"What should we do? They're heading to Shizuoka Prefecture!" whispered a man dressed in yellow, hidden among the crowd in the waiting area. The most promi feature on his face was a knife-like scar running from the ter of his eyebrows to just under his right eye.
"Boss, we 't let them get to Shizuoka!" said a deep, booming voice over his earpiece. It was easy to imagihe speaker as a heavyset man.
"Yeah, Shizuoka Prefecture is a Herhold. There are too many first-css Heroes there, not to mention All Might himself…" added another voice, this one cold and sharp.
"Then what should we do? Do we make a move here?" the scar-faced man asked quietly, his triangur eyes fixed on Kaminari and Kyoka in the crowd.
"But there are a lot of professional Heroes patrolling the station. If we make a grab here, we'll likely be surrounded," the cold voice tered.
"Then we do it orain!"
The booming voice chimed in again, this time with a pn: "Once we grab it, the 'Knife Mantis' cut open the carriage, and then the boss will fly us out of there!"
"Alright, let's go with that pn," the scar-faced man agreed.
"Uood."
The criminals didn't seem to sider the chaos and daheir pn would cause for the other passengers. Nor did they worry about the difficulty of actually stealing Pikachu. Their only was evading professional Heroes.
Five mier, the Shinkansen rolled into the station. Ohe current passengers had disembarked and the ing crew fiheir work, Kaminari and Kyoka boarded the train.
"By the way, Kyoka, you e with me to a birthday party oh?" Kaminari asked as soon as he sat down in the aisle seat.
"Birthday? Whose birthday?" Kyoka asked, settling into the window seat beside him, Pikachu perched fortably in her arms.
"It's Dr. Tenma's son's birthday. His obio," Kaminari expined, reting what Dr. Tenma had told him earlier.
"Alright, I don't think I have any pns that day. Sure, I'll go," Kyoka said after thinking it over.
"Great."
"Um…"
"Huh? What's wrong?" Kaminari asked, notig Kyoka hesitating to say something.
"Uh, nothing."
Kyoka shook her head. She'd been about to ask if Momo would be ioo, sidering Momo's role as part of the band and her e to Kaminari. But the words caught ihroat. Deep down, she realized she wahis to be something just for her and Kaminari.
The train began to move, and the number of passengers in their carriage arse. Most people seemed to be seated in other partments.
"Um… excuse me…"
A rge man in an oversized blue T-shirt and baggy jeans approached them nervously, his voice trembling.
"What's up?" Kaminari asked, gng up in fusion.
"You… you're Kaminari Denki, right? The inspiration behind Pokémon?" the man stammered, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Yes, that's me. I'm honored you're a fan," Kaminari said graciously, shaking the man's hand. Then, pointing to Kyoka, he joked, "And this is Kyoka, who's determio use her music to bee the greatest Pokémon performer!"
"Uh… to be ho, I think Exploud looks really ugly after it evolves, and its voice sounds more like han music. I don't get why the characters in the anime praise it so much," the man said with a serious expression.
"…" Kyoka.
"…" Kaminari.
It was clear this man was a hardcore otaku. His plete ck of social skills and inability to read the room firmed it.
But despite his awkwardness, the maalking, his eyes dartiween Kaminari, Kyoka, and Pikachu.
"pared to Exploud, Pikachu is adorable! Not only is it cute, but its voice is so endearing. The arm tone on my phone is Pikachu's cry!"
As if on cue, Pikachu let out a shy expression, tilting its head in a way that made it even more endearing.
Kyoka and Kaminari couldn't help but be amused by how well the AI Pikachu ying along. It was almost too perfect.
Meanwhile, two men sitting a few rows ahead were growing increasingly irritated. They exged exasperated looks as if to say, We're here to grab Pikachu, not listen to your life story!
"So, uh… you…" the rge man stammered again.
" I what?" Kaminari asked, his curiosity piqued.
" you… sign something for me? No, wait, three autographs! My two younger brothers are fans of yours too!" the man said, pulling out a bck leather notebook and a ballpoint pen.
"And… uh… Pikachu leave its paw print too? I even bought an ink pad!"
"…Why do you have an ink pad on you?" Kaminari asked bnkly, staring at the small box the man pulled from his pocket.
"Well… I saw you at the station earlier and ran to a venieore to buy one. Hehehe," the man admitted, his eyes twinkling with pride.
"Alright, alright, you win."
Shaking his head, Kaminari sighe notebook. Kyoka, watg from the side, couldn't help but chuckle. Despite the man's earlier ent about Exploud, it was clear he was just an overly excited fan.
"Um… I'm sorry, but could I hold Pikachu and take a picture with it? My brothers will be so jealous!" the man asked sheepishly.
"Sure. Give your phoo Kyoka, and she'll take a picture for you," Kaminari replied, his head still down as he signed.
"Pika?"
Pikachu obediently hopped into the man's arms, while Kyoka took the phone and prepared to snap a photo.
"Wait, let me step back a bit! I'm pretty big, and I don't want to block the shot," the man said with a sheepish smile.
"Haha, sounds like it's time for you to start dieting!" Kyoka teased, ughing as she adjusted the camera angle.
But just as Kaminari finished signing, handing over the extra autographs he'd kindly added, something unusual caught his attention. The two men from the front row were now standing.
"Hmm?"
"Well done, fat guy!"
Before Kaminari and Kyoka could react, one of the men sp a long scar across his face suddenly swung his arm. A triangur-shaped cut appeared irain car's side with a loud swish.
Boom!
The scar-faced man kicked the cut se, creating a rge opening in the side of the train. A powerful gust of wind rushed in, causing chaos in the carriage.
"Let's go!!"
The sudden attack threw Kaminari and Kyoka into disarray, with Kyoka's hand still holding the phone raised mid-air.
It only took a sed for them to realize what was happening.
"Damn it! We've been pyed!!"
***
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