In 1999, a man stood by a tree to soberly watch the canals, his melancholic face hoping for relief as he gazed upon the passersby. He observed various people in business attire who he supposed had the privilege of going to work as he and his coal-dusted peers used to. He observed children hurrying about with their families trying to catch up, and they reminded him of the family he'd had for most of his thirty-four years, which only worsened his aggrieved state.

And, strangely, there was an agitated young man pacing about the canals, a weary Bidoof in his arms as he loudly muttered whatever train of thought he was lost in. "Such variance in options respective, such valiance in each's perspective, yet such distance in time receptive... Most assuredly, it is prescribed by those who prescribe such things, time shall lack time in the process of waiting. Yet waiting shall possess such time that time shall lack the lacking of time's existence..." After that bizarre thing resembling speech, he sighed before looking about his surroundings, and then he focused squarely on the man by the tree before making a surprisingly fast dash to him, shouting a suitable greeting before having even stopped. "It is hereby declared by myself that a salutation to the unfamiliar self in your possession shall be issued! Verily, I have deduced that it is an interesting self, and therefore I commence my resolution to obtain your comradeship!"

The older man, after flinching and accepting his fate, simply had a nearly wordless stare of raw confusion, much like the younger man's Bidoof. "Who are you, and why did you try cocaine?"

That somehow gave the younger man pause instead of further agitating him, and he gave a similar reply with a level of calmness not entirely typical of a crackhead. "Such a prejudicial manner of requesting the statement of one's moniker... Nonetheless, it shall be granted. That title of mine resembling all those who human and Pokémon alike are in possession of is Quonk Quonkson, that ferrrrvent assassination-giver of this metropolitan residence's bereaved! For your request's answered response, I shall request the same!"

"...If I heard that right, my name is Hisoka Sasaki, but you're talking about as clearly as a brick wall." With almost zero interest compared to Quonk in this, the man just sat down at the tree.

And Quonk appeared pleased by that... "A wall talketh not — therefore, it is of the utmost clarity that it say nothing. With much honor and gratitude do I thereby accept your complimentary utterance!" Then he sat under the tree by Hisoka to talk further. The Bidoof appeared to grow more weary with every sentence. "With repetition I shall again issue this proposal: That we shall become comrades via the mutuality of our intrigue in respect to all."

Hisoka gave a look somewhere between skepticism and dismissal. "Kid, comrades fight for something. I've got nothing to fight for now — you see what's left of the buildings around us? Rocket takes everything even if you do fight, anywa–... Why are you laughing?"

Quonk was indeed laughing after quickly standing up. In fact, he was laughing quite loudly and shouting through it to almost the same degree. "'Nothing to fight for', your utterances thereby allege! Such folly is confirmed solely through itself by one whose circumstances are surely akin to my own, and yet seven annums of labour have been tirelessly invested towards the rectification of such circumstances inflicted upon myself!" The Bidoof sighed.

"And let me guess, they come back stronger every time?"

"Such shall not deter ourselves! In time's passing, it shall be carried out: A grand armed force shall trounce that most unvaliant organization for its timeless eradication, the retribution accomplished thereby!"

That made Hisoka facepalm. "You think me, you, and that Bidoof are enough to take down Team Rocket when multiple regions are still losing that fight?"

"I shall hereby be directed by yourself at my request, the location being their operant home prescribed for this locality!" The Bidoof said something that made Quonk frown. "Must I state such things in the common parlance? The local base!"

And with that, a heavy sigh gave way to a slow nod. "I don't have any Pokémon to help, and it won't work out how you think it will anyway, but I'll lead you there. That's all I can do."

"Such is all I should expect of yourself... Therefore, we shall commence the procession with all deliberate haste!" Both Quonk and his Bidoof somehow seemed excited despite their senior's words as they were forced to walk behind Hisoka rather than run.

What mess had this man gotten into?

After two minutes of walking, among the trees filled with chirping Starly, the two of them made it to a building that Hisoka gestured to. "So, here it is..."

With that, Quonk marched up to the front door of the building and... calmly knocked on it while holding the Bidoof in his other hand.

Hisoka stared dumbfounded at this. "...Kid, did we go on this journey just for you to knock on their door?"

Quonk turned his head to Hisoka and chuckled. "Cease your presumptions... They shall soon reply to my initiation of contact, and upon it, further progression shall be achieved."

"Do you actually realize what these people are capable of?!"

Now Quonk was just staring at the door. "Had my discretion required that to have notability, I'd have given care to it." ...Very patiently, until he returned to his usual dramatics. "And yet they fail to direct their attention to a mere knock! Would we relieve this door of its duties before their sensibilities allowed them to answer?!"

"Assuming they're even here right now..."

He sighed heavily before he stood resolute again. "It shall be made known in due time. Kastriakh. I impel your stockpile of ability to unleash itself upon this entryway for purposes of initiation of our—"

Instead of letting Quonk finish, the Bidoof just used Strength to rip the door off its hinges from the doorknob.

"Ah, quite prompt. Now, prepare such a wave of force that this operations facility shall be eradicated in moments proceeding from its beginning." He then looked inside the base while the Bidoof glowed.

"Are all your Pokémon names this ridiculous?"

He looked back at Hisoka in confusion. "Kastriakh is the totality of those that comprise my comrades. I lack further to issue monikers towards."

And with that, the Bidoof sent an explosive wave of water into the base using Surf, flooding it and blasting the Rocket who was at last moving to answer the destroyed door.

And Hisoka continued to stare dumbfoundedly at the antics of this duo. "...Is that what you came here for? Just to flood them?"

Quonk simply pointed at the unconscious bodies of some Rockets his mouse knocked out with the force of the wave. "The efficacy thereof is indisputable. And in the eventuality of further assaults, the floor's dampness shall hinder their proceeding." Some incoming Rockets slipped on the floor and faceplanted. They'd definitely have to mop later.

"And how long do you believe that would last for? Water does, in fact, dry."

"Upon the dampness's recession, further assaults... And now, an exemplary instance of them!"

The Bidoof launched itself at another incoming Rocket and hit his chest so hard that the man probably needed an ambulance with how it made a CGI explosion. Brownmouse®

At that, Hisoka nodded. "...Huh. Good thing you brought the Bidoof."

A hearty laugh with vigorous nodding followed. "Verily so! The essentiality of Kastriakh's presence was truly warranted! Bidoof are declared to be chief in household defense and offense weaponry!"

The Bidoof gave an agreeing squeak while attacking some equipment and creating more CGI explosions as a result.

Meanwhile, while even the wild Pokémon harassed the Rockets, Hisoka had decided to walk amidst the chaos to see if he could catch one of them. He probably needed one again after losing all of his previous ones, after all.

"At present, I am lacking in necessary labour in this operation. Peradventure the couplet comprised of myself and yours shall become such a venture towards our mutual aim that—... Where in the Canalave Fried Fuck is his presence located?!" Assuming Hisoka had left because he couldn't see the man where he'd been before, he grabbed a random Starly and started yelling orders while it looked at him in terror. "You! My avian compatriot! It is my will issued in such manner as this: That your winged self shall perform such a survey of our surrounding whereabouts that our comrade is to be fou— Ouch, cease your assault, I shall demand such!" The angry bird didn't even stop after he let go.

What made it even stranger was that Hisoka was only a meter away trying to catch another Starly. "If you need someone that badly, it's not as if I have anything better to do..."

And once Quonk managed to grapple the bird well enough to force feed it a Rare Candy, making it stronger yet less enraged, he finally noticed Hisoka again... "Ah! Your apparition has returned thus. Very well. Your person shall be guarded hereby." He fed the now very high Starly two more Rare Candies and held it in front of Hisoka as it stared at him with a very confused face.

"...I didn't even go anywhere. I was just trying to catch a Starly, and then you went and did that."

Quonk let out an embarrassed chuckle. "...Perception by myself is prone to lapsing, perhaps. This Starly shall be prescribed as a token of apology thus." The Bidoof facepalmed as the Starly let out more confused chirping.

"...That probably works." Hisoka proceeded to take out a ball and, pressing it against the top of the Starly's head, proceeded to capture her.

Congratulations, Hisoka. You now have a crackhead for a partner, and you also have a Starly.

Quonk nodded before walking to Kastriakh, now surrounded by unconscious Rockets in the middle of a collapsed base. "Your completion of this operation is hereby to be declared, is it so?" The mouse let out an affirmative squeak. "Then our labour has concluded this day. Others shall have completed the necessary tasks by dawn. Our subsequent task..." He took some money from a probably dead agent's wallet. "Is to dine!" The Bidoof began vibrating in excitement.

Hisoka shrugged. "Well... at least we'll get a day of food from all of this."

He nodded quickly with an excited face. "As we have obtained essential funding for such a luxury..." He paused for a moment, blinking before nervously laughing. "...Such an outlandish void of knowledge of mine. Whence might a quality dinner be procured?"

"Hmm... Only thing I can think of is that contemporary Unovan-style burger restaurant next to the Pokémon Center. Everything else is either destroyed by Rocket or under the Order's protection, which would make it a lot harder for us ordinary people to get in. How long have you even been in Canalave anyway?"

"Seventy-five-hundredths sco—" The Bidoof finally slapped him into making even the slightest amount of sense. "Fifteen annums have I inhabited this animated matter, and the city therein... Irregardlessly, that most unvaliant conglomerate's annihilation of massive scale has decimated whatever resemblance of familiar mapping I possess."

"...Yeah, I know that one. I've been away from Oreburgh so long that I wouldn't recognize a thing, even before the accident."

Quonk sighed. "Chronology's transition lacks instances of ceasing..." He spent twenty seconds in a contemplative state before not even pausing between that and bounding off towards the Pokémon Center, and the restaurant near it. "Therefore that transition shall bring forth an instance of feasting for ourselves! Hasten yours!" They had to hasten themselves with how fast he was running, alright.

It took a little while, but they arrived to a busy establishment of red walls, beige tables, and yellow seats, and Hisoka looked around in surprise. "...Oddly enough, I remember this being half as large as it is now." The Starly chirped as the restaurant began to play Surfin' Bird over the radio.

Meanwhile, Quonk was laughing joyfully as the Bidoof trembled with ravenous excitement. "Twofold the volume, doubly so the quality of our consumption! That process shall hereby assume its start!" He hurried into the restaurant and ignored the confused looks from other people who knew him as a homeless person, and immediately went to a table to look at the menu, Kastriakh of course doing the same.

The confused looks did not go unnoticed. "Is there... maybe something more important this money should be spent on? Before we end up spending the majority."

He got a bewildered look in response to that. "Little of concern is to be determined. The canals permit hygienic practice, the alleys or inhabitantless enclosures shelter in adverse climate, my volunteer assassinations of unvaliant beings for recreation... What is truly lacking is nutritional substance."

"...I guess I can't really fault that logic, even if people tend to look down on it."

Quonk gave a wordless nod before returning to the menu. Of course, he was looking for whatever had the most calories, but he did linger more on foods that matched yet seemed healthier. He eyed the alcohol list to exasperated Bidoof sounds. At least all orders came with free Pokémon food on request.

"...What do Starly even eat?"

"'Tis an avian. Its diet is surely simple vegetation." Kastriakh was staring at the meat selection like he was about to eat the menu.

The bird finally exited the ball and, still slightly high, only chirped while... not quite understanding what was happening for obvious reasons. She was just outside of a destroyed building with these people, after all.

"At least it's inclusive, so we just pick stuff and they'll sort it. Either way, we should probably avoid alcohol... I've had my fill of anything extravagant, so I'll have a plain cheeseburger and fries."

Meanwhile, the starving homeless person ordered appropriately. Two of each of these: A calorie-dense burger that still had vegetables, a large fruit salad, and a large sundae with peanut butter topping, all this with a side of mashed potatoes. He also got root beer because he saw the word beer. Let's ignore that mistake. He proceeded to begin eating like an animal with his mouse consuming a plate of steaks and cheese.

The Starly simply stared in complete astonishment at these two, only letting out a single flat chirp.

Hisoka was just as surprised. "...Do you even do anything normally?"

He somehow spoke clearly despite the food in his mouth. "My palate has been truly deprived of such edible goods for twenty-four days! I shall consume as such." The Bidoof let out a muffled squeak in agreement.

Meanwhile, the Starly was eating seeds, sliced fruit and the like as any civilized bird would.

"And you didn't think to go to a food bank or something?"

"I've been expelled from the majority of charity establishments. Their facade is that I am 'too disorderly'. They know not the mark of a true upperclassman..."

"If this is how you are normally, then perhaps they had a point."

The Starly and Bidoof began dying of laughter, Kastriakh nearly choking.

Quonk just blinked, then muttered something incomprehensible while drinking the root beer, and finally began to eat like a normal person. Apparently his hunger became reasonable again. "...You have demonstrated a valiant efficacy in location of those my vendetta seeks. Peradventure our shared grievances unite us, such that we shall seek as one the redress of them by whatever means possible."

The bird didn't even bother chirping in response to that. The seeds were delicious, though.

"...Assuming you want me to go with you, sure."

Quonk was now standing on his chair. "Verily so, value thereby being valueless, for value limits value! This joint venture comprised of ourselves shall set off in pursuit of achievement of those goals which we shall set forth for ourselves, and rrrreeadily-"

Kastriakh jumped from the table to hit him on the top of the head so he'd finally sit down again. The patrons didn't seem surprised at all — maybe only slightly annoyed.

"I'm not even going to pretend I understood a word of that, but sure. I have nothing to lose."

Quonk nodded. "The sort of aim, our seeking the fulfillment thereof... Perhaps we should require increased organization of our resources." Confused chirping. "...Yes, perhaps resembling a nest's organization of its eggs." And now his contemplative look increased. "An ownerless house containing sufficient room... I am resolute in faith attesting to its existence."

"...What resources? Where would you even get resources? Everything of use in Canalave has been either taken by Rocket or taken by the Order, and neither are the type of people who like surprise visits! We're lucky this restaurant is still standing, honestly..." Then he thought about it. "There's what's left of a garden shed just outside the city limits, but that's all there is that I know of."

And of course, Quonk quickly finished eating, then ignored everything Hisoka said but what was heard of the shed as he stood on the floor this time. "Much lacking in necessity is to be found in regards to further luxury! An enclosure is to be such, and an enclosure is sufficient presently. Therefore..." He blinked. "...Such ravenous need for satiation is in Kastriakh for this instance of chronology."

"It doesn't even have a roof, I'd hardly call it an enclosure."

Quonk shrugged again. "That library contained within our municipality surely is in possession of carpentry manuals. Trees are in existence. An enclosure it shall be, an enclosure it is, and so we shall disregard its current nature."

The Starly pointed to Quonk and chirped incredulously to Hisoka as the Bidoof continued to devour steaks.

"...Not sure why you think a Starly or Bidoof can take down trees, but I'll still help you."

He chuckled and then spoke relatively plainly. "What is a household defense weapon without slashing utility?"

"In that case, we probably should build something, assuming the land doesn't belong to anyone."

Quonk nodded. "It shall be done. Kastriakh, has your dining presently concluded?" Buzzsaw sounds. "Excellently announced. And so that grand organization comprised of this duo consisting of our two selves shall valiantly encamp upon that enclosure to be constructed and—"

The Starly dropped a stick of butter into his mouth so he'd shut up for a moment while swallowing it.

"Definitely check those land rights, though. The last thing we need is more enemies."

"My livelihood has not been tarnished even in a singular instance of my seven annums of inhabiting the abandoned homes of this city."

"In that case we should probably make sure that continues, mainly by not angering anyone..."

He stayed completely silent for 20 seconds and eventually responded when both brown mouse and bird were staring at him in hope of getting him to agree. "...My occupation shall lack provocation. Therefore, we shall proceed!" He took the... "reward money" from his vigilante work out, threw how much they had to pay rounded up to the staff (the local Turtwig liked staring at the image of them on the money), and then casually ran out of the restaurant, Bidoof on his head, in a random direction.

"That's not how it- You know what, never mind!" With that, Hisoka began to run after Quonk in hopes of chasing him down.

And that concludes this chapter of their story. Will these two get to the shed? Will they be able to build the base? Will Quonk actually talk normally for once? Find out next time!