A/N:

Sorry to keep y'all waiting! Here's the second installment of the story. Got a pretty good idea of where I want to take this story, so there's that. I'm thinking this won't be a very long one, or at least, as compared to what The Reaper and its sequels are going to be. Not sure if I can give even a roundabout estimate, but if I had to say something, it'd be around 150K words maybe. Anyways, if you enjoy reading, please consider leaving a review/favorite, and perhaps check out The Reaper if you enjoy my style of writing.

So for the old disclaimer: I don't own nor am I associated with Pokémon, Game Freak, or Chunsoft. All I own are my own characters and the plot.

"…" - Spoken dialogue

Italics - Character thoughts

'Italics' - Telepathic dialogue

. . . . . - Time skip

/\/\/\ - Lemon Scene

Chapter 2

— — — — —

Liam

— — — — —

He woke up at nearly the same time he always did - seven in the morning. After stretching out, Liam silently got to his feet and made his way to the stream within their house, quietly washing up before he headed out for the day. He contemplated waking his partner so that they could check over the jobs together, but he knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. Not when she looked as tranquil and adorable as she did in her slumber. Guess I'll just head down there myself. He stealthily made his way out and shut the trapdoor behind him.

All the stores in Treasure Town were just opening as the lucario passed by, preparing for another day of business. Liam felt a sense of pride every time he looked at the up-and-coming town - the inhabitants here had worked hard in making this a well-developed village, one that had truly earned its place on the map. Yes, there were cities and towns across the land that dwarfed Treasure Town in population and size, but none of them had quite the same feeling within their atmospheres. No, this was the only place that he could think of calling home.

Along the way, he made sure to look for Weavile. Knowing what he did, Liam couldn't bear the thought of that being her future. While they may have clashed in the past, Liam had felt her aura before. Misguided as she was, and as selfish as her team's actions may have been, there was still good within all of them. Unfortunately, he had no luck in finding any of the members of Team AWD as he traversed through town. He would have to look another day.

As he climbed the all-too-familiar steps, the Guild came into vision. Most people were likely still asleep, but fortunately, Diglett and Loudred woke earlier than the rest of the crew in order to admit teams that might want to take jobs. Liam approached the sentry grate and stood on top of it. Beneath him, he could hear the two of them conversing. "It's a lucario - not sure which one, though."

"Are you kidding me? I'm the only lucario around these parts..."

"Oh, it's you Liam," Diglett called out. "And no, you aren't. There's another that recently moved into town." This piqued Liam's interest; after all, those of his own kind were pretty uncommon.

"Really? Who?"

"Umm… dang it, what was her name, Loudred?"

"Think it was Rachel… not totally sure though." It was impossible to not hear the ridiculously loud pokémon's voice, even as far away as Liam was. Lucarios, though, were pretty rare - especially around this area. Perhaps they could meet at some point. But right now, there were other matters at hand, like what work the team may take today.

"Alright, well now that you've made sure that I'm not an outlaw or something, can I please come in?"

"Whoops, sure thing." Soon after, the gate that barred the entrance was lifted, allowing him passage into the Guild. Liam headed downward, to which he passed by a few of his old guild-members on his way to the outlaw notice board. The few that were up and about were clearly not very energetic. Still too early for most of them, he thought. When he got there, he was surprised to find Tristan staring at the various jobs posted.

"Damn dude, you're here earlier than me, and that's saying something." The luxray looked over at him and gave off a forced smile.

"Hey Liam. Just thought I'd come and get first crack at the jobs. Looks like I got here just in time, too…" Looking up at the board, Liam noticed what the luxray was referring to. Only a single job was posted, with the word "urgent" written in bold, red letters over a beedrill's picture.

"We've got quite the selection to choose from, don't we?" the lucario asked. Tristan nodded.

"Yep. If we're gonna work today, this is what we'll be doing."

"Well alright then. What's up with this guy?" he asked, looking at the picture of the outlaw. Huh, Venom the beedrill…

"Says that he was last spotted near Mount Bristle, and that he's wanted for two separate accounts of murder…" Of all the outlaws that Team Retribution had taken down, the murderers were always the most satisfying to get rid of - while also being the riskiest. With the prospect of a death sentence awaiting them should they be apprehended, pokémon guilty of such crimes were likely to fight to the very last breath. After all, what did they have to lose?

"What's the bounty?"

"It… actually doesn't say," the luxray replied confusedly.

"Huh, that's weird…"

"Well… we gonna take it?" Tristan inquired. Liam thought it over for a moment. The less criminals running loose, the better - especially murderers. And few teams had ever matched Team Retribution in terms of outlaw captures. Eh, why the hell not?

"I guess so. Never hurts to put another thug behind bars… well, Venom won't be behind bars very long, but you know what I mean. Now to put a team together…" Liam considered his options. Let's see… both Eleanor and Flora are still in Fogbound Lake, and Marvin is probably doing his rounds off the southwestern coast by now. So that just leaves us and Selina. But then again… she'd have a real disadvantage going up against a beedrill… and one that is willing to kill… No, she's gonna sit this one out. Not that she couldn't take him, but it's not worth the risk, and there might be others… "Maybe it would be best if just you and I went," Liam eventually concluded.

"Why do you say that?"

"I mean, Selina would have a pretty bad type disadvantage going in there."

"So? She's helped stop four legendaries. I doubt a bug-type is going to pose too much of a threat to her."

"Maybe," Liam admitted, "but none of those instances were optional. We did what needed to be done, and didn't have much of a choice. But this time… there's no reason to needlessly expose her to danger, now is there?" Tristan relented - it would do him no good to debate the point any further against Team Retribution's leader.

"Alright."

"Great. Now that that's settled, you go ahead and reserve the job while I go make preparations." Snatching the paper off of the board, Liam left the Guild. A quick trip to Kangaskhan Storage and the base would be in order before they were to depart. As the lucario made his way back to the town, he mentally prepared a list of the things they would need for the quick trip - a couple of meals, a few pecha berries, maybe a luminous orb, and he certainly couldn't forget to bring his sash. While I'm there, I'll let Selina know about the mission. That is, if she's even awake…

. . . . .

Well I guess that answers that, he thought as he set the bowl of berries on the table. The umbreon looked as though she were passed out, her chest rising and falling with slow, heavy breaths. Shit… she's out for the count… Liam walked beside his bed and retrieved the spike-adorned sash out of his chest, gently shutting it so as not to wake his slumbering friend. He was set to go catch the beedrill at this point, but he couldn't leave in good conscience if he didn't alert Selina as to where he and Tristan were going. No doubt she'd be unpleasantly surprised to wake up without a clue of where he had gone. But casting another glance to her form, he admittedly wouldn't feel good about waking her up, either.

Settling on the next best option, Liam grabbed the quill off of the desk, and began to write.

Good morning Selina. You were out like a rock earlier this morning, and I couldn't bring myself to wake you. Anyways, Tristan and I have taken a job, and by the time you read this, we will probably be off. Now I'm sure this might seem a bit rude, seeing as to how we didn't bring you. I promise that there was a reason behind that decision. The outlaw we are going to go after has been convicted of murder, and is a bug-type. I know that he is probably well within your ability to take, but I see no reason to risk your safety over this one. I can't bear the thought of you getting injured or killed. Seeya in a day or two.

-Liam

That takes care of that, he thought. Picking up the team's treasure bag, Liam snuck out without a sound. Hurrying back to Treasure Town, he found Tristan waiting for him by the Link Shop.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep."

. . . . .

The two of them set out for Waterfall Cave, expecting to arrive there early in the afternoon. Such a journey would inevitably come with hours of boredom. Oh well, at least the weather is nice, Liam thought as he gazed about the morning scenery. A few flying-types perched in trees here and there, some singing and calling out to each other. Off to the right of the path and into the woods, he could see a nidoqueen traversing through low shrubbery with her young ones, likely going out to search for food. Why anyone would want to dwell within the wilderness was beyond Liam's comprehension - participation within civilization was a far easier way to make a living, not to mention much safer. To each their own, but still…

It wasn't as though the "wild" pokémon were out of touch with modern times; many of them made small houses and dens, and had an "economy" of their own going. But there was no central authority. No police. If anything were to go wrong - if outlaws were to invade - they would be the only line of defense. In Liam's opinion, they should abandon the widespread anarchy they lived under and establish some form of unity. After all, what the hell did they have to lose?

"Something on your mind?" Tristan asked the lucario.

"Nothing much. Just couldn't help but think how weird it is that some people are still living in the woods like this." Tristan quickly glanced about the few scattered wild pokémon around them, before responding in a lowly voice to ensure that his words stayed between the two of them.

"Seems sort of savage to me. Still poking about in the dirt, looking for food to survive. No agriculture, no order - nothing. Like nothing's changed over thousands of years. Once they bear witness to the benefits of a civilized society, they would surely leave all this pack behavior shit behind."

"Can't disagree with that." After all, who wanted to live a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and continuously have to devote all of their time simply to surviving? But as strange as it was, this was the life that the majority of pokémon on this continent lived. Unlike the other lands, this country had been very delayed in creating societies, and cities and towns - apart from ancient civilizations and monuments - were somewhat of a new concept. "Give it some time, I guess. They'll probably come around."

— — — — —

Selina

— — — — —

After waking up, she waited… and waited. They usually ate breakfast together, after all. But Liam clearly was not coming this morning. She ate in solitude - something she wasn't used to. Where had he gone off to? He wasn't outside, that was for sure. Eventually, though, she noticed the note. Selina became agitated as she skimmed it over. They left without me?! They took a job, and left without me?! But as irritated as she was, she couldn't remain angry at Liam - especially when she made her way further into the note. Oh… She still didn't appreciate being left out of a job - Liam never did that. The work that they did was always dangerous, especially due to the fact that the vast majority of their jobs consisted of capturing outlaws. But this criminal was different than most, and Liam had done what he had done out of his concern for her. Fine… I guess I'll let this slide… just this once… Now to find something to do.

Eleanor and Flora still had yet to return from their mission, so that was off the table. And she sure didn't feel like taking a job on her own. But the prospect of sitting around and not doing anything wasn't too appealing, either. Well… I guess it couldn't hurt to take a stroll through town…

So without a clear goal in mind, other than to kill time, Selina made her way into town. She didn't feel like shopping, but rather simply being around other people. Maybe Liam could stand being alone for long periods of time, but not her. For over an hour, Selina made small talk with the town's inhabitants as she wandered the dusty roads of Treasure Town. Maybe I should go visit my friends at the Guild, she thought.

It was there that she found a commotion; everyone gathered around something, or rather someone, in front of Wigglytuff's quarters. What's going on? For a brief second, she thought that she saw Liam in the center of attention. But upon getting a better look, Selina realized that this was far from true. This lucario was noticeably feminine, with a graceful figure and a genuine, captivating expression. Several of the Guild's males were staring at her in nothing short of adoration. Arceus… she's beautiful…

"Who… who is this?" Selina asked.

"That would be Rachel," Chatot said, who was beside her. "She's a new arrival in town. A highly skilled bounty hunter. "

"So what's the big deal?"

"She's come seeking information, and is waiting for the guildmaster. Although, to be perfectly honest, I'm sure she'll be waiting awhile. He's probably sleeping in, and you know there's no waking him when that happens."

Eventually, Rachel must've come to realize this, as she became slightly impatient with waiting in vain. "I guess I'll just ask him some other time," she concluded as she turned to leave.

"My apologies for the guildmaster's… unintentionally inconsiderate treatment towards a guest. Would you like leave a message for him?" Chatot asked.

"If it wouldn't be too much of a bother. Could you let him know that I wish to meet with the leader of Team Retribution? I heard that he had ties to this guild, and was hoping to speak with him."

"Liam isn't going to be here for at least another day or so. He and Tristan took the only mission we had posted earlier this morning," Chimecho answered.

"But really, you don't need to speak with the guildmaster - talk to her," Sunflora said, pointing at Selina. Rachel looked at the umbreon with curiousness.

"Really? Who might you be?"

"My name's Selina. Liam and I started the team together years ago."

"Oh! So you are the co-founder of the team?"

"Mhm."

Would it be alright if I spoke with you in private, then?"

"Of course, follow me." The two left the presence of the guild members, to which Selina led them towards Spinda's Cafe. Since most people were out and about on weekdays like this, the cafe would be a nice, quiet place to discuss whatever it was the lucario wanted to talk about. The umbreon took their usual table near the back left corner of the restaurant, and they both took a seat.

"Thank you for being willing to see me on such a short notice," Rachel said.

"No problem. Not like I had anything else to do today. Liam and Tristan took the job while I was still sleeping, and went ahead and left."

"Now why'd they go and do a thing like that?" the lucario asked. "Kinda seems a bit inconsiderate if you ask me. Not what I'd expect from someone of Liam's status…"

"That's what I'd thought at first, but Liam left a note explaining his decision. They're going after a murderer that has a type advantage over me, and it could very well be a fight to the death. He didn't want to risk me getting hurt."

"So his mind was in the right place then. That's very caring of him to be so protecting of you."

"Yeah," Selina replied with a slight blush, "he's always so thoughtful." Snapping herself out of it, she changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm sure this isn't what you wished to discuss."

"That is correct. What I wanted was to make a request."

"Oh, so like a job? Sure thing, that'd give us something to do tomorrow."

"No, I did not come with a job request," Rachel refuted. "Actually, I wanted to ask… if you would consider accepting me as a member of Team Retribution." Selina froze up - that had been completely out of the blue.

"You… want to join the team?"

"I've given a great deal of thought towards this, and I have decided that I would like to." Over the years, Team Retribution had received its fair share of people who wanted to join. But more often than not, they were turned down due to the team's very selective recruitment standards. It wasn't that they wanted to come across as harsh, but they also pursued high caliber jobs that could seriously endanger the lives of anyone unprepared to deal with such challenges. The only exception to this had been Marvin, who typically took only the easiest jobs available. They couldn't turn their own "child" down, not after they had raised him from the egg they found at Surrounded Sea.

"O-okay. Well Liam and I always jointly make the decision regarding recruits. You won't know anything for sure until he comes back and hears everything out."

"I see…"

"But I'll still speak with you about it. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Alright. I grew up with my parents at Crystal Cave, where I trained until I evolved. When I became fifty-two seasons old, I decided to pursue bounty hunting on my own, so I formed a one-member team."

"You did? What is your rank?"

"Master One, getting close to Two."

"That's… really impressive for a one person team…"

"Thank you."

"If you join us though… you would lose your team. I don't understand why you would want to do that…"

"Truth be told, I had thought at first that I wanted to devote myself to a life of solitude… but that just becomes miserable after awhile. I've been doing this for three years now, and I'm ready to put an end to it. I've brought dozens of criminals to justice by my own hand... but I no longer want that to be a case. Despite my reputation and high rank, I have no friends. I came here in hopes that I might be able to change that by working in a team." She looked down at her paws, as though she were suddenly uncertain about the request. "I realize that I'm asking an awful lot, considering Team Retribution is one of only three teams in the continent with the Guildmaster Rank, but I refused to not at least try."

Selina thought over the proposition. They hadn't taken a new recruit ever since they let Tristan join, and that had been a little more than a year ago. Only the most physically adept were accepted into Team Retribution, and Rachel had quite the impressive "resume," so to speak.

"You're… definitely one of the most qualified people to have asked for recruitment," Selina said. "All things considered, I'd find it hard to turn down such a request."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. But like I said before, I can't make the decision without Liam. We always do that together."

"I understand."

"But no worries! I'm sure Liam will agree to it. He might try to act tough all the time, but in reality he's a sweetheart. Once he sees all that you've accomplished, and what you're willing to forego to join the team, he's more than likely to let you in."

"You think so?" Rachel asked.

"Mhm."

"Ah, that's a relief…"

"If all goes well, he should be back by tomorrow. Then you'll have the opportunity to speak with him about this yourself." Rachel nodded, then stood up.

"That sounds great. Well, while we're here, how about a drink? My treat."

— — — — —

Liam

— — — — —

The first signal that they were nearing their destination came with the police-constructed perimeter of the area. Magnemites and magnetons had blocked access to the main roads leading to the cave system, and weren't allowing pokémon to enter. Only by conversing with the police chief were Liam and Tristan allowed to go forth. Despite his monotonous, robotic tone, there was no doubt that he was relieved to discover that someone of their rank had taken the job. With the continent's police force as new as it was, it wasn't exactly trained to deal with the more dangerous outlaws.

Liam and Tristan had felt the atmospheric change as the great waterfall came into sight. The torrents of water pounded down, and the surrounding earth seemed to shake from it. The two of them walked up the protruding stone walkway, nearing the entrance of the concealed cave.

"Well, here we are," Tristan yelled over the loud, cascading sound. "Somewhere in here, that piece of shit is waiting." Although Tristan, like the others, was always in opposition to the criminal scum they apprehended, he seemed to be even more hostile than usual towards this particular outlaw.

"Yep. Now comes the fun part," Liam joked.

"Oh joy, my second bath today." The two of them backed up, getting ready to charge through the torrent. "I guess on three," he said, clearly irritated that he was about to get soaked. "One…"

"Three!" Liam shouted. He didn't look back at Tristan's annoyed expression, but rather ran forth and leaped through the waterfall. He landed with a light splash into a small puddle, only to be joined by the luxray a split second afterward.

"I shouldn't be surprised."

"No, you shouldn't." Liam looked around through the spacious cave, allowing for his eyes to adjust to the darker environment. Slender stalactites hung from the ceiling, dropping water from minuscule sources within the rock. Several individual caverns allotted the cave wall, each stretching out into their own respective parts of the massive cave system.

"Any idea which way we should go?"

"No, not really." With over half a dozen different entrances to choose from, and a maze-like complex behind each one, they had no leads. Their best bet was to simply pick one and go from there. "Well, I guess we should start here," Liam said, pointing to the nearest entrance to the right. "Gotta keep our voices down. Wouldn't want to alert the outlaw."

So they began their tiring search for the beedrill hidden within the maze of tunnels. Wild pokémon, which usually swam around the shallow streams and walked among the caves in abundance, were scarce and few. Looks like they've been scared off… maybe evacuated… Turn after turn, Liam and Tristan navigated for hours. Every time they felt as though they were nearing the end of the system, several more branches appeared as though to prove them wrong. Finally they decided to rest for a moment and eat a quick dinner.

Liam took the food out of the treasure bag, consisting of two apples and a few berries, and distributed it onto the two cloths that he had brought. They ate in silence for the most part, and continued to watch for anything suspicious; they couldn't let their guard down for a single moment. While munching on his apple, Tristan looked up at Liam momentarily. "Hey… I wanted to ask something, if you wouldn't mind," he said quietly.

"Not at all. What's up?"

"See, I was wondering the other day… and I hope you don't think I'm prying or anything… but you and Selina still share the same den, don't you?" Well if that isn't off topic…

"Well, when you put it that way, yeah. Ever since we graduated, we had to move out into our own place. Selina decided that we could set up shop in her old place." Tristan nodded.

"Don't you think it comes across as… odd? You two do not have a bond of that nature. Don't you find it a bit weird at all?"

"To tell ya the truth, maybe. But we've always shared a room, so things have never been strange between the two of us."

"But people might begin to speculate… you know, the two of you being of age and all…"

"Have you overheard anyone talking?" Liam asked.

"No… not that I know of…"

"Then it really isn't a problem, is it?"

"I guess not…"

"If anyone says anything, I will put the rumor to rest. And if Selina for any reason feels uncomfortable with it all, she would tell me. If that's the case, then I'll gladly move out and buy my own place." Tristan remained silent about the matter at that point, and focused on finishing his meal.

When the two of them were done, they got up and continued downward. For some reason, Tristan appeared to be upset over something, and Liam couldn't quite understand what. Usually he was devoid of negative emotions; it definitely wasn't like him to sulk of all things. But he would have to wait until later to ask him what was bothering him. Right now, they needed to keep their attention geared towards completing the job.

An hour later and they walked into a vast opening, coming to face a dead end. Great. Shallow puddles were littered about the large room, and they were surrounded by jagged stalagmites jutting out from the ground in various angles.

"Looks like this is the end of the line," Tristan said. "There ain't nothing here. We should retrace our steps some." Looking around, Liam had to admit that they certainly were alone in the room. But aside from the occasional drips of water amid the atmosphere, Liam's attention was captured by something else. His aura sensing abilities hadn't been of much use throughout the search for the beedrill; most of the native pokémon were either in hiding or fled upon sight. As such, there had been very little to sense around him. But now…

Somehow, he was picking up several unfamiliar auras - not a one of them wholesome. No, these were without even the most basic of moral constraints that were naturally within most pokémon. These were animals.

"Come on Liam," Tristan said.

"No…"

"What?"

"We… we aren't alone in here…" They both immediately took defensive stances, readying themselves for whatever may be present, with Liam swiftly taking an iron thorn into his right paw. "Come out of hiding, you cowards!" A moment passes, and the silence was broken by a faint buzzing sound. From behind one of the multiple rocky outcroppings, a large bug-type, sporting a pair of sharp, wicked stingers emerged, hovering several feet off the ground.

"So you must be Liam of Retribution…" the beedrill said, with a ruthless, hissing voice. "Oh, how I would love to impale you right here."

"It's over Venom. You're coming with us," Tristan growled.

"Of course, why don't I just willingly hand myself over to my executioners? Like hell."

"You don't have a say in the matter. You're gettin' dragged outta this cave one way or another," Liam said. "So no need to get beaten within an inch of your miserable life."

"You don't seem to understand the situation you're in," the outlaw stated flatly. As if on cue, several pokémon stepped out from behind the stalagmites, each coming from a different direction to surround the two of them. They quickly shifted so that they were back-to-back. "We aren't going anywhere. You two, on the other hand… you're going to die."

"Get ready, I'm about to flash 'em," Liam whispered to Tristan while readying a luminous orb.

"Alright," he said, "I've got the blaziken and the mightyena. You take the nidoking and psycho over there."

"I'll have your heads sent back to your loved ones," Venom spat.

"It's no use. He's not coming back with us. Not alive."

"That's fine by me."

"You were right about one thing," the beedrill continued. "This is the end of the line - the end of the line for you!" He lunged towards Liam, and the rest closed in around them.

"NOW!" The orb was hurled onto the ground in front of the lucario, and a bright flash illuminated the room. Liam and Tristan both attacked without hesitation. In the midst of the one-way fight, an iron thorn was thrown, and a sickening crack sounded as it hit its mark.