(1600 words)
Chapter 8
Criminal


"You mean it? We get to bring criminals to justice?!"

"Yes. You've proven that you can handle it-"

"YES!! Thorn! Do you know what this means?!"

"Um. Bigger rewards?"

"We get to stop criminals! We get to bring justice to those that hurt others! We get to be HEROES!"

"Compass." Beacon looks sternly at Compass. "I know you're excited, but this is serious. You're not heroes. You're people, going into a dangerous situation."

"Right. Sorry..."

"Now, I've picked out a job for you two. A sandile has stolen a precious ring from the client, and retreated into Mt. Thunder. Your job is to capture the sandile and retrieve the ring. It's classed as C-rank, but outlaws are unpredictable; I have trust in your abilities, but if you sense the danger is too much-"

"There's no shame in retreating from a task outside your skill level."

Beacon smiles. "I've taught you well." She hands Compass the job, and gives a salute. "Good luck, Team Rose! And stay safe."

Compass returns the salute. "Yes ma'am!"



"So our target is a petty thief?" Thorn asks as the team approaches Mt. Thunder. "I thought we'd be going after bigger game."

"Taking someone's treasured possession is a horrible thing! We can't let them get away with it. And besides, according to this job, Sandile is a repeat offender; they've been spotted stealing from jewelry stores and grocers, and pick-pocketing too!"

"Oh no. Not that precious jewelry. Oh the horror."

"Get serious Thorn! We need to be ready for anything."

"Uh, are we ready for that?" Thorn points toward the peak of the mountain, where bolts of lightning strike, each sending a distant boom of thunder through the air. "I know I'm a ground-type, but I'm not eager to try being smited by a bolt from the heavens."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Lightning only ever strikes near the top of the mountain, so we're totally safe from-"

*CRACK*

A bolt of lightning strikes about 20 meters away! Compass covers their ears and flinches as the boom of thunder echos. When they open their eyes, they spot Thorn hiding behind a rock. "Thorn? Wh-"

"What are you doing?" Thorn whispers, bolting out and dragging Compass behind the rock. "Hide, hide!"

"Thorn-"

Thorn puts a hand over Compass's mouth, holding them tightly as they shiver behind the rock. Their breath is shaky and rapid. They hide for a full minute, their breathing gradually calming, until they look at Compass with confusion. "Uh... what am I doing?"

"I... don't know. Can you let go of me?"

Thorn releases Compass and stands up. "What the hell just happened?"

"A bolt of lightning struck the ground. I guess the weather is messed up here, too."

"No, yeah, I got that, I mean why did I..."

"Are you scared of thunder? Or loud noises?"

"Scared of- No, no way, not a chance, I'm not some baby that gets paralyzed with paranoia just because something hurt my ears!"

"Hey, lots of people have phobias. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's okay."

"No, it's NOT okay, what if that happens during a fight? I CANNOT be rendered helpless because of some harmless noise!"

"Don't worry, if it happens during a fight, I'll protect you-"

"I don't need to be protected!"

... Compass looks into Thorn's eyes, and for the first time, they notice the fear. Not of thunder or lightning... "We all have weaknesses, Thorn. That's why we work together. Maybe sometimes, you won't be able to defend yourself. And that's okay, because I'm here with you, to help you when you're in need, and protect you when you're in danger. So please, trust me."

"The day I put my safety in someone else's hands is the day the sky falls... But I GUESS, if you INSIST, I won't stop you from protecting me. I mean literally, I won't be able to stop you. Because I'll be freaking out like a helpless worthless baby."

"Babies aren't worthless and neither are you. They just need help."



Team Rose Climbs up Mt. Thunder, quietly searching for Sandile. "Hey Compass, you don't think the sandile is at the peak, do you? 'Cause that'd be..." Distant thunder rolls down from the peak. "... inconvenient."

"I doubt it; I've heard the peaks of mountains are where powerful pokemon make their homes. Sandile would need to be a pretty good fighter to camp out up there."

The team turns a corner, and lock eyes with an electabuzz. "Hey, you! Get lost!"

"Wait," Compass says, "we're just looking to capture a rogue sandile. We won't mess with you, I promise."

"Ugh, bounty hunters. The worst."

"We're not bounty hunters, we're a rescue team!"

"Oh yeah, I bet you'll 'rescue' that sandile real good. I don't care why you're here. I wanted to stop that sandile too, but I, uh... It ran away."

Thorn smiles. "You lost because you didn't know they were a ground-type, didn't you?"

"I didn't lose, they ran away! Ran deeper into my turf, little thing... And you should run, too! The other way!"

"Look asshole, how 'bout we make this simple: You and me, one-on-one. I win, you tell us where that sandile went and let us pass. You win, we leave, no questions asked. Deal?"

"Heh, pretty confident for someone so small. Alright, deal!" Electabuzz blasts a bolt of lightning at Thorn!.. which bounces off harmlessly. "... Oh. You, uh, you're a ground-type too, huh?"

"Yup. So like, are you gonna tell us where they went, or do you want to..."

"Fine, whatever, they went down the path and took a right. Just grab them and get out already."

"Thank you!" Compass says, and the team departs.

They follow the path, sneaking around, checking every hiding place. Eventually, Thorn walks past a rock and looks behind it, locking eyes with a sandile. They stand there, staring at each other, the sandile frozen in place.

"Thorn?" Compass asks, turning around. "What's the holdup- *GASP* The target!"

Sandile scrambles over the rock and races through the mountain path, with Team Rose close behind! It's close, but Sandile is faster, gradually gaining distance. But just before they manage to disappear around a corner, Compass hurls a blast seed at Sandile, the explosion knocking them into the wall!

"Surrender, Sandile," Compass says, "we have you surrounded!"

"O-okay, I give up, I give up! Please don't hurt me!"

"Yes!" Compass's back ignites in excitement. "Sandile, you are under arrest for no less than 5 charges of petty theft, including the recent theft of a precious ring! Return the ring now."

"I..." Sandile looks down. "I sold it..."

"What? Ugh, typical criminal. Well then, uh, return the money you got from selling it!"

"Spent it..."

"Darn it!" Compass yells, and Sandile flinches. They pull a length of rope from their bag. "Thorn, help me restrain them; we can at least complete half the mission."

Sandile doesn't resist, and soon, Team Rose is walking down the mountain, with Thorn holding the rope like a leash. Thorn looks back at Sandile. Their eyes show a bit of shame, and their body is skinny... hungry. "That ring didn't sell for much, huh?" Thorn says.

"What? Oh, um, no. It's hard to get a good deal selling stolen goods."

"Why hide out here? Not much food to scavenge in a mountain."

"I couldn't go to a forest or anything; I'm not strong enough, the grass- and bug-types would kick me out."

"... So, you didn't have a choice." The sandile's story paints an unfortunate picture. An unfair picture. Thorn takes one last look at sandile's skinny form, the defeated, hopeless look on their face... They can't stand it. "God damn it Compass," they whisper.



"What do you mean they disappeared!?!"

"Look, I turned around for five seconds, and when I turned back, Sandile was gone along with one of our apples. I have no idea what happened."

Compass's back bursts into flames of rage. "ARGH, they TRICKED us!! They pretended to surrender just to get an opening to steal from US too! And now we've completely failed the job..."

Thorn sighs. "I know. 500 coin reward, and we're not getting a penny."

"Our first bounty mission, and we totally botched it. Mom's gonna be so disappointed..."



Beacon wraps Compass in a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"H-huh?" Compass wiggles out of the hug. "But Leader Beacon, we failed the job..."

"Oh, everyone fails jobs sometimes. Just be glad you're first failure wasn't a rescue; now THAT'S a guilt trip. But I'm just glad you didn't get hurt. You're so much more important than a stolen ring."

Compass smiles. "You're right. Thanks mom."

"That said," Beacon takes a step back and stands up straight. "Team Rose, due to your failure, you will not be given permission to take bounty jobs. If you wish to try again, you'll need to complete a specialized training course to properly prepare."

"I think we should stick to rescue missions," Thorns says. "After all, my natural charisma and kindness make me a perfect fit for them."

"Thorn, I think you're being sarcastic," Compass says, "but you're right; you've gotten really good at helping pokemon in need."

"Oh. Well, I've had a good role model."

"Aww, thanks!"



"So, it's a double-job day?" Thorn asks as Compass scans over the bulletin board.

"Yup. We need to make up for lost time."

"... Say, why do you think Sandile was stealing?"

"I don't know, greed, I guess. There's just bad pokemon in the world, who don't care about right and wrong. So they take the easy route, and steal what they want."

"Right. Easy." Because being a criminal with a terrible reputation chased by cops all the time is the easy route. "Well, let's just keep doing what we're good at; helping those in need."

"Well said!"




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