"Bad Pokemon"

By: SnapDragon

Baklava and the rest of Team Pastry are not in any way an esteemed adventuring group.

They've been working at the Adventurer's Guild in Éclair town for a couple of years now. None of the three of them have made any meaningful progress in their goal of becoming well known in the business; luck hasn't been in their favor. Such a lack of success can be a source of frustration, but the pokemon have no reason to complain.

Team Pastry is well off enough to be able to satisfy all of their needs. The problem is that that isn't always enough.

Baklava, a newly evolved and compassionate Typhlosion, unwillingly carries the role of being team leader. Others see him as a strong and virtuous captain, but he sees himself as nothing more than another pokemon trying to make a living. He enjoys his work even if it isn't always the most fulfilling.

Team Pastry has two other members; Strudel the Dartrix and Cinnamon the Marshstomp. Both share Baklava's dream of becoming esteemed adventurers, just like every other member of the guild. All around, they're nothing special. Team Pastry does their rounds, finishes their work, gets paid just enough to live and treat themselves from time to time, then go home and do it all over again.

Today was meant to be one of those days. That is until Baklava had a fateful encounter with a certain Alakazam.

Baklava had heard of him before. Filo is the guild's Orbmaster, the one in charge of crafting magical artifacts. The two had never met until today and that probably has something to do with the Alakazam's reputation. He's not one for conversation or one to leave his space that often as Baklava had heard. A recluse and a fairly unfriendly one at that. It just so happened that Team Pastry was walking past his lab when he stepped out.

He stopped the Typhlosion and spoke breathlessly. Baklava noted how tired the psychic type looked; it was almost as if he had been up for days. Filo presented the three of them with an item - an orb. He did not say what it would do. Filo simply gave Baklava the orb and instructed him to use it on another pokemon - preferably a feral - then return with the results.

Baklava, excited to experience something new amongst all of the mundanity, happily accepted the Alakazam's request.

Now Team Pasty were making their way to the destination of their next job. A bounty mission at Banket Cave. A Granbull had been causing issues for the local population and he fled to the mystery dungeon to escape prosecution. The Granbull was a petty criminal; this job was supposed to be easy and simple.

Baklava had been wrong. Very, very wrong.

The three of them made their way through the cave, eliminating any ferals in their path. Team Pastry might have been unremarkable, but they certainly weren't weak.

"Are you going to use that orb on a feral at some point, Baklava?" Cinnamon asked as they made their way through Banket Cave. She spoke in her usual soft cadence, flicking her head fin like she always would.

"Uh...I can," Baklava responded. "We haven't had any trouble yet though, so…"

"I still think we should test it on this outlaw," Strudel said, taking the lead. "If we're supposed to use it on a pokemon then we should use it on someone that deserves it." The Dartix did not turn back as he spoke. As valuable a teammate Strudel could be, Baklava seriously wished that the bird would be more considerate of his friends and make an effort to be less bitter. Baklava understood where he was coming from, but Strudel's expectations were just too high.

"He just stole some stuff, Strudel," Cinnamon sighed. "I doubt he's really that bad of a guy. He can spend some time in jail and pay for his crimes. Plus, who knows what horrible things the orb could do."

Baklava felt as though he should've contributed more to this conversation. Part of him agreed with Cinnamon and that made him hesitant to use the orb on the outlaw. On the other hand, he agreed with Strudel and believed that the orb could make their job easier. He wasn't sure what to think. For now, he cradled the artifact in his arms.

Baklava will decide when the time comes. He's the leader after all.

Time passed as the three of them trudged through the cave. Just like before, not a single pokemon they encountered was enough of a challenge to warrant the use of the orb. Baklava was starting to get anxious. This shouldn't be making me so stressed, Baklava thought. Just...use the orb on a feral. That's it! But...what if it comes in handy later? It could save our lives and wasting it on a random feral wouldn't be…

UGH! Not now! Just a bit more. If I seriously don't end up using it by the time we make it to the end, then I'll use it on the outlaw. But what if…? Dang it! Stop thinking about it!

"Are you doing alright, Baklava?"

The Typhlosion was shaken from his daydreams by Cinnamon talking to him abruptly. He blinked and found her by his side, looking up at him with a worried frown. Baklava sighed. "I-I'm okay. A little out of it, but I won't be a hindrance I can promise you that."

Cinnamon nodded and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of Strudel slicing into a dungeon feral with leaves as sharp as knives.

"Damn nuisance!" he cursed. "Hardly worth the effort." The Dartrix tore his eyes from the bloodied corpse and squinted at his two teammates. "Don't worry about helping. These bastards aren't that tough." He flipped his bangs with a wing.

"You don't have to show off to us, Strudel," Cinnamon said with her flippers on her hips. "You're great, we get it."

He scoffed. "I am? Why, thank you Cinnamon. So glad to hear you say that." He turned his attention to Baklava. "At this point, you'll have no choice but to use that," - he pointed at the orb in Baklava's arms with a wing - "on the outlaw."

"Hopefully not," Baklava muttered. He wasn't feeling like engaging in any playful banter at the moment.

"Oh, don't look so sad, Baklava!" Strudel said with a smile on his beak. "This guy's gonna get what's coming to him, trust me."

I hope not. Actually...should I hope for that? I don't-

"Well, would you look at that. We made it."

Sure enough, just up ahead was a light peaking through the rocks. The three of them walked cautiously into the opening and peered inside.

The final chamber of Banket Cave held a rocky room with a high ceiling. It was deathly quiet aside from the distant sound of dripping water. In the center of the room was a hastily built tent nearly on the cusp of collapse. Whoever had set it up had certainly been in a hurry. The three of them approached slowly. They didn't make it far before the tent started to shift.

Team Pastry halted, stood their ground, and waited as the source of the shifting left the tent. A Granbull shambled out; it took him a few moments to notice them. And when he did, he froze and his eyes went wide.

"There he is," Strudel stated confidently. "Leave it to the stupidest outlaws to camp out at the end of a dungeon this easy."

The Granbull immediately knew what was happening. The fear in his eyes did not dissipate in the slightest. He swiftly ran headfirst into his tent and began to pick up valuable items.

"Stop him!" Cinnamon yelled. "He's gonna try and run!"

Baklava sprung into action with Cinnamon by his side. "Keep that orb ready!" Strudel called out, flying in pursuit.

The Granbull did not make it far before the Dartrix dive bombed the fairy and sent him spiraling into the rocks. He tumbled and shouted "Please! Just leave me alone!"

"Just give up and accept your prison sentence!" Baklava shouted. "Don't make this harder than it has to be!"

"No, I can't!" the Granbull screamed as he scrambled off the floor. "I need this!"

"Too bad!" Cinnamon shot a Water Gun at the outlaw and hit him square in the head. Valuable baubles and trinkets fell from his grip.

The fire on Baklav's back flared and he unleashed a volley of flame at Granbull, coating him in a blazing inferno. The Typhlosion flinched at the sound of the screams; those never got any easier to hear. Regardless, Baklava shook his head and continued his advance.

The Granbull frantically beat his arms to extinguish the flames while Team Pastry surrounded him. The panic on the outlaw's face was plain to see. "Stop! Please!" he cried. "Leave me be!"

"No can do," Strudel laughed. "There's a price on your head and we're here to collect."

"Right…" Cinnamon said, side-eying Strudel. She slowly got closer to the Granbull. "Just comply with our demands. I'll put you out if you surrender. Please-"

"I SAID STOP!"

There was no time to react as the burning outlaw sprung to his feet and attacked with incredible speed. His body surged with fairy type energy and he struck the Marshtomp with his fist. She was caught completely off guard. Baklava watched in horror as his teammate flew past him and smashed into the wall. Her limp body slid off the stone onto the ground. She did not stand back up.

"Cinnamon!" Baklava yelled. He spun back around to get his revenge on the pokemon that had just hurt his friend only to find that the Granbull was not where he was before. Somehow, the outlaw was moving so fast that Baklava could hardly keep up. One second he would be in front of Baklava, then the next he would be behind him. Baklava couldn't react to the painful punch to his back and fell forward.

"Now would be a good time to use that orb!" Leaves as sharp as knives cut through the air above Baklava's head and hit the outlaw, eliciting a pained screech. "Over here, bastard!"

His head spun as Baklava attempted to comprehend what was going on. Not even twenty seconds ago they had the upper hand, but now...two of them were down. How did this happen? This...this was supposed to be…

"Come on! That all you got?"

Strudel continued to fight the Granbull as best he could. He was doing sufficiently, but Baklava knew the Dartrix well enough to recognize when he was losing steam. His flight patterns were erratic and his leaves weren't leaving enough of an impact. It was only a matter of time before he would make a mistake and get hit.

Baklava had to do something! He couldn't just sit there and watch his friend get hurt! He shakily rose to his feet. The impact of the hit he took earlier was taking its toll, but he had to persevere. But what should he do? His fire might only make things worse! What else could he possibly…?

Baklava looked down. He still had the orb.

"ARGH!"

His eyes shot up. His heart sank as he realized that his prediction was right.

The Granbull finally caught Strudel by his leg, grabbed it, then smashed the bird into the ground. Strudel was beaten by then. However, the Granbull wasn't done. In his anger, he raised his fists above his head; he was ready to squash Strudel like a bug.

No. NO! NOOOO!

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Baklava felt the adrenaline rush through his system. He hit the ground running and held the orb out in front of him. Within his mind, he commanded the orb to activate, hoping that it would save them in their time of need. The orb responded to the call. A bright light burst from the orb. The light was so bright that Baklava reflexively shut his eyes. A scream followed the sound of something whirling. The audible spinning became faster and faster until…

…

...Silence.

Baklava did not dare open his eyes. Not even as the orb shattered into dust in his paws. He waited and waited and waited and-

"...Ah...damn…"

His eyes shot open.

The Granbull was gone. Strudel was alive but hurt badly. Nearby, Cinnamon had managed to recover slightly and was making her way to the other two.

He was confused. What did the orb do? "Where...where did he…?"

Strudel let out a groan. Strong as he was, the Dartrix had a hard time standing. He stumbled on his talons, almost falling over again before Cinnamon caught him. "Argh...gone," Strudel croaked out painfully. "No idea...but he's gone."

Cinnamon struggled to hold up the bird. "Was it the orb?" she wondered.

Baklava wasn't listening; he wasn't thinking. All he wanted was to know what happened. He stumbled across the floor, nearly tripping over his own feet, hopelessly searching for the outlaw. He searched and searched until-

-he stepped on something.

Looking down, he hesitantly lifted his foot. Beneath it was a coin. Now Baklava was even more confused. Where did this coin come from? Strudel hadn't been carrying anything, had he? Speaking of, this coin was...right next to...the spot…

Wh-what about the items that the outlaw had? Where did those go? If this coin was one of those items, then where were the others?

Baklava bent down to pick up the coin. There was nothing particularly strange about it. Just a 50 poke coin. Still, a thought deep within Baklava's mind threatened to surface.

"Baklava?" Cinnamon said with concern in her voice.

"That a coin?" Strudel asked. "How'd it get there?"

"..Shut up."

"What? Why would I?"

"Please just shut up." Baklava grit his teeth. Please be quiet. I need to think. There's an answer for this.

"What's wrong, Baklava?"

"Yeah, man, what's up?"

"Shut up!" The Typhlosion clenched his fist around the coin. This isn't happening. This isn't happening.

Strudel furrowed his brow and lowered his voice. "What did the orb do?" he glowered. "You know, don't you?"

"Strudel, please-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

Baklava tossed the coin. It clanged against the rocks, flipping through the air and landing right in front of Strudel. He slowly looked down at it, the realization in his eyes being clearly discernible. "The coin?"

"I...I-I don't…" Baklava stammered. The words were caught in his throat.

Strudel grabbed the coin and twiddled the coin in his talon. The realization in his eyes turned to cold fascination. "The outlaw...he's a coin now?" A smirk formed on his beak. "That's interesting. Oh well," he shrugged, "he deserved it."

"What?" Baklava was shocked.

"Yeah, what?" Cinnamon said. "Strudel, how can you say that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! That fairy fuck almost killed me! Excuse me for not feeling sorry for him!"

"He doesn't deserve to be a coin!" Baklava shouted.

"He was a criminal!" Strudel shouted back.

"He might've had a reason!"

"That's not an excuse!"

"It's enough of a reason to not be turned into a coin!"

"He was a bad pokemon, why is that so hard to understand?"

"Both of you be quiet!"

Baklava and Strudel halted their argument and turned to look at Cinnamon. The Marshtomp was red in the face and breathing heavily. "This is not the time to be at each other's throats!" She fumed. "I don't care if he's a coin, how are we supposed to turn this job in?"

Baklava blinked, the fire on his back igniting out of stress. "Wh-what? Cinnamon! How can you be thinking about that right now?"

"No no," Strudel interjected, "she's got a point. The stuff he was carrying too. We can't turn any of it back in." Suddenly, he crossed his wings. "Filo better compensate us for this."

Baklava couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he going insane? How did this happen? "G-guys?"

Cinnamon sighed. "Whatever, let's head back. Maybe the guild master will understand."

"Ha! Doubt that!" Strudel fluffed his unkempt feathers. "Oh yeah, here." The bird flicked the coin from his talon towards Baklava. He scrambled to catch it. "The least we can do is get something for this. I don't want to fall behind."

Baklava felt as though he might cry. The coin shimmered in his grip. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening.

Baklava didn't feel like speaking at all during the trip back. A horrid sinking feeling in his heart wouldn't go away no matter how much time had passed. All he wanted was a moment of reprieve, but the coin would not allow it.

His teammates gave him some space when they made it back. Cinnamon was admittedly very apologetic and explained that she was stressed at the time. She promised to take him out for drinks after he would talk to Filo. Her treat. Strudel was too frustrated to agree to such an offer.

Baklava was thankful, but even Cinnamon's kindness could cheer him up.

Now he stood before the door to Filo's lab, fighting to find the strength to knock. What could he possibly say? The orb worked, but we used it on a civil pokemon instead? Should I lie? Should I leave and report Filo instead? What good would that do?

Team Pastry needed the money. Like heck the guild's gonna compensate them for this. They might find out and get on Filo's case anyways.

No, Baklava had to turn in the coin. For his friends, he would lie; he would tell Filo that the orb worked on a feral. What kind? A...Patrat. Yeah, that should work.

Baklava took a deep breath. Okay...

*Knock knock*

*SMASH*

Baklava flinched.

"Come in!"

Baklava did not know what to do. His mind shut down and his arm remained frozen mid-air. The door opened on it's own before long. An Alakazam, now slightly less exhausting looking, hovered above the ground and acknowledged the Typhlosion's presence with a nod.

"I-I'm sorry Mr. Filo, is everything…?" Baklava stammered.

"Yes, everything is fine," Filo quickly responded. "I was distracted and your interruption caused me to drop an orb I had been working on for a few hours."

"Oh crud!" Baklava cursed. "That's my fault, Mr. Filo. I should've-"

"Did the orb work?"

Baklava froze and cast his gaze to the ground. "It...did, yes. Um…" He paused. "I'm not...sure that-"

"For the betterment of the both of us, I recommend that we do not dwell on this. Now," Filo held out a hand, "the results."

Baklava stood there in confusion for a few moments. Second doubts coursed through his mind. He had his chance to walk away, now would be the last chance he would get to lie, turn around, and leave. He looked between his fist and Filo trying to find the words.

...He couldn't find any. Baklava was nothing more than a coward.

He squeezed his eyes shut and dropped the coin into Filo's outstretched hand.

Filo looked down in disbelief. "...What is this?" he wondered impatiently. "Are you trying to bride me for whatever reason?"

"N-no Mr. Filo," Baklava gulped, "that coin...is the result. Me and my friends used the orb on a feral Patrat like you said...and…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. I'm such a coward.

Filo stared at the coin in his hand for what felt like hours, his eyes wide. Baklava waited with bated breaths.

Eventually however, he wasn't able to keep it in any longer. "M-mr. Filo?"

"Leave me."

"H-huh?"

"I said leave me. You will receive your payment in a day's time."

Baklava did not know what to say. Filo's response was not at all the one he was expecting. Disgust, anger, maybe even...insane laughter? But no, this Alakazam was almost as speechless as Baklava was.

The two of them had nothing left to say to each other. Baklava didn't want to be there any longer so he left while dragging his feet.

Baklava had no idea where to go next. He certainly didn't feel like talking to anyone else for the remainder of the day. All he wanted was to be alone. Cinnamon would understand.

So, the Typhlosion wandered around Éclair Town for hours and hours on end until his legs ached. He knew that he would not sleep that night, so he did not try. Whatever had happened today would follow him for the rest of his life. The only thing he could wish for would be that no other pokemon would suffer the same fate as that Granbull.

Baklava's wish would not come true.