forward. Some people were sceptical, while others thought it was a bold new step in policing.

I sat up when the door opened and Samuel Oak walked in. Salvadore waved at him but remained glued to the TV. Sam made a beeline for me. Brock! Sabrina! He sat down next to us and smiled winningly, only for it to fall away.

Like I said on the phone, his face adopted a sad old man look. Im not mad; Im disappointed in you both. He shook his head. Next time you go out, I want to come too. I dont like that I wasnt asked beforehand, he said with a pout. Munchlax, whod remained behind to eat everyones forgotten meal, choked on Salvadores breakfast. He blinked and whipped his head from the TV to us, and gasped. Sabrina raised a finger to her lips and Munchlax mimed zipping his lips shut.

I coughed and glanced over to find that even Flint had left us to watch the news, making our discussion private.

I turned back to Oak. Sorry about that, but thanks for talking with Lance for us.

Well I might not be Champion, but I can see a good idea when it comes my way and make sure it gets the support it needs. Lance was rather amused that I wanted to add to his G-men unit, but he understood the need. Sam grabbed some toast and began putting some spread on it.

Well have to get you talking with my tailor before our next outing together. I have some ideas for Hero Golds uniform, but I think you could all use a wardrobe upgrade. Simple coloured latex, while eye-catching for some, doesnt differentiate us from people off the street. A proper uniform will go far. He patted my shoulder. It was a good first run, though. Ill talk to Hero Red.

I sighed and shook my head. Sometimes my life was weird. I shot Sabrina an amused look and she smiled back at my tired look before giggling at something my family said.

Oh well, it was still a win for the good guys.

Sadly now Id have to go make sure the bad guys didnt cheat any more than they already had with Wills match against Erika. I reached for another slice of toast myself, only for Sam to cough politely.

Also, when were you going to talk to me about the volcano youre building in your backyard? Sam said, with a glint in his eyes.

Ah damn, I thought to myself. Have you ever thought about how Porygon are unique with their digital environment and what would happen if another artificial pokemon were to be created? I said attempting a dodge.

Sam tilted his head, I cant say that I have hmmm fascinating.

I mentally fist-pumped. Brock used dodge and it was super-effective!

Sabrina giggled, knowing what I was doing as Ralts watched on in confusion.

It was a good start to the day.