Author's Comment: Here's the second chapter of this installment! I'm so happy to get started on this one as I never thought I'd get this far! Special thanks goes to: Thewinkingme and ASiriusWriter! It's good that at least two of my loyal reviewers have found this story. :3
Chapter 2: Out-Ninja'd
It had no idea how long it's been out.
Waking up, it stares blearily at the ceiling before groaning a bit, its senses slowly beginning to return in full clarity. This includes pain however, and it whimpers out the only word it can grasp. "Brother...?" It gets no answer and it forces itself to sit up with a grunt, seeing that it's in Sokudo's room, tucked in nicely in his bed. But there's no sign of the Ninjask and Kowai whimpers again. "B... Brother...?"
Again nothing. Maybe he's in another room, and can't hear it. Forcing itself into the air, it wobbles before tumbling back onto the bed, dizzy. And why does it feel like there's something sticking to its face? Slowly, a black tendril explores the sensation to find a piece of paper taped to its forehead. Removing it, Kowai gives another disorientated groan as it attempts to read the letter.
Dear Kowai,
Sorry for not sticking around until you're better. Gunpowder insists that I head off for the job and I wanted to get it done and over with. I paid that cheap bastard Dr. Quaak extra to make house visits to make sure you're okay (you owe me), so if you see the Golduck in our house, don't kill him. Anyway, I'm sure you're alright and will come join me at Mossy Village when you wake up.
Just in case you choose to stay home though, if it's been a week since writing this, come get me, quickly.
Sokudo
Staring at the letter for a little while longer, it looks up at the corner to see when this was written out. A few days ago, it seems. That's too long for its taste... Without hesitation, it places the paper on the bed before making another attempt to float off into the air. It trembles and sways a bit, but manages it before heading to the door. It keeps an eye out for the Golduck, but it doesn't see him anywhere. Good. It's in no condition to chase the intruder out.
Flying out the door, it grunts in pain at the sunlight, despite said sun already starting to set. Wow, that Spiritomb really packed a punch to be affecting it still. It wonders if it'll be able to make the journey at all.
Doesn't matter. Its brother needs it and it needs Sokudo. So focusing on its natural homing instincts, it feels the tug towards the horizon, towards its Ninjask and it shakily begins making the journey all the way to Mossy Village.
Tonight's the night he's going to get this done.
He's been lingering around the perimeter of Mossy Village for several days now, searching for his target and getting back in touch with the village's lay-out. It's been so long since he's last been here and he remembers almost whimpering to himself when he caught sight of it. It is a humble village in the middle of a forest, home to Bug Pokemon primarily. It consists of several small homes and stores huddled in the center of a massive clearing. Bordering said clearing are many tall trees with yet more homes and markets carved into their trunks. All of them are linked through silk bridges, made by the insect inhabitants themselves.
And in the very center of it all towers a massive statue of an Ariados, the founding father of the village.
It had taken quite a while for Sokudo to get a hold of himself. So many thoughts, so many instincts battled in his mind. But he pushed it all aside, telling himself to focus on his job so he can get out of here as soon as he could.
However, finding his target has been more difficult than he thought. Gunpowder told him that Loren's the last remaining Shedinja in the village, and tends to keep to itself. The Gabite also warned him that the Shedinja will be on high-alert with so many Rogues coming after its moondust, and may put forth the extra effort of making itself scarce. And if it's confronted, Gunpowder emphasizes, the Shedinja usually makes no hesitation in calling for help. So stealth is the way to go in this mission.
But so far, he has yet to even locate the damn thing...
A few times, Sokudo has managed to catch slight glimpses of something vaguely Shedinja-like, but could never get a lock on it. Occasionally, he'll make high-speed sweeps into the village itself, making sure to fly fast enough to be invisible to the residents. Still no sign of Loren.
Tonight will be different though. He can feel it...
Sitting on a high-branch of a tree just outside of Mossy Village, he waits for the sun to finish setting, looking up at the full moon already hanging in the sky. Stretched out before him is a small field of high grass, swaying in waves with the wind. It's soothing, and threatens to lull him to sleep. But he refuses it and busies himself with grooming.
After a few moments however, movement catches his eye and he feels his heart stop not in fear, but in pure relief.
There it is.
Loren is heading right for the center of the field, out in the open. It seems pretty skittish, though, freezing at the smallest sound or movement. As a result, Sokudo falls still and silent, watching his target intently as he's not going to risk losing sight of it. One thing he notices is a difference between this Shedinja and Kowai. For a while, he can't quite put his claw on why this one feels so off, but then it hits him.
It has no black mist emerging from it. Except for the halo, nothing distinguishes it from an everyday discarded husk. Is this Shedinja special? Or is Kowai the one that's different? He doesn't have enough experience with the species to know...
Loren eventually arrives at its destination, hanging motionless in the air as it watches the sun fall below the horizon. Then, looking up at the full moon, the husk makes another check to ensure it's safe before turning its back on the moon.
For a few long moments nothing seems to be happening, and Sokudo's about to risk lunging out when his eyes widen. For sparkles seem to be trailing from the moon's rays towards the Shedinja, flowing in a light, glittering mist into its back. He doesn't want to risk looking too closely, as he'd rather not lose his soul over this job, but he sees a silver light beginning to shine from within the husk. A quick glimpse shows powder forming inside its body.
Moondust.
It takes everything he has not to come speeding out and grabbing a clawful of that dust. He needs to approach this carefully, like a ninja. So he waits, watching the moondust making process with interest. Maybe someday, Kowai can learn to do this and then he can sell the dust and make loads of money off of it. He wonders how long it takes to teach... or is it a natural skill among gifted Shedinja?
Doesn't matter, as Loren casts one last glance before leaving its post towards the village, no doubt heading home.
Carefully, Sokudo moves through the branches of the trees, following the Shedinja all the way back to the village's borders. There, he stations himself in a good vantage spot to watch Loren make a beeline towards a small dome-shaped house. Scanning its surroundings one more time, it seems to glance at his tree and Sokudo freezes, wishing to blend into the night. Luckily, it seems that Loren's none the wiser as it opens the door in a haze of psychic power and heads inside, closing the door behind it.
Sokudo smirks, edging to the end of his branch and gliding soundlessly through the air. Landing delicately on the roof of his target house, he makes the effort to hide in the shadows as much as he can as he scouts for a point of entry. The vents have never let him down in the past and he finds a grate large enough for him to crawl through. Slinking inside, he finds it to be a tight fit and makes no hesitation in heading to the nearest exit grate. Glancing down, he sees no sign of activity in the dark room below and he carefully pulls the grate off before flying free.
Landing on the floor with haste, he doesn't want to risk letting the sound of his wings give him away. Pressing himself into the floor and staying in the shadows of the walls and corners, he explores the home and its lay-out carefully. It's obvious this husk had money, lots of it, but still manages to keep this house looking snug and homely. Creeping up a flight of stairs, he catches a glimpse of silver and silently heads towards it.
A room, with the door slightly ajar, greets him and he carefully peeks inside.
There's Loren, staring motionless out its window, a small tempting amount of moondust visible from its back. He'll have to be careful taking it. One wrong move can get him caught, or worse yet, rip the soul right out of him.
Just don't look directly at it, he thinks to himself as he takes every bit of his ninja stealth to slip soundlessly into the room, carefully pulling out a small pouch from his bag. Stalking towards his victim, he hears his heart beating in his ears and pure excitement rush through his veins. He can do this; Loren doesn't even seem to notice him. He'll just scoop out some dust into the pouch and beat it before the shed even knows what happened. Reaching out carefully, he's about to delicately take a clawful of the dust when he notices something odd:
This Shedinja's made of wood!
Before he can fully respond to that realization, he feels the pain of a Silver Wind attack collide with force into his side and he shrieks as he's sent flying, hitting the wall and sliding to the ground...
Almost instantly after that, said ground seems to spring up and scoop him right into the air. It takes a moment for his dazed mind to comprehend that he's caught in a silk net. Blinking, he quickly figures out what has happened...
He's been out-ninja'd, with a decoy technique he himself has utilized several times. But how...?
"So sorry for the rude introduction," comes a soft echoing voice quite unlike any he's used to. He looks over to see a Shedinja, Loren, emerging from the shadows near the ceiling, floating towards him. "But I think you'll find that I don't appreciate intrusion and theft in this humble little adobe."
"The fu..." Sokudo trails off as he begins to struggle, slashing at the net with his claws. But it's useless as the thread doesn't seem fazed by his efforts at all. Must be Ariados webbing, or something. Turning his glaring eyes back to Loren, his words come out in a hiss. "How'd you even know I was in here?"
"I've been playing the ninja game far longer than you, young Ninjask. 300 years of it, to be precise," it tells him. "I can sense your presence and your intentions from a mile away."
"So for the last few days, you knew I was here looking for you." Sokudo growls, feeling duped. He just can't believe he's been beaten at his own game, by a stupid empty bug shell nonetheless! A huge blow to his ego it is. And it only gets worse as the Shedinja confirms his statement, its voice toneless.
"Indeed," it tells him. "And if it were not for my responsibility of making moondust for this village, you still would not have found me. Now about your fate..." Loren begins to circle the trapped Ninjask and Sokudo wonders what this thing will do. If it's anything like Kowai, he's certain he's as good as Soul Food. Well, he had a good run while it lasted...
"If you're gonna take my soul, make it quick," he grumbles at it. "I'd rather not feel any fuckin' pain."
"Take your soul?" The Shedinja seems surprised. "You misunderstand me, Ninjask. I have no intention of ever doing such a thing to you, for the moment at least."
"Then call the cops," Sokudo snaps at it, feeling as though he's being toyed with.
Loren only stares at him for a moment before turning away a bit. The Ninjask cringes, but the husk makes no further move to complete the turn to expose its back. He doesn't know whether to be relieved or not. "I won't bother wasting my time with that. I know how your kind functions and I'm well-aware of how useless such a move will be."
"Then what're you going to do, ya bitch?!" Sokudo snarls, beginning to struggle against the net once more. "Let me go!"
At this, the Shedinja mimics the sound of a sigh, watching his thrashes for a moment before speaking with a pitying tone that makes him angrier. "Such a fiery spirit, so typical of a Rogue. It's a shame such potential is being misused in such a way."
"Don't you judge me, you freak," Sokudo growls, his glare intensifying. "Let me go, before my brother comes and kicks your ass!" He knows he's mostly bluffing with this. Kowai is probably still unconscious and who knows how long it'll take before it comes to his rescue. And even if it does arrive in the nick of time, it's never seen another Shedinja before and its reaction may not work in his favor.
Regardless, Loren doesn't seem bothered as it pulls out some papers seemingly out of nowhere, and it takes a moment for Sokudo to see what it is: his Rogue paperwork. His eyes widening, Sokudo quickly rummages through his bag to find his papers missing. How in the hell...?
"Sokudo," Loren mutters. "You've been with your Guild since you were a Nincada. But perhaps there's still room for change."
"What're you talking about?" Sokudo barks with irritation, making a few more thrashes against the net. The Shedinja is silent for a moment as it reads through his papers. Finally, it turns back to him and speaks in a gentle voice.
"You wish to have some of my moondust, and I'll be willing to give it to you, but only for a price." Loren tells him, causing the Ninjask to freeze his struggles and blink. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he forces a growl even as he relents.
"How much do you want, you stingy bastard?" he asks begrudgingly, not liking to spend money on this stupid job. Seeing the value of the dust and how rich the Shedinja already is, it's probably going to demand a high price to feed its greed. So it surprises him when the Shedinja lets out a bemused chuckle.
"Kehkehkehkeh," it clicks. "How you Rogues are so quick to assume. I have no wish for money, young Ninjask. My price is not so selfish in nature." It begins to circle him again, Sokudo shifting in his prison to keep it in his sight lest it unexpectedly lashes out at him. "Your Guild are not the only ones after my moondust. The Rescuers wish to have it as well, but they're taking a wholly different approach..."
Sokudo does not like where this is going.
"They're doing community service for the village, putting in hard honest work to get their rewards." It turns back to him. "You're going to follow their example, young Ninjask. And you're going to earn your right to obtain moondust by helping my village. Understand?"
"Oh hell no!" Sokudo objects with a bitter hiss. "I'm no goodie-goodie Rescuer," He spits the word with venom. "I'm a Rogue through and through, and a hollow piece of shit like you is never going to change it."
"You want moondust, do you not?" Loren responds, Sokudo stiffening at this point. "You can either accept my terms, and do community service in exchange for the dust. If not, then you can stay in that net until you do."
"You can't do that!" Sokudo shrieks, making an attempt to slash the Shedinja, only for his claw to snag the net instead.
"Can I not?" Loren says, its voice once more toneless. "You trespassed in my home to rob me of my most valuable possession. We both know what kind of punishment I can give to you, and I do believe you wouldn't want to go that route."
Sokudo keeps himself from swallowing, knowing the Shedinja's right. He intruded its territory, and a predatory creature like itself has a right to feast on his soul should it desire to. His objections to working for the moondust isn't worth his life. Growling a bit as he slumps, he averts his eyes with a grumble, giving in to Loren's terms. His wings twitch in irritation as the Shedinja purrs, the husk turning away to float out the room.
"Rest up, young Ninjask. You've got a busy day ahead of you come morning."
With that, it closes the door, leaving Sokudo to fume at this turn of events.