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Stormfront-Scorch Recon Task 1 - Capture the Agent

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    Captain’s Log

    Date: 1855.03.13

    0930 Hours

    It’s been three months since the Guardian Statue -or Humongous Stone Head as Mr Ahlström liked to call it- went on a destructive rampage for unknown reasons and was calmed down by the combined efforts of the three guilds that protected the city.

    Oddly enough, I found myself registering for the Explorers Guild with Mr Ahlström as my partner a few days later, as the Guild Leader had personally requested that all who had helped in the fiasco are welcomed to join. Doctor O’Seinn had secured a spot in the Researchers Guild with a fresh-out-of-college Zigzagoon called James Holford in order to understand the peculiar occurrence of the temporal anomaly that should have been eradicated several years ago, while me and our Chief Tactician are trying to look up the records on the Explorers Guild Archives for any clues that could lead us towards the answer of this puzzle.

    On the other hand, the citizens of Andalusst had been welcoming the Ambassador who had come from Iapon as a friendly visit with a small celebration. But it turns out that the Ambassador was an impostor; an Iaponese spy and assassin who planned to sabotage the Andalusst-Iapon  cooperation. And this ‘Ambassador’ wasn’t working alone. His disguise was uncovered when Gavina of the Explorers Guild arrived with the real Iaponese Ambassador. Now, these spies are running loose over the city, and the Hunters Guild had issued a guild wide task to capture the spies and turn them over to the authorities with the help from the local Royal Guards.

    Mr Ahlström and I had decided to team up with the members of Teams Scorch Recon and Driftblade from the Hunters Guild to assist us on locating one of the youngest agents we were supposed to hunt.  But it would seem that this task isn’t as easy as it looks. As it turns out, the combined effort of our team wasn’t enough to capture this Riolu. We had to resort to ask help from several citizens, and a few foreign bystanders who we bumped into by chance.


             “Finally done with your chess game?” Tor pursed his muzzle in annoyance as he folded his arms, glaring at the Prinplup that had just exited the Rec Room with a Vaporeon and a Zigzagoon in tow.

    Tristan grinned apologetically. “Sorry. Got carried away. Well, we still have some time to spare, don’t we?”

    “It was a good game.” Jim quipped from behind, looking more excited than usual. “I look forward for another of this… Virtual Chess, captain.” He added.

    “Sure.” Tristan grinned, but was cut off by his Chief Tactician.

    Tor harrumphed and turned to the exit. “Just come will you? I don’t want to waste any more time than usual.”

    The Prinplup raised an eyebrow at the comment. “If Commander Hadrian was here he would have told you off for being disrespectful.” Tristan chuckled as he followed the bipedal Shinx down the ramp and into the forest.

    “Oh, yeah, with his, ‘Regulations’, ‘Directives’, blah, blah, blah, all that crap.” came the dismissive reply.

    The Prinplup stopped in his tracks, blinking in surprise, before he sighed and shook his head. Well, I guess his de-evolution comes with a degeneration of maturity… Come to think of it, Leo had speculated that Tor’s spontaneous devolution affected his level of maturity as well.He thought dryly. This whole time travel thing is getting ridiculous… He groaned inwardly.

    Glancing to the silvery ship behind him, Tristan watched as the embarking ramp lifted and folded back seamlessly into the fuselage. The whole Yacht’s form shimmered like rippling water, slowly blending with its surroundings, disappearing from view as the cloaking mechanism worked its magic. The black letters of the ship, bearing the words SV ULYSSES ASC-0529 was the last to disappear.

    Tristan knew that ordering Markus to reverse engineer the Revanian Chameleon Circuit they managed to get was a very good idea indeed.

    “So where are we meeting them again?” Tor’s voice jolted Tristan out of his thoughts.

    “Oh, er…” the captain sorted out through his thoughts. “Drupers. Drupers Berry Parlor.” He replied with a nod.

    Tor was silent for a moment. When the Shinx spoke, it was with a frown. “Remind me why you chose to meet in that place again?”

    “You know, I can’t see why you disliked that parlor so much.”

    “It’s not the place that I disliked.” Tor huffed. “It’s that creepy Linoone bartender that bugs me. I don’t know, but he seemed a bit… off. Particularly when he’s super nice… Now don’t go and tell me off Tristan. You know that Linoone is hiding something too.” Tor added quickly, directing a glare to the taller Prinplup.

    Tristan wanted to retort that he didn’t, but he wasn’t about to lie, especially not to his Chief Tactical Officer. Kid or not, Tor’s uncanny ability to see through most façade and lies was still prevalent, and it’s quite scary to be honest.

    “Fine,” the Penguin Pokémon sighed, rolling his eyes slightly. “But that doesn’t mean that you should bad mouthing him.” He added sternly.

    Tor sighed in annoyance. “Whatever.”

    The two spent the rest of the journey to the city in silence. A few minutes later, the duo

was walking through Andalusst’s busy streets, occasionally exchanging hellos with several Explorers that they knew along the way. Soon enough, the two arrived at the brightly colored roadside café known as Drupers.

    The berry parlor was not as crowded as it was normally. There are only a few Pokémon sitting on the circular wicker tables and bar. The lone Linoone proprietor-slash-bartender was busy behind his bar, serving what looked like a large bowl of chocolate waffle ice cream to a family of Chespins. Tristan picked the seat that was the nearest to the window, which looked directly into the street so when the Hunters team arrived, they can see where him and Tor sat.

    “Welcome to my humble parlour, new faces.”

    Tor jumped slightly from his wicker chair, Tristan turned to look at the Linoone who had appeared right by their table with two menu cards on his claws, smiling brightly. “My name’s Garfield. What brings you here?”

    Tristan blinked. “Oh, well, we’re meeting some friends.” Odd, wasn’t he busy with the Chespins just now? “Thanks by the way. Can I ask what the special here is?” he added.

    Garfield chuckled, giving a sideways glance to Tristan. “Everything is special if you want to be.” he said with a wink as he slid over the empty seat beside him. He then turned to look at Tor with a grin. “Now who’s this cute little runt?” he reached over and pinched Tor’s cheeks. “You playing babysitter?” he glanced back to Tristan inquiringly.

    “Oi!” Tor winced and shoved the Linoone’s claws away roughly. His electric yellow eyes were glaring daggers at Garfield. “Hands off!”

    “Not really, no.” Tristan chuckled as Tor rubbed the sore spot on his cheek. “He’s actually a friend of mine. He’s three years younger than me. Tor here...” he paused, contemplating on how to describe Tor’s odd condition. “He’s rather slow in his growth.” He said, nodding to himself.

    Garfield clapped his paws, smirking like he had just seen something adorable. “Aww, even cuter~ I’d much rather you not have your growth spurt~ “ he said as he looked up and down Tor’s body. His voice suddenly turned several octaves higher, really high indeed, as if he was squeaking instead of talking. Tor stared.  

    The Linoone frowned suddenly. “What tiny muscles! Non, non!” he squeaked out in both disapproval and surprise.

    Tor’s eyes noticeably twitched. His fists clenched and unclenched. “What’s that you say?”

    The Linoone suddenly blinked as if he had just realized what he had said. “Ehe, sorry about that.” he cleared his throat, looking apologetic. “I’ll come back to take your order.” Garfield smiled before he scampered off.

    “Freaking unbelievable.” Tor muttered. “See. I told you he’s weird.” He turned to the Prinplup beside him with a frown, only to receive a light kick aimed at his feet from across the table.

    “Be nice.” Tristan deadpanned. “He hasn’t done anything serious, has he?”

    Tor let out an incoherent grumble.

    A few minutes later, Garfield came back to their table, holding a notepad and quill between his paws. “May I have your orders, gentlemen?” he said with a smile. Tor leered over to the Linoone as he scanned the menu card, noticing –to his annoyance, that the bartender–slash–proprietor was constantly giving him discreet glances and tutting softly in disapproval.

    “I’ll have the Nanab Split, thank you.” Tristan said, making Tor snap back to the present.

    “I, er…” he cleared his throat as he made a random choice. “The Bulk Berry Frappe.”

    “Coming right up.” Garfield smiled, his eyes twinkling slightly as he took their menus from the table. “Oh, and here’s a napkin for the little one.” He added with a small, teasing smirk, tying a napkin around the Shinx’s neck before he skipped away to the bar.

    Tor immediately ripped the piece of cream coloured cloth from his neck. His eye twitching. “Freaking Linoone…” he growled, turning to face Tristan. The Prinplup was stifling a laugh. “Don’t laugh.”

    “Can’t.” was the only thing that Tristan could muster as he chokes and snorts. His body quivering in a silent laughter. Tor growled.

    Before he could do anything rash however, the doorbell chimed softly as a customer walked in. Two customers in fact. Tristan turned to see a Chimchar with athletic build and a younger looking Wartortle looking around the parlor before spotting them right by the side of the establishment.

    “Hey, sorry for being a little late.” Derek said as he pulled a chair. “Got a meeting back at the Hunters HQ.”

    “Yeah. It was quite the sudden.” The Wartortle said.

    “S’alright.” Tristan waved him off.

    Right then, Garfield walked in, holding a tray with Tristan and Tor’s orders. “One Nanab Split for the soon-to-be emperor–“ he grinned as he set down the ice cream in front of Tristan.” –and one Bluk Berry Frappe for the small cub~” he patted Tor’s head and ties another napkin around his neck, smirking happily. He blinked as he noticed the new additions on the table. His gaze swept past the scarfed Chimchar and landed on the Wartortle. “And who’s this cutie?” he leaned towards the water type, his voice returning down to his normal tone.

    Tor rolled his eyes and dug into his Frappe as the Linoone fawned over the Turtle Pokémon.

    “Oh. I’m Hyden, sir…” the said Pokémon blinked, smiling rather bashfully.

    Garfield smiled. “For being so cute, I’ll let you have two for the price of one~” he glanced over Derek. “You have to pay full price. So may I have your order?” he said flatly.

    The Chimchar raised his eyebrow and blinked. “…okay…” he shrugged the Rushing Pokémon’s odd quirk and looked over the spare menu cards that had been laid out in front of them. After several moments, he said, “I’ll have the Razz-Bleu Mix.”

    “Eh… well…” Hyden blushed as Garfield turned to him with a really bright and friendly smile. Almost flirtatious, actually. “The Cheri Sundae sounds good…”

    “Coming right up.” The Linoone pinched Hyden's cheeks gently. “I'll put extra sauce just for you~”

    The Wartortle was left quite dumbfounded. “Er… is he always like that?”

    “You can say that…” Tor grumbled, forcefully untying his napking and dug in into his Frappe.

    There was a small pause after that.

    “So... um... what's the plan?” Derek asked, breaking the silence.

    “Well,” Tristan started, wiping his ice cream smeared beak. “Me and Tor will be tracking the Riolu down, while you and Hyden went to corner down the exits.” He said. “That’s the gist of it.”

    Tor nodded, digging into his ice cream as he listened to Tristan’s extra explanation to the two Hunters. He was about to comment something that Derek had mentioned, but he felt someone’s breath on his neck, and a small whisper.

    “Hmhmmhmm~, content with nabbing the easy prey?”

    Tor’s fur bristled and he jumped from his seat. Eyes wide, darting about until they fell on the smiling form of Garfield, who had come back with Derek and Hyden's orders. He seemed to have eavesdropped at their conversation.

    “Heh. Where is the fun in that?” he said in a normal tone as he laid the desserts in the table. He clapped his paws clean and sighed dreamily. “My Noir-chan will teach that Sceptile a lesson~ Just you wait and see~”

    Tor calmed his heartbeat down and settled back on his seat with a scowl. “Well, since the bulk of the guild were chasing after the Sceptile and Greninja, we figured out that the Riolu is our best chance.” He said, trying to ignore the Linoone standing at his side. “Besides, the Riolu is just a kid. I do wonder what he was doing with the Iaponese spies...”

    Garfield chuckled in response. “I actually gave him some ice-cream when he tried to masquerade as a normal Riolu.” He said as he slammed his paw on the table, earning the attention of the whole group, and also the Braixen sitting on the next table. “Pathétique! None can escape my powers of observation!” he shouted, eyes sparkling in some sort of enthusiasm. Everyone stared. “Anyway, he should still be sluggish. If you can't catch him in his pitoyable state, then I pity the Guilds you belong to.” He said before he saunters off.

    Derek shifted on his seat slightly, a frown marring his face. “If so, then it shouldn't pose as a much problem to locate him...”

    Tristan could only nod, noticing that the Braixen sitting on the table next to them had called Garfield over. “E-Excusez-moi, parlez-vous français?” was uttered from his mouth. And quite surprisingly, the Linoone responded fluently with the same language.

    Oui, oui. Je ne reçois pas beaucoup de clients français.

    Shaking the thoughts out from his head, Tristan turned his attention back to the group of ‘mons sitting around him. “Well, let's finish our desserts quickly and we'll go.” He said.

     

    * * *

     

    “That Riolu is sure taking his sweet time.”

    Tristan chose to ignore the Shinx beside him and settled to look out on the streets below instead. They had been scouting for hours now and they had yet to find the elusive Riolu. They had searched every single nook and cranny, but there were no sign of the spy. It was pretty frustrating to say the least.

    “Damnit, where is that punk anyway?” Tor voiced his frustration once again. Tristan sighed and turned his head towards the Chimchar standing by the roof a couple of yards on his right. The fire type shook his head. The Penguin Pokémon gained the same result from Hyden, who was patrolling the street to his left.

    “He will appear. Just be patient– what?”

    The Prinplup turned to look at his partner – who had poked his ribs a couple of times– in annoyance. Tor simply pointed where Hyden had been patrolling. Turning his attention to the Wartortle, he stared and nodded. With a quick signal to Derek above them, Tristan quickly made his way towards a waving Hyden.

    “There.” The water type nodded at a retreating figure of a black clad Riolu down the street to his side.

    “You sure?” Tor asked.

    Hyden nodded. “Yeah. Dark clothing, Iaponese.” With a small nod, the quartet quickly and silently tailed their target closely, who was blissfully unaware, while keeping a considerable amount of distance. A small part of Tristan’s mind was suspicious of how easy it was. From his peripheral vision, he could see Derek and Hyden part away to block the Riolu’s path from the opposite side. They just have to wait for the right time.

    And when it did, Tristan knew something was really off.

    First off, the Riolu looked a little bit too old and too tall for a preteen. Second, his sharp, dark grey eyes –almost black, gives off an unnerving feeling. Lastly, a long and thin katana was pressed up his throat, and it was held by the Riolu.

    Everything stopped.

    “What do you want?”

    Tristan immediately took note of the Iaponese accent as he turned his head to glance at the newcomer behind him. It was a male Jolteon, clad in black hued cloak and vest, covering a long, dark blue scarf that wrapped around his neck, with a set of leather wraps around his paws and legs, and a large, bulging rucksack on his back. Tied to both sides of his belt was a scabbard, empty since its content was pressed against Derek who had stood beside the electric type. Tristan’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

    “Ah, wait... you’re not him...” Hyden spoke suddenly, earning the attention of the two Iaponese ‘mons.

    “Not him? Explain.” The Jolteon asked again, eyeing the Turtle Pokemon with his lime green eyes.

    Glancing uneasily at the swords, Hyden immediately launched into an explanation. There were several moments of pause as the Jolteon and the Riolu processed the information.

    “A Riolu shinobi?” the voice coming from the Jolteon’s companion was thick with the eastern accent. “I think we met him a little while ago.”

    Tor blinked. “You did? Where?”

    “There.” The Emanation Pokémon gestured down a certain path. “He matched your description.” He then turned to the Jolteon, who still had his katana up on Tristan and Derek’s throats. “It’s just a simple misunderstanding, Masaru-san.” His face broke into a small smile. “They don’t mean any harm. Besides, I’ve read their Waves.”

    Masaru gave a small nod and retracted his blades. Tristan allowed himself to take a deep breath, glancing at the Jolteon who was smiling apologetically.

    Ano...” the Lightning Pokémon started slowly, cupping his chin as he came across an idea. “Why don’t let us help you, as an act of apology? I acted rather rashly just now...”

    “It’s okay, you don’t have to–“ Tristan quickly said, but was cut off by the not-fugitive Riolu.

    “No, we insist.” He said. The look on his face said as much. “Shinobi are not that easy to catch. You will need all the help you can get.”

    Tor’s muzzle pursed into a dry smile. “Fine then. So, what do you propose?”

    “Trap them of course.”

    “And pray tell how will we do that?” Tor frowned. “He could easily escape using his freaky ninja techniques.”

    With that, Masaru’s face simply broke into a small, knowing smile.

     

    * * *

     

    The light pitter-patter of footsteps echoed through the narrow alleyway as a scarfed figure darted past the cramped path. He kept shooting glances to his back, gritting his teeth when the Chimchar that had been chasing him was still hot on his tail. The figure growled inwardly, skidding into a halt as the alley branched into two paths. But before he could take any of them, a resounding crash from the right path alerted the figure and Derek. Several stacks of hay and crates had somehow fallen over, completely blocking the alley.

    “Sorry, but could you- hey!” the Jolteon blinked as the Riolu clad in dark scarf darted off towards the opposite alley without so much of a word. Masaru smiled inwardly as Derek gave him a small thumbs-up before continuing to chase after the spy. With a sigh, he turned up to look at Hyden on top of the hay stacks. The Wartortle nodded with a grin before he went to re-stack the hay and crates together.

    Now for phase two.

    Phase two consisted of disorienting the spy, which was achieved by Tor playing an annoyed brother, chasing his fighting type ‘sibling’. They crashed headlong into the spy, sending the three of them sprawling into the ground, before resuming their ‘fight’. The Iaponese spy quickly got up, glaring at the two ‘mons before darting off towards the nearest escape route.

    “Good job on that part.” Derek heaved as he paused to catch his breath, looking to the street behind Tor and the katana wielding Riolu. If the ninja had paid more attention, he would’ve gone that way, and their plan would be ruined.

    “Heh. I didn’t know he could pull an annoying little brother.” Tor grinned, ruffling the Riolu’s head, who simply rolled his eyes.

    “We better made sure your partners got their part done.” He said, brushing off Tor’s paws and took off.

    The three quickly chased after the fugitive, rounding over a series of much narrow pathways, through blocked off openings and haphazard turns. Tor grinned. They got where they wanted the Riolu to be.

    Soon enough, the young Iaponese Pokémon skidded into a halt as the alley opened into a small yard, blocked off from all three sides by walls. He whipped his head to the side when a Prinplup casually walked out from the alley behind him, followed by the Chimchar from earlier, a Shinx, and another Riolu. The four of them slowly closed in towards him. The ninja whipped out a kunai in instinct and held it out in a throwing position.

    “D-don’t come closer!” he cried out, slowly backing towards the wall. “No! Stop!” he shouted when Tristan increased his pace towards him, his flippers held up to the air in a placating manner.

    “Hey, hey, relax.” Tristan’s voice was cautious as he slowed down his pace, looking directly at the Riolu’s eyes while trying not to look too intimidating. “We just want to talk.”

    “You are lying.” The Riolu pointed out, swishing his small blade threateningly.

    The Prinplup sighed. “No, I’m not.” He stopped a few steps away from the young ‘mon. “I’m just here to talk.”

    “Then why corner me here?” he asked, his eyes gaining a hard edge. The grip on his kunai tightened.

    “I wouldn’t be able to talk if you keep escaping right?”

    The Riolu’s expression wavered slightly. Seeing this, Derek quickly used the chance to speak.

    "Remember Sundance? That young Weavile from the Hunter's Guild?" he said slowly.

    “W-Weavile?” the word prompted an image of a young 'mon, probably a few years older than himself, walking towards him and offering to be his friend, despite the Weavile not knowing who he was.

    "Yeah. He's worried about you." Derek continued. "It's his personal request that we find you quickly before the Royal Guards came in."

    "Look, I'm not sure how someone as young as you got caught up in this sh-"

    "Tor!"

    "-mess." the Shinx coughed. "But I'm convinced that Sundance would make sure that you'll be safe." he said. "And you're still a minor I doubt they will do anything to you." he added in an undertone.

    The Riolu was silent, he was looking back and forth between Tor and Derek, the fist that was curled on the kunai clenched and unclenched. "E-Eto..." he began mumbling and stammering things. Uncertainty crossed his face.

    Derek hummed thoughtfully. "Besides..." he started. "I think Sundance would still want you as his friend."

    The Riolu blinked, surprised. "F-friend? B-but I am a fugitive, no?"

    A sigh escaped from the Shinx’s mouth "Fugitive or not, that Weavile is convinced that you're not a bad person." Tor said. "And he's really anxious to see you. Come on, now. You don't want to be captured by the Royal Guards?"

    The Riolu blanched considerably. "No..."

    Derek offered a hand to him. "Then, will you come with us?"

    The conflicted look flashed across the Emmanation Pokémon’s face again. He was silent for several minutes. His eyes clenched shut. "...yes." He finally replied, looking at Derek’s outstretched hand and slowly grasped it.

    "Great!" Tor grinned. "Now that's settled, I'm craving for a Sundae."

    "Sundei?" The Riolu blinked.

    Tristan stared oddly at his team partner. "It's a type of ice cream.” He said to the young Riolu. “Tor... didn’t you just had a Frappe?”

    “So?”

    Tristan stared again before he sighed. “Really, what’s with you and ice cream?” he shook his head. “Alright. We’ll head to Drupers before we head towards the Hunters Guild Headquarters.” His gaze lingered to the other Riolu who was silently watching the whole exchange all this time. “You and your friend are invited too, if you want to come, that is.”

    Tristan got a shrug as a response. “I don’t see why not.”

    “Excelent.” The Penguin Pokémon gave a small grin. “Now we just have to collect Hyden and Masaru... er... I didn’t really catch your name.” he added.

    “Aotsuki Kazuto.”

    The ninja Riolu’s gaze flickered towards his older kin, a look of recognition flashed by briefly on his eyes. Unfortunately, no one noticed it safe for the other Iaponese in the group. “Aotsuki...” he uttered under his breath, frowning slightly.

    “Masaru-san might still be with Haiden-san.” Kazuto added.

    Ano... Aotsuki-san... who is your friend?” came the timid voice from the young ninja.

    Kazuto blinked, staring at the younger Riolu for several seconds before he replied, his voice careful. “Kurogawa Masaru. Namae wa nandesu ka?”

    The fact that the younger Riolu froze for a split second wasn’t missed by both Tor and Kazuto. While the Shinx frowned slightly at the fighting type’s odd reaction, Kazuo merely kept his face neutral. Although a slight quirk played on his muzzle. Taking a deep breath, the shinobi shakily told his name to the small group.

    “H-Hikou... Hikou desu....

Finally after a very long delay and struggle, I managed to update this Placeholder...
So, I took this opportunity to introduce two of my Iaponese NPCs: Masaru Kurogawa and Kazuto Aotsuki. If you're confused, Kazuto merely introduced himself using the default naming format in Iapon and the eastern regions of Parai, which is Family Name– Given Name. Aotsuki and Kurogawa are the Family Names. 

Well, anyway, I hope you readers enjoy this lengthy story. Tell me what you think.

Team App:
Stormfront
Scorch Recon


Team Scorch Recon:
- 1x Merit
- 1x Evolution Slip


Team Stormfront:
- 1x Merit
- 1x Evolution Slip

Cameos:
-Leonard O'Seinn the Vaporeon, Team Datum © Me
-James Holford, Team Datum © Me

NPC Cameos:
-Hyden the Wartortle © Me
-Masaru Kurogawa the Jolteon © Me
-Kazuto Aotsuki the Riolu © Me
-Garfield the Linoone, Drupers Berry Parlor proprietor © Setsuna-Senso 
-Hikou the Riolu © ChillySunDance
-Sundance the Weavile, Hunters Guild Proxy Leader (mentioned) © ChillySunDance

Drupers Berry Parlor belongs to Setsuna-Senso
© 2014 - 2024 Quarteon01
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CoffeeSpecs's avatar
Not bad at all I must say X3 I must say a rather well-thought out plan to capture the Riolu as well X3 And...Garfield is adorable...yet creepy X3