Chapter Six: Broken Arrow

To many a pokemon, it was a more unusual experience in life to see a mysterious creature perform a feat of unknown origin and incredible power to protect a group of rowdy companions he had just met, with two of them having chased him prior and another even physically attacking him. It seemed to go a long way with Lopunny, who was still counting her blessings that Keldeo had stepped up to the mark. Not only did it show her how brave he could be and what incredible abilities he possessed but it also managed to upstage Scizor slightly. This was something that really pleased both Keldeo and Lopunny, the latter for purely petty reasons. She stood with a smile on her face on the edge of a rocky gorge, overseeing the vast wasteland in front of her as the others fetched water from a small stream to her left. The little settlement was only about two hundred metres away from where they were but the walk to the water felt like an eternity. Already the heat was beating down on Lopunny, causing her to sweat from every single part of her body. She could hear Primarina complaining about something but she managed to zone it out. It's actually quite a nice view, Lopunny thought, staring out at the miles of orange sand and dust that seemed to stretch on to infinity. Despite the relative dread of more heat exposure as well as having to share a search party with that insufferable sea lion, it promises to be an interesting experience.

'Hey.'

Lopunny turned to her right where the voice came from but could see nothing.

'Down here.'

'Oh right.' Lopunny noticed Excadrill popping his upper body out from the earth. 'What are you doing?'

'Oh just mapping out potential escape routes.' Excadrill shrugged, some dirt covering his face. 'You do remember-'

'Escape routes?' Lopunny faced him, tweaking her ear. 'What do you mean?'

'Just if something goes wrong.' Excadrill said, throwing his hands up and spraying muck on Lopunny's feet. 'It's a precaution. It means I can escape to places nobody else can.'

'And abandon us?' Lopunny asked, her voice attempting to come across as aggressive but ending up coming across comically high.

'Well...' Excadrill shifted from side to side in his hole. 'Technically yeah but it is a last resort thing!'

Lopunny was tempted to argue more but realized the process would be pointless and would only create more tension. She let go of her ear and shrugged, looking to appear as if it didn't really faze her.

'What was it you were here to say?

'I was just asking if you did remember me.' Excadrill said, his eyes looking rather hopeful.

'I do.' Lopunny nodded. 'Excadrill. Friend of Scizor's and boy did you expose some questionable truths about him.'

'Aha yeah.' Excadrill looked rather shifty. 'Sorry about that. I did rescue you both remember.'

'I know.' Lopunny said, picking up a small stone and throwing it off the gorge. 'To which I am grateful for.'

'You are? Lopunny was rather startled by Excadrill's apparent surprise.

'Well yeah!' Lopunny laughed, her head shaking slightly. 'If it wasn't for you then me and Scizor would be...' She trailed off, shuddering to think of what they would have ended up as if Excadrill hadn't come in the nick of time. 'I am thankful. A great deal.'

'It's just that words like that really make me feel good.' Excadrill said. Lopunny watched as he pushed his arms downwards, bringing his lower body out of the squelching mud and plopping his feet down on the solid ground. Lopunny was surprised to realize that she was actually slightly taller than Excadrill, considering how broad he was. Even more surprising to her was the look of shame that seemed to etch itself on to Excadrill's face as they came close to each other.

'Between you and me,' Excadrill lowered his nasally voice to a soft murmur. 'I have real issues with...'

Lopunny closed her eyes slightly as Excadrill looked around, appearing to lose his words.

'Bravery?' Lopunny tried to answer for him. 'You seemed to handle yourself fine back there.' She pointed back at the distant bar. 'More than fine! Amazing! Look at you go, that pokemon won't be coming back there in a hurry!'

Excadrill smiled weakly at Lopunny's words of encouragement but dismissed them shortly after with a shake of his head.

'Not bravery.' he said. 'More like...anxiety.'

'You have anxiety?' Lopunny's voice was more sincere than ever, her hand shifting upwards to clasp it on Excadrill's shoulder.

'I always have trouble initiating the beginning of conflict.' Excadrill explained, his claws tapping against each other rather childishly. 'I mean once I'm in the thick of it I'm fine but the indecisiveness and trepidation I feel when preparing for battle can be overwhelming.' He shuffled his leg out of the black earth, some of it crumbling off the edge. 'It took me ages to muster up the courage to fight off that Nidoqueen for you two. Even back over there, I was glad that Durant threw the first attack so that I didn't have to.'

Lopunny rubbed Excadrill on the shoulder, her face sympathetic.

'You don't have to be ashamed.' she said kindly, bringing Excadrill into a close embrace. 'Here's a secret for you. I may have said to Scizor that I could handle anything that Shan'rala throws at me but I am sure glad that I have you and him alongside me cos I know it is gonna overwhelm me at times.' Her hand rubbed against the back of Excadrill's head softly. 'I just fly in with everything I got. They don't expect a pokemon who looks like me to do much so that really catches them off guard.'

'I guess it's just a product of the war.' Excadrill said, the two of them separating from the hug but their hands still resting on each others shoulders. 'There were so many times I found myself certain to die but managed to escape the jaws of death with seconds to spare. It makes me constantly wonder when my luck will run out and I pick a fight with someone who ends up landing the final blow for sure. So I gotta stay cautious you know?' He gestured down below at his finely dug hole that seemed to lead into a network of similar channels.

'I getcha.' Lopunny nodded, finally warming up to Excadrill. 'Besides, I'm sure your wife must be worried sick with you always on the move.'

At this moment, Excadrill seemed to fidget worse than ever. Lopunny stared at him as he tried to pass it off as scratching an itch on his arm. Was it something I said? she thought, watching his eyes darting closely.

'Ah yeah.' Excadrill mumbled, still picking at his brown fur. 'You could say she is.'

Voices began to make themselves more heard from behind Lopunny, a particularly shrill one signifying the end of the conversation and moving to a less insightful one.

'Oh great.' Lopunny tutted, turning to see Primarina appearing from the stream with Keldeo trotting close behind her. Primarina had seemed to have cheered up a little bit compared to earlier since she discovered there was actual water nearby but she retained the same snobby expression on her face.

'It's adequate.' Primarina said, stopping sharply in front of Lopunny and causing Keldeo to almost bump into her. 'The water. I'm assuming loads of pokemon drink from it every day but it's fresh enough.'

'Arceus forbid everyone else wanting some.' Lopunny rolled her eyes. Primarina furrowed her brows.

'I was going to ask why you weren't going to get some but then I realized you'll have an inexhaustible supply.' Primarina nodded at the side of Lopunny's head where a huge bead of sweat was slowly creeping down her face without her noticing. 'It's flattering.'

'Go fuck yourself.' Lopunny muttered, wiping away the sweat with the back of her hand. 'Usually sweat is the sign of hard work. Says an awful lot about you.'

'And I thought we had finally managed to ease you into this whole scenario.' said Excadrill, looking at Primarina and trying to keep things upbeat.

'Me?' Primarina exclaimed. 'I'm just stating the facts. If we have to work together we need to tell the truth.'

'Tell the truth as well as listen and respect one another.' This statement came from Keldeo of all pokemon. Lopunny, Excadrill and Primarina all whipped round to look at him with Primarina rendered speechless. Lopunny beamed.

'What he said.' Lopunny winked at Keldeo, once again sending his brain and heart in a whirl. He just could not cope with such gorgeousness treating him with the most respect possible. 'You're just an absolute gem you are.'

'Lady Lopunny, I'm just trying to bring you guys together.' Keldeo said modestly. 'One of the most important thing I've learned so far is that supporting another's victories will not hinder your own. So always try and be kind.'

There was an inaudible muttering from Primarina but Lopunny and Excadrill were so wrapped up in Keldeo's teachings that they paid no attention.

'It's what Cobalion told me.' Keldeo concluded.

'Cobalion?' Lopunny raised an eyebrow.

'Oh he's my team leader.' Keldeo told them. 'There's four of us in the Swords of Justice.'

Lopunny snapped her fingers suddenly, startling Excadrill.

'That reminds me.' she said, Keldeo continuing to ogle her. 'you should tell us what your teammates are like so we know what to look out for.'

'Ah of course.' Keldeo nodded. 'So Cobalion is our leader. He looks a bit like me except he's much bigger, has two gold horns on his head and white fur on his chest. He's the bravest pokemon I've ever known and always prioritizes the safety of civilians and the eradication of chaos above all else.'

'I'm guessing he's your biggest inspiration.' Lopunny smiled to which Keldeo nodded.

'You bet.' Keldeo affirmed before continuing. 'Another member is Terrakion. He's the biggest and strongest of us, his body is brown and low to the ground while his horns poke out of his head similar to the shape of pincers. Terrakion can shift almost anything from it's spot and has stamina to last him an entire day of hard work without stop. Don't let his appearance intimidate you though, he has a heart of gold.'

'Can he dig his way out of a tight spot though?' Excadrill pointed at Keldeo. 'Doubt it.'

'Probably won't need to!' Keldeo chortled, his spirit visibly rising every second he got to talk about his friends. 'Last but not least there is Virizion. He's tall, green and very handsome. Quite the flirt too and a little bit full of himself but he's a brilliant warrior and tactician.'

'Yay.' Primarina muttered, her lip curling. 'More overconfident jackasses.'

'I gather they'll be travelling all together?' Lopunny was memorizing all these descriptions in her head. 'Should notice them straight away.'

'Oh yeah.' Primarina nodded, turning and staring at the grim eternity that was the Shan'rala desert, the sky and ground conjuring a vivid orange and teal contrast that just screamed mystery and foreboding. 'Straight away...'

'Are you done yet?'

Durant's gnarly voice was muffled and almost inaudible due to the four berries he had crammed into his mouth with his large pincers, still soaked with Cacturne's blood. He had yelled over at Scizor, who was crouched to the right of him, his scarlet head facing the pool of dark water that rested at the bottom of the small canyon they had submerged into. Scizor didn't answer. In fact he hadn't actually done anything to really conjure a response to Durant's question. All he was focused on was his reflection shimmering in the bright water, his image distorted slightly but managing to hide the many instances of damage that had been inflicted on his face in the past few years. Scizor was still for a few more seconds before reaching down and scooping up a clawful of water and splashing it on his face. The friction caused in the pool send a blur of red in different directions and Scizor slowly lowered his hands, his orange eyes staring straight ahead at the cracked brown wall keeping the water from flowing freely into the terrain.

'Oi.'

Durant had come up really close to him, Scizor's personal space being somewhat violated but Durant unaware of it. Scizor blinked rapidly to get the water out of his eyes and looked at his old teacher.

'What's the matter?'

'Oh nothing.' Scizor said, shrugging his shoulders. Durant frowned.

'You ain't still hung up about the drippy goat showing you up in front of that wench?'

The untrue and politically incorrect remark almost forced a smile on Scizor's face but he shook his head instead, mostly to conceal the humour he found in the statement.

'No no.'

Durant raised his eyes slightly and looked down at Scizor, similar to a look Primarina would usually give.

'Well good.' he sniffed. 'Call me old fashioned...'

'No shit.' Scizor smirked.

'But I think mingling with those darn normal types spells nothin' apart from trouble.' Durant concluded.

'Well...' Scizor murmured, glancing back down at the water. '...I guess you could say that.'

Durant said nothing for a few seconds, appearing to try and figure out what Scizor was hinting at. Eventually, the realization hit him.

'Aw fuck.' Durant scowled, his abdomen slowly rising upwards like a scorpion preparing to sting. 'Don't tell me you and the rabbit have had something?'

'Ha. Sorry to let you down.' Scizor snorted, shielding his eyes as the sunlight bounced off the water into his face. 'She's not the only non-Shan'rala girl I've been with. Not my type you know.'

'I will try and hide my contempt,' Durant rumbled, ignoring the tiny berry pieces falling out of his mouth every time he spoke. 'but I reckon you're better off pursuing no wench. They ain't nothing but trouble.'

'And here is me thinking the reason for your unmarried life is down to other reasons.' Scizor turned back to Durant, scrutinising him closely. 'Who would have thought?'

'That's correct, I avoided them.' Durant said proudly before going off on a tangent. 'I mean I've lived in Shan'rala all my life and never once have I decided to let myself be the slave to a woman. As you can see, I've turned out fine both physically and...'

Durant stopped where he was, his eyes darting curiously while Scizor watched perplexed.

'What's the word?' Durant whispered, leaning closer to Scizor.

'Mentally.' Scizor told him, shaking his head. 'Definitely not verbally in your case.'

'Exactly.' said Durant. 'So don't chase them.'

'They chase me.' Scizor smirked, his feet sliding out from underneath him and planting his behind on the ground so the two were eye level. 'It would lead to problems in the long run though.'

'So that's why you stopped with her?' Durant nodded in an upward direction, indicating Lopunny. 'Afraid of the future?'

'I'm not afraid of anything anymore.' Scizor said. His voice came out so quickly that he was certain Durant was going to catch him out as being untruthful so he moved on. 'I was just thinking of something interesting.'

'Hmm?'

Scizor pointed his arm backwards.

'There used to be pokemon with ambition in this desert. Those that wanted to make a name for themselves, who wouldn't try and start trouble in a bar just for the sake of it and instead pursue something worthwhile. After the Shan'rala-Rylus peace treaty was signed there was so much potential for warriors and mercenaries who had come back as war heroes to really write their names in the history books but there has been absolutely nothing of worth. There's something the matter.'

Durant nodded slowly while Scizor let out a deep breath.

'Durant, you couldn't fully recover from the war with Rylus could you?' Scizor said, his eyes piercing his mentor. Durant didn't bother trying to deny anything here and exhaled a sigh.

'I'm surprised anyone did.' he said, his expression now sorrowful. 'The things I saw. What I went through. I used my dead mates as shields to avoid the fiery breath of a zealot lizard thing and only just managed to survive. Could drive anyone crazy.'

'Not me.' Scizor muttered, his foot circling the water. 'I always had faith in my abilities. You taught me well when he...when nobody else would.'

'That I did.' Durant said, appearing the most respectful he had been the full day. 'I remember the day we first met like it was yesterday. The little scyther boy, running around confused and tearful-'

'Durant I don't want to talk about it.' Scizor was shaking his head, his mouth tight and pursed. 'I don't.'

'In that case,' Durant drew himself up tall. 'don't speak about that war then. It may not have affected you in such ways but you ended up not being powerless. Some of us were.'

'Yeah?' Scizor's nodded rather sardonically. 'Well I got a reality check recently.' He stood up and looked across the water and upwards at the bright yellow sun. 'A few months ago, me and a group of forced friends came into battle with a creature with the power of a thousand pokemon. What could I do against it? Nothing. I threw pots, pans, wood at this thing, nothing would even leave a scratch on it. The only reason we won is just by luck, another powerful being sacrificed himself to save the day. I may have been able to take apart dragon after dragon but against Giratina?' Scizor lowered his head and shoulders, staring at his reflection once again. 'I knew what I was. An insect fighting a god.'

Durant had seen Scizor's claws tighten hard as he had spoke. The wind whistled overhead and another rush of cold wind split the ever present heat. Slowly, Durant crawled up right beside Scizor while mindful of his space. It took a few moments before Scizor looked down at his old teacher, his face rather stricken.

'I guess some things we fight in life are beyond any of our abilities.' said Durant in his rough voice. 'You won but. That's what is important and you will fight another day.'

'Puts things into perspective though.' Scizor said, his body rigid. 'I realized a long time ago that I wasn't invincible but never had I felt so powerless.'

'You know,' said Durant, his body matching Scizor's for visible wear. 'it's easier for everyone, including yourself, to admit you're not alright from the start.'

Scizor said nothing. Durant was correct in this matter. He had already been told before of the importance of straight up telling the truth by none other than Lopunny herself. It would end up digging a deeper hole for him by itself. At the present moment, Scizor felt a hint of restriction in his windpipe, making his breathing seem a bit more erratic. He slowly placed his claw on his chest, attempting to pass this off as subtly as he could, working silently to control his intake of oxygen.

'What are you doing?' Durant asked him, taking notice of how uncomfortable Scizor looked. He waved it off and took his hand off his pectorals, straightening up and turning to Durant, whose expression was that of perplexion.

'Nothing. I was just...' Scizor was biting his tongue, trying not to force out a lie. He really didn't feel himself but at the same time, he did not want to bring his problems into the forefront of an already testy time for the group. '...We got any drinks?'

'Drinks?' Durant's voice cracked slightly. 'We just had water!'

'I mean alcohol.' Scizor explained, nodding back at the top of the canyon. 'You know? In case boredom strikes.'

'I see...' Durant slowly nodded. Scizor started pointing back to the route they came.

'Anyway, I feel refreshed. We should get a move on.'

Scizor beckoned for Durant to come. No sooner had Durant moved his front feet forward, Scizor whipped round and began to travel up the hill at a very brisk pace, leaving the old timer in his wake. Durant shook his head and grimaced, perfectly aware of what Scizor was up to. You think I'm old and paranoid, he thought, watching Scizor's tall frame disappear behind a brown boulder. But I can read you like a book, boy.

'ECHO!'

'Stop that!' Lopunny slapped her hands against her ears and grimaced in response to Excadrill's actions. He stood on the edge of the gorge, his claws cupped around his mouth and bellowing at the sky. The reverberations around the empty wasteland were paying particular damage to Lopunny's gigantic ears but even that didn't stop the mischievous mole.

'ECHOO!' Excadrill yelled again, his voice rumbling Lopunny's eardrums

'I'm not going to tell you again.' Lopunny pulled her ears over her head in an attempt to shut everything out.

'I never realized how loud I could get!' Excadrill turned to look at her, Primarina and Keldeo with a wide grin. 'Oh sorry!' He put his hand to his mouth when he saw Lopunny as well as Primarina eyeing him with annoyance.

'Well good.' Lopunny tapped her head rather hard to subdue the ringing. 'Besides we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves.' She nodded at Keldeo, who was the only one not bothered by the noise. 'I mean conflict is going to be unavoidable but we should try and limit it.'

'Conflict is going to be what!?' Primarina was startled at this statement. Her eyes began to dart from left to right, looking for a way out.

'Aw jeez, I forgot about you.' Lopunny sighed. 'As much as it pains me to say it, you're sticking with us. We can't have you running back to Tanapas while Keldeo is about.'

'I want to go home...' There was finally a little bit of pity tinged in Primarina's voice which was quickly quashed by Lopunny's rather condescending reply.

'Oh believe me I want you home too.' Lopunny's smug smile was extremely grating.

'What lady Lopunny is trying to say,' Keldeo said, putting his hooves forward. 'is that it is safest to stick with us as we travel through the desert rather than you trying to make your way home by yourself.'

'He ain't wrong.' Excadrill added, rather impressed by Keldeo's adaptability. 'I'd give it less than a day before you got torn apart by bandits when traveling alone.' He realized how awful his sentence sounded after he said it but stood by them. 'Just saying.'

Lopunny nodded, her eyes subtly turning to Keldeo who seemed more and more like he was inclined to prevent the bickering between Lopunny and Primarina. While her feelings of resentment towards Primarina where in no way quashed, it did seem as if it would damage the good work done to bring Keldeo's confidence and friendship with Lopunny. I'll refrain from the snark, Lopunny thought to herself, unable to stop smiling rather wickedly. For now.

'Hey!'

The four of them twisted round to the familiar voice of Scizor who was trudging up to them, Durant not too far behind. Scizor's eyes were alight slightly and focused on something other than his companions.

'I might need to pop back to the town.' he said, pointing at said destination behind them. Lopunny blinked in confusion.

'Why?'

'I'm wanting a drink.' Scizor said, putting his hands on his hips.

'What are you talking about?' Lopunny asked before looking over Scizor's shoulder at Durant who was taken aback.

'Don't look at me.' Durant barked, making Keldeo flinch. 'He wasn't craving this shit when I knew him.'

'Are you..?' Lopunny put her foot in her mouth, remembering Keldeo's plea to stop her confrontational nature. 'Scizor, we just had some. What are you doing?'

'We got to go.' Excadrill said, straightening himself up. 'It's gonna get dark in a few hours and we should make as much progress as possible while we still can.'

'Fine by me.' Scizor threw his arms up in the air nonchalantly. 'But if we spy an enemy camp then it's getting raided for the good stuff.'

'We only take stuff from bad guys.' Lopunny warned him, causing Scizor to look back at her with a cocky expression.

'When we're up against it out here,' he waved his hand in the general area of the sun scorched earth. 'everyone is a bad guy. We can't afford to hold back.'

'Everyone!?' Primarina's mouth was totally dry and not even because of the hot wind. She slumped downwards in dismay. Excadrill scrunched up his face a little in sympathy and aimed to pat her on the head.

'There there.'

Primarina recoiled the instant Excadrill's fingers made contact with her skin.

'You've been digging. Remember the rules.' she hissed, Excadrill pulling his hand away quickly with a sheepish expression. Keldeo laughed once more, causing Durant to scrutinize him closely.

'You think this is funny you sprog?' Durant made his way right up to Keldeo's face at a speed that caused Primarina to squeak in terror.

'I...What?' Keldeo was scraping for words, avoiding eye contact with the freaky looking bug.

'This place ain't no playground.' Durant continued to berate him. 'If you get hurt, we ain't waiting about! You're getting left behind!'

'Well no he isn't?' Lopunny said incredulously. 'Our mission revolves entirely around Keldeo. If he gets left behind then it would all be for nothing?'

'...I know!' Durant said, still in his harsh tone of voice. 'It was a trick question.'

'How could it have been a trick question? It wasn't even a question...Oh I give up.' Lopunny sighed and twirled round on one foot, her head flopping backwards in exasperation. Scizor folded his arms and laughed loudly.

'I'm beginning to love this.' he admitted, his eyes flitting from the bored looking Lopunny to the overly moody Primarina. 'If someone was to tell me this morning that this shit would happen to me later, I probably would have laughed and told you to get the fuck away from me.'

'Before or after being sick all over them?' Excadrill leaned forward, his eyebrows raised.

'Probably before.' Scizor retorted. 'Would spare both parties the pain of having you whine like a baby about it.'

There were laughs all round, which Durant didn't even question this time. As the mirth subsided, Lopunny clapped her hands together, the sound magnified by the huge space around them.

'Then let's do this!' she stated loudly. 'Let's waste no time. We gotta get Keldeo back to his friends right away before anything bad happens to us or them. It's not going to be pleasant for some but I truly believe we have what it takes to combat any threat that comes at us. Here we go!'

Lopunny finished her mini speech and looked around at everyone with fiery determination. It was an incredibly awkward silence that permeated the area. Scizor stood still as a statue while Primarina was shuffling her body on the ground, her frame of mind not helped at all. Even Keldeo looked around as if he had no idea what was going on. Lopunny began to sweat even more, her heart racing all the little faster. Did I do it wrong? Suddenly, she looked up at the mighty desert ahead of her and realized what the problem was.

'Uhhh...' she looked at Excadrill sheepishly. 'Where do we start?'

'Oh.' Excadrill seemed to snap out of his apparent stupor. 'I'd recommend that way.' He pointed in the opposite of the town towards a seemingly never ending stretch of yellow sand with only one small cactus on the horizon. 'I remember Keldeo coming to us from this direction when he ran from hunters so it's reasonable to assume that his friends will be that way if they're looking for him.'

'We should ask questions at any settlements or camps we find.' Scizor said, swaggering over to the drop off point on their rocky platform. 'There is bound to be news about three weird looking pokemon skulking around. News travels surprisingly fast for a wasteland.'

'They're not weird looking!' Keldeo said defensively.

'He's trying to wind you up.' Lopunny muttered to him. Scizor stretched his back, his bones cracking loudly and crouched down. His head turned, allowing his handsome face to be seen over his shoulder with a cheeky grin.

'It's good to get back on a proper job.'

With that, Scizor propelled himself sharply off the gorge, causing Primarina to yelp and clap her arms over her eyes. Scizor flipped over in mid air and landed with an explosion of dust on the ground from at least a fifteen feet jump. He straightened back to his feet, shaking his right foot off and looked up at his companions, who were still stood rigid on top of the clifftop.

'Let's goo!' he called out, turning around and beginning his walk. 'You said it yourself Lopunny. No time to waste!'

'Yeah...' Lopunny rubbed her fingers together before edging off to the side of the rock. 'I'm going to take the long way down.'

'Same.' Everyone else said in unison. Lopunny allowed her new allies to walk ahead of her down a winding path that lead to the dusty ground. As Durant slowly crawled past Lopunny on the way down, she raised her hand to her head to wipe a hint of sweat trickling towards her nose.

'Ow!'

She retracted her finger at the sharp pain experienced on her skin. There was a slight blister where she had put her hand, not large enough to be seen but definitely able to increase in size if she was exposed more to the sunlight. Lopunny sighed and hoisted her hood back over her head, knowing that she needed to bite the bullet and be uncomfortable than suffer third degree burns. Alright then, she thought, her eyes fixed on Keldeo, the entire purpose of why she was setting out on this journey. This is going to be tricky.

'Pretty fuckin' dope isn't it?'

Hoodwink stood with his hands behind his back and admiring his many huge weapons lined up against the wall of the large, dimly lit hall. Each one was different in appearance but all carrying the same crude and rough design and craftsmanship. He looked to his left at Bisharp, who had his sharp claw gently caressing one of the missiles with a customary blank expression.

'Best not to touch them.' Hoodwink called out. Bisharp slowly twisted his head to respond.

'They not switched off?'

'That's the thing,' Hoodwink shrugged as if the whole issue wasn't worth fixing. 'I don't know.'

'This place is a death trap.' Bisharp scoffed, swiping his arm away from the bomb. Hoodwink watched as Bisharp investigated another set of weapons on the other side of the room, clearly relishing how much Bisharp was ogling his work.

'Oh that shit is unreal.' Hoodwink came right beside Bisharp, who had picked up a device that looked like a mine and was holding it in his silver hands. 'Plant them in any terrain. Has a standard blast radius of around fifty metres and able to tear through just about surface.' He scowled for a second. 'With a few exceptions.'

'Like what?' asked Bisharp curiously. Hoodwink stretched back in apparent thought, his eyes rolling back ever so slightly.

'The only untampered substances are Syptanium and the bodies of pokemon like Gigalith, Steelix and Shuckle. Obviously moves like protect and detect help.' Hoodwink listed them off his fingers. 'I guess it hasn't affected the legendary Regirock either but I was told that off some old explorer. Probably drunk off his ass.'

'What do you mean untampered?' Bisharp eyed him with intent.

'Untampered as in nothins' been done to them.' Hoodwink explained. 'For example, them rocks that make up Rylus Mountain are covered by some sort of forcefield. It's why nobody could do any damage to it in the war, it's some dragon magic bullshit and no explosive ever affected it.' He mimed several actions with his hands resembling a large object smashing into a flat platform. 'Fuck knows what it is. Probably some ancient...space...whatever.'

'You know,' Bisharp placed the mine back down where he picked it up from and looked at his new boss. 'you don't talk like any businessman or inventor I have ever met.'

Hoodwink laughed rather obnoxiously.

'I'm guessing you're more familiar with those pricks coming from Tanapas or Giruphin?' he asked Bisharp.

'I guess so.'

'That doesn't surprise me.' Hoodwink's smile turned to a cold glare. 'The products that everyone in Charom wants are produced anywhere but Shan'rala. Those city dwellers?' he pointed to his left, indicating the direction of Tanapas City. 'They think we're all savages. They think their shit is better than ours.'

'Well what are you comparing them to?' Bisharp asked, examining another explosive, this one shaped like a rocket. 'I don't know many other businesses in Charom dealing in materials as dangerous as these ones.' A piece from the bomb he was holding suddenly slid off and clattered to the floor which alarmed Bisharp before he realized that nothing was going to happen. '...Or as flimsy.' he added under his breath.

'The fact that the effort we put in to make our products trumps theirs. Look around you.' Hoodwink gestured universally at everything around him. 'I make it no secret that these babies are made from scratch with the bare minimum parts. That's what makes my workers better than any in Tanapas or Giruphin. Everything is handed on a plate to them while we do the dirty work to make our way in life. Hence why you're here.' He threw his hands out in front of him indicating to Bisharp. 'I mean you seem skilled enough but if you think this place is a death trap then wait til you get out on the desert plains.'

'Oh I know all about it.' Bisharp replied almost instantly. 'I once worked as a mercenary. Took on all sorts of tasks, always came out on top.'

'That explains that then.' Hoodwink pointed at Bisharp's chest where his armour plated body was visibly damaged. Bisharp recoiled slightly, taken aback by Hoodwink's perception.

'This is...different.' Bisharp admitted, resenting bringing back the memories of his defeat to Gallade. 'My opponent got a few lucky shots in. If it was a straight fight to the death with no holds barred, I would have killed him in seconds.' He noticed a piece of his metal chest sticking out awkwardly. He pushed it back in place, clenching his teeth tightly as the pain seared through his body. 'But I counted the costs and learned a valuable lesson that day. Never let go of an opportunity to exterminate pests.'

'That is good insight.' Hoodwink raised his eyebrows, leaning against one of his rockets casually with no care in the world. 'Yeah I'd be mad too if someone I knew I could beat the shit out ended up fucking my body up after I hesitated for a second too long.'

The look on Bisharp's face was enough to let Hoodwink know that the conversation needed to be diverted as fast as possible.

'Uh so you and Nidoqueen.' Hoodwink ushered the words out his mouth, his expression flustered.

'What about me and Nidoqueen?' Bisharp hissed, his face changing back to expressionless but his eyes telling a different and scarier story.

'Like, what's your story?' Hoodwink's eyes then widened. 'You two aren't-'

'No we are not.' Bisharp cut across him before Hoodwink's inquiry could be fully structured. 'We just work together. Forced acquaintances if you like.'

'So nobody on the go then?' Hoodwink pointed 'finger guns' at Bisharp in an attempt to get back in the good books. It ended up making things slightly worse.

'No I do not have anyone on the go.' Bisharp emphasized the last three words with a mocking disdain. He turned away from Hoodwink, his head beginning to lower. '...Not anymore.'

Hoodwink was surprised to notice the coarse emotion in Bisharp's voice and body language. He wondered whether this would make him more or less efficient at doing his jobs, if his relationship with his new boss was already taking fraying. This could work out well in my favor, Hoodwink thought, still not moving from his current position. I just need to play my cards right.

'Sir! Sir!'

The squeaky voice echoed through the weapons hall. Hoodwink turned round to see who was calling him and had to duck quickly to avoid the overexcited Zubat whizz over his head at a blinding speed.

'Sorry!' Zubat could not control his wings in the hurry he was in and yelled out to Hoodwink who was looking up from the ground bewildered. 'I just can't seem to-'

Zubat halted instantly with a spluttering noise. Bisharp had reached out without looking and seized him tightly around the throat, ceasing his manic ascent. Hoodwink let out a small chortle and approached the two of them, Bisharp slowly releasing the suffocating Zubat.

'Calm down.' Bisharp warned him as Zubat gasped for air. 'Now what is up?'

'Sorry Mr...Bisharp.' Zubat coughed. 'It's just...an agent out in the field. He was informed of something that was seen out in the midlands.'

'What was it?' asked Hoodwink, folding his arms.

'His source claims,' Zubat told them both who were listening with alert expressions. 'that a bar fight initiated inside one of the locals produced some staggering results.'

'Oh was it another trapinch getting mouthy with guys bigger than him?' Hoodwink rolled his eyes. 'As if we haven't seen enough of that already.'

'No not that.' said Zubat, his unsteady wings keeping him aloft. 'Sir, apparently it was there. The enigma.'

'It was?' Hoodwink unfolded his arms and stepped forward, his eyes hungry. 'And?'

'Well apparently it's power is more than we ever thought.' Zubat explained. 'According to his source, it shattered a Cacturne's spiky shield as if it was nothing.'

Hoodwink stared at Zubat in silence, his fingers waggling in excitement. He put his fist to his mouth and bit down on his knuckles. Bisharp watched this happen with a mix of perplexion and interest. What could it be that they were talking about?

'Where was this place did you say?' Hoodwink asked, relieving his mouth of his own hand.

'Mid section of the desert.' said Zubat, nodding at a nearby map on the wall. 'Reports say they're still in the area.'

'What are we waiting for? Get back out on the field and scout further!' Hoodwink shouted, startling Zubat. He nodded at Bisharp. 'You're going. I'll send one of my men to drive you and Nidoqueen out to the destination.'

'Wait hang on.' Bisharp shook his head. 'You haven't told me anything. What am I doing? Am I searching for something?'

'A couple of days ago there were reports of a strange energy signature. Blue in colour.' Hoodwink explained to him as Zubat flew haphazardly out of the hazardous room. 'Was hoping it would be able to utilize an exothermic reaction in one of my shells. Just my luck then.' He then let out a rather sinister giggle. 'To the uneducated, I say I'm a researcher who is interested in the science of pokemon moves when really it's all for going boom!'

'What a time to be alive.' Bisharp said sardonically, watching the scrafty pull out his communicator and begin yammering into it. 'The first thing you want to do with an all new source of power? See if you can blow things up with it.'

'Why you complaining? At least you're getting some work now.' Hoodwink said, midway through his talk on the device. 'Nidoqueen, get your ass down here. I got a job for you which I'm sure you'll love.'

Hoodwink tapped his communicator and shut it down, turning to Bisharp with a satisfied smirk.

'Your job is to receive samples of this things substance release.' He realized how disgusting his statement sounded right after he said it. 'I mean find traces and bring it back to me.'

'Or just capture said pokemon if I find it?'

'Even better!' Hoodwink clapped Bisharp on his solid shoulder, accidentally hurting his hand. 'If you bring back this pokemon it means I can siphon whatever amazing power it has and forge some absolutely insane bad boys. You are going to make me a very rich man and you can...' He swished his hand about in a disorientating fashion in front of Bisharp's face. '...I don't know, get revenge on a few enemies?'

Bisharp shrugged his shoulders, his expression classically blank.

'Maybe.' he said flatly, his ears pricking up at the sound of Nidoqueen's feet stomping their way from outside.

'Or is that her thing?' Hoodwink pointed at the door, acknowledging her incoming presence. 'Either way, we're all gonna get what we want.' He winked and clicked his fingers at Bisharp. 'This is going to be a whole load of fun.'

As Hoodwink strolled up to the door to meet Nidoqueen, Bisharp stood with one arm slumped by his side, the other slowly feeling up his ravaged body. He remembered the moment vividly. When Gallade smited him straight in his organs and was seconds away from killing him on the spot. It had shaken him to the core. Made him change up his entire style of approaching situations. The whole process of meeting Hoodwink would have probably went a lot differently if it had never happened. His hatred for Gallade and the Shining Beacons burned deep inside his heart, his longing to take vengeance on them only halted by his severely weakened state. Revenge does sound good, he thought, his grip on his breastplate tightening. However, I think my idea for this plan will maybe make things right.