Mischief Managed [Halloween S4 2019]

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Tonight was going to be fun, Chance thought to himself with a snicker. He spent quite a fair amount of time on just collecting data about the kill-joys of the evening, now was the time to act against them! He couldn't do this alone, however, fortunately, he knew exactly who to ask along with him. It took him all day to put together the note for Osiris, even more just to sneak it into the dratini's room without his mother noticing.

...That was probably very illegal to do, but what did he care? He was gonna be the world's best outlaw! The zorua donned his cape and flash emblem, slapped on his false-oversized fangs, and picked up the pumpkin shaped basket. The innards of the carrier was empty, however, so he flipped the object up onto his head-effectively transforming it into a hat.

He sneaked out of the house and into town square, a careful and cautious eye looked to and fro. This was a Top! Secret! Meeting! He had to make sure nobody was following him...Once he was satisified with his three second search, he slipped into the alleyway he told Osiris about. He searched around the boxes and barrels briefly before he located the one he scouted out several days before. A grin stretched across his expression, the "X" he marked on the crate still ready. He reached his fore-paws up onto the edge. With a keen and careful eye, he made a move to jump in...

Of course, he failed. The box flipped over with the wrong move and trapped him inside. A surprised cry escaped him as he dashed forward in a blind panic. He rammed into the side of the box and sent it flying with him across the alleyway. the box struck another barrel. The rumbling sound of wood struck fear into him as he heard something heavy drop on top of his box.

...

uh-oh.

Ooooh, that looked like it hurt. Osiris winced sympathetically as Kiba spent a little bit too much time enjoying the fine-tuning of the plan before trying to walk on air. It went about as well as could be expected and provided Iris with a perfect example of what not to do. Much more slowly, cautiously, and quietly did the dratini slither his way down the side of the building they'd been crossing He touched down on the ground at about the same time Kiba had leaped out of some debris of his own making with a hasty apology.

"Seeds first, then," he gathered out loud as he caught up to the zorua. "You wanna go in loud or try and play it sneaky? It's Halloween, so we got a pretty good excuse to just knock on the door and distract the skiddo for a while if one of us wants to try our luck with a window or something." he suggested, letting ideas rip off the hip. "Or we could spy on this place a little bit too, maybe catch 'em by surprise if they head outside for some reason."

As innocent as the skiddo might have been, no way were they going to give a bunch of hysteric laugh-inducing seeds to a couple of trick or treaters, even if they were the special a few days back. Asking could be a last resort, though.

This dice is not existing.

Chance slowed down a bit as the little cogs in his head went to work. He gave a thoughtful hum as he contemplated the dratini's suggestions. "Weeee...coooouuullld...." he mused as he mulled it over a bit. The zorua seemed to really put some thought into this...or at least attempted to. As soon as s lightbulb lit up in hi head, his ears perked up.

"We should prooobably make it sneaky...we could head in while he's out, then we can lock the door behind him so we have extra time to look around. If he tries to get back in, he won't be able to. We should be able to find it and be out before he can get back in!" The zorua smirked as he looked to the little dratini for approval, "Once we've got the stuff we make our escape through the backdoor or something, yeah?"

This dice is not existing.

"Pretty smart," Osiris naturally approved. "If it goes good, then he's not even gonna know we were in there. And we're kind of doing him a favor, too, getting rid of some of those seeds for him." he reasoned, his smile turning a touch nefarious. This was seriously fun. "At this point we're practically heroes," the dratini went on. "It's like community service, between the skiddo and this mean old lady. Plus we're reappropriating candy for people who can enjoy it better."

Sitrusdew Point, Sitrusdew Point... ah, there it was. Zorua and dratini both strolled up as they found the street corner, and lo and behold, the shop wasn't far behind. There didn't seem to be a lot of pokemon around - a few hustling and bustling between houses to get candy, all focused on their own Halloween adventures. The two of them just had to be a little stealthy about their endeavors and, according to the plan, it would be smooth sailing.

"Let's get sneaky," he whispered with a grin.

Chance couldn't help but agree with just about everything Osiris said. The zorua literally could not stop smiling. He shot himself off into the distance to search for Sitrusdew Point. Fortunately, street signs pointed them straight towards their intended target. They were there. His eyes scanned the street until, at last, he spotted it. A small unassuming shack with a sign out in front. A refined picture of what appeared to be a skiddo looking pleased with a dish etched out onto a chalkboard. The To-Goat Shop.

"Yessss~" he hissed with glee. With a poof of smoke, the Zorua was no more. In his spot was an adorable and unassuming ratatta. The illusion gave a scratch behind the ears before it seemed to look itself over.

"How do I look?" he asked Osiris, "Casual enough or should I go with something smaller?" he wasn't too sure how much smaller he could get with this, but he just wanted to make sure he didn't mess up any of the illusion. If it was obvious that he was a zorua, then if he were caught it would narrow down the suspect list far too much for his liking!

Yeah, okay, the whole shapeshifting thing was never going to get old. Osiris was even looking at him when it happened this time! Last time with him and his mom, they turned into whole new pokemon before he could notice. "Hmmm..." Osiris thoughtfully inspected the ratatta in front of him, as if there was something to be curious about. It was just a regular ratatta. "Maybe if you had like a little costume on top of it? Just in case someone spots you sneaking around, then they won't think you're weird for not dressing up on Halloween."

It was probably a really bogus suggestion, but it felt good for him to give advice and get involved in this shapeshifting business. Osiris had never seen anything like it; at some point when they weren't getting hauled back home by a cool angry mom or robbing shopkeeps, he really should ask about the specifics of the ability.

A full few seconds of thought was given to the idea, before the form of the rattata changed again with another poof of smoke. The illusion stood on its hind legs with its paws outstretched, as if to say "Tada!" to the dratini. The rattata now looked rather...grotesque. It was missing an eye, the stomach was open and seemingly emptied of its contents, and scars matted the rattata all around. Over all, the rattata looked as if it shouldn't be alive and walking around.

"Zombie?" he questioned the dratini, unaware that he was using the memory of a literal dead Rattata to perform this little magic trick.

Osiris recoiled when Kiba modified his transformation, eyes going wide in naked shock and revulsion. There was a difference between a simple Halloween costume and dead person! He refrained from voicing that thought, though, not wanting to come off as flimsy or spineless in front of a little grossness. He could handle it... it was just really, really nasty. And kind of actually disturbing.

"Pretty hardcore," he settled for saying instead, turning to look at the shop in question, because staring at that ratatta any longer sounded rough. "I think we're good. Let's hustle up and maybe peek through some windows, see where he's at and what he's doing, find our opening to get in and everything." the dratini suggested, more than willing to move on from the transformation he was looking at.

Chance didn't seem to understand whether or not anything was wrong with his disguise. The lack of verbal concern on Osiris' part only perpetuated the idea that everything was fine. The zorua bounced along, the deceased rattata looking bright and peppy despite its decomposed state, "Yeah yeah! You look through all the windows on the left, and I'll get the right. We can meet up around back with news on anything we see."

He looked at the shop eagerly. It didn't seem as if it were open right now, but the lights were certainly on inside. Whether it was the skiddo or someone else, there was a living threat inside that house. A threat that would compromise their mission if they failed to execute it juuuuust right.

"Go go go!" he urged as he took off.

M i s s i o n s t a r t.

Osiris took off at Kiba's signal, slithering quickly and low to the ground so as not to be spotted by any nosy onlookers. He had to remind himself not to appear too suspicious - they were just looking around for now, not doing anything that could really be misconstrued as wrong. Worst case scenario, if they were caught, would be the skiddo getting suspicious and telling them to go away. Which was bad, yes, but not the worst thing they could happen.

The dratini skidded to a stop as he came up to the side of the shack, resting flush against it. He alowed himself a moment of suspense before he sloooowly raised up, peeking through a window to get a look at what was inside the shop. He had to belatedly adjust his diglett helment once he realized he couldn't see anything, but after that, he was eager to absorb information.

The interior of the shop was small, cozy even. There were a few tables here and there with what looked to be a desk for people to order at. The interior of the shop was dark, but there were lights on in the back. Low voices could be heard from inside, but there wasn't anyone in the main dining area.

Chance too, found a window on the opposite side of where Osiris stood. He pushed his face up against the glass, his breath left condensation on the window in the cold of the night. His eyes performed only a quick and brief scan before he moved onto the next one. The voices became somewhat clearer, but they were so hushed that even Chance's ears had trouble picking up on them.

He peeked through the next window to find...a closet. Hmm...maybe this would be a good place to sneak in? Surely Osiris both wouldn't mind and be impressed if he just...showed up with the seeds...right?

Mmmmm, no dice. The only interesting thing that Osiris spotted was Kiba on the other side of the shop, staring through the window. And by interesting, he meant freaking horrifying. Best move along and look at that sight as little as humanly possible, thank you very much. The dratini dropped down and slithered along the side of the shack, heading for where he assumed the back door would be. That was their agreed-upon escape route, right?

His only real goals were either finding another window to spy in, or testing the door in case that wasn't an option. In the case of the former, he just wanted to peek around and see if the skiddo was inside at the moment - if so, he could head 'round the shop and notify Kiba. If not, he was going to poke and prod at that back door. Osiris didn't want to break a window or anything to get inside and the front door was the best option no matter what; so if the back door was unlocked, he just wanted to peek in there and see who was around.

Kiba gave a quick check around him. The street seemed pretty empty right now. It was an opportune chance! He brought his paws up to the window and pawed at the bottom of the window. To his luck, it wasn't closed all the way! A smirk stretched from ear to ear as he pulled the window out farther. As quickly and quietly as he could, he slipped under the window and onto the ledge on the other side. He was cautious with the window, not allowing it to slap back down and potentially lock him in.

He skimmed the dark inner workings of the closet, but it didn't quite seem like this was a supply closet. If anything, this was just where the skiddo kept a few sponges, a broom, a mop, and a bucket. Dissatisfied with his findings, he made a move for the door. With a careful touch, the door opened silently with as little creaking as possible. The zorua peeked out the other side to see that he was in the back room. He glanced left and right, the voices much clearer and easier to hear now.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? It'd be good for you to get out every now and then, you know that right?" An effeminate voice spoke softly.

"Y-Yeah, you go on ahead. I-I need to count up the st-stock anyways...a-and get rid of those bad seeds..." That voice...it was the skiddo. From the sounds of it, he was going to be in the stock room. Oh no...

"We can do that together tomorrow though...?"

"I-I'd rather get it done tonight and...I-I don't really want to g-go anyways..."

He could hear a thoughtful hum from the effeminate voice, "Alright...if you insist..." The voice sounded almost disheartened. He listened carefully, his ears perked up upon hearing the sound of hooves clop closer in his direction. He ducked into the shadows, making sure he was not to be seen. "I'll be back later tonight...and I'll bring back some gummis for you!" A deerling called as she passed by Zorua's hiding spot.

"Have fun!" The skiddo called back in a far more cheerful voice than before. Chance watched the deerling step out into the dining floor before the ring of the front door's bell signaled her departure. Chance could hear a depressed sounding sigh come from farther back in the kitchen. Huh...this was interesting. He looked around once more...only to see Osiris in the window across the room again. His eyes lit up with excitement. He darted out of his hiding spot, confident that he wouldn't be seen by the chef. The gored rattata waved at the dratini eagerly, a big ol smile on their face.

Hmm... nope, no dice. It was gonna have to be one of the windows or the front door, Osiris decided. That was fine, though - they were just collecting information right now, not doing anything drastic or beginning the operation yet. The more time they used, the more intel they got, the better their chances for when they finally sprung their plan and got it all rolling -

Wait was that Kiba inside the shack? Osiris nearly gave himself whiplash as he passed by the window, spotting the same zombie ratatta waving at him cheerfully. What was he doing?! He... maybe he knew what he was doing, the dratini rationalized to himself. Kiba was the one who came up with the plan, so he could have just seen a golden opportunity and adapted the plan around it.

Then he got an idea. He could capitalize on this! Iris waved back at the ratatta with his tail through the window before gesturing back at the door. Then he slithered all the way around to the front door furiously, skidding to a stop and sucking in a great, deep breath. "TRICK or TREAT!!" he hollered before knocking on the front door of the shack. Kiba could hide while the skiddo came to him, and he could keep the guy busy long enough for him to get the goods!!

He was a little confused when Osiris left the window, but the sound of the dratini's voice out by the front door of the shop told him all. A smile grew on his face, but it was quickly cut short into a flinch as he heard a startled bleat sound from the kitchen followed by the crash and bang of pots, pans, and even a glass plate or two. His ears pinned down, he froze to the spot in wait of what sort of reaction the skiddo would have.

With a tired groan, the sound of hooves against wood made its way towards him. Same dance just like the last, he bolted into the shadows of the room and squeezed himself into a corner. He watched the skiddo pass by with their head hung low. The door into the dining hall opened and closed behind them. Chance could have gone on to search through the store, but he had a different idea. Instead of going deeper, he followed the skiddo into the dining room.

It took some effort to open and close the door silently, but it was all too common of a problem for Chance to face. It was something he was used to working with. Once he was on the other side of the door, he could see that the grass type answered the door. It was barely open a crack, the skiddo seemed to almost hide behind the door completely.

"U-Uh...s-sorry...I-I c-can't give anything out th-this year..." the skiddo spoke to the dratini, "I-I don't have anything..."

What? Chance's eyes widened. The skiddo certainly wasn't on the list before for people that refused to give things out, but he certainly was now! This goat had a whole stock of thing he could give in the back! Chance's ears pinned down as a pointed look was shot in the Skiddo's direction. Another change of plans. They were just going to have to trick this guy in the process!

He stalked up behind the goat as the skiddo opened the door a bit more to stand in front of the opening. Woah-this was almost perfect! He could see Osiris just on the other side of the skiddo. Hopefully, Osiris could see him too. He counted on it, as he started to make some gestures. He pointed towards himself, then the skiddo, he made a pushing motion, pointed to Osiris, pointed inside the shop, pointed towards the door, and then swished his paw through the air in a horizontal manner. He smiled at the dratini, assuming that the dragon type would be completely on board with this.

He began to mouth to the dratini silently, "Three...."

This was not okay.

Kiba behind the skiddo giving him a silent rundown of the plan, that was very okay. The skiddo himself showing up at the front door just to deny him and by extension every other kid in the neighborhood candy... yeah, no. The zorua's plan was honestly pretty solid, if he was reading him right - on three, he would push the shopkeep out and Osiris would rush in and slam the door shut. They'd lock him out, raid his place for candy and those seeds, and get away like bandits.

Flawless. "But it's Halloween!" he cried in false protest. "How... how can you not have anything? Don't you know??" he went on, drooping down slightly as if he was genuinely disappointed.

Of course he knew. But he was stingy, and so he had to be tricked! As the bedsheet diglett lowered himself to the ground, he coiled up tightly, preparing to blast himself into the house with a burst of Extremespeed as soon as Kiba hit zero.