Chapter 1: Unrest Building - Friends Together
Chapter Text
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Verge Uprising
Episode I: Unrest Building
Tensions are at an all-time high between two islands of the Onian Triad of islands. Onya Minor and Onya Major are in dispute over numerous law policies, both the long-standing and the newly proposed. The two islands are nearly evenly split, the majority of members on each aligning with one respective set of beliefs.
Events are nearing a boiling point, as Onya Major has proposed that they succeed from the Onian Triad and form a sovereign nation, with Onya Minor vehemently disagreeing and instead wishing for Onya Major to bend to their whims.
The third island of the triad, Onya Garlicia, has called high-ranking officials from the other two islands to the central capital city of Scalliopolis, in hopes of not letting their long-standing nation become irreparably fractured. The two regional governers themselves are to attend the negotiation in-person...
Onya Minor - One Week Before the Capitol Meeting
A tall and sleek, yet kinda scruffy fennekin rested upon his musty blue couch. His eyes were narrowed and fixated upon the television. A beat-up looking turquoise cape laid over his back, drooping down to touch the floor.
As he watched the latest report on the political situation of the islands, his ears soon perked up, alerted to footsteps entering from the other room. He looked up to see another more aged fennekin walk in from the kitchen.
"Howdy, mom!" the younger fennekin greeted, putting on a grin. "Can ya' believe this shit?" He gestured to the TV with a scoff. "Succession? It's madness, I'll tell you what! I say we should march in there and put an end to their threats right quick." He punched his paws together.
The older fennekin sighed, smiling gently.
"Now, Shallot, dear. We're gonna be negotiatin' for a reason. It won't need to come to violence."
Shallot sighed, slumping back against the couch. His tail drooped lazily over the edge.
"I think the time for that has passed. They deserve to be taught a lesson."
Shallot's mother hopped onto the couch, resting a paw on her son's.
"Now, dear. We're all pokémon at the end of the day, doing what we believe is right. Maybe we don't always agree on that, but if we communicate, we can get along."
Shallot, disgruntled, shook his head. The fennekin glared back toward the TV.
"They're just a bunch of mud-squabbling criminals who think nothin' matters but them damned selves." He turned to glare toward his mother. "I know your our town's representative and all, so it's kinda your job to talk things out, but I really think it's a waste of time at this point. Thems kind of pokémon ain't gonna do the right thing unless you make 'em. You should do us proud and vote that they heed our demands."
The older fennekin shook her head disappointedly.
"My darling son... There's more to the world than black and white. It's painted in shades of gray. Most do what they do out of belief that they're doin' right. All they need to change is for us to show 'em a little kindness and understanding."
"Yeah, I'll do that all right," Shallot grumbled, crossing his forelegs. He pulled his cape around himself tightly. "I understand that they're fucked up, and I'll show them the kindness of personally ending their suffering."
Shallot's mother sighed.
"I know you've always aspired to be a hero, Shallot. And I admire that. You want to do good for the world. You must understand, however, that being a hero isn't about justice, or beating bad guys, or stomping out opposition. It's about your heart. Compassion." She rested a paw on Shallot's back, smiling warmly. "To be a warrior takes strength, but to love requires the greatest strength of all, and only through the greatest strength will you achieve the greatest change. Maybe you'll even learn in the process that you needed to change as well."
The younger fennekin narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, whatever."
"No one's perfect, Shallot. And, that's okay. Through working together, we can become our best selves, over and over again. There are many perspectives in the world. I believe that the only fundamental evil in this world is to create pain for pain's sake."
"Well," Shallot huffed, hopping up from his seat, "Maybe you should heed your own advice. Become your 'best self' and learn when to quit chasing a dumb fever dream."
Without looking back, Shallot advanced across the creaky, decrepit floorboards of his house and exited through the creaking front door.
His mother grumbled disappointedly, and hopped up to begin packing her things for her trip to the capitol.
"I hope for all of our sakes that you're wrong about this..."
Shallot darted down the street, ducking, weaving, and leaping around various obstructions to his path. The fennekin's cape trailed elegantly behind him. Numerous citizens cast him annoyed glances, especially the various guild members patrolling the streets. He did not stop until the sidewalk brought him to a particularly long driveway. He turned sharply to make his way down and toward a large and luxurious house, glowing orange in the light of the setting sun.
Upon reaching the front patio, he raised his paw and rapped upon the tall, wooden door. After only a moment, it swung inward to reveal a particularly annoyed cinccino glaring up at him.
"Could you not have rung the doorbell, you uneducated cretin?" the cinccino reprimanded with a steely leer.
Shallot only gave a toothy smirk, shrugging.
"Not in a million years! Doorbells cramp my style, yo."
The cinccino's face screwed up in confusion. Her silent question was soon made audible by a third voice approaching from behind.
"What could that possibly even mean?"
Shallot grinned upon seeing a minccino approaching the door from inside, one with an expression lacking the hostility of their older counterpart.
"Howdy, there, Tart!" Shallot greeted.
The minccino curtsied in response.
"And, wondrous greetings to you, my dearest friend Shal- eek!" Without warning, Tart was cut off with a squeal as the fennekin tackled her onto the carpeted floor. They rolled around in a mess of limbs, Shallot growling and striking with his paws and jaws at every opportunity, whereas Tart continued to defend against the attacks whilst verbally protesting.
Eventually, the pair ended up outside, continuing to scuffle in the driveway. It only ended once Shallot pinned Tart tummy-down and playfully bit down on her ear.
"Ugh! Shallot!" The minccino whined, kicking him off. She looked down to her fur, once a beautiful silver, now coated with a layer of brown dust. "You have soiled my appearance! As usual..."
"Bah, who cares?" Shallot shrugged. "You're still cute!"
" I care," the older cinccino huffed, glaring at the pair. "Since you, little impoverished rat, decided to ruin my daughter's fur, you'd better at least make it up to her."
"Oh yeah?" Shallot smirked. "How'll I do that?"
Tart raised her paws defensively.
"Fret not, mother. I will simply have him bathe me!"
The cinccino rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Great... Let that... Ugh... Slob touch you, I suppose. Whatever."
With that, she turned to walk away. Shallot stuck his tongue out after her.
"So, how're ya' doin', Tartsy?" the fennekin inquired with a smirk. The two pokémon set off walking together, their paws pitter pattering along the dirt road.
The minccino gave a friendly smile in response, turning her head to look at her friend.
"I am faring quite all right! Your inquiry is greatly appreciated! How about yourself, my friend?"
"I'm goodie!"
As the pair walked, they quickly found themselves distant from the grand estate. They walked for blocks in a comfortable silence, neither seeing fit to break it just yet. Eventually, they walked into a park, where they sat on a bench together to watch various pokémon of all different ages walking, talking, and playing.
"So..." the minccino began, turning to point her big, curious, lemony eyes right in Shallot's direction. "Pray tell; for what purpose have you sought out a visit with yours truly? We had already made contact earlier this day, no?" Her head tilted ever so slightly.
Shallot's grin faltered a bit, and he looked the other way with shame.
"Oh, uh, you know... Just another fight with my mom."
Tart nodded understandingly, letting out a thoughtful hum. She crossed her arms.
"Was it once more about the Onya Major population?"
At the mention, Shallot's already crimson eyes seemed to somehow go redder with a haze of fury. He looked to the ground, self-consciously wrapping his cape around himself. He stared off into the darkening landscape, where all of the pokémon seemed to be starting to leave the park.
"Yeah. She still don't agree with my whole perspective on justice."
Tart sighed, leaning back against the bench. She stared up toward the faint stars which were only just beginning to shimmer to life. She looked back down soon after. Only two other pokémon remained in the park; a little buneary child and an equally young pichu, who hopped around and splashed happily in a rain puddle.
"I must say... While I am in agreement that the..." Tart paused and shuddered in disgust. " wretched barbarians over there are... Uh... Less than civilized, perhaps it is indeed within our best interest to negotiate, lest it lead to conflict."
"I just think it's a waste of time. What if they do something to the Onya Minor representatives over there? Who knows what sort of twisted schemes those varmints got cookin'. Maybe if someone who actually gets shit done were in charge, like Guildmaster Alakazam, they'd be able to get results, but no, we're stuck with useless ol' Governor Leafeon."
"Well, in any case, your parents will be quite safe, I'm sure! With Salami's parents accompanying them for the journey, protection is all but absolutely guaranteed! Two veteran guildsmons like them shall be unstoppable!"
Shallot and Tart's attention was drawn back to the buneary and pichu, as a zebstrika and growlithe both approached, wearing matching blue scarves.
"All right, you kids," the growlithe spoke sternly. "It's past curfew. You know the drill; no citizens outside between eight and two.
The buneary and pichu stared up in surprise.
"Huh...?" the buneary inquired. "It's not even dark..."
"All right, buddy," the growlithe spoke with a smirk, turning to his zebstrika companion. "We've got resisters."
Tart and Shallot both cringed, looking away as they heard only a crack of thunder and two cries of pain.
"Speaking of explorers, we should get inside before that's us..." Shallot whispered.
"Indubitably," Tart agreed. The two hurried off, only sparing once glance toward the two explorers dragging the crying pair of children out of the park.
The pair took notice with great relief and some apprehension that there was an uncharacteristic lack of explorers patrolling that part of town that night.
"Well," Tart started as she and Shallot hurried back down the sidewalk, "Since it is within less distance, and you had already stormed off earlier from your bloodline's residence, perhaps you could stay the night at our dear friend Salami's house? We could even call up a pie!"
Shallot stared incredulously, his mouth briefly hanging open.
"What do y'mean, 'call up a pie?' Never heard that one."
Tart shook her head with exasperation.
"Tsk, tsk, poor, poor uneducated, uncool Shallot. He lacks the knowledge of what is hip slang, these days. It simply means that I could order a pizza."
The fennekin seemed to flush with annoyance.
"No one fuckin' says that! Not a single pokémon!"
Tart blinked in surprise, putting a paw to her muzzle.
"Truly? I happen to have a cousin which uses the phrase quite frequently, I will have you know!"
"That's bullshit and you know it."
The pair ceased their running when they came up on a quaint house nestled between several others. They ascended up onto the wooden porch, by then barely illuminated in the light of the moon.
Shallot reached up to knock on the door, until Tart grabbed his paw, shaking her head disapprovingly. Instead, she reached over and pressed the door bell button, which let out a loud chime.
As the minccino smirked in triumph, Shallot psh'd dismissively, looking away with annoyance.
"You're cramping my style, yo."
Only a moment later, the door slowly opened, revealing a light blue ninetales with a red scarf smiling down at them.
"Shallot, Tart! Hi!" the ninetales greeted with a polite bow. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
Tart mimicked the gesture, while Shallot simply waved enthusiastically. It was the minccino who spoke up.
"Best of evenings to you, Mrs. Snakke! Shallot and I have found ourselves present outside beyond the point of curfew. We request shelter for the remainder of the night, if it is acceptable for you!"
The ninetales nodded with a smile, stepping aside to allow the two in.
"Why, of course! We'd be happy to have you!" To accentuate the point, she puffed out a little ring of cold, cloudy air in the vague shape of a heart.
"Thank ya' kindly!" Shallot cheered as he walked in.
"Much appreciated!" Tart politely curtsied.
On the couch, a more blond ninetales looked up, wearing a red scarf as well. A small snow-white vulpix slept soundly beside him. He smiled fondly, adjusting his glasses.
"Hey there, young ones. Salami is in his room, if you wish to see him!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Shallot agreed.
"We shall call up a pie, as well, so be on the lookout for that!"
The two ninetales glanced to each other with palpable confusion. They resigned to merely shrug.
A tall, dark red vulpix was splayed out relaxing on his modest bed, casually using his telekinesis to operate the desktop computer sitting on a desk a couple feet away. Simultaneously, he levitated a webcam which was aiming toward himself.
He abruptly jumped in surprise as his door was opened, dropping his equipment with a shout.
Shallot and Tart's matching grins turned confused as they saw the vulpix scrambling back onto his bed.
"Howdy, Salami!" Shallot greeted, resuming his smile. "What were ya' doing?"
"Uh... Nothing important," Salami shrugged, waving his paw dismissively.
As Tart and Shallot hopped onto his bed, the former of the pair took notice of his monitor. There appeared to be some sort of live chat feed on a live stream setup. She read the most recent message.
"PepperoniFennekin994: Show more of the back ones please."
Salami flicked his monitor off with a mental gesture.
"It's nothing. So, uh, what's up? Out past curfew again?"
"That is correct, my dear friend Salami," Tart confirmed with a nod.
"For such a justice stickler, you seem to, uh, break that particular rule a lot, Shalls," Salami deadpanned, quirking a brow as he looked toward his fennekin friend.
Shallot wrung his turquoise cape between his paws nervously.
"Hehe, I just lose track of time, is all."
"...Fair enough." Salami nodded. He flicked off his bedside lamp, leaving the room only illuminated by the light streaming in from the street lamps outside. "Have you guys eaten yet?"
Tart seemed to light up in glee.
"Negative! In fact, we were just about to call up-" her speech was muffled as a paw was shoved over her mouth.
"Call up a pizza place," Shallot finished, smirking as the minccino visibly fumed and flushed behind his paw.
Salami raised an eyebrow again, but maintained his straight face as the two began to physically altercate. After it ended with Tart pinning Shallot against the wall, the three reconvened and ordered their pizza.
"I wonder how the explorers feel havin' to be the ones to deliver pizzas after curfew," Shallot pondered. "You think they enjoy the easy job, or they're mad that they ain't doing something more important?"
"Uh, I'm sure they all feel different about it," Salami reasoned, shrugging.
"Speaking of something more important, I do believe there is something... Unusual occuring outside." The minccino warily pointed toward the window.
Confused, Shallot and Salami looked over as well. The three all approached, trying to figure out what was going on.
A wurmple seemed to be cornered in an alley across the street by an eevee, a chespin, and a sprigatito. Not much else could be determined other than that, but it was all Shallot needed to get excited.
"Woah, someone's getting mugged!" The fennekin squealed happily. "Lucky me! It's my chance to exact justice!"
"Uh, you don't know what's happening for sure," Salami pointed out. "And it's still past curfew."
Tart nodded, concern etched on her face.
"With all due respect, dearest Shallot, now is hardly a good time for your heroic delusions. You could come into harm!"
"No way I'm passing this opportunity up," Shallot declared with a grin. He tightened his cape and shoved open the window. "Come on, guys! Watch this!"
"Shallot, no!" Tart and Salami shouted in unison, but it was too late. The fennekin had already leapt down to the ground and began to dash across the street.
Chapter 2: Unrest Building - Ideas Apart
Chapter Text
Several Hours Prior
Jutting off from the side of a cliff, a practical 3D maze of wood stretched as far as the eye could see. Long, winding walkways of planks, weaving up, down, and all around each other, all connecting countless buildings and supported by giant beams extending far down into the ocean below.
Between several-story gaps of empty space surrounding the beams, the intricately complex wooden structure was separated into several distinct layers. This is the town of Layer Port, home of the esteemed Onya Minor Guild.
Sprawling out and around a large section of the second to top layer store a stark white building of concrete bricks, emblazoned with a large explorer symbol above the front entrance.
An alakazam strided out from the sliding glass doors and onto the large wooden platform of the guild plaza. His heavy footsteps thunked with hollow echoes across the timbers as he made his way toward a particular walkway up a set of stairs. He was garbed in a long black cape and a tight brown belt, the former of which was draped over to conceal all but the front of his body.
The pokémon's serious glare kept the various citizens roaming about at a respectful distance. Many saluted or bowed to him, sharing various greetings, none of which were returned verbally.
"Greetings, Guildmaster."
"It is an honor, Guildmaster."
"At attention, sir!"
The Guildmaster only raised his hand in a silent gesture of greeting.
One pokémon in particular, however, was not having any of it.
An arcanine dressed in a faded blue police uniform stepped in front of the alakazam, who in turn waited patiently with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Good mornin', Chief," the Guildmaster greeted, bowing just slightly. "Step aside, if you will." His gaze renamed calm and neutral.
"I don't think so, Toast," the Chief rebutted, shaking his head. "If you're on your way to see the Governor, then think again."
Toast raised an eyebrow, slowly crossing his arms. He silently stared at the hardened resolve on the Chief's face for an agonizing twenty seconds.
"I just wanna see my friend. I do believe that ain't a crime, partner."
"This isn't about what's law and what's not," the arcanine growled. "The Guild has been having too much input into politicall affairs, and I am putting my foot down. You are not a recognized body of government. You have no jurisdiction to make decisions on behalf of the people. Stop acting as if you do." The Chief appeared to become increasingly angry as he spoke, to the point where he was fuming.
Toast sighed. He calmly took a seat and assumed a meditative pose, letting his eyes fall closed.
"Now, Chief. I'm not makin' the governor do anything he ain't want to. I'm just tellin' him what I think is right, and he considers my perspective. I'm sick of those no-good filthy rat-bag Majors makin' problems for us. You know as well as I do that they've been comin' over here and causing havoc that we have to fix."
The Chief growled lowly as he responded, taking a step forward.
"Fixin' those problems ain't supposed to be your damned job. It's the job of the police to police. Your's is to take jobs from paying clients who need help with somethin', and to explore land. You aren't law enforcement, Toast."
"That's Guildmaster to you," Toast stated calmly. "Perhaps if you lot did your supposed job, partner, we wouldn't have to step up and fill your boots."
The arcanine took a step forward.
Toast took on a warning tone.
"Don't do somethin' you'll regret, Chief."
The arcanine felt the smallest spark of heat begin to build in his maw. As soon as it did, he felt the rush of air below him. He screamed in terror as he dropped over the side of the wooden walkway, having been flung directly over the railing. Luckily for him, he landed in a heap on another bridge of planks a few meters below, rather than dropping below the bottom of the layer.
Shivering in terror, the Chief scrambled back onto all fours, looking up at the other platform with wide eyes. Toast was already beginning to walk away.
Just as the Chief began to charge another attack, the alakazam in under a second flung out his cape, unholstered a revolver, and fired directly in front of the Chief of Police without even looking.
The arcanine shouted once again, stumbling back as a large chunk of the guard rail splintered in front of him, one chip of wood even tearing through his cheek and leaving a splatter of blood.
Toast continued making his way through town, the various pokémon eying him with a wary mixture of unease and reverence. He did not acknowledge them, keeping straight on his path to the Governor's office.
As he walked into the large wooden building, he waved to the skitty at the reception desk. He waved back dismissively, nodding to the alakazam.
"He's open."
"Thank ya' kindly," Toast nodded. He walked into a long, carpeted blue hallway, casually stepping until he reached the end. He opened the unassuming door without even bothering to knock, abruptly startling the lone occupant.
Governor Leafeon jolted in surprise, looking up from his desk. He shoved his papers aside, swinging his legs up to rest on the desk and removing his comically large reading glasses with a smile.
"Why, hello, there, bestie! How's it goin' my man?" The leafeon greeted with a friendly smile. The wall behind him was entirely a single window, with a serene backdrop of the ocean and sky being all that was visible. It somehow felt to Toast as if they were entirely alone, despite there being a whole town behind him.
The alakazam took a seat at the other side of the desk. There was no chair; he simply floated in the air, meditating.
"I'm doin' just peachy, partner. How about yourself?"
"Right as rain!" Governor Leafeon laughed, leaning back in his chair. "Just getting ready for the negotiations, and all that. I take it you're gonna leave soon to gather the representatives?"
"That's right," Toast confirmed.
The Governor smiled, placing his feet back down onto the floor. His forepaws then propped him up onto the desk as he leaned across with a smile.
"I'm, like, so totally stoked that the Majors agreed to this, man!" he gushed, smiling wide. "All this butting heads is, like, stressing me out! Not to mention their threat of succession. I think we'd be in big trouble if they stopped trading us their energy resources." Leafeon hopped up, beginning to skip in circles around the room.
"I do understand that you're mighty eager to get a solution to all of this," Toast started, "but I've come to remind you not to let yourself be walked on. If they make unreasonable demands, don't bend to 'em. Our people need to come first; not theirs."
"Bah, I know, I know," the Governor waved a paw dismissively, rolling his eyes with a mock-serious expression. It then turned back to a grin, which he retrained onto Toast. "You've seriously don't gotta worry, man! I've got this!" He skidded to a stop back behind his desk, which he casually leaned back onto.
"I do have one request for ya', partner," Toast admitted, sighing.
"Oh yeah? What's that, buddy?" Leafeon asked, smiling wide and leaning further across the table.
The alakazam removed the explorer badge from his cape, then using the fabric to polish it idly.
"Y'see, I know you like to get animated, but I've gotta insist that ya' sit down in one place durin' negotiations. Ya' kinda make a fool outta us sometimes when there's news broadcasts of you prancing around government buildings, and it won't even the first report of it that week."
The Governor sighed dramatically, throwing his forelegs into the air.
"Ugh, come on, dude! You know I hate sitting still. I have passion! And it needs to be expressed!" He smiled wide. "And I have love!"
"And that's another thing," Toast added, continuing to shine his badge. "You can't go around hugging and nuzzling all of the officials this time. But, especially the stay in one spot, part. You're our leader, you need to look strong and professional."
"Well, okay, buddy. Anything for you..." Leafeon sighed, relaxing a bit. "It's just so boring, you know? Every time, they insist on boring, 'polite' behavior, and if you do anything unexpected. It's just so monotonous, and I'll be bored like usual."
Toast offered a smile.
"Hey, who knows? Anything could happen. You might be blown away, if you give it a chance."
Leafeon smiled, once more, shrugging. He hopped back to his seat. He placed his glasses back on, beginning to rifle through paperwork once more. "I guess so! Well, my guy, it was a fun chat, but I should be getting back to work! And, you should probably leave soon, if you're gonna make it to Spring Town in time to meet with Representative Fennekin."
"I s'pose you're right, fella. You have a good one, now, y'hear?" Toast nodded, floating down to touch onto the ground. He clipped his badge back onto his cape.
"Likewise, bestie!" Leafeon called, waving goodbye.
Nodding with satisfaction, Toast left the office without another word.
Later That Night
A wurmple cowered back into the dark alley as a chespin, sprigatito, and eevee surrounded him. Each of the three had black bandannas with a simple skull logo over their muzzles.
"P-Please," the bug begged, bowing its head. "You can't take my money... It's all I have..."
The sprigatito shook his head.
"Errrt! Incorrect! Negatory!" He motioned with his forepaws. "Your coinage are belong to us! Kehehe! Unless..." He paused, taking on a disturbed look of concentration. "Sicko! He wishes five-star meal of cement! I am disgust!" Unable to contain himself, he then erupted into uproarious laughter.
"W-What?! No!" The wurmple shook its head violently.
"All right, little shrimp," the chespin interjected, stepping toward the cowering bug with great annoyance. "Hand over the cash, and we won't curb you. Got it?" He growled, snarling in the wurmple's face.
"P-Pretty please...?" the eevee added, shyly averting his gaze.
The chespin glared back at the eevee, whilst the sprigatito only cackled louder.
"Waffle pleads with the victim of his own victimizing! Amusal!"
"L-Look," the wurmple whimpered, squirming in place. "I'm s-sure we could work something out, no? I need this for rent... I can, uh, promise you a little something as soon as I have more..."
"How can we trust you won't break that promise?" The chespin growled.
"You can trust that I'll break your face!" triumphantly declared Shallot as he strode into the alley. The fennekin stood tall, with a street light shining behind him and his cape flowing in the breeze. He stood atop a wayward bag of sand that had been left laying out next to a dumpster..
The three bandits turned to look around. The chespin growled, gritting his teeth. The eevee wore a look of terror, cowering behind the sprigatito, who in turn looked red with rage.
"Lemon is ANGER!" the sprigatito shouted, stomping his paw. "Daring you are daring interfere with plans of which - ours - should not be interfered?! I shall be... The croutons of the salad that is your DOOM! PEAR, WAFFLE, ASSEMBLE!"
"Great," Pear grumbled, rolling his eyes. "You told an explorer our real names. Again."
Waffle shivered in fear, holding the still quivering wurmple right for comfort.
Shallot blinked in surprise, looking down to his cape. He then smirked.
"Yeah, that's right, ya' dirty varmints! I'm Shallot of the Onya Minor Guild, and you are hereby under arrest under the highest authority of the law!"
"Oh yeah?" Pear questioned. The chespin raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "And, what's your team name?"
"Uh... It's... Uh..." the fennekin stammered, beginning to sweat nervously. "Hero... Uh... Heroic! Yeah, Team Heroic!"
"LAUGHTER!" Lemon shouted with a grin. "Ridiculous name! Ridiculous! Fitting, as ridiculed into to in your coffin you will be! Your funeral is on Sunday, and tonight is Sunday morning!"
With his declaration finished, Lemon shot forward at high speeds, letting out a shrill battle cry. Shallot's eyes widened in shock. He froze in place just long enough for Lemon to bite his tail when he tried to jump out of the way. The fennekin face-planted into the ground.
Pear charged over soon after and delivered a swift kick to Shallot's jaw. A choked screech echoed out with the light crack, with a light spray of blood arcing through the air. A single sharp tooth clattered to the ground next to the downed fennekin.
"Fairy of tooths will be eating good Sunday morning!" Lemon declared triumphantly. His following laugh transitioned quickly into a loud scream as he was bathed in a stream of fire. He began to run around in circles. "OH! OH! SWEET PAIN! HOW I WISH I WOULD FEEL SOUR! IT CLINGS TO ME LIKE OUCHING SPIDERS!"
Waffle gasped loudly, shooting up from his position. The eevee, thinking fast, ran over to a bag of sand laying next to a dumpster, his single floppy ear trailing behind as he did. He tore it open with his claws, then threw it over to the sprigatito, completely covering him in the soil and simultaneously dousing the flames.
Shallot hopped back with a yelp as a cloud of sand got into his eyes. He aggressively tried to rub it out. The chespin took advantage of this opportunity to pin the fennekin down. Before Shallot could blindly release another stream of flames, Pear tied a few vines around his muzzle, tightly binding it shut.
Instead, Shallot opted to begin heating up his body until it was too hot to directly touch. It didn't stop Lemon from throwing a stray bucket at him, which impacted his head with a thunk and sent him dazed onto the ground.
An extremely annoyed Pear, smiling sand-covered Lemon, and quivering Waffle each stood over the downed fennekin, helpless to defend himself.
"Ah! Sour victory!" Lemon cheered.
"For sure. Now, let's grab our cash and go. Perhaps we can even call up a pie with it."
Lemon's face screwed up in confusion.
"What now are you saying to me?"
Pear raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
"You know... Order a pizza?"
The sprigatito spat dismissively, shaking his head.
"Incorrect! Lemon does not know this nonsense water spewing from Pear, the nonsense fountain!"
The chespin glared, elbowing the cat.
"Hell no. You of all people have no right calling anyone a nonsense fountain. Besides, I have a cousin who says it all the time."
The two grass-types then heard a loud crack and felt hot pain shoot up their bodies. After seizing up for a moment, they turned around to see a fuming mad minccino standing at the entrance to the alley, electricity crackling over her paws. Walking up behind her, a tall and lanky vulpix frowned at them as well.
Lemon growled, taking on an aggressive stance. Waffle looked down, pawing at the ground nervously. Pear, however, grinned, waving nonchalantly.
"Hey, Tartsy gal. Fancy meeting you, here."
"Be silent, foul wretch!" the minccino shouted. She spun dramatically, then stomped forward sideways, pointing her paw accusingly toward the trio of thieves. "Begone with haste, lest you feel my electric judgment!" Her silver fur seemed to shine brighter, somehow.
Salami raised a brow, casting a neutral expression toward his friend.
"You know this clown?"
"L-Look," Waffle pleaded, stepping forward. "We don't w-want any trouble, uh... Ms. T-Tartsy, was it? We'll go quietly..."
"The hell we will," Pear corrected, lightly smacking the eevee upside the head.
"HEY!" Lemon barked angrily, getting right into Pear's face. "No! Bad! Do not be hurting Waffle again!"
Utilizing the distraction, Tart once more began to build up a charge within her outstretched paw. When it became too much to hold in, it arced through the air and violently electrocuted all three of the bandits. They cried out in pain, convulsing in place. When the attack ended, Waffle and Lemon had both fallen over, unmoving. Pear, however, had unsheathed a leaf blade in time to absorb most of the strike with it. He stepped over his smoking comrades with a glare.
"You'll pay for that. But, at least now it'll be a fair fight."
Salami raised an eyebrow.
"Uh... You're outnumbered."
"That's what I said," Pear smirked, teeth glinting in the street lights. He dashed forward with immense speed, flinging his blade out toward Tart. The minccino shrieked in terror, leaping back away. She then hopped over a strike, and rolled under a second. She flung out a paw, splaying her digits to send out another bolt of electricity. It, too, was blocked with the sword, before Pear smacked her across the cheek with the broad side.
As the minccino stumbled back, Pear leapt away to avoid a fireball from Salami, who immediately pounced straight toward the dodging chespin. Pear stumbled back and cried out as the fox's teeth sunk into his arm, losing hold of his leaf blade. With a flick of his free wrist, he barely managed to materialize a much smaller leaf shank, which he stabbed toward the vulpix'a face.
Eyes widening, Salami disengaged, pulling his head back. The blade tore through his ear, nicking off a rather large piece. He squealed in pain, eyes watering. He was then kicked in the head, sending him to the ground. To add injury to injury, the blade was thrown directly at him and pierced straight through his foreleg, pinning it to the ground and eliciting a cry of agony.
Pear shouted in alarm as he was glomped from behind, and promptly violently zapped. He threw his head back with all of his might, cracking it against Tart's muzzle. She hollered loudly and stumbled back, bringing her paws up to stop the flow of blood from her broken nose. As Pear advanced toward her, however, she quickly threw her arms into the air.
"I yield! I yield! Have mercy!"
Pear then smirked, crossing his arms. He walked over casually, towering over the shivering little chinchilla.
"Oh yeah? After what you did to my friend?"
"Why don't ya' pick on someone your own size, partner?"
Jumping in shock, Pear turned around to see an alakazam standing at the alleyway entrance. Pear's eyes bulged out with shock.
"Th-Th-The G-Guildmaster?!"
Toast tipped his stetson and nodded affirmatively.
"That's right. You, however? You're no one. Maybe you have a name, but I don't acquaint with criminals. I'll give you one chance to come quietly."
Pear looked around at his options. He quivered as he noticed the holstered revolver glinting just barely visible beneath the alakazam's cape.
"A-All right," Pear stammered. "I give."
"Smart choice," Toast agreed, beckoning the chespin over.
Pear shakily walked over, keeping his eyes locked with Toast's. Swallowing back his nervousness, the chespin flung out one arm, whipping a vine to grapple Toast's gun and pull it to himself. The chespin hopped away, firing three times in succession, each aimed at the Guildmaster's head.
Each bullet stopped instantly a mere inch from Toast's face, suspended in a purplish aura. They each clattered to the ground anticlimactically.
Pear's eyes bulged in horror.
"W-What?!"
Toast crossed his arms, disappointed.
"You know, that's a serious crime you just committed there, son."
The chespin gritted his teeth, keeping the revolver trained on the alakazam.
"It's no matter. I've got your weapon. You're unarmed."
Toast chuckled dryly, resting a hand on his hip.
"That there gun, partner? That's what we call a handicap. I can do more damage to you with just a passing thought in my brain." He smiled with mirth. "I could kill you with just a thought. Hell, even just an impulse. Just a few neurons to fire and you'll cease to exist. You already watched me catch bullets. Now, tell me, son. Do you wish to test me, or do you have at least one percent of my brain power?"
Pear stared at Toast for a long time. The chespin's nerves grew the longer the alakazam stared calmly, expression unchanging. Pear abruptly threw his arm to the side, instead pointing the gun toward Shallot's prone form. Tart shrieked loudly, and she defensively jumped in front of him.
Toast's eyes widened just slightly, his composure faltering for a mere moment.
The chespin gritted his teeth.
"You have great reflexes, and even greater power, I'll grant you that. Your faith in your abilities is well earned. However...Even if you've only slipped up one in a million times, that's all it'll take to paint this floor red. Do you trust your ability enough to chance another person's life on it?"
Toast took a look at the heavily breathing chespin, the two downed foxes, and the quivering wurmple and minccino. The alakazam tipped his hat.
"I s'pose not. Well played, kiddo." The alakazam raised his hands in surrender.
Pear blinked in surprise. He waited for a while, but the Guildmaster made no move. Nodding unsurely, Pear shakily began to step toward the edge of the alley, keeping his gun trained on Shallot the entire time. He reached out a vine to pull Lemon along with him. The sprigatito regained just enough consciousness to think to reach out and grab Waffle's tail, ensuring he'd be brought too.
Pear then used another vine to pull Tart over to him with a fearful squeak. She cringed her eyes shut as cold metal pressed right against her head.
"I'll leave her at the West exit to town. Come get her in an hour. If you follow me, I'll blow her brains out."
Toast glared at the departing chespin, sighing with dissatisfaction. He did not take his eyes off from the departing band of three thieves plus one hostage until they were out of sight.
Shallot, just barely regaining his bearings, forced the tied vine off from around his muzzle. He shot a furious glare toward Toast.
"You let him take her?! What if he kills her?!"
Toast nodded seriously, looking over to the fennekin.
"He won't. No reason to. He got what he wants, and what he wants almost definitely isn't a murder charge on top of everything else he's gonna be charged with when I get my hands on him."
Chapter 3: Unrest Building - All We've Been Through
Chapter Text
Onya Minor - One Week Before the Capitol Meeting
Tart shivered in place as she sat at the edge of Spring Town. Pear, Lemon, and Waffle had long-since disappeared into the abyssal border drawn by White Woods' treeline. The minccino quivered alone in silence, only her back illuminated by the streetlights behind her. She jolted upright in alarm upon hearing footsteps approaching from behind.
"Easy there, youngin," Toast urged, placatingly raising his hands. Tart sighed in relief as she saw the alakazam, as well as the fennekin and vulpix running up from behind her.
"Tartar!" Shallot yelped as he bounded forward. He skidded to a stop right in front of her. "Are you good?"
"...I think," Tart replied shakily. Her quivering ramped up in intensity, though her fear melted away. A dark look filled the minccino's eyes, and she clenched one paw so hard it began to uncomfortably swell. "When I get my paws on that vile, delinquent, abhorrent, disgraceful..."
"Easy there, partner," Toast soothed, placing a comforting hand onto the minccino's head. She seemed to puff up even more angrily, and a jolt of electricity shot up his arm, but he hardly noticed. "Going and getting angry now will do you no good. There's nothing productive for you to do with it."
"It is quite simple to talk the talk," Tart huffed, crossing her arms. "In a matter of relativity."
"For real!" Shallot growled, gritting his teeth. "Those stupid little shits robbed someone and threatened to kill our friend! How do you expect us not to be angry about that?" The fennekin huffed as he turned away, puffing out a small cloud of smoke.
Salami, albeit keeping quiet, nodded in agreement.
"Believe me, I understand full well," the alakazam explained. "I was not always in control of my anger. It is only through rigorous training and experience that I was able to learn when and how to use it properly. Training and experience that I just so happen to be in a good position to offer to you three."
"Huh?!" Shallot blinked, surprised. He and Tart both shared a surprised glance.
"Uh... What do you propose?" Salami ventured.
"It's simple, partner." Toast crossed his arms, closing his eyes. He then carefully removed his badge, beginning to polish it with his cape. "I think you should join my guild. I must say, even if you got it handed to ya', I was mighty impressed by how well y'all seemed to have dealt with those crooks before I got there. There's a lot of crime-fighting potential within you three. Maybe not so much exploration potential, I can't comment on that much, but we could work on that, too. What do ya' say?"
Shallot, Salami, and Tart all looked to each other, quite surprised. They shared intrigued glances. Eventually Shallot was the first to speak up. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and looked up to meet Toast's expectant gaze.
"That's a mighty kind offer, there, Guildmaster. And, I can't speak for my friends, here, but I think it's an easy decision for me." He took a long, deep breath, savoring the crisp evening air. "No thank you."
"What?!" Salami barked.
"Pardon me?" Tart exclaimed.
Toast merely raised an eyebrow as Salami and Tart dashed in front of their fennekin friend.
"Shallot, you simply can not say no!" Tart urged him. "This opportunity has forever been your dream, has it not? To oppose real crime, and manifest real change within the world!"
Salami then joined with his own take.
"As much as I think it's kinda reckless... I have to agree. Why are you throwing it all away when it's being handed to you on a silver platter? Think about it. We could all three form a team together, just like you've always said."
Shallot sighed, his ears falling flat.
"Look, I know it's weird, and I really do want to accept, but..." His eyes darkened a bit. "I rushed in there, throwing myself into danger, after I was told not to. Then, after I got my teeth kicked in, and my friends came to save my sorry ass, they got it even worse." Shallot worriedly turned to look between the minccino on his right and the vulpix on his left. "Tart, Salami... You two could've died tonight. You really could have. You were one squeeze of a finger away." He stopped to gesture toward Salami's bandaged ear with a paw. "And it would've been inarguably my fault. Truth is, I don't care about my dream if it's gonna get my friends hurt."
Tart shook her head, waving her paws.
"You speak utter nonsense! Absolutely was it foolish for you to leap forth headfirst into unknown danger, but it was, and always will be, our decision to follow you. You are our friend, and we will always choose to have your back no matter what you decide to do."
"Well, then..." Shallot smiled a bit. It was a bittersweet grin which didn't quite reach his eyes. "I trust you to have my back when my decision is to keep you guys safe." Shallot turned to begin to walk away, not bothering to wait for a response.
"Keeping those we care about safe..." Toast mused, continuing to polish his badge. "That's what the Onya Minor Guild is all about, young man. Perhaps you would be taking your friends into danger, but you'd all be learning to protect yourselves, too. And to protect others." The alakazam smiled a bit. "If my eyes don't deceive me, you're the son of Representative Fennekin, are you not?"
Shallot stopped suddenly. He hesitantly looked back.
"Yeah."
"It could be a great first mission for you," stated Toast. "To join her protection escort, I mean. You know your mother better than anyone, I reckon, so you'd be a good choice to keep her safe."
Shallot seemed to consider this for a moment. His face screwed up in thought. Ultimately, however, he shook his head.
"She'll be fine. And I've made up my mind."
Tart and Salami shared mournful gazes with each other.
"Man... He's really giving up that easily?" Salami sighed.
"I can not help but feel as if this were somehow my own fault," admitted Tart as she glared toward the ground.
Toast placed his badge back onto his shoulder. "A darned shame." He nodded seriously. "Regardless of what you three end up doing, always remember that you've got a load of virgining talent ready to be unleashed. I have no doubt that you'll do well in whatever path you choose." With a tip of his hat, Toast turned and walked away.
Onya Major - One Week Before the Capitol Meeting
An incredibly fluffy eevee descended the unrailed metal stairs from the mass apartment building, She worked ever vigilantly to keep her balance. Her foresty green cape billowed in the wind.
Upon reaching the bottom, she sighed in relief, posture sagging a bit. Her single lop ear fell over her eye, which she quickly pushed aside with a paw.
She stood at the edge of her town and looked across the dry field of yellowy grass spreading far into the distance. It was just barely illuminated by the overcast sky.
With a huff, the eevee eventually turned back around and wandered through the gravel lot in front of the apartment building. She soon found herself traveling down the road, surrounded on all sides by rickety and seemingly deserted buildings. Though, she knew better than to assume.
She glared at one boarded up window in particular as a pair of piercing red eyes gazed at her through it, stark in contrast against the darkness within. The eevee threateningly brushed her tail across the sleek black gun holstered at her side, which led the red-eyed individual to think twice about trying anything, and eventually fade from view.
Of course, while she was distracted, a different pokémon took the opportunity to jump her from behind. She yelped in alarm as a large hand lifted her by the scruff and pressed its own firearm to the side of her head.
The eevee tensed up, and looked down promptly. She sagged in relief upon seeing a pair of familiar yellow feet.
"Mhm." the eevee acknowledged simply.
The white-caped krokorok holding her bursted out with laughter, dropping the eevee promptly. She let out a little "uff!" as she hit the ground, puffing up some dust."
"Oh, Sherbert! You're fucking COMICAL!" the krokorok laughed. He wiped a single year from his eye. "If I were a real threat then you'd be fucking DONE for!"
"'Aight," Sherbert responded, shaking the dust out of her fur. She then set off walking back down the road. "Come."
"Kay!" The krokorok holstered his weapon, then took off stomping toward the receding eevee. As soon as he caught up, he slowed down to casually step alongside her, positioned to her left. "Where we goin', short stuff?"
Sherbert looked around to make sure no one else was looking in on them. They'd walked into an even more rundown part of the town on their way toward Sherbert's chosen destination.
"Guildmaster's gots a mission."
"Oh, naturally. And he picked us for it instead of his cronies." The krokorok crossed his arms, visibly annoyed. He turned down and to the right, staring at the eevee. "What's the FUCKING point of running a Guild if you're just gonna dump all of your work onto non-associates?" He threw his arms up, exasperated, staring into the sky.
"It's for secrecy," Sherbert responded to the krokorok from his left.
The krokorok set his vision on the speaker. The eevee he'd been talking to was there. She was also on his other side, where she'd originally been.
The krokorok glared at the new eevee, but a smirk cracked on his face anway.
"Ayyy, Nettle!"
The supposed eevee dissipated, leaving a zorua in its wake. He waved casually in response and flaunted his crimson cape.
"Yo, Broccoli."
Sherbert tilted her head in acknowledgement, though continued to stare forward.
Together they marched through a hedge maze for a number of minutes until arriving at an enclosed building in the center. It was practically the only construction in town that didn't look at all rundown, being an imposingly tall marble tower. The Onya Major Guild stood before them in all its glory.
The three pokémon stepped forward past the crystal clear fountains and through an ornate set of heavy mahogany doors, which echoed loudly behind them as they swung shut. The room they found themselves in was no less intricately decorated, featuring all pristine white surfaces with a central crystal chandelier illuminating its designated chamber.
The thievul sitting at the front desk briefly looked up. She shared a nod with the three entrants and flashed a polite grin before getting back to her work.
Sherbert, Broccoli, and Nettle ascended the spiral staircase in the far side of the room until they arrived at the top floor. They stepped out into the Guildmaster's office, where an arbok was waiting for them. It was a rather modestly sized room, only featuring a few chairs, a lamp, and a desk with a large window behind it.
Sherbert bowed respectfully, whilst Broccoli leaned back onto a pillar with his arms crossed, and Nettle leapt up onto the arbok's desk.
"Wassup, Arborio, my main man," Nettle greeted with a little wag of his tail. Said tail was then yanked on by Sherbert, sending the zorua down onto his back.
"Sorry, Guildmaster," Sherbert apologized, even if her dead tone didn't really convey her message.
"It's quite all right," Arborio responded patiently. Proceeding his reassurance, he cracked his tail like a whip. "At attention!"
Immediately, Nettle, still upside down, had his demeanor become more serious and he struck a matching salute with Sherbert. Broccoli remained smirking, but still gave a lazy salute.
Arborio slithered back and forth in front of them, pacing in his own serpentine leg. He looked them over sternly, receiving committed stares in response.
"Your task is simple!" declared the Guildmaster. "As you'd better know, there will be an important meeting between the Onya Island's governors in seven days' time. Onya Minor's Governor Leafeon, Onya Garlicia's Governor Araquanid, and our very own Governor Scrafty. Representatives from three of the most important settlements on each island are to join in on the negotiations. You three will be designated to escort one such of these individuals - as of yet unrevealed - and protect them from harm. You will also be entrusted with top secret cargo which must see safe and sound transport to the capitol. Am I understood, Team Mine?"
"Yes, sir!" the three chorused in unison.
"Very good!" Arborio declared.
"Sausage," Broccoli added, nodding sagely. The others shot him inquisitive looks, save for Sherbert, who remained as unemotive as was typical for the eevee. Her single lop ear had fallen over one eye, though.
"As I was saying..." Arborio turned around, facing out of his office's large window. "It is imperative that you do not hesitate. Show no mercy." The Guildmaster was interrupted by Broccoli's chuckling. He shot the krokorok a side-eyed glare, which set him straight. "If you are attacked, attack back. We can not afford to lose these pokémon. And, of course, your special cargo must be delivered safely."
The three nodded together, a bit more serious than before. Broccoli, however, couldn't hold back his smirk for long.
"I'm so hyped for this! This'll be absolutely fucking NUTS!"
"Chill, bro," Sherbert lifelessly responded.
Onya Minor - One Week Before the Capitol Meeting
Illuminated by the dim and flickering incandescent bulb, the peeling gray paint cast long shadows over the aging drywall. The tiled floor seemed to bow down near the edges of the room, and spots of mold flecked the ceiling near particularly lucrative points of water damage.
Shallot, Tart, and Salami sat in the shower together, which suffered the rest of the bathroom's weathering to a greater degree. The tub at least, made from acrylic, suffered only from red stains of iron just below the points where the water ran. The curtains cast the tub in shadow, leaving it too dark to see said stains more than just a little bit.
The three relaxed together in a comfortable silence within the streaming warm liquid. They were huddled together, enjoying the feeling of their wet pelts mingling together.
Shallot in particular was feeling quite nostalgic over it. He found himself reminded of days over a decade behind him. After long days of playing super-hero with Tart and Salami, whoever's parents were watching them that day would throw them together into a tub and rinse them clean of their accumulated grime. Or, in the case of Tart's mother, just hose them down in the yard and forbid them from coming back in until they were dry.
Tart, on the other hand, was simply content to lay close to her two best friends in the entire world. She closed her eyes with her face buried into Shallot's side, whilst she held Salami atop her as a glorified blanket. She let her mind wander over various topics, such as things she could paint, but grasped onto none too firmly. She was content to simply live in the moment. She felt the warm water rush over her back. She felt the uncomfortable angle which her paw pressed against the drain. She heard Shallot's, Salami's, and her own slow, steady breaths. When briefly she opened her eyes, she saw yellow fur, and water dripping down a beige tub. For just that little while, she could forget about the stresses of life.
Salami's mind dwelled on the future. What were they going to do tomorrow? He supposed they should follow up with Guildmaster Alakazam's offer. But where, and when? Probably Shallot's house, since he was likely going to escort the fennekin's mom. Could he convince Shallot to reconsider? Should he? As much as he liked staying in doors all of the time, his moments spent with Shallot and Tart were his most treasured. He dreamed of all the things they'd do together once they were real explorers. They could brave the wilderness, and save real lives. Just the three of them, against the world. That's all they'd ever needed. That's all they'd ever need. At least, that's the way he saw it.
"So... Uh... Are you really throwing in the towel?" Salami ventured, staring off into space.
"On the Guild thing?" Shallot half-mumbled, tilting his head to look at Salami, who nodded in response. "Yeah, I am."
"Ah." Salami sat up with a little huff. "Well, if you're sure, then that's okay." Betraying his words, his six tails seemed to flick with palpable dissatisfaction. "But, it, uh... Um..."
"I do believe he means to say that we find it rather disheartening," Tart interjected.
"Yeah?" Shallot scrunched his muzzle up, looking away. "Well, that's too dang bad, pal."
"Shalls... Seriously, dude. Are you okay?"
"I don't wanna fucking talk about it," the fennekin growled. Some of the water pouring down his face seemed to vaporize. "So, shut your damned mouths."
Salami shrank back back a bit, but Tart puffed up angrily.
"Excuse you! You are being quite uncouth, and I would appreciate it if you were to cease with this brutish behavior! We - your dear friends - only desire to assist you with your woes."
"Yeah, well, I didn't ask ya' to, now did I?" Shallot snapped back, turning to glare right into Tart's eyes. More steam was beginning to pour from his body.
"You needn't ask! It is our responsibility! Whether you like it or not, we will see to it that you are not upset! Your feelings are our feelings!" Tart's body seemed to crackle with electricity.
"Fuck you and fuck your entitled attitude!" Shallot barked. "It ain't your job to stick your nose where I'm explicitly telling you not to!"
"Entitled? Well, excuse me for caring about you! I'm ever so sorry for committing the crime of being a good friend." Tart gestured her paw in a mocking manner as she spoke.
"Yeah? Well, apology not accepted! So fuck off!" Shallot retorted.
Salami had to scramble back as the two jumped forward and immediately proceeded to beat the ever-loving shit out of each other. Paws smacked pelts, clumps of fur flew. Salami just barely ducked out of the way of a splash of boiling water courtesy of Shallot, only for it to ultimately not matter as all three of the pokémon were violently electrocuted by Tart discharging electricity into the water.
Shallot's mother was sipping casually at a bowl of soup when a loud knocking rapped at her door.
"Coming!" she called, hurriedly hopping up from her place. She skipped across the room and quickly opened the door.
Toast looked down from the other side. He took a polite bow.
"Representative Fennekin," he greeted.
"Guildmaster Alakazam," the fennekin responded, bowing in return. "Howdy, there! Just 'Ring' will be fine!"
"As ya' wish, Ring." He clasped his hands together. "Will you be ready to leave soon?"
"I think so!" Ring answered, smiling. She turned to walk back inside. "C'mon in, good sir."
"Coming." Toast closed the door with a flick of his mind as he stepped through the door. He took a look around the place, though didn't really take in many details.
"You said your final goodbyes to your son, just yet?"
"Well, no..." the fennekin sighed, her ears drooping. "He kinda stormed off after a disagreement."
"That'll be a shame," Toast admitted, taking a seat next to Ring. "It's probably not the best time to bring up, with you leavin' town and all, but he got into some rather serious trouble earlier."
"What?!" Ring yelped, her pupils shrinking. She hesitantly lifted a paw. "W-What did he do? Is he going to jail?"
Toast raised his hands defensively.
"Hold your ponyta, partner. He didn't go and do anything illegal himself. Well, other than bein' out after curfew, but I think that I can overlook that given the circumstances. No, he saw a citizen getting mugged and rushed over to try to save the day. Two friends of him came along, too."
"O-Oh, goodness!" Ring quivered fearfully. She stood up suddenly. "Are they okay?" She started for the door, but was soon gently pushed back down.
"They're fine. Got their asses handed to them before I intervened, but all things considered, they put up a good fight. Good enough that I offered them to join the Guild, but young Shallot declined my invitation."
"That... Can't be right," the fennekin shook her head, frowning. "He always wanted to start one of them there rescue teams, with little Tart 'n' Salami." Her eyes then widened, and she raised her paws. "I don't mean to call you a liar or anything! Pardon me if I'm a little skeptical of your claims, Guildmaster."
"You know him better than I do, and I trust your judgment," Toast assured her, raising his hands. "But, what I'm telling you is the honest truth." The alakazam played with his explorer's badge in his hands, carefully scrubbing part of his cape against it. "What happened tonight seemed to really have ruffled his fur. I don't know if you two are cooled off enough from your argument, but I'd strongly advise that you go talk things out with him while you can. He's gonna need his some comforting, I think."
"Of course!" Ring agreed, standing up quickly. "Shoulda' let me go a minute ago! I'll be back in a while!" With that, she took off out of the door.
Out of the downstairs bathroom of Salami's house, three pokémon emerged, all looking rather worse than when they'd come in. Their fur was missing patches, and singed black at the tips in spots. They each seemed to move rather sluggishly, though Salami appeared to be the least worn down.
The two ninetales on the couch both looked up to see them enter the living room. Simultaneously, they winced.
"Oh, yikes," Salami's father hissed. His wife finished his thought.
"Were you three fighting in there?"
"No," Salami answered, shaking his head. "Just those two." He walked over and hopped onto the couch with his parents and younger sister.
Shallot and Tart both huffed, glaring in opposite directions as to avoid each other's gaze. When the front door suddenly burst open, however, the fennekin and minccino were suddenly clinging to each other with fright. Salami had simultaneously ducked behind the couch.
To everyone's relief, it was simply Shallot's mother at the door.
"For the love of-" the blueish ninetales gasped. "Ring, you scared the hell out of us!"
"Sorry, Rice!" She blurted, blushing in embarrassment. "And Bean! I was just worried about Shallot. Is he here?"
"Right here, ma'. I'm fine," Shallot declared, walking over to his mother. He flashed her a smile.
"Goodness!" Ring cried out, hugging him worried. "You look awful!"
"Trust me, most of this was Tart," the younger fennekin clarified. Ring glanced over to the similarly injured minccino who only waved rather timidly.
Ring's expression turned stern as she examined Shallot's grin.
"Goodness! You two are gettin' worse; she done knocked your tooth out!"
"Oh, no, that there were them thieves' doin'," Shallot clarified. "Ol' Poptart's too girly to hit me that hard!"
"Would you be interested in an attempt?" Tart huffed, glaring toward him.
"Hm..." Shallot seemed to consider this. "Okay, but I get to do yours after."
Tart pondered the idea as well. She swirled her tongue around her maw, imagining how it might feel different with one or two teeth gone. She weighed this against the potential satisfaction of knocking a bit more sense into her friend.
"Upon further rumination, I hereby accept the terms of your deal," Tart stated simply. At least, as simply as Tart of all people ever could.
"NO!" shouted everyone else in the room. Tart and Shallot flinched in startlement.
"No more violence for tonight, please," Ring ushered, placing a paw on Shallot's cheek. "I was so worried! I rushed over as soon as I could; I let Mrs. Sauce know, as well."
At the mention of her own mother, Tart perked up. She looked over toward the empty doorway and promptly rolled her eyes.
"Of course. It truly is touching that she cares so much that she cannot even be present to express it."
Ring winced guiltily.
"I'm, uh, sure as sugar she'll be here any minute!"
"You need not placate me, Mrs. Kruddenslu'j." Tart waved her paw dismissively as she looked away. "My mother cares not for my well-being; rather only for what benefit I bring. I have not fallen deceased. Ergo, she experiences little to no distress. It is what it is; life proceeds."
In response to these words, Rice and Bean held Salami and his sister a little closer. Shallot just shook his head. As the room's conversation proceeded, the fennkin walked over to talk moe one on one with his minccino friend.
"I hate that bitch, you know that?" Shallot spat with venom, though maintained a smirk. "Only good thing she'd ever done was poppin' out your egg, Poptart."
"Agreed," Salami interjected, raising a paw. He soon was pulled away back into the other conversation, however, as his name was brought up.
"Well, that 'bitch' still does happen to be my mother," Tart replied, shrugging. Her ears seemed to bounce a bit in place. "She is owed respect for that much."
"Respect is a two-way street," Shallot countered, visibly bemusemed.
"Quite," relented the minccino. She sighed a bit.
"Whatever the case, I shall be needing to, as the cool kids say, ring her thing, quite soon." To emphasize the point, she flicked her cellphone out of somewhere unknown. She turned around to walk into another room, waving as she did so. "Adieu, Onion Fox."
"No one says that!" Shallot barked. "And don't call me that!"
"Charming, ain't she?" Ring giggled as she approached Shallot from behind. He looked back to flash his mother a grin.
"As if! 'Irritating' is more like it!"
"But you liiiike her for it," Ring mused with a wry grin.
Shallot raised his eyebrow. The both of them then furrowed.
"Of course I like her! She's my best friend!" He puffed out his chest proudly. "Salami, too!"
Ring shook her head, taking a more earnest smile.
"You're thicker than molasis, sometimes."
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Shallot frowned a bit.
Chapter 4: Unrest Building - It's Just the Start
Chapter Text
Tart stepped outside through the screen-door in the kitchen. A shiver went up her spine as her delicate paw pads made contact with the cold cement just outside, but she pressed on.
The minccino nervously looked around as she stepped off from the patio and out into the back yard. The yard was, in reality, a shared space of sorts. The grass stretched on in two directions for what seemed like forever, encased from the front and behind by different connected housing structures.
Tart made her way over to a tree and promptly took a seat. She made sure to place her cape beneath herself as a barrier between her fur and the grass.
She took a deep breath. In, then out. The misty cloud of carbon dioxide visibly dissipated into the cool and crisp air. It was uncharacteristically cold for that late in the spring, but she figured it'd do her well to savor what little cold was left before the summer months boiled her in the atmosphere alone.
Tart grew nauseous at the thought of another sweltering summer. Having two fire-types as best friends wasn't all sunshine. Though. it may as well have been, considering the circumstances.
Eventually, her stalling had to cease. She begrudgingly reached into pocket and took out her flip phone. One by one, she dialed in the digits of her mother's phone number. Once this was concluded, she sat in wait.
...
... ...
... ... ...
"You are in the acquaintance of the Sauce estate. This is Hots speaking."
Upon hearing the cinccino's chipper scratchy voice, Tart had to swallow a lump in her throat.
"G-Greetings to you, mother!" Tart responded with all the enthusiasm she could muster.
"Oh." There was a long pause. "What do you want?"
Tart huffed irritatedly. Her tail lashed with displeasure.
"If you had not been made aware, mother dearest, I was nearly made deceased this night, not three hours ago." Tart shivered as she recalled the memory. It was almost like she could still feel the cold cylindrical shape pressed against her temple.
"Well, you're still here," came Hots' immediate annoyed reply. "Honestly, to imagine you'd see reason to waste my time with 'what if' scenarios. If anything, I should teach you a lesson for going and getting into legal trouble with those dirty low-class street vermin!" The cinccino on the other end grew increasingly furious with her tone. "The Guildmaster himself came to speak with me moments ago! Do you have any idea how stressful that was for me? You don't. You never think about the problems your actions will make for other people, Tart. You're just a spoiled brat who thinks she can do whatever she wants just because she grew up rich. You're lucky you have talent worth pursuing, or I'd-"
"You'd what?" Tart demanded, sharply cutting her mother off. "Oh, that's right. You'd do absolutely nothing. Because it isn't up to you; it's up to dad. The only reason he tolerates you at all I would imagine is because you likely give killer head."
"How DARE you interrupt me like some impudent child! Y-"
Tart did not hear the end of that tirade as she simply slammed her phone shut.
Onya Minor, Spring Town - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
As the sun cracked over the horizon, the buildings of Spring Town were painted in cool blue hues.
Shallot, Salami, Tart, Ring, Bean, Rice, Salami's sister, and Toast all sood at the edge of town, overlooking a dirt road which led into the woods.
Rice and Bean. The two ninetales were garbed in their crimson red scarves and official Onya Minor Guild badges. The two assisted Toast in setting up the wooden caravan that would accommodate the three of them plus Ring for the trip.
Salami and his sister both talked with their parents. Tart stood off to the side with her arms crossed, not really acknowledging anyone. Other than occasionally stealing a glance toward Shallot.
The fennekin in question embraced his mom in a tight hug.
"Oh, I'm gonna miss you so much, dear," Ring whined, nuzzling into Shallot's forehead. She gave the little messy tuft of fur there a quick kiss, before leaning down to place a few more on his fluffy white muzzle.
"Ack- mom! I'm a grown man!" Shallot laughed, playfully pushing her away.
The older fennekin smiled lightly.
"Oh, hush. You're twenty; that's practically a baby." She then turned to Tart, who was side-gazing toward Shallot. The minccino quickly turned to pretend she was just spinning around. "Hey, Tart! Make sure to take care of my son while I'm gone, y'hear young lady?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Tart saluted seriously.
"Land's sake! She's barely even older than me!" Shallot threw up his forelegs in exasperation.
"Maturity creates all of the distinction," Tart retorted, smirking exaggeratedly.
Shallot huffed, annoyed.
"Don't fool yourself," Ring dismissed, waving a paw. "You're a baby, too, Tartsy! Simply a less troublesome one." She pinched both Shallot and Tart's cheeks with adoration, eliciting a loud groan.
"Ugh! Go pinch Salami's!" Shallot complained.
"He has his own parents to give him affection. I'm already working double-time, here," Ring giggled, sitting in the grass.
"Ugh. Vex me not with such reminders," Tart huffed bitterly, subconsciously squeezing the phone in her bag.
"There there, Poptart..." Shallot mumbled, patting the minccino's back.
Just as Ring had stated, Rice and Bean both nuzzled their children's cheeks.
"Salami, Pancetta!" Bean addressed, running a paw through his blond hair. "Call if you need anything. You know the drill."
"Uh, yeah," Salami rolled his eyes.
"You only leave, like, every day," Pancetta replied, shrugging.
"But this is different!" Rice urged, frowning. She nervously puffed out an icy breath. "Salami, I know you'll be okay, but... Th-This is the first time we're leaving our little girl all on her own!"
The young vulpix in question rolled her eyes, perfectly in sync with her older brother. She simultaneously ran her paws through her snowy tails in a mirror of her father's action.
"I'll be okay, sheesh! I have Salami, don't I?" She pulled her brother into a sidelong hug. He seemed less than comfortable with the unprompted contact, but returned the embrace nonetheless.
"She's a big girl now. She can keep out of trouble. Won't have a repeat of the freezer incident." Salami added, resolute.
"Hey!" Pancetta complained.
Bean and rice both sighed in relief.
"Hah, guess you could say... Snow problem!" Bean snickered at his own joke, whilst his three other family members simultaneously rolled their eyes. An ancestral gesture, surely.
A moment later, Ring approached with a smile, nodding to everyone.
"We ready to go, y'all?" the fennekin asked.
"Ready when you are," Rice agreed, smiling in return.
Toast peaked his head out of the caravan with a nod.
"Everything's in order in here.
"This is it, then," Ring hopped up into the caravan, and turned to address the group. She was soon followed by Bean and Rice. Toast, on the other hand, simply walked to the front to begin pulling it along. "So long, everyone!" Ring waved.
"We'll be back in a couple days!" Bean added.
"See ya' later!" Rice chirped.
"Bye!" Shallot barked with a smile.
"See ya'," Salami and Pancetta both half-sighed, with more reserved yet still earnest grins.
Tart merely waved.
"So, uh," Salami started as the vehicle disappeared into the trees. "Anyone got plans for today?"
"I was merely going to work on my art," Tart admitted, running a paw over her arm timidly.
"And I was gonna watch her do that," Shallot added.
"I have school," Pancetta said, beginning to walk back into town. "See ya' in eight hours."
"Bye, Pan," Salami waved. He ran his forepaws through his dark orange hair before turning to address his friends. "Uh, guess I'll hang with you lot, if that's okay. Nothing better to do, I guess."
"Oh, gee, you sound ever so enthused to spend time with your dear friends," Tart sassed, placing her paws on her wide hips.
"Well, I just think art is kinda boring," Salami admitted. He turned to meet Shallot's inquisitive gaze. "You sure you don't got anything more fun to do, Shalls?"
The minccino huffed at this, turning to cross her arms.
"What could be more fun than watching Tart?" Shallot asked tilted his head. "Paint, I mean."
The vulpix shrugged.
"I dunno... I think 'what's less fun' would be a shorter list. But it's fine."
"Great!" Shallot grinned enthusiastically, meanwhile Tart looked less than pleased. "Let's go have breakfast first, though. I'm starvin'."
Hots grumbled to herself quietly as she and her husband busied themselves reorganizing the community library.
The dewott looked over to his wife with concern, placing a hand on her head.
"Are you still upset about this morning, dear?"
"Of course I'm upset!" the cinccino growled, crossing her arms. "That little brat thinks she can just throw her life into danger willy-nilly with no respect for how we'd feel if she got herself killed. I'm telling you, Steak, those two ruffians are an awful influence."
The dewott twiddled his fingers contemplatively.
"You know, you could have told her that you cared and were worried on the phone. You don't have to be so cold with Tart."
"I do," Hots retorted, shaking her head. "It's the only way to ensure she grows up to be a strong and ruthless leader. It is her destiny."
"Says who?" Steak inquired. "What if she's destined for something different?"
"Says me!" Hots huffed angrily. "I am from an entirely unsuccessful and unnoteworthy lineage. I will not let my only daughter repeat the failures I have worked so hard to correct! As well, I would never have gotten where I was if my father had not set me straight on the right path with ruthless efficiency! Ergo, I must do the same for my descendants."
The dewott just sighed, sitting down.
"She's not a business woman, Hots. She's just too much of an adventurous spirit, like her friends."
"I agree," Hots nodded, clasping her paws together. "I merely find it to be a problem that needs to be solved."
"Honey..."
"Don't you love me, Steak? Why can you never see things my way?" Hots sighed, her ears drooping.
With a small grimace, the dewott bowed his head, keeping quiet. With a frustrated huff, he stealthily swiped a small tablet from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
Onya Major, Stemmal Plains - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
Sherbet, Broccoli, and Nettle were departing with their own caravan, which Broccoli was pulling along.
The krokorok grunted and huffed as he strained to pull the vehicle along, though he kept his teeth gritted into his eternal almost predatory grin. His hulking feet stomped into the ground with each pace forward, uprooting countless blades of grass in the process.
Representative Ponyta peeked out from inside to peer about the sun bleached plains. Crunchy grass, overcast sky, and hills as far as the eye could see.
"Ugh. This is simply dreadful," Ponyta complained, dramatically putting the back of his hoof to his head. "At this rate, we shan't make it to Bulbopolos before nightfall..." He then adjusted his monocle, which briefly caught a glint from his fiery mane.
"Why don't YOU pull, then, Representative Crybaby?" Broccoli mocked. "Let me tell you, it AIN'T FUCKING EASY!" He nearly wheezed out that last word, straining forward against his harness.
"Broccoli, shut yo damn mouth," Sherbert reprimanded. The eevee shot her friend an annoyed glare, though fought to hide a tiny smirk.
"I meant no offense," Representative Ponyta backpedaled, raising his hooves defensively. "Even if you are painfully slow, old chap. We left Green Village an entire hour ago, yet I do not even see Bulbopolis upon the horizon."
"Big talk for the one getting a free ride," Nettle laughed. "Must be so hard for you to wait and do nothing while everyone else works their ass off for you."
"Ugh." Ponyta rolled his eyes. "Your squabbling is rather obnoxious, I say. Is it too much to ask that you do your jobs without complaint?"
"You were literally JUST fucking complaining a few seconds ago," Broccoli sneered.
"I was merely criticizing your sub-par performance."
"Oh, yeah, fancy pants?" huffed the krokorok. "Well, when you outperform me, you can criticize my performance all you like. I won't even fight back."
"Hm..." Ponyta considered this for a moment, tapping his chin. He briefly twirled his flaming mustache. "Deal!"
"What?" Broccoli turned back, visibly confused as the suited ponyta leapt from the caravan. Broccoli soon found himself pushed out of the harness, where Ponyta took his place.
"You three hop inside. I shall pull from here."
"Oh, yeah, this'll be rich," Nettle chuckled. The zorua and krokorok shared a high five, whilst Sherbert simply sighed in dissatisfaction.
Onya Minor, Spring Town - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
Light streamed steadily into Shallot's kitchen through the screen door on the far side of the room. It illuminated the beat-up old table where Tart and Salami sat patiently.
"Quite the glorious weather this day, no?" the minccino offered, smiling at her friend.
Salami seemed to ponder this, glancing out the window. His eyes narrowed just a bit, but he smiled an equal bit.
"Um... I prefer it to be overcast, but this is nice." The vulpix ran a paw through his maroon fur.
"Quite right! You are rather sensitive to the light, are you not? Perhaps you may wish to consider obtaining a prescription," Tart suggested.
Salami shrugged his shoulders dismissively.
"That's expensive. Money doesn't come so easy to some of us."
"Right, right," Tart sighed, slouching with a bit of guilt.
Salami looked toward the beige wall contemplatively. He side-eyed Tart a few times with a nervous flick of his tails.
"You... Uh... Okay, Poptart?"
"Dost oft you find yourself feeling lost, Salami?" inquired the minccino, staring thoughtfully into space.
"Lost..." Salami parrotted, rolling the word around on his tongue. "How do you mean?"
"Like..." Tart gestured her paw in a circle, increasingly quick and agitated as she struggled to find the words. "Like... A puppet? With no direction of your own; only strings pulled by others?"
The vulpix blinked, stunned.
"Uh... Can't say that I have, Tart. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I would never want you to feel that way," Tart clarified, smiling wide. "Thusly, I have vowed to make sure that you are not!"
"...What made you think I was?" Salami probed, raising a brow.
"BOO! SOUP'S ON, EVERYONE!" Shallot suddenly shouted, hopping over and slamming plates onto the table with a mischievous grin. Tart and Salami both jumped, startled.
"Shallot!" Tart barked, her face reddening. "How dare you startle us like some impudent child!"
The fennekin seemed to flush in embarrassment, bowing his head.
"Sorry, Poptart..."
The minccino's face softened.
"Oh, Shallot, I did not mean it!" She quickly brought the fennekin in for a close hug.
Salami simply shrugged, pulling his place over to himself. Pancakes, hash browns, and fried eggs. Seemed like good eating.
Onya Minor, White Woods - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
Toast pulled the caravan along steadily, whilst Rice and Ring were sitting within. Bean sat on top of the vehicle, keeping steady watch over the wilderness. The dirt path they took wound them up and around through every stretch of the woods, but did a good job keeping them clear of the brunt of the brush.
The grass was a bit sparse on the ground, with the limited light passing through the canopy, though numerous ferns and other such marginally hardier plants were littered about all the same.
"So, from Layer Port, it'll just be a quick 'n' easy boat ride to Allium, right?" Ring asked from within the vehicle, perking her large ears curiously.
"That's right," Rice answered with a smile. She crossed her large icy paws in thought. "Although..."
"Hm...?" The fennekin tilted her head, curious.
"It's been awfully quiet around here. Unusually so," the ninetales mused, tapping her chin.
"You think so?" Bean questioned, peeking his head down inside. "I've noticed an abnormal amount of fainted wilds along the path, thinking about it."
Despite keeping his attention firmly on trucking ahead, Toast joined in on the conversation.
"Somethin' don't feel quite right about this, I'll tell you what." The alakazam lightly rubbed under his nose. "Someone's followin' us, and I can't quite get a good read on 'em. It's like their mind is alien or somethin', almost like Primarina. Or..." Toast trailed off thoughtfully.
"Well, that ain't concerning," Ring quipped, dripping with sarcasm.
Toast suddenly jolted to a halt. Bean, Rice, and Ring all shouted in alarm as they stumbled forward, then all peaked out to see what was going on.
Right in front of Ring, a floragato was hanging upside down from a vine, with an odd sort of smile.
"I am assure! No harm is my intent!" The cat spoke confidently, smiling. He leaned forward a bit to get right in the Guildmaster's stoic face, and curiously poked their noses together. "I only have wonder! Wonder, to say, of if assistance can be provided to not Lemon, but rather use a fake name so they do not suspect me, or else the shrimp gets it?"
Toast's eyes narrowed.
"So it is you. You've got a lot of guts showin' your face here after last night, partner."
"Too literal!" Lemon cried in despair, suddenly thunking his fists against his own skull. "Gah! Lemon has stupid! No matter." The floragato was instantly smirking again. He dropped from his vine, right onto his head, then shot back upright, dusting himself off.
By this point, Bean and Rice had hopped out and surrounded Lemon on his other sides. They were tensed and ready to pounce, just as soon as their Guildmaster gave the word.
"So, did ya' have a plan for all this, or are you tryin' to get arrested?" Toast mused, crossing his arms.
"Sparkled!" Lemon cheered, suddenly striking a salute.
Toast's eyes widened for a second, visibly shocked. Just as quickly, he regained a hold of his body. The Guildmaster stepped back.
"Bean, Rice, dispatch him."
"Yikes!" Lemon gasped as the two veteran explorers simultaneously shot fire and ice toward him from both sides. The flames hit first, igniting his fur, incapacitating him with an agonized shout. Second came the ice, freezing his limbs as to bind them together. Before they could be grabbed, however, another pair of pokémon swung in on another vine. Pear and Waffle scooped Lemon up in a clean arc, with the chespin looking quite annoyed whereas the eevee was rather worried. The three disappeared into the trees.
Bean and Rice soon got ready to give chase, until Toast held out one hand.
"Don't bother."
"What?" Bean grunted, visibly agitated. "Why not? Those were those thieves from last night! They were probably gonna attack us!"
"Guildmaster, you could've stopped them in seconds!" Rice complained. "Why'd you let them get away?!"
"We have more important business to be worrying about," Toast huffed gruffly, idly brushing the cloth of his cape over his explorer's badge. "No time to dilly dally."
Onya Minor, Spring Town - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
As the trio of pokémon walked through the grand entrance to Tart's house, they found themselves immediately within the vast living room. A certain cinccino on the couch shot them all a death glare, which was returned threefold.
"Who said you could allow those filthy creatures into my house?" Hots demanded, setting down her coffee.
A dewott poked his head over the balcony far above.
"Honey, be nice to our daughter and her friends," he admonished kindly.
"I know it is hard for you, being heartless and all, but do try," Tart added smugly, causing the cincicno on the couch to fume. She then put on an exaggeratedly hurt expression.
"Oh, dear, why do you always take her side? She's so awful to her poor old mother, but you don't lift a finger to help... It's like you don't care..."
The dewott looked down guiltily, shaking his head.
"I was getting to it. Sweetie, don't antagonize your mother," the dewott sighed.
Shallot and Salami followed Tart upstairs and onto the balcony. Her father held his arms out with a smile, but the minccino simply bumped past him with a huff. Dejected, the dewott shook his head and made his way downstairs. Salami and Shallot refrained from saying anything about this, despite really wanting to.
The trio of pokémon soon entered Tart's room. It was pink and spacious. Compared to Tart's prim and properly groomed fur, her room was... Not.
Various canvases, easels, and sheets of paper all littered the room, featuring half-finished paintings and sketches all over each. Numerous notebooks were flipped open to different pages and scattered across the floor, featuring endless scribbles of partial ideas and the occasional graph or equation.
Buckets of paint, pairs of scissors, sheets of cardboard, rolls of tape in every possible state of depletion; almost anything one could think to make something with, Tart had that and more.
The minccino which owned the room let out a giddy sigh and quickly frolicked over to her large, ornate bed. She quickly yanked the blinds of the window down to block out the sunlight and instead activated a lamp next to her table.
As Tart grabbed a stray canvas and a paint brush, Shallot hopped up next to her to observe her work.
Salami, on the other hand, continued to look around at all of the half-finished artwork scattered across the rooms. Each had the full confidence of their creator that they'd be seen through, yet each laid unfinished. The room was practically a graveyard for ideas and dreams that would never see the light of day.
"Have you ever considered... I don't know, maybe finishing something?" Salami suggested, raising a brow.
Tart had already painted a verdant layer onto the canvas, of which she intended to overlay the visage of a sky. She turned to acknowledge Salami with a huff.
"Why, of course I have! Do you take me for a fool?"
"No," Salami admitted, shrugging. "Maybe lazy, though. And unmotivated." He plucked up a sketchbook at random and dusted off one of the pages. Half full of some poem about sunflowers which abruptly ended after just three verses. "Seriously, you could've finished any one of these things. It's easy."
"They simply are not up to my standards," Tart countered, dismissively waving a paw. "I shall instead choose to focus my efforts elsewhere more productive."
"Oh, yeah? Where's that gotten you?" the vulpix quipped with a disbelieving stare. "Last I checked the only things you finish are the shit your mom makes you paint so she call sell at one of her auctions. Not that you even see a cent of that, of course. But it doesn't matter, does it? Money has never been a problem for you. If all of these wasted art supplies weren't evidence enough of that. No, I think you just don't have the motivation to finish stuff. Because you've been handed everything your whole life, so the moment anything feels like work you just give up."
With each word Salami spoke, the minccino seemed to shrink more and more down behind her canvas, hiding her expression from potential view. All Salami could see was the way her body subtly trembled.
"Dude," Shallot exclaimed, exasperated. "What's your problem?"
"She's wasting my time, that's what," Salami responded simply, a brow raised.
"No one forced you to be here," Tart spoke steadily, though she couldn't stop her voice from cracking at the end.
"I wanted to hang out with Shallot," Salami stated. "So, I am."
"Land's sake, Sally! Is it so much to ask that you don't antagonize your friend?" Shallot huffed, his fur appearing to spike up a bit.
Salami was silent for a moment. He then shook his head.
"Uh, right. Sorry, Tart. Your art, even unfinished, is still of technical quality."
"It's fine," Tart practically hissed.
It was at that moment that Hots rather firmly kicked open the door. The glaring cinccino walked in to see three faces of various grumpitude directed at her. Scowling, she looked toward her daughter.
"Don't you give me that look, young lady. Stop lazing about with your low-class suitors and go pick up our groceries."
"Make Hamilton do it," Tart dismissed, waving a paw. "You know, the thing you're paying him for? Doing the dirty work so we do not have to? It is not a difficult concept, mother dearest."
"Hamilton is busy preparing my bath," Hots hissed, stomping over quickly. Shallot and Salami both backed out of her way, whilst Tart only glared.
"I am not doing it," the minccino stated firmly.
Hots seemed to get a lot angrier, her paws clenching up.
Tart, upon seeing the spark of malice in her two friends' eyes as her mother tensed up, suddenly threw her paws over her head. She then put on the most pitiful expression of hurt she could muster.
"M-Mommy! No! P-Please don't hurt me!" she squeaked.
"H-Huh?" Hots stammered, taken aback.
This was enough to set Shallot off. He immediately leapt forward, snapping his jaws toward Hots' ear. The cinccino pulled her head back just in time, but she did not properly anticipate the incoming jab to her gut. With the wind knocked out of her, Hots fell to the floor, wheezing loudly.
Tart hid behind her paws, though underneath she smirked victoriously.
"Shallot, are you fucking stupid?!" Salami cried, his pupils shrinking. "You're gonna get arrested!"
"As if I care," Shallot huffed, turning away. "She's an evil bitch. She'll get no sympathy from me." To emphasize the point, the fennekin turned to spit on the cinccino's face with as much venom as he could muster.
Downed as she was, all Hots could do was groan in disgust as her attacker walked away.
Salami briefly shared eye-contact with Tart, who simply nodded. He then nodded in return before sprinting to follow after Shallot.
Hots hissed, glaring at Tart. "Violent ruffians!"
Onya Major, Bulbopolis - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
Broccoli's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the large buildings rapidly approaching.
"No fuckin' chance," he muttered. The krokorok looked down to see Representative Ponyta still galloping full-speed ahead, drawing the vehicle ever-nearer to their destination. The ponyta looked up to flash him a smirk.
"Ohoh! What, did you think these legs were for show, old boy?"
"Okay, okay," Broccoli crossed his arms, looking away with a grimace. "You're not completely useless, old man."
Sherbert quickly scaled up Broccoli's side and perched atop his shoulder to get a better view of the approaching city. She gave a brief nuzzle of her head against the undersize of his snout as she looked.
Numerous concrete buildings up to four stories in height were littered around. A thick smog seemed to hang ever-present in the air, getting more and more thick and noxious as they approached.
To the eevee's sensitive nose, it smelled... Industrial. That was the only way she could describe it. Every gaseous waste product that a factory may produce seemed to occupy at least one of her olfactory receptors.
"Ugh... I hate this joint," Sherbert muttered, pulling her single lop ear over her muzzle.
"Why are we coming here of all places, anyway?" asked Broccoli, shrugging. He looked up to the sky, which already had one star visible within the dim twilight.
Nettle finally emerged as well, climbing on top of the caravan with the other two. The zorua answered his teammate's question.
"Well, Bulbopolis produces most of the energy for the islands. So, naturally, it has the finest amongst locomotive transportation infrastructure to accommodate our requirements to arrive swiftly within the capital city."
"Uh..." Broccoli scratched his head. "In non-nerd speak, please?"
"We are taking the train to Allium," Ponyta clarified.
"Ah, right, right," Broccoli nodded in understanding.
"We're gonna be stayin' with my folks here overnight, ya' dig?" Sherbert announced, casually fluffing out her white mane.
"Sounds quite all right to me, my dear!" Ponyta chipperly acknowledged with a nod.
The group walked quickly into the city. The pokémon they saw on the streets mostly kept to themselves. The concrete was cracked and worn down everywhere, and every couple buildings seemed to be boarded up or otherwise in poor shape.
Nettle let out a whistle as he looked around. The zorua smirked a little bit, nudging Sherbert.
"Man, you two used to live in this dump?"
The eevee nodded absent-mindedly.
"Hey, least it ain't as much of a dump as Green Village. The 'mons here won't pop a cap in ya' skull for lookin' at 'em funny, so that's a plus."
"Yeah, and there's actual places to work, here," Broccoli added with a smirk. "You've got the power plant, the mines..." He counted to two on his fingers. He then stopped to consider. "Well... That's about it, unless you go to school for something."
"School, huh..." Nettle tapped a paw on his chin. The zorua's tail flicked back and forth. "I've always wondered what that's like... Being actively taught, instead of just scrounging about whatever books you can."
"Well, it isn't all it's cracked up to be," Broccoli dismissively waved a hand. He then cracked his knuckles.
Curiously, Ponyta looked back, raising a brow.
"Ah, you've received an education, old boy?"
"Yeah." The krokorok smirked. "Sherbs and I." he side-hugged the eevee for dramatic effect, who seemed to not really react. "We used to live in Onya Minor, a good twelve years ago. Her folks got caught up in some gnarly addictions, though." He punched into his fist with a snarling grin. "Pow! Those Minor Guild prudes kicked in the door and tried to drag 'em off to jail! Sherb and her little bro were able to get their mom and flee across the border, though. This place sucks, but it beats prison."
"Quite the harrowing tale, indeed," Ponyta acknowledged, bowing his head. "Hence why these negotiations are so vital. If all goes well, we may indeed come to a happy middle ground where the overbearing nature of Minor's law enforcement is dealt with, and the opposite problem is solved over here!"
"Yo, don't go pretending you understand what we go through," Sherbert almost growled, her tail flicking agitation. The eevee hugged her green cape around herself. "You're just some rich asshole. You don't have to struggle like we do."
The ponyta shrugged his shoulders, grinning.
"Perhaps, perhaps not, young lass!" He stood a bit straighter, dusting off his suit with a hoof. "Regardless, I am in a position to help the less fortunate, and therefore I shall do so!"
"Placation, all of it," Nettle waved a paw. "You're never gonna actually help us. We'd be better off just blowing you up right here."
"Hah! You said it, dude!" Broccoli laughed, high-fiving the zorua. The pair then turned to smirk toward Sherbert, who joined in as well, placing her paw against theirs with a subdued smirk.
"Amusing," Ponyta muttered, rolling his eyes.
A distance away, another ponyta was peeking around a corner, this one of the psychic variety. She had a video camera rolling, trained on the group of travelers.
Onya Minor, Layer Port - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
Toast sighed in relief as the cliff edge Layer Port was built off from appeared not too far in the distance. His group quickly emerged from the woods and made their way steadily into town. The sun was dropping low into the sky. Numerous citizens stopped to salute Toast, each quaking just a bit. All of them, except for one.
"Hey! Buddy!" Governor Leafeon squealed delightedly, bounding down the wood walkway. He leapt into a hug with the startled alakazam, as the populace around watched with secondhand embarrassment.
Rice and Bean hurriedly pried the leafeon off, looking mortified as they did so, whilst Ring simply giggled and walked up to him. She bowed politely.
"Hello, Governor!"
Leafeon's eyes lit up in more surprise. He poot on a cool grin, adjusting his flower-patterned T-shirt.
"Yo, Ring Kruddenslu'j! Long time no see, man!" he laughed, extending a paw. The fennekin shook it with a smile.
Leafeon let out a pained grunt as Toast nudged him a bit firmly.
"Titles, Governor. Titles."
"Oh, right!" Leafeon laughed. "Sorry, 'Representative Fennekin,'" he acquiesced, performing air-quotes with an easygoing smile. "You folks ready to get this party started? I've got a cabin booked just for us on the boat! And I made a whole jug of that awesome blue punch."
"With all due respect, Governor," Rice sighed, pinching her muzzle. "This is a professional trip. Can you try to take things seriously?"
"Right, whatever you say, babe," Leafeon shrugged, pulling down his sunglasses. "Before anyone comments, these came with a tux, so it's definitely professional."
"...Why didn't you wear the tux, then?" Bean groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Cramps my style, dude," Leafeon clicked his tongue for emphasis.
"Well, I for one think it's mighty sweet that Leafeon here is bein' real with us," Ring commented, smiling wide.
"Thanks, babe," Leafeon flashed a grin. "Glad someone here isn't a stick in the mud."
Onya Minor, Spring Town - Six Days Before the Capitol Meeting
Shallot sat within his small bedroom, lounged on the yoga mat which he used to sleep. He peered lazily out the window at the darkening sky, though he didn't exactly have a great view from his vantage point on the floor.
Also in his room was a wooden desk with an old computer, a few old toys from his childhood, and a few other various things in the closet. A fan sat on his desk, though it remained deactivated. It was not much, but he was content with it.
The fennekin stewed in the dim light and the hollow silence. He tossed and turned on his mat, but struggled to find a comfortable sleeping position. His mind was ready to sleep, but his body was restless.
Although his mind was clearer, he remained frustrated. His actions earlier, he reasoned, could've ended pretty badly. Hots likely would not press charges, since it would look bad on the town if the representative's son was found to be so violent, but he could not say for certain.
He didn't want to think about this at that moment. With a glare, he turned to gaze at the fan several feet away. He concentrated hard, attempting to flick the switch with his mind. As per usual, however, he could only muster enough force to shake it a little bit.
With a sigh, Shallot hopped up and walked over, flicking the device on manual. Soon enough, relieving white noise filled his ears, numbing out some of the whirlwind that was his mind.
As if to join in with the soothing symphony, a light showering of rain began to splatter against the window.
His moment of serene grace was abruptly cut short. A loud rapping at the front door broke him out of his trance, leading him to sigh heavily.
"Who could that be? It's almost curfew."
Shallot left his room, exiting directly into the living room. He made his way over and opened the thin front door to find a snow white vulpix awaiting him. Her blue eyes were as ever-calculating as her brother's.
"Pancetta? What're you doin' here?" Shallot hummed thoughtfully, stepping aside to let the young vulpix in.
Nodding politely, she pittered inside, shaking off a few bits of ice that had built up on her fur from the beginning downpour.
"Salami said we should crash here for the night, since our house is on the other side of town." She hopped onto the old couch, making herself comfy. A small puff of dust flew into her nose, resulting in a tiny sneeze. She removed her school bag and set it beside herself.
"Huh. A bit weird that he took you this way home from school, ain't it?" Shallot questioned, peeking around outside the door. "Where is he, anyway?"
"I, uh... I heard about what happened earlier," Pancetta admitted, looking away uneasily. "I think he's worried about you. Doesn't want you to feel alone tonight. He's just picking up some drinks; he'll be here in a few minutes."
"Oh." Shallot flushed in embarrassment, crossing his paws. "I'm... Sorry you had to hear about that. I promise I won't hurt you or nothin'."
"Oh, no, I understand," the vulpix clarified, raising her paws. "Hots is a bitch. No one really likes her. You're, uh, kinda brave for doing that."
Shallot smiled a bit, nodding along.
"Relieved ya' see it that way, kid. Way I see it, evil pokémon deserve to suffer. If someone's ever bein' a prick, Pan, it's on your honor to give 'em the good one-two, y'hear? There's no room for toleratin' monsters."
The young vulpix's eyes lit up a bit, a sudden comprehension dawning on her features.
"Okay, Shallsy! That makes sense."
"And none, I reckon, are more monstrous than those Onya Major folk. They're rude, they're ungrateful, they think they can do whatever they want at the expense of others, and they hate us for bein' better than them. A bunch of savages, I'll tell you what."
"Huh? Really?" Pancetta's eyes widened. "Mom and dad always said they were good people, just... In a different environment."
"Well, they ain't." The fennekin huffed, his face scrunching up. "Fact, back when I was your age, I went to school with one of 'em. This real mean sandile, called Broccoli. He immigrated over. And, boy, was he a real cock! Bullied your brother and I an awful lot. Tart, too, and our old friend Sherbert."
"Huh? Who's Sherbert?" Pancetta raised a brow, scratching a paw against her chin. "And, what's a cock?"
Before Shallot could answer, more tapping came at the door, a lot more reserved in tempo than Pancetta's had been. Shallot shouted over.
"That you, Sals?"
"It's me," Salami replied through the door.
"Come in!"
The door swung open, revealing the maroon vulpix himself. He kicked the entrance shut behind him as he walked over with a plastic bag in his maw. He set it on the table, letting three pops roll out. One a neon yellowish green, one a dark brown, and the last one completely clear. In corresponding order, they were grabbed by Shallot, Salami, and Pancetta.
"So, uh..." Salami sat down between Shallot and Pancetta. His sister cuddled up to him a little bit, which he returned with a nuzzle. "What were you two talking about?"
"Broccoli, and Sherbert," Shallot answered, looking off into space.
"And cock," Pancetta added nonchalantly.
"Uh... What?" Salami blinked, incredulous.
"I was just usin' it as an insult," Shallot clarified, shaking his head.
"Can you not swear around my sister, please?" Salami sighed.
"Yeah, sure." The fennekin grabbed the TV remote and quickly flicked it on. Some sort of reality TV program was on, with numerous pokémon competing in physical challenges. Pancetta, bored as she was, quickly popped open her clear sparkling beverage to sip as she observed the happenings.
"Are you okay, Shallot? After earlier?" Salami asked, turning to side-eye his friend.
"...I don't want to talk about it," the fennekin admitted.
"I'm always here for you, if you need it, bud," Salami admitted.
"...I appreciate it." Shallot smiled a little. He then took on his more serious expression. "Is Tart okay?"
"I'm not sure," Salami admitted, looking down glumly.
"I am quite fine," suddenly came the minccino's voice.
Startled, the three pokémon hopped up to look out the window. Tart was walking across the patio and over to the front door. She turned to wave at the window.
"Tart?" Shallot questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"It's quite uncouth to leave a guest standing in the rain, you know," the minccino answered, tapping her foot impatiently.
With a smile and a shake of his head, Shallot walked over and opened the front door.
"Really didn't expect to see ya' for a while."
A bit crestfallen, Tart twiddled her paws together.
"Father dearest has advised me to keep away from the house for the time being whilst tensions die."
"He kicked you out when his wife was the one who's being unreasonable?" Salami inquired, raising a brow.
"You should beat his ass," Pancetta offered, receiving surprised looks from all but Shallot.
"Language, Pan!" Salami hissed, shooting his sister a disapproving look. The younger vulpix only smiled innocently.
"He did not 'kick me out.' He passed onto me a well-rationed advisory in which I was in no way obligated to follow," Tart explained, gesturing calmly with her paws. "He would never for a second deny me anything if I asked for it."
"Must be nice having a father," Shallot mused. His voice carried more of a bitter note than he'd wished it to, but it was too late to correct that by the time he noticed.
"I... I am sorry, Shallot. I did not intend to gloat." Tart bowed quickly, keeping her head low and her paws clasped together.
"None of that, Poptart," Shallot sighed, patting her back. "I was overreactin'. You're fine."
Onya Major, Bulbopolis - Five Days Before the Capitol Meeting
Sherbert, Broccoli, Nettle, and Ponyta had made it safely to the residence of Sherbert's family. They'd entered a rather rundown and seedy apartment complex and made their way to a particular unit on the second story.
The apartment itself featured a torn yellow wallpaper, rundown wooden flooring, and whatever functional furniture they could get their paws on. The only light came from a dim lamp on the coffee table, which flickered occasionally.
Nettle lounged on his back on the couch, Ponyta sat in a chair, Broccoli sat on the floor, and Sherbert was curled up within Broccoli's lap.
On the couch, a serene espeon laid across the lap of a gruff looking beartic, who stroked her back slowly and methodically.
"So..." Ponyta started, before clearing his throat. "Pancake, Gelato, I must thank you again a thousand times for your accommodations. However..."
"Hm...?" The espeon, pancake, opened her emerald eyes curiously. "What's up, Representative?"
"I couldn't help but notice the, um..." He circled his hoof as if searching for the words. "The rather 'dilapidated' state of your household. If I can offer any financial assistance..."
"Save your charity," the beartic grumbled, raising a large paw. "We make an honest living working for the Guild. That's all we need."
"Yea. 'Honest.' Maybe after lil bro stopped sending funds," Sherbert muttered, rolling her eyes.
Pancake flashed her daughter a warning look, the gem on her head briefly glowing.
"Honey... Hush."
"Yeah, whatever," Sherbert grumbled, rolling her eyes. As her lop ear fell over one of them, she coolly blew it aside.
Ponyta, however, simply chuckled a bit.
"Now, now, Pancake, there is no need for such hostilities," the ponyta reasoned. "I am well aware of the rather... Unsavory work that is necessary for life around here, at times."
"Oh, 'unsavory," huh?" Gelato growled, clenching his fist.
Pancake bristled a little.
"You dare come into our home, belittle us, and insult us? After we offer you sanctuary?"
"I truly meant no disrespect," Ponyta raised his hooves nervously. "I will drop the subject."
"First fucking smart idea you've had today, Representitive!" Broccoli laughed.
Everyone suddenly tensed up as there was a knocking at the door. With a groan, Gelato gently lifted his wife out of his lap and set her on the couch.
"I'll get it. Stay here," he ordered, walking over. He opened the door to find several brutish looking pokémon standing there.
"Good evening, Gelato," the leader of the group - a fairly burly arcanine - greeted. "You know the breaks."
"We already paid this month," Gelato reasoned, crossing his arms.
The arcanine laughed, shaking his head.
"I think you misunderstand, good sir. You stopped giving us work, you started taking jobs from other clients. Therefor, your two-thirds payment reduction is gone."
"Fine. Shut off our power, then. We don't got the money to spare," Gelato reasoned.
The group of pokémon chuckled a bit. The arcanine then kept talking.
"You misunderstand, Gelato. Your options are to pay for your power, or we show you a bad time. So, what's it gonna be?"
"Excuse me, good sirs," Ponyta pushed Gelato to the side, eliciting a surprised grunt. "I do believe you are treating my associate here quite unfairly, would you not agree?"
"Yeah, and what are you gonna do about it, snob?" the arcanine challenged it, a hint of disgust in his voice.
"I must advise you, I am not one to be trifled with. Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Of course we do," the arcanine growled. "We just don't give a shit."
"Strange," the ponyta commented, absent-mindedly twirling his flaming mustache. "If you truly knew, you'd also be aware that your boss and I are quite good chaps with each other, no?"
The group of pokémon blinked in surprise, stepping back as a large and intimidating honchkrow walked up from within the apartment.
"B-Boss?!" The arcanine stammered.
"Yeah, that's right..." The large bird huffed. "I hear you fools are giving my buddies here a hard time. Is this correct?"
"U-Uh... W-We were just collecting p-payment, boss," another pokémon in the group - a bulbasaur - spoke up. "We d-didn't know they were tight with you! Honest!"
"This is not the sort of grievance which I am inclined to take lightly," the honchkrow mused, causing the group to shiver a bit. "But, I'm feelin' nice today, got it? Scamper on outta here, and let me hear anything of this again. Don't even mention these kind people's names to me. Capiche?"
"U-Uh, roger! Yeah! You got it, boss!" a gothita in the back stammered, saluting. The group quickly hurried away, as fast as their legs could take them.
Utterly baffled, Gelato turned his widened eyes to the honchkrow. Nettle simple winked and let the avian illusion drop, revealing his zorua form once again.
"How'd you know what the Energy Boss looked like?" the beartic questioned, scratching his head. "I thought you weren't from around here."
Broccoli sighed grumpily, crossing his arms.
"Okay, looks like the Representative had two good ideas..."
Ponyta simply smiled innocently when Gelato shot him a look.
VGS2_the_Sexy_Sausage on Chapter 1 Sat 20 Jul 2024 06:26PM UTC
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Sunhat_Leafeon on Chapter 1 Sat 20 Jul 2024 07:00PM UTC
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VGS2_the_Sexy_Sausage on Chapter 1 Sat 20 Jul 2024 07:17PM UTC
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