#act 2-1

I’m a Night Warden for Arceus’ sake! I didn’t dabble too much into the affairs of the Night Hunters until recently!

My eyebrows furrow as a few choice curses escape my lips in soft mutters as I sign a few reports with my signatures, all typical ‘we killed this’ or ‘we drove this away’. Now technically that’s what the GoT does and I commend the members that completed their missions, but at the same time it’s just...very dull to read over report after report. That and it’s very hard on the eyes.

I feel my gaze drift over to the computer console on the desk, the primary device I use to check out online reports as well as communicate with various members via video communication.

I feel my lips curve slightly upon recalling my chat with Aster and her going over the details of their situation when they arrived to Woodwick. At least THAT was interesting, not to mention I’ve always held the highest regards for her out of all the Night Hunters.

The sound of the office door opens draws my attention, making my ears twitch before I glance up. Standing at now opened entrance is Penumbra, the leader of the Night Watchers.

“I guess knocking isn’t required when it comes to you?” I muse sarcastically, feeling my patience too thin and myself too tired to bother with professionalism.

The Luxray-Arcanine hybrid rolls her eyes. “The reason for me being here is to inform you that our presence is required.”

I cock an eyebrow. “Then why didn’t you inform me through the monitors? It would be much more efficient than simply coming here.”

Her eyes narrow slightly. “I was already in the area.” She answers dryly then shakes her head. “We can continue this conversation on the way, not to mention one of the reasons is that there’s a rumor of another hybrid out there.”

The bitterness from the constant paperwork quickly fades upon hearing this, my interest suddenly piqued. However this only lasted for a moment before I started looking at her with a deadpan expression. “Rumor?” I repeat irritably. “Why would my presence be required for a rumor?” I place my elbow on my desk and lean on my head, my interest quickly making its way to a corner so that it can die completely. “That’s your forte, if there’s a rumor then you send a Night Watcher to check it out. The only reason on why my presence would be needed is if there’s a confirmed sighting and we need to send out a team.”

She lets out a snort at this. “Now this is a new Jezebel, what happened to the one that priorities professionalism at all costs?”

“Murdered by never-ending paperwork.” I respond tiredly. “That and the fact that this is a job that was dumped onto me by Colossus.” I breath out deeply through my nose. “Completely out of nowhere, if I may add.”

Penumbra rubs her eyes with a paw. “Nevertheless...” She sighs. “Your presence is still required, since the rumor is only one of many things that Colossus wishes to discuss.”

With a heavy sigh of my own I force myself to stand, much to the dismay of my tired brain. “Fine, lead the way.” I mutter, grabbing my staff from the wall it’s leaning on.

“Coffee will be supplied.” The hybrid adds with a smirk, turning and walking out of the office

Another bonus of being a Luxray/Arcanine hybrid is that I’m extraordinarily tall, so that doesn’t mean I need a shortened desk to accommodate me. With a paw I slide through the various contacts, eventually stopping at a particular name.

‘Snakewulf’

I tap the name on the screen, after a few seconds I see a spinning circle that signifies that I’m dialing him.

Night Watcher phones contain no ringtones or vibration options, since we don’t wish for something as minor as that to blow their cover if they’re in hostile territory. So if we’re trying to get a hold of them, a dim light on their phones would blink every few seconds to get their attention without putting them in any danger.

After a few seconds of waiting...I hear a small ‘ding’ that tells me that Snakewulf picked up.

“Hola Penumbra!” I hear his casual voice over the speakers. “Cómo puedo ayudarte?”

I couldn’t help but pause for a moment, not expecting him speaking a different language. Eventually I ended up grinning. “I see that you’re learning Spanish, Snakewulf.”

I hear him laugh. “Indeed, it’s the first language of the locals here. It’s actually not quite that difficult to learn compared to other languages, unlike English.” He falls silent for a moment before continuing. “Now as much as I’d love to talk about my learnings, I know you called me for reason. What do you need the Wulf to check out?”

I couldn’t help but shake my head with amusement. “Never missing a beat, I see.” I clear my throat. “But yes, you’re correct. There’s been a rumor of an escaped HWDP hybrid being sighted within a cluster of towns.”

“HWDP hybrid eh?” I can practically imagine the interest on his face. “Isn’t it one of those rogue ones that you told us to keep an eye out?”

I nod my head only to stop, remembering that we’re not even talking face-to-face. “We believe so, however it’s only rumors at this current point.”

“Which is where I come in.” He chuckles. “I know you’ll be sending me the details, but would ya mind informing me a bit on what town cluster you’re talking about?”

I chuckle as well. “Very well. We caught wind of the rumor within a cluster of three adjacent towns.” I pause for a moment, recalling the names. “Floralstrom, Ricksville, and Pearldom if I remember correctly.”

“Interesting names.” He comments. “I’m kinda curious on their origins.”

I roll my eyes. “You will have plenty of opportunities to learn about them, Snakewulf. However gaining information on this hybrid is-”

“A priority, I know my job Penumbra.” He finishes, laughing again. “I’m not going to run off and leave you all hanging just because I want to know the history of the names of three towns, you guys actually give me something to focus on instead of just wandering the lands like some homeless nomad.”

“Homeless nomad?” I repeat. “Interesting choice of words.”

I could just imagine him shrugging at this moment. “Ehh, couldn’t think of anything else to say. That or a circus sideshow, whichever fits your tastes better.”

“I think I’ll stick with the homeless nomad.” I chuckle. “Nevertheless, I will page you the coordinates. Once you receive them I need you to get there as quickly as possible, however I don’t believe it will take you long since you’re already within the general area.”

“Guess that’s what happens when I’m a star track-runner~” He singsongs.

“Or an artificially created Pokemon that’s designed specifically for being a predator that hunts down others over extreme distances and conditions.” I remark with amusement.

“Welp, got me there.” I hear a slight shuffling sound. “But yeah, just send them right over and I’ll get there right in a jiffy. If there’s any gossip about some new dude or chick in town, I’ll snap it right up like the social butterfly I am.”

I feel myself frown, recalling what Jezebel said. “Even if your appearance might cause possible complications?”

“Complications?” I hear him laugh again. “Penumbra, my whole existence is kinda complicated. If anything my appearance actually gets people to come to me, so it’ll make information gathering a breeze.” He pauses for a moment. “Which is actually a good thing that you’re not having me infiltrating any places, since my appearance is anything but inconspicuous. I’d be the worst spy in the world.”

I couldn’t help but snicker. “That I can agree on.”

“What? Does that mean you didn’t agree with everything else I said?” He asks playfully. “So are you saying I’m not trustworthy?”

I roll my eyes for a second time. “I will send you the details once this call is over, be sure to inform me when you get there.”

“Aye aye, captain. I’m on the job.” More shuffling noises. “I will get there in a jiffy, Snakewulf out.” With that the computer screen flashes red, signifying that he hung up.

“Silly dog...” I chuckle to myself only to pause, realizing what I said. “Dog...? Hm, more like dragon...” Actually, I didn’t know what description would properly fit him.

Hmm...perhaps I can ask him about it later, but for now...I have location details to send.

Penumbra clears her throat to gain both of our attentions, once we’re both looking at her (and in my case, with irritation) she starts speaking. “From what limited information we’ve obtained, there are rumors of an unusual hybrid detected within the eastern region of the country.” She points her paw at the map on the table, specifically in an area where there are three towns adjacent to one another. “The descriptions are vague and inconsistent, but we believe that there’s a high chance that this hybrid may be one of the rogues that escaped from the HWDP.”

Colossus nods his head. “Which is worthy of being investigated.”

She nods as well. “Because of the lack of proper information, we can’t risk sending a Night Hunter or Night Warden team only for it to be nothing. That is why I’ll be deploying a Night Watcher to gather information.”

I rub my forehead tiredly, still wondering why I’m even here to begin with.

“Thankfully...” Penumbra continues, her lips widening into a confident smile. “One of my best happens to be in the area already, so I will be sending him to check it out.”

Now this makes me pause. “Best?” I repeat, sitting a bit more straightly. “Are you talking about the Medicham?”

The Luxray blinks at this before quickly shaking her head. “Oh no, it’s not Hideyoshi. He may be very good at his work, but he doesn’t quite compare to who I’m speaking of.”

Doesn’t quite compare? I’ve heard a lot of very great things about Hideyoshi, so if he doesn’t compare to this individual...then does that technically make this particular Night Watcher her best?

Who exactly is she talking ab-

Wait...

I feel my eyes widen as I begin to gain an idea of who this Night Watcher is. “Are you talking about Him?” I ask her.

The Luxray nods her head, her smile widening even further. “Yes, him.”

At this point my exhaustion is gone completely. “Are you sure that’s wise?” I question, my eyes and voice filled with concern. “The area has a lot of civilization, how would you think they would react to his appearance?” I fold my hands on the table. “Due to this being rumors, he’ll need to go around and question people about this hybrid. So would they react very...negatively to his presence?”

“I’ve taken that into account, Jezebel.” Penumbra chuckles. “However you underestimate him, even though his appearance is both different and intimidating, he is very good in handling social situations.” She nods her head. “He also has been taking numerous opportunities to learn of the world around him, the vast amount of knowledge he has on cultures and customs is quite astounding, especially having gained it within the short span of time he’s been under my employ.”

Despite still feeling uncertain, I relent with a sigh. “Well, he is under your branch so I can only assume that you know what’s best for this situation.”

“Of course.” She chuckles again. “I have my full confidence in Snakewulf, since he has continuously impressed me on multiple levels in his performances.”

“Then it’s decided.” Colossus nods. “Contact Snakewulf as soon as possible, Penumbra. The faster we learn on whether these rumors are true or not, the faster we can react if need be.”

“I will do so immediately.” The Luxray says with a bow of her head.

“Good, meeting adjourned.” He finishes.

With that the two stand up and go their separate ways, leaving me sitting in the table with an expression a mixture of confusion and irritation.

From what I’ve gathered, I had no real reason to even participate in this ‘meeting’ except for just listening in. Yet at the same time I could just read any reports that they give me and still be informed...

Course the Mienshao wasn’t happy in the least, since she nearly ruined her dress. Thankfully however she brought spares, that and the place we’re staying at has washing machines.

But yeah, arrived to the town of ‘Woodwick’ safe and sound. The place itself looks like one of your average modern towns, with paved roads and concrete or brick buildings. The place is located smack-dab in the middle of a forest, called ‘Greenbar Forest’.

I don’t know where the whole ‘bar’ thing is coming from, not to mention the place doesn’t look too green either since winter is very close. Truth be told it kinda sounds like someone made up the names of this town and the forest on the spot, but that’s just me.

Back to the topic at hand, we’ve already turned in our luggage and checked into our room, so at the moment we’re just doing our own thing. Jubei is currently talking with Jezebel through a computer to discuss the details of our mission and Venya is washing her dress, so that just leaves me to myself.

Currently I’m exploring the town since it’s a great opportunity to stretch my legs. The only things I have on me is my Shuuma Shuriken and a cellphone tucked in my gi, that way Jubei can call me if she wants me to head back.

As for the town itself...it’s actually kinda funny. I’ve received a lot of weird looks from the various Pokemon here, mostly due to my appearance. I don’t really blame them though, since I’m an incredibly unusual hybrid.

But no one's questioning my weapon though, which is a pleasant surprise. In fact the only looks on it were passing ones, as if they’re used to seeing ‘mons openly carrying them.

In the end no one stopped me for a chat, since everyone has their own things to focus on apparently.

Or at least, it was like that until now...

“Yo!” I hear a voice call, snapping me out of my thoughts.

When my eyes flick to the source, I notice that there’s two individuals. The one who spoke is currently leaning against a stone wall, who happens to be a rather unusual-looking Zangoose.

His colors isn’t like that of normal Zangoose, since his white fur contains accents of pale-yellow as well as orange. His outfit consists of a tunic and pants, their coloration that of tan and dark browns. Attached to his tunic is a black cape, and on his hands are finger-less gloves that contain a pair of slits on the top of his forearms. Wrapped around his orange hair is a headband, and in his mouth seems to be a sort of peppermint stick.

Sitting on a bench next to him is a male Delphox, one glance is all I needed to know that he’s a hybrid. He contains very strong Mismagius genes, the purples of the Mismagius over-riding the normal yellows and oranges that Delphox are known for. On his person is a black and gold robe that cuts off at the waist, in which flows out is the natural ‘cloak’ that Mismagius often have. Atop his head is also the large ‘hat’, another gift of the his ghostly genes. Underneath said hat consists of reddish-purple hair, both short yet smoothly brushed. On his snout is a pair of spectacles, and in his grasp is a black book with gold trim that he appears to be reading.

I look down at the Zangoose, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah?” I ask. “Were you referring to me?”

The Zangoose pulls out the peppermint stick in his mouth, holding it between two fingers. “Yeah, you.” He responds, an almost smug grin forming on his face. “You a mercenary?”

I blink. “Say that again?”

“Mercenary.” He repeats, his expression becoming somewhat annoyed. “Your getup, the weapon, it all points to you being some sort of fighter for hire.”

I give him a deadpan look. “Yeah, no. I’m not a mercenary.” I say flatly. “I’m a member of the Guardians of Twilight.”

Now it’s the Zangoose’s turn to blink in confusion. “Guardians of the what-now?”

The Delphox glances up at me for a brief second, recognition flashing in his eyes before looking back down to his book. “She’s a part of a Guild.” He answers for me. “The Guardians of Twilight are known as ‘monster hunters’, taking down various threats.”

With this new revelation the Zangoose’s gaze shifts to a glare. “So you’re here for the bounty then?” He growls.

At this point I’m getting a bit confused, not to mention a bit annoyed with the furrball’s attitude. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not here for a bounty.” I huff with irritation. “There's supposedly some hybrid causing trouble here, so I’ve been sent to take care of it.”

“So you ARE here for the bounty.” The Zangoose angrily takes a bite out of the peppermint stick, causing a loud ‘crunching’ noise to be heard. “Listen here lady, we got here first.” He says through his loud chewing. “The Praxic Blades got this one, so you might as well as pack your bags and go back to wherever you came from.”

My grip tightens somewhat on my weapon as my annoyance grows. “Let me guess, you’re bounty hunters?” I growl.

He nods his head, his smug smile returning in force. “Yeah, but not just any. We’re the Praxic Blades, one of the best group of Bounty Hunters you’ll ever know.” He turns his head sideways, chuckling to himself. “I bet you’ve heard of us.”

At this I couldn’t help but smirk. “Nope.” I tell him. “Haven’t heard of you at all.”

His head snaps to me, his eyes widening somewhat. “No? Not at all?” His eyes quickly narrow again as a scowl works its way onto his face. “You’re lying, you’ve definitely heard of us.”

At this I couldn’t help but laugh. “Kid, I haven’t heard squat about your little group until you’ve just brought it up.”

At the word ‘kid’ he snaps the peppermint stick in his fingers, with a loud growl a pair of blades slide out from the slits in his arms. “What did you call me?!” He snarls.

I open my mouth to respond back, but the Delphox suddenly speaks up.

“Don’t start a fight, Valence.” He says nonchalantly, his gaze not even lifting up from his book.

“But Richmond! She called me a kid!” ‘Valence’ shouts at the Delphox.

Richmond merely turns to the next page on his book. “To her defense, you are in fact...acting like one.” His gaze flicks to me before turning back to his reading material. “Need I not bring up Artemisia and how she would react to you trying to pick a fight with a complete stranger?”

At this the Zangoose’s eyes widen with horror, in a flash the blades on his arm slide back into the skin of his arm. “O-Oh god, yeah.”

Now I’m just confused. “Who’s Aremisia? Another member of your group?”

“I’m baaaaack~!” A sudden voice calls, in which Valence freezes on the spot.

Turning my head I see another individual approaching us with a strut in her step, her appearance catching me off-guard.

At first glance she appears to be some sort of Bisharp, but there’s a lot of other details about her that makes her stand out greatly from the species. On her shapely body is a somewhat unusual armor, its metallic surface that of a dark navy with gold accents. The armor itself seems to leave several parts of her body uncovered to exposes her light purple skin, whether for increased maneuverability or just to show herself off...I’m unsure. Another interesting detail about her armor is that it possesses purplish-blue blades on her arms and around her knees, but with the way their appearance...they seem to be more like decorations attached to the armor than natural blades.

In fact, the armor itself doesn’t look like it’s naturally a part of her...

Her head has no helmet that Bisharps are well-known for, in fact she has very long purple hair that flows all the way down her back. Seeing the length and the shape of said hair, a part of me is assuming that she’s not pure-Bisharp...but is actually part Jynx.

Grasped firmly in one of hands is a large axe, despite its sheer size she seems to be holding it rather effortlessly.

“How’s my widdle Vency?” She coos, walking right past me and up to the Zangoose. With her free hand she pinches Valence’s cheek. “Doing alright with me gone?”

The sheer uncomfort and embarrasement on the furball’s face is very satisfying to see, since he acted like a dick earlier. “Artemisia, stop!” He cries, trying his best to pull her hand off his face. “Stop treating me like I’m a child! I’m over twenty!”

The Bisharp laughs at this. “Awww, so you did miss me~” She rests her axe against the stone wall and leans down, with both her arms she pulls him into a very tight hug. “I missed you too sweetie~”

The Zangoose vainly struggles in Artemisia’s imprisoning embrace, seeing the sheer shame and distress in his face I couldn’t help but feel bad for him.

“He’s not her child nor does she feel any romantic attraction towards him.” Richmond comments to me, answering some of the various questions floating in my mind. “She simply enjoys children greatly, Valence also happens to trigger her motherly instincts.”

“Richmond! Don’t just sit there, do something!” The Zangoose begs. “She’s gonna smother me!”

For a brief moment I could see the Delphox considering the whole thing, as if he’s contemplating on leaving Valence to his fate. But in the end he speaks up in the Zangoose’s defense. “We’re in public, Artemisia.” He tells her. “Even if you enjoy showing your affection to Valence, you should at least have some restraint.”

The Bisharp lets out a sigh. “Oh alright, I’ll tone it down a bit.” However before she released the Zangoose, she gives him a kiss right on the cheek. “I’ll save the hugs for later, alright?” She chuckles, standing back to her full height.

Valence only sputters in response, frantically wiping his cheek on the spot where she kissed him.

“Come now, if you wipe it off I’ll have to give you another~” She singsongs, in which the Zangoose quickly takes several steps away from her.

Now in case you forget, I’m the one who’s watching the entire thing. But with the Bisharp added to the scene, the whole thing has gotten...very weird for me.

“I’m...gonna go leave you to whatever you’re doing.” I say awkwardly, deciding to turn and walk away.

“NO! DON’T LEAVE ME WITH HER!” Valence shouts after me.

“It’s awight, my widdle Vency.” I hear the Bisharp coo. “I know you don’t mean that~”

Yeeeeeeah, I am DEFINITELY not staying. With my walk turning into a full-on sprint, I quickly leave the trio in the dust.

...So...

“He’s close, there’s no other way...” I mutter, breaking the tense silence.

Richmond glances at me but doesn’t tell me that I’m wrong, which makes me feel even worse.

Even though I can definitely keep a cool head, it doesn’t make it any less terrifying when something’s lurking around. These kind of bounties seriously suck, since I’d much rather just hunt down criminals on the run. That and the fact there’s normally six of us, but we split up so that they could clear up ties with a past bounty while we took on this one.

“C’mon buddy, show yourse-” I continue, only to be cut off by a deep, guttural roar that turns my blood to ice.

Oh shi-

Through the shadows the frame of a humanoid creatures leaps out, his bladed arms aimed to strike me down.

Artemisia suddenly leaps in front of me, her axe turned so that the flat side deflects the strike away from me. With a battlecry of her own she forces the weapon forward, pushing the attacker back.

“You...dare...” Artemisia hisses, her lips curled back into a wicked snarl as her eyes burn with murder. She raises her axe with one hand effortlessly, her face growing more and more angry with each passing second. “I will make you bleed out your guts.”

...

Oh shit.

A loud laugh responds to her threat, tensing myself I see that the one who tried to spear me is in fact the hybrid.

“Yes...” He grins maliciously, baring his fangs. “I haven’t heard such a bold threat in a long while.”

Richmond takes a step back, his calculating gaze unmoving. Wordlessly he opens his book, his hand hovering over the text to call upon their power.

I on the other hand immediately dart to the side, allowing myself to leave his sight so that I can strike him when he’s not paying attention.

“A good walk and an excellent beauty sleep is all I needed~” Artemisia hums, flashing a toothy smile to the both of us. With her giant axe rested on her shoulder she lets out a laugh. “I must say, haven’t had a good fight in a little while. Hopefully this hybrid won’t disappoint me.”

Valence quickly creates some distance between himself and her, which ultimately has him being closer to me. “So...Bisharp huh?” He says more quietly.

I nod a second time. “Bisharp with Haxorus genes supposedly, however the Gallade suspects that he also has Fighting-type genes in him.” My expression grows stern. “He is going to be very dangerous, so we will need to proceed with great caution.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Valence mutters. “After hearing how you described that guy’s injuries, that’s more than enough for me to know that his hybrid isn’t to be fu-” He clamps his hands over his mouth, not finishing the word.

“What was that?” Artemisia asks, her tone containing a certain edge.

“J-Just saying that this hybrid isn’t to be f-fought with!” Valence stutters, sweat trickling down his head.

The Bisharp looks at him sternly before nodding her head. “That’s what I thought.”

The Zangoose moves even closer to me again, this time almost close enough to touch me. “You need to stop this.” He whispers, looking up at me with pleading eyes. “She’s controlling my life at this point.”

“I will not be the one that constantly has to step in.” I flatly tell him. “If you dislike it, confront her.” I push my glasses up with two fingers. “If not, then don’t say anything.”

“You don’t understand! She’ll kill me!” He whines, yet despite his attempts at keeping his volume low the one he’s speaking of manages to overhear part of it.

“Kill you?!” Artemisia gasps. Before Valence knew what hit him the Bisharp suddenly closes the distance and wraps her free arm around his body, pulling him into a tight hug. “Vency, who is it is going to kill you!” Her eyes narrow with a dangerous glint as her tone becomes something much more menacing “Just point me the way and I will spill their guts all over the ground.”

Valence could only stand frozen, his face growing pale as he refuses to say a word out of fear of possibly ‘setting her off’.

“No one is trying to kill him, Artemisia.” I sigh, apparently needing to step in anyways. “He’s merely joking.”

“Ahhh, I see then.” She looks down at Valence with a playful smile, the previous look on her face having completely disappeared without a trace. “You gave me quite a scare, Vency. For a second I thought I had to protect you~” She gives him a kiss on the top of his head before releasing him. “Don’t do that to me, alright?”

He nods numbly. “S-Sure, noted.”

At this point I can’t help but question Rodrigo’s choice in pairing those two up as well.

Nevertheless, there are matters that need to be focused on. “We’re about to enter the forest, so put on your game faces.” I tell them. “Once we step in there, we must be prepared. This hybrid will use his full might on us when we eventually find him, so no distractions.”

Valence’s blades slide out of the slits of his arms, with a deep breath he nods his head. “I read ya Rich, let’s do this.”

“I agree, no need to worry of any distractions from me.” Artemisia nods as well, her expression growing serious. “We have a despicable monster to take down after all.”