It was one of the sunniest days Tao Village and its surrounding areas had in a while.

Not a cloud could be seen, which accounted for the lack of breeze that made the grass and flowers still. Chirping was heard, but only far off in the distance where it could be softly soothing to ears. For the first time in a while, Mother Nature was living through a silent and tranquil day. A pebble was kicked unknowingly and rolled an inch down a dirt path. A Sneasel strutted his merry way down to Creeping Forest with an unusual amount ofpeppiness for his species. He hummed a tune to himself that only he understood and cared about nothing else. He glanced down at his hands that carried an orange object. When thinking over past events getting it, he got even more excited over such a small thing. Spontaneously, he chortled out in a remarkably hefty voice. How did this happen? It s been too easy to loot that stand! That purple bitch should be gone more often, he blurted, and followed with a more triumphant cackle. He juggled the item a few times. When I tell Slasher about this, he ll have big plans. He always does. Hehehe... An out-of-place bush caught his attention. It had not been there a few minutes before, when he left the village unharmed (and unnoticed). The Sneasel stopped to take a quick look, and got confused. But he shook it off, with his head shaking in unison, and continued his walk back to the forest. Thievery was more important to him than an abundant plant. Suddenly, the leaves rustled. A small twig broke at the same time, within those leaves. The Sneasel froze when his head feather gave an eerie twitch. Something seemed nearby, so he turned to the bush. Eh? he asked. But he wondered if anyone would even answer. The bush was unresponsive. The Sneasel was still curious, and stared towards the plant with all the interest he cared to give. He glanced at his new loot, which reminded him where he was going and the future he hoped for. With a smirk he juggled the object in one hand, throwing and catching it a few times in much focus. He redirected his attention and his body back to his intended destination. The appendage shook more violently before the dual-typed weasel could even take three steps. He spun around, more irritated and observant to the bush. It was rustling harder than the first time, so something was clearly in there and could not cover up now. The Sneasel started snarling in displeasure. He lunged one leg back, and scraped both claws followed by snapping them in front of him, in a battle-ready pose. Alright, wise guy, he said, almost in a whisper but then getting louder, come on out! I m not afraid of you. I ll take you on and pummel you til you bleed! You want that, punk?! While he went and bantered, he did not pay attention to the item he was carrying. The sudden pose made him drop it, a bright and ripened orange. It bounced from the dirt and slowly rolled towards the bush, away from the Sneasel s feet. A nose popped up from beneath the leaves. This startled the Sneasel as he tightened his muscles, expecting the worst, and sharpened his sight. The beige and pudgy organ only sniffed the air a few times, but it could tell that the orange dropped only a short distance away. It twitched as a result; a split-second later, it retreated back into the many leaves. A very audible, but disappointedly dry hiss emitted. Two shorter and softer ones followed suit.

I have heard of your kind getting away with many treacherous deeds, a voice emitted from the bush, but now you have reached a new kind of low. The village is not very welcoming for thugs like you, and yet you decide to waltz in and take advantage of something unprepared. How were you not stopped? Are you that deft? Please, do not answer because you have no time. I cannot let you get away so easily. Not like this! There was much more volume on the last word, which made it sound more like an order. The Sneasel eased up out of confusion. His muscles became less tight and his expression matched how bewildered he was in his mind. He groaned for a second. And what s your deal, huh? If you want to pick a fight, just come out and say it! What do you want from me, anyway?! JUSTICE, YOU FIEND! A dark red figure pounced from inside the bush at alarming speed. Whoever it was had the shape of a feline Pokmon, and their small, stubby arms ready to harm the Sneasel. They had jumped to a considerable height in the air, and through slit eyes laid a spark of tension and vengeance. Accompanying the look was a set of bared teeth blocking a growl. The description could only fit a certain Skitty: Prent, the Merchant leader of Team Priceshare. He snarled as he made the first strike, a simple swipe across his foe s face. The Sneasel was knocked back a few feet while Prent landed perfectly on all fours. In the spur of the moment, he took a moment to push the orange back a bit further, away from danger. The Sneasel gained his footing back instantly. He sneered and blinked at Prent with cold disapproval, and then flung his left arm back. Around his claws, the air dropped to around freezing temperatures. That air was pulled in around a balled fist, where it encased it. A few seconds after the air sublimated in cackles, and the claws became bare ice. The Sneasel jetted forward without hesitation and delivered a swinging Ice Punch towards Prent, giving out full force. The Skitty predicted the hit right but took the blow, making him soar away. He landed in a spot considerably far, but not too distanced away. His eyes gleamed. He put on a sly grin as he slid on impact with the ground, signaling he made a choice to hit back. Once more, he unsheathed his own claws, and started walking back. Soon enough he went into a sprint and the claws elongated even further. Eventually he caught up with the snide weasel, and suddenly jumped. He snapped his head down swiftly, and slashed the Sneasel s face several times. The Dark-Type bounded back and glared towards Prent once more. Ironically, his eyes were ablaze when he charged up another Ice Punch. The Sneasel took a few steps and tried to strike again with the subzero jab. But Prent, with his sharp sight, ducked just before he would have been hit. While the Sneasel thought he made contact, Prent laid low and focused energy to his tail. The pins at the end bristled and tightened as the whole appendage hardened up. A steel coating covered up the red and beige fur in glistening luster. Prent grunted like no other Pokmon, and back flipped behind himself and swiveled his tail upwards. The Sneasel noticed too late, and was slammed in the chin with an Iron Tail. In such critical pain he went flying high and away, landing farther down the path. Prent put on a smug, smiling face. He was satisfied with the outcome of the brawl, and rewarded his efforts with a few scratches behind the ear. He hollered triumphantly, Oh, surely you could hold your own better than that? I thought Slasher taught each of you well!

The Sneasel s head throbbed as he lifted himself up off the ground. He grunted while trying tosuppress a headache with his paws, but the pain went away quickly. His eyes cracked open and shot a sight at Prent with burning anger. Why you little Insulting Slasher? That s it. His face grew bittersweet. His arms extended forward when a blue light appeared in the space between his cupped palms. It grew substantially in a small amount of time, around a minute. The light sparkled almost like a star would, even in broad daylight. Take this! He tightened his grip on the mystical force suspended in air, as it flashed a couple of times. Immediately, bolts of the energy s color dashed out and sped forward. They zigzagged all around in a thin space, but all locked on fiercely towards Prent. The Skitty was busy licking his paws instead of paying attention to the attack. However, Prent s ear twitched, and he stared up blankly as the bolts came closer. His face quivered slightly, and a drop of sweat rolled down his face. In a panic he dropped to the ground belly-first, where the beams zipped passed him. They grazed some of his fur, and not far away a patch of land froze up beautifully; it shined like the energy before. The Sneasel stood still, frozen himself. The pupils of his eyes shrunk to a tiny size, practically invisible. He bucked up his chin but his mouth stayed shut because of how shocked he was. He managed to dodge something like that? It s impossible just deh. He blinked once, and regained the correct pupil size. His arms flung and his legs started rattling. He glimpsed all around, and felt twinges of embarrassment throughout his body. With one final look at Prent, showing all fear, he spun around and ran to Creeping Forest. Prent was still face down in the dirt, with his teeth chattering. His tail was stuck straight up in the air, sensitive to sounds around it. Suddenly, though, the world seemed quiet again. He peeked up from the dirt covering his face, and saw no one else around. Oh. Well, lucky me. He must haverun away, thankfully. Only then he fumbled around his face and remembered his brave faade. Quickly he recomposed and puffed his chest out. I mean, yes! Run away, coward, for the mighty Prent has outdone your nasty deeds! Nyahaha! He had a sickly grin that showered cockiness around. Then his memory ticked in his head, and reminded him of the prize he fought for. Prent glanced over his shoulder, his tail calming and drooping comfortably. The orange was within reach, and he glued sight onto it until he pranced over. He picked up the fruit in a delicate way, and held it up to the sun. You have been served justice, o delicious one, he declared. A tear formed in his eye, but he shook it off along with a sniffle. Your scrumptious flavor will not be digested in vain. And now, you shall be returned to miss PK s stand. Tallyho! Even after he decided the destination out loud, Prent did not move for a while. He just stood there in a trance. He was engulfed in staring at the orange, while his appetite became larger. His tongue slowly popped out all the way, and dripped in thirst. Not too long after, a voice beckoned for him. Prent? Is that you? I think it is. Guess what I have in my hand right now~, it said, more singsong on the second sentence. THIEF! Prent yelled in a new flicker of rage, without even bothering to see who was calling him. Going into a fast stance, he grasped the orange in one paw with a fierce hold. With a strong and furious belief

for protecting his prized and favorite food, he threw the fruit intensely towards whomever it was that was getting in the way. The orange rolled on through the air in perfect form and struck the Pokmon wanting to come into contact. It plopped. The orange hit a Flying-Type that was calmly flying towards Prent, so he stumbled back on the hit. One of his pincers caught the orange before it could plummet, and he blinked a few times to realize what happened. Ow. Great hit, though. I didn t know cats could throw things so easily, he complimented. It was Quiz, the blue-scarfed Gligar that dared be the other half of Team Priceshare. Prent took a few seconds to see it was his own partner, and eased up. He then sat down, gaining a retrospect and calming down. Ah, he started, it s only you, Quiz. My apologies. I had just beaten one of Slasher s henchmen, so I thought you were one of them trying to ambush me. Quiz snorted, and threw the orange back to the Skitty. Yeah, sure. Whatever. Just make sure you don t hit me in the face again, because I just got back from Trubbish s place. Get this,he treats visitors with some really nice mud baths, and my complexion hasn t been better! With the other pincer, he rubbed his face smoothly. He closed his eyes delightfully and enjoyed the stroke. Prent rolled his eyes. He thought Quiz s antics were a bit odd, and there might be a slim chance that his partner was lying. Out of the corner from his eye, he spotted an envelope in his partner s clutch. It was stickered with a red, squiggly symbol. He asked, What have you got there? Quiz paused withthe fascination of himself to stare at the envelope. He forgot he was holding it, but when he remembered he grasped it with both hands and flattened it out in front of his chest. Well, I checked our mailbox after going to Trubbish, he explained, and I found this little gift from the gods. It looks hand-picked just for us! Isn t that nice? Prent arched an eyebrow in curiosity. Quiz made a far-fetched description, but he formed a conclusion of it. What, you mean we have holy mail? he asked. Quiz nodded, and cheeriness started to fill his voice. I guess so! It has to be. If it wasn t, they wouldn t have put such a funny sticker on it! Look at it, it even looks like PK. Ha, they must have some humor. The Gligar stifled some giggles when he pointed to the back of the mail. Enclosing the openings was the squiggly symbol. It did look a lot like the guild leader s signature stripe. Prent began to think otherwise of the envelope. He snatched it up smoothly from Quiz s hold, while the Gligar was still laughing at the sticker. Prent revealed one claw of his and punctured a hole by the flap of the mail. He sliced the opening fairly easily, and rummaged for the contents inside. He pulled out a folded message of some kind. I have a feeling it may not be divine, he commented. Unfolding the piece of paper, he started to read the writing that was on it. After a few moments he finished, but then scanned the letter for the most important details. Hm. I thought right. What s it say? Quiz asked. Prent refolded the paper back to the way it was, as he felt obligated that it was not needed anymore. Have you heard of those rocks the guild leaders are carrying? I doubt you do, and nor have I. But those

trinkets are apparently the factor allowing Tao Village to gain eternal piece. It is of utmost importance that we guide miss PK to a certain destination to let that occur. Quiz took in all the words at once, and his mind boggled because of it. He stared at Prent sternly while he explained the situation. After less than a minute, he understood what was happening. Wait, so It s a mission we re dealing with? He thought strangely about what the letter contained. Prent nodded with a pleased expression. Apparently. It seems like work is coming for us after all. He swayed his tail as he went to stand up from the ground. We should feel lucky. Quiz took a second to realize it was still a mission. Soon enough, his eyes widened. Oh Oh. Right, we re lucky! he said. He became more pleased than Prent, and the excitement made him shake. I can see it now, us going to far-off lands, beating up bad guys left and right! Hey-ah! He swerved a claw through an imaginary enemy, as his eyes grew fierce and his smile toothier. Now, let us not be hasty, Prent said. What comes with a job is payment. The money will certainly be grand, I hope, nyaha. He thought longingly of the price that PK could be offering, and his hunger growled out for that idea now. Quiz agreed wholeheartedly. He offered Prent a ride on his back, to which the Skitty thankfully accepted. Once he climbed on, Quiz flapped his wings a few times. He rose into the air steadily, and searched for some wind to glide on. A current caught and pushed them back to Tao Village, both partners glancing at each other with the same benevolent hope.