The Last Resort
by MalwareBirb404“Okay… So as we’re all probably aware, yesterday could’ve gone better,” Hickory said as he and the others sat in Sienna’s room.
Crash, Cinder, and Sienna spoke no words as they shot each other with their annoyed glances.
“And I think it stems from a lack of communication,” Hickory continued, holding out the vines sprouting from his neck.
“Where are you going with this?” Crash asked as he lay on his back.
“Well if we’re all going to work together, it would make things easier if we spoke about our- Um…”
“ Unresolved issues ,” Cinder chimed in, her eyes shifting towards Crash and Sienna.
“Right,” Hickory said with a wavering grin. “So I think it’d be best if we talk a bit about how we feel to start things off.”
“I feel this is a complete waste of time,” Sienna bluntly said as she stood up.
The leaf on Hickory’s head drooped as he watched her prepare to leave. “Sienna…”
“Sorry Hick, but you set yourself up for that one,” Crash remarked.
Sienna groaned. “Look. We only have a few days until the auction starts , and our plan right now is shot!” the Krokorok hissed before glaring at Crash. “ And now , we need another luminous orb.”
“I said I was sorry!” The Scraggy exclaimed as he raised his arms.
“Well I don’t think your friend’s gonna be too keen on giving us another,” Cinder said as Crash rolled onto his stomach. However the moment he did, the Scraggy flinched as he felt one of the trinkets he stole from Ruby pinching the inside of his pouch.
“Can’t imagine why…” Sienna groaned.
“The orb was wedged in all her junk, what was I supposed to do?!”
“How about only taking what you were supposed to?”
Cinder and Hickory both turned their attention to the Scraggy as Sienna stared daggers at him. “Alright, fine!” Crash complained as he sat up. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a silver necklace, as well as a few other pieces of jewelry .
“Crash…” Cinder groaned, raising a paw to her face. “Maybe we shouldn’t be stealing any more.” The Vuplix froze as her gaze trailed to the side. “I can’t believe I’m having to say that.”
Crash narrowed his eyes, turning his head towards the fox. “Isn’t this whole plan that you agreed to about stealing the-”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it!” She snapped.
Sienna rolled her eyes. “Unless you have any better ideas, stop complaining.”
“Well just because we’re surrounded by bandits, it doesn’t mean we need to act like them,” Hickory said, pushing back his hat with one of his vines.
“Yeah… Bandits,” Cinder muttered, turning her head away as her ears folded down. Quickly looking back up, she glared at Crash and Sienna. “I’d also like not making trouble with said bandits.”
Sienna leaned towards the Vulpix with a bored glare on her face. “ Sometimes , we have to do things we don’t like to get what we want.”
“Well there has to be another way, right?” Hickory questioned.
Silence hung over the room like a heavy fog until Sienna clenched her claws. A crocodilian hiss escaped her jaws as she turned away. “There’s… someone we can try,” she grumbled.
Hickory’s face lit up. “See, I knew there was another way to resolve this.”
“Why do I feel like there’s more to it than that?” Crash asked.
The Krokorok gritted her teeth. “I hate him.”
“There it is.”
Sienna walked towards her table, picking up a sack laying on its surface. “ Lucky for us, his place is near the auction this year. Only good thing about this, really.”
Hickory smiled as he stepped forward. “Well now that we have a plan in mind, how about we talk about-”
“No,” Crash and Sienna said in unison.
Flinching at the sudden rejection, Hickory ever slightly sunk down. “Well, at least you guys can agree on something,” the Bayleef remarked.
Outside on the roof, the members of Team Lightwood watched as Sienna dragged a large plank towards the edge. She slid it over until it bridged the gap between The Silver Claw and a longer building adjacent to it.
Sienna looked down at the alley below before turning towards the others. “Alright, let’s go.”
One by one the four pokemon crossed the four story gap. Sienna and Crash crossed without much issue, while Cinder had to psyche herself up a bit first. Hickory, however, found himself getting anxious, shaking as he tried to cross.
“Come on, don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights, Hick,” Crash remarked.
Cinder aggressively nudged his side. “Knock it off.”
The Bayleef craned up his neck as he trembled. “I-I’m not not scared of heights, I’m scared of falling.”
He tried his best to balance on the plank, but his stocky quadrupedal frame and naturally wider gait proved that his kind was not meant for performing feats such as this. After making it halfway across, Crash walked closer to the edge of the other roof. A vermillion aura flowed over his body as he used Bulk Up.
“Grab my tail, wouldja?” he nonchalantly asked Cinder.
Raising her brow, Cinder stared at him. “Wait, Crash, what are you doing?”
“Speeding things up,” the Scraggy said. “Hick, hold out your vines!”
The Bayleef hesitantly did so, stretching out the tendrils as he edged closer.
“Whatever you’re planning, I don’t think it’s safe,” Cinder remarked.
“I’d argue being here in the first place isn’t safe, but here we are.”
Once Hickory’s vines were stretched out enough, Crash grabbed on to them while Cinder bit down on his tail. The two dug their feet into the floor before the Scraggy pulled back, forcing Hickory forwards. However, it wasn’t as smooth of a transition as Crash had hoped, as the Bayleef lost his footing and tumbled on top of him.
Sienna watched as the three outsiders pulled themselves up. She gave a small sigh as she shook her head. “Are you done? Cause we’re gonna have to do that a few more times.”
She turned her head and began walking towards the other end of the roof. “Also toss that plank back.”
Dusting off his vest, Crash turned to the others. “More?” He loudly whispered.
“Maybe they won’t be as bad,” Hickory said as he gave a small smile.
Hearing this, Crash and Cinder slowly turned towards him with tired expressions.
The Scraggy turned on his heel and started walking. “Whatever you say…”
Following Sienna over multiple rooftops, and across several railings, beams, and pipes, the four found themselves overlooking one of the many bustling areas of the Third Layer.
“See that over there?” Sienna asked as she pointed to a large, temple-like building.
Its front was surrounded by scaffolding, and its side displayed the words ‘As Below’ written in red.
“That’s where the auction’s gonna be, ” she said before pointing a few streets over to the left. “And that’s where we’re going.”
“And where exactly is there?” Cinder forcefully asked.
Sienna rolled her eyes before turning back to look at the others. She saw Hickory slowly leaning in his neck as he looked her in the eyes. Remembering what they had talked about the day prior, Sienna sighed.
“It’s called The Last Resort. It’s a fight club .”
“Sorry, a what?!” Cinder asked, her eyes widened as the others gave the Krokorok similarly surprised looks.
“You didn’t want to keep stealing, this is the next best thing,” an annoyed Sienna answered.
Walking towards some nearby scaffold , the Krokorok beckoned for the others to follow. “Let’s not waste more time.”
The trio watched as Sienna effortlessly made her way down the wood and metal structure .
As Crash and the others peered down, he sighed. “It’s gonna be one of those days, isn’t it?”
The four stayed close together as they journeyed further into the crowds. The streets were alive with activity, with many pokemon simply going about their business. What that business was however, they could only guess to be less than respectable, as the atmosphere began to change once they reached the markets. Crash did his best to hide his nerves as he walked past the many stalls and their less then composed consumers.
“Is it just me, or does everyone seem kinda pissed off?” the Scraggy whispered.
“It’s hard to find someone who’s not pissed off in the markets,” Sienna grumbled.
Pretty much on queue, a growling Mightyena slammed their front paws on the booth a Cacturne stood behind. Not taking kindly to this, the cactus pokemon reared back their arm as energized spikes spread across it. Striking them in the face with Needle Arm, the canid was shoved back into a group of other pokemon.
“Just keep walking,” Sienna muttered as the four walked past. However Hickory couldn’t help but shift his gaze towards the merciless beating the Mightyena received. He swore that the two locked eyes for a brief moment before a voice pulled Hickory back.
“Hick, let’s go,” Crash grumbled as he tapped the Bayleef’s side. “I don’t wanna be out here too long.”
Passing by the large building Sienna had pointed to before, the group could see other pokemon starting to gather as they all tried to scope out the venue. However, a Machamp and a Kommo-o stood guard at the main entrance.
“So much for getting a look around,” Crash muttered as he trained his eyes away from the guards.
“There’s more than one way to get into a building,” Sienna quietly replied. “But we’ll worry about it later.”
Slipping past the crowds, Hickory began to slow his pace before turning his head back. “Helping will just cause more trouble,” he heard Sienna say. “For them, and us.”
The Bayleef sighed before he continued walking as a lingering feeling of guilt remained present.
“This place is supposed to be a fight club?” Cinder questioned as she looked up at the rather plain looking stone building.
“Were you expecting a touch more blood on the door?” Crash replied, slightly hunching forward as he glanced at the Vulpix.
Hickory grimaced. “To be honest, a little bit.”
Sienna soon turned the corner and walked to the alley on the side of the building. “This way,” she flatly said, gesturing with her claws to follow.
Feeling along the wall, the Krokorok inspected the bricks as if she was looking for something specific.
“Should be right… Here.”
Pushing one of the bricks, both it and a number of others swung to the side as one unit, revealing a way in .
“Let’s get this over with,” Sienna groaned as she stepped inside.
Inside the nearly empty room, the only thing present besides the four pokemon and some lit lanterns being a large flight of stairs leading down to whatever lay beneath. A cacophony of sounds echoed from the stairwell.
Sienna took a deep breath and turned to the others. “Don’t entertain the crap this guy has to say. We’re going to be in, and out.”
“Fine by me,” Cinder grumbled. “Whatever makes this easier.”
The sounds got louder as the four reached an archway at the bottom of the stairs. The large stone room was surprisingly bright, the glowing, yellow centers of the cyan orbs on the walls adding to the overall light. A number of pokemon stood in a large circle, watching as two in the center of it all prepared to fight. A Marowak and Scrafty stood before each other, the latter giving a smirk before twisting his head to the side and popping his neck.
“So this’ll be like the… Third time I’ve kicked your ass?” The Scrafty boasted, leaning forwards with a smug grin.
The Marowak tightened the grip he had on his bone club. “Yeah! Cause you fucking cheat!”
“My place, my rules,” the Scrafty dismissively said with a shrug. “Right guys?”
There was a collective murmur of agreement amongst the crowd, much to the chagrin of the bone-wielding reptile. The Marowak growled and charged forwards, raising his club at the Scrafty to take a swing at his head. However, the orange lizard quickly leaned back as far as he could to avoid the strike.
Using his left arm to stabilize himself, he swung his leg up at the Marowak. They blocked it, but thinking quickly, the Scrafty twisted his hand as it pushed against the floor and swung his legs in a sort of combative break dance. Hitting his opponent in the stomach, he forced them to stagger back.
The Marowack’s feet glowed a light russet color before angrily stomping the ground. Strong vibrations and small fissures tore through the floor, knocking the Scrafty off balance. His back on the ground, he watched his bone-wielding assailant rush toward him. They raised their weapon above his head in preparation to strike.
“I’ll wipe that smug look off your face for good!” He yelled, swinging down his bone.
But the Marowak was surprised to see the Scrafty stop the club with his feet. Pulling the weapon out of his opponent’s grasp and tossing it to behind him, the Scrafty sprang back up.
The Marowak hastily stepped back as the Scrafty lightly stepped from side to side before switching to an erratic, but still rhythmic pattern. “What’s the matter, dude? No good without your stick?” he taunted.
Quickly turning on his heel, the Scrafty leapt up, using High Jump Kick and slamming his foot down on the Marowak’s head.
Sienna and the others approached the scene as the Marowak fell to the ground, watching through a gap in the crowd as they tried to pull themselves back up. But before the Marowak could do anything, a dark gray aura surrounded the Scrafty’s fist before slamming it into his opponent’s jaw.
However this wasn’t the end of it, as three other pokemon amongst the audience spinted forth; each carrying the same dark aura. The first was a small, auburn fox with large black ears. The Nickit leapt onto the Marowak, quickly striking with their glove-like paw before springing off. Next was a lithe, purple cat with yellow markings who swiped at the downed pokemon’s side.
The Liepard hastily hopped to the side as a Toxtricity rushed up, the purple and blue salamander giving the Marowak a kick to the back. The Scrafty then walked toward him carrying his opponent’s bone club, however his intent wasn’t to return it. Twirling the club in his hand with a smug look on his face, the Scrafty swung the club right into the of the Marowak’s stomach.
“WHOOO!” The crested reptile gleefully shouted, raising the bone club in victory.
A Helioptile resting from a beam on the ceiling shined a light from their head, beaming it though a piece of green glass and down on the victor.
“Alright! Who’s-” The Scrafty froze in place as his eyes happened upon a familiar face. “…Ready to get their party on?!”
This was met by a round of cheers as he looked up at the Helioptiles on the ceiling’s beam, rapidly turning his hand as a signal to do something. They each scrambled, grabbing different colored glass before shining their light down on the rest of the room.
“Annnd I guess that’s my queue,” the Toxtricity lazily said before walking off, sweeping his fingers across the purple ridges on his chest, emulating the sound of a guitar.
As the music reverberated through the room, the Scrafty began to bob his head and tap his foot, preparing to join the crowd of pokemon around him. But the Liepard held out a paw and stopped him, clearing their throat.
“Right…” he mouthed.
“Well, well, well,” the Scrafty said as he walked towards Sienna’s side of the room. His partners followed him while he held up the yellow pants-like skin that hung off his waist as he strutted up to the Krokorok. “If it isn’t Sisi.”
Sienna scowled. “Bowie.”
“And here I thought you didn’t like making friends?” The Scrafty teased.
Sienna glanced at her new teammates before responding. “I don’t.”
“Ugggh… You’re no fun,” Bowie groaned as he crossed his hands behind his head. But, it was then that Crash fell under his gaze.
Noticing this, the Scraggy’s eyes widened. He cautiously stepped back as his heart raced, making sure Sienna and Hickory were positioned between them.
Bowie’s eyes trailed off to the side. “Also said you didn’t hang around fighting types either… Not cool Sisi.”
“Don’t call me that.”
The Scrafty shrugged. “So what brings you around to my humble abode? With guests might I add…”
Sienna crossed her arms. “I’m only here ‘cause I need an item.”
“That’s it? Knowing you, I thought you’d need help for a heist or something,” Bowie remarked.
Crash, Cinder, and Hickory glanced at each other upon hearing the Scrafty’s words.
“Do me a solid and keep an eye on things here,” he told the Liepard beside him. The cat nodded, sauntering off as Bowie turned towards the group. “So-”
“Not out here,” Sienna forcefully said.
“Right… Keep forgetting you’re more of the private type ,” the Scrafty teased. “But I still gotta rule here.”
“Bowie, I fucking swear-”
Giving a smirk, the Scrafty turned towards the crowd. “Alright guys, clear the floor! A challenge has been issued!”
At that moment, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the club’s owner.
“Sienna, what the hell’s going on?” Crash asked, growing more on edge.
“Remember when I said not to entertain his crap? Ignore that.”
“That doesn’t really narrow things down.”
Bowie turned his head back and eyed the Krokorok. Giving a wink, he spun on his heel and pointed at her. “You…” His arm then slowly waved around for the next few seconds until it came to a stop… Pointing at Crash. “And you.”
“So what, you wanna battle both of us?” Crash snapped.
“Yeah!” Bowie chuckled. “I owe Sisi a thrashing. And it’s always fun to see what little dudes like you can do.” The Scrafty turned to walk towards the center of the room, of which the floor was still cracked from the fight before.
Crash couldn’t explain it, but a part of him felt sick. Something about Bowie didn’t sit right with him, more so then the other pokemon he’d come across in the city. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, but he felt his body tensing up with each second that scraped by.
Picking up on his nervousness, Sienna tapped Crash on the back with her tail. “This is the fastest way to get out of here.”
Crash hesitated for a moment before glaring up at Sienna. “Fine. You better have a plan for winning this.”
“I don’t plan on losing,” she said, glaring back.
The Scraggy’s eyes shifted away. “So you don’t have a plan… Great.”
“So what are we supposed to do?” Cinder asked.
Sienna glanced around at the pokemon around them. “You and Leafhead make sure nothing’s going on in the crowd.”
“Come on, Sisi!” Bowie called out. “You’re not scared to face me, are ya?”
“Arceus dammit, you’re annoying,” Sienna grumbled.
Crash and Sienna made their way through a clearing in the crowd towards the battlefield, Crash making sure to keep out of the Scrafty’s direct view .
Bowie watched the two step onto the field, smirking as Sienna was staring daggers at him. However he noticed the Scraggy by her side seemed on edge. Raising his hands behind his head, Bowie continued to stand there as he began tapping his foot. “So who’s gonna make the first move?” He asked.
“Nobody? Okay then…”
As he charged for the two, Sienna whipped around and swung her tail towards his feet. He quickly jumped backwards and spat a dark glob of Sludge Bomb in her face. Running around her, Bowie set his sights on Crash before leaping towards him with his foot outstretched.
The Scraggy blocked the kick, using Bulk Up as he crossed his arms. But Bowie’s kick was still strong enough to push him back. Now standing between Crash and Sienna, he raised his arms behind his head.
“This really the best you two got?” He taunted as Sienna turned to face him.
She held up her arm to attack before summoning a shadowy aura around her claws. But before she could swipe at him, Bowie headbutted her snout .
“Behind you!” Someone in the crowd yelled.
Glancing behind him, Bowie saw Crash raise his hand to strike him in the back. He quickly grabbed Sienna’s arm, the Scrafty kicking her before quickly kicking backwards, striking Crash before repeating the attacks. Enraged, Sienna growled before lunging her head forwards and snapping her jaws at his face.
“You’re usually not this pissed,” Bowie remarked, letting the Krokorok’s arm go and kicking her in the stomach. As she staggered back, he leapt up, his right leg outstretched and glowing red before striking her with High Jump Kick.
Sitting up, Crash watched as the Scrafty casually approached him. He saw Bowie’s eyes cockily glaring down at him as if he’d already one. But the signature crimson crest that adorned the Scrafty’s head was an all too familiar sight from that angle.
“Damn, this is boring,” Bowie said with a confident smirk. “Was really hoping you guys would blow me away.”
Crash’s heart began to race as he thought of what to do. “So be it,” he thought.
Too in the moment to pay it any mind, Crash felt a surge of power rush into him. Perhaps it was adrenaline, or maybe the effects of his vest kicking in. But he felt a rush of power flow into his leg. as it was enveloped in a fierce, red glow.
Standing over Crash, Bowie found himself pausing to get a good look at what was in front of him. There was a glint of rage in the Scraggy’s fearful eyes , but it was cut short as Crash kicked forward. Hard. A surge of pain washed over Bowie’s lower half before he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. A loud series of ‘oohs’ echoed through the room as the Scrafty lay motionless on the floor as a pained, breathy whine escaped his mouth.
Pulling herself up, Sienna grasped her bleeding nose before running up to and kicking the downed Scrafty in the back. Two green lights shined down on the victors, and the crowd went into an uproar. Some were cheering, while others had been hoping for a longer fight. But it all came to a stop when the Liepard that had been with Bowie walked onto the field and held up her paw.
“Alright, we’re done here today! Everyone out!”
After the room had emptied out, a small yellow and green snake carrying a bowl on their back slithered towards Bowie and the others. Setting it down, the Dunsparce fired a cold beam into the bowl. Smashing his fist down on the ice formed inside, Bowie grabbed a handful and shoved it down his pouch.
Flinching, he groaned. “Eguh, that’s better…”
“And right after that whole show he was putting on,” Cinder said with the slight shaking of her head.
“Here I thought the loose skin protected… Down there ,” Sienna said as she held down her snout.
Crash’s eyes shifted to the side. “It does.”
Hickory winced. “Why did you hit him there , though?”
“Look, I-” Crash snapped at the Bayleef before slowly turning away. “I saw an opportunity and I took it.”
“And that’s just what I like to hear!” Bowie interrupted as he quickly stood, only to flinch and sit back on the floor. “You should take some notes, Sisi!”
“I wasn’t thinking straight. Don’t get too uppity,” Sienna remarked as she stepped towards the Scrafty.
Bowie shrugged. “Sure, sure, whatever. Just saying I haven’t seen that fire in you for a while.”
“You headbutted my nose,” she snarled.
“And I’m sorry,” the Scrafty teased.
Sienna bore a toothy scowl as the orange lizard kept that same stupid grin on his face. However she wasn’t about to press the matter further, as she had come here for a reason.
“Now you said you needed an Item, right?” the Scrafty asked.
“Yeah. And I don’t feel like asking again.”
“Kinda rude Sisi,” Bowie said while shrugging.
Sienna stared boredly at the Scrafty, her unflinching glare only narrowing in response.
“Cool it, I’m just stalling for time. Your little friend hit me pretty good.”
At that moment, Crash quickly looked away from the Scrafty. With the battle over, he had the chance to put together what it was about Bowie that bothered him.
“That crest… It’s just like his,” he thought as his hands trembled.
Noticing this, Cinder tapped his side with her paw. “Are you good, Crash?”
He stiffened and turned his attention to the Vulpix. “Yeah.”
“Is that what it was like after we first met?” Crash suddenly asked, gesturing his head towards the scene before them.
Cinder’s gaze narrowed. “Little bit.”
Slowly getting up, Bowie glanced at Crash, to which the Scraggy positioned himself behind Hickory. The Scrafty and his cohorts then moved towards a large metal panel on the side of the room before the Nickit alongside him opened their bag-like tail.
Reaching inside, Bowie felt around. “For fuck’s sake, how much crap do you keep in here?” He muttered before pulling out a key.
Sienna and Team Lightwood watched him slide the panel open , revealing a room behind it that looked like a shoddily put together cross between a gym, a storage room, and a bar. Crates of various sizes sat throughout the large space, taking the places of a table and counter on the left side of the room. Even more filled up the back, forming walls and small towers that the Nickit quickly took to scaling upwards.
Walking towards the makeshift counter, the Toxtricity stepped behind while Bowie and the Liepard took a seat. Sienna followed, leaving a space between herself and them while the others stood nearby.
“I’m not thirsty if that’s what you’re wondering,” Sienna bluntly stated.
Bowie shrugged. “Well I finally got my hands on some of that prickly pear juice, so you’re missing out-”
“Well if that’s the case, our friend here is pretty allergic to the stuff, so we’ll wait out there,” Crash interrupted, tugging on Hickory’s scarf and leading the Bayleef into the other room.
“He gets all patchy, it’s really bad.
Hickory stopped, digging his feet into the floor and pulling back his neck. “Crash, what you-”
“May wanna shut the door too,” the Scraggy interrupted, gritting his teeth while still tugging on the scarf. “Right Hick, can’t be near the stuff !”
“You two better not fuck up that scarf,” snapped Sienna.
Not wanting to further upset the Krokorok, Hickory sighed and went along with Crash. After following the Scraggy out, Hickory poked his head out from behind the wall.
“You don’t mind if we close this, do you?”
After the panel was slid shut, Crash leaned his back against the wall and sighed. His breaths became quick and shallow, only slowing once he noticed Hickory staring at him.
“What was that about?” the Bayleef asked while readjusting his scarf.
Crash drug his hands down his face before looking off to the side. “It was getting stuffy in there. Think Powderkeg was starting to get a bit- You know…”
“Uh huh,” Hickory answered with a narrowed gaze.
Crash shifted his posture away as he pulled in his arms. “ Remember what I told you about my dad… The other day?”
Hickory sat down a few feet away from the Scraggy, looking down at him before staring out at the rest of the room. It was clear to him that Crash didn’t want to talk, but he could also tell that he wasn’t dragged out here for no reason.
“You know it’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it right now,” Hickory said as his eyes turned to the floor. “But we are a team now. And-”
“We need to communicate, right?” Crash grumbled.
Hickory tilted his head. “Well yes, but that’s not what I was gonna say.”
“I was going to say that if you ever want to, we’ll be here.”
Crash glanced up at the Bayleef and sighed. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“Hm?”
“For going along with… That,” Crash said with a flick of his wrist.
There was a short while of silence between the two before Hickory stood up. “You know, I really liked those prickly pears.”
“Well don’t let me stop you from taking the juice they’re giving out.” Crash said with a roll of the eyes.
Hickory brow furrowed. “I just don’t think we should lie about allergies.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Cinder watched Sienna digging through one of the crates filling the room. The Krokorok grumbling expletives to herself as she did.
“Try that one,” Bowie piped up with a snicker, pointing at a different box as he sipped his drink.
Opening another crate, Sienna slowly turned her head, scowling at the Scrafty. “Sunny orbs?”
“We use ‘em to keep the place lit,” the Liepard nearby said.
Cinder shook her head. “She said that we’d be in and out,”
“For fuck-” The Vuplix snapped before trying to calm herself. “Just tell us where the luminous orbs are!”
A few tiny embers left her mouth with each word, landing on the stone floor with a sizzle.
“Easy there Firecracker,” the Liepard said as she turned her head towards Cinder. “We’re just having a bit of fun.”
“We don’t really have a lot of time for fun,” Cinder replied with a scowl.
“No time for fun?!” The Nickit dramatically exclaimed as they stood up on their tower of crates.
Hopping down, she rushed towards the counter and looked up at Cinder. “Who hurt you?”
The Vulpix bore her teeth at the remark, trying her best to contain frustration.
“Besides, Bowie here’s training for the auction , and we screw around all the time!” the Nickit said.
Sienna tossed a crate’s lid to the side, “What’s your point?”
“Well you guys are gonna go too, right?”
Cinder and Sienna stared blankly at the small fox, whose face morphed into a wide grin. “ Ahhhh… You guys are going, aren’t you?!”
Sienna sighed. “The four of you have a fight club. Why are you even going to the auction?”
A moment of silence hung over the six pokemon before Bowie sat his drink to the side. “Can I be honest with you for a sec?”
“Not sure if you’ve noticed, but things have been getting a little crazy around here lately. Even for our taste.”
The Scrafty slid off his crate and walked towards Sienna. “See, I’ve kinda thought of us as friends. And I figured you’d be the right one to help us out.”
The Krokorok crossed her arms. “Where are you going with this?”
Bowie held out his hand, signaling the Nickit to come to his side. Reaching into their tail, he dug around before pulling out a luminous orb.
“We’re gonna steal from The Auction, use what we get for supplies, and then bail the city.”
Sienna and Cinder stared at the Scrafty before the former turned on her heel, walking towards the door. “I’ll think about it,” the Krokorok said.
Cinder hastily followed, glancing at the Scrafty as she approached Sienna. She wanted to say something, but held her tongue upon hearing her teammate mumble ‘not now’. Sticking her claws through the gap of the ajar panel, Sienna pulled it open , closing it after she and Cinder were through.
“I take it you guys heard that, right?” The Krokorok grumbled.
Crash and Hickory said nothing, but the latter’s face told her everything.
She sighed. “The moment I looked, I saw you sink back.”
“Have to work on that,” they heard her mutter.
“We can worry about their stealth later,” Cinder piped up before gesturing a paw at the metal door. “Are you really thinking about bringing them along?!”
Sienna raised her claws to the bridge of her snout and groaned. “They have a similar goal, and we need that orb.”
An uncomfortable look sat in Crash’s eyes. “And what happens if they find out what we’re after?”
“With any luck, they won’t.”
“I’m just not thrilled about adding more thugs from this place onto the team,” Cinder said with a scowl.
Hickory tilted his head in response. “Well Sienna clearly knows them, and we decided to trust her, didn’t we-”
Realizing what he said, he sheepishly looked at the aforementioned Krokorok. “No offense…”
Sienna rolled her eyes and turned her head towards the door. “As long as they get what they want, and keep out of our business, there shouldn’t be much to worry about.”
Cinder thought back to what Leone had told them while retelling her mother’s escapades.
‘It all happened gradually… More acquaintances were made, and more pokemon wanted in on whatever job we were doing at the time…’
Shaking herself free of the thought, Cinder’s breathing hastened. Gathering herself, she looked around at the others, all of whom were staring at her.
“I’m fine… Just had something on my mind.”
“Well focus,” Sienna grumbled before turning to walk towards the panel.
Pulling it back open, she and Hickory, entered the room, with Crash and Cinder following behind. The other team of pokemon took notice of their arrival and stood up.
“So… I take it you’ve thought about it?” Bowie said in his usual sly tone. However there was an added hint of hopefulness in his voice the others picked up on.
Rather than answer, Sienna glanced at her teammates. First at Hickory who gave a slight nod. Then towards Crash and Cinder with a more stern expression. Crash looked up at her before glancing at Bowie, quickly shifting away to give a reluctant nod.
Cinder returned the Krokorok’s stare. However her scowling brown eyes didn’t phase Sienna, who proceeded to step forward and hold out her arm towards the Scrafty.
“Fine.”
Bowie reached out to shake her claws, but quickly noticed her grip on his hand tighten.
“We’re in. But what I say goes.”
As she let go, Bowie grinned. “Sure, you’ve been better at this planning stuff anyway.”
Sienna acknowledged this with a nod before turning towards the door.
“Wait, where are you going?” the Scrafty asked.
“We have to do something,” Sienna said as she kept walking. “We’ll talk the rest out later.”
Looks of confusion came over the faces of Team Lightwood before they each followed Sienna out.
Stepping outside the alley beside The Last Resort, Sienna slumped forwards and sighed. “That was exhausting,” she thought.
“You mind telling us what that was about?” Cinder asked, stepping forward.
“I didn’t feel like being there longer than we had to.”
Crash shrugged. “Works for me, let’s- Wait… Are we gonna have to take the same way back?”
“Yep.” Sienna was answered by the sound of quiet groans from the trio. She rolled her eyes. “You did it once, you can do it again.”
Carefully making their way through the streets, the team of pokemon approached the scaffold from before. Setting up a thick plank and using Stone edge, Sienna summoned two stalagmites from the ground to hold the makeshift ramp in place. She then leapt up onto it, walking up the incline before hopping up and grabbing the next platform with her claws.
Climbing up to the roof, Crash and Cinder were catching their breath after having to pull Hickory up certain parts of the climb.
“Brother in Mew… What have you been eating?” The Scraggy remarked between breaths.
“The same as you if I recall,” Hickory tiredly replied.
“It was a rhetorical question-”
“Hurry up,” snapped Sienna as she rabidly tapped her foot.
Crash scowled. “You’re the one who made us climb up here!”
However, right before the Krokorok could answer, a loud rumbling from the markets below caught the group’s attention. Peering over, it was easy to see that a large fight had broken out between seemingly two groups of pokemon. Over what, they had no way to know, but the overall feelings were that of rage and malice.
“I want you three to watch this,” Sienna demanded, beckoning the other’s closer while not taking her eyes off the scene.
Several attacks and choice words were exchanged between the pokemon below, forming a chaotic cacophony of rage that the four could feel from the rooftop. As they continued to watch, the conflict quickly spilled from the confinement of a single street. And in less than a minute it had migrated next to where they had been prior to their assent up the scaffold.
Sienna turned to the others. “Any more complaints about my shortcuts?”
Finally reaching the gap leading to The Silver Claw, Hickory stretched the vines from his neck to grab the large plank they had used to cross before, bringing it over the edge.
Sienna was about to step forward when she froze. Looking down, she quickly stepped back.
Cinder tilted her head, craning it up at the Krokorok with an annoyed look on her face. “I feel like there’s something I could say about this.”
“Scared of your own shortcut?” Crash quipped as he gave Cinder a knowing glance.
“Shut up,” Sienna hissed.
Cinder narrowed her gaze in anger. “Listen, you-”
“Seriously, shut up!” Sienna whispered. She then pointed down over the edge, prompting the others to peer into the alley below. “Look…”
On the ground was a familiar, but unwelcome sight. A red eyed Sableye. However this time she had two pokemon beside her, a Quilava and Charmeleon that Sienna was also familiar with. A handful of other fire types stood behind the three, a clear sign they were looking for trouble.
“Dammit,” Sienna thought, her face creasing as she bore her fangs.
“I thought you said she wasn’t popular around here?” Crash loudly whispered.
“She’s not,” the Krokorok hissed. “Ruby just happened to find some guys who don’t like me.”
Meanwhile in the alley, the Sableye growled before kicking a small rock down the path.
“Look, we just heard she hangs around here. Don’t get pissed at us,” the Quilava said.
Ruby whipped around, staring at the green and beige badger before jabbing her claw into his chest.
“That Krokorok and her group of idiots cheated me. And if you don’t don’t find them, I’ll rip out your teeth one by one, and turn them into a necklace!”
The Quilava scoffed at the threat and rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Rip-Off Ruby ,” he shot back, turning as he and the other fire types walked off.
“Don’t you bastards walk away!” Ruby shouted, storming after them.
Watching as the group below left the area, Sienna felt her eye twitch. “Great… Just what we needed right now.”
“Maybe it’s a different Krokorok?” Crash remarked as he gestured back the way they came. “Swore I saw like, two in the fight back there.”
Sienna inhaled deeply, trying to avoid eye contact with Crash as she seethed.
Turning towards her, Hickory held out a vine. “Hey, uh… Sienna. Are you-”
“Shut up,” she said, cutting him off as she raised a claw. “…I’m thinking.”
Inside Sienna’s room, the Krokorok sat in front of her table, angrily staring at the surface. “We can’t stay here,” she said. “Knowing those morons, more of ‘em will show up later and try to storm the place.”
Crash looked up from a pile of the Krokorok’s things. “And here I thought leaving was the whole plan.”
“Not like this,” she muttered.
“We’re not making this Miss Leone’s problem,” Sienna said in a somewhat dejected tone before there was a knock on the door. “One of you go get that,” she ordered with the flick of her wrist.
The members of Team Lightwood glanced at each other before Crash stepped back and held up his hands. “Not it!”
Cinder slowly backed away as well, leaving Hickory to approach. Keeping a bit of distance between him and the door, he used one of his vines to open it. Peering through the crack in the door was a Dreepy. Hickory stared at the tiny teal dragon before turning his head back. “Uhh, Sienna?”
The Krokorok looked up, and upon seeing the Dreepy she got up and walked towards the door. Shoving past Hickory, she opened it and saw a Dragapult’s head was just above the floor, while the rest of his body was partially below.
“What do you want, Draco?”
“Leone wants to see you,” he answered. “Just a head’s up, she’s not happy.”
Sienna quietly groaned and closed her eyes. “I’ll be there in a bit.”
With that, the Dreepy returned to the Dracapult’s horns before they sank back into the floor.
Closing the door, Sienna’s body grew tense before her tail viciously thumped the floor. Silence soon hung over the room until the Krokorok took a deep breath.
“Let’s go,” she said, opening the door.
The four made their way down to the storage room before Sienna stopped and said. “Wait here.”
“What does Leone even wanna talk about, anyway?” Cinder questioned.
Crash shrugged. “My best guess is… What’d those guys call her again? Rip-Off Ruby ?”
“Which is why you’re gonna stay here,” Sienna commanded with a scowl, just before a slightly softer look crept onto her face. “…Please.”
As quickly as the break in her hardened demeanor faded, she was out the door and on her way down to The Silver Claw’s main area.
Slinking down from the balcony while tangled in her own thoughts, Sienna was met by the sight of a bar devoid of pokemon. All except for Leone and Draco, who were waiting for her like a pair of exasperated parents preparing to confront their unruly child.
Standing before them, she crossed her arms. “You wanted to talk?”
“Some… interesting characters recently showed up. Looking for you,” Leone said with a stern expression. “You agreed that if you stayed here, you wouldn’t bring trouble. So would you like to explain?”
“They’re just a bunch of morons,” Sienna huffed. “Besides, I’m leaving anyway.”
Leone looked somewhat shocked by this, but quickly reverted to the serious attitude she held before.
“I suppose it was inevitable,” the Purugly sighed. But looking into Sienna’s eyes, she could tell there was something else.
Raising a brow and tilting her head, the Krokorok sighed while averting her gaze. “The three that came here… Them, too.”
The thought of Cinder made Leone turn on her heels and start pacing away. “I want to see them.”
Sienna turned to walk upstairs, her tail dragging on the floor. But upon noticing this, she quickly lifted it up and hastened her pace. Stepping foot in the storage area, she leaned against the wall. “Leone wants to see you guys.”
Before they could continue, Sienna held her tail out to stop them. “Don’t talk about the plan… Okay?”
“Less she knows, the better,” the Krokorok said, sounding uncharacteristically somber.
She lifted her tail for them to pass, but her sharpened glare remained trained on them. “I mean it,” she said as they passed her.
Hickory stopped, his eyes meeting hers. Time seemed to slow as the two stared at each other, that is until Hickory gave a small nod. “We won’t mention it… But by the looks of it, you should at least say something .”
Watching as the trio headed down, Sienna hung her head. “I did,” she muttered before trailing behind them.
Stopping, her eyes fell on the others as they slowly walked down the stairs. There was a feeling of dread in the air as the three made their way down.
Leone’s gaze fell over Cinder, Crash, and Hickory before glancing up at Sienna on the balcony above. She then closed her eyes and sighed. “I am going to assume the four of you have concocted a plan to leave the city?”
“Something like that,” Cinder remarked.
“I do have to apologize for not finding someone to help you leave. As I told you before, escort jobs aren’t exactly a high priority for runners.”
“Eh, we were starting to think they weren’t a good idea anyway,” Crash remarked with a shrug.
“Well I won’t stop you, and I won’t ask of your destination. But I will say that you should watch out for each other if you truly intend to do this.”
Leone sighed. “Just… do not make the same mistakes that Hearth and I made.”
Cinder grimaced at the Purugly’s words, the thought of her becoming anything like her mother sparking an ember of rage within her.
“You have not truly experienced this place, Cinder,” Leone said in a more serious tone, frowning as she saw the change in the Vulpix’s demeanor. “This city, and the desert surrounding it, has a way of making those within it do things they’re not proud of.”
The Purugly’s eyes shifted up towards Sienna. “Before you go, you are welcome to take anything that you feel you need.”
The Krokorok looked down at Leone, before giving a curt nod in response. She turned around to make her way back upstairs. “Guys, let’s go!” She called out.
“Still can’t believe that’s Hearth’s daughter,” Draco muttered, watching as the trio followed Sienna upstairs. “And you said the Scraggy has ties to Team Raiders too, right?”
Leone said nothing, her eyes fixed on Cinder and Crash. Draco then floated behind a counter as he prepared for the next opening. “It’ll be a miracle if they don’t start the cycle over.”
“I can only hope,” Leone thought. However, her eyes widened when she saw Cinder momentarily stop, her ears and tails falling before she started walking again.
The Purugly began to walk towards the far end of the room. Sitting on her padded, throne-like chair, she lifted a paw towards her face.
“Draco, I need a drink.”
Back up Sienna’s room, she and Hickory had started placing things into two separate piles. Items such as a few spools of thread, scraps of fabric, papers lined with numerous notes, and what appeared to be a rolled up worn map sat in one, while practically everything else sat in the other.
“ First time I start cleaning, and it’s when I leave,” the Krokorok thought.
“Did Leone seem kind of sad to you?” Hickory asked.
Sienna sifted through her things, her eyes fixed on the things she was sorting through. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Besides, we’re not friends. She let me stay here in exchange for work.”
Crash walked up to Sienna’s ‘leave behind’ pile, rifling through it before pointing a discarded, rolled up paper at the Krokorok. “As much as I’d like to talk about your personal life, have you actually figured out where we’re gonna stay?”
“Preferably somewhere that doesn’t smell like my old house,” he muttered as he turned his head away.
“I have an idea of where,” Sienna dismissively said, continuing to pack her things.
Cinder narrowed her gaze, staring intently at the Krokorok. “And?”
“We’re going back to The Last Resort,” Sienna bluntly answered , still not taking her eyes off the task at hand.
Crash and Cinder were less than amused by the Krokorok’s response, growing visibly uncomfortable with the thought of returning there.
“Look, I’m not thrilled about it either,” Sienna remarked.
Hickory frowned as he looked around at his three teammates, the leaf on his head drooping as he lowered his gaze. He felt the sensation of his eyes watering as a hot tightness was starting to build in his throat.
Giving his head a slight shake, the Bayleef collected himself and gave the group a kind smile. “Guys let’s- Let’s just try to hold out a little longer, alright.”
Cinder sighed as her ears folded down. “And we can all get out of here.”
“Right…” Crash said, a veiled uncertainty in his voice as he rubbed his arm.
Sienna looked over the three, the look in her eyes just as sharp as ever. However, her focus went towards Hickory. “That face,” she thought. “Did he say that for them, or for himself?”
“Is something wrong, Sienna?” Hickory asked, snapping the Krokorok out of her thoughts.
Realizing she was staring, she quickly turned away before resuming her attention towards her things. “Was just thinking.”
Stepping out onto the roof once more, Hickory and Sienna went to grab the gap crossing plank while Crash walked over to the edge overlooking the back of the Silver Claw. Reaching around his pouch, he fished out the trinkets he stole from Ruby the day prior . Balling the up necklace and other trinkets in his hand, Crash took a step back and used Bulk Up.
“What are you doing?” Asked Cinder as she approached, raising a brow when she noticed what was in his hand.
The Scraggy glanced at her. “You know I just stole these out of spite, right? Besides, they keep pinching.”
With that, the Scraggy reared back his arm and tossed the trinkets as hard as he could.
Cinder tilted her head as she watched them fly to the roof across the street. “So was that like, a symbolic thing?”
“Nah,” Crash shrugged. “Just wanted to throw something off the roof while I had the chance.”
Hearing the plank drop down, the two turned towards Sienna. But instead of being towards them, her gaze laid on her space on the roof. She sighed before turning towards the plank.
“Let’s go… I don’t wanna waste more time.”
0 Comments