Raichu for Hire

Chapter 7
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Bodyguard vs...

“Oh, you poor, poor dear,” Coco said while sitting on her small bed with the young colt perched on the pillow. She gently stroked the unicorn on the back of his head. “I don’t know how much I can do, but you can stay in my shop as long as you want.”

“B-because… because I was working for those mean ponies as a pickpocket. Sneaking silently is my special talent. You shouldn’t shelter a thief.”

Coco shook her head, her smile filled with understanding. “It doesn’t matter. They forced you to do it, and you ran away because of that.”

“And… and what if it’s a lie, what if I made up this story to get your pity? Trusting anypony in this part of town is dangerous,” Leaf answered, stepping from the pillow.

“Even if you did, you must have your reasons. After all, you said yourself that you don’t even know if your parents are alive. I can’t let a colt without a home or family live on the street.”

Quiet Leaf narrowed his eyes, his tone of voice suddenly sharper. “And if I lied about it as well? What if I’m not an orphan but just pretended to be?”

“If so, why are you admitting to such things? No liar would tell anypony they’re lying,” Coco said before picking a teacup from the nearby table and placing it in the colt’s hooves. “And even if you’re lying, I can’t let you leave until your wounds heal. If you really have parents, just tell me where they live and I’ll call them here.”

The colt’s smile started trembling as tears formed in his eyes. “You… you’re not from around here…” He gulped, his voice somewhat sappy. “Nopony from this part of town… ever showed anypony… even half of your kindness and trust. You need to leave, it’s too dangerous for you to work here.” He held a forehoof on his chest. “Trust me! I begged for bits on these streets, was bullied by hooligans and was picked up and trained by the Crusher gang to steal for them. This place will hurt… or corrupt a nice pony like you.”

Coco shook her head and next sighed. “I can’t leave. I put all the bits and resources I had into this store.” Her smile returned as she closed her eyes. “But I no longer feel fear. My bodyguard, Miss Nica, is a marvelous, kind, and brave… Raichu... She’ll protect me.” Her ears perked up upon hearing a knocking noise coming from the other room. “Maybe it’s Miss Nica. I’ll go check, and in the meanwhile, drink your tea as long as it is hot.” She smiled cheerfully, giving the bandages wrapped on the colt one last glance before approaching the door. Leaving a potential thief in her storage seemed naive of her, but weeks spent in this place didn’t break her trusting nature just yet.

“Who’s speaking?” Coco asked, stopping in her track while feeling slightly nervous. Those couldn’t be ponies from the Crusher gang? She raised a forehoof up to her face and started trembling? Oh no… what if they hurt Nica and are now here to destroy my shop, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…

“My name’s is Blue Cross, Commander Blue Cross. I’m chief of the Manehattan Police Department.”

Coco approached a nearby window and peeked outside, seeing a group of police officers, all wearing uniforms with badges on their chests and police hats on their heads. After a few seconds of studying the intimidating force, she noticed Nica lying on one of the officer’s back. Whether she was unconscious or asleep was difficult to tell.

“Then please, open the door, ma’am, we have goods to return and important matters to discuss.”

“Oh, but of course!” She ran towards the door and unlocked it, which took several seconds as her hooves were still shaking. With a half-bow and a welcoming gesture of her foreleg, she invited the police squad inside. Their boss proved to be a tall bronze stallion, earth pony no less, with a large crowd-control shield as a cutie mark.

The police chief turned to her and approached, gently raising her foreleg before kissing it. “A pleasure.”

“P-pleasure…” Coco responded with a strong blush, her face now looking more like a large tomato.

Blue Cross released the hoof and raised to his full height, his shadow now enveloping Miss Pommel in the fullest. “I’ll cut to the chase. Your bodyguard subordinate convinced the Crusher gang to turn themselves in. My ponies at the police station are searching for the owners of the stolen goods, which will no doubt take quite some time and involve a lot of paperwork.” He pointed at the unicorn officer who was levitating one big and one small bag by his side. “However, with the cooperation of two of the gang members, we separated the goods that were taken from your store, all that’s left is for you to identify them for the protocol.”

Coco nodded. “Al-alright, officer Blue Cross. I mean, Police Chief Blue Cross.” She smiled sheepishly as drops of sweat were falling down her forehead. For the past couple weeks I reported to the police about my situation, and they did nothing to help… and now the Police Chief himself is in my shop, returning my goods. I must be dreaming.

After taking a moment to look over the clothes presented to her in a violet aura of magic, recognizing most of them as some were worse for wear, she glanced at Nica, who was still napping on the back of a pegasus officer. The winged pony occasionally glanced at the passenger, but maintained a firm unchanging expression.

“If you’re worried about her health, she’s perfectly fine,” Blue Cross said. “According to the report from my subordinates, after the gang was locked behind bars at the police station, this critter perched herself on Sharp Eye’s back and fell asleep.” He pointed at the pegasus. “Sharp Eye always had a soft spot for police dogs, so he didn’t mind carrying her all the way here.”

“I… see…” Coco took a moment to gather courage before giving the tall stallion a firm stare. “Please, don’t feel offended for asking, but why would a Police Chief himself visit my establishment, especially considering that the police refused to answer my pleas so many times until now.” She curled herself slightly and tapped her forehooves. “I mean… not that I’m complaining…”

Blue Cross sighed and lowered his head in shame. “There’s a reason why we couldn’t help you, which is why I am here.”

“The reason why my force can’t operate in this area is because… of the mob.”

“Yes, mob, a local mafia. They operate in this part of Manehattan,” Blue Cross explained, now sitting in front of Coco who looked like a tower of cards ready to tumble. “We can’t defeat them head on and they keep tabs on the families of the most high ranking police officers, blackmailing us.” He lowered his hat and held it against his chest. “I tried to hide my own family from their sight and failed. They have dangerously good intel.”

“However, your bodyguard took down a small gang on her own. Most of the Crusher members called her an unbeatable beast, saying that she defeated them effortlessly.”

“Actually, most of the gang members didn’t have any bruises. She beat up the more aggressive members and intimidated the rest,” pointed out a unicorn mare, this one wearing a high-ranking officer uniform.

Blue Cross nodded. “Your bodyguard possesses great fighting skills, but most importantly, she looks very innocent and defenseless. We wish to hire your bodyguard to help us capture the mafia boss and his lieutenants.”

“We examined her collar when she was asleep. The magic used to enhance it is on level of the princesses themselves, which means that this creature may possess qualities which can help us end this mob once and for all,” the high-ranking mare explained, her cutie mark being a large red book. “Oh, my apologies, I should introduce myself. My name’s Procedure.”

Blue Cross spoke up, “The mafia will never suspect that such a little creature may be a threat to them, and they have no intel about her they can use to their advantage, which is why she’s perfect for the job. Without guidance from higher-ups, the mafia won’t make a move against the police.” He looked at the shop owner with narrowed eyes. “You’re her boss, Miss Coco Pommel, which is why we wish to ask you for permission to hire her for the job.” He lowered himself. “I humbly request your cooperation.”

Coco’s mouth was agape for the last minute. Her eyes went up and she raised forehoof up to her forehead before losing balance. Tilting to the side while fainting, she was grabbed by the large stallion before hitting the floor.

Nica rubbed her eyes before looking towards the source of voice as the face of Coco Pommel sharpened in her vision. “Yes, yes I did,” she said with a cheerful smile. After a moment of looking around, she found herself perched on a gathered stock of materials, no longer wearing her bodyguard clothes, though the collar was still safe on her neck. “I had this interesting dream about my past.”

“Dream about your past? Oh right, you have that forced amnesia. If you wish to share your dream, I’m listening?” Coco said, displaying a patient smile.

Nica sat and reaserted herself on the pile of random materials, waving her forepaws in excitement. “As I and my trainer explored the Hoenn region, getting badges and practicing for the coming league, we ended up in a crossfire between two criminal gangs.”

Nica nodded. “We were camping inside a massive forest and I was training my balance, paw-standing under a small waterfall, when suddenly, a large number of battles started taking place all around us. Apparently, there was a hidden entrance into some old ruins in the forest and both gangs searched for it. It quickly turned into an all out war.” She took a quick breath. “A small part of the forest caught on fire from fire attacks, the other part turned into a swamp from an overdose of water attacks. It was crazy.”

“My trainer assumed that fighting both gangs would be unwise, and we didn’t know enough about them to pick a side, so instead we focused on helping local pokemon as much as we could and minimize the damage,” Nica continued, speaking in haste and excitement. “We found a lot of abandoned eggs while doing so and protected them, at least until their parents returned, however, no pokemon returned for one of the eggs for days, so we took it under our care.”

The young colt with a leaf as a cutie mark who was lying on the bed while staring at the ceiling looked at Nica with full attention, now listening to the story as well.

“A male Eevee was born from the egg and became our friend, and he even often called my trainer his ‘Mom', can you believe it? Not that Astra ever understood what the Eevee was saying, but it was heartwarming.” She blushed, tapping her forepaws together. “What’s more, this Eevee looked up to me as if I was his older sister. It was a new experience to me, but I took care of him the best I could.”

Nica looked towards the source of voice, noticing a young unicorn colt. Bandages were present on his face.

“Miss Nica, meet Quiet Leaf. The gang you faced was forcing him to steal for them, so I gave him shelter. He’s a good colt,” Coco explained.

Nica nodded. “Really? That’s very kind of you, Coco, as expected from such an amazing pony.” She ignored the embarrassment on her boss’ face and stepped from her soft seat, approaching the unicorn while giving him a look of pity. She sensed an aura of depression, not that it surprised her. Being forced to steal for mean thugs had to be anything but pleasant. Yet there was also a positive aura. Was it hope that the future would turn out better, or maybe Leaf was just grateful to the fashionista for her kindness, it was hard to tell.

Trying to show compassion and cheer up the young pony, she went with her instincts, pressing her cheek into the colt’s chest and nuzzling it affectionately. “You have nothing to fear. The gang that used you surrendered to the police. Cheer up.”

“I heard as much, and I’m really glad.” Leaf stroked Nica with his hoof, finding comfort in her presence and soft fur. “I’m safe thanks to you, and your boss wants to let me work as her assistant in exchange for shelter, food and bits.”

Nica gave the fashionista a proud smile. It seems I’m not the only one taking care of someone younger. Miss Pommel wants to do it as well.

“Anyway, can you continue your story. I’m interested in how it ends,” Leaf said, looking into her oval eyes curiously.

Nica nodded. “My trained agreed to let him join the team, but since every trainer –except law-breaking criminals– can have a team of six pokemon at maximum, she asked her team who would volunteer to stay in reserve for now. Starmie agreed to be replaced temporarily.”

“Starmie? Eevee? What do they look like?” Leaf asked while Coco listened silently.

Nica stood on tips of hair rear paws and spread her forepaws. “Starmie is a large starfish with a red ruby in the middle.” She sat and tried to picture a small dog-like creature with her paws. “And Eevee is a small bronze pokemon with big ears and a white fluffy chest. He was very cuddly and looked up to me, but responded mostly with aggression to strangers.”

“Do you miss your trainer and team?” Leaf asked. “Coco told me what Rarity told her, how you’re far away from home and recovering your memories. Don’t you miss your home, your family and friends?”

Nica blinked in confusion, staring at Leaf for a moment before closing her eyes and thinking deeply. It didn’t cross her mind until now, but she was indeed far away from home. Being focused on her current problems and surrounded by friendly ponies, she didn’t miss her family, nor her trainer.

After a moment of thinking, she looked the colt in the eyes and shook her head. “I don’t miss my home, nor my family, nor my team.”

“I do care about them. With every night, a new part of my past reveals itself. Each night I dream of my adventures side by side with my friends and trainer, however...” She raised paw in a lecturing gesture. “I believe that once my memories fully recover, I’ll learn how to return home and how I got here in the first place. For now I’m under the care of great, brave, and kind heroines, and returning their kindness is my priority.” She pointed at Coco. “Miss Pommel is Rarity’s friend and she was in trouble, so I’ll do my best to help her. I’m sure wherever my family, friends and trainer are, I believe they would want me to be helping others.”

“I… see,” Leaf said, his facial expression full of surprise. He displayed a weak smile and commented, “I suppose sometimes it’s a good idea not to look back but focus on here and now. As for me, being with Coco will be much better than stealing or begging for bits and food.” He displayed his teeth in a wide smile. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Nica nodded. “He did…” She took a deep breath and spoke in a calm tone, “My trainer wasn’t sure if defeating one of the gangs would allow the other one grow too powerful, and fighting both gangs at the same time would be no better than letting them fight each other. Instead, she decided to defeat and capture the most elite members from both gangs to weaken their influence.”

“I was getting to that,” Nica said. “The leader from Magma gang had three elite followers. We managed to defeat two of them and delivered them to the police. It turned out that Eevee’s parents were caught by one of them and trained against Aqua gang. A male Jolteon and female Leafeon, an electric and grass type pokemon with a great advantage against the water types. After freeing them, Eevee reunited with his parents, only to say his goodbye.”

“Because for Eevee, Astra was the parental figure, taking care and raising him. He did not want to leave the team.” Nica smiled cheerfully, her tone now very calm, “And you know how they reacted? They thanked us for taking care of their egg and for raising their child. They trusted us to be the better influence and left, believing it was for the best.”

Nica’s ears perked up at the noise of sobbing, it wasn’t the colt who was sobbing though, but it was Coco herself. The fashionista was rubbing her watery eyes with a tissue. “S-so… touching…”

Nica smiled sheepishly. “I think I better stop talking about myself.” She puffed and poked her chest. “I’m ready for orders, boss. Are there any other gangs that bothered your shop I should take care of? Or should I just stand and guard?”

“About that…” Coco said, rubbing back of her neck. “Turns out that the mafia is operating in this part of Manehattan, preventing police from patrolling it.”

“Mafia? Like… a criminal organization or evil team?” Nica asked, approaching her boss while walking on two feet before sitting in front of Coco, her eyes now radiating with curiosity.

Coco whimpered and looked to the side. “It was only a matter of time before the mob would interfere. According to Mr. Blue Cross, they would either force the Crushers to pay them for operating on their territory, or they would recruit the most competent members for their ranks, or… they would make them disappear.” She gulped. “I fear my shop will be targeted by them sooner or later…”

“I see…” Nica balanced herself on tip of her rear leg and patted her boss on the shoulder. “Mob or not, I can handle it, so don’t worry.”

“No, you can’t…” Coco said, her voice high and filled with worry. “They are not a group of thugs but organized criminals. Even the police is afraid of them.” She grabbed her by her cheeks and pressed the muzzle against her nose. “I can’t let you put yourself in such danger!” She released her and looked around nervously. “M-maybe they’ll be more r-reasonable… Maybe the protection money they demand will be acceptable enough. At worst, I can raise the prices.”

The sales continued almost as well as yesterday, with satisfied customers leaving the shop with practical clothes while leaving Coco with a fair amount of bits. One caped figure was caught by Nica while stealing a few scarves and boots, hiding them in the pockets of their cape. Unlike yesterday, the situation was resolved without a scene.

Coco’s good mood from counting her earnings vanished the moment she glanced at her bodyguard, seeing a pout and other signs of sadness. While Nica followed her orders to the letter and maintained good performance, the enthusiasm she radiated yesterday was gone.

“Is something wrong?” Leaf asked, placing a cup filled with hot tea on the glass counter in front of her.

Coco glanced at her assistant, who despite the young age pulled his weight, relocating clothes from the storage into the main hall whenever customers bought them. “Yes, it is… The police are hoping that Nica can help them deal with the mob, but I don’t want to put her in danger.” She pointed at the pokemon who wore yesterday’s clothing and sunglasses, supported against the wall while staring at the floor. “She was so eager to deal with the mob ponies for me, but ever since I refused, she’s been depressed.”

Coco’s eyes became wide as plates for a moment. “Really? And what did she say?”

“She said that she feels like a failure, and is sad that you don’t have faith in her skills.” Leaf pointed at Nica and added, “According to her memories, she fought against criminals alongside her trainer while being smaller, so she’s experienced at it. The fact that she’s not allowed to fight them while being a Raichu hit her hard.”

“Experienced or not… I don’t know…” Coco struggled to find correct words. Was it fair for her to keep Nica from doing something dangerous? Something that could help the town?

“She seemed confident in herself when I talked with her. Here’s a suggestion, ask her if she fears being hurt or not.”

After closing the store as selling hours were over, she turned to Nica and gave her a curious glance. “Excuse me, may I ask you a question?”

“Fear that they’ll hurt me? Why should I. Being hurt and getting stronger for it is part of a pokemon’s nature.”

Coco took a step back and raised foreleg defensively. “B-b-but… don’t you fear that the armed ponies will break your bones with their weapons?” She lowered herself and gently stroked Nica’s cheek, who withdrew her face the moment her hoof was going to make contact with the yellow dot. “I can’t even stand the thought of what those mean ponies will do to your adorable face. Do you really not fear any of that”

“No, I don’t. The more I get hurt, accident or not, the less it fazes me. Facing a mob doesn’t sound scary at all.”

Nica sighed and spoke in a depressed tone, “I do feel fear, but it is different from yours.”

“I fear that I can hurt others with my powers. Smashing ponies into walls whenever I’m excited, hurting them with electricity whenever I lose control.” She poked her own collar. “Which is why I'm wearing this collar and why I practice self-control. I want to avoid hurting others.” She tightened her paw. “But while I don’t wish to hurt innocents, or even the mean ones, I know that criminals are tough. I may not like it, but I’ll use violence against them if I’m forced to, as long as it keeps them from hurting others.”

“I also fear failure.” She pointed at her tail and next dots on her cheeks. “I’m fully evolved and battle-hardened with a lot of combat experience. Yet I fear that when a danger arises, I won’t be fast or skilled enough to protect those I care about. Like you... “ She tapped her paws together and lowered her head. “I want to help Twilight Sparkle learn how to defend herself and her friend. I want to use my powers, speed and durability to help others, to deal with what may threaten them, and the idea of failing to do so terrifies me. I fear being useless, of being worthless.”

“I see… and you believe that by dealing with the mob, you can not only help those in need, but also prove your worth?” Coco asked.

Nica nodded. “Do you remember how I said that the more power one possess, the more they should accomplish? I feel that everyday when my powers aren’t used to ease the burden of others, I’m more and more worthless. But I swore I would listen to you, even if it pains me…”

Coco’s ears flattened against her head. She looked to the side, feeling a growing surge of guilt. In the end, keeping Nica from danger hurt the critter the most.

“What’s that?” Nica asked, pointed outside the window as smoke caught her attention.

Coco quickly unlocked the door and ran outside, her eyes now focused on a tall building in the distance covered by flames. “Oh no, it’s the mob!” She turned around, glancing at her young assistant at the entrance. “Leaf, lock the door and wait for us, and if some mean ponies come, use the window in the storage to escape!”

“Please, explain,” Nica begged, giving her a stressed smile. “Did the mob ponies cause this fire?”

Coco nodded before galloping in the direction of the flaming building, Nica following by her side. “According to the Police Chief, the mob demands protection money from each building. The more wealthy the residents, the more they're demanding. The worst part is that if some residents refuse to pay, others needs to pay more, so as result they often fight among themselves.”

Nica glanced at the flaming building and asked, “Is that what happens when they fail to pay enough, the mob sets the entire building on fire? That’s insane and cruel!”

Coco nodded. “And terrifying… According to what Blue Cross told me, the mob has five skilled pyrocasters who can set flames that spread even on metal and rocks. The police already have plenty of evidence, but are too afraid to use it.” Her breathing became heavy. Despite being an earth pony, she was still a peaceful mare whose main focus was on perception and precision, not athletic activities. She glanced at her bodyguard with pleading eyes and said, “You’re very fast, right? Can you–”

“On it!” Nica shouted. Using her tail, she cut the back of her collar to get it off before speeding up, leaving the pony in the dust.

After a moment of coughing and shaking her forehoof in an attempt to push the dust away, Coco finished, “–inform the firefighters.” She picked the collar from the street and stared at Nica who kept running with aura of electricity surrounding her. The pokemon kept repeating her name at rapid pace. “Wait, she won’t…” Coco blinked as Nica ahead of her jumped, piercing the wall. “She just ran into a flaming building,” Coco said calmly before raising forehoof towards her heart. She screamed, “She just ran into a flaming building!” Placing a forehoof on her forehead, Coco fainted.

Raichu for Hire

by CommanderX5

Ch.7 - Bodyguard vs...