Pokemon Untold

-"..."

-("...")

-" .... eh ups?", Cornelius scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. This incident went a bit out of his plans, but even Arthur or Atiqo had completely forgotten the existence of this particular third party. Arthur stood there with an incredulous look on his face, things that were out of his range of control or understanding kept happening again and again and now ... this happened. He had trouble with clearing his head as his mind still had to process the shocking news from earlier on.

It didn't help that his ever-helpful ghostly friend kept this silence as well on the matter, maybe he hadn't been prepared for someone losing consciousness all of a sudden in this situation.

Who could be?!

-"KKroooooar!", a wild bestial shout went through their surroundings. A wild Pokemon appeared above in the skies! No, wait, not a wild Pokemon but ...

-"Fearso- eh, I mean Fearrow!", Arthur woke up from stupor and exclaimed awkwardly. He instantly noticed the flying Pokemon coated in brown feathers that approached them from above their heads. Cold sweat trickled down his spine as he realized that Fearrow clearly didn't look ... amused.

-"KKKKRRROAR!", Fearrow screeched wildly again and its Pokemon mind quickly tried analyzing the situation. While hovering in the space in a lofty way through its constantly flapping wings, the first thing it saw from its 'bird' point of view was Cecile lying on the ground, current status unknown. Next, it registered Arthur and Eevette whom it was familiar with and so it assigned their status as friendly.

Its Pokemon intelligence told it that their group had been under an attack and Cecile must have been hurt in some way - no other possible explanation appeared to its limited mind. As for the unknown enemy ... a sharp glint flashed across its eyes as they witnessed a man in flashy armor standing in front of Arthur.

Its wild instincts closed off the small amount of rationality the Pokemon possessed in exchange for increased battle prowess and instinctual reaction capacity - fight or flight wasn't a question any longer as its muscles contracted threateningly.

-"KKKROOOAR!", it had screeched out a final time before the huge Pokemon made a nose-dive towards the assumed enemy. Its mind was in fury mode and didn't or couldn't react to Arthur's warnings and appeasing screams.

-"Friend, this is a misunderstanding, it's not what you-", Cornelius held up his arms in the air as a sign of peace but Fearrow just saw them as a sign of cowardice, weakness, and an opening for its incoming attack!

It let out another screech and its long beak strangely took on a radiant light!

-"Peck! Cornelius be careful, it's using Peck!", Arthur warned the man with his shallow understanding of Pokemon attack moves.

-"Sigh, friend, it's no use, your attack is wasted on me.", Cornelius continued talking to the Fearrow in a calm tone - without success.

Arthur believed Cornelius would try to move away and dodge the attack any moment now, but to his surprise, the armored man didn't seem to possess any sort of intent to do so! Was he suicidal?! The holiest rule of thumb among survivalists was that no regular man could take on the full brunt of the attack from a Pokemon in frenzy! And that Fearrow was definitely in frenzy!

Before Arthur's brain could command his tongue to warn Cornelius again - the attack had already arrived!!!

Fearrow didn't take any chances or maybe its instincts guided its powerful strike towards the most vulnerable area that Cornelius currently exposed ... his head! Atiqo braced himself and his spiritual stomach for a rain of blood and gore, and he lamented that he wasn't capable to cover Arthur's eyes from the impending gruesome sight ...

But that gruesome sight never came to be. To both of their astonishment, the attack just phased through Cornelius body as if he was ... a ghost!

-("No, that isn't it. It looked more like a, a hologram?)", that was the closest thing Atiqo could compare this strange phenomenon with! Even though he had never seen a real hologram himself, the way Cornelius' head and body zipped out of existence the moment they touched Fearrow's beak and came back again, it was exactly as in those movies and TV shows!

-"KKroaaar?!", Fearrow felt irritated and fell into even greater frenzy. It was sure of its victory but then this man had used some mysterious technique to defend himself and escape his punishment!

As the threat was still looming amongst its allies Fearrow spread its wings wide to make its next move. Suddenly a dark aura simmered through its wings as if it had washed itself in deep black water!

-("What's that?"), Atiqo asked confused about this unknown sight.

-"I-I don't know.", Arthur didn't know either. He only knew some of the more common or fancy attack moves shown on TV or movies, yet he had never seen this type of transformation,

-"It should be a ghost or dark type move but, is Fearrow even able to do that?"

Atiqo became a bit more thoughtful and reminded himself about his moveset knowledge of Fearrows from the games:

-("If it's a dark or ghost type move then ...")

Cornelius' eyes shined in brilliant light as he witnessed Fearrow prepare his next attack against him.

-"Hahaha, this is quite a smart Pokemon we have here. Listen boys, usually wild Pokemon are commonly differentiated by their ability to open up their innate potential lying in their genes. Higher Ranked or Classed Pokemon all have increased proficiency in this area. That is also the reason why trained Pokemon have in general a higher potential cap than wildly encountered Pokemon. A Trainers mission is to dig up their partners potential well and thus achieve perfect synergy! Always remember this, both of you!"

Arthur looked at Cornelius aghast. Was this seriously the right time to give a lecture old man?!

Unbothered by that imm.a.t.u.r.e stare, Cornelius continued:

-"But what is this potential you may ask yourselves? Is it power? Reaction time? Agility? No, it's a Pokemons ability to make full use of its battle potential! The most common type of Wild Pokemon you will encounter can only make use of Brute Force or Wild Frenzied Bashing! But is this how a battle is fought??? Is this how one can win a war??? NO, IT'S NOT!

Hahahaha, this Fearrow has made the right calculations and devised a tactic based on its Experience! Only by taking all kinds of factors into account like the environment, behavioral patterns and the personal battle status can a warrior defeat its foes!"

Arthur's brows furrowed as he couldn't really understand Cornelius explanations, he was still too young and inexperienced comprehend the content. But Atiqo's mind was stirred and he became even more thoughtful while listening to Cornelius lecture.

-("Is Fearrow using ... 'Pursuit'?"), Atiqo whispered absent-mindedly, but somehow Cornelius still picked up his stray non-corporal thoughts!

-"Yes lad, hahaha, that's right!", a hint of delight could be heard from Cornelius tone. He had high expectations for this young man.

Atiqo had never seen Pursuit being used in this manner, but it was one of the few dark-type attacks he remembered Fearrow was capable of learning in its early stages! Though it was mostly guess-working, he wasn't sure how far his Gaming knowledge could fit into this strange World.

-"Pursuit is a maneuver used to deal heavy damage to escaping targets. This specimen of a Fearrow assumed my current form was an escape tactic I used to avoid its attacks. Only smart Pokemon with lots of experience under their belt could come to such conclusions and build up an appropriate countermeasure! And in a regular case I would be hard-pressed to dodge its next attack, haha ...."

As Cornelius finished his small teaching practice, Fearrow had already finished building enough power for its Pursuit move! Arthur witnessed Fearrow being clad in a dark but translucent light-mantle, giving it an aura of a death reaper!

The closer the flying reaper got towards Cornelius, the heavier the pressure became that engulfed their immediate surroundings. If Cornelius had been in a real corporal form there, Arthur wasn't sure if he could have avoided this attack at all!

-"Let's end this little game, shall we? Even if I have to expend some energy for this *sigh*, it still gets me excited somehow, hahah.", Cornelius exclaimed in a nonchalant manner. As if nothing that happened here had anything to do with him at all!

He spread out of his arms to the front with his palm facing outwards. Nothing special occurred otherwise and it seemed inevitable that Fearrow would reap his soul into the underworld!

-"KKROAAR!"

At the moment of impact when Fearrow's beak came into direct contact with the armor on Cornelius hand, something unexpected happened. Instead of busting into Cornelius body like a battle ram, and creating a rain of fleshy confetti, it became docile all of a sudden!!!

Its deathly aura disappeared in an instant and its momentum stopped in mid-air. Strangely enough, the force didn't create a backlash either for Fearrow or Cornelius at all, how the heck was that possible?! Instead, a small shockwave erupted creating small cracks on the ground and stirring small wind blows in all cardinal directions.

While Arthur was just as flabbergasted as before, Atiqo's eyes revealed immensely confused thoughts. Wasn't he supposed to be nothing but a hologram??? How did he just stop that attack as if he had a real body now?

-"KKroooar!", it screeched happily as if the last couple of minutes never existed and it had met a long lost comrade in arms!

-"W-what did you do just now???", Arthur asked.

-"I just communicated with Fearsome a bit.", Cornelius revealed a smile on his face and the way he acted was as if none of his actions would be suspicious at all.

Arthur realized something and was about to ask how he even knew about Fearrow's nickname, but gulped down his question as Cornelius raised his arms up:

-"We can continue our session later but I really think that we should change our location now. Who knows if another incident could disturb our current peace. Fearrow's outburst of energy might have also alerted nearby people, so let's better hurry up."

And without wasting any more time Cornelius body dissolved into innumerable particles of light that got s.u.c.k.e.d into ... Arthur's PokeDex that lied in his hands!

Now he was standing there alone, in the forest, together with a huge but clam Fearrow as well as a girl that had fainted on the ground and her Pokemon Eevee that cutely jumped around the ground, unbothered by any of the things that had happened just now.

-"Ehh ... what do we do now?", Arthur asked Atiqo in his mind.

-("..."), but only silence responded to him.

-"Sighhh."

....

While Arthur was busy with getting back to the mansion, some huge news made waves not only in Viridian City but also the whole Kanto Region and beyond! The implications of this news caused crouching tigers and hidden dragons to stir around the globe and the future of this world that had seemed to be set in stone suddenly turned into a blank slate so that a new generation may leave behind their mark on it.

On the Viridian Square in the middle of the city

John Duggle, a part-time newspaper boy ran around the square to advertise for his newspapers as well as shout out the most breaking news at the time. He hurriedly made his from corner to corner in a familiar way, as he did every morning. He held a stack of newspapers under one of his arms while waving around another one in the air. Currently, a not so friendly picture adorned the cover page of the Viridian Times, an old man in his fifties held up a prisoner sign in front of the camera while holding no pretense of contentment over his situation. Next to the picture was another picture of a man who looked miserable and pathetic, clearly lamenting his circ.u.mstances. The Headline said:

-"'Alfonso Nevarez', butler of the Nevarez household in Viridian City charged for BRIBERY and attempted MURDER of MINORS! Chief Agent of the Mercenary Guild Viridian Branch 'Potter Winehouse' behind bars for COMPLICITY and FALSIFICATION of legal doc.u.ments!"

Right above him flew his partner Pokemon which had a pink beak, black head and a colourful feather mantle, a Chatot. Shouting news put a strain on John's voice so it was great to have a partner that shared the burden a little. It also gave him a slight edge against his competitors. While John announced the news his Chatot kept repeating the same words with an even louder voice like an amplifier. John's deep voice contrasted greatly to his youthful demeanor:

-"Breaking NEWS! Nevarez family reveals SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET! Are CHILDREN STILL SAFE in this City?! Does the MERCENARY GUILD wield too much POWER?! Find out more in the SPECIAL EDITION of the VIRIDIAN TIMES for only 999 PKD!"

Right in the next breath, he put down the issue of the VD into his arms changing it for another news publisher in a professional manner while gathering air for the next round of announcements. He looked like a veteran in this field of work.

-"Breaking NEWS!!! BLUE OAK, GYM LEADER of Viridian City officially BACK IN BUSINESS! Out of retirement TO GUIDE THE NEXT GENERATION, according to official sources! But IS THAT ALL?!! Rumors say that he got FED UP with the SHADY DEALINGS happening behind the scenes of the CITY CURTAINS! To find out the TRUTH, buy this FRESHLY PRINTED issue of the BULBASAUR BOULEVARD!"

While shouting out the news more and more people flooded into the streets, during business hours this city came to life and masses of workers and employees as well as their Pokemon made their way to work. Some were too busy listening to John but lots of other people recognised the peculiar nature of that boy's news.

Information regarding big shots like Nevarez or the Oak family always sold like hotcakes! Now incidents took place that concerned both of these famous entities! Who wouldn't be interested to learn more.

Crowds instantly surrounded John requesting an issue and while John was happy to comply he couldn't service everyone and soon other newspaper boys appeared like flocks of flying Pokemon to steal his customers away.

While handing out newspaper and counting the PKDs in his mind, he also thanked the Gym Leader and that Nevarez bastard for this small blessing. A small thought couldn't escape his mind, did these two things ... maybe have something in common? Were they related even? Surely it couldn't be so ... coincidental, right?

While he would have loved to think further on this path, his job and the monthly rent required him to put his focus back on the work. He was just a newspaper boy after all.

....

A hundred meters away from John, two people in black clothes and hoods emerged from the crowds. While one of them looked very inconspicuous, the other guy had a tall physique and a dark murky aura surrounding his body. People generally avoided eye contact with that person and tried avoiding his path on the way.

-"Comrade, you're too suspicious, the people feel dread from your presence. Can't you put it down a little?", the normal person tried talking to the tall one.

-"HeT. (No.)", a deep grunt answered. It was the only response he got from his partner.

-"Sigh, well, anyway. The news say that the 'Demon' has decided to come back into the limelight. We have to be careful. The risk for our operation has increased considerably now.", a frown appeared on that man's face hidden underneath his hood.

His gloomy partner snorted once showing his contempt for that so-called 'Demon', but then gave another grunt to agree on the new risks involved.

-"Still, the Tsar hasn't canceled the orders yet. The mission needs to be brought forward now, we may need to change our target as well."

With this both of them changed their course towards another place in the city.

...

In a small shop further away from the center of the city

Gems, rings, necklaces, jewelry, and many other kinds of luxuries filled the front sector of the shop. They were of course protected behind glass cases but somehow the radiance that filled the tiny gems adorning each article shone through the glass without hindrance. Customers that went in and out of the shop all held the same mesmerized expressions on the face when looking at the priceless treasures that this shop crafted and sold. A young but white-haired boy sold these treasures and answered any questions potential customers might hold. Though he was young, he behaved very professionally and never showed a hint of nervousness on his smiling face.

Farther away from the front section in the cellar below, another world was revealed making a sharp contrast to the beautiful shop above. The cellar hall was filled with benches and tools lying around with no apparent care and organization. A large smithy was radiating heat on one side of the hall, and even though there were pipes and machines to suck away the smoke from the furnaces created during the smelting process, some still managed to bask the environment in a dusky aura. A dark blond girl sat on a stool in a random corner while holding a newspaper in her gloved hands.

Her goggles were tied to her forehead and her eyes tried comprehending the content of the news. Her expression on her face changed from disbelief, shock, and focus several times in a row. It wasn't easy to say with all the dust and soot covering her like a mask.

But compared to her dirty face, her trembling hands revealed even more fine details about her current mood.

At first, it was just a mumble which then turned into a quiet whisper that reflected her thoughts that were in shambles in that moment:

-"T-this can't be happening. Oak returns as a gym leader??? Someone from the Nevarez household got incarcerated??? No, this shouldn't be happening! What is going on?! T-the timeline, it couldn't have changed? Is it the butterfly effect? But why this soon?! I was so careful damned!", the girl started cursing and her fist hit the nearby table a couple of times until her undirected rage calmed down a notch,

-"I can't wait any longer. I have to talk to the old man and ... OH GOD DAMN!", her fury took a hold of her again and she threw the paper in the air without a care.

Suddenly a small page from the paper flew right towards her place and landed right in front her on the dusty ground. While she kept one of her eyes closed with her hand to suppress her increasing frustration, the other coincidentally met the picture that covered a small article on that random page of the newspaper.

-"Surviving a dangerous trip through the Virdian Forest! Young boy Arthur talks about his harsh experiences in the wilderness!", said the headline.

It wasn't the title that made the girl interested in the article but that familiar face of that young kid that triggered a slight shock in her mind:

-"Can people resurrect from the dead now or what?"

.....

Far away from Viridian City, in the east of Kanto near Lavender City in a foggy forest

Mist shrouded this part of the forest shielding the insides from prying eyes from the outside world. Ghostly wails and screams echoed from time to time around these parts of the woods, and some people that lived in villages nearby spread tales about a witch inhabiting the foggy forest. Of course, most thought that these were just stories told to young children so that they wouldn't dare approach the dangerous woods.

But rarely tourists who disappeared in the forest or got lost and then reappeared did claim that there was indeed a spooky witch living in that area. A witch who mostly spoke to herself and sometimes blabbered or laughed in an incomprehensible manner. Spines shivered and skins got goosebumps when the narrators talked about their ominous experiences, and after that people just decided it was better to avoid that forest at all costs and leave the witch alone whether she existed or not. Better be safe than sorry!

-"Kekeke, KEKEEKE!

Demons Rise and Monarchs Fall,

The Dead Return and Travelers Whisper,

The World is calm but ... the EMPEROR DEVOURS ALL,

KEKEKEKEE!"

A loud shout resounded from a small hut in that very same foggy forest. Smoke rose from the roof of the hut and a Pidgeotto appeared from above flying straight towards the hut. It pulled out a small letter with its beak from the bag the Pokemon wore on its back.

It threw off the letter and quickly left the area after that. A random observer might have thought that the letter would fly off in a random direction. However, as if an invisible hand guided the wind and the letter, the mail swiftly arrived at the hut below.

-"Ehh? An invitation to an auction? Viridian City, huh. If Fate guides me there then I will obey naturally, kekekekeke!"

...

On a private plane thousands of meters above, somewhere in the sky

An old man in red monk robes and a long white beard sat peacefully in his flight seat, sunken deep in thought. His hands held on a circular chain with small pearls hanging on it. His fingers rolled around the pearls for a second each time and then moved on to the next while mumbling strange mantras and rhythmic melodies. A small grey glistening ring on his left ring finger was the only form of luxury he seemed to possess on his body.

In front of him sat a boy with shoulder length, pitch black hair. He held up one arm on the armrest, while his chin rested on the hand. He looked outside the plane window into the distance with a bored expression on his face.

-"Are you ready to embrace your destiny my son?" an old deep voice awoke the boy from his daze.

-"I am always ready father.", was the answer he gave him.

-"Sigh. No, my son, no one is ready. No one is ready for what is to come. But we have to move forward nonetheless, for the sake of this world."

The boy's eyes rolled around, seemingly used to his father's antics. Instead, he asked another question:

-"So why do we have to fly to this backwater country again? The fate of the world couldn't possibly be saved by a small country like ... Kanto was it? Aren't we just wasting our time there?"

-"You may have forgotten that I originally ...", a brief sad expression flashed across his eyes,

"came from this backwater country, as you call it. Also, one of my old friends has come back from retirement and I wanted to congratulate him. Us old bones still have lethal flames burning inside, Ghahaha *cough*. Not to mention that I want to enrol you in one of their academies there."

A slight sense of repulsion rose up inside the boy's stomach as he was reminded of his father's decision. He frowned hard but managed to cool down as he massaged his nose bridge with his right index finger.

-"Father ... I will obey your wishes but ... are you sure there is no alternative? America has tons of great Trainer Academies, even a single entry ticket to the worst institution would be treated like an entrance to heaven in any of the Eastern Islands. I don't think I can reach even half my potential in Kanto. Could you please reconsider?"

Now it was the old man's turn to frown hard, while his hands stopped rolling the pearls for a moment. After a couple of seconds however, he relaxed again and his hands continued their practice unperturbed by his inner emotions.

The boy gulped lightly as he realized he might have angered his father a little too much this time around, though it was already too late.

Different from his usual calm and soothing voice, his father's tone now contained a hint of threat and anger.

-"Drake, you know what is at stake here, do you really believe that I would sent you to this country without a sense of purpose?! That I would waste your potential and destiny for a journey into a country that still has struggles with the aftermaths of a long forgotten war?!"

Drake instantly turned his gaze downwards, not daring to meet his father's disapproving eyes.

If it was anybody else Drake wouldn't bother to even show a hint of fear, but it was only in front of his father whom he held deep seated respect for that he would feel shame and dread at the same time.

-"N-no father, of course not! I wouldn't dare to think that."

Seeing that his small 'outburst' managed to keep his precious son in check, the old man let out a small sigh and elaborated further:

-"Sigh, it is exactly because of those continuing struggles and hidden scars that Kanto manages to keep its position as one of the top global economies in the world.

Conflicts also produce d.e.s.i.r.es and these d.e.s.i.r.e become the well spring for potential!

Kanto may still have problems with a bunch of issues that cropped up because of the Great War, but its experiences with global warfare and large-scale Pokemon battles make them a top player you cannot belittle if you want to rise up in this world. Always look at the bigger picture Drake, always look at the bigger picture.

They are also a leading expert in defense tactics against large Pokemon floods. Their disaster management is top notch amongst the many countries in the world.

Just because America has the largest GDP on earth, you should never make the mistake that they are the greatest at everything there is, ghahahaha *cough*".

Drake felt embarrassed to be reprimanded and lectured at something this simple by his father. He had indeed been too naive and arrogant in his judgement.

-"Don't worry son. It's ok to make mistakes. It would only be worse if you repeated them again. You hear me?"

But his son was already sunken in his own thoughts again.

The old man just hoped his son would become a little bit more open-minded towards others. Or else his judgement and mind would get clouded again by unimportant issues.

*Sigh*

...…

On the top floor of a tall skyscr.a.p.er, in Fuchsia City

*Knock Knock*

-"You may enter", a languid female voice rang out inside the big room. Pokemon skins, pelts and fur adorned the walls of this room like trophies, giving it an aura of power and might and making anyone who stepped into the room feel apprehensive.

It was as if the dead Pokemon parts still had remnant souls attached to them, cursing all humans that approached their presence.

A man in a black suit appeared and knelt down on one knee in front of a large dark brown mahagoni table.

-"Boss, I have the newest reports regarding the sightings of those 'foreign bugs' in the Kanto Region."

-"Good, do tell Carlo.", a person from behind the table responded slowly but steadfast. The woman sat on a high chair with its back facing towards the kneeling underling and the front towards the big windows where she gazed into the skies and beyond.

She wore a hand-made designer dress made out of fine silk with exotic web patterns and colourful contrasts. She disliked unnecessary jewelry but the ivory hair pin that held up her long purple hair was an expensive fang from a mighty foreign Royal Class Pokemon beast in Africa.

Only people with a certain status could afford such valuable insignia.

-"Yes Boss! The south sector is tightly under our control, and no insect has managed to make it past our control borders.

The east, north and central sectors are also mostly secure but Team Shocker and Team Silver are still vying over control of these sectors so there might be some spies that managed to slip under our radar."

-"These bugs dare trample over our authority and act like Kanto was their personal backyard!", the woman's voice seethed with rage and her beautiful face became distorted slightly because of her discontentment,

-"Just because Giovanni has disappeared and my father is locked up in Roots Underground, people seem to believe that Kanto became ownerless all of a sudden?!", her voice erupted into a high-pitched note.

Despite sensing her rage, the underling continued his report faithfully. The one thing his Boss hated more than her enemies was people wasting her time.

-"The far west is of course heavily guarded by the Pokemon League and the PTA, the Pokemon Trainer Association, the only concern could be the near west sector.", his tone contained a doubtful shade now,

-"Our Poison Fog Scouts say that Viridian City has come under strong scrutiny from the foreign spy agencies like the CIA, KGB and the MSS for reasons yet unknown to us.

We have also yet to establish a strong foothold there, too many other groups and entities are involved in the struggle for power and other disconcerting news have come to light recently."

-"What news could be more disconcerting than these hidden bugs that invade our territory without regards to our sovereignty?!"

-"Boss, the 'Demon' has reclaimed his throne!", the underling gulped down hard putting that name on his tongue.

-"... the Demon?!", shock filled the woman's voice and her eyes spread wide in fear. It was only now that she turned her chair around to look straight at her henchman kneeling before her,

-"How accurate are these news? If you aren't sure about this then don't think you will leave this room alive Carlo! Daring to speak this name in my presence, quite gutsy today!", she threw daggers at him with her intense but beautiful stares.

-"B-Boss, I am speaking the truth. We verified the information three times already, the news outlets have just recently published some articles but we have first hand information from our moles in the city.

H-He has truly come back.", the underling shuddered strongly at his Boss' threat but still finished his report dutifully.

Silence overtook the reign in the room. The underling's heart kept beating rapidly and he cried inwardly why it was him that had to make the reports today.

His Boss never liked bad news, but these news jumped and spit over her bottom line!

He didn't dare imagine his bleak fate in that moment.

After 10 minutes that felt like a century passing by, a sigh came out from that women's breath.

-"The situation is changing too rapidly, and I feel like losing my grasp over the skies... sigh. I wish father was here.", as she finished pitying herself her expression then turned cold and authoritative again,

-"Pull back our forces from the north and east, and double- no triple our eyes in Virdian City!

Prepare my private plane, I need to take charge personally over there as it appears to be."

Carlo nodded his head vigorously like a good henchman.

-"I will obey Boss!"

-"Oh by the way, how is my son doing in Viridan City, I think it's time for a small mother-son reunion."

-"Oh, eh... young master, he ... eh.."

-"What?", the women's brows furrowed even deeper now than before.

-"The young master has stopped his training and resumed his work at the local Berry Farm..."

-"WHAT?!!? And you let him have his way just like this?!", she rebuked her useless underling.

-"Ha...ha... the young master has obviously inherited the supreme genes of the previous clan head and he has refined his escape tactics... to the highest degrees... I am ashamed to say that none of our guards were able to restrain him.

We are only able to find him by keeping a look-out on the farm...", Carlos trembled miserably again while feeling the deadly stares his Boss threw at his head.

She gnashed her teeth in frustration:

-"Useless things. Can you people achieve anything without my intervention? It seems I need to have a serious talk with him again. *Sigh*, begone now!"

-"Yes Boss!", he replied happily having escaped his looming death,

-"May Poison become the eternal Curse!", he shouted faithfully before his retreat.

His Boss turned back towards the sky view but her response still reached his ears without out a hint of doubt:

-"... and may Venom become the everlasting Blessing!"

....

In Viridian City, the noble district in a certain mansion

*SL.A.P*

-"I-I am sorry uncle!", a young boy sat on his behind on the ground while holding a hand on his cheek. Tears ran down his face, but his fear towards his uncle overwhelmed the pain from that slap.

-"You are sorry? YOU ARE SORRY?! Are you sorry because of your crime or because your were born as such a useless piece of shit?!"

*SL.A.P*

-"B-Both, I-I am sorry for both!", Rico swallowed his indignation to appease his wrathful uncle.

-"Oh thanks, but can your apology bring my cousin, your butler, back from prison?"

-"N-no..."

He got interrupted by Fernando abruptly in a mocking tone:

-"Can your apology force the Gym Leader of this City back into oblivion?"

-"N-no...", Rico felt more and more dread as he listened to the ramifications of his actions.

-"CAN YOUR STUPID DAMN APOLOGY RESTORE MY REPUTATION I LOST IN THE FAMILY?!?!?", Fernando lost himself again in despair and wrath.

*SL.A.P SL.A.P SL.A.P*

Rico's face took on a stronger red shade, and his features resembled more a tomato than a human being.

-"Do you understand now what I think of your apology?", Fernando smiled at his cursed nephew with a smile that wasn't a smile.

-"Y-yes...", Rico whimpered pathetically.

Fernando had enough of that disgusting sight, his rage was still burning hot inside of him. But he had cooled down enough to refocus on the bigger picture.

-"Do you know what your mistake was?", he asked Rico rhetorically,

-"Your mistake was that you didn't get the job done yourself!

If you want to finish your enemies do it with your own hands, and ensure that nothing is outside your grasp at all times. It's called having skin in the game, Rico.

You didn't have skin in the game, that's why you didn't bother checking the boy properly which led to a sloppy job done by third-rate mercenaries and a bottomless disaster.

And what's worse than that is that others had to clean up your shit and whip your a.s.s as if you were a baby!

Your uncle Alfonso is behind bars because OF YOUR FAILURE!

The family in spain even had to disown him and deny any blood ties they had with him!

Do you know what an embarrassment this is for us?!", his face grew furious again.

Rico flinched back and held up his hands to avoid another round of slaps raining down on him.

-"I only managed to barely keep my position afloat because I have gained a strong foothold here in Kanto! And now my useless nephew who has hardly any hairs growing on his balls wants to destroy the foundation I built over these years over a pitiful children conflict?!"

-"I-I did it for the family, he dared slander our name and raise his fist against...."

-"DON'T TRY TO LIE TO ME! You have nerves lying straight to my face like this!

Even if you lost a fight, or let yourself get punched by a peasant like that boy, a true noble wouldn't act so imm.a.t.u.r.ely and impulsive like you did!

Poison him, ruin his family financially or blackmail him to commit suicide, I care not what you do, but do it with a plan and guarantees! Now it's too late, it would be too obvious and that Demon won't move his eyes from us."

Rico's eyes were shocked wide open. His uncle was even more cruel and devious than he himself could ever imagine to be! His actions truly felt lacking compared to Fernando's proposed schemes.

-"W-what do we do now?", he asked his uncle weakly, not daring to raise his voice too much in his presence.

-"We? You mean what will I do. You will do nothing, you have caused our family enough problems for now. Go and repent in silence, while I will think of something about that boy. Nevertheless, you were right in one point Rico."

Rico's eyes rose a little when he heard his uncle's light commendation.

-"No peasant can get away unscathed after raising his arms against a noble! What we lost, we will pay back a hundredfold with interest! Not even a Gym Leader can prevent our revenge..."