SUNNY Notes
I PROMISE I'll get back to review responses, soon; I'm just super lazy!
Thanks for reviewing: VG, and Crunchyy24!
You're welcome!
Snute kept her eyes focused on the ground as she, Aundei, and Peppy wandered down the entry hallway of the S.S. Cryogonal.
The guild was eerily silent, that early morning. Snute knew it wasn't just the hour, as there were at least murmurs before sunrise on her previous days.
It was a silence of mourning, she presumed, for that espeon who had been assumed dead.
Aundei opened the main entrance, allowing a draft of hot, dry air to pour in. Both he and Peppy seemed to brighten up a bit, whilst Snute took an involuntary step backwards.
Swallowing her pride, the ninetales followed her teammates out onto the boarding platform and down the stairs.
Snute was very unhappy as she stepped into the sweltering heat, her paws soon sinking into the scalding sands. She winced.
The sun had risen only an hour prior, yet the heat already bordered on unbearable. She knew it was only going to get worse with time.
As they walked through the sands on the outskirts of the settlement, various yellow and brown stone buildings came into view.
"Hold my bag," Snute eventually commanded, holding the offending wear toward Aundei. He took the strap with a smile as Snute fished a few items out from it.
Before long, she had her body adorned with a loose-fitting black bodysuit, and her head garbed in a carefully wrapped black scarf. Her entire body was soon covered in cloth, save for her eyes, ears, hair, and tails.
Peppy stared in bewilderment.
"What?!" the fennekin barked. "W-why so much clothing? Are you... Cold?"
Aundei laughed as Snute glared at the cowering fennekin. He pulled Peppy into a sidelong hug.
"It's for the opposite reason, Chef! All those garbs will provide our arctic ally here plenty of protection from the sun!"
Peppy frowned, tilting her head.
"Huh... Seems counter-intuitive... B-but I guess it makes sense!"
"What's our game plan, then?" Snute sighed.
"Well," Aundei started, "Since you did a mystery dungeon day before yesterday, and I'm not sure Chef is ready for one yet, I think we should look into the outlaw situation!"
Peppy seemed a bit dejected, but Snute hummed in thought.
"Isn't that more dangerous than a dungeon?"
"Nope!" Aundei held up his APER Gear. "We have the entirety of the guild at our backs on a moment's notice! In a dungeon, our APER Gear can't contact the satellites, so we're all on our own!"
"I wanted to do a dungeon..." Peppy pouted.
Aundei patted her head.
"Look on the bright side, Chef! This way, we get to hang out around town all day!"
The fennekin brightened up at that.
"Well... That does sound fun!"
Snute smirked, though it couldn't be seen beneath her garbs.
"If there is one thing I've never hated about this place, it would certainly be the cuisine."
"Ah!" Aundei smiled. "You've been here, Silly?"
The ninetales nodded.
"More than once." She took on a nostalgic smile, looking up to the clear skies. "Most of which were in my youth. What little of it remained, at least." After a moment, her expression soured, though it could not be seen beneath her coverings.
"Huh." Peppy mulled the information over. "S-sounds nice..."
"You should show us around!" Aundei chirped, casually bumping Snute's side.
"Ugh. Whatever."
As the group marched on, Snute at the lead, Aundei occasionally halted their progress to converse with locals. Snute found herself getting increasingly frustrated with each new individual only repeating the same thing they'd heard from every pokémon previous.
Aundei elected to focus on a clefairy walking down the otherside of the road. He waved them down, before ushering the rest of his team over.
Snute rolled her eyes, muttering. "Here we go again..."
The clefairy gave a friendly nod, smiling wide.
"Howdy, y'all!" called the pink pokémon, tipping his stetson. He soon doffed the aforementioned headwear with a polite smile. "What can I do you for, this mornin'?"
Aundei gave a wide brim. He puffed out his chest, showing off his guild badge.
"Hey there! We're Team Stop Calling Me That from the Vanilluxe Guild, and we'd like to ask you a few questions relating to recent criminal activity, if that's okay!"
Snute grumbled quietly as the clefairy gave a hearty laugh. Peppy weakly smiled, hiding behind Aundei.
"Why, that's quite the team name, you folks've got!"
Aundei flashed a chipper grin.
"Thank you! Silly, here, came up with it!" He explained, gesturing to the ninetales.
The clefairy looked up to see Snute refusing to meet his gaze. With another small chuckle, he nodded.
"What a laugh! Anyhow... Sure thing, fella! I reckon I could answer you a thing or two! C'mon!" The clefairy walked toward a nearby bench, beckoning the three over.
As the four pokémon sat on the bench, Snute opened her binder for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
"So," Aundei began, "we've heard rumors of some sort of vandalizer! We are here to look into that! Could you tell us about that?"
The clefairy took on a more serious expression, nodding.
"Can do! Truth be told, fella's sort of a serial prankster."
"So we've heard," Snute deadpanned. "Started out harmless, has slowly escalated into criminal territory, no one knows who it is. Have you any new information?"
The clefairy frowned at the interruption, placing his hat back on his head.
"Sheesh. Well, I can tell ya' that he strikes at night. All of the supposed 'pranks' arrive come mornin', and no one ever sees em' gettin' set up."
"That's great!" Aundei said. "Has really no one seen them in action?"
"Well..." the clefairy scratched the side of his head in thought. "A couple folks have caught some suspicious type hangin' around at night. Some tall figure who vanished into the darkness after bein' spotted. Come t'think of it, I might've caught em'' in my back yard the other night. Some folks have even given chase, yet he remains elusive! He's more slippery than a wooper in a barrel of smoliv oil, I tell ya'!"
Peppy gave a weak smile.
"That's very helpful information, mister. Could you maybe give any suggestions on their most recurring targets?"
"Hm... Well, he sure does love graffitiin' up the front of shops."
Aundei smiled, nodding.
"I think that's about all the information we need! Thank you, good sir!" The glameow flipped three coins into the clefairy's direction. The other pokémon quickly removed his hat to catch the tip inside.
"Ain't a problem, stranger!"
Yuku tapped her claws nervously against the ground as she stood on sandstone bricks. Sweat trickled down her form as the oppressive desert heat beat down on her resolve.
The absol looked worriedly to the meowth next to her, who was wrapped in gauze and reading a map.
"Inu...?" Yuku ventured.
"Yeah?"
"I... Don't think we should be doing this? You're not even fully recovered."
"Ah, nonsense!" The meowth waved a paw dismissively, smirking. "I've gone through dungeons in far worse conditions!"
"No, ya' haven't!"
"Well, I suppose this is a good opportunity to change that, then! Besides, I want this treasure!"
Exasperated, Yuku shook her head. As Inu began walking forward, she followed close behind.
The pair found themselves in a wide open chamber, cloaked in darkness. The sound of rushing water met their ears.
Inu pulled out his APER Gear, flicking on his flashlight. He waved it around to get a general look at the location. It was a large room made of various sizes of yellow bricks, with stone pipes extending all across the ceiling above. One appeared broken, spilling shimmering water onto the floor below.
Yuku, using her own gear, placed the probing end of an addon to the ground. After a moment, she spoke.
"Four-ish floors!"
"Gotcha! Thanks, doll!"
The absol blushed a bit at the pet name, dipping her head in embarrassment.
Scurrying out from the darkness, a spinarak leapt onto Inu's face.
The meowth panicked, furiously swiping at the bug, but it did not let go.
Startled, Yuku rushed forward, swinging her horn into the feral pokémon. It gave a shrill cry as the sharp edge sliced through its exoskeleton.
As the spinarak was sent into the air, Inu quickly leapt up and kicked it in the abdomen, eliciting another cry of pain from the creature.
Upon landing on the ground, it quickly scurried away in a panic.
Wasting no time, Inu and Yuku both dashed forward, fleeing the site of the brief scuffle, before any other ferals arrived. Before long, they found themselves in a narrow hallway. It descended just far enough for the water to reach Yuku's chest, which she admittedly found soothing.
Leaning down, the absol began casually lapping up water, bringing relief to her parched being, and banishing the oppressive feelings of heat just a bit.
Inu cringed, raising an eyebrow.
"Doesn't that taste all hard and minerally?"
Smiling, Yuku nodded eagerly.
"Mhm! It's good!"
Chuckling, the meowth shook his head.
"What a freak!"
Yuku pouted, turning away.
"Maybe try it and see!"
Rolling his eyes, Inu sighed.
"Sure thing, sweet-cheeks." He cupped his paws in the water, bringing it up to his mouth. After taking a large gulp, he shook his head. "Too much iron, for me. Hope that's not my wounds leaking!"
"That's not funny!" Yuku pouted. "If you're still bleeding, we need to go back!"
"Relax!" Inu waved his paws in the air. "I'm just teasing you!"
"Bah! You're so mean to me!" The absol continued walking through the partially flooded hallway, leading Inu to follow.
"Ah, come on, Yu'! Don't be that way!" The meowth spoke with a grin. "If I start to get woozy or something, I'll let ya' know, okay?"
"You'd better!" The absol declared, turning her nose up. "Or I'll... Uhm... I'll sit on you!"
"Don't threaten me with a good time, sugar!" Inu snarked, affectionately patting Yuku's rump.
The absol's face reddened. She attempted to force a smirk.
"O-o-oh yeah? Y-you want a p-piece of this p-pie?" She struck an exaggerated pose. Her face remained red, her limbs shaking nervously.
Inu cackled, putting a paw to his forehead.
"Oh, man! That's rich!"
Huffing indignantly, Yuku splashed water into the meowth's face with her tail.
"I'm, uhm, I'm sexy and I kn-know it!"
"Pfft. Whatever you say, princess." Inu wiped the water out of his eyes, still holding a smirk.
Snute craved the sweet, sweet embrace of death as she slumped over the table. Not even an hour had she been awake, yet the oppressive heat already weighed heavily upon her body and mind. She imagined it would even weigh upon her soul, if she had still had one.
She glared at her forepaw. Aundei and Peppy had insisted upon purchasing friendship bracelets, and she'd been forced to begrudgingly wear one. Her bag felt lighter, yet heavier at the same time after purchasing supplies.
"Well, guys," Aundei started, "I'm starved! Why don't you show us somewhere to eat, Snute?"
"Fine." Shaking her head, Snute slowly rose to her paws. Panting from the heat, the ninetales began to trudge forward.
Numerous pokémon bustled about the town, moving to and fro about the clay and sandstone buildings lining the cobblestone pathway.
As Snute eyed the familiar streets up and down in search of a good choice to dine, Peppy's eyes were filled with wonder. The fennekin threw her head and swiveled her ears, trying desperately to take in all of the sights and sounds on offer.
Her eyes soon fell upon an intriguing sight. A crowd of pokémon seemed to be gathered around a stage setup within a parking lot.
A floragato stood atop the stage, dressed in a feathered cap with a long, white-tipped cane in their hand. They wore a dark tuxedo, with an equally dark tie around their neck.
"G-guys, look!" the fennekin whispered hurriedly. "There's some kind of show!"
"Oh! That sounds fun!" Aundei chirped pleasantly.
As the two walked over to join the audience, Snute sighed, then turned to follow. As she approached, however, her eyes flicked up to the stage. She soon looked away dismissively, but did a double take, quickly re-settling her eyes onto the floragato.
"Uh. Maybe we should skip out on this one," Snute urged, brows furrowing.
"Oh, come on, Silly! We can wait a bit longer for food!"
The glameow propped Peppy on his head so she could see the show better. The fennekin's tail wagged appreciatively.
The floragato swung their hand out, extending their yoyo into a spin. The floral toy spun rapidly in place, before seemingly disappearing in the blink of an eye, with its vine-string falling limp.
The crowd murmured in surprise, excitedly looking on.
Smirking, that magician raised their opposing hand into the air, flicking their wrist. The yoyo's end popped out from his sleeve, spinning in place on his single outstretched finger.
The pokémon in attendance cheered and applauded.
The magician bowed with a grin. As his arm folded over his chest, he tossed the yoyo up and over his back, before skillfully catching it on a vine and retracting it back into his hand.
Upon standing up again, he crossed his arms with a smile.
"Ah, but you see, that was merely a warm up! The true show begins now!" he paused for dramatic effect, before taking on an exaggeratedly somber expression. "Oh, but unfortunately, The Amazing Alfonzo's next trick requires another individual... Yet, here I stand, all alone in my glory!" He looked into the sky, putting the back of his hand to his forehead.
The pokémon in attendance gave varying utters of sympathy, seeming downcast.
"Oh!" Alfonzo seemed to brighten up, smiling wide. "I've got it! Perhaps a volunteer from the crowd is what we need!"
As the audience erupted into cheers the floragato scanned for a suitable candidate. His eyes soon fell upon a very uncomfortable looking ninetales in the back.
Snute quickly looked away.
"Oh, God, oh, no! He saw me!"
Briefly surprised, Alfonzo soon shook it off, smirking deviously.
"You there!" He pointed with his cane. "With the unmistakably lengthy snout!"
The crowd gave various "ooh"s and giggles, while Snute simply deadpanned in response.
Aundei urged her forward.
"He means you, Silly!"
Grumbling, Snute marched up onto the stage, refusing to make eye-contact with anyone.
The floragato gestured to the ninetales with a flourish, smiling to the crowd.
"Well, well, folks! If my eyes do not deceive me, I believe this is quite the unexpected surprise! Yes, a bit evolved perhaps, but I'd recognize that snooty and that booty anywhere! Lucy the Lovely makes her grand reprisal of her role as my partner in showmonship!"
The audience cheered loudly for Snute, whilst the ninetales in question growled quietly. Her eyes bore into Alfonzo's own with fury.
"Fuck. You," she seethed.
The floragato simply smirked, ruffling the hair atop Snute's head. He carefully slipped a white rose behind her ear.
Snute violently bit his hand, eliciting a gasp from the audience.
"Oh, dear!" Alfonzo cried, dramatically calling to the sky. He stumbled backwards, with his hand appearing to come clean off.
Growling quietly, Snute dropped the decoy hand as the magician's real appendage popped back out from his sleeve. The crowd cheered.
Alfonzo turned to strike a pose, smiling wide. Snute remained slouched, glaring at the floor.
"You know, Lucy," started the cat, "the beauty of your smile has never been matched! Why sully your features with such a scowl, these days?" His yoyo flung forward to just barely boop Snute on the nose, eliciting a scoff. The pokémon in the audience giggled at Snute's expense.
"Just do your bloody 'magic' bollocks, already, and let me get back to not interacting with you, you filthy, stuck-up, dim-witted, two-faced liar!"
"Oh, Lucille, my darling! How your scathing tongue wounds me, so!" Alfonzo bellowed, clutching his heart. "I suppose I can send you off, if desired! Adios, my dear!"
With a flick of his wrist, Alfonzo flung his yoyo outward.
Snute felt the object wrap around her body, then spinning her as she was pulled in. The ninetales had little time to react as Alfonzo caught her in his arms, dipping her as if they'd partaken in a dance. He pulled Snute into a deep, passionate kiss, hugging her close as their lips pressed together.
Snute completely froze up from the intimate contact, her mind entirely blanking on what to feel or how to react. She experienced the taste of a foreign tongue mingled with her own, before the combined vertigo of emotional confusion and physical rotation brought her back to her senses.
The ninetales felt the yoyo release her as she spun off the stage, falling back into the crowd. The pokémon who hadn't been busy applauding the display quickly moved to catch Snute, setting her gently back onto her paws.
With barely contained fury, Snute silently stomped off, dragging a very confused pair of teammates with her.
"You k-know him?" Peppy ventured, averting her gaze as her paws dragged through sand.
Aundei smiled.
"He seemed really friendly on you!"
"He kissed me!" the ninetales complained, utterly exasperated. "That fuck kissed me! Who does he think he is, kissing me after what he did?!" She violently shook her head. "Disgusting!"
"Look, Snute," Aundei calmly insisted. "We should stay on task, for now. Keep your mind off what happened until you're calm, eh?"
"How can I be calm after that? This fuck is going to just up and pretend nothing happened, and drag me up on stage to molest in front of a crowd?! I hate him! I hate him! Hate! Hate! HATE!" Snute grew progressively more furious as she ranted, attracting the attention of many passers-by.
Aundei jolted in surprise as a rush of air flew past him. He turned to see that Peppy had bolted away, presumably frightened by Snute's outburst.
"Uh... Uhm..." The glameow turned his head back and forth between his upset teammate and the set of fennekin paw-prints leading away. "Do you need some time alone, Snute?"
"Piss off!"
"Gotcha. I'll go find Peppy. Meet us back in the guild by sundown, okay?"
After receiving no reply, the glameow reluctantly slunk away.
Yuku and Inu emerged from a hallway, trudging up a short flight of stairs and into another room. With what little range his flashlight has, Inu could see a short stretch of ground running alongside a large pool of water.
The two approached the edge of the water, peering into it curiously.
"What do you think?" Yuku pondered. "Think that pool extends to both walls?"
"Hm... Not sure..."
Yuku clicked a few buttons on her APER Gear, then turned a knob. A high-pitched whine assaulted the two's senses, though it quickly left their hearing range as the absol turned up the knob.
After a moment, a rudimentary map of the room's 3D space was filled in on the screen. The pool in question appeared to, indeed, stretch to both sides, assuming there weren't small slivers of land to scoot across.
"What do ya' figure, doll-face? I'm down for swimming across if you are."
"Hm..." Yuku felt her face heating up again. She splashed some water into her face to dispel the oncoming embarrassment. "Maybe we should take another way around? It might be deep..."
"Hey, no worries!" The meowth fished into his bag, then pulling out two muzzle-mountable devices. "I brought the breathing apparatuses! Apparati? I don't know, but- Yikes!"
Yuku jumped in alarm, screaming briefly as Inu was tackled. His APER Gear was sent clambering across the floor, leaving the pair and their assailant in complete darkness.
The absol heard a sickening crunch, Inu's shout of pain, and a feral screech coming her way. She dodged to the side just in time for the pokémon to whiz by her and splash into the pool.
The pair of explorers scrambled over to Inu's APER Gear, regrouping. Inu flicked a switch, changing his flashlight from a cone to a more evenly spread radius of light, then clipping it to his belt.
They both turned to see a bandaged maractus emerge from the water. The mummified pokémon's creepy grin and glowing yellow eyes were all that was visible beneath its wrappings, safe for the numerous brown spikes jutting through.
"Drat!" Inu exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "We would've brung Ziks if I'd've known there were ghost-types in here!"
"And, those spikes... All of our non-normal-type skills are physical!" Yuku squealed.
The maractus leapt toward the pair, arm reeled back for a heavy strike.
Yuku leapt backwards a good distance.
Inu curled up, a shimmering shield of energy surrounding his body. The maractus punched him with all of its might, sending the meowth flying through the air. His protect barrier left him unharmed.
Yuku's eyes lit up with a spark of an idea.
"Keep your shield up!" She called, rushing to change her location.
"Got it!" Inu shouted, squeezing his eyes shut.
Yuku focused on her tail, forcefully empowering it with steel-type energy. As Inu came sailing down toward her, she spun on her heel, slamming her iron-tail attack into Inu at full force.
The protected meowth was sent forward at high-speeds, dizzy from all of the abrupt changes in velocity. His barrier cracked with a violent smack as he impacted the maractus, knocking it head-first into the ground.
The meowth fell to his hands and knees, shield dissipating. He threw up on the ground.
With the maractus dazed, Yuku bounded over, leaping into the air. She precisely aimed her iron-tail strike between the cactus' spikes, promptly knocking it out cold.
The absol patted her friend on his back, then rubbed it soothingly.
Inu heaved with shallow breaths, squinting his eyes shut.
"Never again!" He pleaded, clutching at his stomach. "I can't handle that much spinny airtime!"
Yuku looked away, frowning. She pawed at the ground guiltily.
"...I'm sorry."
Inu, shakily standing up, casually slapped Yuku on the back. She yelped in surprise.
"Nah, you're fine! Your idea worked! You've got a good head on your shoulders," the cat praised with a smile.
Yuku, matching his grin, nodded.
"O-oh! Thank you!"
"Thank you, as well!" Inu crossed his arms with a smirk. "Perhaps we could share a 'piece of that pie' later, to celebrate!"
"Eep!" Yuku stood up, shaking her head vigorously as her face turned beet red. "Inu!"
The meowth shrugged innocently.
"Your words, not mine!"
Snute sighed miserably, chin resting on the nightstand within her "room". She daintily sipped her tea-cup full of cola through a bendy straw as her eyes glided back and forth along the pages of a flimsy paper-backed book. A vase sat next to her, a white rose preserved inside.
She'd taken the time to photo-copy Alena's diary, as to be able to read it with little suspicion.
The ninetales shot her head up in surprise as her APER Gear vibrated. With a roll of her eyes, she slammed her glorified packet closed and took a gander at her device.
A message from Lustig.
"To me?" She felt a spike of nerves flare up within her chest. Upon closer inspection, however, she was relieved to find that she was just one of several recipients.
Greetings, Vanilluxe Guild member!
You have been selected to test a new prototype addon for the APER Gear!
As you know, I have been studying the field of robotics the majority of my life with the end-goal of creating functioning androids. At long last, my research nears completion!
I have discovered the last piece of the puzzle for creating life-like intelligence from mere software. I can not disclose the mechanisms behind this for legal reasons.
However, this requires proper testing before it can be placed inside of a robotic shell! It would be dangerous to provide an unstable artificial intelligence with means to cause harm. Guildmaster Vanilluxe has agreed to allow me to ask you all for assistance! How, you might ask?
I present to you: SP-1! Your all-purpose virtual assistant!
In honor of our dearest late friend Amethyst, I have designed this assistant in her image. She may no longer be with us, but her memory shall be immortalized in digital form!
There are only eight addon modules available, so come to my lab ASAP to be a member of the test group!
Yours truly, Dr. Katzenwurst
Snute had begun to walk as soon as she'd started reading, ending up at the shinx's laboratory by the time she'd finished.
Shaking her head, she looked up and pushed through the door.
The shinx in question turned to look over his shoulder with a wide grin.
"Ah! Snute! So good to see you!"
"Sure." The ninetales walked inside, shutting the door behind her. "I've come to try out this new addon, if I may."
The shinx lit up, sparks flying excitedly from his coat.
"Zat is vhat I like to hear!" he exclaimed, quickly flinging a few objects off from his desk. He picked up a relatively small cubic addon, bounding over and offering it to Snute. "You are actually zee first! I had zee feeling zat your hefty brain vould be interested!"
She took it with a polite nod.
"Isn't it a bit tasteless to base your AI assistant off from someone who just died?"
"Nonsense!" Lustig shouted, indignant. "Pushing forvard vith science is zee highest of honors!"
"Uh-huh." Snute's eyes narrowed, before she shook her head. "Why's it so small, anyway? If it's some complex AI system."
"Simple!" Lustig put a paw to his chest with pride. "Zat addon is not zee AI! It is simply zee communicator!" He lowered his paw. "Zee real AI is built into zis ship! Zee addon is just to communicate vith it."
"...I see." Satisfied, Snute ruffled the top of the shinx's head. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Velcome!" Lustig beamed, leaning into the affectionate touch.
After a long trip through the dungeon, Inu and Yuku were both utterly exhausted. At long last, they came upon a hefty chest, sitting atop a podium. Water continued to pour down around and behind it, leaving the floor utterly soaked.
"This treasure had better be somethin' good!" Inu declared. "My feet are killing me!"
"I'm gonna need a bath," Yuku added with a sigh. "My fur's all muddy and messy!"
Stepping up to the chest together, the two shared a determined nod. Two pairs of paws soon lifted the container's lid, before their owners peered inside.
Inu frowned.
"Is that a dildo?"
"Inu!" Yuku cried, face red. "That's a vase!"
"Could've fooled me," muttered the meowth. "It's a bit big, but I bet you could take it."
"Sh-shut up!"
Shrugging, the meowth lifted the object out with minimal effort.
"All right, Yu'! Let's blow this pop stand!"
"Right!"
As the two turned away, they paused. Yuku frowned.
"Uhm... Inu?" The absol ventured.
"Hm?"
Yuku winced as she felt an ache in her horn.
"I think we should be getting out of here. Now."
"Gotcha."
The pair quickly began to dart across the room. The floor faintly vibrated beneath their paws as they went. It steadily picked up in intensity, with the room soon quaking at an alarming speed.
The pipes along the ceiling began to burst, one by one. Thinking quickly, Inu dug out the breathing devices he'd brought, slapping one over Yuku's muzzle, then another over his own.
The rest of the pipes all crumbled at once, then a wall crumbled, unleashing a torrent of water. The pair tried to run away, but the crushing weight of the water soon crashed upon them.
Inu cringed as he was slammed into the ground, fully submerged into the water. He felt a rib crack, and one of his wounds tore back open.
Struggling to move, the meowth just barely mustered the strength to reach for his APER Gear. He plugged his breathing device into it, then putting on a pair of headphones.
After a brief spike of crackling static, Yuku's voice met his ears.
"Inu! Are you okay?!"
"Could be better!" the meowth wheezed. "How about you?"
"Not great! How much air did you pack?"
Inu frowned.
"About sixteen minutes. We've gotta scram!"
"Agreed! Flash me!"
"You first, sweetheart!"
"Inu!"
Chuckling, the meowth clicked a button on his device. A steady red flash began to pulse from its end. He saw a similar green pulse not too far away.
The pair quickly pushed through the abyssal darkness of the flooded room. Once reunited, they switched their APER Gear back into proper flashlight modes.
"I think the exit's this way!" Inu explained, beginning to swim forward as fast as he could. Needless to say, it wasn't very fast. Every strenuous movement ached his beaten and battered body, fogging his senses with unrelenting pain.
Yuku, while not as bad off, felt a bit dizzy. A discomforting nausea crept into her stomach.
"Ugh..." she groaned, clumsily paddling forward. "I think that impact concussed me..."
The meowth winced.
"Oh, shoot..."
Snute, Aundei, Peppy, Ooka, Klyshio, and a sliggoo all sat at a dining table near the back of the cafeteria.
The sliggoo had her face planted into the table, audibly gagging.
"Eyyyuck! Something reeks!" she complained.
Ooka giggled lightly. The lopunny took on a smug grin.
"Snute here seems to have been sweating like an athlete all day."
Indignant, the ninetales rolled her eyes, though remained slouched over on the table. Her drenched scarves remained discarded at her side.
"Sheesh!" the sliggoo giggled. "Put on some deodorant, pal!"
The table shared a good-natured laugh at Snute's expense. She would have been offended if she weren't hot, sweaty, miserable, and emotionally confused.
"That's a good idea, actually," Klyshio added. The simisage held a rye grin. "Au'?"
"Sure thing!" The glameow pulled out a bottle of cologne, spraying Snute down with it. If she was bothered, she didn't make it known. "Don't worry, silly! The desert gets really cold at night!"
"Don't see why it matters," Klyshio shrugged. "We have AC in here."
"We're, uhm, gonna do a bit of a stakeout," Peppy interjected, twiddling her paws nervously.
"Oh?" Ooka cooed, leaning forward. Her elbows rested upon the table. "Sounds interestin'! Tell us more!"
The lopunny and simisage moved to the side as a gardevoir took a seat with them, setting a large box onto the table. Each of the pokémon present eagerly reached for a slice of lasagna.
"Well, I shall inform you!" Aundei proclaimed, smiling. "We're looking into that so-called 'serial prankster'! Supposedly, they only attack at night, so we figured that's when we should investigate them!"
"Ooh! Sounds like fun!" Ooka squealed.
"A chance to be a hero! May I come along?" The sliggoo asked.
"Beats sitting around here, I guess," Klyshio added.
The gardevoir simply gave a silent nod.
Aundei and Peppy shared excited glances.
"The more the merrier!" Aundei chirped.
"Sounds good to me!" Peppy agreed.
The glameow turned to casually nudge Snute.
"What do you think, Silly? Three's a crowd, but more's a party!"
The ninetales was busy glaring into space. Her tongue traced the inside of her maw disdainfully. She swore she could still taste Alfonzo's saliva, and it disgusted her to no end.
"That settles that, then. When are we doing this?" the simisage queried.
"Four hours!" stated Aundei. "Should give us enough time to take a nap and get ready!"
The gardevoir gestured to the sliggoo.
Ooka raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Kasey already said she's interested."
Shaking her head, the gardevoir mimed a sprint.
Kasey, due to her lack of vision, remained completely oblivious as to what was being communicated.
Ooka, however, lit up.
"Oh, of course! Your teammate, Kasey! Or, at least, the one who isn't asleep."
Perking up herself, the sliggoo nodded vigorously.
"Ah, that's right! Aundei, may Sonic come with us?"
The glameow smiled wide.
"That'd be icy!"
Peppy gulped, looking away nervously.
"Uhm..."
Aundei looked down, smiling comfortingly to the fennekin.
"What's wrong, Chef?"
"It's just... Hitting me now that we're gonna be going after some criminal. I'm a bit nervous..."
"Aw, don't worry, scamp!" Ooka exclaimed, lifting the fennekin and eliciting a squeak. "If they hurt you, Kasey will melt their eyes!"
The sliggoo gasped, utterly horrified.
"I will?!"
Aundei and the gardevoir both giggled quietly. Snute and Klyshio rolled their eyes.
Peppy seemed a bit reassured, though remained tensed up.
"A-ah... I don't think we need to go quite that far..."
Later that night, Team Stop Calling Me That stood in the middle of a dark alley. The hustle and bustle of the daytime was replaced with a tranquil soundscape, the chirps and calls of numerous wild bug-types meeting their ears.
"Are we s-sure we'll encounter them here?" Peppy stammered, looking around worriedly. The only thing she could see was the starry sky above, as well as the dimly illuminated street outside the alley.
"This seems to be his second favorite target!" Aundei elaborated. "I figured it'd be best to have Team Celery stand guard at his favorite spot, since Ooka is so fast and all.
"B-but what about the others?" Peppy questioned. "Isn't Sonic a lot faster?"
Snute grumbled.
"Did you even read the group chat?"
Gulping, Peppy bowed her head bashfully.
"Nope... J-just woke up..."
Snute pulled out her APER Gear, clearing her throat.
"He says, and I quote: 'Standing around ain't my style! I'm one with the wind!' End quote."
"O-oh! That makes sense!" Peppy forced a smile. After a long stretch of silence, she continued. "I hope we c-catch them!"
Snute huffed.
"Maybe all of your talking is scaring them off."
"Eep! S-sorry!"
"Ah, don't listen to that kill-joy, my dear! To the contrary, I'm finding this quite entertaining."
The three explorers gasped in surprise. Aundei took on a serious expression, Peppy cowered behind him, and Snute slowly glared upward with pure disdain.
"You!" she growled. "Why'd it have to be you?!"
Aundei activated the light on his APER Gear. Confirming Snute's suspicions, a floragato was suspended upside-down in a criss-cross sitting position, seemingly hanging onto his yoyo.
"Th-Th-The Amazing Alfonzo?!" Peppy gasped, covering her muzzle.
The floragato smirked.
"Abracadabra! The one and only!"
Aundei gritted his teeth, standing tall.
"I should have known!"
Alfonzo chuckled.
"Truth be told, I did not intend to reveal myself! I couldn't resist my curiosity, however. Do my eyes deceive me, or is my dear Lucy out playing explorer?" He reached out a hand to caress Snute's chin, placing a short kiss on her muzzle.
The ninetales opened her maw, firing an ice-beam directly toward the floragato's face.
Alfonzo flicked his wrist, spinning his yoyo, which pulled him back upwards along the string which suspended him. He moved just in time to dodge the attack.
"Catch me, if you can!" The cat held out his hands, before dropping four spherical objects into the alley.
Peppy darted out with a squeal of fear.
Snute formed a thick casing of ice around herself as the devices exploded, with Aundei leaping up out of their range.
Feeling no force from the blast, Snute opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything.
"Smoke bombs. Of course."
Aundei funneled flying-type energy into his legs as he sprung back and forth, wall-jumping up the height of the alley. The floragato continued to ascend with remarkable speed, however the glameow slowly gained closure on him.
The two pokémon soon landed atop the flat roofs, their paws sinking into the thin layer of sand built up atop them.
Alfonzo stood with his arms crossed, smirking challengingly. His black cape fluttered in the breeze.
Aundei's own golden cape swayed in equal measure as the glameow advanced forward.
"Stand down, Showy!" Aundei asserted. "Your crimes have been minor, so we can let you off with a warning if you cease now!"
"What, and put an end to my art? Not a chance, my friend!"
With a spring of his legs, Alfonzo sprung over the glameow's head.
Aundei turned to see a figure land on the opposing roof across the alley, then bouncing away.
The glameow gave chase, a primal yowl leaving his throat as he bounded toward his target. It remained elusive, however, staying just out of reach as they crossed countless rooftops.
Pouring all of his energy into one final leap, Aundei sailed the distance of three buildings, tackling the figure to the ground.
With the floragato pinned, Aundei gave a sigh of relief.
The substitute copy of Alfonzo gave a condescending smirk and salute, before poofing out of existence.
Aundei blinked. He then stamped a paw.
"Curses! I've been bamboozled!"
As Snute trudged down the road, she gave a low growl. Her cheeks flushed in a mixture of rage, embarrassment, and longing, with fresh tears brimming in her eyes.
She shook it off, however, as she spotted a figure falling from a building.
Alfonzo flung his wrist, his yoyo following the motion and clinging to a horizontal flagpole. He used his momentum to swing forward, launching himself into the air, then repeating his previous action with a second yoyo in his other hand.
Snute began sprinting to keep up with the swinging floragato. He took notice quickly, prompting him to show off with various flips and spins mid-swing.
Snute fired numerous ice beams, one after another, each aimed to perfection. Yet, each missed their mark, with Alfonzo seemingly defying physics to dodge her attacks in ways that shouldn't have been possible.
Snute began to draw on what little moisture was around to form clouds in the sky. Before long, it began to snow, then hail.
Alfonzo frowned as he continued to swing. The speed of his movement made each chunk of ice feel like a baseball pitched right into his body.
He slowed down just enough for Snute to launch a thin beam of ice, cutting through both of his yoyo strings.
The floragato flipped mid-air, landing on his feet atop a roof and striking a pose. He extended two vines to recollect his disconnected yoyos.
Upon looking over the side of the building, Alfonzo raised an eyebrow. Snute was nowhere to be seen. He soon heard shuffling behind himself, turning to see the ninetales emerge from the chimney.
The floragato gave a hearty laugh.
"Oh, dear! I'm always impressed by the places you can squeeze into, Lucy."
"Wait until you see me squeeze you into your coffin." Snute's eyes narrowed as she inched forward.
Hail continued to fall, noisily thunking against the roof.
"Look, Lu'. I'm sorry I made fun of you, okay? Let bygones be bygones!"
"You're sorry? You're sorry? You're sure as hell about to be!"
Snute leapt toward Alfonzo with a bark, snapping her jaws at his throat. He quickly dodged to the side.
"I'd love to stick around and let you maul me, but I would rather keep breathing, for now." As Snute lunged back toward him, he flipped over her form, leaving her to faceplant into the roof. "Adios, Lucille!"
Snute turned to pounce again, pure rage filling her system. It only heightened when it became apparent that her target had somehow vanished.
Snute laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. Or, rather, she would have been staring at the ceiling, if there'd been ample light for it.
The stakeout had been pointless. It was a night of nothing but embarrassment. The fennekin had ran away, the glameow had fallen for an illusion, and she had let herself been made a fool out of again.
She was frustrated. Flustered, embarrassed, angry, sad, disappointed, disgusted. No single word felt apt to sum up her feelings, and she found that displeasing.
Her brain found itself reminiscing on events of years past.
A vulpix and sprigatito stood proudly upon a cardboard stage. The former of the pair had a red plastic cup atop their head. A small gathering of young pokémon looked on skeptically.
"And, for our final act," the sprigatito proclaimed, "we will perform our most impressive feat yet!" He stood tall with a smug grin.
"It will leave you awed!" Snute cheered, with a beaming grin. "Never before have you, and never again will you lay witness to such an incredible showcase of magic!"
"Quite apt wording, dearest Lucy! How about you start us off?"
"With pleasure, Fonz!"
Snute placed a ball on the table. She then set down three plastic cups, one covering the ball.
"Now," Alfonzo instructed the audience, "Keep your eyes on this cup!" He tapped the top of the cup with the ball beneath it. He then began to shuffle the cups around. It was just fast enough to look impressive, yet slow enough for anyone to easily track the singled out cup.
With the pokémon distracted, Snute carefully snuck her paw beneath the table. Her claws soon caught on an indentation, which she pulled open with a well-timed flick. The ball seamlessly fell through the brief opening, with seemingly nobody noticing.
After a moment, Alfonzo removed his paws from the cup, standing back.
"Now! Who can tell me which ball the cup is beneath!"
A charmander rolled his eyes, pointing to the leftmost cup.
"That one. Y'all were too slow with that."
Smugly, Alfonzo lifted the cup. Nothing was under it.
Surprised, the charmander flusteredly sputtered out some excuse.
"The middle one!" A skitty called out.
Alfonzo obliged, revealing that cup to be equally empty. He then lifted the final cup, which, too, was empty.
Snute then walked forward, proudly presenting her head. Alfonzo lifted the cup which sat atop it, revealing the ball to be underneath.
The few audience members blinked in unison.
After a moment, the charmander spoke up.
"...That was it? That was your big final act? Ya' just lied to us about a ball."
"We teleported it!" Alfonzo clarified, gesturing to the table, then Snute.
"Yeah, right," a patrat laughed. "I bet Lucy just dropped it through the table when we weren't lookin'."
"N-no!" Snute lied. "Fonzy is magic!"
"Hey, look, everybody!" The pokémon present turned to see the skitty roll a rock across the ground. "Wow! I'm magic!"
As the audience erupted in laughter, Snute and Alfonzo couldn't help but join in.
"All right," the charmander said. "Teasing aside, you two did pretty good! Much better than last month."
The vulpix and sprigatito both bowed.
"Thank you!" Alfonzo cheered.
"It means the world!" Snute added in a sing-song tone.
After a few more moments of banter, the group said their goodbyes, departing for their respective homes.
It wasn't long before Snute and Alfonzo arrived in an enclosed alleyway under the cloak of sunset. The two approached a large barrel at the end. Climbing up, they carefully lifted up the lid, then letting it fall back into place as they hopped inside.
Alfonzo flicked the ceiling-mounted flashlight on, illuminating the barrel. A pillow, some snacks, a few cans of cola, and a binder were all on the floor. Two posters and a smart tablet were mounted on the wall.
The weather chose that moment to begin a downpour. The pitter-patter of gentle rain transitioned slowly into an aggressive shower of water.
Snute and Alfonzo remained protected by the barrel's walls.
The vulpix lazily flopped over onto the pillow, huffing with exhaustion. The sprigatito laid beside her, snuggling up close. Their tails intertwined carefully as they rested, with one of Alfonzo's forepaws atop one of Snute's.
The battery of their flashlight died soon after, but neither pokémon cared. They simply enjoyed each-other's presence, taking in the calming hammering of rain above their heads. The small window built into the side of the barrel just barely illuminated their faces with the light of the setting sun.
Snute smiled warmly, nuzzling against Alfonzo's cheek. The gesture was returned with matching fondness, before the two shared a quick kiss.
"I'm... I'm really glad we met, Fonz," Snute admitted, tails wagging eagerly. "I felt like I lost everything... Like the universe just ripped everything I care about away from me at once."
Alfonzo smiled, nodding with understanding.
"I feel ya'. But... Despite it all, we found each other to care about!"
Snute rested her chin on her paws, basking in the pleasant warmth washing over her body.
"Even with all I lost... You've given me hope! I miss my family a lot, and it hurts every day, but..." she turned to Alfonzo, eyes sparkling with hope and determination. "With you, I can do anything!"
Alfonzo met her gaze, an equal spark of determination filling his eyes.
"That's right! Together, my dear, the pain of loss will be eclipsed by the beauty of companionship! Never again shall the universe tear away what we hold so dear!"
"Yeah! That's right, Fonz! I won't let you go!"
Alfonzo gently gripped Snute's paw, placing a small kiss atop it. This elicited a small giggle, with the blushing vulpix averting her gaze.
"We can make this work, Lu'. You and I, we shall be unstoppable! I'll be there for you, Lucille. I love you."
"I love you, too, Alfonzo. I've got your back, pal."
As the two found themselves cloaked in darkness, Snute laid her chin down with a smile. She stretched blissfully, letting out a short yawn.
Everything would be okay. She finally settled upon a decision. The next morning, she'd tell Alfonzo her dream, and it would all work out. He'd understand.
He did not understand.
Alfonzo's brows furrowed. He wiped the rain off from his face, barely illuminated by the early morning sun.
"What? I don't think I heard you right, Lu'."
The vulpix frowned. She'd thought she'd spoked quite clearly.
"I said that I want to be an explorer!" She puffed out her chest, giving a proud smile. "I've thought long and hard about it, Fonzy, and I think this is what I really want to do!"
The sprigatito bit his lip, shuffling in place uncertainly.
"...I dunno, Lu'."
Snute's smile fell. She took on a more inquisitive expression.
"What do you mean?"
"It's just..." Alfonzo looked away, waving his paw in a circle. "What about our magic shows? I kinda need ya'."
Snute smiled wide.
"Oh, is that all?" She carefully gripped Alfonzo's paws. His uncertain gaze met her excited one. "Fonzy, you're great at magic! I bet you could really put on a sweet solo show!" She calmed down a bit, though remained in high spirits. "And, of course, I'd still love to help when I'm around! Seems a good plan, innit?"
Snute smiled. Alfonzo frowned. Snute frowned.
"...No."
"No?"
"I just... Don't think you should do it."
Snute looked a bit concerned, placing a paw on Alfonzo's cheek.
"But why? Fonz, it'd be perfect! I could go around and help everybody! Just as you've helped me love life again, I can help other people with anything that troubles them!" Her smile returned. "Think about it! We've found so much joy through each other, right? You can spread that same joy out through your shows, and I can spread it as an explorer in the Vanilluxe Guild! There's so much happiness to be had in this drab world, and we can bring that! Together! I've been thinking about this for about a year now, and... I know it's my destiny! This is what I need to do!"
Alfonzo nodded.
"Yes, Lucy, together! Not separate, like you're proposing! I don't know what you think you need to prove, but you don't need to prove anything! It's dangerous out there."
Snute shook her head, confused.
"I'm not trying to prove anything, Fonz! I just..."
"You just what? Want to go out and get yourself killed in a mystery dungeon for kicks?" Alfonzo shook his head. "Lucy, that's stupid! This is stupid! I need you! Don't go throwing your life away like this!"
Snute looked truly and deeply hurt. The vulpix puffed up in anger.
"It's stupid to sit around and do nothing to help those who are suffering! That's what's stupid! I've felt pain for too long, and I wish to rid the world of the loss I've known! Now, staying here and sitting on my fat ass in this dump all day? THAT would be throwing my life away."
Alfonzo's eyes felt wetter. He knew it wasn't just the rain.
"I thought you cared about me, Lu'! I thought you cared about us!"
"I do! I love you with every fiber of my being, Fonz! That's why I have to do this!"
Shaking his head, Alfonzo turned away. He choked out a sob.
"No! If you really care, you'll forget your dumb fantasy and stay here with me!"
Snute squoze her eyes shut, turning away.
"You know... I thought I would never have to deal with the universe tearing my loved ones away from me again. I... never expected that they'd be pushing me away willingly."
Alfonzo stayed quiet.
Snute waited a long time, but no response ever came. When she finally turned around, Alfonzo was gone.
For the second time in her life, Snute stood with her heart broken, dreams shattered, and future unclear. Once again, everything she'd known had been uprooted in just a few minutes.
The morning was stiflingly hot and humid. She knew not where she'd go; only that she had to go somewhere. Anywhere but there.