"H-Hello?" the voice said in a raspy tone. "C-C-C-Can you h-hear me?"
Xavier flinched. This voice…I've heard it…It's the voice that freaking questioned me! I know it!
"Damn this blasted connection!" the voice cursed. "I guess I-I'll have to terminate it again…!"
W-What?! Xavier narrowed his eyes. No! Don't go! I need answers! He began to open his mouth, sure that no noise would come, but he did make a sound. "Wait, don't go! I can hear you!"
"WHAT?!" He heard it gasp. "R-Really?! OH, YES! SWEET VICTORY!" it cheered.
"Uh... Well, now that I can hear you, what did you mean by 'connection'?" Xavier swallowed nervously.
"Huh?" It paused. "Oh, you heard that? Hahaha," it laughed sheepishly. "Well, if you must know, I've been struggling to talk to you in your sleep ever since you got your new body. The problem was your new body. I could connect to you perfectly fine when you didn't have a body, but I failed to account for any complications you having a body would cause, so I couldn't talk to you. I had to do some readjustments, heh…
"But," it added, "The important thing is that you have found the Keimusho Bottle!"
"W-What?" he asked, confused at hearing those words. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, so you don't know about them…" The voice sounded disappointed, and he heard the sound of a tongue constantly clicking against the roof of a mouth. "Looks like I'll have to take the trouble of explaining it to you…
"The Keimusho Flask is what those Sentret gave you," it explained, and Xavier's eyes widened in shock.
"Y-You mean that bottle-thingy?"
"Yes. I didn't expect you could find it so easily, but nevertheless, it is a good thing." The voice chuckled. "Now, all I can tell you to do is keep it safely. Keep it with you at all times, because if you lose it then all hope is lost. It can be the end of the world, for all we know," the voice casually said.
Xavier's heart skipped a beat. "Wait, what?! The end of the world…? What're you talking about?"
"The Keimusho Bottle contains untold and limitless power," the voice explained. "However, one must first obtain all four Infinity Fragments to unseal the Bottle and obtain the power."
Xavier narrowed his eyes. "Infinity Fragments…? What the hell are you talking about?!"
The voice cursed. "I do not have time now. I will have to leave, and I do not want to be discovered. Time is short, and I have to leave."
"What?!" Xavier's eyes widened. "But you can't! I finally get to understand you! You can't just leave, and just when you've given me precious information!"
The voice sighed. "I'm sorry, but time is precious. You will learn more…" Already he could feel the colours fading and the voice becoming nothing but a small whisper. "It was a pleasure, Xavier…"
"GET UP, YA CHUM!" Whis roared.
"WAH!" Xavier shot up in a start, his eyes wide. "Heh, heh…" He breathed heavily as his friends got up in a calmer fashion. Just then, he gasped. His mind raced over everything he had been told last time, even though it had been very little; the Keimusho Bottle, the Infinity Fragments, and the end of the world. The last bit particularly bothered him. Why is this happening only to me? I'm the one who gets transformed into a pokémon, I'm the one who faces cannibals on my first mission and I'm the one who almost dies on my second one! Then some idiot bastard tells me about the end of the world and it's up to me to do something about it. Curse my life! He gritted his teeth in frustration and stomped his foot. I'll have to keep listening to that dick of a voice if I want to keep living…
As he made his mind he followed his teammates to the meeting room, where he finished all his morning routines and then made his way to the job room. Zachary and Yvette were chatting while Xavier was lost in deep thought, wondering about his situation. "Arceus…"
"…and this time let's see the mission ranking before choosing a job." Zachary's stern voice brought Xavier back into the real world. He shook his head and nodded moments after the Croagunk's words sunk in.
"I think this one should do it!" Zachary exclaimed in his baritone voice as he took a piece of paper from the board. "Let's go to the Foggy Cave!"
Yvette raised an eyebrow. "Foggy Cave?" she asked in bemusement. "That's so lame, Zachary." The Croagunk glared at Yvette until she sighed and looked down. "Fine, we'll go there. What do we have to do?"
Xavier took the paper from Zachary and looked at it before he informed, "We have to get a Shinx's ball. Apparently he was playing there with his big brother and he forgot it ther—Oomph!"
Xavier rubbed the back of his head and turned to look at the pokémon who bumped into him. He whipped and saw a Drilbur looking haughtily at the trio. The Drilbur stared at them for a while before smirking and turning to the board.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Yvette snarled as she softly kicked the Drilbur on her knee, earning a dangerous glare from her.
"What the hell, kid?" she exclaimed. "Why don't you tell your buddy to look where he's going?"
"Why, you—"
"We're sorry, Miss Kuronova," Zachary interjected as he slapped a hand to Yvette's mouth. "We really don't want an argument right now."
The Drilbur thought for a while before she reluctantly nodded and walked towards The Outlaw Post. However, Xavier and Yvette stared at Zachary with wide eyes and half-opened mouths.
"What?" the Croagunk questioned. "Did you expect me to help Yvette here turn the argument into a battle? Kuronova is a brilliant fighter, and you really don't want Team Claws on our rears. Team Claws is a Bronze Rank team," he added, emphasizing on the rank.
"Let's just forget about this episode," Xavier said as he started to walk towards the exit of the Guild.
In the end, they had a successful mission, and the reward was good enough to prevent Yvette from having an angry mood for the rest of the day.
"How could someone be so upset over a lost ball?" Yvette asked out loud before she took another bite from the big apple.
Zachary smirked. "You seemed pretty upset when you lost Poofie," he mumbled.
"Hey!" she yelled out in annoyance. "I was a kid, okay!" Her cheeks turned red in embarrassment.
"So was Electra!" the Croagunk replied in an equally loud voice, referring to the Shinx.
"Wait a minute…" Xavier scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as the trio walked down the dirt path. The sound of leaves rustling echoed as the cool breeze drifted through the trees and the air. "What's 'Poofie'?"
Zachary chuckled. "Well, Yvette had a plushie of a Swablu that she called Poof—YEEOW!" he suddenly bellowed in pain while Yvette smirked victoriously at her friend.
"Why did you have to kick me in the shin?!" Zachary exclaimed in shock while Xavier chuckled at the two.
"I did that to stop you from talking about Poofie!" Yvette roared back.
"…said GIVE ME YOUR MONEY!" they heard a voice bellow in anger.
Zachary, Yvette and Xavier all looked around with narrowed eyes to locate the source of the voice – it was childish, but it seemed to be that of a bully. As curious as they were, the trio walked away from the dirt path and deeper into the small forest until they reached a small clearing that was connected to a brick road.
"B-But our mother gave it to us!" a Cacnea bawled.
"I don't care!" Xavier's eyes roved until they settled on a young Tyrogue, who delivered a blow on the top of the Cacnea's head and sent her reeling in pain. The Tyrogue too gave a hint of a wince, probably hurt by the spines on the Cacnea's skin.
"No we won't!" a Chimchar shot back as he stood up to the Tyrogue and glared at him. "And don't you dare hurt my sister again!"
"And what will you do, Erasmus?" the Tyrogue taunted as he took a step towards the Chimchar. "Will you go crying to Mommy like you did last time?"
Xavier, Yvette and Zachary watched in amusement as the Chimchar – Erasmus, Xavier corrected – stunned the Tyrogue with a Fire Punch, causing the fighting type to topple over to the ground. However, the Tyrogue quickly jumped back up to his feet and countered with Mach Punch. A quick scuffle broke out, but in the end the Tyrogue finished off Erasmus with a rough Tackle that sent the Chimchar slamming into a tree. The Cacnea, full of fear, cowered while the Tyrogue snatched the leather bag hanging around her arm and slung it over his body.
"We've got to stop that thief!" Xavier called out as he ran towards the Cacnea with Zachary and Yvette right behind him. The Croagunk ran towards Erasmus' aid while Yvette and Xavier stopped once they were near the Cacnea. Zachary quickly forced a few Oran berries down Erasmus' throat while Xavier tried to converse with Cacnea.
"Are you alright?" Xavier asked immediately.
The Cacnea nodded slowly. "Runt always takes our money whenever he sees us. And when we try to talk to our parents about it, he conveniently beats us up."
"Don't worry; we'll get your money back. Just stay here, okay?" The Cacnea nodded.
Xavier frowned as he saw the Tyrogue already far from him, but he figured that his he and his teammates would easily catch up to him. With no time to lose, the treecko sprinted towards the Tyrogue with all his strength.
The Tyrogue's eyes widened as he saw Xavier right behind him, and so he put all of his energy into his legs that carried him a long way before he tripped against a pebble on the ground, grazing his chin and roughly rolling for a few moments before he came to a halt.
"Give the money you stole!" Yvette roared in anger as she kicked the Tyrogue in his stomach with her talons.
Xavier smirked as Zachary calmed the Torchic down before he turned to the fighting type with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for her – she gets carried away sometimes." He shot her an angry look. "Anyway, my colleague here forgot to say please. So can you please hand over the money you…borrowed?"
Instead, the Tyrogue spun on the ground and kicked Zachary on the lower part of his leg, causing the Croagunk to be swept off his feet and land on the hard ground on his back. The action momentarily stunned the three, allowing the Tyrogue to get up and motion to run, but he was stopped as Xavier aimed a Dragonbreath at his feet.
"You're not going anywhere, punk!" Yvette smirked in confidence as she walked over to him, giving the baby pokémon condescending glares as she circled him. "Now, hand over the bag." The Tyrogue gritted his teeth as he reluctantly handed over the satchel, Xavier taking it in his hands while Zachary hopped back on his feet. "Now, piss off."
"You'll pay for this…" The Tyrogue was giving them looks that said that he was on the verge of crying, and he suddenly started to bawl for a moment before he let out a battle cry, forcing the rescue team to take their battle stances. This is going to be easy, Xavier thought, but that was before three more figures butted into the scene, looking oddly familiar to the Tyrogue.
"What happened, Runt?" Xavier eyed the speaker, who had five blunt protrusions on his head and extensions resembling pads on his shoulders. He appeared to be wearing a purple tunic and kilt as well as red boxing gloves and light purple boxing shoes, along with a frown on his face. "Are these three annoying you?"
Xavier turned to the next creature – a humanoid pokémon with an ovoid body. Lacking a distinct neck and head, his upper torso had almond-shaped eyes with black rings around them and appeared to lack a mouth and nose. Primarily brown, he had cream coloured, segmented arms and legs, with three fingers and three clawed toes respectively. His hands and feet were connected to the main body with a something that resembled a coiled spring, giving Xavier the impression that he could contract and stretch out his arms freely.
Xavier then looked at the third pokémon, one that was just an inch taller that the Tyrogue. His main body was spherical and mostly blue with a brown triangular patch on his chest. He had short legs with white bands near the hands and feet. The feet were large, blue and had a circular brown pad on the underside. He had a skinny brown tail that ended with a blue sphere with a spike on it. His head was round and brown with flat, curved extensions on either side and a single spike on the top, making his head resemble a spinning top. He had beady black eyes and spherical hands with no digits, and Xavier's lips twitched at the thought of him not being able to pick up anything.
Then it hit him. They were the Hitmons, a family tree that evolved from a Tyrogue depending on his stats. They were extremely brutal when it came to battles and would not give up, even if they were at the brink of death. That was made them so fearless.
"Meet my brothers," the Tyrogue, Runt, introduced. "Jackie, Bruce and Spinner," he said, pointing from the Hitmonchan to the Hitmonlee and finally at the Hitmontop.
"Guys," Xavier muttered as he gulped, "this looks bad."
Zachary nodded. "Okay, just be quiet and explain the situation to—"
Yvette growled. "Listen, you psychotic shmucks!" she yelled, making Zachary and Xavier face-palm in frustration. "Get the hell out of here before I make you!"
The Hitmonchan frowned, raising his fists to his face. "How dare you talk like that to us," he said in a dangerously soft manner. "Hitmon Squadron – attack!"
Xavier groaned as he jumped up, avoiding a Fire Punch to the face from the Hitmonchan who rushed up to him in an instant. "Yvette, why couldn't you just shut that big mouth of yours?!" he shouted angrily.
"Oh, I'm sorry for not being as smart as you, Professor Xavier!" she replied mockingly as she was nearly hit by Bruce's leg. Unfortunately, the leg swung back and struck her right on her neck and she gasped for breath as she fell to the ground.
The Tyrogue was happily looking at the battle going on while he hid behind a rock, gleefully smiling as he saw his brothers gaining the advantage with their superior power and versatility.
Xavier grunted in pain as he was jabbed in the stomach, the area around his belly freezing from the Ice Punch. Jackie then punched the treecko upwards on his lower jaw, sending him skywards before he crashed into a nearby tree.
He felt a shot of pain go up his spine once he crashed against the tree stunning him for a few seconds and disorienting his vision. He could see clearly enough that he moved his head, dodging the Fire Punch by an inch as it instead smacked against the tree, burning a circle of bark. Even then, Xavier could feel the heat kill the cells on the surface of his skin, and he got up to land his barrage of attacks.
"Take this!" He felt his long, bushy tail harden for a second before he smacked it on top of the Hitmonchan's head hard enough for him to crumple to the ground, knocked out – he recognized the move as Slam – although Xavier knew that Jackie would be unconscious only for a few moments before he woke back up and continued to thrash him. In the meantime, he decided to help his friends, who were currently having trouble against their foes.
Although Zachary had a good start, he was lagging behind – Bruce the Hitmonlee was using his stretchy limbs as a loophole to wrap them around the Croagunk's body and attack him with the rest of his limbs. He knew that Bruce was weak, though – the continuous use of Poison Jab had allowed some poison to be leaked into his bloodstream, sapping the energy out of him and making his reflexes slower.
Bruce hurled Zachary at a nearby tree, unrolling his arm before striking the Croagunk with a blazing kick at the last second. Zachary groaned in pain while the embers disappeared. Xavier decided that it was time for a sneak attack.
Before Bruce could move a muscle, Xavier sped towards him with incredible speed, leaving a trail of white light behind him before he slammed into the kicking pokémon's torso, stunning him. Xavier then went on to deliver a close-range Dragonbreath to the face, searing his skin and sending him tumbling to the ground.
Xavier ran up to Zachary and stood next to him while Bruce started to stand up again. "What all moves do you have?" he asked the Croagunk.
Zachary thought for a moment before he spoke. "I know Revenge, Poison Jab, Mud Slap, Endure and Counter. Why?"
Xavier grinned. "No, I just needed something. For now, we just need to keep these three at bay."
Xavier turned and frowned to see the Hitmonchan standing back up, an angrier glare on his face as he started to breathe heavily. His left fist was burning while the right fist was sparkling with electricity. With a mad grin he walked to Bruce and lifted him up, who was soon joined by Spinner the Hitmontop. Yvette ran to Zachary's and Xavier's side, starting a staring contest with the other group.
"Hitmon Squadron," Bruce muttered. "Let's take them down one by one; it'll be easier that way." He smirked at Zachary. "Let's take that frog down first."
Perfect, Xavier mused with a grin, and he turned to Zachary. "Zac, you know what to do, right?"
Zachary nodded fearfully. "Y-Yeah."
"Hitmon Squadron!" the three Hitmons yelled as they took funny poses. "Triple Threat Attack!"
Xavier took a small glance of each of their attacks – Jackie's fist was crackling with electricity, Bruce's leg was burning as a bright flame surround it, while Spinner was spinning on his head, preparing to launch a spinning kick at Zachary.
If Zac manages to keep standing, then this will be great, he thought.
He heard Zachary grunt in pain as the three attacks combined and struck him on his torso, making him kneel down as he fought the urge to go unconscious. Xavier could only imagine the pain his friend was feeling right now – if he endure the attacks, the returning attack would be devastating.
The three brothers widened their eyes as they saw Zachary still conscious, although with barely any energy left in him. "Now, Zachary – Counter!" Xavier shouted.
Zachary bellowed in rage, earning whimpers from his opponents as a red aura surrounded him while his fists were surrounded by a hot glow. With another roar he lashed out at them, the wave of energy around him smacking into his enemies and hurling them back before Zachary began to thrash him soundly. The dust cleared after a few minutes, showing Zachary breathing heavily while the three Hitmons were lying on the ground, unconscious.
"That…was…freaking awesome!" Yvette exclaimed with a grin as she ran up to support her friend. Xavier shot a glare at the hiding Tyrogue, who whimpered before running away from the scene.
Jackie the Hitmonchan gritted his teeth. "How can…"
"…We…be…" Bruce continued.
"Defeated?!" the three exclaimed in unison.
"Now, listen here," Yvette growled, earning a squeal of pain from the Hitmonlee as she squashed his hand. "You will never, ever, ever trouble anyone ever again!" she shouted. "And if you do I'll hear all about it, and I'll give you a good beating!"
The three brothers whimpered and made a whole lot of promises that they would be good fighting-types who would rarely trouble people, but Xavier and his companions didn't stick around to chat. The sun was going down, and they had to return to the Zairian Guild, unless they wanted to do the chores for the next entire week.