Where There is Smoke…
by MalwareBirb404
Cinder, Crash, and Hickory stared at Leone in varied levels of shock. The Vulpix showing the most, as her stare seemed to extend by the yard as the seconds passed. Crash’s gaze then turned towards the auburn fox before he slightly shifted away.
“Scorch… How the hell did her mom know Scorch…?”
Crash thought as he found himself breathing just a bit harder.
Seeing the looks everyone was giving her, the Purugly closed her eyes and sighed. “Yes, that Scorch… We were just a couple of years older than you when we met.” Leone said as she visibly grew more uncomfortable.
It was clear to the others that she really didn’t want to talk about this, having caught the venom in her voice upon saying Scorch’s name. But the cat cleared her throat before pressing forward. “Admittedly, Herath and I were not the best individuals then…” The Purugly continued.
“As by the time Scorch had arrived, we had already held the reputation as the ‘town delinquents’. However the three of us shared a bond with one another that allowed us to work as a team. But like I said, if Scorch was one thing; it was ambitious.”
Cinder soon began to tune out what Leone was saying as she became lost in a tangled web of her own thoughts. Every now and then certain words about her mother would manage to worm their way though into the Vulpix’s head, only adding to the amalgam of feelings within.
“No… no, you have to listen… Leone doesn’t look like she’ll repeat anything, and this could be your only chance to learn something about her…” Cinder thought as her body started to tremble.
“I still remember the day the first few ideas were planted in their heads.” Leone continued.
“What ideas?” Hickory asked.
The Purugly gave a slight sigh in response. “It more so started off a series of decisions, but they would eventually lead to the founding of Team Raiders.”
The members of Team Lightwood all stared in shock at the cat, Cinder more so then the other two. “…But- …No she- How?” Cinder asked, stumbling over her words. As the thought of her mother being a founding member of one of the most infamous bandit clans in the region was something impossible for the Vulpix to make sense of.
Despite seeing Cinder get worked up, Leone felt that she had to continue. The story wasn’t going to tell itself, and the Vulpix needed to know the truth.
“It is what Hearth would have wanted…” Leone thought, taking a deep breath. Although, a part of the Purugly was admittedly telling herself this just so she could get through the events, rather than it being solely for Cinder’s sake.
“Now, where to begin…”
… … …
“I just wanna make sure I heard this right-”
“I told you, I do not like chocolate.”
Hearth and Leone conversed as they strolled through the busy marketplace, weaving their way through the crowd as they each carried a satchel over their sides that likely weren’t theirs. Each one already held a number of items that they had either come with, or had just been swiped off of passers by. Already on the hunt for more, the two continued to talk as their eyes darted around in search of potential targets.
“How can you not like chocolate?” Hearth asked before quickly snatching a fruit from someone’s bag and placing it in her own.
“I simply do not enjoy the flavor.” Leone responded with her head held up, casually using her long, curly tail to push a translucent amber stone off a stand and into her satchel as she walked.
“I’ve never met one ‘mon that said they hated chocolate.” Hearth said as she turned her head towards the Glameow who rolled her eyes in response.
“I don’t even know who you are anymore…” The Vulpix jokingly groaned.
“Okay, so how about there?” Hearth quietly asked, gesturing to a stall with her head.
“Anything made with glass has to go in last, remember?” Leone answered.
“Right… Ooh, how about there?”
“I would refrain from taking stones.” Leone sternly said as they kept walking. “That store has been taking more precautions as of late.”
“But I want a fire stone so bad…” Hearth quietly complained. “Okay fine, berries. You can’t go wrong with that, right?”
“Hmmm…” Leone tilted her head to the side, feigning a somewhat unsure manner.
“Leone, come on.”
“I was kidding.” The Glameow said, giving the fire type a sly grin.
“Whatever.” Hearth groaned as the two kept walking. “By the way, where’s Scorch? I haven’t seen him since a couple nights ago.”
“I believe he said that he was busy.” Leone answered, looking straight ahead.
“Well you guys could’ve at least said something. We had plans.” The Vulpix huffed before glancing back at the Glameow.
“Is there something else?” The normal type asked.
“Alright, what about honey?” Hearth prodded.
“I find it too sweet.”
“Okay, what is wrong with you?”
Quickly slipping outside the boundaries of the town, Hearth and Leone made their way into the nearby woods. The sound of clinking glass and quiet laughter could be heard through the brush as Hearth followed Leone, the gray cat leading her friend towards where Scorch had told her to meet him when they were done. It was then that a large, run down wooden house came into view. It had been abandoned for a good while now, as its dilapidated state, and the rumor that the three may or may not have started, tended to keep others away from what they had claimed as their new hideout.
Seeing Scorch slip inside the house, Hearth grew a little annoyed. Rolling her eyes, she sped up her pace towards the front doors before pushing one of them open. “Gonna give that pig a piece of my-”
“SURPRISE!” She heard Scorch yell, causing the Vulpix to freeze in place. “…mind.”
Hearth gave a chuckle before looking over the display of food and drinks in front of her. “You…”
“ Me. ” Scorch shot back with a smug grin. “So, you just gonna keep standing there? Or are you gonna bring the rest in?”
“The rest-” Hearth said before glaring back at Leone, who stared back with a shit-eating grin.
With that, The Vulpix walked inside. “So not only did you both go behind my back, but you made me steal stuff for my own party… Impressive .”
Scorch gave a half bow, rolling out his arm in response before picking up a glass bottle. “Are we gonna start this thing or what?”
Some time later, the trio laid about the floor as empty bags, jars, bottles and scraps of berries littered the room. “You guys really didn’t have to do this…” Hearth said, trying to fight off the oncoming food coma as she laid on her back.
“Well Scorch here is the one that wanted to ‘all out’ for your eighteenth birthday.” Leone remarked, stretching out her body in a cat-like fashion.
“And yet, you still went along with it.” Scorch remarked before finishing off another bottle before tossing it aside.
Leone rolled her eyes in response before turning on her side, pushing back the slight urge to throw up. “I am never eating that much at one time ever again…”
“Leone, the whole point of a party is to not care about what you put in yourself.” Hearth said as she rolled over to face the gray cat. “And to do whatever you want without consequences…” The Vulpix continued in a sing-songy manner.
“In that case, we should probably get your gift before you pass out.” Scorch said before lazily searching through one of the bags. Leone rolled her eyes before pawing at a different bag to bring it closer to her. Reaching inside, the Glameow fished out a translucent, amber colored stone with an internal pattern resembling a flame.
“You got me a fire stone…” Hearth said as her glossy eyes widened.
Leone sighed. “Alright then, when did you see it?”
“ What…? ”
“I can hear it in your voice, Hearth.”
“Okay, okay, you got me. I snooped.” The Vulpix admitted with a grin.
“What’s it matter? She’s clearly happy about it.” Scorch chimed in as he staggered to his feet. “Come on, do the thing.”
“Yeah, yeah…” Hearth said before turning her head towards Leone. “Pass it here.”
“Or you could get up and get yourself.” The cat replied with a smirk.
“ UGHHH … fine.” The Vulpix dramatically said before she slowly rose to her feet. “Making me do this on my special day… How could you?” Hearth jokingly complained as she approached Leone.
“Happy?”
“Very much so, yes.” The Glameow answered before pushing the fire stone towards her friend. “Happy birthday.”
Staring down at the amber rock, Hearth took a deep breath as she closed her eyes as she slowly raised her front paw above the fire stone. But before she could make contact, the sound of the front doors swinging open got both her and her friends’ attention. A trio of pokemon stood in the doorway, each one of them wearing a familiar dark green bandana.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Hearth groaned.
A blue, bipedal otter with two shells on the sides of their waist stood at the head of the group, drawing upon one of their shells and pointing it at Hearth. “Alright you three, hand over the-”
“ ‘Fraid you’re a little too late on that buddy.” Scorch interrupted, thumping his chest with his fist as he faced the Dewott.
“And as you can see, we’re kinda- hic in the middle of something.” The orange and black pig said as he slowly approached the explorers, his voice growing a bit more menacing.
“What are you doing?!” Leone loudly whispered as she got up.
But Scorch didn’t answer, as he continued to glare down at the shorter otter. The Dewott glanced at his two teammates, a Fraxure and Rockruff. Signaling them to surround Hearth and Leone.
As the two explorers moved towards her and Leone, Hearth quickly kicked the fire stone back towards the Glameow, who hastily snatched it up and plunged it back in her bag. Admittedly Hearth was not in the mood to fight, still feeling a bit sick from her recent activities. But she wasn’t about to let a team of guild members ruin today. Fighting through her bout of nausea, Hearth shook her head and focused on the pokemon in front of her.
The room filled with tension as all six pokemon mostly stared each other down. “Okay.” The Dewott said as he slowly lowered his scalchop to his hip. “I’d rather we not do this in here.” He said as he glanced around at the building’s failing structure.
Scorch noticed this, and proceeded to do the same. “You’re right… Let’s take this outside .” He said before quickly thrusted his fist into the Dewott’s face, sending them flying outside and onto the ground.
The water type’s teammates both quickly turned towards Scorch, who had begun marching towards the Dewott. The two explorers glanced at each other before the Fraxure motioned his head towards the door for the beige dog to help their leader. Watching the Rockruff run outside, the gray and green dragon made his way between Hearth, Leone and the exit.
“Now I can see that the two of you aren’t in the best shape right now. So I’m gonna give you a chance to come quietly.” The tusked dragon type said as he stared Hearth and Leone down.
The fox and cat glanced at each other. “Alright, alright fine.” Hearth said as she rolled her eyes, looking back at the Fraxure.
As the Vulpix and Glameow walked towards the door, they slowly tapered off to the side. The Fraxure did the same, trying to make sure that the two weren’t up to anything. But it was then that he felt something hard slam up into his chin, as Hearth had stomped on the side of one of the floorboards. With the board lifted, she hastily reached into the space below.
“Yes, they’re still here…” Hearth thought as she pushed two small, amber orbs onto the wooden plank.
Quickly shifting her paw under her side of the board, the auburn fox kicked it back up before catching one in her mouth and immediately tossing it to Leone. Without missing a beat, Hearth repeated the process; only this time she activated the orb with her paw, causing the four pronged star on the inside to glow.
“LET ME GO!” The Rockruff growled as they squirmed in Scorch’s grip.
The Pignite had his arm wrapped over the smaller dog, pressing them deep into his pudgy frame. “This is just disappointing.” Scorch remarked as he looked down at the Dewott he was sitting on top of.
“Get the hell off me!” The Dewott grunted, trying to grab at one of their scalchops that had been knocked just out of reach. “You and your little team of raiders are gonna get it.”
Scorch merely gave a mocking snort in response. “Really thought you greenscarfs were better than this.” He continued before seeing a bright flash come from inside the house. “ Annnd that’s my queue.”
Scorch watched as Hearth and Leone ran out the front door with one of their stolen bags in tow. Rushing behind the Pignite, they could see the now dazed Fraxure stumbling after them. Scorch huffed before roughly standing up, being sure to press his full weight on the Dewott’s back as he did. He then tossed the flailing Rockruff at his blinded teammate as Hearth reached into the bag, pulling out the second luminous orb.
As the Dewott pulled himself back up, he saw as the targets of his team’s mission standing by one another a ways down. Hearth was rolling the orb against the ground underneath her paw before giving the blue otter a wink. Giving the luminous orb a hard tap, she rolled it forwards before a flash of blinding light engulfed the area.
“Think we lost ‘em?” Scorch asked as he peered past a tree.
“We better have. Do you have any idea how many times I practiced that thing with the floorboard just for an occasion like that?” Hearth said, sounding more excited than concerned.
However her face soon turned when she remembered the fire stone. “Wait, the-”
“Did you really think… that I would lose track of the stone…?” Lenoe said in between breaths, as she opened the bag.
“Leone… You’re the best.”
“Yes, yes… I know…” The cat playfully remarked as she set the stone on the ground, slipping it towards Hearth.
The Vulpix looked down at the amber colored stone, slowly raising her paw over it. She froze for a moment, her gaze narrowing as her paw hovered over it. “Alright… you’ve been waiting for this for how long…?” Hearth thought before giving a smirk.
“Right… no going back… Wait ‘til everyone sees me now…”
With that, Hearth pressed her paw against the fire stone. Scorch and Leone watched as the Vulpix’s body began to glow and change shape. She began to grow taller, and her legs became more slender. A few extra tails split off from her originals as they each grew longer, flowing about in the air as the intense glow faded.
Leone and Scorch looked over her glossy, golden fur as the Ninetales stepped around in a circle, looking herself over. “So… how do I look?”
Hearth held her head up high as she confidently strutted through the forested area. To her friends’ surprise, the newly evolved Nintales leapt forwards before prancing in place like a giddy child. “Oh-ho, wait until everyone back in town sees this!”
“As much as I would hate to ruin this moment, I believe that would not be the best idea.” Leone remarked with a tilt of her head. “For once, everyone back in town actually followed through on their threats to call the guild.”
“Oh… right .” Hearth said, her face falling a bit before giving a sigh.
“Yeah, what else is new… Not like they ever liked us to begin with.” Scorch remarked, crossing his arms.
“Well yeah, but you’re… you . Day one, you showed up in town and picked a fight with a shopkeeper.” Hearth said, turning towards the Pignite.
“But even then, It’s not like they were friendlier before all of this…” The Nintales trailed off as she turned her head away.
“…What if we don’t go back?” Scorch proposed.
“Where are you going with this?” Leone asked with a tilt of her head.
“Don’t you two want more? I mean what happened today, that’s probably as good as it’s gonna get around here.” The Pignite said with a shrug.
“I mean what’s waiting for us?” Scorch asked before pointing his arm towards Leone. “Your debts?” The gray cat gritted her teeth in response, as her sharp gaze shifted to the side. “And you’ve probably stepped on one too many toes.” He continued, pointing at Hearth.
“And now, a possible warrant from the guild.” The golden fox said, raising a brow towards Scorch.
“…Right.” The Pignite said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“But-” Hearth continued, stepping towards the others. “I can’t say traveling hasn’t been on my bucket list.”
The two fire types then looked over at Leone, trying to convince the Glameow with their eyes. “…Very well then.” Leone said, giving a slight nod. “But you do realize that traveling aimlessly across the land is likely going to cost quite a bit.”
“And since when has that been a problem?” Scorch facetiously asked.
“Either way…” Hearth said as she slinked between her two friends. “We’ll figure something out, right?”
“And with that, the journey of Team Raiders starts now.” Scorch proclaimed.
“Team Raiders… Really?” Hearth remarked as she held back the urge to visibly cringe at the name.
The Pignite responded by crossing his arms. “It’s what the Dewott called us.” He said somewhat defensively. “Besides, the name doesn’t matter. It’s what you do with it.”
… … …
“So how did ‘wanting to travel’ turn into forming a clan of bandits?” Cinder aggressively asked, glaring at Leone.
“As I had said earlier, it had all stemmed from a series of decisions.”
“What kind of decisions…? Crash asked. “Cause what you just said doesn’t sound like Scorch.”
Leone stopped and stared intently at the Scraggy with a questioning look on her face. “You speak of Scorch as if you know him…”
Crash froze upon hearing Leone’s response. “Well who doesn’t know about ‘Scorch the Inferno’ and his merry band of rampaging lunatics?”
Leone’s gaze narrowed, her golden eyes piercing into the yellow lizard. “He used to work with Team Raiders.” Mellan cut in before Crash snapped his head towards the Luxray.
“Of all of the pokemon for Cinder to wind up with…” Leone thought. “You were the one who managed to get the box to send you here, yes?”
Crash’s gaze shifted off to the side. “You say it like it’s supposed to do that.”
“What does that have to do with this?” Cinder asked, still not bothering to mask her irritated tone.
“Everything.” Leone said before Cinder and Crash both gave the cat a suspicious look.
“But to better answer your first question, it all happened gradually over the next few years. More acquaintances were made, and more pokemon wanted in on whatever job we were doing at the time.”
Leone sighed, glaring as her head turned. “Of course the growth of the group meant that more supplies were being burned through, leading to bigger jobs and more conflicts with explorers and other groups.”
“And let me guess, this is when Scorch started ‘changing’ right?” Crash snidely remarked as he crossed his arms.
“Scorch’s methods had always been more forceful than we would have liked, but it was around this point that he had grown more-”
“Violent.” Cinder interrupted, giving a narrowed glare.
“ Guys. ” Hickory quietly said as he nudged the two with his vines, giving them the same look his parents would give his little brothers. “We’re here so she can help us, remember?”
“Please, do not worry about it.” Leone responded with a slight sigh. “I am not new to pokemon being cross with me.” Hearing this, Cinder and Crash silently, though grudgingly agreed to keep some of their further comments to themselves.
With that, Leone continued. “After a few more years down the line, Scorch came across something that would give him an edge over others.”
Cinder paused for a moment before her ears slid back. “The box?”
The Purugly lowered her head in response, giving it a slight shake. “In a way, that would be correct.” Leone answered before giving a slight pause.
“I still remember the day that he showed up to our camp wearing two gold bands on his arms. Each one bearing a small crystal that I would later learn to call ‘remnants’ upon arriving here.”
… … …
“Scorch, what are those?” Hearth asked, looking as if she were trying to hold in a laugh.
The Emboar flexed an arm, holding it out in front of him to display the lavender colored gem that sat within his new armband. “You like it?”
“It looks kinda trashy.”
“What is trashy about this?!” Scorch asked, seemingly bothered by the Nintales’ remark.
“Well, it’d be one thing if you’d gotten just one, but two makes it look like you’re trying to compensate for something.”
“Well now I’m keeping ‘em on just to annoy you.” The Emboar said with a smirk.
“Where did you even get those?” Leone asked.
“From our ‘dear friend’ who’s been handing out our past few jobs.” The Scorch said with a big grin.
“The Inferno’s Maw representative?” Leone remarked, her glare narrowing as she tilted her head. “That Driftblim is already sending you gifts?”
“If anything, they need a serious talk about their taste in jewelry.” Hearth remarked.
“While we are on the subject of jobs…” Leone said after clearing her throat. “There is something I have meaning to discuss with you Scorch.”
“Hm?”
“Most of your recent actions have been attracting a lot of attention.”
“And how do you think I got us these jobs?” The Emboar answered as he crossed his arms.
Leone scowled. “That is not what I meant and you know it.”
“Well it’s not like it’s the first time we’ve had to evade greenscarfs.” Hearth remarked as she turned towards the disgruntled cat. “Besides, the chase is half the fun.” She said with a smirk as her tails gleefully waved about.
“What in the world is wrong with you two?” The Purugly groaned with a roll of the eyes as she shook her head.
As Hearth and Scorch watched the gray and white cat walk into her tent, the former turned towards her while the Emboar proceeded to grumble obscenities under his breath. The flames around his neck beginning to whip around a bit more wildly.
“You do have a habit of being a bit rough.” Hearth said as her gaze shifted off to the side.
“It gets things done faster.” Scorch huffed.
“I just think that if we’re gonna be taking things, we don’t really need to beat other ‘mons half to death.” Hearth almost scolded as she sat on the ground.
Scorch only sighed before turning around. “Whatever.”
It was early in the morning two days later, and the camp of Team Raiders was coming to life with activity as the pokemon within began to stir. Hearth and Leone stepped outside, watching as supplies and tents were being moved and packed up. All while Scorch stood at the head of it all as he looked over a piece of paper.
“The hell is going on?” Hearth asked, using the back of her paw to rub the sleep from her eye. “I thought we weren’t leaving yet.” Feeling a tap from Leone, the golden fox was soon turned towards their partner who stood off in the distance.
“Scorch, what is this?” Leone asked as the two walked towards the Emboar.
“The plan changed.” Scorch bluntly answered as continued to look over the paper.
“What exactly do you mean by changed ?”
“The rep sent in a different job for us.”
“And you didn’t think to tell us this?” Hearth asked, clearly annoyed with the Emboar’s actions.
“…Slipped my mind.” Scorch said as he shot a quick glare at Leone.
“Well, what’s the job then?” Hearth asked, not hiding her annoyance with the Emboar.
“Heist, from a place to the east of here.” Scorch said as he gestured with his hand.
Leone took a moment of pause as she began to think. However after a few seconds, her amber eyes widened as the Purugly came to a realization. “Scorch… show me the job listing.” Leone demanded.
“Why? What’s to the east?” Hearth asked as Scorch handed over the paper.
“I recall hearing about an outpost that belongs to the Timberglade guild.” Lenoe said before quickly walking into her tent.
The gray and white cat soon emerged with a rolled up parchment in her mouth, before placing it on the ground and rolling it out to reveal a map. Moving the job listing to the side of the map, Leone looked between the two before slowly glaring up at Scorch.
“Tell me that you did not take this-” Leone said before cutting herself off, taking a deep breath.
“ I can think of something. ” The frustrated Purugly thought aloud as she rolled up the papers before taking them into her tent.
The next day, Leone, Hearth, and Scorch stood before the rest of Team Raiders as they outlined the plan for their next job.
“We’re gonna split into three groups lead by me, Hearth, and Leone.” Scorch said as he looked over his followers. “Hearth’s team will go in first to scout out the place. In the meantime, everyone with me will be on standby at a spot on the cliffs to the north-east of the town.”
“However.” Leone cut in.
“The only viable exit to the town faces the west, and is running alongside an incline. So it is imperative that the team of scouts create a diversion to draw attention off of Team B-”
“Hence the blast seeds you each got.” Scorch Interrupted.
The Purugly rolled her eyes before watching as the pokemon in front of her nodded along. She then pointed back to the map strung up behind her. “Good. Now the rest of us will be waiting over here in the south-west, is that understood?”
“Now don’t fuck this up!” Scorch chimed in as he crossed his arms. “I’m not going back if anyone gets caught.”
Leone and Hearth then turned their heads towards the fiery pig as murmurs made their way throughout the crowd of pokemon.
“Look if everyone sticks to the plan, everything should be fine.” Hearth said with a smile as she stepped forward. “Alright Team A, let’s go!”
That afternoon, Hearth and her small team of pokemon approached a stony incline breaching through a cliffside. Each member of the scouting team was carrying a satchel, either in their hands or over their backs.
“Everyone has a blast seed, right?” Hearth asked, taking a breath as everyone nodded. She thought back to what Scorch said during the plan earlier, the Ninetails shaking her head as she mumbled to herself.
“So what’s the diversion gonna be?” A Jolteon asked before noticing the fox didn’t seem to be all there. “Uh, Hearth-
“You know what? No. We don’t need blast seeds, our moves will work just fine.”
“But the-”
“Look, sometimes a little finesse is all you need to solve a problem… I have a better idea.”
As the group of bandits made their way up the incline, they would occasionally stop and chip away at the rock walls on either side of them. After each hole was made, Hearth would take each of her teammates’ blast seeds, placing the flame shaped grain into the crevice.
“There.” The Ninetales said before turning towards her colleagues. “Now do me a favor, and keep this between us.”
Reaching the top, Hearth and the others turned to the right as the downward path continued towards the town. Where it wasn’t hard to spot that the cliff sides stretched around it, forming something of a natural wall around the large cluster of buildings. The golden fox inhaled the dry air before a smile formed on her face. “Let’s do this.”
With a skip in her step, Hearth strutted down the stony road while humming a tune to herself. However there was still one more obstacle for the Ninetales, as a metal gate stood between the cliffs on either side of the path. In front of them were a Blaziken and a Rhyperior, both of whom were wearing all-too familiar green bandanas.
“It’s showtime…” Hearth thought, putting on her best ‘very important pokemon’ face while she sauntered towards the gate with her teammates in tow. Perking up, the Rhyperior stepped forward as he stuck out his stony hand. “Hey! Stop right ther-”
“Open the gate.” Hearth snapped. “Did those idiots not tell you that I was arriving?” The Ninetales huffed, staring down the two guards.
Both of them glanced at each other, the Blaziken shrugging before turning her attention to the golden fox. “Look, we don’t know-”
“That we were sent by the guild to drop some things off and check on the place… Yeah .” Hearth continued before giving a sigh. “Sorry, it’s just been a long day.” The fire type grimaced.
“Is that why you’re all missing your scarves?” The Rhyperior asked.
“Bunch of undercover shit.” Hearth answered, waving a paw. “You’ve probably heard there’s been some stuff going around. Travelers getting ambushed and whatnot.”
“Alright fine, just show us your badges and we can let you in.” The Blaziken said, holding out a talon.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me, the badges…” Hearth thought, cursing herself for what was such a blatant oversight.
“Don’t worry, you can let them in.” A voice called out. Before she could open her mouth, a Lycanroc wearing a green bandana tied around their front leg approached from the other side of the gate.
The beige wolf propped his forepaws onto the gate, giving a better view of the jagged stones peering from the white plume of fur around his neck. “It’s been a while, Ember.” He said with a toothy grin.
“ Right .” Hearth responded as she internally raised a brow.
However despite her suspicions she went along with it, as she didn’t see many other options. “You sure about that, Jasper?” The Rypherior asked, giving the Lycanroc a weird look; to which the smaller rock type nodded.
As the gates opened, Hearth and the others made their way through as they followed the Lycanroc into the town ahead. Hearing the gate close behind them, He leaned in close to the fox. ”You’re welcome by the way.”
“Alright, what’s your game?” The Ninetales quietly asked. The rock type only gave her a quick glance, still projecting his smug aura.
“Well you clearly want something.” Hearth groaned.
“Just do me a favor and promise your gang won’t ruin my plans.”
Hearth then shot a glare at the wolf. “How the hell did he even- No… stay calm…” She thought.
“So what exactly are these plans of yours?” Hearth calmly asked as she brushed up against the canine’s side.
“That’s for me to know.” The Lycaroc said with a sly look on his face. “Well here we are, Cliffpass. Not bad for a place all the way out here.”
The town itself had a very orderly feel to it, replacing the small amounts of chaos that came with most towns of a similar size. Making the fact that it was run by a guild all the more apparent to someone like Hearth.
“We could’ve gotten in without you.” Hearth remarked.
“Funny way to say thank you, but I’ll take it.”
The Ninetales rolled her eyes in response before the Lycanroc turned to walk away. The wolf then stopped, turning his head back. “Though next time, it helps to have one of these.” He said while flashing his bandana towards her, showing off a small, egg shaped badge. “See you around.”
“Who the hell is this guy…?” Hearth thought as she and her team watched the Lycanroc saunter down one of the cobbled paths.
The golden fox rolled her eyes and sighed. “You guys go ahead. Think I might need to keep an eye on this one…”
Having split up from the rest of her team, Hearth followed the same stone laden path the Lycanroc had taken. Walking past a number of small, wood and stone houses, the Ninetales began to notice that nearly every denizen of the town she passed was wearing an explorer’s scarf. Hearth didn’t let her eyes linger on anyone for too long while continuing her trek, lest someone get too suspicious.
A little while later, the Ninetales spotted the Lycanroc standing outside a house as they spoke to someone. Before the beige wolf was a small, dark yellow rodent with a long black tail. Hearth stayed where she was and watched, however she wasn’t able to make out what they were saying. When the two finished speaking, Hearth watched the Dedenne run off while the Lycanroc went inside. Seeing an opportunity, the Ninetales slowly walked towards the house before knocking on the wooden door.
Cracking open the door, the Lycanroc peered through before giving a smirk and opening the wooden barrier the rest of the way. “What took you?” He said, allowing the Ninetales to come inside; the fire type brushing his face with her tails as she passed by.
“Talk.” Hearth said, turning around and glaring at the wolf. But something appeared to be wrong, as the rock type’s nose uncomfortably twitched. He then quickly shut the door before a sneeze shot through the room.
A ripple of reddish-purple light showed across the Lycanroc’s body before he turned to glare at Hearth. “ Don’t- …Please don’t do that again.” The wolf said, gritting his teeth.
“Oops.” Hearth teased, giving a fake smile.
She heard the Lycanroc grumble something under his breath as she glanced around the house. The wooden interior was fairly bare, a straw nest-like bed and a desk sat on one side while a window and an opened curtain sat on the opposite wall. After walking towards the desk Hearth placed her paw on a glass lamp that sat atop it, casually flicking the handle.
“You know, something tells me that you’re not really who you say you are…” Hearth said before she began to slowly step around the room.
“Pardon?”
“You can’t Tarosshit a Tarosshitter.”
Before the Lycanrock could react, Hearth pounced towards him, lowering her front paws onto his tail. A plume of reddish-purple light engulfed the wolf, leaving a red and dark gray fox standing in their place. The panicked Zoroark then rushed towards the curtain, quickly pulling it shut.
“ This little- ” The Zoroark said under his breath before turning his head to glare at Hearth.
“That little shimmer you did tipped me off.” The Ninetales said, sitting down. “And would you look at that! Your badge .” Hearth continued, feigning surprise as she raised her paw to her mouth before pointing it at the other fox.
“I could have sworn that it looked a bit more… official.”
With the dark type’s illusion gone, the badge in question was revealed to be a pebble adhered to a fabric slightly off in color when compared to an official guild scarf. “Let me make something clear. Never do that again… Okay .” The annoyed Zoroark said, pointing a claw at the ground.
“So you are here to rob the place?” Hearth asked. The black and red fox merely looked off to the side in response. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“So you got a name stranger?” Hearth asked before casually climbing into the Zoroark’s bed. “Come on, you seem to know who I am. It’s only fair.”
“Nyx.” The dark type huffed.
“And you knew about me because…”
“You didn’t think you were the only ones hired to target this place, did you? Kind of got a heads up you were coming.”
“I just didn’t think you’d be this annoying.” Nyx said with a smirk.
Hearing this, an idea popped up in Hearth’s head. “Well since we’re both gonna be here, I’ll cut you a deal.” The NInetales proposed, stretching out on the bed.
A while later, Hearth met back up with her teammates in the same spot they split up. Each sharing the discoveries they made as they slowly walked back towards the gate. A Sandslash spoke of a large storehouse in the back of the town, and how the one in charge of overseeing it was almost always there. The spiky ground type even stated they managed to get a glimpse of them yelling at another pokemon for mishandling some crates.
“I swear, I’ve never seen a Zebstrika get that pissed before. You’d think a Marowak had just rammed their club up his ass.”
“You say that like we can’t handle him.” Hearth smugly replied before her pace slowed. “Alright, head back and tell our fiery friend to stay put for a while.”
“You’re staying?” A Jolteon asked.
“Just need to keep an eye on a few things.” Hearth gleefully said, turning around.
Making her way back to where Nyx was staying, Hearth hummed a tune to herself; seeing to it that each step she took fell in line with the tune for her song. The golden fox was in an exceptionally good mood, as things seemed to be going her way today.
“Got a free place to sleep, and I don’t have to listen to whatever argument Leone and Scorch are definitely going to have…” Hearth thought before she stopped, and shifted her gaze to the side.
“When this is done, the three of us need to have a talk…”
“So wait, that ‘team raiders’ group-” A Dedenne said before taking a bite of a fruit almost their size. “She’s with them?”
“Yep.” Nyx answered, falling backwards onto his bed.
“And you let her stay here?”
“Yep.”
The Dedenne then pulled himself away from his fruit. “…Is she at least attractive?”
Nyx sat up and gave the rodent an odd look before rolling his eyes.
“Well look at it this way, she’s probably not gonna blab. It’d be a pain if the greenscarfs were on high alert.” The small electric type said.
The duo were soon interrupted by a knock at the door, the two pokemon turning to face it. “So, you gonna get that?” The Dedenne asked.
Nyx sighed and pulled himself up before becoming engulfed in a reddish-purple light. When the light faded, a Lycanroc stood in the Zoroark’s place. Walking towards the door, the ‘rock type’ placed a paw on the handle before pulling open the entrance to his current abode.
“Hey there friend.” Hearth playfully said, looking Nyx dead in the eyes.
“Watch it, I could still have you reported to everyone here.”
“What happened to that ‘Mr. Suave’ act you had earlier?” Hearth teased before slipping past her reluctant host.
“Well that answers my question.” The Dedenne said with some interest before he continued eating.
Hearth turned her head towards the rodent on the desk. “What question?” She asked, turning her attention back to Nyx.
“Don’t worry about it.” The Zoroark flatly responded. Shutting the door, Nyx looked back to once again find the Ninetales in his bed. “You’re making this difficult on purpose, aren’t you?”
Hearth merely turned her head and responded with a small smirk. Leaving Nyx to think back to the deal he had made with the fire type.
…
“Well since we’re both gonna be here, I’ll cut you a deal.” The NInetales proposed, stretching out on the bed. “You let me stay the night, and I’ll keep quiet about your little operation.”
“You do realize I could have almost every greenscarf here come after you, right?” Nyx retorted.
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about them. See, some of my friends aren’t really too keen on sharing jobs.”
Nyx gave a moment of pause before glaring off to the side. “Egh, fine. I won’t if you won’t.”
…
“This is gonna be a long, long night.” Nyx half said to himself, bridging his claws over his temple. “A long night full of fun .” He heard Hearth responded in an almost corrective manner.
Nyx let out a sigh. “Fucking bandits…”
That night, Hearth laid awake as she thought a bit more about the day. She glanced over towards Nyx, who was curled up inside his mane of crimson fur asleep. “Potentially playing second to him… Scorch wouldn’t really be that mad, right?” She thought.
Getting up, the Ninetales quietly opened the door and stepped outside. The brisk chill of the night blew against her fur before she closed the door, but left it open just enough to where she could get back in without much hassle. The muted glow of lamps illuminated some of the empty streets Hearth chose to walk down, before stopping dead center of the stone walkway and staring at one of the lamps. Hearth watched as the small flame danced about inside its glass container, seemingly mesmerized by its subtle motions.
“What are you doing out here?” A stern voice asked, snapping Hearth out of her trance.
The Nintales turned her head towards the direction of the voice to be met with a rhythmic clopping sound that steadily got louder by the second. A zebra whose white stripes resembled lightning bolts approached Hearth; they carried an expression of one who held a level of authority, having a serious look plastered on their face as they looked down upon the fox.
The monochrome equine’s head remained fixed in place, as only their eyes seemed to move down towards the Ninetales. “Who’s this fucking-” She thought before noticing the dark green bandana wrapped around their foreleg. However the fire type held back on rolling her eyes when she remembered what one of her teammates had told her earlier. “Right… he’s in charge here…”
“Nice night, isn’t it?” Hearth cheerily asked.
“I suppose.” The Zebstrika bluntly answered. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Hearth dismissively said. “But I get it. You see someone out at night like this, it can seem a bit off.”
“I take it that you’re one to not stay in one place for very long?” The Zebstrika inquired.
“Something like that.” Hearth answered with a shrug. “So what do you do around here?”
Nyx was walking down the stone street, once again taking the form of a Lycanrock. Having noticed the door wasn’t shut all the way, the dark type left in search of Hearth to make sure she wasn’t up to anything jeopardizing. After a few minutes he finally found the Ninetales, but to his surprise she was talking to the head of the explorers. Hastening his pace towards them, Nyx’s shock turned to confusion as he spotted the two laughing. “What are they doing?” The Zoroark thought, his stride slowing as he turned his head in a questioning manner.
“Ember! There you are.” The disguised Zoroark called out, approaching the duo.
“Oh hey there.” Hearth answered.
“Sorry to interrupt this sir, but the two of us kind of have a long day tomorrow. Isn’t that right ?” Nyx continued, turning his head towards Hearth.
“You’re no fun.” The golden fox said with a roll of her eyes.
As she prepared to walk back to the house with Nyx, Hearth waved a paw at the Zebstrika before parting ways. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.” She said before the striped equine nodded in response.
“Come on Ember, let’s go .” The Lycanroc grumbled, the two then heading back to where the night’s little excursion had started.
“What were you thinking?!” Nyx aggressively whispered.
“It’s just how I do things.”
“You bandits are all so unprofessional.”
“Then what was that little show at the gate? …Or was that just for me ?” Hearth slyly asked before brushing her tails against the lupine’s side.
“There’s a time and a place.” Nyx said as he stared straight ahead, pretending to pay no mind to the Ninetales’ antics.
“You know if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like me.” Hearth remarked.
“I swear, everything is personal with you lot.” Nyx answered, shaking his head.
“Whatever, I managed to find out a big delivery’s coming in tomorrow.”
“ Verrrry interesting .” Nyx said with a deadpan expression. Stepping ahead of the Nintales, he entered the house before collapsing on the straw bed.
“Really?” Hearth complained, kicking the door shut.
“Don’t care. Floor.” The Zoroark groaned. That is before giving a smirk when he heard a small sigh leave Hearth’s mouth.
“Victory, Nyx…” The black and red fox thought as he shifted back into his normal state, closing his eyes as he began to drift off.
The next day, Hearth couldn’t help but think about what Scorch and Leone were doing as she and Nyx were past the boundaries of the town’s gate. The Zoroark had been put on patrol duty for the day, and Hearth had ‘offered’ to go with him. At the bottom of the downward path were two other pokemon Hearth immediately recognized as explorers.
“I won’t tell if you won’t.” Nyx slyly whispered, his Lycanroc form leaning close to the Ninetales.
“Lead them east and we’ve got a deal.” Hearth answered in kind.
Hearth later watched the Lycanroc and the others walk off towards the left, alleviating some of her concerns. “Now to more important business.” She thought before glancing up at the cliffs behind her. The Ninetales gritted her teeth, remembering Scorch and the others were hiding amongst the cliffs.
“This is gonna be a pain…”
By the time she got to the spot where Scorch was waiting, Hearth took a moment to catch her breath. It was there that she saw the Emboar lifting and pushing around large rocks as some kind of workout. He was focused, but clearly annoyed about something. At least that’s what the Nintales was able to gather from watching him, as the manner in which the flames around his neck moved suggested the presence of a subtle rage that was simmering under the surface.
Hearth sighed before slowly walking towards her fellow fire type. “Hey.”
Scorch quickly stopped what he was doing, preparing to chuck the stone he was carrying towards whoever had just interrupted him. However upon noticing it was Hearth, he quickly dropped it down in front of him. “Oh, um- Hearth …”
“…Were you gonna-”
“Look, I’m sorry.” Scorch said as he stuck out his hands.
“It’s just Leone’s really starting to piss me the hell off. After you left she was getting on my case about ‘springing things on her’ and all that crap.” The Emboar groaned, the flames around his neck starting to wildly dance.
“But I can’t say we don’t need her.” Scorch said, taking a deep breath as he began to calm down. “Wouldn’t really be the same without Leone…” He mumbled.
“Right.” Hearth said, glancing away as a feeling of slight tension hung in the air. “…Anyway, they’re expecting a large delivery down there today. I say we should go in tomorrow night.”
“Anything else?” Scorch asked as he bent over to reposition the large rock. “Cause you have that look in your eyes.”
Hearth quietly moaned, pushing Nyx to the back of her mind. “Nah.” She answered as she sat down, letting her tails slowly wave about.
The two didn’t speak for the next few moments, seemingly content with the moment of silence. That is until Hearth then let out an obnoxiously loud yawn, slumping forwards before letting out a small, but exaggerated groan.
“You good?” Scorch asked, picking his stone back up.
“Tell me someone here has a chesto berry.” The Ninetales groaned, the effects of her staying up late finally catching up to her.
Scorch pointed towards a small wooden crate sitting beside a tent. “Out fooling around with the locals again?” The Emboar asked with a smug grin, watching Hearth slowly march for the crate.
“That was one time! Let it go!” The fox shot back.
Using her teeth, the Ninetales reached inside and pulled out a small, blue and beige nut-shaped fruit. “You know, you haven’t talked too much about the guy making us do this.” Hearth said while she was chewing. Scorch only rolled his eyes in response as he resumed lifting the boulder.
“You always have to give us a hard time when we prod you for stuff?” Hearth remarked.
“He represents someone from Inferno’s Maw. What else is there?” Scorch grunted.
“Okay, but who ?” Heath asked, swallowing the berry.
“They don’t want me talking about that out here.”
“Fine… We better not be getting scammed-”
“We’re not.” Scorch cut her, growing agitated.
Hearth then looked at the pair of golden bands leaning against the crate. “Well I still doubt anyone who’d send something like these as a gift has good intentions.”
Scorch shook his head and chuckled as he set the boulder down. “How long are you gonna be up my ass about that?”
“As long as I need to be. I don’t like the aura they give off.” Hearth said, pointing a paw at the rings.
Scorch then walked towards her, reaching down to retrieve his trinkets. Putting them on each arm, the Emboar locked eyes with Hearth as he gave a smug grin. Leaving Hearth to shake her head in disapproval. “I hate you.” The Nintales jokingly remarked.
Some time later Hearth left Scorch’s camp, telling the Emboar she’d send a signal of when to arrive in the town. While heading back towards the path leading to Cliffpass, the Ninetales was surprised to see Nyx and the others were approaching the path at the same time as her.
“Dammit, I wanted to beat you back here.” Hearth said, lightly kicking at the dirt.
“Then who would let you back in.” Nyx quietly answered with a sly grin, watching as an annoyed expression fell onto Hearth’s face.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, as Hearth mostly paced around the town. The Ninetales began taking mental notes as she neared the storehouse in the back of the settlement. The storehouse itself was easily the largest building within the boundaries of the town, the rather plain looking stone building towering over the array of houses lining the road around it. From what Hearth could see, the back appeared to be built into the cliffside behind it.
She also could see that a number of things were still being brought inside. And just as her teammate had said before, there was the Zebstrika she had spoken to that night; ordering a group of Electabuzz to bring some last few things in. Almost immediately the image of Scorch came to mind, as the Emboar had a tendency to act the same way whenever he felt the team was taking too long to set things up.
Looking up at the cliffside, Hearth began to think about the plan. “He’s not really planning on sliding down that, is he?”
Shaking her head, the Ninetales walked away. However her plans on heading back to Nyx’s place were put to the side when something caught her eye. The Nintales’ gaze fell upon an older, wooden building that she immediately recognized as a tavern.
A small groan escaped Hearth’s mouth as she turned herself away. “I really shouldn’t…” Hearth thought before glancing back. “Moderation Hearth, moderation.” The Ninetales said to herself.
“ But… Leone says there’s no better source of information.” Hearth reasoned before turning back to walk inside.
Stepping through the doors into the surprisingly spacious room. Several tables sat around her, about half of them being occupied by one or two pokemon. A long wooden counter stretching from left to right lay against the back wall, along with shelves and barrels carrying a limited selection of beverages. However Hearth’s surprise, a certain Lycanroc was leaning up on the counter, their forelegs propping them up as he spoke to the Typhlosion next to them.
A devious smirk crept onto the Ninetales’ muzzle before she carefully slipped towards the two. The Typhlosion beside Nyx glanced at her, but kept quiet when he saw the Ninetales made a ‘shh’ motion with her mouth.
“So they just come up to me, and are like-”
“ Boo .” Hearth cut Nyx, propping herself up on the counter. She snickered seeing the Lycanroc flinch prompting him to quickly turn around. “Y ou little- …Oh. It’s you.” He said with a scowl.
It was then that Hearth decided to have some fun by taking things a bit further. Folding her ears back, and looked ever slightly away from the canine. “I just wanted to say hi.” The Ninetales whined, feigning being hurt by the Nyx’s gesture.
“Nice try.” The Lycanroc remarked before turning back to the Typhlosion.
“Boooo…” Hearth said with a glare.
“If I get you a drink, will you knock it off?” Nyx groaned.
“Nah I got it, I just felt like bothering you.” Hearth replied, hooking her hind paw on the strap of the Lycanroc’s bag.
“Lucky me.” Nyx remarked before placing his hind paw on the side of the bag sitting beside him, stopping its movement towards the Ninetales. Turning his head to face Hearth, he raised a brow. “But I insist.”
As things around the camp settled down, Scorch sat by the wayside to watch the sunset. He thought about the job and the pokemon that gave it to him, reflecting on what the Driftblim had mentioned. ‘You get this done like the last few, and I might be able to convince Sable to give you something more lucrative.’
Scorch had only gotten a hold of the representative from Inferno’s Maw a few weeks prior, something the Emboar saw as a potential gold mine. And for someone like him, that meant getting on the good side of the city’s elites.
“I’ll tell them after.” Scorch mumbled to himself as he leaned back against a boulder. “It’ll all be worth it.”
‘That can’t be the only reason, can it?’ A faint voice in the back of the fire type’s mind whispered.
Scorch quickly sat up before glancing around. Nothing. Everything was as it had been before. The Emboar yawned before giving his head a slight shake, reasoning that he was just tired. Scorch once again leaned back against the large rock, closing his eyes as he dreamt of what was hopefully to come. Though unbeknownst to the slumbering fire type, the two stones decorating his armbands began to display a faint glow.
‘You can tell yourself that you’re doing it for them all you want. We both know what you’re really after…’ Scorch heard as he found himself traversing a shifting scape of purple and blue.
“What the hell is this?” Scorch asked, gazing out into the endless distance before a glowing path appeared in front of him.
‘You want power Scorch, and this is the way to get it.’ The voice echoed.
The next day, Scorch awoke with a massive headache. Grabbing the sides of his head as he winced in pain, the Emboar let out a growl as he tried to keep himself from yelling. After pulling himself up, Scorch began stomping his foot in frustration as his discomfort continued to persist, grumbling each and every profanity he could think of.
Soon the other pokemon from around the camp began to gather around to witness Scorch’s outburst. And if one looked closer, they could see that the stones on Scorch’s armbands held a slight glow. However the priority of those watching was to simply stay out of the Emboar’s way.
‘Stop fighting it.’ A voice echoed in the back of his mind as Scorch’s world began to twist around him. Shapes and colors blending together into a kaleidoscopic mess.
‘You do want to pull this scheme of yours off, don’t you?’ The voice continued.
It was after this that the whispers around him grew louder, as the echoing murmurs of his subordinates were all he was soon able to hear. “SHUT UP!” Scorch yelled, turning around as he stomped his foot as hard as he could muster.
Everything for the Emboar cleared up soon after, his senses returning to normal as the pain subsided. But something still felt off, as a peculiar feeling of power channeled through his body. Curiously looking over his surroundings, Scorch froze upon seeing his fellow bandits, tents, and whatever else floating in the air around him.
A slight mauve color seemed to fade in and out of Scorch’s vision as he stared in utter bewilderment at what was unfolding before him. That is until a lavender glow in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Looking down towards his side, the Emboar’s gaze fell upon the source of the light; the purple gem embedded in his armband.
“…What in the fu-” Before he could finish however, the light flickered away. Prompting everything currently in the air to fall back to the ground.
Pretty soon Scorch could hear the complaints of his team as they pulled themselves up and gathered around him. Though the Emboar tuned them all out as he tried to ponder over what had just happened, staring at the purple jewel on his arm until one of the pokemon finally got his attention.
“Scorch! What the hell was that?!” A Raichu angrily asked, quickly stepping towards the fire type.
Scorch looked down at the yellow rodent before blowing a puff of flames from his nose, sending a clear message to cease talking. The Raichu quieted down and stepped back before Scorch brought his other hand to his head.
“Sorry… About, that .” The Emboar bluntly said before turning around. Figuring that was probably the best they were going to get as far as an apology, most of the team soon realized that their leader was just as confused as they were.
Being left to his own devices, Scorch spent the rest of the day thinking about what had happened. As every now and then, the thought of removing his armbands and tossing them into the distance crossed his mind. But every time he reached for the trinkets, something in his head would stop him. The Emboar couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was telling him to give the armbands another chance.
Stranding up and turning towards some trees, Scorch held out his arm before curiously glancing at the purple jewel. A mauve gleam flashed in his eyes as he focused on the grove ahead, grasping at the air with his hand. With each motion Scorch could see the trees bend and shift, feeling a sense of superiority as he continued to toy with designated practice targets.
As the sun began to set, the members of Team Raiders gathered around Scorch. Some of them were keeping their distance from the Emboar, as what had happened earlier in the day was still fresh in their minds. Sensing their hesitancy to be near him, Scorch reluctantly removed his armbands before placing them inside a nearby sack. He had every intention of putting them back on once they started the raid, but in the meantime he needed to make sure the others actually had his back.
“Alright, let’s go!” Scorch called out before turning towards the cliffs. “We need to use whatever light we still have left to see what we have to work with.”
After a short walk, The team of bandits stood at the rocky walls overlooking Cliffpass. Leaning forwards, Scorch got a top view of the town’s storehouse as well as a decent view of the rest of the town. He began to scan the area for any sign of Hearth.
“It shouldn’t be that damn hard to find a Ninetales.” Scorch mumbled. “Where the hell is she?”
Hearth quickly walked through the cobbled streets, rushing to get somewhere Scorch might be able to see her. Due to her activities the night before, the Ninetales’ task had almost escaped her mind.
“Come on, come on…” Hearth thought, cursing herself for being irresponsible.
Reaching an open area near the storehouse, Hearth looked up at where Scorch and the others were likely waiting. “Alright, here we go.” She muttered. “Heh, famous last words…”
Hearth then threw back her head before forming an orb of green energy in her mouth, and firing it into the air. This caught the attention of a number of pokemon who then ran towards the Nintales.
Hearth swiftly danced around them, sending more ranged attacks into the air as she dodged their attempts to stop her. “There’s no using moves like that here!” A Blaziken yelled, continuing to chase Hearth though the street. Off to the side of the storehouse, Nyx watched the Ninetales run past him, shaking his head at the sight.
“Bandits…” The disguised Zoroark muttered before turning his head towards the entrance, seeing a Zebstrika stepping out the front of the building. “Though I guess I should thank her for the distraction.”
Slipping towards the front of the building, Nyx stepped out of the shadows still wearing his Lycanroc form. Nyx stopped, being met by two sets of doors. Both were made out of iron, but the first was massive in comparison to the one Nyx stood before. He had seen the captain of the town use the smaller door for personal use, and knew it required a key to open. However this wasn’t a problem for the Zoroark, as his secret weapon against all things locked was hiding in the white plume of fur around his neck.
Propping himself up on his hind legs, Nyx leaned on the wall and let his Dedenne partner climb up his body. The rodent made his way up to the mechanism embedded in the door, taking the two pins he carried in his teeth and jamming them into the keyhole. In a matter of seconds it was unlocked and the duo was in, pushing the door open before slipping inside.
Having seen Hearth’s signal, Scorch and the others began their descent down the cliffside with the help of some rope. A while later, the Emboar felt he was at a good enough height to land. Jumping off the wall, Scorch roughly landed on the roof of the storehouse. The other members of Team Raiders soon followed suit, before waiting for their next order.
“You guys continue down there.” Scorch said, gesturing his hand to the ground below.
“Everyone else with me.” He continued, bringing his fist to his chest. With the agreed-upon plan set into motion, Scorch then looked down at the roof with a smile on his face.
“What the hell are you thinking?” Scorch muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Looking back at his team, the Emboar came up with a more sensible idea. “Wait for me ‘till I tell you to come down.”
Within the storehouse, Nyx finally shed his disguise. As he had no more use for being ‘Jasper the new guy’. The Driftblim who hired him was very specific as to what they wanted the Zoroark to bring back, and Nyx had every intent on finding it. The dark type glanced around the lantern-lit aisles, for any sign of potential trouble.
Seeing a couple of Electabuzz chatting in one of the aisles, Nyx removed the Denenne from his mane and placed them on one of the shelves. “Check anything and everything, I have a feeling we won’t have much time.” The Zoroark whispered to his partner who nodded before taking off.
As the minutes passed, Nyx was starting to get rather annoyed. Having picked his way through multiple crates and chests, he was still no closer to finding what he came for. The Zoroark swore under his breath as another chest yielded the same result. While Nyx was a perfectly capable lockpicker, he wasn’t as good as the Dedenne. He hissed knowing that time wasn’t on his side, gritting his teeth as the arrival of Team Raiders was fresh in his mind.
Using one of his crimson claws to pick the lock of yet another chest, he was silently hoping the Dedenne had found their mark. However his thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud crash, immediately followed by the sound of echoing metal. Quickly looking towards the front, Nyx’s gaze narrowed before the realization hit him.
“Are you fucking kiddin-” He was soon cut off by another echoing smash, which this time was followed by the the smell of molten metal and the sight of a large Emboar blasting though the large door. An Emboar, who curiously had a lavender gleam in his eyes.
The room rattled, causing a few shelves and items to collapse. Nyx was forced to dive out of the way, landing on his stomach. To his surprise however, the Zoroark soon found that he was now face to face with what he was searching for. An opened chest and two translucent stones laid on the floor in front of him, one green and the other amber. They both had helix-like shapes inside of them, signaling to Nyx that these were the mega stones he was after.
Picking himself up, the Zoroark scooped up the stones into the chest before shutting it and frantically surveying the room for his partner. Spotting the Denenne in the distance, Nyx motioned his head to the spot next to him.
“Just some careful maneuvering, and we can avoid this guy…” Nyx thought.
“And that’s how you make an entrance.” Scorch said to himself before catching a glimpse of the red-hot edges of the massive hole.
“Shit-” He muttered, his eyes flickering back to normal, looking up at his teammates who were still scaling down the wall. “Get your asses down here and put this shit out!” Scorch yelled as more pokemon came down and saw the burning hole.
A few of them sighed when they saw what the Emboar did, thinking he had gone a bit overboard. But they weren’t here to judge their boss’ method of entry, they were here to loot the storehouse for all it was worth. Scorch turned around, his attention now back on his prize before he stepped inside.
“This is almost too easy…” The Emboar said under his breath.
Hearing a loud bang, Hearth’s game of chase was cut short as the explorers turned back towards the storehouse. Noticing the growing number of pokemon in green bandanas rushing in, Hearth decided to take action. She remembered Scorch’s plan involving blast seeds, having taken them away from the scouts and placing them along the road to the town.
Following from behind, Hearth caught sight of a few of the scouts she had been sent with. The small group was hiding beside a house, seemingly waiting for a moment to strike. It was then that the Ninetales got an idea, letting loose a few well aimed Energy Balls on the guild pokemon in front of her.
Quickly pivoting on her paws, Hearth then made a run for her teammates. “Hit and run, let’s go!” Hearth exclaimed, passing them all before making another turn. Weaving her way around the houses and groups of explorers, the Nintales continued her onslaught of attacks as she danced around her new adversaries.
Aside from the scouts, Hearth saw that Scorch’s team had begun to claim ground as well. However a few explorers of note were managing to break through the chaos. With a scowl on their face, a familiar looking Zebstrika bucked and charged his way through the hoard of bandits in hopes of reaching the storehouse.
Hearth narrowed her gaze as she ran around the crowd, wanting to line up the perfect shot. The Ninetales then blasted forth a steam of fire from her mouth, grazing the electric type’s back. Whipping around, the Zebstrika used Discharge; sending flares of electricity around him to incapacitate his surrounding attackers. It was then that the two locked eyes, Hearth taking note of the utter hatred in his.
“Yeah, sorry about all of this.” The Ninetales said with a slight grin, hoping the zebra’s rage would lead them to make a mistake. With a loud snort, the Zebstrika ground his hoof against the street as electricity crackled through his fur.
“Bandit scum!” The electric type shouted before the whites of his fur lit up, sending a surge of electricity over his body. Using Wild Charge, he rushed towards Hearth, who braced for battle.
As Scorch entered the storehouse, he was soon met by the two Electabuzz charging towards him with electrified fists. With an unamused look on his face, Scorch swung up the sack holding his metal bands. An audible ‘thunk’ sound could be heard upon the sack’s contents making contact with the electric type’s jaw. The other Electabuzz would soon find their hand stopped by a searing heat, as Scorch caught their fist with his other hand after he had set it ablaze.
Tightening his grip, the Emboar slammed them into a nearby wall and continued inside. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay there.” The fire type muttered.
Reaching back into the sack, Scorch pulled out his armbands before putting them back on. A euphoric wave washed over the Emboar once the bands were back on, his breath deepening as a wide smile crept onto his face. However despite his current joy, Scorch couldn’t help but feel that he had missed something.
Nyx and his partner watched from the shadows as the large Emboar and his team walked further into the storehouse, taking anything that would fit in their hands. “They probably don’t even know what half the things they’re taking are…” Nyx thought, watching as Scorch stuck out his arm before sweeping a shelf’s worth of items into his bag.
The Zoroark cringed at the sight, figuring that some of the things dumped inside were now likely damaged in some way. Shaking his head, Nyx reminded himself that leaving was his priority. However the sounds of what he assumed was a large scale fight were coming in from outside the hole in the door.
“Leave it to bandits to make things difficult.” The Zoroark thought, glancing back at Scorch.
Figuring the others had things under control, Scorch walked towards the door to stop anyone that might try to interfere with the looting. Getting closer towards the hole, the Emboar would see something that made him freeze in place. Time almost seemed to slow down as Scorch watched Hearth get kicked away by the explorers’ captain, the Zebsrtika’s back hooves dealing a blow to the Ninetales’ side before he sent a shock through his legs.
As the overall conflict between Team Raiders and the guild pokemon continued, the chaos began to spread out to the rest of the town, a fact that only further enraged the Zebstrika. However the electric type’s demeanor grew eerily calm as he approached Hearth.
“It’s a pity someone as charming as yourself would associate with these degenerates.”
Hearth shakily rose to her feet, puffing out a small flame from her mouth. “Is this about the mess, or the fact that I tricked your sorry ass.”
“Shut your mouth!” The Zebstrika said as he raised a hoof, only for it to slam back to the ground. As both he and Hearth soon found it difficult to stand, their bodies began to feel inexplicably heavier.
Catching a flash of light in the distance, Hearth’s gaze went past the seething zebra to see Scorch barreling towards them. His entire body was engulfed in flames as he almost seemed to fly over the ground, all while an expression of pure rage was situated on his face.
Hearth doubted she would be hurt by the Emboar’s Flare Blitz attack, she found that this new weighted sensation she was feeling was only growing stronger and more painful. A feeling of disorientation quickly began to plague Hearth’s mind, but she knew she had to try and move.
“Come on…” Hearth thought, struggling to put one paw in front of the other. “Pull yourself forward, dammit!”
At the last moment, Hearth was able to muster the strength to pull herself away as Scorch collided with the Zebstrika. The dizziness and feeling of heaviness were beginning to fade, allowing the Ninetales a chance to catch her breath.
“The game’s not over yet…” She said to herself with a slight grin. Hearth then decided to move towards the storehouse, figuring she may as well take the chance to get her paws on whatever lay inside.
Reaching the hole in the storehouse door, the Ninetales ground to a stop as a familiar Zoroark stepped out in front of her. “Ah-”
“Watch it!” Nyx exclaimed, holding up the chest he stole as his body stiffened. Realizing what he’d just done, the Zoroark inhaled and turned back his head. His eyes met with that of the other bandits inside, all of them staring daggers at him.
A few of them began to step towards the two as Nyx backed away. Sensing the tension, Hearth made her way between the two parties, puffing a flame just short of her teammates.
“Hey! We’re here on a time limit here, remember! It’s one thing compared to all that in there!” Hearth yelled, gesturing with her paw. “Let’s not waste time!”
Nyx proceeded to run off while the bandits resumed their plundering. But not after he saw Hearth turn her head back towards him, mouthing ‘ I won’t tell if you won’t. ’ She still had that same mischievous smile on her face, but something about it seemed a bit more sincere than before.
“Those damn bandits.” He said to himself with a smile, running past the surrounding conflicts.
A clash of flames could be seen in the center of town, as Scorch and the captain of the explorers were engaged in a fierce battle. Both parties’ eyes were filled with rage and the desire to smite the other where they stood. Naturally quite a bit of damage had been done to the surrounding houses as the two fought, Scorch causing more so as he swung his flaming fists in every which way in an attempt to hit the speedy Zebstrika; who only seemed to be getting faster the longer the conflict went on.
Once again the Zebstrika used their Flame Charge attack, coating their body in a flame-like energy before charging for Scorch. The Emboar felt himself get pushed back, slamming into a wall of one of a nearby house. Scorch growled in response, cursing himself and the electric type. He was finding the zebra’s attacks were getting harder and harder to block, as their movements were becoming a blur every time he got close. Using this as motivation, Scorch pulled himself off of the wall before using Hammer Arm.
Slamming his fist into the ground, the purple gem in his armband began to glow before sending a pulse of energy though the street, breaking it apart. “RUN ACROSS THIS YOU SPARKHAPPY BASTARD!” Scorch yelled as the large pieces of the cobbled street began to float in the air.
The Zebstrika twisted their head, popping something in their neck before running towards Scorch. However, to his surprise the Emboar disappeared, reappearing behind them holding a large chunk of the street in his hands. Slamming it down, he managed to graze the electric type’s side as they just barely jumped out of the way.
The Zebstrika then looked around at the floating pieces of earth surrounding him and Scorch. Leaping atop of them, the electric type began to rework their previous strategy by speedily leaping from piece to piece. With his eyes darting around, Scorch only became more enraged as he watched his adversary zipping around him. It was then that the blue gem in his other armband began to glow, followed by a flash of blue in the Emboar’s eyes.
Everything within Scorch’s vision began to slow down, the Zebstrika now appearing to slow to a crawl in comparison to himself. Not bothering to question it, Scorch quickly slammed the back of his fist into the closest floating piece of land. It didn’t have the immediate effect that he thought it would, instead only being slowly pushed away.
Looking at the other floating pieces, an idea formed in Scorch’s head. Making his way towards where the Zebstrika was going to jump, Scorch punched at the chunk of land to knock it away. A devious smile crept onto the Emboar’s face, as the electric type seemed to be none the wiser of what he had just done.
Once the deed was done, the blue gem’s light faded and Scorch’s perception soon returned back to normal. He watched the Zebstrika fall on their face, as well as the piece he had hit being sent careening into a nearby house, obliterating the wall. As the eclectic type tried to pull himself up, he felt his body get pushed right back down. Trying their hardest to fight against it, the Zebstrika found that he could not for the life of him move. The feeling of pressure was the worst part, barely being able to draw a breath; almost as if the Emboar himself were standing on top of him.
Slowly glaring to the side, he could see Scorch staring at him with a wide, twisted grin. The Emboar stood with his hand held out, the purple gem on his arm giving off a mauve colored glow. This continued for a short while longer until Scorch heard someone calling out his name. Turning his head, he could see Hearth and a few others standing in the distance.
“Let’s go! Come on!” The Ninetales yelled before running off. The glow faded from his band as he turned away from the Zebstrika, not even bothering to acknowledge him as he left.
Later that night, Hearth looked over the couple of blast seeds she had managed to recover from the incline leading out of the town. She and the others had made it to the meeting point in the south-west as planned. Looking down at the bandages now wrapping over her torso, Hearth sighed before flinching immediately after.
“You feeling better?” She heard Scorch ask.
“Yeah…” She answered before the two looked down at the blast seeds.
“You didn’t use them?”
“Well I’m not really a fan of blowing up houses.” Hearth answered with a slight shift of the head. “And I’m kinda starting to think we didn’t need ‘em anyway.”
Scorch’s gaze shifted away from the Nintales as he lifted a hand behind his head, not answering his friend’s insinuation.
Hearth slowly sat up to face the Emboar proper. “You mind telling me what that was back there?”
After Scorch told Herath and Leone what had happened, the Nintales decided to take some time for herself while an argument broke out between the Emboar and Purugly. She sat down on a ledge not too far away from the camp, it was overlooking a field that was bathed in the moonlight from above.
Hearth took a deep breath and looked up at the starry night sky, alone in her thoughts until a voice spoke to her. “Got room for one more? You seem like a talker.”
Hearth turned her head to see a Lucario sit down next to her. A ripple of reddish-purple light showed across the bipedal jakel’s blue and black fur before they gave a wink.
“So what should I call you this time?” Hearth asked.
Nyx brought a paw to his chin and thought for a bit. “How about… Indigo.”
“I was thinking ‘Dead if they find you here.’ Or something like that.” Hearth remarked, gesturing her head back towards the camp.
“Yeah, yeah…” Nyx said as he got up. “See you around, bandit .”
Hearth watched with a smile as the ‘lucario’ walked away into the night. “See you around you lousy thief.”
… … …
“These remnants … They let Scorch do all of that?” Hickory asked, taken aback by the Purugly’s story.
Leone nodded her head. The reactions between Cinder, Crash, and Hickory were mixed, ranging from dulled anger, to fear, to concern. “I am sure that you have seen the spire of the city’s center, yes?” She asked, receiving nods in response from the trio. “That too is believed to be a remnant.”
“It is said that the peak of the spire is a piece of solidified power, supposedly left behind by Palkia.” Leone continued. Cinder and Hickory each froze upon hearing what the Purugly had said. Crash however slowly stared down at his hands.
“You mean like, Lord of Space Palkia , that’s what you’re saying?!” The Scraggy sharply asked, feeling a sense of uneasiness run throughout his body.
“As far as I am aware, knowledge of the remnants is not common outside of western Diavaircia. As for those who do know them, they are often rather quick to pass it all off as nothing more than an old story.”
“Well it seems pretty real to me.” Crash remarked, balling his shaking hands.
“Scorch was the only pokemon I have ever really seen gain power from these remnants.” Leone said before everyone slowly turned towards the Scraggy.
Crash sank down as all eyes fell on him, as a feeling of uncertainty mixed with a tinge of guilt washed over him. As this newfound ability he supposedly possessed had not only put himself, Cinder, and Hickory in this situation, but was something he shared with Scorch.
More and more questions began to run throughout Cinder’s mind, the confusion only seeming to reinvigorate her anger. “Why would my mom just… have something like that?” She asked, looking Leone in the eye.
“You said, only Scorch could use it, right?”
Leone ever so slightly lowered her head in response, her amber eyes shifting away from the Vulpix as her breathing seemed to deepen. “…If you do not mind, I would like to take a short break before we continue.” Leone said before hopping down from her chair.
The members of Team Lightwood turned to watch as the Purugly walked towards the front area, telling a Dragapult behind one of the counters to get her something.
… … …
“So… you’re leaving?” Hearth asked, tilting her head. Both she and Leone were walking around the first floor of what would later become The Silver Claw, the Purugly having invited her to see the building she had gotten her paws on.
“I want to try something different.” Leone answered, brushing dust off of a table with her tail.
“However, that is not my only reason.” She continued. “Have you noticed anything about Scorch as of late?”
“Whatcha mean?” Hearth asked, sitting down.
“I am referring to his temper. His highs and lows seem to be more… extreme .” The Purugly answered.
“Well it’s not like Scorch’s never gotten mad before.”
Leone sighed. “Perhaps… But it is starting to become a bit too much.”
“I guess.” Hearth said, recognizing that the Purugly may have had a point.
The Ninetales then shook her head, standing up before taking a few steps towards her friend. “But that’s kinda just how he’s always been, right?” Hearth reasoned.
“I mean sure, he’ll snap like a dry twig in the summer when someone messes with us-”
“Do you mean like when he found out about you and Nyx?” Leone cut her off.
Hearth froze, the blush on her face only hidden by her golden fur. The Nintales’ gaze shifted to the side. “…That’s different.”
Leone raised a brow in response. “Hearth-”
“Okay, first. You say that us like meeting on a couple of jobs, makes a thing. Second, Scorch did let him go.” Hearth added, looking back at the cat.
“I mean you’re acting like the big guy would just turn around and do that to us.”
An awkward silence hung throughout the room following the Ninetales’ statement, at least until Hearth loudly puffed out air from her mouth. “So what exactly do you plan on doing with this place-” Stopping mid sentence, the Ninetales winced before giving an exaggerated groan.
“Are you feeling alright?” Leone asked.
“…Kinda.” Hearth grumbled, prompting another questioning look from the Purugly.
“Fine…” The Ninetales grumbled. “To be honest, I’ve been feeling mildly like shit for a bit.”
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