Beat It, Punk! [Halloween 2019]

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He moved to the rhythm of a tune nobody knew. He hummed along as each step accentuated the notes. His tone was off-key, horrific, and honestly a sore to anyone who had the misfortune of ears. He cared not, for today was a good day. In his book at least. It'd taken him forever to escape his mother's watch, but he'd waited for the perfect moment to attempt his escape...when his mother slept.

He really wasn't supposed to be out, especially right then and there. The wound on his flank and gnawed bite marks on a fore-paw and back paw hadn't healed yet. He felt fine enough, however, and he still was all bandaged up. So he was good in his book!

The town's street was rife with a livelihood he hadn't seen in a while. Pokemon shuffled from to and fro, some adorned with costumes of varying quality. He, however, had the misfortune of losing his elaborate costume the night he received the wounds he bore. That was alright with him though, he had another trick up his sleeve to get some treats! He just had to figure out where he left his bucket the other night...

His search would be interrupted, however, as he spotted a familiar elderly lurantis shopped about. It was that target he was supposed to "trick" the other night! A mean ol'man that sat on his porch and ate candy in front of the trick-or-treaters instead of giving it to them. He stopped in his tracks with a fixed gaze on the grass type. Their grumpy expression and sneers towards the children said all: he was still a jerk.

Therefor, he had to do something! But what? The zorua zipped off into an alleyway and found his way atop some boxes, he reached the rooftops of the street where he could properly stalk the the grass type. His mind tick-ticked away as a frantic search around found...was that a bucket of paint up there? A wide grin blossomed before he bolted ahead of the lurantis, who took their dear sweet lovely time as they made their way down the street.

Just his luck, the owner of said bucket was nowhere around. There was a small collection atop the roof, the owner must have been repainting their house. He had a small selection of colors to pick from. He picked out the red bucket in a heartbeat, he left the other two behind. The large bucket was a tad too heavy for him to lift, so he was left with pushing it close to the edge. Each move was careful and calculated, by the time he got it to the edge, the lurantis came close to the corner. His fore-paws hung over the edge as he waited.

Closer...closer...

...

NOW!

The zorua bolted up right and behind the bucket. With a quick back-kick of his hind-legs the bucket was sent over the edge. With a clang, clatter, and a splash, the pedestrians and lurantis below were covered in an unknown red substance. Cries of fear and outrage rippled from the crowded street. He peered over with a snarky grin to survey the extent of his chaos. Confused and baffled, the lurantis and the nearby casualties of prank-war chattered nervously and cried in disgust. The grass type, however, had the sense to look up. Chance found his gaze locked with the lurantis, who's eyes promptly narrowed.

Uh-oh.

He bolted off without a second thought, there one moment and gone the next. As quickly as his paws would take him, he worked his way over to the building next over and looked for a way back down. He jumped down into an alleyway and moved to head back into the busy streets, his form shimmered and changed in order to disguise himself. A flash of white followed by a crack of the earth below caused him to stop in his tracks, he narrowly avoided being impaled by an illuminated white claw. The illusion dissipated before it could even form.

He yipped in fear, his nose pressed against the glowing arm as his momentum pushed him forward ever so slightly more. A drop of red fell onto his nose before he noticed it also slowly dripped down the arm that stopped him as well. Slowly and cautiously, he looked up to see the glare of a very upset lurantis.

"...Uh-Hello, mister?" he smiled sheepishly as he slowly stepped back.

His ears shot forward with a widening of his eyes. Her? Be his Sidekick? The zorua was baffled by this concept. If it weren't for his fur, the burning sensation on his face would have been more than just a feeling. Despite that, his very appearance was more than enough to key into the idea of his apparent surprise.

"Wh-What?" he stuttered in disbelief, "U-Uh..." The joy in her eyes was difficult to reject. There was nothing inherently wrong with Robin being his sidekick, it just...wasn't what he imagined would happen. He shook his head, "You wouldn't wanna be my sidekick, you're your own hero! A sidekick's like...a step down!" He explained his viewpoints quickly and frantically, "B-Besides, The Black Fang's more of a uh-lone wolf kinda deal!" his sheepish smile returned.

"B-But we could be like-partners in crime! Totally~!" he chimed with a much more genuine joy.

This dice is not existing.

Hmm - she was surprised that the idea didn't sit well with him. Perhaps she hadn't earned that role yet. They had just met, after all. She was her own hero, huh? That was an odd thing to say, but she couldn't really argue with it. Her smile turned a bit sheepish as she nodded, trying to focus on the positive part of that instead. "Partners in crime, huh? Yeah, I wouldn't mind that." She hummed, flicking her tail. She thought more on her 'backstory', having a surprising amount of fun with that part. "Alright, then. Partners. What do you think about this, for how they met... the Ivory Shield saved the Black Fang from a terrible, miserable villain who sought nothing less than to suck every shred of joy from the world."

The spark in her eyes returned. She prowled as best as she could in the little shack, though the effect would have been better if she hadn't brushed an especially loose plank of wood and sent it tumbling to the ground. "And in retur- uh, whoops, I'll fix that - he taught her that she could use her powers for good, and helped make her a hero of her own. D'you like that?"

This dice is not existing.

The fact that Robin knocked over a plank went unnoticed by Chance entirely. He didn't particularly care about it despite his hard work on it. He had far too much fun out of this! He couldn't contain himself any longer. He joined her in her little prowl with a wide smile, "Yeah!! Black Fang and Ivory Shield-defenders of everything fun!" He had no idea how they developed into a little pretend-game of superheroes despite being the one to start the idea, but he very much didn't complain.

He too knocked into the side of the wall, but his little bump was followed by an odd creaking sound. His ears perked up in curiosity. The creak was dragged out, long, and...was it just him or was the space in the room getting smaller? The little shack steadily leaned off to the side, squishing the space inside. His eyes took on a fancy glow as he surveyed the structure. His ears fell back as he detected what was about to happen, "Uh-oh-Get out!" He cried before he turned tail and bolted out the open front door.

The house's creaking grew louder as it threatened to collapse-potentially on the little vulpix if she were too slow.

Defenders of everything fun. That made a snicker escape from Robin, shifting from paw to paw in a clear show of excitement. He'd liked her ideas! Maybe they could make more stories, figure out more adventures that they had gone on. The idea made her surprisingly happy, as silly as she knew this idea was. She was ready to continue, thinking of more adventures they could go on, her mind brimming with ideas, when-

Oh, no.

Without Chance's uncanny ability to dodge out of danger's way, Robin barely stood a chance to react in time. She barely had a moment to process, having already started to ignore the house's creaking, and she didn't realize it was slanting to one side - well, any more than it already had been - before it was too late. She could only manage to look up dully in response to Chance's warning before she was buried under a mess of planks and nails.

"Ow." Came a muffled voice from the ruins of the house.

Not her finest superhero moment.

An alarmed yipe escaped Chance once he realized that Robin had not escaped the wrath of poor structure and shoddy materials. He was quick on the draw in trying to dig Robin out. "Hey-Are you alright???" he spoke out as he did so. He pulled at the planks and yanked them out of their nails, which left him in shock of just how easy it was to pull the boards apart. Carelessly, he didn't take caution with the potential nails that could dig into him. It wasn't because of any true panic, but more so just him being a bit of an idiot.

The planks he pulled off were dragged off to the side, far too large for him to just toss. Once h could see his partner in crime's head, a flurry of questions brewed, "I-I'm sorry! I thought it was alright-are you okay? Are you hurt or anything? Nothing broken, right? Cuts??"

"Uuuuuugh." Came the voice from beneath the wood planks. She squinted, narrowly jolting her paw back to avoid a cut from a rusty nail. She'd have to help him build the next base sturdier... "Yeah, I'm okay. 's not your fault, Kiba." She managed. He'd dug her out enough for her to crane her head back up, shifting awkwardly to shake off the last few planks that held her in place. Oh, no - that had happened right after she'd knocked down a plank. It was her fault. And he'd been so proud and worked so hard on it, too-

"I'm so sorry." She said quietly, her ears flattened and her face downcast. Oh, he'd be furious. Or, worse, he'd be sad. "I promise I'll make it right, I'll help you build new ones! I'll find better wood and stronger nails, and it'll be easier to get everything steady when there are two of us to hold it in place!"

She was smiling, but if one looked very, very closely... she was the faintest bit frantic. "I'm sorry, Kiba." She echoed again, looking for all the world like a kicked puppy as she dared to look back up at him, blue eyes flickering in his direction ever so briefly.

The fact that the structure wasn't long for this world regardless didn't occur to her, in that moment.

The house, it was destroyed. If it weren't for the fact that Chance had witnessed his hard work and determination fall before him hundreds of times before, he would have probably been distraught. While he was upset, it wasn't the fact that this vulpix "broke" his pride and joy, it was because his work had dropped right on top of his friend. She said that it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't disagree more. The fact that she blamed herself for it only amplified his fear.

"N-No!" he insisted, "I-It's fine, it's totally my fault-I'm really bad at building things. I-I should have made sure it was more secure or somethin-and probably used better stuff..." While Robin was smiling, he certainly wasn't. This wasn't the first time his bout of "fun" had gotten someone else hurt. He leaned off to the side to check over Robin himself despite her answer. Once he was satisfied that she actually was fine, he smiled again.

"Don't worry about it-it's not like you broke it. My stuff fails allllll the time, it's kiiiinda normal. It's not your fault I'm dumb!" he insulted himself with a grin.

Oh no. He was upset. Not at her, which was a relief, but this wasn't exactly what she wanted, either. Her ears flattened and her eyes widened, her mind whirling at a fevered pace for a way to make it right. Hearing him insult himself didn't make her feel better in the least, and she shook her head even before she found her words. "Hey, no, that's not true." She protested. "That prank on Old Man Petrie was amazing. You had half the town in an uproar." She teased gently, giving the Zorua a gentle nudge. Even if he was smiling, hearing him talk down on himself made her expression fall to a frown.

What could she say to make him feel better? She thought on it for a long moment, a more gentle smile crossing her face. "We wouldn't be partners in crime if you were dumb. Let's make more secret bases, alright? I'll be right there to help build them more secure this time, so we don't have to worry about them falling over. We'll make them big enough to put furniture in! We can hide secret plans there, and make a meeting spot big enough for your entire club..."

Hopefully the excitement of more secret plans and schemes would serve as a pick-me-up. She hoped so, at least, even if she had her doubts that it would be successful. Maybe she was just projecting, but something about his words cut deeper than she would have liked. "We'll keep trying until we make one that doesn't fail. That's a pledge. Alright?"

Robin objected to his claim, which honestly he found to be a little confusing. He was pretty sure everyone was in agreement that he lacked what his sister had. His mom, dad, and sister certainly thought so and even if they tried to hide it, they didn't really do that great of a job...at least the way he saw it. His struggle to understand how disturbing half the town instantly made him smart was cut short by the promises of secret bases.

Just as Robin expected, he immediately perked right back up at the plans and ideas she had. "Oooh-I have this one shack-in Small Pond-it's bad like this one-but it's kinda bigger? It's not big enough to hold everybody because I kinda thought it'd just be me, Osiris, and maybe Alki at first-but it could totally use some...what's the word? Expulsions? Expations?"

He shook his head dismissively, "Whatever, we should totally do that!" While he certainly hadn't forgotten the denial, he was willing to just move right along past it. Robin hadn't known him for long, so he figured she'd realize it sooner or later. He didn't want to sit here and argue when they could be having so much fun instead.

He bounced over in front of the remains of the destroyed house and dropped onto his fore-paws in a playful bow again, "Oh-Oh! We should have like-a board. We could put up a bunch of pictures and little tacks with string on them to make some big conspiracy plot. Like-Like Mr. Petrie...heee...." he paused with a sudden blank expression. His brain searched for ideas, the entire zorua put on pause as if he were trying to load up his next section of dialogue and failing horrifically. It took a moment, but finally, he bounced back, "Heeeee works with the shopkeep over on Sweet Street! This Skiddo-he's in charge of this Cafe-and-and he produces these weird seeds that force laughter to leave your very s o u l!"

It was a bit of a relief that Kiba perked up when she'd found something new to point his boundless energy towards. Or, at least he wasn't talking down on himself anymore. She'd take that small victory. It was a welcome sight when that glint in his eye returned, the one that signaled there was mischief to be made and fun to be had. It was a look that she was already growing rather fond of. She found it in her to smile again, a hint of excitement infecting her.

"So you think they're in cahoots?" She answered, lowering her voice to fit the proper conspiratorial tone. Once the Zorua was done buffering, she spared a glance back at the mess of planks, already covered up by the shrubbery. From a cursory glance, she couldn't see any that looked, well... salvageable. Maybe she could buy some newer pieces of wood for the next expansion? She'd ended up being perfectly fine, but if Kiba and his friends were going to spend a lot of time there, she had to make sure it was safe!

That would have to be for another day, though. For now, she'd focus on making sure Kiba stayed in good spirits, humming along thoughtfully. "Sounds like cause for investigation. We'll need to be real careful... disguises, code names." She said with mock-solemnity, placing a paw over her heart. Of course, she was picturing a rather tame scene. They could stroll in using different names, maybe with a funny hat or two, order some food and call the investigation complete. But now that she thought about it more, she wasn't convinced it would end up being so simple...

... oh well. Wasn't that half the fun? And even she couldn't deny it, in that moment. She was having fun. "It sounds like a job for the Black Fang and the Ivory Shield! Oh, huh- we need some kind of combination name, like, a team name or something-" She faltered for a moment, scrunching her nose. Saying the entire thing every time was... going to get a little unwieldy fast. (Then again, that might not exactly be a concern for the head of the Super Secret Society of Secretiveness.)

"Yisssss~" he hissed with a mischievous glee in response to the vulpix's question. His tail wagged about with pure unhinged joy. His eyes squinted as his thoughts raced through all sorts of different hoops and hurdles at what felt like a million miles per hour to him. He had so many ideas that it was hard to pick just one! Disguises! That'd be easy for him-but Ivory? That'd need some work. C o d e n a m e s! The more they had to come up with, the more excited he became.

He popped back up onto his feet with a little hop that his flank complained about. "Oh! Oh! Team name-like-uh...Ivory Fang? Black Shield? Oooh Black Shield would fit because like-we're protecting people and stuff!" and because his name was first, but he didn't say a word about that. "I can disguise myself pretty easily uh-you're going to need something though. A trench coat? I know where we could probably find one your size! Oh! Oh! It's on the way! Let's go! We can come up with code names on the way!"

He didn't exactly give the vulpix time to agree. The fur ball pivoted around and tore out of the garden without missing a beat. He made a beeline for the fence, the hole this time fortunately, as he simply assumed that Robin would follow along just as she had every other time.

(note: the skiddo he's talking about is my character Aries, if we go along with this Aries and potentially Yera (deerling) will end up joining the thread briefly but will likely not be permanent additions. If you'd rather not, we can have the store be closed for this day.)

(Yeah, I'm perfectly alright with them hopping in!)

"Black Shield." Robin agreed, giving a sharp nod as she chased after Kiba, a clear spring in her step. Granted, she wasn't exactly sure what they were protecting people from, but it was a nice sentiment either way. "So he's got these Reviser Seeds? We're gonna have to hurry, then. Can't let those fall into the wrong hands." She wondered just what they were being sold for, anyways, though any conspiracy theories were brushed aside in relief that for once, Kiba had decided not to take the flashy route.

She trailed along after him, letting him lead the way to the clothing store. Her wallet was a fair bit lighter between the trenchcoat and the mess of accessories that would compliment the disguise - a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of dark sunglasses hid her face. Black leather boots just a smudge too big for her covered up most of her legs. She would look much less conspicuous if she just... walked in like a normal pokemon. As it stood, she was a bit worried they'd think she was there to rob the place. Ah, well. If it entertained Kiba, she supposed she could fight back the embarrassment. Anything for a friend, right?

"Okay. My codename is Viala." She confirmed. "If you say the word 'banana', that's our red alert, and code to leave immediately. Yellow alert means 'careful', and our word for that is... Gummi. Wait, no, we should reverse those, since bananas are yellow-" Oh, drat. She was confusing it more. Alright, Robin, take it from the top. She adjusted her tan trench coat, swinging a water pistol in the shape of a Clauncher at her side.

"Okay, from the top. Red alert is Gummi. Yellow alert is Banana. My name is Viala. Just need your codename, and we're good to go."

Robin's Spy Outfit:

While Robin left with a lighter pocket, Chance left with a pair of sunglasses. He didn't pay for it. He just tried them on out of interest and left with them. The confidence he carried with himself had tricked the shopkeep into thinking he simply came in with them, seeing as normally thieves would look at least a little sketchy or nervous.

"Got it!" he beamed with a grin, the sunglasses struggled to stay on thanks to being a tad over-sized...and not exactly fit for a Zorua's face. He strolled along with a haughty step, feeling proud of his new accessory. It was kind of a shame that he was going to cover it up right away...he thought on it for a moment longer before he spoke up, "I think I'll just go in like this. He won't ever recognize me and I can change myself up on the fly. It's part of my powers~" he chimed.

"Now come on, it's just around this corner!" the zorua piped up without a second thought before he bounded along once again. He hadn't even given Robin his code name, but at the very least he realized it once he approached the front door, "Oh-and uh-I'm Bones!"

The shack was small, unassuming, and modest. There was a sign out front that looked rather aged and shoddy, but the artwork and handwriting on it looked a little more professional than the sign itself. "To-Goat Shop" it read with what appeared to be a joyful little skiddo who donned an apron. The skiddo carried a plate of cheri berries, happily trotting along to wherever he was going in sign-land.

He didn't wait for Robin. He was disappeared behind the doors with a quick push to get inside. A bell rang out indoors. It was only once he was inside that he decided that perhaps waiting for his friend was a good idea. He sat by the door and took a look around. The shop...wasn't all that busy. There was maybe one or two pokemon, though one of them looked to be more concerned with some stack of papers in front of them than they were with any kind of food and drink. The other pokemon, a munchlax, simply engorged themselves on everything and anything that a little deerling waiter brought to him. He couldn't tell whether the doe was terrified or just hurried.

The deerling's eyes locked onto him. "O-Oh! I'll be with you in just a moment, sir!" she called out to him.

Wait, did... did Kiba pay for those? She didn't see him in line with her, and her noise of protest went unheard. She squinted at those glasses, trying to decide whether he had those with him before, despite the sneaking suspicion that he hadn't. It was... probably fine? He must have paid for them earlier, she'd decided, when she hadn't been looking. It had taken her quite a while to try on all those accessories, after all, and she couldn't imagine Kiba just waiting patiently while she found ones that fit.

The shop looked inconspicuous enough. As it should, really, considering it was just a normal shop. It was pleasant, though, all things considered. It was small, but the atmosphere was quite nice. More than enough room for the two of them, too. It was a small miracle that they hadn't drawn any odd looks yet, considering that Robin was more or less in full spy apparel. She found her way to one of the tables, giving a polite nod and a gentle smile towards the Deerling.

"No rush, ma'am." She murmured towards the Deerling, though she wasn't sure if she'd been heard, past the layers of clothing and the waiter's frantic rush. She relaxed on her seat, occasionally sneaking a glance at the other patrons out of morbid curiosity that they might be looking at her oddly. She forced down the prickles of anxiety, forcing herself to focus on Kiba instead.

"What do you think you'll be ordering, Bones?" The alias felt odd on her tongue. Her voice fell an octave. Not loud enough to be overheard, nor soft enough to draw suspicion, so she hoped, leaning a little bit closer. "First things first, I'm going to see if they're serving anything with Reviser Seeds. I'm got a foolproof plan."

"Hmmm...not sure, Viola," he responded, unaware that he'd gotten Robin's code name wrong. He squinted through the sunglasses, despite absolutely not needing them indoors, and observed the area a little more. Without patience, he walked further into the little cafe and hopped himself onto a cushioned chair that might've been meant for a larger pokemon. There was the much larger menu written on a chalk board at the back near the counter, but he was quick to find that the tables came with much smaller pamphlets that had a variety of options.

Hmmm, nothing suspicious here. He hopped up onto the table, crossed the table with his filthy paws, hopped back down onto the other side with a chair, back to the ground, then started on his way to the counter. The hurried little doe was quick to rush behind the counter once he approached.

"A-Alright! Wh-What would you like to order?" she inquired, a smile on her face despite how difficult it was for her breath to keep up with her.

"Uhhhhhh..." Chance squinted at the menu, "I dunno surprise me. Give me something to uh...I dunno...laugh about." He smirked.

"...I-Is there a price range or...?" the deerling tilted her head curiously.

"Nope!" said the zorua with no money.

"O-Okay, u-uh, what about you, miss?" the deerling looked over to the vulpix, a friendly yet stressed smile upon her face.