Hydreigon and Stunfisk

A loud roar filled the air. Pokémon scattered, trying to get under shelter. Anything would do, so long as it hid them from above. Not long after, there came the dreadful beating of wings. Most wing beats caused no alarm, but this particular one, three strokes and quite heavy, was one to fear. It meant that Direclaw was here.

"Enemies," the Hydreigon murmured, eyes sweeping along the streets. "Hiding away in cowardice, but I know you're down there. You want to take my lands and power. But I'm too good for you; I won't let you win."

Out of the corner of one eye, he spotted movement below. Quickly, he used Flamethrower against it. No one was going to catch him off guard! When he paused in flight to see the results, he spotted a mass of burning fabric. It had been a Pokedoll of some kind, tipped over in the wind. Or maybe, it hid a weapon for assassinating him.

Below, a young Pokémon cried out, barely held back by its mother.

"That was a warning!" Direclaw shouted down at them. The crying stopped, at least audibly. "I am not so foolish as to be caught by such an obvious trap. When I find out who's responsible, I will kill them personally!"

Satisfied, he flew on towards his castle, watchful the whole way. He landed in one of the high towers, glowering at the guards as they stood to attention nervously. He spared a hazy glance at the ground-level entrance; his vision wasn't the greatest, but if there was any movement, he'd know it. 'Someday,' he thought, 'I'm going to seal the ground-level entrances up entirely. I have no need for them and it would cut out a lot of the stupid assassins that try to enter.'

He went to the throne room and landed on his jeweled platform throne. As the guards came to attention, he called out, "Where's Mudpuppy?"

A sputtering sound came from underneath his feet. "Down here, your terribleness."

Flying to the side a bit, he saw the flat Stunfisk slide off the platform. He narrowed his eyes and growled, "And what were you doing on my throne?"

"Cleaning it for you, Great Direclaw," Mudpuppy replied. "I may be the court jester, but I know a good appearance means a good show. I wasn't going to do anything tricky; I swear it or my name isn't Mud." He sputtered again, amused at his own joke.

Direclaw grunted. "Well I know you won't," he said. "You couldn't compare to me; I am the ultimate power and ruler of this land!"

"Of course, your horribleness," he said meekly. "I am mud underneath your feet, while you terrorize everyone around you into obedience and loyalty. We haven't had a peace like this in centuries."

"And they'd better know it's thanks to me," the Hydreigon said. "But there's enemies about. Do you know who the worst ones are?"

"Who's that…?"

"Sire!" A Dodrio came running into the room, "Sire, I have an urgent…"

"SILENCE!" the tyrant demanded, causing the Dodrio to scramble to a stop to drop down and bow all three heads to the floor. "I will determine what is urgent and what isn't! I'm the ruler of this land."

"Yes, yes, of course, your majesty," the Dodrio said, trembling.

Direclaw saw movement and tensed, but realized it was just Mudpuppy scuttling over to the unfortunate messenger. "Hey there, six eyes. Say, do you know why the Dodrio crossed the road?"

He seemed puzzled, "Er, well…"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Direclaw shouted.

Somehow stumbling while he was on the floor, the Dodrio said, "Um, er, no, why did the Dudrio cross the road?"

Mudpuppy crackled and sputtered; when he started sparking, he was surely giving that stupid-looking grin of his. "Because he was a spy and Direclaw punted his dead body across the road."

"Are you a spy?" the Hydreigon said, not letting up in his demands.

"Nononono, no sire," he said, breathing rapidly now. His fear grew stronger, a scent that Direclaw loved. "Eh-heh-heh-heh… that was a good joke, though, heh-heh," He sounded nervous.

"It's good because I'd do it," the Hydreigon said, lifting his primary head up high. His other two heads were oddly still.

"Now what was the message you had for the holy terror, our gracious and ominous Lord Direclaw?" Mudpuppy said, traveling back close to the throne platform.

The Dudrio remained, for lack of a better word, kneeling. "There's been an outbreak of disease in the northern towns, sire. I've been sent to look for assistance; Pokémon are dying up there."

"Are you infected?" Direclaw said sharply, snapping his claws off each other.

"N-no sire, I'm healthy. But it could spread down here if we don't…"

The Hydreigon roared. "I'll decide what to do!" he said at the end of it. "I'm the ruler; no one else makes decisions. Now go."

"B-but there was more…"

"GO!"

Scrambling back to his feet, the Dodrio rushed out of the throne room.

"That is ominous news, your awfulness," Mudpuppy said. "It must be your enemies, trying to weaken your lands to invade."

Growling softly, he nodded with his primary head. "Yes, that would be exactly what They would do. But, you know who are my worst enemies?"

"No sire," the jester said. "Who would that be?"

"My own two hands," Direclaw said, raising his quiet head-hands. Normally they were snuffling and trying to gnaw something. Sometimes they even said something. Not now.

"That would be especially devious, my lord," Mudpuppy agreed. If Direclaw could see better, he might have seen the twinkle in the Stunfisk's eyes, and the grin on his face.

"I've put them to sleep so that we could discuss this." He put his hands down again. "They're plotting against me, working together to overthrow my mind. But they're idiots! They'll battle each other to see which would be in control and eventually destroy us-me."

"They might even be devious enough to cause the sickness in the northern villages," Mudpuppy said. "Of course, I'm a fool; I wouldn't know how to devious my way out of a paper sack."

"They would have done such a thing!" He scowled at his left head-hand, then nodded to Mudpuppy. "You may be a fool by trade, but you are wise enough to agree with me. That's why you're the only adviser I trust. But you cannot let anyone else know that; they'll take advantage of you."

"I'll leave all the thinking to you, my lord," Mudpuppy said, while planning out his words to get to the agenda that he wanted passed into law.

…

Hydreigon Black entry: This brutal Pokémon travels the skies on its six wings. Anything that moves seems like a foe to it, triggering an attack.

Stunfisk Black entry: Its skin is very hard, so it is unhurt even if stepped on by sumo wrestlers. It smiles when transmitting electricity.

I like this pair being together. They project such different images in the minds of fans. And these characters came out nicely.

I somehow haven't gotten around to mentioning it, but POS is now listed on TVTropes! It's gathered a few tropes to its name, but you can help out and add a few more. I've been curious to see how large a page this would get there.