#Fenninkou Fennlin

[ask-team-misfit]

[ previous ]

Safety is comforting, quiet, still. It stays out of the way of the world as it crashes against itself.

It's why you keep so many things close to your heart…

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Lief running on his fours through the Fae Wood, during a rainstorm. He's shown from his left side and has a look of clear concern on his face. Lief's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Heroes don't get paid for the risks they submit themselves to.

Why should you involve yourself now? Why risk that safety that you craved so much?

A few hours prior…

Hazel: “Hey! Stop!”

Hazel was starting to get winded in her sprint. In comparison, Fenninkou looked more dead set on outrunning her.

Hazel: “Wait up, dammit! How are you not tired by now?!”

Fenninkou: “I’m not going back!”

The Fennlin finally yelled back in response.

Fenninkou: “I-I want to do something! All the adults ever talk about is how bad things are!”

Her eyes shut in frustration, and she went on to declare:

Fenninkou: “I hate it! I hate being small! I HATE–”

Only to stumble. Her right hind foot got caught on something.

Her eyes snapped open to look back with a glare. Annoyance became confusion as she saw some sort of black goop latched to her ankle, from a tiny puddle on the ground.

She was about to try and free herself when the puddle grew. Her foot became submerged. She felt herself being dragged in.

She clawed at the ground and pulled, trying to put up resistance. Her strength didn’t even compare.

Confusion became shock. Shock became panic.

Hazel: “Shit, shit, shit!”

By the time Hazel caught up and intervened, her underside was close to becoming stuck. She watched as the larger Pokemon wasted no time in grabbing her front legs to pull her out, making significant progress.

She was clearly exhausted. Her face was reddened, and she was breathing heavily–yet she was strong enough to put up resistance.

Hazel: “H-hang in there! I gotcha!”

The goop stretched, refusing to let go–until something else did.

The Fennlin yelled out in pain. Many patches of fur were now missing from where it had stuck to her.

Fenninkou: “OWW…!!”

Hazel, holding the Fennlin close in her arms, quickly scampered well away.

Fenninkou, shaken, her leg stinging with pain, but alive, stared unnerved at what she almost drowned in.

The puddle was now a pond. Big enough to block off the path.

Fenninkou: “Wh… what is…?”

Hazel: “E-even here… this stuff is appearing even here…?”

Fenninkou looked up at Hazel upon hearing her speak, looking more alarmed once she saw and heard how shaken up she was.

Hazel: “I-I gotta get you back to town. If void-matter is appearing even here… uhh, which way, which way–”

Fenninkou: “Void-matter? Hey, do you hear me?”

Hazel: “We came from that way, and then… shit, where did we turn?”

Fenninkou: “Hey!! Hello?”

Any further attempts by Fenninkou to ground Hazel back in reality went on ignored at first. The fat ‘mon quickly became panicked–she literally spun in place.

Hazel: “It happened again. We’re lost. I-I don’t know where we came from, where that pit trap was or–”

Fenninkou used Scratch!

Hazel: “Ow, hey…!”

Fenninkou: “Snap out of it! What is void-matter?”

With a grunt, Hazel held onto Fenninkou more tightly with both paws, staring her down with a gaze that made the other stop squirming upon meeting it.

Hazel: “Really cheap shot, hitting me in the belly like that. But void-matter is…”

She trailed off. Her serious expression softened once she saw the state of Fenninkou’s leg. Specks of blood in the shape of tiny claw marks were all over the bald patches.

She only looked more uneasy when her ear somewhat perked up, hearing something in the distance.

Hazel: “W-we’d better get away from this puddle first. And out of sight. You’re lucky that the fur on your leg is the only thing you’ve lost.”

Hazel: “But void-matter is, well. No one really knows what it is. It just started appearing one day, and anything caught inside it just vanishes.”

As Hazel rushed off with Fenninkou, Pikavee and Rue were catching up.

Rue in particular clung for dear life atop Pikavee’s head. Meanwhile, the giant in question did her best to mind where she stepped as she speed-walked forth.

Rue: “Shouldn’t be much further!”

Pikavee: “I-I’m not seeing them, Rue… do you think they’re alright?”

Rue: “They have to be. Please, Hecate, they have to be…”

Hazel: “And if a Pokemon happened to get caught…? S-something else crawls out, looking for more to eat.”

Rue: “Oh no.”

Upon spotting the void-matter in their path, Rue immediately grew tense.

Rue: “Stop. Pikavee, stop!”

Pikavee: “Huh–?”

Rue: “Don’t touch it!”

Rue’s urgent order came out before Pikavee could ask about it. Startled, she skidded to a stop, her paws nearly making contact with the void-matter’s edge.

She took some hasty steps back to make distance. Her movements were so sudden that she felt Rue slide forward from the inertia.

She looked with wide eyes at the pond of void-matter right at her feet, big enough for even her to be submerged in. She initially assumed it to be a shallow puddle of some liquid–maybe oil or tar.

Hazel: “Sometimes they look just like the Pokemon that was… y-you know. Don’t make me say it.”

Fenninkou: “Th-they?”

But the more Pikavee stared at the blackness, the more her hairs stood on end. She was getting a feeling of dread looking at it–she even took a couple more steps back.

Pikavee: “Wh… what’s wrong with it? What is it?”

She feared for a moment that she may have flung Rue off, but she still felt the familiar weight of the Vuling on her head.

But Rue still wasn’t saying anything. Her breathing had gotten shakier. Her grip on Pikavee’s hairs remained tense.

Pikavee: “R-Rue?”

It was another moment of confusion and concern before Pikavee noticed what Rue must have.

The lone paw clinging to the ground. The rest of the body, submerged.

The Pokemon pulling free and rising from the void-matter, the goop in question peeling off the body like oobleck.

Pikavee: “R-Rue! That’s…!”

She would learn quickly it wasn’t who she thought. Both of them did.

For it resembled Fenninkou in all but face.

Flesh bubbled as if it were slime, and a single, bulbous eye formed in the center.

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of a void shadow taking the form of Fenninkou and staring up at the viewer, but where Fenninkou's actual face would be, there's nothing but a giant eye. Its entire right side and its tail are drooping, as if melting. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Hazel: “Void Shadows.”

[ next ]

[askmewntwo]

Fenninkou: "Someone's trapped? Maybe we can try to break them out!" She dashed forth without another word, striking at the glass using Scratch.

How reckless! Please think before you act!

Even if you aren’t at risk of injuring others, you could hurt yourself…

[ask-a-learning-ai]

From @ask-team-misfit Fenninkou @Nova: "So you're a robot? A robo-Fennekin?" Having overheard the previous exchange between the two, the Fennlin came up close to begin circling the Fennekin. "What can you do that I can't do?"

Nova looked back to Snow, who looked like she was about to throw paws, before turning back to the Fennlin, "Honestly, I could care less what you call me, but Snow tends to be aggressive towards people who refer to us as anything other than an Al, so for your sake, please don't call us robots," she explained, while she loved to mess with Snow and often encouraged others to it, there were certain lines not even she would cross.

Nova's eyes followed Fenninkou as they circled her, laughing at the question, "What can I do that you can't? If anything, you can do more than I can! The most that I can do that you can't is connect wirelessly to various pieces of technology! But so can Snow so I'm not special. I can breathe fire but it's really just a flame and some gas so it's not the same as you…" Novaanswered, focusing in on the creature, to be an organic being, something she secretly wished for… She had no idea what it's like but she still wanted it…

@ask-team-misfit

[ask-team-misfit]

Fenninkou huffed in response to this. With her mouth full, it was difficult, though not impossible, to understand what she said to Cody.

Fenninkou: "You should be helping me stop them. They're all bad guys! Kidnappers!"

greedentstripes asked:

Cody: "Uhhhh is the blue and brown Mew alright? I think someone should get the weird Fennekin away from Periwinkle before they get seriously hurt."

“Eh she’s fine, she’s tougher than she looks.”

[ask-team-misfit]

[ previous ]

Hazel: “You… y–you heard enough, right? W-wouldn’t want to give you nightmares.”

Fenninkou: “I-I’m not scared!”

Back with Hazel and Fenninkou, the former finally stopped to catch her breath. Most notably, she chose a spot with plenty of shrubbery and shade, quite a ways from the well-traveled road.

Another thing most notable, that the scrawny Fenninkou could easily tell, being in her arms–Hazel was shaking.

The Rigtretoon was glancing to and fro as if worried they were being followed, and she was trembling.

Hazel: “Not yet, you aren’t.”

Rue: “Fenninkou… F-Fenninkou…”

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Rue shown from her left side, staring downwards with wide, teary eyes. Above her, taking up most of the image, is a gradient with the text in question; asks sent by anons. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “Th-this is all my fault…”

Pikavee: “Rue, answer me…!”

It hadn’t held her form for very long. The two women had watched, horrified, as it quickly fell apart and became black sludge.

It still moved–it ballooned and bubbled, forming a round shape with blank eyes that shifted around and never quite stayed in one place. Sometimes extra eyes appeared; sometimes they disappeared.

Pikavee: “Wh-what’s going on? Why did it look like Fenninkou–”

Her fur tingled. The previous feeling of dread became fully realized.

Her life flashed before her eyes–but in reverse.

She saw herself and Rue in this same spot, surrounded by void shadows. She saw herself being attacked and swarmed. Rue would be lost in the chaos.

She saw herself lying on the ground, on the verge of fainting. It would end here–just before she was presumably finished off.

And with a blink and a gasp, she was back in reality.

Rue: “She’s gone, Pikavee… t-that’s the only way it could have…”

The Vuling trailed off. She was too distraught to explain her conclusion further.

Pikavee: “W-what–??”

Before Pikavee could question this, a headache briefly and severely flared, enough to stagger her. It only ebbed once she tried to calm herself down and steady her breathing, though it didn’t completely go away.

She came to just enough to notice movement on the void-matter’s surface. More of them were emerging.

The sight made the Twileon step away even more in fear. Instinct, foresight–whatever it was, it didn’t relent.

It told her to run.

[ next ]

[ask-team-misfit]

(Notices Rue's current reaction.)

Rue... J-just take easy, okay?...

There's... No... W-way to prove that was.. what it was...

Anonymous asked: Wait... What is that black stuff doing?

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She appears fairly nervous, looking off to the right. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “That’s what happens when you touch it. You get drawn in. Unless you’re very strong or very lucky…”

Again, she trailed off. Some weak sniffles could be heard from her as tears freely fell from her drooped head.

Rue: “She… she has to be gone. She has to be…”

Pikavee: “Rue…”

Anonymous asked: @Rue She isn't gone! There's no way to prove that! That had to be some sort of fucked up trick! A FLUKE! I mean... Wouldn't there be signs of a struggle? Scratch marks? Burn marks? BLOOD? Wouldn't we have heard something? Screaming, or something? ANYTHING? Look, there has to be some other way way to explain what we just saw, you hear me? FENNINKOU CANNOT BE DEAD!

Rue shook her head and clutched it. She was trembling a bit, and she quietly sniffled some more.

Rue: “L-let me grieve. Please… let me grieve.”

She sounded so certain of something Pikavee found so awful. Clearly, it really bothered her.

She understood little of what was happening as is. From Rue’s reaction to the whole thing, to the void shadow looking like Fenninkou and then falling apart, to what she currently assumed to have been a vision–the vision where she very well watched her own death.

But she did realize this current path was no good.

Anonymous asked: @Pikavee I-I think we should go, like now!- 𝙉𝙊𝙒 !

And at any rate, they were in no shape to fight multiple opponents.

Pikavee stepped away from the encroaching void shadows with a gulp.

Pikavee: “W-we’ll have to find another way around.”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Pikavee oriented similarly to the previous image. She appears somewhat concerned or timid, and her eyes are downcast. Her ears are drooped down. Pikavee's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Pikavee: “But, Rue. I-I think there’s still a chance. We’ll find her.”

Rue’s expression didn’t change. She slowly moved to grip onto Pikavee a little bit tighter, bracing for a retreat, and said nothing else.

Pikavee: “H-hang in there…”

She would turn tail and flee a moment after.

Meanwhile, Hazel still held Fenninkou in her arms.

Fenninkou: “You know, you can let go of me–”

Hazel: “Shh!”

Hazel had started glancing about again, more attentively. Both ears were perked up.

It was that noise from just before–a low rumbling of some kind. Fenninkou, however, didn’t hear it. She certainly didn’t see anything, either.

Fenninkou: “I’m fine, really.”

Hazel: “On that leg? No, you’re not. If we need to get away fast and you fall behind… y-you’re staying right here. I am not losing you again.”

Fenninkou: “Hmph.”

Fenninkou sulked in her arms. The rumbling was at a distance, already faint and growing ever fainter. It stopped moments later.

Hazel sighed, and her ears slacken. Her expression softened upon glancing at Fenninkou–though she didn’t completely relax.

Hazel: “Speaking of. Let me see your leg again.”

Fenninkou: “Ow! Easy…”

Hazel repositioned Fenninkou in her arms somewhat, just to better scrutinize the wound on her hind leg. Her eyes would further furrow with concern, even though the injury itself didn’t look any worse.

Hazel: “Right. You need an oran berry. Oran berry, oran berry…”

She slowly looked around for said oran berry bush. In doing so, she became progressively distracted and disturbed.

Moments of silence passed with Hazel leerily eyeing her surroundings.

Hazel: “I swear, it’s following us.”

Fenninkou: “What?”

Hazel: “It’s big, whatever it is. I can feel it in its aura.”

More moments of silence. Fenninkou again took a quick glimpse around, before looking up at Hazel with confusion.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Fenninkou oriented similarly to the previous image. Her eyes are somewhat wide with confusion, and her mouth is agape in a manner that implies she doesn't know what to say. There’s a question mark to the left of her face. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Fenninkou: “What are you talking about?”

[ask-team-misfit]

[ in reference to this ]

[ ID: A sequence of four grayscale drawings. The first panel shows Pikavee and Lief staring at each other, with Pikavee’s eyes brimming with tears and Lief staring up with concern as he leans against her paw. The second panel shows Lief again, considerably close up and glancing to the right with a baleful glare. The third panel shows Fenninkou and Rue looking on with varying expressions of worry. Fenninkou’s pose suggests that she came to a stop just then. The fourth panel shows Fenninkou from behind, with Pikavee’s tail swinging overhead as the giant turns to leave. Fenninkou’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]

The somber footsteps of Pikavee slowly fade from their ears. No sooner did she and Lief leave the way they came, the other townsfolk emerged to watch her walk away.

Fenninkou in particular was pinched by the ear by Eve.

Fenninkou: “Ow!”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Eve directly facing the viewer. She appears real angry, her teeth bared and her cap lifted to show her glaring eyes. Eve’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Eve: “You got lucky. You hear me? If this were a real attack, that bravado of yours would have ended very differently.”

Rue, meanwhile, stared ahead while lost in thought.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. Her expression is somewhat neutral. Rue’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “Is it possible? A real city, full of humans…”

Adam: “If such a place is anywhere, it could be well beyond the Lost Sea…”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Adam directly facing the viewer. He's fairly scared, looking off to the right. Adam’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Adam: “But, well… It has that name for a reason. Nothing survives out there.”

Unknown to anyone else, but correct to Rue’s suspicions, another Pokemon truly had been watching in secret.

??: “Well, that was a turn of events. Surely my lady would be forgiving of me taking so long on my errands if I told her why every shop in the square had to go on lockdown?”

Until now, the way back into the forest was mostly silent, broken only by Pikavee’s soft sniffling. Lief was fluttering ahead of her.

Wiping her tears, she spoke up to ask:

Pikavee: "Lief?"

Lief: “How are you holding up?”

The tone of his voice, so much more monotone and hollow, made her hesitate a moment.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Pikavee slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She looks defeated, or heartbroken. Many tears fall freely from her barely open eyes. Her ears are drooped down. Pikavee’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Pikavee: “W… worried about you, to be honest.”

Lief: “Don't worry about it.”

Pikavee stifled a gulp, feeling nervous to ask any more.

Lief: “Look, we’ll find another way. I don’t get this human thing and why it means a lot to you, but we’ll have another place to live.”

Pikavee: “Do you not like them?”

Lief: “...”

Pikavee: “I-I mean, the villagers. When she offered to help, you seemed really upset…”

Lief: “Oh. It’s complicated.”

Pikavee: “Do you… w-want to talk about it?”

Lief: “…”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Lief oriented similarly to the previous image. He looks sad or concerned, appearing to have some troubling thoughts he's refusing to speak of. He's looking away to the right. Lief’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Lief: “When we get back to my place, I owe you an apology.”

It was only for a moment that Pikavee wondered what he meant, as everything else about the way Lief acted thus far clicked.

She stopped walking.

Pikavee: “You knew… didn’t you.”

Lief winced. He fluttered there in place.

Pikavee: “Yesterday in the forest… you were going to tell me the same thing they did.”

Lief: “...”

The rest of the way there would be occupied by silence.

[ next ]

[ask-team-misfit]

OOOH

LET'S GO!! :D

(( @ask-team-misfit ))

[ask-team-misfit]

Hiding in Her Shadow

Earlier that night…

At the sound of that explosion, the duo jump to their feet and hurry on the move. It sounded so far away, and they were uncertain of the cause, but they did not care. Out in the Wilds, any sort of sudden noise was bad news.

Running in front with an annoyed expression was Vurunnekin, a Vurunnekin. Behind her was her only companion who stumbled over herself trying to keep up, Hazel the Galarian Rigtretoon.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She’s looking off to the right with wide eyes, gritting her teeth in a small grimace. Hazel's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Hazel: “V-V-Vurunne! You don’t really think that’s them, do you? We only just caught a break!”

Vurunnekin: “We’re not taking any chances, Hazel! It’d be just like them to sneak up on us!”

Hazel: “Sneak up on us? With an attack like that?!”

Vurunnekin: “They’re air-heads. Never forget that. Persistent, power hungry air-heads.”

Hazel: “But even an air-head would get sick of chasing us over that little thing, right? Or recognize how this is a complete waste of time?”

A barely audible sigh came from Vurunnekin.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Vurunnekin oriented similarly to the previous image. She looks especially exasperated. Vurunnekin’s appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Vurunnekin: “You mean the sacred treasure that’s the She-Demon’s heirloom?”

Hazel: “O-oh.”

Some moments of silence followed–other than the sounds of their feet hitting the ground, and another explosion that seemed farther away than the first.

Hazel: “Y-yeah, why did we do that? We definitely totally had to steal that, right??”

Vurunnekin: “Damn right!”

Another explosion. One that made the duo go quiet with how close it sounded.

Hazel wasn’t wrong–the two were absolutely winded. Their breathing was ragged and it clearly hurt to keep running, but they pushed on a little further, coming to a stop only when they heard no more explosions, or smelled smoke.

The two would take cover in a ditch. Vurunnekin took note of the pouch she carried on her person, scrutinizing it for any rips or tears–any sign of losing the treasure in question.

To her relief, she didn’t spot such signs.

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Vurunnekin similar to the previous image. Her eyes are closed with a calm and focused expression. End ID ]

Vurunnekin: “She needs to be stopped. The further we can get with this, the better.”

Hazel: “Still, there’s a dozen more of those… can’t she just go get the other ones and then come back for us?”

Vurunnekin: “How would that ch–”

??: “The fat one is confused… has the runty one not made it clear~?”

The two jolt at the sound of that voice, snapping their heads in the direction it came from with looks of terror.

[ ID: A grayscale drawing depicting a Braixen hybrid directly facing forward and smiling evilly towards the viewer. The upper part of her face is in shadow, leaving her toothy grin visible. End ID ]

??: “She will do anything to get her precious item back. Even fall for such an obvious trick!”

The next day…

Fenninkou had made up her mind to visit Pikavee again after getting her chores done. So came the conclusion that the faster she did so would be the sooner she could get to see her; thus her rushing about that morning with even more zeal than Rue thought possible.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She looks very shocked, maybe even fearful. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “Y-you really need to slow down! You could run into someone like that!”

Fenninkou: “But I haven’t yet, have I? Besides, you’re still too slow!”

But upon saying this, she did.

At the same time, Hazel was here by herself, frantically going about and asking for directions.

Until Fenninkou ran right into her leg because she was looking back at Rue to reply to her, that is.

The larger Pokemon tumbled forward as she tripped over Fenninkou. Falling into some others in this crowded path, she inadvertently took them down with her.

The folks in question, who had ignored Hazel before, merely rose back up with a glare and some grumblings about ferals, using a series of nasty words to describe their perceived intelligence. Then they dispersed to go about their business, not even bothering to help her up.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s dazed or spacey, with cartoony swirls for eyes and her mouth gaping open. End ID ]

Hazel: “Owowow…”

Fenninkou would be the last to get back on her feet, crawling from underneath Hazel and shaking off her dizziness. She would be spitting out some fur from her mouth.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Fenninkou oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s visibly sulking, her eyes closed shut and her mouth in a pout that puckers her lips. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Fenninkou: “Ugh, you smell like smoke!”

Rue: “I told you to slow down…”

It would be just now that she reached the two, going up to Hazel as she began to sit up.

Rue: “I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”

Hazel: “Oh sure, never better. A pipsqueak just ran into me and those Fae turds over there are calling me names.”

She rose to her feet, continuing her tangent.

Hazel: “All the while my best friend and only friend is out there somewhere with a tyrannical princess. Fighting as we speak over a treasure so precious, so powerful, it could destroy us all.”

For a moment, she stood over them with an intense gaze. Rue stepped away–Fenninkou stood her ground.

Then, making a puppy-eyed face not unlike Pikavee, her entire demeanor changed.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s sobbing in a melodramatic manner not unlike the “sob” emoji. End ID ]

Hazel: “Basically, I’m not alright!”

Character pages unlocked for: Vurunnekin and Hazel.

[ask-team-misfit]

(@askthecosmicprince ) “What is a dungeon master?” The small mew tilted his head as he looked at Rue, “are they all as large as miss Pikavee? It must be helpful being so large if they protect things.”

[ @askthecosmicprince ]

Rue: “W-well, yes, they are quite big in size. In fact, I think the Sea Guardian herself is much, much larger than Pikavee.”

She seemed taken aback at the sight of this Mew; a full-blood Mew, no less. She recalled Livingston’s teachings about how such Pokemon are extremely unlikely to come by.

Yet here one was, casually speaking with her.

Rue: “But a Dungeon Master is just what we call god Pokemon that lord over the ruins scattered around the Isle. True to their name, they protect those lands from threats.”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She appears fairly nervous, looking off to the right. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “But what is and isn’t a threat tends to vary with the Dungeon Master. Some areas are incredibly dangerous to set foot in for that reason. Mainly areas outside our borders.”

Once again, to Rue’s increasing chagrin, Hazel butt in, approaching close to the Mew to begin rattling off.

Hazel: “Oh, yeah. Basically everything she just said. Those guys are a big deal. A bunch of them are patron deities, which is what happens when that protection extends to certain bloodlines, then there’s the treasure they’re said to be guarding… wait, I’m supposed to be looking for that now!”

Upon realizing she became distracted with side talk, she proceeded to further make a scene. She clutched the sides of her head and began to rant in frustration.

Hazel: “I-it’s important. Vurunne needs me, she asked me to do something important, and what am I fucking doing?!”

Fenninkou: “Hey, cool it!”

Fenninkou stamped her front paw in response, stepping up to Hazel as she growled at the latter.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Fenninkou oriented similarly to the previous image. She's glowering with a generally serious expression. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Fenninkou: “I swear, if you hurt anyone here…!”

Rue: “Fenninkou! Both of you… settle down, please.”

[ask-team-misfit]

[ in reference to this ]

Pikavee saw them rush by just within her peripheral vision, among the trees. She turned her head to watch as Fenninkou sprinted ahead in a flash of yellow and red, with Hazel, then Rue, trailing behind her.

Fenninkou: “You always say that we can’t! But the truth is, you just won’t!”

Rue: “Fenninkou, this isn’t just beyond our grasp anymore! It’s dangerous! We could die–!”

Hazel: “Y-yeah, I don’t know if ‘death by she-demon’ is how you wanna go, kid!”

Pikavee quietly lowered back on her stomach, and started to tell Lief what she was seeing.

Only to see that he was not only already watching, but had plucked out another berry to snack on. He was sitting there with the same vaguely amused expression as the night they met.

Pikavee: “L-Lief. Do we go see what’s w–”

He whispered back at her, cutting her off.

Lief: “Shh! Missy. Keep it down. Let’s let them work it out first…”

He raised the berry with both paws to bite upon and chew some more.

Lief: “Rule one of the Isle? Never get involved in arguments.”

Fenninkou: “I still wanna try! The forest isn’t that bad, anyway!”

Rue: “‘Not that bad’?! The last time you were out here, I found you passed out cold!”

Fenninkou: “But there’s three of us! And it really isn’t that bad–”

Then Pikavee perked up in alarm as she witnessed Rue fall right into a pit trap.

Fenninkou skidded to a stop at the sound. Hazel came to a stop next to her.

Both rushed over to the pit’s edge with a shout upon looking back.

Fenninkou: “Rue!”

Hazel: “What the–there’s booby-traps here?! Who the hell does that?!”

Lief blinked in disbelief. He grumbled to himself, trying hard to quell the guilt he felt.

Lief: “Oh, now that one works. At the worst possible time…”

Pikavee: “W-what, Lief–?”

Meanwhile, Hazel was the first to start searching around.

Hazel: “H-hang tight, we’ll get you out! We just need a long enough stick!”

Rue had only just stood up down at the pit’s bottom. Her tails were visibly frazzled, twitching considerably as they lay low to the ground, by her hind paws. Her ears were drooping, and her head was bowed low, low enough for her hair to obscure her face.

Fenninkou: “Rue!”

She peered down the hole at her friend, looking more worried as she saw her posture.

Fenninkou: “A-are you ok, Rue–?”

Rue: “You’re so careless! You don’t even think about how your actions affect other people, do you?!”

She had snapped her head up in anger, glaring at Fenninkou.

The sight of which made Fenninkou wince. Her tail curled inward, between her hind legs.

Rue: “Do you even understand how scared I was? The night we met, then yesterday. If this keeps happening, you–someone will get hurt. It’s too much. Us, all of this–”

Fenninkou: “R-Rue, hey.”

She finally responded in a somewhat low voice. The smile she gave Rue was a little shaky.

Fenninkou: “I-I’m still here, aren’t I?”

She had hoped to reassure Rue, but the Vuling got even more upset.

As if she had heard this exact excuse before.

Rue: “You really are just like her.”

Hazel, clearly uncomfortable from overhearing this, hastily returned from her search to interject.

Hazel: “Ok, so! I didn’t find a stick, but I did hear yelling, a-and wanted to check in. You guys aren’t fighting, right?”

As the smaller, thinner duo directly looked at her, she awkwardly shuffled her feet and twiddled her thumbs. She felt even more like a third wheel.

Hazel: “Please tell me you’re not fighting right now.”

Fenninkou, initially hesitant to speak, slowly turned away from Rue. Her ears tilt back, nearly flattening against the sides of her head.

Fenninkou: “We’re… I’m leaving.”

Rue now had a look of regret upon hearing those words. She took some tentative steps closer, rising on her hind legs to lean against the wall of the pit.

Rue: “Fenninkou, I–”

Fenninkou: “No!”

Clearly irritated, Fenninkou spat out the following as her tail flicked up some dirt.

Fenninkou: “You always say that! You never wanna go anywhere, do anything. Try anything. Even when your brother is out there.”

Rue winced from that last bit. Her ears droop upon hearing the venom in her friend’s voice.

Hazel gripped her floppy ears, looking even more stressed.

Hazel: “U-uhh, look. Let’s not do anything hasty. Lemme just help you help her out of that trap, and then I can be on my way and leave you two to deal wi–”

Fenninkou ran off again before Hazel could finish. Caught off guard and feeling helpless, she looked between the retreating Fennlin and down at Rue.

Hazel: “With wh-whatever… any of this is… fuck.”

She didn’t like the idea of leaving Rue down there, but the idea of leaving Fenninkou to rush off on her own sounded worse.

Hazel: “Uhh, ok! I can still fix this! Just need to catch up with her and uhh… g-gotta run!”

She rushed to quickly follow the teen in the end.

Leaving Rue standing there stunned, and leaving Pikavee and Lief to take in what just happened.

Lief: “We’re totally gonna leave them alone, right?”

Pikavee: “What–?”

The idea of just leaving this be was obscene to her, after what she just heard.

Yet, she watched in appalled shock as Lief casually took another bite, looking up at her as if he didn’t just suggest something ridiculously callous.

Lief: “Yeah, I’m serious. We should butt out of this one.”

[ask-team-misfit]

If that's how you feel, Hazel, you should get back to her. Your friend is more important than that plate or whatever, yes?

Hazel: “Well, if Sinthia got her hands on it, it would be pretty dangerous…”

Hazel wiped her eyes. When she lifted her head again, her face held more resolve than just before. Her mind was officially made up.

Hazel: “B-but you’re so right. Vurunne is important to me. She’ll get mad at me for it, but I gotta make sure she’s ok!”

No sooner did she make this declaration, Hazel rushed off for the forest.

Fenninkou: “Yeah! Maybe we could help, too!”

Fenninkou ran ahead to follow Hazel before Rue could stop her, but at that point, Hazel had paused to nudge her back with her tail.

Hazel: “Ok, wait a minute. You got a lot of spunk, kid, but this is dangerous.”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Fenninkou slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She's especially cheerful, her eyes closed with a wide grin that shows her pointed teeth. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Fenninkou: “It’ll be fine, really! If she's really somewhere in the forest, we could help find her!”

Hazel: “Well, probably? I mean–”

Still taken more aback by Fenninkou’s offer than the idea itself, Hazel gawked at her.

Hazel: “I don’t know. You’re really sure you can handle that?”

Both watch as Fenninkou doubled down on her idea.

Even as Rue shook her head at her.

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Fenninkou similar to the previous image. She looks especially confident and raring to go, her eyebrows furrowed in a determined expression. End ID ]

Fenninkou: “Yeah!! Let’s go find your friend!”

Rue: “N-no! Fenninkou, we–”

The word “no” made Fenninkou briefly scowl. Before either could see her face, before Rue could finish, she leapt over Hazel’s tail and abruptly dashed off, her steps kicking up dust from the path.

Hazel stood there stunned, but only for a moment. She quickly followed suit.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s looking off to the right with wide eyes, gritting her teeth in a small grimace. Hazel's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Hazel: “Wait, seriously–”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue oriented similarly to the previous image. She looks very shocked, maybe even fearful, with the addition of a shadow over the bridge of her face. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “FENNINKOU!”

As did Rue.

[ to be continued... ]

[ask-team-misfit]

( @ask-the-sun-deity ) Solaris @ Hazel: “if you are not looking for your friend, then what, or who, exactly are you looking for in the forest?

[ @ask-the-sun-deity ]

Upon turning to face Solaris, Hazel immediately became distracted by their humanoid appearance. So did many others, apparently.

Hazel: “How are you…? Never mind, not my business.”

She was clearly still distracted despite trying to play it off as not a big deal, but continued.

Hazel: “What I’m looking for is the treasure of the Fae Wood. And to do that, I need to find the Dungeon Master.”

Rue: “B-by yourself–?”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Fenninkou slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She looks excited and eager, with big and wide, sparkling eyes. There’s other, smaller sparkles at the left and right of her face. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Fenninkou: “YOU’RE A TREASURE HUNTER?!”

Rue and Hazel both flinch at her shout.

The Fennlin started bobbing up and down like an overeager cat on catnip. She circled around Hazel with literal stars in her eyes.

Hazel: “Uh… well, that’s…”

That conflicted look on her face again presented itself as she watched Fenninkou circle about.

Hazel: “Y-yeah. Yeah! Sure!”

Until she doubled down and played it up, anyway.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s making a face just like the “uwu” emoticon, looking very proud of herself. Hazel's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Hazel: “I’ve done a bit of exploring here and there. Totally.”

Fenninkou: “RUE RUE IT’S A REAL TREASURE HUNTER LOOK”

Hazel: “Geez, kid. Laying it on thick. But I respect it.”

Fenninkou: “So you’re gonna go find the Dungeon Master and ask for help about your friend, right?”

Hazel didn’t respond. Not vocally, at least.

If anyone were watching Hazel’s face right then, one would spot her lower eyelid twitching somewhat.

[ask-team-misfit]

(To Hazel) Ok. Seriously. What is going on?

Hazel scowled, and started to retort with:

Hazel: “Th-that’s none of your–”

Only to trail off and stop herself. She couldn’t bring herself to finish her own sentence. Forget conflicted–she looked outright tense.

Fenninkou, who had been previously bouncing about, slowed to address Hazel properly with her usual, confident smile.

Fenninkou: “Come on! Something’s clearly bothering you. If anyone is in trouble, me and Rue can help, too!”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Fenninkou slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She's especially cheerful, her eyes closed with a wide grin that shows her pointed teeth. Fenninkou's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Fenninkou: “We aren’t Treasure Hunters for nothing! Even if we’re still a junior team.”

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue oriented similarly to the previous image. Her expression is somewhat neutral. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “D-depending what it is you really need…”

Hazel: “It’s… it’s complicated.”

With Rue and Fenninkou both staring her down, Hazel caved pretty quickly. She never was good at being aloof and distant; she still wondered how Vurunnekin pulled it off.

Alas, she braced herself mentally for what she was about to explain.

Hazel: “It’s like this. Me and Vurunne have been on the run from… someone, for some time now. This someone being the tyrant princess I mentioned.”

umbreonrogue asked: (@askappos) Appos@Hazel "You said someone was chasing you, right?" Appos carefully stated, as if she was worried she was prying too much. "Do you, um, know who's coming after you?"

[ @askappos ]

Upon hearing Appos’ voice, she paused. Her voice lowered to nearly a growl, sounding and looking the most serious she’s been since arriving.

Hazel: “Their names are Sinthia and Malice. The princess of the Ruby Nation, and her personal servant and minister.”

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Hazel shown from the shoulder up in a side profile towards the left, with a rather serious expression. Her eyes are obscured in shadow, and she’s scowling in a way that shows her teeth. Hazel's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Hazel: “She and her creepy little henchwoman cornered us last night…”

Back to last night…

Sinthia: “She will do anything to get her precious item back. Even fall for such an obvious trick!”

The grinning fox Pokemon began walking up close. In turn, Hazel and Vurunnekin move away. The former was scared shitless; the latter glared and tried to hide her look of fear.

Hazel: “Oh shit, oh shit…”

The foe’s tail swished about, and she cackled playfully. From behind her peered another Pokemon with glowing cyan eyes, who walked on all fours.

Malice: “P-please, surrender yourselves… so we can go home…?”

Vurunnekin: “You know damn well why we won’t! This has gone too far, and she will not listen to reason!”

Sinthia: “Aww, Malice… the fun has only begun. Why even think of returning home~?”

Malice: “B-because it’s really far away from home… and we’re right next to th-th… that kingdom…”

Sinthia: “All the more reason then to deal with these pests. The sooner we find all the treasures is the sooner we can get back~.”

Vurunnekin’s voice lowered to a whisper, addressing Hazel while keeping her eyes on the two before them.

Vurunnekin: “Hazel. When I say run, you run.”

Hazel muttered back, looking at Vurunnekin.

Hazel: “Wh-whatcha thinking there, Vurunne?”

Vurunnekin: “I’m gonna go distract them. You get out of here while you still can. The Fae Wood is right here. You can go and snag the plate while I deal with Sinthia.”

Hazel: “Wh-what? Leave you? With her??”

Sinthia: “Now is your final final chance to give that back~. Or things will get very, very messy!”

She paused to cackle, quaintly raising a paw to her still grinning face.

Sinthia: “But then again. You two have been annoying me for a while now. Maybe I’ll kill you anyway. The world would be better off… kehehehe~.”

Vurunnekin: “Twisted bitch…”

She spared a glance at Hazel, looking her large partner in the eyes.

Vurunnekin: “I’ve handled much worse than her. You know that. If I can injure her here before I have to get away, it would buy us plenty of time.”

Hazel: “B-but…”

Sinthia: “Get them, Malice.”

Vurunnekin: “Now go! Run!”

Back in the present…

Hazel: “That’s what Vurunne said. So I ran. I ran and I ran, and I heard them fighting behind me. My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. I guess I lost my sense of direction in my panic… since, here I am.”

Fenninkou and Rue, as well as whoever stuck around to listen–all gaped at Hazel with a variety of shock, even horror.

As for Hazel herself? She broke down.

Hazel: “I shouldn’t have ran away… Vurunne, what were you thinking?”

[ask-team-misfit]

(@lambda-asks) groovy long legs stands at its full height to speak face to face with pikavee. "young one, what has gotten you so distracted? it can be considered rude to not give your full attention to one with whom you are speaking to. We would not appreciate it if We were in such a position," it tuts, as if it wasn't a loud, glowing distraction itself.

[ @lambda-asks ]

Pikavee perked up at the sounds of this Ultra Beast, though she assumed it was a Pokemon. She had sat up to properly meet eye to eye, gazing at what she presumed to be its head.

As for Lief? One visitor too many hanging around his burrow and an attempted kidnapping on top of that was obnoxious enough, as was Pikavee’s earlier behavior. Now he beheld the appearance of a second giant.

Lief: “OK SERIOUSLY WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT”

Pikavee blinked, again ignoring Lief. She hadn’t meant to, but she was staring with awe at Groovy Long Legs; another Pokemon–again, presumed–that was about as large as she was?

She found it weirdly uplifting and validating.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Pikavee slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She looks pleasantly surprised, and her mouth is agape. There are sparkles in her eyes, and heart-shaped eyeshines. Her ears are upright. Pikavee's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Pikavee: “U-um. Well, that’s…”

Lief: “ARE YOU EVEN A POKEMON?? WHERE DO YOU ALL KEEP COMING FROM–”

Speaking of distractions. She miraculously heard it again over Lief’s outbursts as she was thinking of a way to explain herself.

It also helped that it was definitely louder this time. Loud enough for her to finally realize what she was overhearing this whole time.

Even Lief paused as he heard it, too.

Rue: “FENNINKOU! I know you can hear me!”

Fenninkou: “Well I heard enough of it!”

Shouting. Very familiar shouting…

[ to be continued... ]

[ask-team-misfit]

(@ask-pokecats) Bella approaches the Zigzagoon/Sentret fusion as she makes very worried face towards her.

"Meow... Is somweething happened with you? I think you need help..."

[ @ask-pokecats ]

Hazel looked up at the sound of Bella’s voice. Small tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

Hazel: “Yeah, no shit.”

She turned to face the Meowscarada proper, and began rattling off at her.

Hazel: “Vurunne is out there somewhere counting on me, and I go and get lost. That’s a big deal! The girl never relies on me for anything!! Not to mention the two freaks that were chasing us! They’re gonna–”

She paused, seeming to realize that she was just ranting at this point. She stood a little straighter.

Inhale… Exhale. The tension she held and that stressed look on her face faded somewhat.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Hazel slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. She is looking down with a face of regret. Hazel's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Hazel: “Ok, ok… I’m losing the plot. I’m sorry. I just need to know which way the Fae Wood is, and I’ll be out of your fur.”

Rue: “Oh… y-you only wanted to ask directions?”

Rue began to relax, appearing relieved.

[ ID: A grayscale bust drawing of Rue oriented similarly to the previous image. She’s smiling bashfully. Rue's appearance is as described here. End ID ]

Rue: “The Fae Wood is back that way, the way you came in the village. If you’re just passing through, I can help gather some supplies for you if you like.”

Hazel: “Passing through? I need to go right in.”

Fenninkou: “To save your friend, right?”

Hazel looked down at Fenninkou with confusion, though she sounded conflicted.

Hazel: “N… no? I need to go in there and find the deepest point of the forest.”