Rogue

Rasza was not happy.

 

After her painstakingly long research on the Pyramid of the Sun, surveying every possible entrance, mapping the hallways and marking the traps, charting perfectly precise timetables on the guard rotations, and making some of said guards take an involuntary absence of leave, she had come to the conclusion that she was going to need a partner to pull this off.

 

She HATED having to work with partners.

 

And it wasn’t like it was for anything fancy or whatnot. The door to the treasury simply needed two Pokemon to stab their special spears/keys into the locks at the same time. Which were, of course, too far apart for Rasza to do single-handedly.

 

The only other way to open that door was with the radiant sun magic flowing through the queen, but Rasza couldn’t exactly get her claws on that. She was no stranger to fighting, but a queen with all their power was a wee bit too much for someone like her to handle, much less kidnap or force into action.

 

It didn’t help that the Sun Queen was a freaking Kommo-o, either.

 

So, Rasza needed a partner if she was going to successfully claim that treasure.

 

The treasure in question? A golden crown shaped like the sun, given to the first queen by Solgaleo a long time ago. It was filled with endless light, and could be used to blind, burn, or utterly smite all enemies of the wearer. Like many other divine heirlooms before it, Rasza planned on stealing it.

 

Why? A multitude of reasonings. But in short, it gave Rasza power whenever she took one, and she relished in it. She couldn’t wait for the day when her poster would be hung up in every kingdom, with every divine heirloom in her possession. She would do what no one else ever had, and she would be remembered forever for it.

 

She didn’t even care if afterwards, she was captured and brutally murdered. She would still have ensured no one could ever forget her.

 

But of course, this dream of fame and glory would be completely impossible if she couldn’t get someone to help her steal this crown.

 

Preferably someone foolish, naive, and unlikely to be missed.

 

So she had headed out to a small town along one of the major roads to Soltian, the heart of the Kingdom of the Sun, and waited. There would surely be some young, idealistic Pokemon coming along, hoping to forge a new life in the city without any idea of how likely they’d fail. A perfect candidate to drag along on a ‘heroic’ dangerous mission.

 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t going so smoothly. Namely, the war between the kingdoms decided to flare up at that very moment, sending all those idealistic mons to the far reaches of the empire to fight.

 

Which…did not bode well for Rasza’s plans.

 

She sighed as she leaned against the adobe walls of the Dewpider Inn, standing in the shadows so no one noticed her except the ones she wanted to. Her long magenta tail coiled around her shapely legs, the rest of her body wrapped up in a frayed dark cloak. Her palms glowed a similar magenta to her tail, and her reptilian violet eyes surveyed the road cautiously.

 

As a Salazzle, she was owed a certain amount of status. In a world ruled by females, being a Salazzle was an immediate mark that she could fit in with the upper class.

 

However, her species also had a dreadful reputation. With special seductive pheromones, venom that could melt steel and poison Poison-types, and a lithe agile build, they were natural rogues and temptresses. As such, people were understandably quite hesitant around them.

 

Which worked fantastically in Rasza’s favor. She didn’t much like company. And the more of a reputation she built, the better.

 

She sighed as she looked over the road, cast in shadow as the sun vanished. The people were very superstitious when it came to the sun. There would be no more travelers tonight.

 

Rasza sighed, looking towards the inn. Another night in that tiny, smelly place it seemed.

 

But as she started walking towards the door, a sudden flash in the sky caught her eye.

 

Looking up, her jaw dropped in astonishment as seven stars flashed across the sky, falling towards the earth. Most traveled to distant locations, but one flew awfully close, passing over the town and disappearing behind some trees. The ground trembled slightly, and there was an explosion as the star landed.

 

Rasza’s eyes narrowed in curiosity. She had never seen a fallen star before. An object fallen from the heavens…there certainly had to be some interesting properties to it. She silently dashed across the road, hurrying over before anyone else could.

 

It was a bit farther than expected, but Rasza had run for much longer before. When she reached the landing site, she felt bewildered.

 

For sitting in the smoking crater was not a star, a glittering treasure, or even some odd rock. No, it was a sleeping Pokemon, curled up at the bottom.

 

More specifically, a leafy green cat. A Sprigatito.

 

Rasza had never heard of Pokemon falling from the sky, save a couple stories she had forgotten. Yet here was one right in front of her.

 

A most interesting opportunity. After all, there had to be something special about a Pokemon who fell from the sky, and if they were here it made the Pokemon a very good candidate for this one-time heist.

 

So Rasza settled down to wait.

 

After about twenty minutes or so, the strange Pokemon began to stir, muttering to himself. Blinking, he looked up – and leaped back in surprise when he saw Rasza staring at him.

 

“Hello.”, she greeted, smiling seductively, “I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

 

He stared for a minute, before commenting, “Why am I being stared at by a hot lady lizard.”

 

Rasza processed that. “Interesting. I’m assuming you’ve never seen a Salazzle before.”

 

“Well, of course not!”, he replied, “This kind of thing shouldn’t be real! I…”

 

He frowned. “Wait, why can’t I remember anything?”

 

Well that was an excellent point in Rasza’s favor. But she pretended to just be kind and concerned.

 

“Hmm…nothing at all?”, she asked sweetly, “That sounds unfortunate.”

 

The cat shook his head. “Nothing but my name and the fact that I’m human. Not sure why that detail seems so important though.”

 

Rasza suddenly felt dizzy. “Wait, did you just say that you were human?”

 

“Um, yeah? Obviously.”, the Sprigatito replied.

 

‘It’s not possible.’, Rasza thought, ‘Those are just stories. Myths. I don’t dabble with stories and myths.’

 

She asked, “Are you sure about that?”

 

“More sure than anything else.”, the cat replied, “Anyways, this is getting weirder and weirder.”

 

He tried to stand up on his back legs, then fell flat on his face. “Yeowch! What the heck!?”

 

Rasza frowned. That lent credibility to his statement.

 

“You are a quadruped.”, she said, “You can’t walk on two legs.”

 

The Sprigatito froze, and looked over himself. “AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!”

 

Rasza winced. “Is the screaming necessary?”

 

“WHY AM I A GREEN CAT!?!?”, the cat screamed.

 

Rasza answered, “Because you are one?”

 

“I literally just told you I was human.”, the cat replied. He grimaced. “Was.”

 

Rasza crossed her arms. “I see. Looks like you have a dilemma on your paws.”

 

The Sprigatito huffed. “Well I’ll get rid of that! Somehow! This looks like a magical place, there is almost certainly something here that can fix me! Do you know where I can find that?”

 

Rasza smirked to herself. This was it. Her opportunity.

 

“Well…”, she said dramatically, “I may know a few potential locations…”

 

“Tell me, tell me!”, the cat demanded.

 

Rasza sighed exaggeratedly, splaying her claws into the air. “Oh, but it will be dangerous, terribly dangerous! Only the strongest, the most cunning, the most nimble, only they would be able to find it!”

 

The Sprigatito groaned. “Just tell me already! I need it!”

 

Rasza smiled. “Oh, very well, since you’re so insistent…I happen to be embarking on a most dangerous quest, diving into the heart of each of these evil queens’ palaces and liberating their treasures. All sorts of magical properties are imbued upon them, and I’m certain at least one can turn you back into a human…whatever that is.”

 

The cat looked amazed. “Wow, so you’re stealing magic treasure!? Count me in!”

 

Rasza gave him a look of mock concern. “Are you sure? This will not be easy, and once you’re in you can’t go back out.”

 

“Yes! Yes! I don’t want to be a cat! I want to be human again!”, the Sprigatito cried.

 

Rasza nodded. “Well, I certainly can’t convince you off this course. Very well. I am Rasza, queen of thieves. And you?”

 

“Tyrone, uh…king of cool!”, the cat replied.

 

Rasza chuckled. “Quite the title, I must say. Very intriguing.”

 

Tyrone beamed, puffing out his small chest with the result of his fur poofing as well. “Yes indeed! Now let’s find that treasure or whatever!”

 

Rasza nodded, smirking. “Yes, let’s find that treasure indeed.” (-o-)