I lean on my hand, pulling out another peppermint stick and sucking on its end. “Any places in mind?”

Rodrigo shrugs. “None as of currently. However first it would be best to discuss with the others, in case they wish to return back to their homes or families.”

Oh yeah, that’s a thing.

Once the candy I’ve been sucking on softens enough I take a bite, the sweet pepperminty taste filling my mouth as I crunch on it. “I hope we don’t go to any cities.” I say, still chewing. “Hanara City was enough to last me for more than a life-time.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” He says while rolling his eye, finishing his bread.

I cross my arms, the peppermint stick poking out of my lips. “Yeah, to you at least. You know I don’t like the city life.” Thinking of all the loud noises makes me cringe slightly. “It’s just way too overwhelming, I prefer when things are quieter, like a candy store during the slow hours.”

“I’m not surprised to hear you use that analogy.” Rodrigo chuckles. “But I’ll keep that in mind when I speak with the others on the matter, but they have their own opinions on the matter as well.”

“Except for Vedika.” I mutter under my breath, too low for Rodrigo to hear. “Her opinions are either fucked up or she doesn’t give a fuck to begin with.”

“What was that?” He asks, giving me an incredulous look.

“Nothing.” I say nonchalantly, leaning back in my chair.

“Right...” He says slowly, not believing me. However he doesn’t push the matter, instead focusing on digging into another slice of cheese bread.

Since our conversation is kinda over I let my gaze drift lazily around the pub. The place itself isn’t very crowded at the moment, mostly since it’s currently after lunch-hours.

Besides me and Rodrigo there aren’t really any interesting characters, just a few Pokemon wearing various kinda of clothing and conversing with one another. One particular table catches my eye though, specifically the person sitting there.

It’s kinda hard to see all of the details from where I’m sitting, but the guy is wearing...quite a lot of clothes actually. Almost as much as me even, if not more so.

He seems to be wearing some kind of hooded cape? The cape itself isn’t quite interesting, but the hood has some rather interesting red markings on there. The outfit underneath that looks like it’s made of leather or brown cloth, which covers his entire body. I can see a blue reptilian tail poking out from his cape as well as a yellow horn from his hood, which is making it even more difficult to tell his species.

Regardless, something about him just screams ‘bounty hunter’, or at least one of the more self-absorbed kind.

You know what? I’m gonna check him out.

“I’ll be right back.” I tell Rodrigo, getting up from my chair. Without waiting for the Chesnaught’s response I make my way over to the guy I was eyeing.

“Hey.” I say, getting the guy’s attention.

He turns to gaze at me, which gives me a good look of his face. To my surprise he’s actually a Scrafty with some strong Samurott genes, seeing his blue lizard-like face combined with the horn. He looks at me with narrowed eyes, looking at me with suspicion.

“Can I help ya?” He asks in a somewhat disgruntled voice, his accent being something I can’t quite place. It’s sound a little like that Magmar farmer’s, but a bit more...’distinct’.

Without even asking his permission I pull up a chair and sit down at his table. He grimaces at this, his irritation growing more apparent.

Course I don’t intend to fully irritate the guy, since I’m above that sort of stuff. Well, mostly. However that wasn’t the main reason as to why I’m here to begin with.

“You a bounty hunter?” I ask him out of the blue, making him stop.

“...Yeah?” He says uncertainly, eyeing me skeptically. “How’d ya know?”

I lean back in my chair and grin, taking another bite out of my peppermint stick. “Think of it as a bounty hunter’s intuition, I saw you and immediately noticed the signs.”

This makes him lean back slightly. “So ya’re a bounty hunter too, eh?”

I nod my head. “Yup, what I said.” I take the last bite out of my peppermint stick, finishing it off. “Not gonna lie? You seemed kinda familiar, or at least you have a sort of appearance that’s recognizable.” I extend one of my hands towards him. “The name’s Valence by the way.”

Upon hearing me say that he seems kinda familiar he quickly grins. “Heh, I guess mah reputation does get quite around.” He accepts my offer and gives my extended hand a firm shake. “The name’s Shadowjack, now does it become clear?”

I feel myself stop when the name hits my ears.

“Shadowjack?” I repeat.

“Yeah.” He nods, grinning with satisfaction. “One of the best bounty hunters ‘round these parts. Now you know why ah seem familiar, eh?”

My expression grows flat. “Never heard of you.”

This makes him snap out of whatever prideful feeling he was in. “Wha-?”

I nod my head. “Yup, never heard of you at all.” I tilt my head slightly, cocking an eyebrow. “And what kind of name is Shadowjack? That can’t be your real name.”

At this his eyes narrow again. “It’s my name, that’s why I gave it ta’ ya.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s not your name, c’mon man. I know everyone is all about those nicknames to make themselves cooler, but it’s kinda ridiculous though.”

A low growl escapes from him. “My name is Shadowjack, whatever thought ya thinkin’ of won’t change a thing.”

“Yeah and my name is Twilight Sparkle.” I comment snidely. “But fine, I’ll call you Shadowjack if it’ll make you feel better.”

His gloved hands clench into fists. “If tha’ only reason for ya comin’ here is ta’ make fun of my name, then I’ll kindly ask ya ta’ leave.”

Huh, even though it wasn’t intentionally I guess I really did intend to fully irritate the guy. Kinda funny how things change on the fly.

But then again I can’t really blame myself, since...well...

...who the hell names themselves Shadowjack?

Like c’mon, that can’t be his real name. If it is then I feel very bad for him, since parents like that really shouldn’t be having children. I mean seriously, that sort of stuff is just asking for your kid to get beaten up.

Another growl fills the air, snapping me out of my thoughts. However this time it isn’t from the Scrafty guy, but instead from my stomach.

Damn, guess peppermint sticks don’t really fill you up after all.

“Hey waiter!” I shout, getting the attention of one of said people. “I’d like an order of that cheese bread platter!”

A second growl fills the air, but THIS time coming from the Scrafty again. “Why...are ya still here...?” He hisses.

I glance over at him, noticing his narrowed eyes and that his hands are right next to his Seamitars.

You know what? The guy looks like he needs some food. You tend to be a bit grabby with your weapons if you’re hungry.

I know this from experience.

“Actually, make that two platters.” I correct myself, in which the waiter nods uncertainly.

What? I’m a generous guy when I want to be, the guy looks like he needs something in his stomach to get over the fact that his parents named him Shadowjack.

And let me tell you, nothing is better than filling your stomach with delicious cheese bread. Rodrigo definitely had the right idea.

“You can thank me later.” I say to the Scrafty, grinning.

“You can’t avoid her forever, Valence.” Rodrigo speaks up, his single eye looking down at me. “You can’t use me as a shield forever either.”

I cross my arms over my chest and grit my teeth. “Just watch me.” I growl.

His eyebrows furrow. “I’m being serious, Valence. You two will need to work things out, since this sort of tension can’t stay here.” He shakes his head. “You WILL need to talk to her.”

“Like hell I will.” I respond back sharply. “I’ve had to deal with her enough, the last thing I need is to get into another lecture or scolding.” I look up at the Chesnaught, glaring at him. “Do you honestly think she’ll even listen to me? That she’ll give me a chance to properly explain myself?”

“Well-” He starts but stops himself, a contemplative look replacing his expression.

“Yeah...that’s what I thought.” I mutter, averting my gaze from him. “She’ll never give me a chance, and even if she did...it won’t last. She’ll always treat me like some kid, even though I’m anything but.” That and she’ll always be a complete psychopath, however I didn’t say that particular sentence out loud.

An uncomfortable silence falls over us as we walk, but for me...I feel my mood growing worse. Several nasty thoughts pass through my mind, consisting of hurtful words and sentences I would like to shout at Artemisia. But of course I’d never say them to her, out of fear of what she might do.

Thankfully...the thought-process is quickly shattered by Rinako speaking up.

“I’ve found something.” The Medicham hybrid says, walking over to one of the trees. On its bark lays a scorched slash mark, the wood around it blackened from what may have been intense heat. She feels its surface with her fingers, her expression thoughtful. “Although I haven’t  seen the hybrid with my own two eyes...” She turns her gaze to the rest of us. “...I believe this may be his work.”

Richmond snaps his book closed and tucks it under his arm, adjusting his glasses on his face he approaches the tree. He eyes it for a few moments before nodding. “This was certainly left by the hybrid.” He agrees.

Rinako looks back at the mark, her eyes narrowing. “It looks fresh, so the hybrid must be near.”

“Hey, I found more!” Another voice speaks up, and our eyes turn to the other Medicham hybrid that joined our group. The one dubbed ‘Dahlia’ is currently standing a good ways away, however near her are numerous trees showing the same marks. “It appears that ugly seems to have some anger issues.”

The Gothitelle named ‘Aster’ approaches Dahlia and examines the these markings. “These marks appear to contain no precision or thought, so my companion’s assumptions that these were delivered in a fit of anger may be correct.”

Dahlia rolls her eyes. “Come on, girl. I know my stuff.”

The Gothitelle turns to her, her eyes narrowing just a tad. “Most cases...you do.”

This makes Dahlia take a step back, her expression growing sheepish. The Gothitelle holds her gaze on the Medicham before walking away. The Mienshao called ‘Carnation’ that’s with them shakes her head, giving Dahlia a look that pretty much says ‘really?’.

I eye them with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. What the hell was that about?

“There is a disturbance...” Vedika mutters, but just loud enough for us to hear. Her blue eyes slowly lift up, her lips twitching. “An annoying...disturbance.”

All of us look at the Gothitelle/Jynx hybrid, several of us with expressions of wariness. I’m definitely in the whole ‘put-off’ category, since Vedika...definitely has several screws loose.

“What is it, Vedika?” Rodrigo asks, the Chesnaught looking at her with rapt attention.

She doesn’t respond however, instead her eyes turning from left to right.

“Wait...disturbance...” Rinako mutters, but her eyes slowly widen. “Hold on, I hear something! Quiet everyone!”

In utter silence we all listen with rapt attention, trying to pick something out. After a few moments of straining my ears I pick it up.

“...Shouting...” I say aloud, my voice quiet. My ears swivel towards the direction and I turn towards it, my eyes narrowing. “I hear shouting...”

The more I listen the more clear it becomes, whoever’s shouting sounds...angry. They sound very angry, and...they sound...

...familiar...

My eyes widen.

“It’s the hybrid!” I immediately say. “And it seems like they’re with someone, and it doesn’t sound good.”

“Then we must hurry!” Rodrigo says resolutely. “From what you’ve all described about this hybrid, if he is within the company of others then they are likely in danger!”

My claws slide out of the slits in my arms, my teeth bared. “Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!”

[PoV: Charlie]

I have to say, the anger on the fella’s face is kinda putting me off. I shuffle my feet, my smile becoming sheepish. “So...uh...” I start, chuckling nervously. “...do ya think ya’ll will let me int’a ya group?”

The Bisharp’s eyes narrow dangerously. “...Excuse me?!” He hisses.

I lean my head back slightly, tugging at the collar of my shirt. “Ya know...ya actin’ group?” I grin again, but seeing the confusion and frustration building on his face makes it waver. “Like...tha’ reason why ya are in this here forest?”

The Pokemon’s talons dig into the earth, creating deep grooves. “You think...I am an actor?” He growls.

I nod my head uncertainly. “...Yeah?”

“I AM NOT AN ACTOR!” He roars loudly, making me take a step back.

“Ya...aren’t?” I say nervously. “But what about earlier? Were ya actually tryin’ ta’-” I stop, noticing that the Pokemon’s mouth is widening. Inside his maw is a bright blue glow, and it gets brighter and brighter by the second.

“What are ya-” I start to ask only for him to unleash a powerful beam of raw blue energy. My eyes widen, my body standing frozen in fear as it approaches me at high speed.

And just before it hit...something tackles me out of the way.

I land on the ground roughly, the air being knocked right out of my lungs. Coughing violently I turn my head to look at who was it that saved my rear end, and to my surprise it’s an odd-looking Zangoose.

“Thank...Arceus...I got here in time.” He wheezes, his face sweating.

The loud sounds of footsteps hit my ears and I whip my head around, only to see eight more Pokemon arrive to the place.

Are they actors too?

No, the other fella said that he’s not an actor.

So...then this must be the real deal...?

“So you all followed me.” The hybrid growls, glaring at the group with open malice. “And you brought even more numbers with you.”

“This ends here.” The pure-bred Gothitelle says calmly, approaching the Bisharp with a closed umbrella in her hands. “This is your last chance. If you do not come along calmly, then you will leave us no choice but to use force to bring you in.”

The Bisharp clenches his fists, the...real blades on his arms glowing a bright blue. “Calmly?” He repeats, venom dripping from his voice. “You wish for me...to come with you...calmly?!”

The Gothitelle’s brows furrow, her grip tightening on her weapon. Behind her the numerous Pokemon also ready themselves, either drawing their weapons, channeling whatever power they have, or simply bringing up their fists.

“No...” The Bisharp says, shaking his head. “No...I’ve come too far for this to end.” He raises one of his arms, pointing the humming blades at the group. “I need to grow stronger, to end the ones who have destroyed my life.” The gaze from his eyes intensify, his lips twisting into a malicious grin. “And I will not let ANYONE stop me.”

He lets out a loud, primal roar. “I WILL TAKE YOU ALL ON!”

With that, he charges straight at the group.

“Hey buddy...” The Zangoose whispers to me. “I recommend staying on the sides, because things are about to get really ugly.” With that he leaps into the fray to aid his comrades, not waiting for my response.

Even with him already out of ear-shot, I still feel myself nodding numbly. “S-Sure thing...”

With adrenaline pumping through my veins I feel my mind enter a bloodthirsty haze, my movements growing swifter and stronger.

My blue blades hum with plasma, their edges causing the air around them to shimmer and boil. I care less if my opponent’s flesh burns off their body if I strike them with these superheated weapons of mine, my only desire is to win at any cost.

The battle begins with the Zangoose, the axe-wielding Bisharp and the Medicham/Bisharp hybrid entering the fray. The purple-haired barbarian swings her mighty weapon at my front while the two flank both my sides, I respond by bringing my plasma-infused claws to deflect the blade before grabbing its handle.

Using my enhanced strength I manage to tear the weapon out of her grip and throw it at the Zangoose, forcing him to cease approaching me and dive back in order to avoid it. I then turn to the Medicham hybrid and dodge one of her incoming strikes before lashing out with a clawed hand, which she nimbly dodges. She then follows up with a swift kick to my stomach that sends me stumbling back, which then is joined by the other Bisharp hybrid slamming into me with her shoulder that sends me right on my back.

The fight has barely started and already it’s not looking good...

The Delphox unleashes a spray of fire from his hand while the Gothitelle/Jynx hybrid fires a laser of bubbling black energy, without missing a beat I roll to the side to avoid both of the attacks before kicking up with my legs, using the momentum to launch myself off the ground and land back on my feet.

Turning my gaze to the two nearby Bisharp hybrids I draw my power from within my body and unleash it from my maw in the form of an intense laser, however the Chesnaught leaps between the attack and them and brings up his arms. The attack strikes true, yet the Chesnaught’s armor manages to withhold the intense beam, when I cease the attack the only thing I get is a black scorch mark on his armor.

Three forms leap over him and dash towards me, revealing to be the three Pokemon garbed in dark blues. The Gothitelle opens up her umbrella and the spring-loaded blades shoot out on its side, with a stone-like expression she swings the light weapon at me all the while twirling it, making the parasol become something akin to a buzzsaw. I bring up my blades to block the attack and sparks begin flying as the blades repeatedly strike it, forcing me to backpedal.

From the side the other Medicham hybrid dashes at me, the blades of her Fuuma Shuriken separated and spinning with her fingers inside the ring. With a smirk she starts slashing at me from various angles, in which I have to respond by blocking her attacks as well.

With my attention focused on the first two, the Mienshao then enters the fray. With her bladed fans she leaps over the Gothitelle, still mid-leap she spins her body with her arms outstretched as she flies over me. With my arms completely focused on dealing with her other two companions I couldn’t block her attack, yet thankfully the blades met with my shoulder-plates...causing sparks to bounce off as it leaves a deep scratch into the red metal.

I let out a roar of anger and unleash another beam from my mouth, intending to force the Gothitelle and Medicham to back off. In response they do just that, however the Gothitelle brings up her umbrella and uses the fabric to absorb the attack like that of a shield. To my great surprise my attack only leaves a scorch mark on it, any other umbrella would’ve been burned completely through.

What...is it made of?!

Another beam of black energy streaks towards me, in which I snap out of my stupor and sidestep it. I turn my angry gaze to the Gothijynx, who’s looking at me with a sadistic smile.

Yet this ends up being a grave mistake on my part, for during that brief second the Chesnaught slams into me with the force of a freight train. I feel my body launched through the air like a ragdoll and slam into one of the numerous trees, the bark shattering from the impact as I land on the ground roughly.

I...most definitely felt that.

As I quickly get back up a loud battlecry makes my gaze flick towards the source, in which I see the purple-haired Bisharp charging me with her retrieved axe. Her pink eyes burn with open fury, her expression showing her eagerness to spill my blood.

She strikes down again with her axe, in which I bring both of my blades up to block. This attack contains far more force compared to the last one, nearly catching me off guard as I tense my arms to keep the blade from getting close to me. The two of us press our weapons together, the metal of the axe slowly turning red as my superheated blades continue to stay in contact with it.

“I will make you suffer.” She hisses through gritted teeth, saliva dripping from the corners of her mouth. “You hurt my Vency, so you will pay.”

My eyes narrow slightly as the fire of my own anger intensifies. I don’t respond to her with words, instead I let out a draconic-like growl from my throat.

Pressing my legs into the ground to give myself leverage I shove my arms up, my strength overpowering her and sending her stumbling back. With her temporarily open I slash forward with my claws, intending to slice open her stomach.

However instead my claws merely slide across her armor without puncturing through, but it didn’t mean that there was no consequences for her. My blades leave thin, red-hot streaks on her armor that immediately start burning her. She lets out a howl of pain, the smell of cooked flesh filling my nostrils.

She grabs her armor and undoes the clasps before tearing it off her body, fully exposing herself. Her stomach shows two red lines across her skin, the thin yet long burns already forming blisters. Even with her armor off her she doesn’t back off, instead her anger increases tenfold.

“I WILL TEAR YOU APART!” She shrieks before swinging wildly with her axe, forcing me on the defensive.

Without her armor around her body all I need is to deliver one blow to kill her, yet with how she keeps swinging at me with reckless abandon I can’t seem to find a proper opening.

To the sides I see the Zangoose running around, as if trying to flank me from behind. However with how hard-pressed I am because of the Bisharp, I can’t do anything about it.

I block another swing from her axe, my teeth gritting so hard that my jaw starts to ache. I need to act, before the other warriors come to take advantage of my occupied self.

As I deflect another attack I open my mouth, utilizing the reserves inside my form I fire a third beam of energy. Thankfully this actually gets her to back away as she dodges, slightly singeing her hair.

I heard a shout behind me as I feel something land on my back, this soon follows with a pair of claws penetrating the thin gap between my shoulder plates and neck and dig into the flesh of my shoulders.

Even though my skin is very thick and tough, the blades manage to sink deep enough to draw blood. I roar loudly and reach behind me and grab the Zangoose by the hair, and with a hard pull I tear him off my back and slam him into the ground.

With his hair still in hand I lift him back up, the Zangoose’s face contorted in pure agony as I raise him up to my face. I turn my gaze from him to the other members, who cease their charging and look at the scene before them with intense apprehensiveness.

It occurs to me that I essentially have the Zangoose at my complete mercy now, thus giving me an advantage.

The Chesnaught starts talking to me, but I ignore his words as I let my gaze focus on the struggling Zangoose. His struggles however cease immediately when I point the glowing blades of my other hand at him, making the pupils of his eyes turn to pinpricks as sheer terror overtakes his face.

I grin.

I have no intention of playing out the ‘hostage scenario’, my goal is to win a battle through strength and power. To use him as a bartering chip goes against this, since I would be winning through treachery instead of power.

No... I need to kill him in order to cement my superiority.

Before I could plunge my blade into his neck, I feel something strike the back of my head...hard.

Even though my head is encased in the ‘natural’ helmet, the force was enough to disorient me.

The Zangoose reacts as quickly as he could, using this to his advantage. He wraps his hands around my arm and tears his hair out of my grip, he grunts in pain as several of the orange strands are torn from his scalp as he yanks himself free. He leaps off my form and rolls away, his head starting to bleed.

Who...struck me?!

I whip my form around, my eyes still trying to focus. Standing with his hoe in hand is the Magmar, the tool shakes in his hands as he looks at me with fear.

YOU!

Sheer fury overtakes me as my vision turns red, the desire to gut this fucker becoming overwhelming. With a howl I leap at him, my blades aimed straight for his chest.

However the purple-haired Bisharp slams into me, sending us both to the ground..

The two of us roll across the earth, wrestling for control. She presses her body against mine and delivers a powerful punch with her free hand, landing right on my unarmored snout. I feel the bone crack as it hits square on, causing a sharp pain to spike on my face.

We stop our rolling with her ending on top of me, and with an angry snarl she stares down at me with fury that rivals even mine. She doesn’t speak, instead she throws another punch at my now broken snout.

I bring up one of my claws and grab her fist, my burning blades on my arm just inches away from touching her. She takes her axe in her other hand and swings down at me, in which I quickly catch it by the handle.

The two of us struggle in a power play, her fist and axe pushing down as I tense my arms and push up. Both of us have strained expressions, our teeth bared as we glare at each other with great intensity.

“I...will...win...” I hiss at her. “I will...grow...stronger...”

Ever so slowly I start to push her hands up, steadily overpowering her. My snarl slowly shifts into a grin.

But said grin quickly vanishes when I see the Chesnaught suddenly get in my vision, and with one of his massive fists he strikes me right on the forehead...

Her next comment makes me pause, specifically saying how one of my partners think of me being scary. When she continued speaking and then says ‘grown mon being so scared’, I immediately knew who it is she’s referring to.

Valence is scared of me? I knew that he was a rather skittish boy, but I never thought of him being terrified of me.

This makes me frown and I turn my head. “Vency!” I call out. “Can you please come here?”

The distinct sound of a sharp inhale is heard. “I’m fine with being right over here!” He responds back rather hastily.

This makes my frown grow even more. “Vency!” I say more forcefully, my eyes narrowing. “I will not ask again!”

Eventually the Zangoose appeared, shuffling towards me slowly with obvious dread on his face. He stops however, his eyes widening at the sight of the Mienshao. “YOU!” He shouts at her, his expression a mixture of shock and horror. “Why are you here?!” His eyes turn to me and then back to the Mienshao, anger quickly adding to the mix. “What did you say to her?!”.

I clear my throat, causing his attention to swiftly turn to me. “Vency dear, are you afraid of me?”

His face pales, which is remarkable due to the fact that he’s covered in fur. “U-Uh…” He stutters, his eyes frantically darting from left to right. “A-Actually, I think I hear Rodrigo calling me.” He looks behind him. “COMING RODRIGO!” He shouts before looking back to me, a wide yet obviously fake grin plastered on his face. “Y-Ya see? Can’t stay here! Gotta go!” He shoots the Mienshao a nasty glare before turning tail, speeding off back the way he came.

I cross my arms under my chest, a dissatisfied pout on my face. “Hmph, it appears that he and I are gonna have some one-on-one time.” I shake my head and click my tongue. “He didn’t swear, which I knew he was tempted to. However his behavior was truly unacceptable, so he won’t be off the hook.”

My eyes glance over at the Mienshao, and suddenly I remembered that she’s still here. “Oh! Pardon me, it appears that I’ve forgotten we were having a conversation.” I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “And there’s some questions that I haven’t answered too, how rude of me! Let me correct that~”

“I’d like to consider myself a very strong girl, because it’s a requirement in order for me to do what I do.” I bring my axe off my shoulder and rest it on the ground beside me. “That and my home helped me greatly, since when you were raised on a Feral Noivern breeding farm…you definitely need to be strong in order to take good care of them as well as ride them when they’re old enough~” I pause for a moment before giggling. “Oh my, doesn’t that sound dirty! I mean it in a literal sense dearie, since my family were rather big on riding Feral Noiverns. Soaring through the sky is quite an experience, it’s one of the many things that I miss.”

I let out a fond sigh from the resurfacing memories. “It gave me a good work-out for sure, but I trained myself even more when I discovered my love for battle.” I make sure that my axe is leaning against me before raising one of my biceps and start tapping it with my other hand. “Don’t let my looks deceive you, I am more than capable of splitting someone’s head open when I need to.” My smile widens. “And I’ve done it multiple times too, however a particular individual who dared to seriously harm my darling widdle Vency…” Within the span of a second my smile is replaces with a vicious snarl. “I instead sliced them open and let their guts spill across the grass, since they didn’t deserve the luxury of a swift death.”

“Happy Giving Day Ren’Gul! This is from me to you!”

“You...got me a gift?”

“Of course! Sure we’re still getting used to each other, but I thought that since we’re going to be working with each other for a long time...perhaps I should give you something! Because...why not?”

“I’m not sure if I should accept this, I don’t have a gift for you in exchange...”

“Oh come on, just take it already. I much prefer giving out gifts than receiving them anyways!”

“If you insist...”

...

“Is this a...?”

“Yep! It’s one of those audiobooks that you listen to! I know that you’re a big fan of this series and after looking through your collection-”

“Wait, you broke into my room?!”

“-Not that it matters, but yeah! I saw that you were missing this one so I went out and got it for you!”

“...”

“You alright Ren’Gul?”

“Delilah...”

“Yessssss?”

“Never break into my room again.”

“...Oh.”

“But besides that, thank you. I greatly appreciate your gift.”

“Yes! Woo!”

“...”

“If you wish for me to leave, I will do as you wish Asmund. However since this land celebrates this ‘Day of Giving’, I thought to give you a gift as a way to participate in it. You do not have to accept it, but I thought that perhaps-”

“Why...do...you...keep...insisting...”

“...Excuse me?”

“Have I not made it clear that I care nothing about you, Minato? Your attempts at ‘befriending’ me will continue to go nowhere, I couldn’t give a flat fuck for anyone...and that...includes...you.”

“I s-see, in that case...I will just leave this here...”

“...”

"My greatest apologies, I won’t bother you again.”

...

...

“That freak finally got the message, it was only going to get to the point where I would have to beat it into him...”

...

“Of course he left the box here... He expects me to open it, hell...fucking...no.”

...

“God damnit... Fuck it, fine. I’ll check his fucking gift.”

...

“What the fuck is inside here? Is that a-” 

...

“...God...fucking...damnit. Why won’t he just leave me be like I fucking want?!”

...

“...Fuck...”

“Oh Vency~”

“AHHHHH!"

“Oh come now, no need to scream like that! It’s only lil’ ol’ me!”

“THAT’S THE ENTIRE POINT! GET AWAY FROM ME ARTEMISIA!”

“Aww, careful Vency, you might hurt my feelings. It would be a very rude and ungrateful thing to do, especially since I have a gift for you.”

“...A gift?”

“Mmhmm~”

“...And it’s not...a trap is it? To get me close to you so you can imprison me again?”

“My hugs aren’t meant to ‘imprison’ you, Vency. But yes, it’s not a...trap.”

“...”

“Sigh Please come here, Valence. Just this once I promise I will not touch a single hair on your head.”

“Okay then... But you better keep your word!”

“Yes I promise, now come here! Open it!”

...

...

“Is this all...candy?”

“Mmhmm! And not just any kind, but candy canes shipped directly from that one store that you love so much. I made sure to give you a large amount so that you won’t run out anytime soon~”

“I...”

“Hmm? Valence, is something wrong?”

“Okay, now I feel bad.”

“Oh? That’s perfectly fi- OH!”

“Okay, first of all...this is the ONLY time I will hug you with no problem. Just don’t start thinking that I will be doing this again in the future!”

“Alright Vency~”

“HEY HEY HEY! DIDN’T YOU JUST PROMISE NOT TO TOUCH ME?!”

“Oh come now, I’ve promised not to touch a single hair on your HEAD. Not to mention that I’ve already given you my gift, so I see no reason as to why I shouldn’t hug you~”

“LET GO OF ME! HELP! I CAN’T BREATH!”

“Hush, stop being dwamatic my widdle Vency~”

“Greetings, your majesty.”

“Hmm? Oh! Teti, come now. You know that there’s no need to be so formal when we’re not in the public’s eye, you’re a very good friend of mine after all.”

“Hee, force of habit Nefi. It’s ingrained into me to show respect to the Queen of Venhara after all~”

“Yes yes, but we’re in private. Nevertheless, what brought you here? Is it something important?”

“Why yes, yes it is important~”

“...And what is it? There’s no need to be so vague, Teti.”

“But I enjoy riling up your interest, Nefi~”

“Do NOT think I will not command you to tell me, but for the goddess’ sake don’t force me too because I’m currently not in the mood to give out orders.”

“HA! Fine fine, Nefi. I’ll tell you.”

...

“What...did you just pull out from behind you?”

“Firstly before I tell you, let me explain the reason why I have it. I thought that I’d partake in a holiday that’s celebrated in Separatia. It’s called the Day of Giving, so to have fun with the festivities I have a gift to give to you~”

“Oh my- Wait, is that...one of those portable electronic devices? The one where you play games on?”

“Why yes it is~ A particular Lopunny gave it to me, but since I don’t find any interest 'gaming’ AND that you’ve been wanting one for a while...I thought that I’d give it to you.”

...

“AHHH! THANK YOU SO MUCH TETI I LOVE IT!”

“Grk Careful Nefi, if you squeeze any harder we might accidentally impale each other with our chest spikes.”

“Yes yes, sorry. But YES! I’ve been wanting one of these for a while but could never manage to getting one for myself. Teti, I could kiss you right now.”

“Oh my, imagine the scandal if someone were to hear this right~”

“Quiet. Now...I must see how I turn this thing on...”

“It’s actually quite adorable seeing you like this. First you were the Queen of Venhara, now you’re an energetic pup~”

“Ohh, that’s how you turn it on! And look at the screens, look how they light up! Is this how I start a game?”

“I’m not too sure, Nefi. But I’ll leave you be to figure it out, I’ll take over whatever remaining duties you have so you can have all the personal time you need.”

“Yes! Christmas sweaters! Thanks Jubei”

“Oh my, it even goes well with my luscious coat~”

“I’m glad that you both are enjoying your gift, I’ve decided to go with sweaters since they both go well with your coats...and that it would be nice to have something warm to wear during the winter.”

“Yeah, and even though I’ve got Fire-type genes it can get rather chilly. So yeah, thanks a ton Jubei!”

“Indeed, as much as my black coat is beautiful...it doesn’t do too well when it comes to fending off the chilling air. So I greatly appreciate your gift as well.”

“Hey Venya~”

“Groan What, Kendra?”

“Mine looks much better than yours.”

“Did you just-”

“Can you two NOT do this?”

“Ooooh, I wish to geeve my geeft next~ Tis one to Chevalier~”

“M-Me?”

“Why of course! Eet ees te Day of Geeving after all! Right, Alicia?”

“Indeed! Everyone receives a gift, and zat includes you, Chevalier.”

“Yes, and I steell love the rum you have geeven me. I never would ‘ave tought of te shy Chevalier to geeve me such potent speereets~”

“W-Well, I know t-that you love it...s-so...”

...

“Yessssss?”

“Komm jetzt, Elisabeth. He is obviously nervous, so give him your gift.”

“Very well! Now Chevalier, my geeft to you...is tat I shall take away your virgeeneety~”

...

“W-W-W-What??”

“Oui, monsieur~ Just you and me, een the bedroom, weeth soft lighting and te rum for us to share~”

“I-I-I-I-I-”

“Hör jetzt auf, Elisabeth! You are terrivying him! Cease with your teasing and give him your actual gift!”

“Fine fine, I weell stop playing. Cheval- Huh? Where deed he go?”

...

“Elisabeth...?”

“Yes, Alicia?”

“Zat was too var.”

You have witnessed numerous events that have transpired on the Day of Giving, whether in the past...present...or future.

Stepping out of the bus is the three other members of the Praxic Blades; Rodrigo, Rinako, and Vedika.

You can easily pick out Rodrigo due to him being a large Chesnaught, the normal greens replaced with faded gray. Besides a belt being one of his only articles of clothing, his face contains two vicious scars over his left eye...in which is covered by a black eyepatch.

Rinako however is a prime example of a hybrid between a Medicham and Bisharp. The Bisharp genes have given her a more slender (and rather shapely if I might add) look, as well as the noticeable ‘armored’ plates around her forearms and lower legs. Her red hair is tied in a long ponytail, the length stretching past her waist.

And Vedika...

...

I feel myself cringe greatly the moment my eyes full upon her.

Vedika however is something else entirely. She’s a Gothitelle with Jynx genes, possessing jet-black hair whose locks eventually shift into a distinctive blond color. Her clothing is also something else, the only words I can find is that she’s wearing a ‘warlock mesh suit thing’ along with a black cape. Don’t ask me why I described it that way, since looking up the name of what kind of clothing she’s wearing is the least of my priorities.

“Artemisia! Valence! Richmond!” Rodrigo laughs joyously. The large Chesnaught eagerly closes the distance and wraps his arms around the three of us, pulling us all into a tight hug. “I am very glad to see that all of you are perfectly fine!”

Now due to my shorter height, Rodrigo’s arms happen to be wrapped around my head instead of my back like that of my companions. The only sound I could make was a muffled cry of exasperation, in which apparently gone unheard.

“Goodness, Rodrigo!” Artemisia laughs. “We are more than fine, it takes more than a fight to keep us down after all~”

“Rodrigo, I think you should release them.” I hear Rinako suggest in an amused tone. “I don’t think Valence could last much longer.”

I feel the pressure on me release, followed by a great sense of relief. I quickly start gasping for sweet oxygen, never having appreciated it as much as I did then than I did now.

“Oh no! Is Vency alright?” I hear Artemisia shout, making me choke on the very air that I’m greedily gulping.

“N-NO! ALL GOOD!” I sputter, frantically waving my hands to fend off the arms of an Artemisia that’s attempting to pull me into her imprisoning embrace. “BREATHING FINE! VALENCE IS GOOD!”

“I see that Valence is just as pathetic as always.” Vedika comments with disdain.

After managing to fend the smothering menace off, I shoot a glare at the Gothitelle. “And I see that you’re still a brooding witch.” I shoot back, rather boldly at that.

Her eyes narrow ever so slightly as an almost maniacal smile forms on her lips, in which I quickly realize that I fucked up. “Witch?” She hisses through clenched teeth. “To call me a witch is to assume that I warp others with ghastly magic.” The air around her hands shimmer with a blackish aura. “If that’s what you believe me to be, perhaps I should solidify this statement of yours by-”

“Vedika, another time.” Richmond sighs, lifting his glasses in order to rub his eyes.

Thanks Richmond, glad that you’re stepping in to my aid now of all times. Not that I don’t appreciate it, but at the same time you leave me to Artemisia almost one hundred percent of the time.

A sudden growling noise makes us all pause, the distinct noise catching us all off guard. However when we turn our eyes to the source, our gaze befalls upon a rather flustered Rinako.

“I never realized you housed a beast inside your stomach.” Rodrigo comments humorously.

"In my defense,” Rinako quickly speaks up, her face taking on a noticeable shade of pink. “The last time we’ve eaten was five hours ago.”

“Five hours ago?” Artemisia gasps, placing a hand on her chest. “Well that simply cannot do! Come! I know a place that serves an excellent pizza!”

Out of all of us (besides Rinako), Vedika is the one that perks up the most. “Pizza?” She repeats, her normally scornful eyes now containing a certain eagerness that looks both adorable...and very unnerving.

“Yes!” Artemisia laughs, grabbing the Gothitelle’s hand and proceeding to drag her away. “They even make a mean Hawaiian, your favorite!”

Now, first of all...to grab Vedika’s hand like that and drag her is considered suicide since she can very well kill you in numerous horrible ways (and enjoy doing it too). But Artemisia? Not only is she unscathed, but the witch-warlock seems to not mind it in the least.

“Well? I can’t argue with pizza.” Rodrigo chuckles, following after them.

“Pizza...sounds very nice.” Rinako nods numbly, her lips curving upwards at the prospect of filling her currently ravenous stomach.

Richmond merely rolls his eyes and places his glasses back on his snout, following after the rest of them.

Me? Although I do follow after them eventually, the thought of Vedika loving pineapple on pizza is very...very believable.

Said Bisharp lets out a growl before delivering a powerful swing with her axe, yet the hybrid raises one of his arms and catches it with his blades. He barely budged despite the amount of power she put into the attack, which is definitely not a good sign.

“Your enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed.” He grins at her in a mocking manner, his black and white eyes peering with something akin to hunger. “The desire and eagerness for bloodshed, it is something I...greatly appreciate.” His grin widens further, fully baring his fangs. “Yet I wonder on how long you can keep this going...”

Artemisia’s arms start to shake as the hybrid begins to push back, in which she’s starting to struggle to hold her ground. “You speak as if I care of what you think.” She snarls back. “The only thing that matters to me is leaving your body bloody and broken.”

From the sidelines I see Valence take the chance and leap, lashing out with his claws with the intention of stabbing the hybrid in the side. At the last second the hybrid immediately ceases pushing at Artemisia and sidesteps, causing Valence to miss.

Quickly planting his feet into the ground the Zangoose uses his momentum to leap away. This split-second decision ended up saving him, since the hybrid quickly retaliated by slashing at where he was heading...something that would’ve left a very nasty injury if he continued on his current path.

With the hybrid now off her Artemisia immediately presses forward, this time swinging at an angle. As expect he blocked the attack, but soon follows up by lashing out with his free hand. She pulls back to avoid it, leaving his hand to grab open air.

During this I’ve been preparing another spell, this one a bit different. Tethering myself to the pages I cause more purple fire to raise into the air, collecting into a sphere. Muttering a few choice words I cause it to ripple and swirl, a few seconds of waiting for it to fully form I thrust my hand forward again.

Unlike the last spell, the fireball explodes into several snake-like streams of fire. Each tongue flies towards the hybrid like burning tendrils, the air crackling and hissing from their intense heat.

The hybrid turns his head and opens his maw, his black throat gaining a bluish glow. Not a second later a blue beam of energy fires out, incinerating the flames and streaking right towards me. Wasting no time I quickly weave to the side, causing the beam to strike a tree behind me and burn a deep hole into its trunk.

So he is capable of ranged attacks, duly noted for future reference.

“Is this the best you can do?” He hisses to us, his clawed fingers flexing with excitement. “You have yet to land a single hit on me.”

“I would say the same to you.” Valence counters back with a smirk. “I’d recommend rethinking your choice of taunts, since you haven’t landed anything on us either.”

A low, guttural laugh escapes him. “I am merely ‘testing the waters’, to get a taste of what your strength is.” He clenches his hands into fists, causing a few loud pops to be heard. “Now that I’ve garnered you three properly, I will show you three what true strength is.”

His head snaps towards the direction of Artemisia before dashing at her with sudden speed, catching all of us off-guard. He lashes out with one of his claws in which she quickly blocks with the handle of her axe, only for him to pull back and strike out with his other claws.

This quickly turns out in to a barrage of slashes and stabs, pressing harder towards her than ever before. This quickly forces the Bisharp to backpedal in order to prevent herself from getting gored, however with the speed of his attacks he’s dishing out, Artemisia is struggling greatly to keep up since her weapon wasn’t made to deflect attacks at such a swift pace.

Seeing the trouble she’s in Valence quickly dives in, his main goal to redirect the hybrid’s attention from Artemisia in order to give her some breathing room. However the second the Zangoose got close the predator twists his body and delivers a powerful downward swing, making Valence stop and bring up both his claws to block it. The sheer force of the attack combined with strength not being Valence’s primary attribute, the shock from the impact slams his body into the ground with a loud thump.

A loud blood-freezing roar soon follows this, this time coming from Artemisia. With her eyes wide with fury she pushes back at the hybrid with frenzied strikes, each swing being backed by immense strength from the wrathful Bisharp.

The hybrid meets her strike per strike, bringing up his long blades to block or deflect her swings. Eventually he finds an opening into her frenzied attacks and lashes out with a hand, gripping the handle of her weapon to halt her attacks.

At this moment I finish another spell, pulling out a stream of fire from my book I grasp it with my hands, creating a small sphere that dances around my fingers. With the spell of purple fire in my hands I throw it, the ball streaking towards the hybrid’s feet.

Upon impact it explodes outwards, setting the ground around his feet alight. He quickly releases his grasp on Artemisia’s weapon and leaps back, letting out a hiss of pain due to his feet getting singed. Artemisia also backs away in order to avoid my fire, but due to her burning anger she quickly circles around the flaming ground before charging down the predator to re-enter the fray.

As for Valence, despite having the air knocked out of him he quickly recovered and watched the battle between the two Bisharp hybrids. Having learned his lesson he instead observes the two with wariness, this time being more careful on what opportunity is best to interfere.

For me this isn’t good, since even though I can quickly prepare spells...I’m having difficulty on properly utilizing them. With Artemisia in her battle-frenzy I can’t get too clear of a shot since she’s right next to our target, so I’m forced to wait for a small opening in order to prevent myself from catching her in the cross-fire.

“Disappointing...” I hear the hybrid growl as he blocks another one of Artemisia’s wild swings, but instead of bringing his other arm up to block her next attack he instead drives his knee into her stomach. Even with the armor protecting her, Artemisia lets out a sharp breath upon feeling impact; however she couldn’t even get a chance to recover when the predator grabs her face with a free hand.

“You may have enthusiasm, but you lack control.” He chuckles. “Allow me to enlighten you on the consequences.”

Taking a step towards her side he drives his hand to the ground, slamming the Bisharp’s head onto the earth hard enough to send the axe flying out of her hand. Not even finished he releases his grasp on her and quickly stands, only for him to deliver a powerful kick to her side. The impact sends her body sliding a good few feet before stopping, her long purple hair gaining a few red shades from a new wound that’s bleeding from her head.

Even with her on the ground Valence is no fool, since he knows very well that diving in to protect her would ultimately end with him sharing a similar fate. The conflict in his eyes however is another sign that he’s unsure on what to do, since his current options are very small and not too favorable.

Despite her now being vulnerable the hybrid turns to face the two of us, his expression smug. “I am in one of my rare educative moods, so keep that lesson in mind.” His eyes narrow. “Yet if you wish to share her fate, then be my guest. I don’t mind repeating the lesson so it’s properly ingrained into your minds.”

Artemisia lets out a soft groan, a sign that she’s not completely down for the count. The hybrid looks down at her, his eyes betraying his surprise.

“Perhaps I’ve underestimated her.” He admits, chuckling. “Many have been knocked unconscious or even killed from such a hit, so she must be a very hardy individual.” He turns to fully face her, raising his blades. “Yet in the end, I have no further desire of her interfering”

With the threat made, Valence makes up his mind. With a snarl he leaps into action, running straight at him.

The hybrid expected this, in which he quickly turns to face the charging Zangoose. However what the predator did NOT expect was for Valence to breath out a cone of fire from his mouth, aimed right for his face. The Bisharp-hybrid quickly raises his arms to protect himself, causing the flames to severally burn the skin. With him now open Valence thrusts both of his claws forward, the weapons digging into the predator’s now-exposed stomach.

“That’s what you get you smug asshole!” Valence growls. “Not so invincible are you now huh?!”

The hybrid lets out a loud roar of pain as Valence tries to push his claws in deeper, but the thick skin and muscle proved to make this effort near impossible. Seeing that he can’t cause any further injury he tries to pull them out, but before he could succeed the hybrid grabs both of the Zangoose’s arms.

Realizing his situation, Valence’s eyes widen in horror. The Bisharp yanks Valence’s claws out before lifting him into the air, soon following with a powerful headbutt to the Zangoose’s forehead. A loud crack resounds through the air as the impact causes Valence’s head to snap back, blood now bleeding profusely from the area struck.

Now hanging limp in his grasp the Bisharp releases Valence, sending him falling to the ground unceremoniously.

The wounds in the hybrid’s stomach are too shallow to hinder him too much, seeing how he turns to me with little to no strain. “Now there's only one.” He hisses menacingly.

I don’t respond to this, for instead I drop my book on the ground. The tome lands with its pages open, the scriptures glowing with bright purple energy. Opening my palm I draw upon the tome’s power, causing a snake-like streak of fire to rise from the book and wrap itself around my hands. With my gaze never leaving the hybrid I allow the tendril of fire to continue to wrap around me, its length growing longer and longer. Eventually it ceases, leaving a whip-like stream of fire within my grasp.

“Impressive.” He comments. “Yet I doubt it will be enough.” His eyes glance over to my fallen comrades. “They were lucky to have lasted as long as they did, yet I doubt you will be just as fortunate.” He looks back at me wickedly. “A mere rope of fire will not stop me just as steel hasn’t.”

“We have yet to see.” I respond tightly, forcing back the desire to adjust my glasses. In truth I’m more than nervous seeing that I’m the only one left standing, since that also means I’m the only one preventing this situation from ending in a gruesome fashion...for the three of us.

“See? There is nothing to see, since your fate is sealed.” He laughs.

“I’d have to object to that.” A sudden voice speaks, making the two of us pause.

Stepping out of the darkness are three other Pokemon, each wearing clothing of the same color. One of them I immediately recognize as the Medicham hybrid from earlier, while the other two is a Gothitelle and Mienshao that I’ve never seen before.

The one who spoke was the Medicham, who is currently spinning a large Fuuma Shuriken in her fingers. “Now,even though things have gotten off on the wrong foot, I’d like to ask if you’re willing to stop this fighting and settle things like civilized folk.” With her free hand she pulls back at the fur around her collar, exposing the text ‘MED-03′ in black characters. “I’m a hybrid just like you, from the HWDP.”

He didn’t seem fazed by this, in fact...he lets out a sharp laugh. “Like you? HA!” His eyes narrow dangerously. “You are nothing like me, for I am far stronger than you could ever hope to be.”

“We wish to settle this peacefully, there is no need for violence.” The Gothitelle warns, opening her umbrella in a swift motion.

“No need for violence?” He gestures to the fallen forms of Valence and Artemisia. “I was merely greeting them, nothing more.” His gaze flicks back to her. “And you three will be shown the same hospitality.”

“No chance of changing your mind?” The Medicham asks.

The Bisharp-hybrid lets out a snort in response, his hands once again clenching into fists.

“Thought so.” She says with a shrug before looking at the other two, her smile widening. “Ready girls?”

The Gothitelle wordlessly activates the inner-mechanisms of her umbrella, causing the hidden spring-loaded blades inside the fabrics to slide out in a flash.

“It appears that this barbarian needs to learn proper etiquette.” The Miensaho huffs, revealing the blades within her fans. “Who knows, perhaps there’s some hope for him.”

“Looks like it’s four against one now.” The Medicham continues, glancing over to me. “’Cus we thought that we needed to even the odds.”

“Increased numbers mean nothing to me.” He growls in response.

“Perhaps, but I’ve fought weasels that are far more overconfident than you.” She shoots back with a sly smile, in which the Mienshao gives her a nasty look.

“He is not to be underestimated.” I warn them, raising the whip of flame within my hands. “He is very powerful, caution needs to be greatly exercised.”

“Duly noted.” The Gothitelle nods, her expression calm. “We will keep this in mind.”

“Yeah, just watch our backs alright?” The Medicham says before giving me a thumbs up. With that the three immediately spring into action, charging down the Bisharp-hybrid with a sudden burst of speed.

“I WILL TAKE YOU ALL ON!” He roars, responding to their charge in kind to meet them head-on.