Pokémon: The Renegade Trainer

Iizumi put her hand on Maguro's shoulder. "We'll find Murkrow eventually, don't be so harsh on yourself. It needs your help."

"I know. It's just, this is the first time Murkrow was separated from me. But I'll be alright."

He looked up to the moon before starting to search for clues himself.

Even with the help of two Psychic types, the duo found nothing. Not even a trace, it was as if they teleported away without Psychic energy.

That was when Maguro noticed something.

'There is only one type of energy that can elude the detection of both Psychic and Dark types...'

He called for Iizumi when he found some glitter-like particle stuck on a tree.

"I found them!"

"That's..." As she came to Maguro, it wasn't hard to know what the substance was.

"Bug-type energy. That's why Murkrow couldn't sense them. Those crazy bastards really went coated themselves with Insect charm."

Insect charms are powder that serve as both perfume and aphrodisiac for most kinds of Bug-types during mating season.

They're used to attract Bugs and conceal them everything else, thus the name.

The only downside was that it was easy to track once found. And sure enough, Maguro and Iizumi saw a trail of glitter with a silver hue.

"It's risky."

"It's the best evidence that can lead us to finding Gardenia and Murkrow." The girl protested.

Maguro still stopped Iizumi despite her insistence. "We might be walking into a trap. I have a better idea."

She froze seeing Maguro pull out a lighter. Like real bugs, Insect charm are also flammable.

"Relax, I have three Water types."

'Though this'd be easier if I just burned the forest down. Dang her and her pillar status.' he sighed internally seeing Iizumi protest.

Maguro got Rotom out of its Pokéball and let it enter a Washing machine with the promise of an electrical meal.

"Wait, what about the other two?"

"We'll go the opposite direction as the trail. Rotom will handle the fire."

"Why?" Iizumi was puzzled.

"If I were them, then I'd use this trail to bait my enemies away while I hide in the opposite direction.

"Besides, that trail leads to Wayward cave. Unless they're suicidal enough to get murdered by Aggron and Garchomp, I don't think they'll go there."

She nodded. The path opposite from the trail indeed led to route 207 and eventually back to Eterna city.

Iizumi also didn't stop him when he lit up the Insect charm.

"Then let's not waste more time!" And before Maguro could speak, Iizumi exclaimed.

She ran, only to get caught by a booby trap. She fell to a pithole and Maguro facepalmed.

"Munna, Bronzor, help your trainer. And dismantle the traps please."

The psychic types followed, then they had no issues navigating through the forest...

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An hour later...

Under the mystical night sky, four people in pairs were at a standoff.

"Iizumi..."

"Look, I'm sorry. But we really don't have time for this."

Maguro got in the middle of the reunion. "It's an emergency. Gardenia got kidnapped."

There was a pause until Iizumi spoke up "It's the truth. We have to find and rescue her before this."

"We'll be doing a lot of catching up once this is dealt with. This time, things won't play out the way you wish." Cynthia got Maguro's shoulder in a firm hold as she pulled him in to whisper this.

"Everything went south the moment I allowed Gardenia to travel with us." Maguro whispered back before saying to everyone,

"Oh and you all should know that this is an internal feud within their clan."

As much as she didn't want to believe it, Cynthia knew that Maguro's words were true.

"But you can't prove that--"

"No one except the Eterna gym knew that Gardenia would be travelling with me, through this exact route, within today."

Ruiz tried to refute but was easily shut down by Maguro. With no more conflict amongst them, the four teamed up and began travelling.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"To a vintage point."

""For what?"" The three asked Maguro in unison.

He answered them by pointing to a smokey area at a distance. It was a wildfire created by igniting Insect charm.

"You monster..." It was Ruiz who commented.

"One of three things can happen. First, Rotom will use [Hydro pump], the signal in the case that the Insect charm leads to nothing. This is the most probable outcome.

"Second, it will use [Shock wave] and tell us that the enemies are there. This will be the simplest case but also the most unlikely.

"Third, and the worst case scenario, Rotom gets knocked out and the wildfire grows.

"As for you..."

He then turned to Ruiz, "I didn't ask for your opinion, nor do I care. They took my Murkrow, and nothing can stop me from taking my Pokémon back.

"Now, do your job and report this case to the authorities. Tell them to dispatch at least an Elite Rank. Unlike our case, this one is legit."

Anger was clear in Maguro's eyes, only calming down once he finished his say.

'He'll go to such lengths for his Pokémon...' Cynthia stood silently, eyeing Maguro and the potential wildfire he's responsible for.

The trainer in white jacket eyed the burning trees at a distance, not minding Ruiz who rushed back to Eterna city.

"What do we do now?"

Replying to Iizumi, he said.

"We wait."

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Same time, route 206...

"Ho! Well done, Scout. Even with limited resources, you managed to flawlessly capture the target."

The leader of the kidnapper group was a middle-aged man with very short hair. The scars all over his body was a testament to his experience and cruelty.

"Hehe. So, what's our next move, boss?"

The man he called Scout, a lanky man with an eye patch over his left eye, revealed his villainous visage by taking off his hood.

"Straight to business, I like that. For your answer, our client will pick up the target here himself. He will take the roundabout route from Oreburgh to Eterna forest.

"Our job is to stay hidden until then."

Scout smiled, revealing his uneven and filthy teeth. "That's easy."

"Yeah. Rest assured, you will be paid for your worth."

"Thanks boss."

The boss nodded and Scout concealed his face with his cloak's hood before leaving the room.

Unknown to them, a certain crow was listening in to the conversation.

Murkrow was supposed to be unconscious after the gang beat him to a pulp, but playing dead was something it had long mastered.

Not only did the skill spare it from a lot of pain, but also gave it the chance to eavesdrop on their enemy.

The problem was that it was in chains and its wings were out of commission.

Murkrow slowly opened its eyes, checking it's surroundings. There were also a bunch of Pokémon, tied by chains or rope.

Murkrow didn't mind the weaklings, but turned its eyes onto a caged Muk, Staraptor, and Floatzel.

Another thing it couldn't take its eyes off was the pile of Evolutionary stones lying on an open chest.

Murkrow quickly returned to playing dead when it felt the door creak open.

It was a man with fancy clothes that entered.

But behind him was a sneaky Budew that only Murkrow noticed!

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[TO BE CONTINUED]