Team Fangclaw Presents

Summer Festival Security

Never A Dull Moment
By Invalid Value-anon


"Mussstel?" The large Seviper hissed as he loafed away beside a wooden post. He had entwined his neck and head around the beam to support himself while the rest of his scaly coils were lumped below him. He flickered his tongue so languidly that it looked like he was trying to lick his own chin.

"Sigh... Yes, Serpes?" The Zangoose beside him responded with a weary puff from his muzzle. He gave his serpentine partner a sidelong glance back from his bored green eyes. He was cradling the magical tome known as The Pokedex between his paws, flipping to a new page each time a Pokemon he had never witnessed before graced his cognition. The blank pages would faintly glow and add a starting entry for that species that'd be bare on the finer details. Everything else would require Mustel's own authorship. This had slowed down to a glacial pace as the Cat Ferret creature had seemingly witnessed almost every Pokemon citizen living in Capim Town.

"Why did you have to get me up this early on a Ssssaturday again?" His pink eyes darted toward some passersby, trying to stay aware of anyone that walked by them.

The scholarly Pokemon yawned, tucking his book underarm to gently scratch at his flank with his razor sharp claws. "It's... 9 in the morning, give or take, Serpes. I was already up since 6. And you know exactly why we're here... The Guildmaster got a letter from The Guild Federation about our escapades in at the Amp Plains... Lliam pinned us with this security job for this whole festival thing as a way to keep us out of trouble for a bit while he sorts that... Apparently we 'disrespected an indigenous authority figure' and were noted as 'suspects at the site of an unknown anomaly'... I don't even really remember what happened towards the end of that day! There was a giant lizard, I think? We had some really nasty wounds afterwards? I think there might have been some crying too? Maybe a lot of crying..." He shook his head, trying to get focused on the task at hand. "Doesn't matter! Just keep your eyes open for any shady characters on the premises."

"Shady like the most unusual duo of a Zangoose and a Seviper lounging beside the festival entrance like a pair of thugs in front of a very exclusive club, buddy?" The snake smirked, letting out a rattling chuckle from his long throat. "I don't think we're going to see much just ssstanding here by the entrance, pal."

Mustel raked a palm through his scalp fur and groaned. "That description is awful... You're awful. You're not wrong either. We're standing out like a pair of sore..." He glanced at one of his paws and wiggled his opposable thumb in self-validation. For a brief moment, he wasn't confident if what he had was even called a thumb. "...We stand out like sore thumbs. We should probably split up and survey opposite ends of the festival. We'll regroup if anything particularly troubling happens. Bean? ...Bean? Serpes, where's the Fletchling?"

Said Fletchling emerged from the thick fluff of the Zangoose's tail, holding a peanut in his beak. His bead eyes stared at the white-and-red furred critter expectantly.

...Were you seriously eating in there?" The feline-like Pokemon said disapprovingly and rolled his eyes. "My tail isn't your home away from home! The crumbs... Ugh."

The small bird shrugged and whittled away at the legume he held with his sharp talons, cracking its shell for the kernels inside.

"F-fine, whatever! Bean? Serpes and I are going to try to cover more ground by splitting up for a bit. I want you to scout the festival and alert us if something happens. If you for example notice any acts of thievery, a fight breaking out, or Cyndaquil being himself, let us know. We'll check back here by the entrance. Let's say roughly by the afternoon? I imagine Percival is keeping an eye up from a high vantage point already. We can hopefully account for him if anything truly dire happens."

Bean gave a quick salute before taking off to survey the event and probably to peck the festival's various foods at his leisure.

Serpes idly scritched the back of his head with his tail. "That's all great and all, bud... The thing is... You're not one known to do well under a lot of presssssure. I worry you're going to... come to a boil. You're not very predictable when that happens." He stopped rubbing his neck to scoop his tail around Mustel's shoulders and pull him closer. "And what do we do if some real ne'er-do-wells sssshows up to cause a ruckus? Gods above and below know that this sssplendid guild has attracted a small gallery of rogues." He whispered to the Zangoose conspiratorially.

"Serpes?" Mustel queried his companion as he slowly unraveled the length of snake off himself. He motioned for the Seviper to follow him as he started walking towards the festival proper.

"Yesss?" The snake slithered beside the Zangoose, wondering what his ally had to add.

"You... technically were one of those things... A-and I mean that in the most evocatively positive way possible. If anyone can pick out an outlaw from a lineup of townsfolk, I'd not be surprised for it to be you. Don't hesitate to slip on back to me if something comes up. I'll head along the east aisles and you'll take the west, alright?"

"Evocatively posssitive... Huh. Strange way to put that I'm familiar with the trade there, friend... But I get you! ...I think. Westward I go. Don't be a ssstranger to anyone! ...By that, I mean, stow the book, Mustel. You look like you're going to be harassing people for autographsss." Serpes smirked at his partner as he stood there with The Pokedex under one arm. The arcane literature seemed to glimmer in the morning light as if making a point about how eye-catching it was.

The Seviper patted his friend on the shoulder with the flat of his tailblade as a show of reassurance before making himself scarce in the slowly growing ground crowds of Capim Town's visitors. "Catch you again real sssoon, pal!"

Snack Caper * * *

Mustel found himself getting immersed by the various games and attractions around him. It was almost to the point of negligence, as he was struggling to keep an eye out for disruptions in the festival. He glanced down at his side bag while anxiously drumming his claws along it. He really wanted to pull out The Pokedex to return to prying over its latest entries. He was an observant former human, but he wasn't necessarily an attentive one.

"Psyduck, Golduck, Farfetch'd, Sirfetch'd, Ducklett, and a... um... S-Swanna?" The Zangoose absently muttered the species of a group of visitors that all seemed to be waterfowl adjacent. "I can't believe I'm literally counting ducks in a row... It feels like I've been out here forever now."

The Zangoose meandered for a while longer before spotting what looked like an argument breaking out between a Zoroark and a Lickilicky. He swallowed dryly and tried to steel his nerves for whatever may come next. "Well, Mustel... Time to show whatever backbone you actually have..." The guildmon said to himself in dwindling confidence.

"And I said I didn't take your fried berry kebab! Now leave me alone! I heard they setup a dunking tank for the guild's gross little Cyndaquil and I want to see him drown!" The fox-like Illusion Pokemon sneered at the rotund pink creature.

The plump gourmand frowned and crossed his arms across his wide berth. "I don't believe you! I literally saw you scurry away once I felt something pinch my snack right out of my mitts! Wait... They're dunking who now?"

Mustel sighed before speaking up. "E-excuse me, gentlemen... gentlemon? Egh... Excuse me! I'm Mustel of the... sigh ...The Clover Guild. I'm your security guard for today! What seems to be the problem?"

The two Pokemon turned towards the Zangoose and stared him down. They both stood a foot taller than him and were definitely stronger if not more skilled combatants. If anything went wrong here, he already saw himself being wheeled back to Kina's clinic while left clinging on to life. He tried to push aside any thoughts of the worst case scenario in faux confidence and listened to them.

"Clover, ugh... Alright. listen up, then. Hefty over here thinks I stole his food. Do I look like the kind of Pokemon that eats whatever fried slop you're peddling here? I have a figure to keep and it's not going to be stuffing myself on this crap." The Zoroark crossed his arms against his chest and watched Mustel expectantly as if he demanded the Zangoose to agree with him.

The Lickilicky scoffed and spoke up in frustration, jiggling as he did so. "That glorious delectable was a medley of sweet berries, a crispy fried crust, and powdered sugar on top! It is not slop! You're just jealous I got the freshest one! You just want me to starve, don't you?!" The fat creature flailed his arms as if his very family was insulted.

"If this is what you call starving, I don't think there would be enough room around you to walk past if you were full!" The fox bared his teeth in a cocky grin. He held an imposing, hunched posture towards the Lickilicky.

"Excuse me?! How dare you! You people are all the same! Always being sneaky and misleading!" The corpulent Pokemon stamped his foot angrily in response like a petulant child.

"And just what the hell do you mean by... you people? Are you trying to start something, fatty?!" The Zoroark flexed his claws in agitation and his fanged grin quickly turned to a predatory scowl.

The cat-like critter could only watch in disbelief at how quickly tensions rose over literally nothing. Was it just him, or were a vast majority of native Pokemon just unbelievably rash, stupid, and petty? The Clover Guild wasn't any better at times, but still...

Mustel cleared his throat and tried to control the argument, despite how quickly it was spiraling before him. He put himself between them and held out his claws defensively. "People! P-please! Let's talk this through! Perhaps reasonably!? T-there's no need to be violent!"

He immediately found himself instinctively shrinking down to his quadrupedal stance like a literal fraidy-cat. The two Pokemon had scowled back at him, looking like they were ready to wipe him out for trying to get in the way of their feud. Confronting ferals was one thing, but the townsfolk of Capim Town were another whole can of worms when it came to diplomacy.

The Zangoose looked at the unamused fox with trepidation. "L-let me explain! You're a Zoroark, r-right? You have the natural talent of making illusions! Y-you can disguise yourself as virtually any Pokemon or object! Surely you didn't just steal someone's food in your typical flesh and fur!" He quickly turned to the Lickilicky and continued with his explanation. "W-wouldn't it make more sense for him to have not been in their true form and have deliberately misled you about any wrongdoings?"

The Zoroark rolled his eyes before he nodded hesitantly. Mustel's logic was sound but he didn't like how informed the Zangoose sounded in the subject of his specie's abilities and controversies. The Lickilicky's frown lifted slightly in concession. He looked more annoyed than outright upset now. The rotund Pokemon didn't seem entirely satisfied, though. "That's just dandy, but that doesn't explain why I saw a Zoroark run off with my food!"

Mustel regained his posture and glanced between the two Pokemon. He pondered the possibility of more than one Zoroark attending. "I don't suppose you have any-"

"No, I don't have any friends or relatives here that are also Zoroark... And it's not like we're all directly related anyway! Can I go now, Officer Mustache?" The dark-furred Pokemon snarked as he tapped his foot impatiently.

The weasel-like Pokemon nodded timidly. He didn't even try to correct the fox on his own name. He compensated the hungry Lickillicky with some coin from his own pocket for the stolen snack and ushered the two frustrated Pokemon away from one another, letting out a deep breath of relief as they dispersed. "O-okay, Serpes... Maybe y-you were right. M-maybe splitting up wasn't such a great idea... I need to see if anything else has been going missing..." Mustel muttered to himself, trying to sort his thoughts before continuing his patrol.

The Zangoose found himself running laps across the festival. Everywhere he went, there were complaints of swiped food. Sometimes the stolen comestibles would show up laying strewn on the ground with barely a nibble taken out of them. Mustel was confounded by this serial snacker's habits. The more he inquired, the more a picture was painted of who or what he was looking for. The picture was unfortunately being painted with a dry brush.

The description of the thief was implied a disguise and features that weren't inherent to the creature itself. The impromptu security guard learned son enough that the hooligan wasn't limiting their sights to just food, either.

"S-so let me get this straight... Someone took your sunhat... And they were like a Zoroark?" Mustel asked a sweaty, sun-baked Slowbro with an exasperated tone. Of all the Pokemon he could possibly be questioning, it had to be a Slowbro, a creature renown for its dimwitted nature that made even the most mentally deficient Clover Guild member look like a savant.

The Zangoose's frown could bisect his own chin off his face if it went any lower. His patience had been worn away to dust by now. If he ever got shacked up with this kind of job again, he wasn't going to split up with his better half to do it.

"Mmhmm... Thaaat's whaaat I saaaid... ayup..." The dopey Pokemon slurred practically every single thing that came out of his mouth. His walleyed expression looked like it was glaring simultaneously into the future and the past, but not the present.

"W-what do you mean by... like?" The feline-like scholar palmed at his scalp, flattening out his long ears backwards before they sprang back into position. This was getting too tedious for him. He wondered if he could just walk out of the Slowbro's range of vision and be completely forgotten about.

"Weeell... Theeey haaad a heaaad maaade of woood... Mhm... ayup..." The Slowpoke yawned loudly, smacking his lips and scratching his banded belly. The Shellder clamped on his tail rolled their eyes and let out a muffled grumble before returning to their indifferent stare.

"Y-you mean they had a... A mask?!" Mustel ran his paw down his face in grief as he struggled to to not be reduced to his baser Zangoose instincts and get physical with the pink dunce. He watched the gears slowly turn in the Pokemon's head before the perspiration soaked Slowpoke's smiled and spoke again.

"Mmm... Yeeep. I suuupose yooou'd caaall it thaaat... Mhm... ayup." The Hermit Crab Pokemon, who was definitely not crab-like, stood there there for a long while like a statue. It didn't register with him that Mustel had left by now in a huff and listen to his whole sentence.

"...Whaaat a niiice Meeeowth. Wasn't he, Shelly?" He said, presumably to the Shellder, who was probably regretted their life ever since they bit onto that Slowpoke's tail.

The Zangoose had made a fair distance away from the Slowpoke before taking a break beside a shady tree on the perimeter of the fair grounds. He paused to review a list of tampered belongings. "Hm... Besides the food, I've had reports of misplaced hats, Wonder Orbs, a... favorite rock? A glove for a four-digit hand? ...a banana from the 'Pin the Banana on Tropius' game? This is... all junk. Is this person really a thief or just compulsive?"

Two Pairs * * *

The sun had risen high into the sky, denoting it to be sometime past noon. Mustel found himself sitting against the fencing near the entrance of the festival grounds once more. He drummed his claws in a familiar rhythm of anxious tepidness along the inner pages of The Pokedex. He had jotted down several new notes in a blank page provided by the mystical manual of Pokemon.

"Suspect stands anywhere between four to five feet... They're bipedal in stance, and probably doesn't have a tail? Broad or stocky body profile... They appeared to be wearing or made of a dark cloaked mass... And they were wearing a Zoroark mask of foreign design..." The ferrety Pokemon rattled off the details he had gathered to himself. He sighed in annoyance, rubbing behind his specie's iconic red furred ear.

"This is both very detailed and... Kind of useless. If they're wearing a costume, they could just shed it at a moment's notice... If they ARE a Zoroark, what's going to stop them from pulling a fast one on me with some sort of... 5D chess sequence of shapeshifting and obfuscation? Ugh!" He planted his face into the book's pages and groaned in defeat.

"Hey, bud." A familiar voice addressed Mustel.

The Zangoose's ears twitched in response before peeking up out of the Pokedex's pages to see Serpes standing before him. He was wearing a sunhat and eating what looked like to be deep fried Rawst Berries on a stick in the coils of his tail. He could go for some deep fried carnival-esque slop himself at this point.

Mustel straightened himself out of his slump and combed the fur across his muzzle. "Hey there... You were gone for a bit longer than I'd have hoped, and I was beginning to worry... How'd your patrol go? ...And where did you find that hat?"

The snake bit into the berries and chewed a bit hastily before swallowing. "Mostly uneventful. I came across Adrian and Beau an hour or so ago... I don't think that Flareon appreciatesss my charm." He hissed in annoyance before taking another bite of the fried berry kebab while rubbing gingerly at what appeared to be a healing burn along the lower part of his body. "That aside... They did bring up that a thief absconded with a fair bit of Poke from Team Crusader's art stall. It was supposedly a... Beheeyem? As for the hat... I don't know! Sssomeone just placed it on my head while I wasn't looking." He plucked the hat off his head and stuffed it in his own bag.

The studious Zangoose frowned as he tried to piece together this new information. "Robbery... A Beheeyem? No, that doesn't fit the information I've been gathering on my end. I wonder if the festival is harboring more than one outlaw..." Mustel paused, giving a concerned gaze at the wound on his friend's flank before continuing. "I could go grab some fresh Rawst Berries instead of that fried stuff. We could even go to the clinic, if you want?"

"Oh, this burn? It'sss barely anything, pal. I just really wanted something sssweet on my tongue, Mustel. I'm not going to pay for plain berries when I can get them covered in a crisp crust and powdered sssuga-" The snake stopped gushing about the food when the Zangoose raised a claw in interruption.

"Yeah, yeah. Powdered sugar. I'm sure it's delicious. I've heard it all before, Serpes." The white-furred half of Team Fangclaw stood up and stowed his book, reuniting at his companion's side. "I can't say they don't look appealing, though. How about we go grab a few more of those before we go back patrolling? I'm actually kinda starving..."

The Zangoose's ears perked up as he realized someone was missing and glanced around the vicinity. "Oh, right... Have you seen Bean anywhere? He should have returned here with us. I didn't see as much as a tailfeather of him..."

The Seviper swayed his head about, flicking his tongue as if trying to smell out the Fletchling's presence. "If he didn't fly back to Kiyo or Cassie, I don't have the ssslightest idea, buddy. I'm sssure he's fine and vacantly staring at something. You know?"

Mustel and Serpes were waved over by a familiar pair of Pokemon before they even walked a yard away from the festival entrance. Specifically, a Sneasel with a tiny Ribombee settled on top of her head walked towards them. Held under the Sharp Claw Pokemon's arm was a peculiar and ornate red mask adorned with crystals. They both stopped in their tracks to see what was the matter.

"Hrm... Mustard?" The icy weasel-like creature asked, glancing over the Zangoose with mild apprehension in her red eyes.

The yellow-furred insectoid shook his head, looking a bit haggard as he took a moment to yawn before responding. "H-his name is Mustel, Sneasel. Mustard is a kind of flower."

"Ah! Booker and Sssneasel... What brings you two to our so-called neck of the woods?" Serpes asked, flicking behind him the kebab stick he had stripped bare of its fried berries.

"We were just taking a break from patrol... The festival may be host to a thief or two and we were planning to get back to it. Have you seen a Pokemon in a... In a Zoroark mask, by chance?" Mustel avoided meeting eyes with the Dark-Type for the moment as he spoke, finding something especially predatory about the way she looked at him.

Serpes noticed the tension between the two mammalians and spoke up. "Is there ssssomething that needs to clear the air? Mustel? Sssneasel?"

The Zangoose stopped staring off into space to turn towards the Seviper with worried a shrug. He had no idea what was going on.

Sneasel tore her gaze away from Mustel when Serpes addressed her and towards the shiny mask in her possession. "It's nothing... I just had a bad run-in with a Zangoose a while back... I don't mean anything by it, I swear!" She looked between the two members of Team Fangclaw a few times. She hadn't spent much time with the two Pokemon for it to dawn on her what a peculiar pair they were. "Huh. ...Aren't you two supposed to be trying to tear each other apart-"

Booker cleared his tiny throat, looking down at Sneasel expectantly from his perch. "S-so, about that masked Pokemon..."

The smaller feline-like Pokemon nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah, about that... We found her not that long ago. She tried to run off with Booker like he was her favorite toy, of all things. And she put up a really good fight too... She last ran off into the woods just behind the stage after Booker knocked her mask off. That thing let her use Fire-Type moves!"

The Ribombee acknowledged the events, nodding in agreement as he steadied himself on Sneasel's crown. "A-apparently she seemed to treat it all like a game! We decided to pass this mask off to you two for security reasons. I-I don't think something this dangerous should be in open view, especially with so many Pokemon about."

Mustel takes the elaborate mask into his paws from Sneasel, looking it over from both the front and back. He could practically feel the warmth coming from the shimmering crystals that adorned it. "This is absolutely beautiful... And you said it let them harness fire?"

Booker hovered over towards the Zangoose and stood on the mask while it was held horizontally by the inquisitive scholar. "Y-yes... I have a hunch what it might be made of, but I can't be absolutely certain. H-have you ever heard of... The Terastal phenomenon? Tera crystals, perhaps?"

The ferret-like Pokemon shook his head. He glanced at Serpes who imitated a shrug by scrunching his head inwards. "Is that something like Mega Evolution or... Any of those weird and extraordinary powers that Pokemon can tap into?"

The Ribombee nodded. "Y-yes, I believe this may be related to that. It's a very powerful transformation, and unfortunately, I think t-there may be awful consequences if my hunch is correct. She may have been holding back the full brunt of her abilities and could decide to come back for the mask on her own terms. I think it may be in our best interests for you to return this mask to her before anything catastrophic takes place. W-we would do it ourselves, but I doubt she'd respond kindly to seeing Sneasel again after what happened during our initial encounter..."

Sneasel sighed, still not liking the idea. "I think this is a mistake to let someone have powers like that... But, Booker insisted. She's probably still back in that forest where we fought. When we were walking over here to meet you two, we overheard someone complaining about noise in the woods. I bet it's her. You should head over there first."

"P-please go easy on her? Something about her habits make me think she's just a child... O-or at least has the emotional capacity of one. I don't think she was actually trying to hurt anyone..." Booker cautioned before hovering off the mask and returning to Sneasel.

Serpes scratched at his chin with the blunt side of his tailblade. "The emotions of a child, you say... Sssounds like a good fit for the guild! Maybe we can give her a brochure-"

Mustel hooked an arm around the Seviper's neck and pulled him beside him, disrupting any other wisecracks. The snake rolled his eyes before listening to his friend. "We'll do it. N-not that we have much of a choice. Besides, it's an opportunity to get a new Pokemon for the book. We'll be sure to not stir any trouble with this Pokemon."

Team Fangclaw was about to walk away from Team Brave before it dawned on the Zangoose he doesn't even know what she looked like. He turned over his shoulder with an embarrassed grimace. "A-ahaha... What did she look like, exactly?"

Sneasel counted off a description on her four clawed digits. "Round orange face, bright yellow eyes, can control vines, and wields a really big club. Oh, and she was probably a little shorter than you, Musty."

Booker quickly followed up with a question of his own. "Does that sound like any Pokemon you've recorded in The Pokedex?"

"N-no... It doesn't ring a bell. She sounds very unique... H-haha... I'll see what revelations the book brings when I find her, d-don't you worry!" He gave a nervous thumbs up as he stewed in his awkwardness.

Serpes pulled the Zangoose away before he suffered complete social paralysis. "Come on, bud. It's all alright... We'll be ssseeing you two later!"

Wild Child * * *

Team Fangclaw stood at the northern edge of the fair grounds, overlooking the dense wilderness in front of them. The festival's noise was a distant backdrop to the eerie silence in the forest ahead of them. The mid-afternoon sky had made the trees and brush look especially foreboding as shadows stretched through the greenery.

Mustel peeked into his bag and drew out the mask for a moment, giving it a quick study. "Do you think she has some sort of connection with this thing?"

The Seviper periscoped his head forward and squinted into the wilds ahead of them. "That'd certainly make things easssier on us, wouldn't it... Better keep that shiny masssk at the ready just in case our mystery guest shows up."

The Zangoose swallowed dryly before nodding He stowed the mask once more and faced the forest."Right... Guess we just head right on in and keep our ears and..." He gave Serpes a few glances over, who in fact had no external ear structure. "Huh... W-we need to just keep all our wits about us... Say... I haven't seen Bean "

"Time'sss of the essence, Musty! Get yourself down on all foursss and follow my lead!" The Seviper slithered off, kicking up the forest's detritus in his wake.

"P-phrasing?! D-don't you start call me Musty too!" The Zangoose hit the ground on all of his limbs, catching up to his partner's rapid pace.

The pair of guildies trekked for what felt like hours until they arrived at signs of a destructive force having overtaken the woods. Trees were split apart as if they were struck at by great force, and the terrain itself was turned over into distorted and jagged formations. Something was on a rampage, and it was taking out its aggression on everything around it.

"Mussstel? I think we should bring reinforcements." Serpes said with a wary wave of his tailblade. "I think our masked troublemaker has some significant capabilities."

The Zangoose shook his head and continued forward, carefully stepping over debris. "N-no... I think increasing our numbers would make this worse. I don't think we should look like a substantial threat to her. She'd either run or... I really don't want to think about it, Serpes."

The snake sighed before nodding begrudgingly. "If you sssay so, pal... I must caution that we're a Zangoose and a Ssseviper... We have very prominent and deadly weapons attached to our bodies. I don't think we could look less threatening if we tried."

"No... I don't think we'll need to get right up in the thief's face either way. If she's capable of... all of this, I think we'll be holding our distance. Let's keep going, she practically left a trail for us." Mustel resumed stalking through the forest with Serpes at his flank as they trailed the carnage left behind.

As they headed deeper into the heart of the woods, the ambience of rustling leaves and creaking branches was broken up by tremors running through the ground. Team Fangclaw braced themselves against the sturdiest trees as the ground shook violently, causing bits of stone and soil to be flung around like bits of grease on a hot pan.

Mustel coughed and sputtered as his vision was obscured by the dirt and foliage kicked up by the unexpected earthquake. Trees with weaker foundation fell and splintered in the distance, kicking up more arboreal shrapnel. "F-fuck! P-please just b-be an Onix passing through beneath us!"

"T-too c-clossse to the surface, p-pal! This is coming from a-above ground! We n-need to keep going!" Serpes dislodged his tailblade from a tree trunk to swoop under his Zangoose comrade and carry him further in towards the epicenter of the destruction. "H-hold on! I think the shaking is coming just this way!"

"O-oh g-god... D-don't let up o-on my behalf!" Mustel stuttered and slurred as he hugged onto his serpentine companion's back like it was the last thing he'd ever do.

The Seviper maneuvered over and under the ravaged, unstable terrain with his rider clutching to his side. The pair were stopped at a disheveled clearing of fallen trees, upturned earth, and a large plateau in the middle.

Standing on top of the unnatural platform of stone and earth was a figure wearing a dark cloak that was now disheveled with soil. Her face was obscured by a stony gray mask adorned with crystals. Behind the mask peered out two scowling yellow eyes that were quick to take notice of the arrival of Team Fangclaw. The masked troublemaker spread her leafy limbs, which resembled the sleeves of an ornate robe, and manifested a large club of thorny vines in her grip. Knots of stone encased the club, increasing the thread it posed. She pointed the weapon at the approaching duo and let out a fierce shriek of unbridled rage at the pursuers.

"Mussstel! What does the book say?!" Serpes blurted out as he made rhythmic motions with his serpentine body. Ethereal blades surrounded him as he empowered himself with Swords Dance. He already anticipated the worst but withheld himself for his friend's sake.

"G-give me a moment, he-" As the Zangoose reached for his bag, the perpetrator slammed her cudgel, flinging several sharp stones hailing his way. "FUCK!" Mustel braced himself as he felt the razor sharp rocks cut into his forearms. He was sent stumbling back, hissing and yowling in pain. "A-ah... Agh... Eagh! N-no...!" He crossed his arms tightly against his chest as he endured the pain.

"MUSTEL!!! Okay, missssy! You need an attitude adjustment, pronto! Don't hurt my partner!" Serpes leapt into the fray and struck out his blade to clash with the Pokemon's club. "What'sss the big idea, anyway?! Stealing junk food and baubles? You give us career criminals a bad name!" The snake quipped as the two fought, hissing and straining in defiance of her power.

The creature's unreadable expression made it unknowable if she understood or saw the humor in what the Seviper said. She barked out an angry yell and struck back at Serpes, blow for blow as their weapons let loose sparks. The snake was gradually cowed by her stronger attacks and likely couldn't hold out against her for long.

The masked hooligan let out another feral scream that practically vibrated the air around it. Her mask glimmered with an eerie power as she slammed the club across Serpe's throat, making him cough and sputter as he was sent spinning away from her.

She buried several vine tendrils into the ground and tore free an enormous boulder, lifting it high above her head. With a mighty heave, she threw the boulder into the sky like she was pitching a baseball, and cracked at it with her club. It exploded into a shower of several high-velocity stones that perforated through the tree line.

In the distance, a great eruption of bright colors filled the sky above the trees, momentarily catching everyone's attention amidst the melee.

The Seviper dragged himself off the ground, coughing violently from the collision to his neck. "F-fffgghaaakk! F-f-fireworks?! A-agh! MUSTEL!!!" Serpes screamed out his friend's name again as he saw the rain of stone bullets. He forced himself to duck and weave once more through perilous terrain before he coiled around and tumbled with his wounded friend away from the sailing stones.

The pair landed in a heap behind a large stone slab, giving them only moments to gather their bearings.

The Cat Ferret Pokemon winced and shivered as he untangled and fell out of the Seviper's hold. He looked at his injuries on his arms before his attention was taken by the ones the snake sustained. "S-s-shit. Say something, Serpes!"

"M-mussstel... Is... is this what they call... déjà vu? Because I swear we've been in this exact situation before in the Amp Plains." The serpent said with a crack in his voice. He pulled himself up, wincing at the bruise that formed across his front. "I'm ready to run with my tail between my metaphorical legsss when you are..."

"No no no... We need to make peace here somehow! Come on, come on..." He muttered to himself in-between pained gasps as he fished out The Pokedex from his bag. Upon opening it, the tome was quick to flip itself to a new set of pages and fill in the start of an entry for the newly discovered Pokemon.

"S-so that's your name... OGERPON! P-PLEASE, STOP!" Mustel shouted as he emerged from behind the rock. He pulled out the red mask and held it aloft in clear view.

The declaration of her name made Ogerpon cease any further onslaughts, and she made her weapon disperse from being. She stared at the Zangoose who held her missing mask with a mixture of surprise and wariness.

The Mask Pokemon grappled onto a tree with her vines and swung over to stand mere feet from Mustel. The Zangoose kept the mask held out for her, which she cautiously grabbed with her tendrils and pulled into her possession. The large mask seemed to almost vanish beneath the folds of her flowing limbs.

The strange Pokemon stared at the Zangoose and Seviper for what felt like an eternity before she gripped the edges of her gray mask and slowly withdrew it. She exposed her bright orange face, which was stained with tears from her equally bright eyes. She held an expression that was caught between frustration and guilt as her eyes switched between the two wounded Pokemon.

"I can't believe I got my windpipe tuned by sssuch a baby faced Pokemon..." Serpes remarked from Mustel's flank, rubbing at his sore throat as he let out a few more haggardly coughs. Ogerpon responded by almost reaching out in worry before she recoiled when the Seviper glared at her.

The Zangoose glanced at his friend with a frown concern before trying to address the strange Pokemon for her actions. "O-Ogerpon... The things you've done were... wrong. ...But, it doesn't seem like you intended any harm to begin with... Right?"

Serpes coughed again facetiously, likely still upset by his injury, whether or not Ogerpon meant it. "Yeah, sssure."

Mustel rummaged in his bag and stuffed an Oran Berry in his friend's maw to silence him before continuing. "That being said... I don't think you'll be welcome here anytime soon after what happened... You stirred up a fair bit of confusion and chaos at the festival. Y-you're complicit in what sounded like a kidnapping..."

Ogerpon bowed her head low with a plaintive expression of regret for her actions. She muttered something under her breath, although it didn't sound anything like the local Pokemon dialect. She looked like was genuinely asking for forgiveness.

"What's that now? You're sorry? I-I guess that's a place to start... But I think you'll have to keep your distance from this place for the time being... Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement and-" The Zangoose stopped as the vagrant Pokemon abruptly shoved the Zoroark mask into his paws. He gazed up at her, confused by the gesture. "...Huh?"

Ogerpon lifted her head with a meek smile across her sunny face. She quickly donned a green mask more befitting of her grassy complexion, hiding her visage once more.

Before Mustel could continue to converse with her, she leapt high into the air and grappled away across the treeline, vanishing from view.

Serpes swallowed the berry he was eating the entire time as his friend handled conversing with the mystery thief. He looked a lot better thanks to the fruit's healing properties. "Ssso... What do we tell everyone back at the fessstival? I imagine they'd want some assurance that Ogerpon won't come back... I don't think anyone at the guild actually hasss the power to prevent her."

"I... I don't know or care at the moment. I just don't want her to be more implicated than she needs to be. Maybe she'll keep her distance after everything that's happened today?" The Zangoose glanced over the ornate Zoroark mask in his possession. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."

Team Fangclaw looked back towards the way they arrived. They both sighed in grief as they realized how far out they'd ventured into the forest.

"Serpes, do Escape Orbs work outside of dungeons?" Mustel asked, hoping to avoid walking all the way back.

"I'm not sssure... Are we brave enough to find out?" The Seviper replied curiously, never having actually considered the application.

There was a long pause before they resigned to not taking the risk and begrudgingly dragged themselves back to the festival, just in time for the evening festivities.

* * *

Mustel and Serpes spent what time they finally had to themselves back at the festival with no surprises to be had outsideof what was actually planned at the event. Relieved by this respite, the two eventually attended the concert finale, surrounded by guildmon and townsfolk alike.

"Hey, Serpes. What do your snake eyes see off in the distance to your right?" The Zangoose asked his comrade, eyeing the denoted direction.

"And what would my ssssnake eyes see exactly- Oh! Sssshould we tell anyone?" Serpes kept his sights on the treeline to the east, immediately recognizing the familiar gleam of two bright eyes moving excitedly behind the thick veils of trees and bushes. The silhouette of Ogerpon danced and twirled to the music, enjoying herself despite not being amongst the crowd.

The Cat Ferret shook his head, looping one of his bandaged arms around his friend's own patched neck. "I personally think it's fine. She's just here for the music like the rest of us. Maybe we can convince her to meet with Booker and Sneasel again? You know... Possibly Make amends?"

The Seviper shrugged before returning his attention to the performance, actually preferring this over having to tend to anymore security antics. "If you ssssay so, pal." He said with some uncertainty, but didn't outright refuse his buddy's optimism. He then perked up with a grin across his scaly mug. "Hey, do you think they'll offer autographs after the show?" The snake jested mirthfully.

Mustel gave his companion a sidelong glance before sighing. "Serpes, they're our guildmates. We see them everyday."

"Sssso is that a yes?" The snake replied, still smirking at the Zangoose.

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Pub: 03 Aug 2024 16:54 UTC
Edit: 01 Sep 2024 07:19 UTC
Views: 322