Rei should've seen some kind of complication coming. Hisui sure loved to throw things at him, after all.
Said complication being a way too cute, slightly battle-worn Shinx that poised himself as some heroic warrior still caught him off-guard, however.
And so, the Scorbunny cocked his head. "The What Tribe?"
The Shinx recoiled in shock, his stare went blank and his jaw slacked open- until he snapped it shut in the harshest of scowls. "How dare you not know of us, outsider?"
"Well, maybe because I'm an outsider..."
"That is no excuse!" Joltfang steped his foot with force on the ground, sparks flying all around him. "The Lightning Tribe are the rightful rulers of the Obsidian Fieldlands, from the depths of Lake Verity to the heights of the Grandtree, blessed by the Heaven's Reckoning as the sole inheritors of this land!"
Rei blinked, trading a quick glance with Oshawott. The otter gave a puzzled shrug. The Shinx did not stop.
"You have overstepped on our sacred ground, and for that, you shall be punished!" A maniacal grin split Joltfang's face, his fangs in full display as he glared at the duo. "So says I, Joltfang, first of my name, and future ruler of all!"
He puffed his chest and let out further sparks, taking on a battle stance with the bravado of a million soldiers, ready to dominate the battlefield.
Neither Rei nor Oshawott knew how to respond. The otter even turned to his partner, whispering beneath a Scalchop. "I believe our friend here is a touch overdramatic, Lord Rei..."
Rei stared at the otter. He then exhaled, and turned back to Joltfang.
"And a tad bit blind, as well." He tilted his head to the Security Corps member standing on guard a bridge away. "Isn't that guy also overstepping?"
"He is, but I already beat him up the first time! I can remind him of his transgression later." The Shinx sprinted forward, dashing right for his targets. "The punishment of your ignorance takes priority!"
Joltfang zoomed for them, and Rei leapt on the side in shock, dodging the Shinx and the tide of uprooted grass he left in his wake. Joltfang was not satisfied, however, twirling on the spot and preparing himself for another dash.
Rei gulped, hopping to a stand again. For all his ridiculous boasts, the Shinx looked ready to back up his claims.
And then, a paw holding a Scalchop covered his field of vision, reminding Rei he had a hero of his own.
"Stand aside, Lord Rei, he's dangerous." Taking a stand in front of Rei, Oshawott thumped his chest. "Protecting you shall be the first heroic duty of Musashi, the Brave Fencer!"
Rei crooked an eyebrow. "Wha-" Oshawott shoved his free paw up, silencing the Scorbunny with his winning smile.
"Yes! I have embraced a proper name for myself, and an identity to match!"
At that, Rei's eyes went wide, and words failed him. Did he seriously thought that was that the time for that chararade?
'Musashi' held his Scalchop forward like a mighty saber and not an ounce of self-awareness. He really did think that.
Rei slapped his forehead, but Musashi beamed triumphantly. "I shall be the righter of wrongs, the defender of the weak! The dutiful retainer of my Lord, I am-"
"Too loud!" Joltfang sprinted in without warning, tackling the Oshawott into a roll that Rei narrowly hopped out of the way of.
"Oof!" Musashi eventually found himself robbed of his smile and pinned to the ground, the Shinx above him and gleefully aware of it.
"You talk too much! You are nothing but a stepping stone on the path for my glory! Act like where you belong!"
Joltfang stomped down with force inversely proportional to his indoor voice, enough to make the Oshawott uncomfortable at the underscored point.
"You dare interrupt a warrior during their introduction? Have you no honor?" Musashi frowned, Scalchop held tight as he wriggled under the Shinx's grasp.
"Honor is for those who deserve it! Weaklings like you only deserve defeat!"
Joltfang brought his foot down again with the might of an exclamation point, only for Musashi to brave fencing it away with a Scalchop swipe, launching both in opposite directions.
Neither gave in, and swifly raced at each other again, Scalchop meeting fangs meeting Water Pulse meeting Discharge in a rhythmic back and forth. It was a dance of attacks and counters, one they where they both attempted to overpower the other.
From his distant position, Rei could even hear slices of boasts and declarations constantly cut by the exchange of moves, with enough shouting and overpowering to be a battle on its own right.
The Scorbunny groaned. Great, now there were two of them.
He sighed and slapped his cheeks, focusing back on the ongoing fight. Musashi was trying his best, but Joltfang was relentless. As things were, they couldn't avoid the fight and run like they did with the Alpha Rapidash.
Rei clenched his paws, as Joltfang jumped out of the Oshawott's slice and forced him on the defensive. The Shinx was completely taken in the battle, and the former human knew what to do.
And so he placed his paws on the ground, held his head high, and sprinted forward, channeling all his desire for speed into the fastest Quick Attack he could bring forth.
Which meant a half-decent jog climaxing into a harmless shove that only pushed Joltfang a few inches away and brought Rei back on his butt with a whine.
The Scorbunny groaned, looking over to the Shinx now next to Musashi. He barely had any sign of injury, but he did have a scowl of pure disdain primed for the offending human.
"What was that?" Joltfang snarled, electricity enveloping him and making his bared fangs glimmer.
Rei gulped, his heart racing. "Uuuh... a-a Quick Attack. I think."
Joltfang grimaced, snorting in disgust. He lunged for Rei, scorch marks of electricity outlining each heavy step.
"You dare calling that an attack?" His glare was sharper than Musashi's Scalchop and more heated than Rei's typing. "A weakling like you is not allowed to sully my battles with such amateurish performance!"
Musashi tilted his head and raised a paw. Joltfang decked him in the stomach and threw him a few feet away.
"You, keep yourself out of this!" He didn't even turn away from Rei, body hunched over and ready to depart. "You want a Quick Attack? This is a Quick Attack!"
Rei had questions, but the Shinx blurred into speed before he could ask. A rocketing tackle barrelling into him and throwing his body away in the air was the eventual answer.
"Gaaaaaah!" shouted, hurt radiating all over his body as he landed gracelessly on a tree's bark, head on the dirt and butt in the air. He groaned, squinting his eyes back open. An upside-down and very smug Joltfang welcomed his sight back.
"See that pain? That is what you must aim for! Concentrating your speed, your being, on a single point forward! Seize your target and ram into them at full force!" The Shinx's grin grew cockier, and hunkered down again. "Like this!"
Rei's eyes went wide open, and he half-rolled out of the way to an awkward stand. The tree exploded into a tempest of splinters as Joltfang carved a Shinx-sized outline right into it, the rest of the wood and leaves falling down right away.
And then Joltfang glared back at him. Rei's fur stood on end.
There was no escaping it, and so Rei lowered his stance himself, mirroring the Shinx's pose. He had to meet him head on.
The Shinx's words came back to him. Rei concentrated, tuning out everything that wasn't the ornery Shinx way too close for comfort. In that moment, it was the only point, the only thing that mattered.
Rei's target was locked on. His muscles tightened, power surging in his legs. And the world became a blur as he meteored for Joltfang, the Shinx retaliating with the force of a speeding bullet.
Their Quick Attacks met halfway, ramming into each other. The strike was fast, the speed matched, and both Rei and Joltfang were harmlessly blown backwards. Both left traces with their feet as they braked to a halt, but the failed attack put no dampen on the Shinx's bloodlust. He threw himself at Rei with the same ferocity as ever.
Rei wheezed, forcing himself to quickly prepare his Quick Attack again; he aimed fast, propelled himself, and the two Pokémon clashed in mid-burst. They were locked at a standstill, bodies pressed and shoving at each other. Rei gnashed his teeth, pushing forth against the pain and slamming into Joltfang.
The Shinx flew into an arch in the sky, righting himself an inch from the landing. Rei stood on wobbly feet, wheezing, his eye catching Joltfang's state. His fur was ruffled from the impact- but he was beaming brighter than the sun, as if the pain meant nothing.
"Yes! Yes! That's the power! The drive! The direction!" His smile morphed into a challenging glare, and already he was in his sprinting position. "But you can still do better. Again!"
"W-wait-" Rei tried to match with a Quick Attack of his own, but Joltfang had no regard for his preparation, bursting forth like a bowling ball.
Rei landed on the fallen bark in the most painful strike ever. Joltfang strutted forth with no regard for the aching Scorbunny.
"You take too long!" The Shinx sneered, stomping into the ground. "You must summon the power as quickly as you embrace it! Only a weakling could fail that!"
The words were no less condescending than before, and yet it only made Rei more confused as he wobbled up again, barely noticing Musashi's shouts of concern. He wasn't sure if the Shinx was mad that his opponent was weak or trying to whip him up in shape, or some unholy combination. Was this some kind of weird whatever tribe ritual or something?
He choose to set his confusion aside, preemptively readying a Quick Attack before Joltfang could sprint into action again. His hurt caught up with him, however, and his legs gave in to a ruinous fall, dropping in the grass halfway into motion.
Joltfang spat, glaring down on the former human as their gazes met.
"What are you? A Goomy?" He jabbed a frontal paw forward. "Your life is on the line! And this is the best you can harness? You are nothing but second rate!"
Rei's paws clenched, digging into the dirt as his stare fiercened back. He had no idea what was going on in the Shinx's head anymore, and in all honesty he didn't care either; he was an utter jerk and that was enough.
He felt power surging into him again, his adrenaline pumping all the energy he needed to stand again. And as soon as he did, he meteored forward at maximum velocity.
"I'll show you who's second rate!" Rei shouted, as loud as his charging steps. The Shinx was a pest- and it was time to squish it!
The Scorbunny's sheer need to wipe Joltfang's grin off his face brough all of his energy to the fore, slamming into him with the force of a speeding train and the relentlessness of his misfortune. The Shinx had no time to dodge- and soon found himself tasting the dirt, rolling down until a rock stopped him, finally motionless..
Seeing him groaned almost relieved Rei from what an awful day he had been through, as the Scorbunny stopped and took deep breaths. Musashi's slow clapping only added to the satisfaction.
And then the Shinx stood back up with a grin of his own, and Rei realized the battle was far from over.
"Now we're talking! That Quick Attack was almost decent!" Joltfang summoned forth his lightning again, more vivid than before. "Now you are worthy of being defeated by me! Thank me for this privilege!"
Energized by his inner voltage, Joltfang sprung to action again, the grin he wore making clear the gloves were off. Rei gulped, but swiftly blurred into a Quick Attack of his own, the move coming naturally. They clashed halfway, head-to-head, once more trying to overpower the other. Neither would give in, once again.
And then Joltfang's grin widened. His electricity enveloped him again, and bolts of lightining surged from the Shinx.
Rei yelped in pain as the Discharge coursed through his body. He cried out and fell down on his knee, fur crisped out to extra fluffiness.
"Lord Rei!" Musashi's cry belied his arrival, but another skyward lightning halted him. Joltfang laughed, his ego increasing as much as his energy waste.
"I'm done with the warm-up! Prepare yourself for the true Joltfang!" The Shinx lunged forward, not even bothering with a move this time.
Rei grimaced, his body heavier. He forced himself to twist, Quick Attacking his way out of the Shinx's range and letting the ornery jerk miss his mark. He didn't make it far before his strength gave in, and the former human on all fours, his heart thumping harder as he struggled for air.
Rei knew it was just a temporary measure; Joltfang was even staring at him in utter contempt again. His opponent would not let them go until they were gone, and he needed a better option than face him head on again.
"Is this all you can do? Was that Quick Attack your only trick?" Joltfang asked, venom drenched in every word.
The ticking clock had started, with the dash-for-brains already preparing his next assault. It forced Rei to zip his eyes through the vast nothing around them, each rock, each tree and even 'Musashi'- and he finally grasped his straw of choice.
"M-more or less... still working on that." Rei put on the shakiest grin of confidence he could wear on short notice. "But I know someone who is much better at fighting than me."
His poor attempt still roused Joltfang's interest, frowning at the bunny. "Who? Who would it be?"
Rei pointed to the side, towards the Pokémon dutifully following the exchange. "The other trespasser, my friend Musashi, here."
"The Brave Fencer!" Musashi threw his Scalchop up, patting his chest to give himself a tone.
"Brave indeed." "In fact, he's the bravest and noblest of all Oshawott Samurai of the Obsidian Fieldlands! None can compare to his blade!"
Mostly because there were no other Oshawott Samurai in the Fieldlands as far as Rei knew. He swallowed, hoping the technical truth would do more than just get Musashi all pompous.
Joltfang pondered, and pondered, and then glared back at Rei's samurai friend, paws on the ready to sprint again.
"You have such a great reputation? And you didn't tell me?" He threw himself into a Quick Attack at full speed. "Your list of transgressions keeps growing! You will pay for this!"
Musashi had enough time to throw his Scalchop up and making himself and Joltfang bounce backwards on impact. That did not impede the Shinx's fury, immediately charging on further offensive as the Oshawott retaliated with Water Pulses and slices of his Scalchop.
As Musashi continued to hold the rambunctious warrior at bay with swipes and blunt force, he sent the Scorbunny a quizzical look. "Lord Rei, what are you-"
"Trust me on this!"
Rei's snappy declaration was all his loyal subordinate needed, putting on his best grin as he resumed his duel with about twice the pomp, engaging Joltfang into another verbal sparring at the same time. As Musashi continued to try and make his newfound title meaningful, Rei gulped and put himself back into position. That tactic had failed before, but surely Joltfang's forced training would come in handy now.
And so, as brave fencing and fierce slamming mingled together, Rei aimed and blurred into speed, rushing for Joltfang.
And reached a screeching halt as the Shinx decked him in the face. Rei rolled backwards to an awkward stop, earning himself a scowl as his opponent dodged one of Musashi's Water Pulses.
"I know you want the pleasure of being beaten up by me, but I'll deal you later. Strongest first!" was Joltfang's curt reply, charging at full force for the Oshawott and leaving Rei back in the dust.
Rei just stared, trying to process the abrupt derailing while the two hammy fighters chewed the scenery further away. His single method to get through that fighting-happy jerk was foiled before it could even land.
He hopped back on his feet and kicked out a pebble with extreme prejudice. "Dang it!"
The frustration-enhanced stony bullet cut through the air, straight as an arrow, and beaned Joltfang right in the back of his head.
"Ow!" The Shinx grimaced, his sparks of Discharge petering into nothingness.
The sudden reaction brought Musashi to a stop mid-slice, and Rei to quite puzzled blinking. All stood still until Joltfang frowned to the heavens.
"Who did this?" shouted the Shinx, his voice booming throughout the Fieldlands.
Rei swallowed his admittance, while his Oshawott friend continued to hold his best heroic pose impression. Joltfang scanned around for the obvious answer, and the Scorbunny could feel his heart bumping all over his ribcage.
And then Joltfang pulled off his most joyous, beaming smile as he gazed skyward.
"Of course! The Heaven's Reckoning itself! It has finally blessed me, and with the sky clear of clouds even!" His grin grew wider, his voice raising an octave a word until it echoed to and fro, "A miracle truly worthy of the chosen hero of the Lightning Tribe! Above all other Shinx! The greatest there was, is, and ever will be!"
He punctuated his statement with a booming display of lightning, spreading to the heavens like fireworks devoted to him and him alone. Rei and Mushashi stared wordlessly to the egotistical display, with the Oshawott in particular giving the Shinx an apprehensive look, finally lowering his arm. That was probably a concession of superior theatrics, or something.
But where Musashi saw concern, Rei saw opportunity. He grinned and headed forward, clapping his paws rhythmically.
"Yes, the Heaven's Reckoning has finally chosen you, great Joltfang!" He clasped both paws to his chest, Joltfang finally won over by the attention. "Why don't you... uuuh... appease it with your most powerful Electric-type attack? Fire it again to prove your worth! And make sure to charge it veeeery long, too!"
Joltfang blinked and stared blankly at Rei, and for a moment the Scorbunny worried that his ruse was too blatant. Said fear was crushed faster than the grass the Shinx thruck his foot against.
"True! The sky shall know who is in charge here!" He gazed at the sky, as if to challenge the azure above them all, his body exhuding electricity from all pores. "So be it! I shall bring forth a Heaven's Reckoning of my own!"
And with a booming stomp a pillar of electricity stabbed the sky, and Joltfang's booming shout radiated electricity all throughout it, charging up all of his current into a Discharge ready to blast through. The wind rose, forcing both Rei and Musashi to hold their paws to their eyes.
Oshawott frowned, Scalchop held high for protection. "That is immensely powerful, Lord Rei...!"
"And it's exactly what we need now!" Rei jabbed his hand inside the satchel, grabbing a Poké Ball and pressing it firmly on the ground.
He took a deep breath, ignoring the sweeping air over his fur, and stared straight at the Shinx that was too busy to notice him. He held a leg up, breathing steady as the electricity crackled in the air. They had only one chance.
One, two, three seconds passed, and Joltfang caught glimpse of Rei's own preparations. He frowned through the electric surge.
"You dare interrupt-"
"I dare indeed!" With a sweeping, fast kick and a huge grin, Rei kicked the Poké Ball forward. "It's time for your reckoning!"
The device flew fast, cutting the air in a straight line for the Joltfang frowned, the Discharge coalescing and reaimed for Rei and Musashi, tendrils of lightning blasting forth into an expanding Discharge.
Rei and Musashi steeled themselves against Joltfang. The Poké Ball meteored. The dome widened.
The sphere cut through. The electricity inched forth.
Voltage rose, fur stood on end.
And the Ball bonked Joltfang.
The attack vanished as fast as the Shinx was absorbed in the device. One, two, three shakes ensued, and then the Poké Ball stilled with a plume of smoke.
Joltfang was caught.
Rei collapsed on his knees, finally breathing again as he felt his heart thumping into overdrive. He stared at the Poké Ball, and smiled in relief. "Whew... made it."
He stood there, taking a few seconds just to let his body rest up, glancing over Musashi to see how he was doing. The Oshawott was thankfully unharmed, even clapping his flippers in applause as he joined his side.
"An impressive job, Lord Rei! Quite the unrivaled performance. Albeit your heroic declarations could use some work still."
"Aw, really?" Rei groaned, his ears drooping with his deflated spirits. He shook his head and recovered his dignity however, looking over the Poké Ball. "No matter. Better deal with this guy..."
With a gentle kick, the Ball burst open, and out came Joltfang, turning around and blinking as he materialized back, sitting on the grass.
"What's going on? Did I win? Was I blessed by the Heaven's Reckoning again?" Joltfang grinned more than he should have, each question louder and bolder.
Rei frowned, holding the Poké Ball up. "No. I caught you."
And so Joltfang's pride was shattered, and instead he snarled at Rei with the harshest scowl he could.
"You captured me? The chosen of the Lightning Tribe?" He sneered, glaring daggers at the wooden sphere. "That is impossible! Preposterous! I can't have been bested by a- a device! It's absurd!"
"And I have been turned into a Scorbunny, so absurd is the order of the day." Rei groaned, much less intimidated as he glanced over the Shinx. "Maybe you should 'act like where you belong' now."
The way Joltfang gnashed his teeth in suppressed anger was oddly satisfying to the Scorbunny, but it did very little to put the rambunctious Shinx in his place.
"This will not stand! I will never submit to the likes of you!" Sparks flew and yells were thrown, and Rei idly questioned if he should've recalled Joltfang to get him to chill some.
That didn't prove necessary, as Musashi stepped in with folded arms and the most stoic demeanor he could roleplay.
"You should show more respect for Lord Rei, thundermancer." The Oshawott pointed at his liege with his Scalchop in a grand display. "He has managed to face the Alpha Rapidash himself, with enviable boldness!"
Joltfang froze, his rebelliousness fading to nothing as the words sunk in. Rei tilted his head; did facing that flaming horse of death count as another Lightning Tribe blasphemy or something?
The way Joltfang's jaw opened wide told the Scorbunny otherwise.
"Y-you faced it? The Alpha Rapidash? One of the pillars of strength of the Obsidian Fieldlands?" His eyes were wide open, primed for Rei in sheer disbelief. "And you lived to tell the tale?"
Rei blinked, but then nodded wordlessly. They did live, so that wasn't a lie.
And so Joltfang shut his jaw open into a wide smile, his bravado resurfacing as he walked closer to Rei and Musashi.
"Hah. Impressive!" He checked them both out, his grin the slightest bit warmer than before. "If you managed something like that, maybe you aren't that terrible."
Rei tried to object, but Joltfang gave him no way to; instead, the Shinx strutted all the way in between him and Musashi, a paw over his puffed chest as he grabbed his former opponent close.
"If you're gonna keep facing strong opponents, I guess I can grace you with my presence." He threw his paw up, charging some electricity in it with a grin. "Thanks to you, all of great Hisui shall know of Joltfang's glory!"
And so he fired the Discharge skyward, like fireworks in clear sky in honor of their newfound, as of yet one-sided friendship. Rei and Musashi looked at each other and decided to roll with it.
"Well, at the least, we got one of our tasks done." Rei unwrangled himself from Joltfang's vice grip as the sparks faded out, stashing the Electric-type's Ball in the satchel. "Now we just need to catch a Starly and a Bidoof..."
"What? You need to catch two?" Joltfang asked, head tilted.
"Yeah, but we ran into some... complications."
Joltfang listened with much more calm than he had so far- and then grinned as widely as ever, his chest swelling with pride.
"Well well well!" He walked forward, grin splitting his face as he held his head high. "If that's what you have to do, I'm the Pokémon you need."
Musashi quirked an eyebrow. "And how would you be of support?"
"With the only way that works!" The Shinx pivoted on his paws, and trotted away in the distance. "Follow me, weaklings!"
He didn't even wait for their answer as he continued walking, and with little else to be done, Rei and Musashi decided to follow along. After all, what did they have to lose listening to that guy now?
"You! Let's fight! Today, we see who's strongest!"
Apparently just quite a bit of hearing, as the first thing Joltfang did upon reaching the area where Rei had shown impressive rolling capacity was jabbing a paw at a nearby Starly and unleashing his lacking indoor voice.
Rei and Musashi gnashed their teeth in pain as they covered their ears, hidden behind a nearby bush. The bird, after a moment's dizziness, fired back a half-lidded stare. "Jolty, I have no time for this today-"
"I'm invoking the sacred rules! You cannot escape me!"
Joltfang stomped down with a might somewhere between an imposing ruler's and a childish tantrum, with electric sparks to match.
Such a display of power, or perhaps a wish to safeguard his ears, made the bird roll his eyes. "Fiiine. But go gentle on me, right?"
The Starly flew downwards in the most unthreatened fashion, with all the enthusiasm of an office worker. Quite the constrast to Joltfang's eager grin - and the wink he gave his new companions.
Musashi gave a thumps up, and then relayed the news. "Everything is in position, Lord Rei!"
"Alright, then." Rei rummaged into his bag, placing a Poké Ball on the ground and taking aim. "Three... two... one...
"Go!"
The kick was swift; the straight line of fire primed for Starly even moreso. By the time the bird realized the Poké Ball was coming, the device successfully bonked him and cluttered to the ground. A plume of smoke ensued.
"And Starly's caught as well!" shouted Rei, rushing towards the Ball and palming it with pride, while Musashi provided supportive clapping. With that, two out of three of his requirements were checked out.
"All thanks to me!" Joltfang strutted in all high and mighty, a grin on his face and a paw aimed at the now-occupied capture device. "Every Pokémon is honorbound to face each other with their lives at stake! And now, he's ours to use as we see fit!"
As Joltfang let out a booming, villain-worthy laugh, Musashi scratched his head. "Is that truly a law of Obsidian Fieldlands...?"
"Would've been nice to know it before." Rei suppressed his need to roll his eyes and groan.
Whether the law was real or just a way to keep Joltfang in check, it wasn't important at that moment. Instead, the Scorbunny threw down the Poké Ball gently, bringing the Starly back out.
It didn't take long for him to give all three other Pokémon an annoyed stare. "Oh, you've caught me."
Joltfang wasted no time in baring his fangs with gleeful abandon. "You are now ours! We shall-"
"Sorry for the disturb, to make a long story short, I kinda need to catch a few of you guys," Rei said, cutting in right between the two Pokémon and giving the Starly a sheepish smile. Joltfang glared daggers, but Rei tried to ignore it.
Which didn't help much, when Starly joined in with a glare of his own. "Are you a Pokémon working with those Galaxy Team guys?"
"It's a long story." After a nervous chuckle and a rub of his neck, Rei cleared his throat and tried to give himself a tone. "But pretty much, you're gonna get a comfy, safe place to stay in that will feed you as much as you need if you come with us now. I know I had to catch you and all, but well, I prefer to know if you're alright with it."
"First you capture me and then you make a deal? You're weird, you know."
"I've been enough of a pinball to know it sucks, so..." Rei sighed. As a trainer he could get away with just catching Pokémon and move on like it was nothing, but in his current condition, it felt wrong to just do so. Maybe it was just his new Pokémon instincts or something flaring up, but that didn't change what he wanted.
Joltfang stepped in with an even sharper glare. "What a waste! Are you really-mhmh!"
Rei appreciated Musashi for silencing the Shinx with a Scalchop in the mouth, giving him the time to wait for Starly's response. The bird seemed to gauge his options carefully, shifting between the Pokémon in front of him. And then, he nodded.
"Well, the Fieldlands aren't that great a place, anyway. I'm in!"
The Scorbunny smiled, feeling a weight off his chest. "Thanks, you're doing me a huge favor."
"Someone mentioned free food and housing? I want some too!"
The new, squeaky voice came out of nowhere, heralding the shaking of some nearby spots of tall grass. The nearby Pokémon all turned towards it, and as the speaker came into view, Rei's face went pale.
"No way. No way!" Rei's face-splitting grin could melt things with its brilliance.
It was none other than a Bidoof. And a slightly less dopey one, at that! Maybe his bad luck had finally looped all the way into things going well, for once.
The rodent blinked out in confusion. "Huh? Did I do something wrong?"
"Not in the slightest, my fellow. We were looking for one of your own, in truth." Rei raced closer to him, checking him out with an overabundance of excitement.
The Pokémon beamed back. "Really? Great!"
"But." Rei's gaze sharpened, looking over the Bidoof. "If you wanna join in, you gotta allow me to do something."
The Bidoof tilted his head. "What something?"
"You'll see. Just stand there."
Confused but not alienated, the Bidoof remained still where he was. The odd amount of preparations caught the interest of the remaining Pokémon, but he paid none of them mind as he grabbed another Poké Ball and palmed it in his paw.
"One, two, andddd..." He hopped closer, a grin over his face as he came inches away from the very puzzled Bidoof. "Go!"
He tapped the Ball over the Pokémon's, absorbing him inside. He held it still until the smoke came out and confirmed the capture.
And then, he pivoted over his heel and pointed the device skyward. "Yes! I have finally caught a Bidoof!"
He kept the Poké Ball held high, with the most winning smile in Hisui and pride for miles. The strange ritual gave him no shortage of confused looks from his companions, but Rei didn't care about it. He earned his little moment of vanity, appearence be damned!
And with all tasks finally achieved and Bidoof let free to roam with them, it was finally time to rejoin with the Survey Corps, as Rei and the others headed back to the Fieldlands's camp.
It didn't take long for Rei and his companions to reach the base camp again, striding onward at once. As they closed the distance, the Scorbunny spotted Laventon and Akari by the tent, discussing about some Lord something and strange patterns of weather.
The Scorbunny cleared his throat and waved his paw high. "Prof, Akari, we're back!"
The high-pitched voice caught the humans's attention, both of them turning around- and both blinked at the display. Rei capitalized on it, nodding for the trio of captures to stand in better view, which they quickly did (Joltfang, of course, pacing ahead of his compatriots).
Both the Professor and Akari approached them, with the girl in particular checking out all of the newcomers one by one while Laventon took some notes.
"Bidoof, Starly, and even a..." Akari grimaced, breaking eye contact with Joltfang. "A Shinx. You got all three."
"Is something wrong?" Rei frowned, idly checking the trio and wary of having failed some secret requirement or missed something obvious.
Akari gulped, continuing to avoid glancing over the Shinx. "Oh, nothing. Just, Shinx get me a bit uneasy, it's all."
"As you should be!" Joltfang's loud shout was probably naught but gibberish for the girl, but the way she jumped out of the way with a grimace made clear the message was conveyed anyway.
Rei frowned; he and that rambunctious guy definitely needed to talk things out more later. He really needed to figure him out, and probably - no, most definitely set some ground rules.
The Scorbunny put aside any thought of what was the Shinx's deal, however, as he spotted Laventon approaching. The man was still jotting down information on his notebook, but took a moment to turn towards the former human and nod at him with a beaming smile. "This is outstanding! If this is what you're capable of, our efforts in bringing the first Pokédex of Hisui to life will pay off eventually!"
Rei snickered at that, a paw over his heart and a smirk over his face. "All in a day's work, really!"
Laventon let out a good natured laugh at the former human's pride, one that Akari also shared into as she put some distance from the still-gleeful Joltfang. It was a balm after the day's escalating misadventures, for sure.
The older man then placed his notebook down, eyeing the tents behind them. "Well, with our task for the day achieved, I think we can prepare ourselves for return. Captain Cyllene will be pretty pleased."
"Great work, Rei." Akari kneeled down, gave him a gentle pat over the head. "I'm going to help the Professor. You and everyone else wait here, alright?"
"S-sure." He looked the other way, gulping down and hiding his much redder than usual face.
The girl giggled, standing up again as she rejoined Laventon to prepare everything for the return to the Galaxy Team's headquarters, leaving the various Pokémon on their own for the time being.
And as the humans went away, Rei finally let himself fall on his back, crashing on the soft grass with a mighty, tired sigh, all of the day's tiredness finally catching up to him.
Musashi's eyes went wide, pitter-pattering his way to his liege and shaking him with force. "Lord Rei! Are you unwell?"
"Can I replace him?" Joltfang smirked as he paced closer, poking Rei's leg experimentally.
Both sets of action made Rei roll his eyes, groaning as he forced himself back up. Both Pokémon jumped out of the way, and earned themselves a glare.
"I'm fine." The Scorbunny sighed and rubbed his forehead gently. "Just... whew. This was stressful."
It was really hard to believe how much had happened in the short span of that day so far. With all the fainting, the running and the battling of all kinds, it was only now that he had nothing else to think about that he realize how much he had to push himself, his whole body basically shut down from effort.
He had never felt so tired before.
"But at last we did it, thanks to our perseverance!" Musashi held his Scalchop high in victory, offering a quick look to the Shinx by his side. "And some help from our thundermancer, as well."
"Don't think too much of it. I'm only here for the future fighting." Joltfang gave a dismissive wave of his paw, and then glared towards Rei. "I expect a lot of action, Flamefeet."
Rei swallowed and elected to ignore it with a quick nod, which seemed to satisfy the Shinx enough to stop glaring. For now.
The former human exhaled, feeling every bone of his body aching still. Yet, he gave a look to all the Pokémon around him, the result of all his efforts. The bunny smiled.
"Regardless, thanks, to all of you. Even Starly and Bidoof." He nodded to himself, turning towards the closest Pokémon to him. "But especially to you, Joltfang and Musashi."
Joltfang puffed his chest even more, his pride threatening to increase even more. Much different was Musashi's reaction, however, as the Pokémon walked closer to his trainer and shook his head.
"Actually..." The Oshawott cleared his throat, placing his Scalchop over his chest and closing his eyes in solemn declaration. "I have decided to cast aside the identity of Musashi, the Brave Fencer."
Rei quirked an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"I have not proved worthy of such a lofty title. Not when you were the bravest of us." The Oshawott formerly known as Musashi gave the Scorbunny a bow of respect. One in complete contrast to the grimace he wore a second later. "And, considering our newest associate, perhaps I should go for a less... demanding identity."
They both stared at Joltfang, currently busy psyching himself up with electricity around himself under Starly and Bidoof's intrigued gaze. Rei couldn't blame the choice, but shrugged out of saying so.
"Well, as long as you have fun. But still, everything went well, which means one thing." The bunny beamed, opening the satchel and producing his phone for all to see. "Victory selfie time!"
Shinx interrupted his self-appreciation session and raised an eyebrow. "Victory... selfie?"
"A sacred ritual of glorious celebration. It may involve long amounts of staring, however." Oshawott already placed his Scalchop back in place, and rubbed his fur to make himself presentable.
"Hah, good to know. No one celebrates like Joltfang!"
Both boisterous Pokémon rushed in at the same time and barely didn't bump their heads together as they reached Rei's side. They both pushed against the other until the camera managed to fit both, all while the other two wild Pokémon remained curiously a bit further away.
With the picture now set, Rei giggled a bit. "Come on, strike a good pose! And say 'cheese'!"
And just like that, a good moment was immortalized for everyone to remember.
Taking that picture felt much more momentous than a single selfie for Rei, however. It was a sign of what he achieved - what he could achieve, after an entire day spent running all over, being hit, failing to throw Poké Balls and dealing with the wildest Pokémon in more than one way.
That was likely going to be how his life would be for the foreseeable future. And yet, he didn't feel too worried, after surviving his first day. Even if he was sent to Hisui and all he got was a God Phone and long ears.
And so, as he pocketed his device and reconvened with the now ready Laventon and Akari, Rei and all the other Pokémon marched together for Jubilife Village, with a fulfilled mission behind them.
And with this, Rei's first mission for the Survey Corps reaches its end, with a new companion to boot!
This chapter took quite a bit to get through, between worries of not delivering a fun chapter and several commitments all in a row, but in spite of some worries I'm mostly satisfied with how things came out here. I did want Joltfang to be quite the opposite of Oshawott in spite of similar demeanor, as a glory-seeking blood knight with an exaggerated sense of self. Here's hoping he made a good impression, though of course, you readers will be the judge in this sense. I will just say that I have some very fun plans ahead for this little battle- hungry Shinx.
As for Oshawott, I thought it would be funny to have him take a while to settle on an actual name given his general personality, and I hope the road to get to his true, actual name will be quite amusing. And look forward for several Shout-Outs, as I plan to have a lot of easter eggs in this little subplot.
Once again, I'd like to suggest people to check out another author, this time being LocCryo and his story Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: See No Evil. It's currently still in setup phase at just two chapters, but it features some interesting elements already on display and quite solid prose, and is very worth checking out. Considering how many Mystery Dungeon-based fics can easily reach several chapters of length, one that is still on the initial phases but with intriguing potential and an author quite invested in telling its story is an investment that comes highly recommended.
I'd like to thank AwesomeFury, Ander Arias, Ri2, Cottonmouth25, S, Kitsu-19, ShadowVulpi, marshgaming, and Sonic Ramon for their kind reviews, all fifty-seven people who favorited this story, all eighty-two people who followed this story, and PurimPopoie and Epicocity for their help betaing this chapter.
Hoping to deliver next chapter in a much shorter timeframe, but until then, I hope you will keep looking forward to what's to come!