Looking Back
by MalwareBirb404“Today sucks…” Crash thought. Lagging behind Cinder and Hickory as they set off for their next mission. The sun was out, there was a gentle breeze flowing past, the weather just being particularly nice that day. But all of these things seemed to only annoy the Scraggy more, feeling almost as if the universe was mocking him.
The overall atmosphere of the guild, and it’s members’ offhanded comments had already put Crash in a bit of a bad mood. But something about Juniper’s arrival had really struck a nerve with the dark type.
“Maybe you should’ve stayed home to fix what you started…” He thought as he glared at Hickory, a look of disgust plastered on his lizard-like face. However his animosity towards the grass type was soon replaced by a sudden sadness.
“No!…” Crash thought smacking the sides of his face with both of his hands.
“You said you’d forget about ‘him’… we have other things to deal with right now…”
“Crash! Hurry up!” Cinder aggressively said. She watched as the Scraggy hastened his pace, if only slightly.
“Is something wrong with him…?” Hickory asked the Vulpix.
“ I think he just likes giving me a hard time… ” She groaned as Crash slowly passed her. Hickory turned his head, and watched the dark type sulk as continued to slowly walk down the path.
After about an hour’s walk out of Timberglade, Crash looked back the way the three had come. Seeing that they were now a good distance away from the forest, the Scraggy then glanced off to the side. He still couldn’t help but think about what had crossed his mind earlier, no matter how much Crash tried to ignore it.
The scraggy’s past wasn’t something he particularly wanted hanging around in his mind, and swore it was something he’d put behind him. But every now and then, something would come up and give Crash a reminder of exactly what he was avoiding. “I could probably just leave right now if I wanted…” He thought before vigorously shaking his head.
“No, don’t think like that! That’s stupid!… Vernal will-” Crash paused, and looked down.
“ Right… Vernal… ” He muttered.
“ I hate this… ”
After a while, the path reached an incline and became more uneven as the three pokemon approached their destination. Amongst the dirt and patches of grass, several massive and jagged boulders stuck out of the ground. They gave off an unnatural feel, appearing to create a barrier of some kind. The stone ‘wall’ being structured in such a way that one could almost assume someone had put them there. Cinder, Hickory, and Crash walked up to a gap in the large rocks, standing before it and glancing inside.
“ So this is Rocky Field… ” Hickory quietly said, peering inside the dungeon.
“Nervous?” Cinder asked, looking up at the Bayleef.
“Oh, no it’s-”
“ Let’s just get this over with… ” Crash cut before walking inside. Cinder sighed as she and Hickory followed suit.
Rocky Field: Floor 1
Inside the dungeon, the ground was even more rough than it was outside. Patches of exposed stone lined the floor, and several jagged rock formations like the ones at the entrance were scattered throughout. Cinder took note of this as she began to search for the job posting in her bag.
“We’re looking for a Scorbunny, right?” Hickory asked, holding a vine above his eyes as he scanned the dungeon.
“ Yeah… ” The Vulpix responded as she read over the paper again, having a more concerned tone in her voice.
“Is something wrong?”
“ Runaway. ” The two heard Crash say before turning to him.
“What? I read the thing too.” The Scraggy bluntly said with a slight shrug.
“Then let’s not waste too much time.” Hickory said, looking at the posting from over Cinder’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this dungeon is crawling with rock types.” He added, once again looking over the surrounding area.
“Right…” Cinder nodded, putting the paper back in her bag.
Crash watched as the two went ahead before sluggishly following behind. His hands in his pouch, and slouching as he walked, the Scraggy could only think of a particularly unlucky time in his life that set him on the path that this day was ever so intent on reminding him of.
…
It had been quite a while since Crash had left home, if he could really even call it that. While he was more than ready to put that place behind him, the question of what he’d do now had quickly arisen in his head. The Scraggy didn’t have any other family and wasn’t particularly liked there, doubting anyone there would let him stick around. But frankly, Crash would rather be as far away from him and that damn town as possible.
The Scraggy’s feet dragged across the ground while on the road to wherever it was the dirt path in front of him led. “There’d better be something over this stupid hill… Another town, village, house, or whatever, I’ll take it…” Crash thought.
He was tired, hungry, and his chest still hurt after a traveler he tried to steal from the other day had struck him. Yet another loss in the long string of failed thefts for the Scraggy. “I can’t keep going on like this…” Crash thought, taking heavy breaths upon reaching the top.
“Guess things might start going my way after all…” The Scraggy thought, having finally pulled together whatever energy he still had left. Crash looked out and saw a fairly large town not too far away. Several stone houses along what looked like a marketplace a decent way in.
Upon reaching the town’s entrance, Crash began to take in his surroundings as he strolled down the street, looking down the few narrow alleys between the stone houses lining the town. “Alright Crash… Just… act natural…” The yellow lizard thought, trying not to draw attention to himself.
“Like you’re passing though or whatever…”
Soon finding his way into the marketplace, in which he saw several colorful tents in various shapes scattered throughout what seemed to be the heart of the town. It was crowded, but not crowded enough for the Scraggy to completely disappear if he took something. If Crash was going to pull this off, it was going to require some level of careful planning and precision. However any such plan or thoughts of which were pushed away by the arrival of a familiar sound.
“ Shut the hell up! I’m trying to think- ” Crash loudly whispered, clutching his stomach.
“ I’ve really lost it now… talking to my- ” His thoughts were cut off again, the growling responsible being just a bit louder this time. As if his body was trying to remind Crash exactly why he was here.
“ Right… food… ”
…
Rocky Field: Floor 5
Hickory couldn’t help but occasionally glance at Crash as the team continued their trek through the dungeon. Noticing since earlier that morning that the Scraggy seemed to be in a bad mood. Namely after the grass type had told his story. Perhaps either out of guilt, concern, or some combination of the two, Hickory soon slowed his pace and started to walk beside Crash.
The yellow lizard quickly glanced up at Hickory before bringing his eyes back down. The Bayleef felt a slight tension in the air, somewhat getting the impression that Crash wanted nothing to do with him. This went on for a little while longer, prompting the leafy sauropod to look back up in front of him.
“ Hey… ” Hickory soon said, as his face softened a bit. “Are you-”
“It’s nothing.” Crash bluntly cut in, before quickly walking ahead of the Bayleef.
However once he did, Hickory noticed Crash remove an oran berry from his pouch… one of the same few Hickory got at the market before leaving on this job. Quickly looking back at the bag on his back, he saw that it was left open.
“ Really…? ” Hickory sighed looking back at Crash, who had already taken a bite out of it.
…
“ 3… 4… wait… Well, I guess I can sell that… ” Crash muttered to himself while sifting through his pouch. He had recently just made it out of the marketplace after managing to snatch a few things out of the bags of their inattentive owners. After which, he slinked out and into an alley a few houses down.
“Three berries, a tiny apple, and an orb… This a rain orb, or a spurn orb…? ” The dark type asked himself as he stared down inside his pouch.
“Whatever, it’s gotta be worth something.”
Peering outside the other end of the alley, Crash glanced around checking for anyone who might be looking for him. Giving a slight grin he stepped outside, pulling a blue, round fruit from his pouch. Planning on enjoying his ‘well earned’ meal in peace… That is until something concerning caught his attention.
Explorers… Two of them…
“Just… act natural…” Crash thought, grinning nervously as he tried not to panic.
“Keep walking and they won’t-”
“Excuse me?” The dark type flinched the moment the Mienshao had turned to speak to him.
“ Yes… ” Crash hesitantly said, turning around as his body tensed up.
The lavender furred mink turned towards his partner, a Liepard. The lithe purple and yellow cat looking like they’d rather be anywhere else at the moment. She rolled her eyes and stepped towards Crash, before removing a paper from a small bag on her shoulder with her mouth.
“You seen them?” She halfheartedly asked, slamming the paper on the ground with her paw. Crash looked down at the wanted poster in front of him and saw a picture of a Salazzle, and a Druddigon.
“ Belladonna the Baneful… ” The Scraggy quietly read out. However the text beneath is what really got his attention. Clear as day, ‘ Team Raiders’ was written in bold letters at the bottom of the page.
“Nope, sorry… ” Crash said, taking a step back.
The Minshao picked up the paper, and rolled it up in his paws. “Alright then… Thank you anyway.” The mink said, giving a slight nod.
“There have been a lot of reports of bandit activity in the area, I’d advise you to be careful if you plan on traveling any time soon.”
“ Thanks… ” Crash responded, glancing at the Liepard’s irritated expression.
“ You know we have other jobs to do, right…? ” The cat facetiously asked her partner, her tail flicking about in annoyance as she did.
Crash watched as the two walked away, finally feeling like he could breathe again. “Look at them…” He thought, finishing the oran berry.
“Marching around all high and mighty they’re the best damn thing in the world… The day I join a guild is the day dad’ll come looking for me…”
Reaching down into his pouch again, Crash stopped his hand from grabbing another. “ Maybe I should leave for a bit… ” The Scraggy muttered, turning his head in the direction of the explorers.
“ Stupid greenscarfs… ” Crash quietly spat, subconsciously bringing his hand to his stomach’s red scaly surface.
“ Screw it… ” He groaned, reaching into his pouch, and grabbing a second berry.
…
“What? I got hungry.” Crash said with a smug, albeit forced grin.
“ Still not an excuse to be a prick… ” Cinder groaned before Hickory gave her a slight nudge to her side.
He gave Cinder a somewhat disapproving look and sighed. “It’s fine… Let’s just keep going okay.” Hickory said, his face shifting into a slight smile.
“ You heard him Powderkeg . Let’s move…” Crash said, walking off.
Rocky Field: Floor 9
Upon reaching the next floor, Crash, Cinder, and Hickory spotted a small white rabbit with orange on the tips of their ears. Seeing the team, the Scorbunny almost immediately sprinted off with a slight limp in their step.
“No, wait!” Cinder yelled, stepping forward.
“NO! YOU’RE NOT TAKING ME BAC- AH-AHHH! ” Scorbunny yelled back, before a loud roar could be heard.
Rushing over, the trio was met with the form of a massive bipedal dinosaur, the auburn scales coating their body having clearly seen its share of combat. The Tyrantrum let loose a mighty roar as they glared down at the four pokemon in front them.
…
“You have got… to be fucking… kidding me…” Crash thought as he peered from the bushes.
Earlier the dark type had decided that he might stick close by the town for another day or two. As he was looking around the route outside for somewhere to stay holed up, he spotted a small gray pig standing on a spring-like appendage. They seemed to be waiting a bit off the dirt path, for what Crash wasn’t sure. But what he was sure of, is that the large lavender colored pearl the Spoink wore atop their head would solve his problems.
“If I’m fast enough…” Crash thought, hiding in the bushes.
“Yeah… headbutt the Spoink… grab the pearl… find some sap to buy it-” But the gears turning in the Scraggy’s head came to a screeching halt when two familiar figures appeared in front of the Spoink. It took every fiber in Crash’s being to not scream in utter frustration. The Mienshao and Liepard from earlier… There they stood alongside the psychic type, escorting him away as they spoke of the increase in bandit sightings and ‘the dangers of waiting alone in spots like this.’ Crash could only watch as his ticket to easy street bounced away. His one chance to change his current situation, gone.
Once he was sure they had left, Crash slowly raised from the bushes and staggered over towards a nearby tree and laid against it with a long, defeated look in his face.
“ Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit! ” Crash grumbled as he repeatedly bashed the back of head against the tree’s thick trunk.
“Yeah… It sucks when something just slips away… doesn’t it…” Crash heard a deep, gruff voice in the distance say. His attention turned to a blue and red dragon with visibly spiky scales steadily approaching, twisting their head and cracking their neck as they got closer.
Crash scrambled to his feet and backed up against the tree, giving a nervous grin. “ H-Hey… is there a problem…? ”
“ Little bit, yeah… ” The Druddigon said, as he towered over the Scraggy.
“You’re the little bastard who stole from me right…?” The dragon growled, before swiftly ramming his claws into the tree and dragging them down until they were mere inches from Crash’s head.
“I’m dead… I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead… N-No, no… Come on Crash, think…” The Scraggy thought, his body stiffening up as the Druddigon stared down at him.
A devilish smile crept over the dragon’s red, scaly face as he quickly ripped his claws from the tree, causing Crash to flinch as the wood splintered from the deep claw marks next to his face.
“You sure are someone who scares easily, aren’t cha…” The Druddigon said, crossing his arms. Crash slightly tilted his head but remained pressed against the tree.
His heart pounded as his eyes darted around for a way out, his breathing grew more rapid. “Let’s fix tha-” The Druddigon said before being cut off by Crash slamming his head into his chest.
Crash bolted the first chase he got, but soon felt something grab him before he could get away. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the Druddigon had a firm grip on the loose skin covering his tail. Yanking back, the blue and red dragon held Crash upside-down at near eye level. The Scraggy watched as the remaining items in his pouch fell out and onto the ground.
“ So that’s the kind of thief you are… ” The Druddigon hissed.
“Now just where do you think you’re going…? No one steals from me and gets off easy just like that. Who are you anyways?”
“N-Nobody important!” Crash stammered. “So if you could just let me go-”
“Wait a minute…” Crash thought, swearing he’d seen the dragon’s face before. Then he remembered the wanted poster those two explorers showed him earlier that day.
“He… He’s with Team Raiders…” The Scraggy thought, tensing up as the realization of the dire situation he was in washed over him.
The Druddigon shook his head. “I don’t think so… not really fond of getting robbed by sniveling bastards like you.” He said with a distinct growling emanating from his chest.
“Which means I can either kill you, or take you back with me…”
Crash could feel every second scrape past after the dragon said those words, his heart racing as the tension quickly mounted… That is, until the Druddigon started laughing.
The dragon put his other clawed hand to the red, jagged scales coating his head. “Relax already dammit, I’m not gonna kill ya.” Some sense of relief came to the Scraggy knowing he wasn’t going to be torn apart, but Crash could still only stare as what his assailant had said earlier played over in his mind.
“Robbed by a kid… that’s just embarrassing… ” The Druddigon muttered to himself as he glanced off the side.
“ I guess you’ll do after all… ” He said, looking back at Crash.
“ D-Do for what…? ” A toothy grin appeared on the red and blue dragon’s rough, scaly face.
“How would you like to go somewhere your talents could be… properly utilized .”
…
“ Please tell me you saw where the stairs were on your way here… ” Crash loudly whispered, as he leaned towards the Scorbunny. While the four weren’t quite face to face with the wild Tyrantrum, it seemed to be preparing to attack anyway.
Rushing forward, the auburn dinosaur opened its maw of razor sharp teeth as they crackled with electricity. “SCATTER!!” Cinder yelled, just before the four dove out of the way. With Crash and Hickory winding up on one side of the Tyrantrum, and Cinder and the Scorbunny on the other.
Hickory hastily stepped in front of Crash, taking a wide stance. “Crash! Get behind me-” Hickory yelled before the Tyrantrum quickly spun around, smacking him to the ground with its tail. Crash stared at the fallen Bayleef for a brief moment until his body pulled him away from the scene, running off to hide behind a tall cluster of large jagged boulders.
“HICKORY!” Cinder called out, briefly stepping forwards. However the Vulpix froze upon feeling the Tyrantrum’s hot breath in her face. Panicking, Cinder quickly stepped back and Used Energy Ball. Firing the green orb directly in the dinosaur’s face.
“Move! Move! Move!” Cinder hurriedly said, pushing the Scorbunny along to the cluster of nearby boulders.
“HICKORY! COME ON! GET UP-” She yelled, getting cut off by a deafening roar that shook the surrounding dungeon.
Rising to his feet, Hickory ran off to join the others. But was soon stopped by a barrage of rocks falling around him. Trying his best to avoid the cascading stones, Hickory continued to run whilst repeatedly using Energy Ball to blast apart various rocks before they could hit him. But whether it was because he was too focused on the Tyrantrum’s Rock Slide attack, or trying to return to his team, the Bayleef didn’t see his adversary come up behind him. And he didn’t see their clawed foot raised above his back…
Crash was climbing up the boulders when he heard Hickory yell out in pain, almost making him lose his footing. The Scraggy flinched as he felt various parts of his body get cut on the rocks, not just ones he was climbing but by the smaller ones in his pouch as well.
“Shit that hurts… you better not die yet Hickory…” Crash thought, tensing his body. Feeling his body strengthen, a reddish-orange aura quickly surrounded him before he continued to climb. As he did, Crash thought back to right before he had started.
… … …
“Wait here.” Cinder said to the Scorbunny once they had reached the rocks, Before quickly turning to go back for Hickory.
“Don’t!” Crash called out, putting up his hand.
“I’m not leaving him there-”
“I have a plan!” Crash yelled, cutting Cinder off. She frantically looked between Hickory, the Tyrantrum, and back at Crash. She caught a glimpse of the Scraggy using Bulk Up and scaling the rocks before stepping out to rush forwards.
… … …
Reaching the top he saw Cinder using Flamethrower to try and get the Tyrantrum away from Hickory. Crash growled to himself in frustration and reached into his pouch. “HEY ASSHOLE!!!” He yelled, drawing back his slingshot.
“HEY FUCKFACE! I SAID LOOK AT ME!” Finally getting the Tyrantrum’s attention, the auburn dinosaur looked up at him.
“ Gotcha… ” Crash mumbled, releasing his grip.
Cinder and Hickory watched as the massive dinosaur staggered back, roaring in pain and discomfort. As the stone Crash fired had hit it right in its eye. Seeing the opening Crash had given them, Cinder and Hickory using Flamethrower and Energy Ball before running off towards the large rocks.
A rageful, murderous glare appered on the Tyrantrum’s face as it roared and charged towards the boulders Crash stood upon. The Scraggy’s eyes widened seeing the dinosaur rapidly approach.
“ Shit, shit, shit… ” Crash said, starting to panic. Frantically glancing around as realized he had no reliable way to get down.
As they got closer, Crash quickly looked over his shoulder and jumped. Expecting to hit the rough, hard ground. However Crash was surprised to feel two tendrils wrap around his body, keeping him in the air. He looked down to see Hickory below, along with the Scorbunny riding on his back. Both vines from the Bayleef’s neck were out, and were carrying him away. Hearing a loud rumbling sound, Crash turned his head to see the Tyrantrum had run face first into the cluster of boulders. “Heh… Idiot…”
Once the group felt like they weren’t in any immediate danger, they began to slow their pace and catch their breath. It was a quiet walk up until a staircase shaped rock formation was within sight. Cinder, Crash, and Hickory all looked at each other before slowly looking back at the stairs. The Vulpix sighed and turned her head to grab her badge with her mouth, slowly raising it in the air…
Back outside the dungeon, the four decided to take a much needed rest before heading back to Timberglade. Hickory sat next to Cinder and the Scorbunny, the leaves around his neck beginning to glow as he used Synthesis.
“ I probably should have while we were still in there… ” He said with a tired smile. Most of the scratches and other small visible wounds gradually healed and faded away. However his lower back was still sore from the hit he took from the Tyrantrum.
“ I’m just glad everyone’s okay… ” Sighed Cinder.
Hickory slowly turned away from the Vulpix and stared at Crash, who was sitting a little further down the hill. The Bayleef slowly got up and walked down towards the dark type, taking an oran berry from his bag with one of his vines.
“You know… It was thanks to you that we were able to get out when we did.” Hickory said, holding the berry out to the Scraggy. Crash glanced over at the grass type, before looking back out at the road. A somewhat saddened look crept onto Hickory’s face as he left the oran berry beside Crash.
“ You’re not gonna get through to him… ” Cinder mumbled, watching Hickory sit back down beside her.
“ I… I’m sorry… ” The Scorbunny quietly said as they stared down at the newly placed bandages around his ankle, dropping the oran berry Cinder had given him. Hickory and Cinder both turned their heads to the white and orange rabbit.
“ You all got hurt because of me… ”
“No, no… It’s not-” Hickory said, as he shook his head.
“All I ever do is cause problems for everyone…” The Scorbunny interrupted, starting to tear up. “I’m a complete klutz, and I- … Sometimes I start fires by accident…” The rabbit whimpered.
“Everyone at home’s sick of it, so I left before they could throw me out again… ” He said, his ears beginning to droop.
“The hardships of being a fire type…” Cinder thought.
“They shouldn’t have to throw you out… You can start up a fire with the pads on your feet, right?” She said, watching the rabbit nod in response. “Then it might help to not drag your feet when you walk.”
“Maybe…” He sighed. “Listen… I know it’s your job and all, but… I kind of… don’t want to go back…”
“Now why is that?” Hickory asked, sounding concerned.
“It’s my parents… they want my siblings and I to join the guild someday… Every time I… I’m always made to feel weak around them… ”
As they continued to talk, Crash slowly stood up as he winced from the cuts on his body. But despite the pain he was in, he couldn’t continue to listen, as the conversation taking place behind him was starting to hurt a whole lot more. “Where do you think you’re going?” Cinder loudly asked.
“ Back .” Crash snapped, walking down the road.
“Crash, get back here!” Cinder barked, sprinting after the Scraggy. Biting down on the loose skin covering Crash’s tail, Cinder anchored her feet to the ground and pulled her head back trying to keep the dark type from leaving. However, Cinder soon loosened her stance and grip when she suddenly felt the Scraggy stop walking.
“ Let’s just… go back… ” Crash quietly said, his voice in a somewhat sorrowful tone. The Scraggy soon turned and yanked his tail away from Cinder, tightly gripping it as he tried to soothe the now slightly singed spot of the appendage.
“ Maybe we should get going… ” Hickory said, walking towards the two as the Scorbunny rode on his back. The Bayleef then stopped and looked up as the leaf atop his head twitched. “It looks like it might rain soon…”
The walk back to Timberglade was relatively quiet. An indescribable, negative feeling stemming from Crash hung over the entire group. It didn’t help that the sky seemed to join in and add to the gloomy atmosphere, the various shades of gray covering the once clear blue present earlier in the day. It was late that afternoon by the time the four made it back to Timberglade, just as the first few drops of rain started to fall upon the town square.
Once inside the guild, Crash snuck off to the back of the lobby while the others remained in front as they waited for whoever posted the job to arrive.
“It’s really coming down out there now…” Hickory said, staring at the sudden downpour outside.
“It’s lucky we got here when we did.” He said, glancing at Cinder with a smile. However his smile soon faded as he turned towards the Vulpix. “ Hey… Cinder- ”
“There you are Warren! Thank Arceus you’re okay!” A voice called out cutting Hickory off.
A brown furred fox-like pokemon came rushing towards the three, almost tripping as they did. They grabbed onto the Scorbunnny, dragging them into an embrace with their front paws.
“Thank you so much for finding him…” The Eevee said, quickly releasing the rabbit and rushing up to the two explorers.
“Just doing our jobs.” Hickory happily said as Cinder smiled, giving a nod.
“Please, take this.” The Eevee said, removing a pouch of money from around their neck.
Once things calmed down a bit, the Eevee then realized just how wet their fur was. “Maybe we should wait a bit for the rain to clear…” He said, turning towards the Scorbunny.
“I’m sure my folks will let you stay over if you want.”
Watching his friend walk to a less crowded part of the lobby, the Scorbunny glanced down at his feet and rubbed his arm. “Hey…” Said Hickory, trying to get the rabbit’s attention. “My name’s Hickory by the way… And that’s Cinder.” The aforementioned Vulpix gestured with her head.
“We’ll be around if you ever want to talk to us…” Looking up at Hickory, the Scorbunny gave a slight smile and nodded before heading after his friend.
As the two sat by the guild’s entrance waiting for the rain to stop, the two members of Team Lightwood mostly sat in silence. However Cinder would occasionally turn her head, as if she were searching for something.
“ Dammit, where the hell did that thick headed- ” The Vulpix mumbled, before giving a slight sigh. “You see where Crash went off too…?”
“Actually, I kind of wanted to talk to you about Crash. Hickory responded.
“ Well if you’re gonna talk about me, you may as well say it to my face. ”
The two turned to see the Scraggy. He was wet from the rain, and had bandages wrapped both around his arm and on the inside of his pouch, as they could be seen poking out from the top. Hickory stared at Crash, and then around the rest of the guild.
“Though now that you’re here, maybe we should talk about this somewhere else… ” The Bayleef said, thinking back to the skirmish he had with his mother in the lobby that morning.
“Sure, how ‘bout Cinder’s place. ” Crash said in a blunt, yet snide tone. Cinder looked out at the rainstorm and slowly back at Crash, a clear scowl present on her face.
Cinder was the first one back inside, trying her damndest to shake herself dry before slightly heating up her body. As Hickory and Crash followed her inside, the former couldn’t help but feel things were a bit cramped for his liking. Looking at the shelves on the walls, Hickory kept feeling like he’d knock something over.
“Sorry, this place is kinda meant for two and not… three… ” Cinder remarked as she noticed this.
“ Maybe it’s just me… ” Hickory replied, rubbing the back of his head with a vine. “ I’ve been told I’m a bit big for a Bayleef my age… ”
Crash squeezed past the two, falling backwards on one of the two straw beds. “Well you said you wanted to talk, right?” At this moment, the mood in the treehouse immediately began to turn.
“Okay…” Hickory said, as he knelt on the floor. The two then glanced at Cinder before she rolled her eyes and sat down as well.
Taking a breath, Hickory looked Crash dead in the eyes. “Forgive me if I’m prying too much, but… Why did you react like that anyway…?”
”Like what?” Crash asked, crossing his arms.
“This morning…”
Crash froze upon hearing those words.
“And throughout the day as well… I just want to know if I upset you-”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Crash interrupted in a slightly more aggressive tone as he sat up.
“If we’re going to work together, I just don’t want us to be on bad terms… okay…”
“Is that it?” The Scraggy bluntly asked.
“Cause if so, the two of you can get to talking about ‘ how great your first job as a team was ’, or whatever it is you greenscarfs do at a time like this…” Crash spat before seeing the dark green bandana tied around his arm. Giving a sigh, he fell back down on the bed.
“ And here I said I’d never… ” Crash grumbled.
“ Because the life of a thief is so much better, right? ” Cinder loudly whispered to herself. It wasn’t loud enough to act as a retort to what Crash had said, but was still loud enough for him to hear. The yellow lizard’s frustrated expression began to soften as he started to think back. Before he came to the guild… before Team Raiders… And before he had left home…
…
The sound of shattering glass rang throughout the house as Crash dove into the next room. The Scraggy was engaged in what felt like a near daily ritual of dodging the bottles his father threw at him. Getting up, he soon felt pressure on top of his tail. Crash turned his head, seeing a bipedal orange reptile with a red mohawk-like crest on their head. The Scrafty loomed over Crash, an angry glare sitting on the dark type’s face.
“ You’re aim’s gettin’ better you old bastard… ” Crash said under his breath.
“Now I’m gonna ask you again… Is there a reason you came back with nothing …? ” His father asked, scowling.
“ There were too many ‘mons watching… ” Crash muttered as he gritted his teeth, glancing away from the Scrafty. Mal Glared at Crash for a few seconds before he huffed and kicked Crash away from him, mumbling profanities as he turned to walk away.
Hearing the front door close, Crash let out a slight sigh and turned to the door beside him. Entering his relatively small room and quickly shutting the door, he let the coins he had been hiding under his tongue fall out onto his bed.
“ Ugh, that’s fucking nasty… ” Crash said, violently licking his arm. Feeling that enough of the metallic taste was gone, Crash walked over to the side of his room and pulled up one of the floorboards. He removed one of two jars half filled with golden coins from the space under the floor, opening it as he approached his bed.
“ Twenty-five, fifty… sixty- ” Crash stopped counting as he could’ve sworn he had taken more. As the Scraggy frantically started to search around the straw nest-like bed he was sitting on, he froze and slowly put his hand to his red, scaly belly.
“ Arceus dammit I’m in trouble… ”
Crash slowly stepped outside his room, searching for any sign of his dad returning. “ Okay… So we still have some time… ”
Exiting the house, Crash headed into town, quickly going down the dirt walkway that ran through down the center. A somewhat dreary feeling lingered in the atmosphere of the town, as most of the wooden and stone houses and stands lining the path were fairly run down.
“ Please be open, please be open, please be open… ” Crash muttered as he turned off the main road and rushed down an alley leading towards a black and light blue tent.
“Hey! Sparky! You in there?!” Crash loudly asked as he pounded his fist against the tent. Soon, a large cat with blue and black fur matching the tent slowly poked their head out and looked down at Crash.
“ I told you not to call me ‘Sparky’… ”
“Got your attention didn’t it?” Crash quickly retorted.
“You’re not here to try anything are you…?” The Luxray tiredly asked with a glare.
“If I was, I wouldn’t’ve knocked.”
“What do you want…?”
“You Luxrays can see through things, right?”
‘Sparky’ sighed and shook his head. “ What did you do this time…? ”
“ Well… ”
“Well what?” The electric type asked, raising a brow.
“I… think I might’ve swallowed something… ” Crash said, gritting his teeth as his hand slowly made its way across the red scales on his stomach.
The cat gave a lengthy stare filled carrying a mix of annoyance and disappointment. “Do I even want to know why?”
“Look, if you do it I’ll leave.”
“I have better things to do with my time.” The Luxray bluntly said.
“ Well fuck you too… ” Crash said under his breath.
“I will however, give you some advice.”
“What?” Crash curiously responded, tilting his head.
“ For your own good… you should leave this place… ”
“Leave?”
“ Yes, leave… Now quit wasting my time.” He said before re-entering his tent.
“ Quit wasting my damn time he says… ” Crash angrily mumbled as he walked home.
“ You’re not the one who potentially has valuables in your system… ” Reaching the outskirts of town he kept walking down the dirt path to the old wooden house he called ‘home’.
Crash paused and stared at the rickety structure for a while before taking a short breath. However upon opening the door, the moment Crash stepped inside he was met with something hard hitting him square in the face. A shattering sound that he was all too familiar with brought the yellow lizard back to his senses. But something was different this time… there was an extra sound… A light clattering… almost as if several bits of metal had hit the ground…
Turning his head, Crash looked down only to find the poké he had been collecting spilled out onto the ground. He quickly looked back in the direction the jar had been thrown to see Mal holding a coin out in front of him… The same coin Crash thought he had ingested. Had he dropped it? How did he not notice that he’d dropped it? Did he not close the floorboards properly? All questions that ran through Crash’s mind.
“ And here I thought I taught you better, then to hide things from me … ”
Taking a step back as the rageful Scrafty approached him. Crash’s arms quivered, his heart was pounding, and his fists clenched before he leaned his head forward. Charging at his father, Crash was about to headbutt the Scrafty when he felt a sharp pain as Mal kneed him in the face. Feeling himself being pushed into the air, this was followed by a swift kick to Crash’s chest.
Hitting the ground, Crash was gasping for air as he watched the Scrafty loom over him. “Now how about you take that, and use it to get what I told you to earlier…” He said pointing at the broken jar.
“And don’t come back until you do.”
As Crash struggled to get back up, watching his dad walk slowly back inside. Mal stopped, turning his head back halfway. Catching a glimpse of his son, he gritted his teeth in irritation before making his way inside.
As night fell over the town, Crash still hadn’t gone back. He lingered around the mostly empty streets, occasionally meandering close to his house. A small part of him hoped that maybe, just maybe his father would come out to check on him… But Crash knew better. He slowly walked up to the window and peered inside.
“ Aaannnddd he’s asleep… ” Crash grumbled, staring at the Scrafty.
Crash could see Mal, slumped over a table, clearly having gotten more drinks without the Scraggy’s aid. “ So much for getting the rest back… ” Crash muttered, glancing at the pile of glass on the ground. Moving away from the window and steadily reaching the door, Crash stopped as an empty feeling came over him. His breathing grew heavier as his arm began to shake. Slowly pulling back from the door, he backed away and walked into town once again…
…
“ Because the life of a thief is so much better, right… ” Crash heard Cinder say under her breath. He looked the Vulpix straight in the eye, giving his usual smug grin.
“What can I say, shit happens… ” However despite his current demeanor, a somewhat pained tone was present in the Scraggy’s voice.
Cinder rolled her eyes as Hickory and Crash watched her walk over to the window, resting her snout on the sill. “Welp, I’m tired.” Crash said, resting his hands behind his head.
“ Don’t wake me up unless there’s a fire… ” He said with a yawn, Cinder giving a slight groan of annoyance in response. Hickory sighed and stood up.
“Some first day…” he thought as the leaf on his head drooped a little.
“ No… Don’t think like that… ” Hickory muttered, shaking his head. “It’s just the first day… There’s still tomorrow… ” Hearing this, Crash opened an eye.
“There’s still tomorrow huh…?”
…
“I can make it ‘till tomorrow… Yeah… yeah, I don’t need any-fucking-body!…” Crash thought, nervously pacing back and forth outside of town. The Scraggy stopped and looked out onto the path adjacent to the nearby woods, both shrouded in darkness.
“ … I can… go tomorrow… ”
Over the next few days, Crash spent his time skulking around town rummaging through various spots around town. Gathering things for his eventual trip out of town… Or at least this is what Crash kept telling himself. As towards the end of each day, he would take whatever he found and hide it in a secluded area just outside of town. It was a relatively small hillside cliff looking over the town that nobody ever really went to, mostly due to what Crash thought was some stupid urban legend that an Absol who cursed the spot as they died or whatever. He never really bothered with all the details, all that mattered was his stolen goods were safe.
Crash laid back on the rocky surface, staring up at the night sky. Pulling one hand out from resting behind his head, he absentmindedly reached up; ‘grabbing’ at one of the stars in view before letting his arm fall to the side.
“When I said you should leave, this isn’t what I meant…” A rather tired sounding voice behind Crash said.
A Luxray’s face soon came into view, staring down at Crash with a look he couldn’t quite make out. Perhaps pity… or maybe disappointment, he couldn’t tell.
“What d’ya want Sparky?”
“Don’t call me that.” He bluntly responded.
“As for what I want…” The large cat said, circling around. “Why do this? Why not go and make something of yourself?” Crash sighed.
“You mean like joining one of those stuck up guilds?”
“Why not join one? You clearly possess some level of talent.”
Crash sat up and tilted his head. “ Talent? ”
The blue and black cat raised a brow, geturing to Crash’s stash of items with his head. “Do you think I haven’t seen what you’ve been doing the past few days?”
“Listen kid, if you need to lie, cheat, and steal to survive. You’re going to live a rather lonely existence… Pokemon tend to be social creatures by nature after all.” The Luxray said.
Crash looked down at the town and sighed. “ Well since you seem to know so much about my life, do you already know why my dad kept me around…? ” He asked with a tinge of anger in his voice.
There was a long drawn out silence between the two pokemon until Crash slowly stood up. “ He wanted a thief… someone to steal for him… ”
“ What guild would want someone like that anyways… ” Crash said, rubbing his lower arm.
However his arms soon stiffened and started shaking. The Luxray watched from behind as Crash soon rubbed his face with his arm, before walking over to his stash of items hidden in the rocks. Grabbing whatever he could and shoving whatever he could fit into his pouch. He could hear Crash grumbling something, not quite being able to make out what was said. But something he did manage to make out however was: ‘ no more ’
“Welp, it’s been nice Sparky. But I think this is where I take my leave.” Crash huffed as he stormed off.
Making his way down to the edge of the town, Crash stared out at the road ahead of him. He inhaled deeply as he took his first steps into the unknown. Now by all means, this wasn’t the first time Crash had left the confines of his hometown by himself. Having left just to be on his own, or to start trouble with the other local pokemon his age.
But this time, it felt different… Almost as if he were leaving for the very first time. The young Scraggy had no idea what was in store for him. But in his mind, anything was better than staying back home.
“Starting now, everything changes…” Crash thought. His head held high, and eyes focused on the road ahead of him… Until his pace slowed down. He glanced around, taking note of how he was now out in the open in the dead of night. Pivoting around, Crash headed back to the outside of town.
“ Let’s wait ‘till morning… ”
…
That night, Crash laid awake in bed staring up at the ceiling. He then glanced around the treehouse, watching Cinder ‘run about’ in her bed as she muttered things in her sleep. Giving a slight, halfhearted chuckle, the yellow lizard turned his attention towards Hickory. The Bayleef had fallen asleep on the floor, his legs tucked under his body as his head hung over the floorboards. A rather peaceful expression was displayed on the grass type’s face as he slept, clearly something pleasant occurring in his dreams.
“Look at him…” Crash thought as a semblance of anger started to well up within him. All of his feelings from the day’s events finally making themselves more apparent as his glare narrowed.
He didn’t hate the Bayleef, but at the moment he didn’t want much to do with him. Crash knew full well why he felt this way, but he’d be damned if he’d admit it. The Scraggy soon sat up, sparing the two an extra look just to make sure they were asleep. The anger began to fade as a more somber feeling took over, a slight burning sensation forming in the Scraggy’s throat as his eyes began to water.
“ Coming here was a mistake… ” He whispered to himself, putting his face in his hands.
‘ You do wish to leave this place, do you not…? ’ Crash heard a voice say.
“ Well ye- … no I can’t… I can’t just run this time… ”
‘Don’t think of this as “running” per say… More like, taking a break…’ The ominous whisper said, once again trying to persuade the dark type.
For a brief moment, a glint of light purple shone in the Scraggy’s eyes. He stood up, and quietly walked over to the wooden cabinet. Reaching underneath, Crash pulled out the small box that resided below. The chest bore the same lavender glow, only seeming to glow brighter once Crash picked it up.
“ Mmm… egh, the hell- turn that shit off… ” Cinder tiredly grumbled, rubbing her eye with her paw before looking in Crash’s direction..
“ What the hell are you- ” The auburn fox froze when her gaze fell on the Scraggy, his eyes locked onto the illuminated box as if he were in some kind of trance.
“Crash… Put. That. Down… ”
“ Cinder! I-I… I don’t- ” Crash stammered, coming back to his senses. However in doing so he dropped the box, the sound off it hitting the floor jolting Hickory awake.
“Ah! What was tha- … … Dear Arceus… ”
“CRASH! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!” Cinder yelled, darting for the Scraggy. Crash quickly gave the chest a light kick, trying to get it to stop.
“ L-Look, I don’t know. I just- ” But before the yellow lizard could finish his sentence, a blinding flash of light enveloped the room…
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