Pokémon: The Renegade Trainer

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16 years before Lucas...

A younger looking Maguro watched his crimson tainted palms in terror. Amidst the dark forest, he stood alone.

Because around him were the corpses of his allies.

As the downpour descended, Thundra stood in silence as he intently watched his nephew fall to despair. The rain masked Maguro's tears and silenced his pained cries.

And most importantly, the heavy rainfall washed away Maguro's innocence, thereby marking the birth of a Pokémon hunter...

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Present, Route 206...

"Smells like honey."

Maguro sniffed the air, leading him to a nearby tree. Iizumi followed, and it didn't take long for the duo to reach it.

Among the numerous trees surrounding the dirt pathway they were walking on, Maguro and Iizumi eyed a certain type of tree. Its branches and leaves were drenched with a yellowish substance.

'Who did this and just what Pokémon are they hunting for?' wondered the boy.

"Hello there."

The two trainers turned behind them to a young trainer with a meek smile. He wore a simple trainer outfit, and the thick rims he wore gave the boy a nerdy look.

"Hi, I am Maguro. And you must be the person who put honey on that tree."

"Ah yes, it's because I'm tracking down a strong Heracross that lives nearby." The boy replied, extending his hand "the name's Liam by the way."

Maguro accepted the handshake with a smile, "I see. It's nice to meet you."

'And I'm definitely taking that Heracross for myself.'

"It's nice to meet you too." Liam wore a warm smile on his face.

After introductions and initial interactions, the trio proceeded to Liam's camp. The boy was hospitable towards them, and was even kind enough to lend them honey.

They were sat around the campfire at the moment, though unlit as it was still afternoon. With the snacks and drinks provided by the kind boy in glasses, the thing felt no different than a picnic.

"I've been meaning to ask you, Liam. How long have you been searching for Heracross?" Inquired Maguro.

After swallowing his crunchy biscuits, he signalled by raising two fingers. "It's been two weeks since I've been tracking down Heracross.

"It's quite elusive. I've encountered it once, but that was it. No matter how much honey I spread on the trees, Heracross seems to know when to take them..."

Time passed by as the trainers discussed the rare Bug-type. From their exchange, Maguro learned about how Liam came from a family of merchants and it just so happens that they had a surplus of Honey jars, thus his generosity.

'It also explains his outgoing personality.' surmised Maguro while he deduced that the boy must have lived a pampered childhood.

The night eventually came, and three trainers spent their night camping under the moonlight. A fire was at their center while it cooked hotdogs on sticks.

Maguro took the first bite, "These are good Liam!"

"My mom forced me to pack an entire space ring of just foodstuffs..." He shyly admitted.

"Your mother must be kind." Iizumi smiled while Maguro had different thoughts altogether...

'This kid is the biggest burglar magnet I swear. It must be some kind of miracle that he hasn't been robbed yet.' he failed to notice the shadowy figure secretly following their tracks.

Even with Murkrow surveiling the camp area, it couldn't sense the stealthy Pokémon lurking near them.

Time passed by, and as Maguro and Murkrow planned, they met at the nearby clearing a few meters away from camp.

He was equipped with night vision goggles and wore his full-body hunting gear.

From this moment, the two hunters only communicated via their code language.

'You traced Heracross?'

'Yes. It should be sleeping at the usual area. No matter how intelligent it is at evading Liam's bait, Heracross will sleep at its nesting place.'

'Good. We'll proceed as planned. I am catching it for myself.'

Maguro jumped from branch to branch, his footsteps muted by his special equipment. He followed Murkrow quite deep into the forest, and they eventually reached their target destination.

To his utter shock, Maguro discovered Heracross clashing against another Pokémon. It was an iron-clad Bird, hovering around Heracross.

Both had sustained significant damage, but Maguro could see that Skarmory had the advantage.

While Heracross was undoubtedly an extremely rare Black-potential Pokémon, it was up against a Pokémon more skilled than it is.

And noticing Skarmoy's movement, Maguro thought to himself 'This technique is unsettlingly familiar...'

When he looked to his side, it all made sense and Maguro's blood began to boil.

He deduced that the bird's trainer was a woman from her body figure. Her eyes were covered by a mask, and her unkept short hair that flowed wildly made it all clear to Maguro.

'Rose!'

His body tensed up, burning in rage. Maguro would've jumped in and killed her had he not controlled his emotions.

'I will wait and steal Heracross!' he resolved internally. Luckily, this opponent wasn't known for her strength. But that would definitely change if she successfully captures the single horn Pokémon.

As Skarmoy landed a critical [Sky attack], Rose was ecstatic. However, just as she was about to throw an ultra ball, a black smoke shrouded the battlefield all of the sudden.

"What?!"

Before she could process everything, which was a window less than a second, a certain phantom appeared before her and attacked with [Thunder wave]!

This was Checkmate, and Rose could only watch Maguro take her prey from her.

"That damned hunter!"

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The next day...

"Thanks for everything, Liam."

"No problem!" An innocent smile formed on the boy's face.

It was afternoon when Maguro and Iizumi went ahead of Liam, who was still determined to catch Heracross.

'He doesn't need to know it...'

The brown haired trainer didn't feel any guilt whatsoever after what he did. Although he had a good impression of Liam, but did not see him more than an amateur trainer.

As their figures disappeared on the horizon, Liam's face turned to a frown.

"Looks like I'll be alone again for awhile..." He murmured to himself.

Except, he would soon be proven wrong. As Liam turned his back, a certain girl spoke as she said with a sly smile.

"Oh, you're wrong, my dear Liam."

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[TO BE CONTINUED]