FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"This happen often?" Amy looked towards Oddie.

"Andrea told you yes?" the raptor shrugged. "Every fourteen months."

"Damn, hey uh nice job not helping me out back there!" she shouted up to the rafters.

"Ahm workin' ere!" snorted a gecko drilling holes through steel. "I wuzn' trained to be no security boss!"

"I uh take it one of you guys runs this place?" The newcomer rubbed her neck. "Sorry for landing without clearance but we had to catch that thief."

"You were hunting it too?" asked Oddclaw. "So you are from another world."

"Sure am."

"Whu-wh-whuh..." Holt was still on his knees gesturing frantically towards the winged beast. "D-duh...ddraig, f-fwcin ddraig!"

"You alright?" she bent her head towards him. "Hope you're not having a heart attack."

"I-i...Duw, mae'n ddrwg gennyf."

He started sobbing with a hand over his eyes as he bent himself to the floor much to Oddie's shock as he quickly huddled him; the raptor family all stared at him, then at the reptilian beast then back to the human female whose black hair masked the wrinkles of her face between purple tips; the winged beast looked over to Oddclaw with a strange look and almost gasped looking over to the woman, whilst the wolf approached her gently with a sigh as she felt her internals enter self-repair amidst gentle whirring.

"So you're police? Kinda outta the way for you ain't it?"

"I mean yeah it's kinda out of my jurisdiction but I was hoping I could appeal to your better nature and yanno, let me help you out."

"Well, I'm not really high up in this place, you'll wanna talk to the humans or Oddclaw over there, he's more the ambassador round these part-"

"[i]DRAGON![/i]" Jeremy cried staggering to his feet. "Real live FUCKIN' DRAGON!"

"Huh?!" Angela looked to her partner. "Oh you mean him, that's Red he's a Charizard."

"Madam ah know a dragon when ah see one an' THAT to me is a fuckin' dragon!"

"What no he's not!" The charizard snorted with a sudden turn in her direction. "Don't gimme that you're a fire-flying type, not dragon, says so in the dex!"

He growled with a humph and turned his head up aloof to the ceiling, crossing his arms as she shook her head looking back to the group.

"He's just old an' grumpy, don't worry about him, Red's got your back and mine. So yeah this thief that we caught, who do we talk to about it?"

"Me." Oddclaw stepped forwards to offer his hand promptly. "I am Oddclaw, the ambass-sidor."

"Nice." She shook his hand back with a bow. "Not the leader of the base right?"

"No, but you should meet him first, I will take you through."

"A-a-ahm comin' too!" cried Holt stepping up promptly. "Anyone gonna be escortin' a dragon it's gonna be me fer fuck's sake!"

The dragon-in-question gestured frantically with a growl between Angela and Jeremy.

"Don't get such a big head you wanna look like a Nosepass?"

[i]"Grrrrhh!"[/i]

"Hey-ey use your words, I got seventeen more pokeballs so don't test me."

"Well ah think he's a dragon," Jeremy bowed deeply towards him, "an' that means ah've got to respect him, 'specially when his name's bluddy Red."

The charizard smugly grinned with a lurid eye towards Angela who simply rolled hers with a scoff. Red gave a growl of acceptance with his three-fingered hand placed firmly upon the back of Jeremy's head as if knighting him.

"Awwww he likes you," she said tittering.

"Bendithiwch chi, o ddraig goch," he muttered with a small cross over his heart before standing up, "so uh...christ ah dunno whut to say now."

"How about hello, shake his hand, ask if he wants to go out to dinner sometime."

[i]"Gnnrhh?!"[/i] Red turned with a stiffened grimace.

"What?! He seems nice, you like younger guys or something?"

[i]"NN-nnnrgh!"[/i]

"Woa-woah no no hold up!" sputtered Holt. "Lissen ah luv a reptile much as thuh next lad but ahm not askin' fer a date!"

"Hahahaha relax I'm just joshing. Anyways let's go meet the chief."

[i]"Oddclaw, w-wait!"[/i]

He felt Moonclaw's teeth nip his arm in passing.

[i]"What about the children, are you just going to-"[/i]

[i]"Of course not,"[/i] he said patting her head, [i]"but I am here and I am the Voice of the Tribe, that is my duty. You knew this was coming."[/i]

[i]"Yes I know, we said when the children were old enough but..."[/i] she sighed with a sudden fatigue, [i]"I was hoping it would be another cycle until then."[/i]

[i]"What'th wrong?"[/i] Oddtooth chirruped between the two. [i]"Are you going thomewhere father?"[/i]

[i]"Hopefully not,"[/i] he said, [i]"but I have to tell you something, after I have taken the starbeasts to see the hairless alpha. I will return soon."[/i]

[i]"But...daddyyyy,"[/i] Seaclaw whimpered biting his lip.

[i]"Shhhh do not worry son."[/i] He bent down to kiss his head. [i]"Just wait with your mother alright?"[/i]

[i]"O-okayyyy."[/i]

Unhappy but accepting regardless, the children muttered to themselves as Oddclaw led the two newcomers through the halls with Holt keeping abreast of the charizard in front of him, stepping back and forth to keep out of the range of its lustrous flame that burnt constantly upon its tailtip.

"Never seen a dragon with a tail lahk that," he muttered.

"You know he understands you right?" said Angela beside him.

"OH, sh-shit um s-sorry, sorry please don' get mad, you're a gorgeous lad an' we're very honoured to have ya!"

"I don't need him with a bigger head than he already has, come on just chill. What you never seen a charizard before?"

"None of us have," said Oddclaw in front waving the guards back before they prepped their guns. "The last ones we had here were those like Amy."

"Right, so this is pretty regular for you?" she turned to Red with a nudge knowing. "I don't think we're in Kanto anymore."

[i]"Hmmph,"[/i] he rolled his eyes with a puff of smoke.

"Oh come on live a little, we're in another world aren't we just relax."

"You done this before?" asked Jeremy.

"Well I mean what's one island compared to another, I been to a lotta places, Johto, Sinnoh, Kalos, Alola, actually this place looks a lot like Alola with all the trees in the tropics."

"Yer 'andling this better than ah did."

"Well I'm a cop," she shrugged, "I'd be bad at my job if I couldn't."

"Ah wuz a soldier," he shrugged harder, "still fucked me up."

"You ever had to fight dragons from the sea, or face down giant snakes made of rock?"

"No but ah faced worse than animals pet. Least an animal's not capable of cruelty."

"You underestimate us then."

She gave a fiendish grin reminiscent of a Cheshire Cat that made Holt tighten his fists. At last they reached the head office where Thomas sat waiting, compiling papers of various reports until the raptor knocked.

"Yes?"

"Hello sir? It is Oddclaw, I have two starbeasts here."

"Wait, what?" The sound of boots came close before he opened the door. When did this ha-holy...fuck is that a dragon?"

"That's whut ahm TELLIN' YA!" screeched Holt waving his hands.

"Angela Middleton," she fwipped her badge, "Ryme City Police, you the chief round here?"

"It's Major-General, Thomas Brightman." He offered his hand that she shook. "Let's head off to the meeting room, we'll talk better there with more space."

"Fine by me, good place to talk about my mission."

"Heh, always the mission right?"

She nodded as they stepped over to the larger room someways down the hall, the charizard keeping careful to navigate his tail round the corners and away from the humans' legs. The rectangular grid-table stood out amongst a circle of seats that they sat themselves down upon, including Red who poked his tail through the back of it as his chair creaked with a sudden groan.

"You'll have to forgive me," said Thomas with hands on his knees, "I only just learnt about all this now, so you mind giving me a summary?"

"No prob," said Angela leaning back in her seat, "firstly, you know what pokemon are?"

"No, but I assume your friend over there is one of them."

"Right," she nodded at Red who nodded back, "he's a charizard, one of over eight-hundred kinds of pokemon that exist back where I'm from."

"And what, exactly are they?"

"Creatures," she turned with a smirk rippling from her lips, "what you were thinking they were robots or something?"

"No but I mean-"

"They beasts of burden?" asked Holt leaning forwards. "Or are they equals lahk me an' Odd?"

"Equals usually," said Angela, "partners in life, partners in battle, partners in society. Our world builds everything around them, the world runs on pokemon and humans are but friends and family. Humans can build but it's the pokemon who move the world and it belongs to them just as much as to humans."

"Just as my tribe live here," said Oddclaw tapping his cheek, "with every other beast who lives in this land, we eat, we breed and what we do keeps the land alive."

"Right! Now most pokemon are pretty reasonable, they wanna help, they keep the world moving, they just wanna have good lives alongside the humans but just like you have humans who wanna do worse for themselves...you got these."

She pulled out six photographs from her pocket and spread them across the table, showing six different beasts. The purple feline Oddclaw had encountered in the hangar; a large sloth with pig-nose and white beard whose photo was crossed out in red ink; a pale beagle with brown tips with a tail resembling a paintbrush; a slimy slug-like dragon with creamy back and fuchsia belly; a primate with snowy chest and amber limbs crowned by a burning length of hair; and lastly a polygonal horse-shape of pink and blue blocks.

"Had fun at thuh zoo did ya?" said Holt thumbing his stache.

"The Sinister Six," said Angela tapping each photo, "a gang of criminal pokemon that are planning a heist of the biggest kind."

"Crimmin-nulls?" muttered Odd. "Crim...crimin-"

"Lahk thieves an' such," said Holt.

"OH! They are all thieves?!"

"These ones are totally," said the cop spreading the photos out, "I went after them with Red when we discovered they broke into a laboratory and stole a lot of very hi-tech stuff, which they sold off on the black market."

"Black market?" Thomas scoffed crossing his arms. "How and why would anyone buy stolen goods from a...chimpanzee and a sloth?"

"Internet, obviously, on the internet nobody knows you're a dugtrio. This guy especially," she tapped the angular horse-shape, "he's the real ringleader of the group, Osborne, digital webmasters, sets up a bunch of domains, steals data all over the world through elaborate phishing networks he developed."

"What exactly IS that thing?"

"A porygon, a digital pokemon made entirely from programming code."

"Are you fuhuckin' serious?!" cackled Holt crossing his arms. "Ah thought they were all just animals!"

"Well not all of them, there are also ghost-type pokemon and those like this porygon that can convert themselves from digital to physical. This one especially, Osborne is a very dangerous type who wasn't satisfied just keeping systems secure or doing battles in the physical world. He got greedy, started realising money makes the world go round and hoarded it into accounts, set up a bunch of them."

"And he's here in our world?" said Thomas clasping hands. "Will he try to hack into our systems?"

"Probably." She pulled out a red marker and crossed out the leopard's photo, "I've been trying to catch this bastard for years and I got already two of them. Boris the Slaking and Purrugia the Liepard. Now I just gotta get Osborne, his personal guard Maria, and his cronies Lester and Louis."

"If they're a threat to us then we'll deal with them proper," the major-general stood up and planted his hands on the table. "We can't afford to have anyone hacking our systems for the work we do."

"The sooner we find them the better. Luckily I have a tracker."

Angela pulled out a small handheld device from her other pocket, a grey brick with a pea-green screen that bleeped in a particular direction.

"This li'l guy pinpoints me right to where they are, so all I need is just me an' Red to fly over and catch 'em."

"In that case we'll help send out a group."

"That depends." She stood up taking the photos back. "Do all your soldiers come equipped with communicators?"

"Of course," said Thomas with hands behind his back, "it's how we operate, keeping in constant contact with each other."

"Then unfortunately you're a liability. Osborne can pass through any digital or wireless network he comes within reach of, if any of your soldiers come close you basically just open the front door for him to steal all your shit."

"Well I'm not having any of my soldiers go out in the field without equipment."

"Which is why it's best that none of you come." The charizard stood up seeing Angela turn to leave. "This is our mission, and I thank you for assisting us in catching one thief, but if you come close to Osborne you'll just make things worse."

"What about me?" asked Oddclaw standing with them. "I do not have any machines, I am not from the base and I know this land better than the humen."

"Oi-oi-oi wait a tick!" Holt stepped between him and Red. "Nobody's decided that, she says they're good to go by themselves."

"Actually..." the policewoman raised a finger with a smirk, "that's not a bad idea, you say you know the land?"

"Yes," said Odd, "I know every beast and every place, if there are thieves hiding than I can find them."

"Ahhh a scout are ya? Especially one without any tech would help me an' Red a lot."

"You sure about this?" Thomas walked round the table to him. "I have no authority over you but are you sure you can-"

"No no no hold on," the sergeant stepped between to face the raptor. "Yer jumpin' rather easy into this Odd, you 'ave a family."

"It had to happen one day," said Oddclaw "my children are old enough and I have to be an ambass-sidor, I said I would be when they were old enough."

"Yeah but Odd, you should think about this a li'l-"

"I will NOT allow thieves to run free in this land. They are scum, the worst kind of beast is one who steals from others."

"I agree," said officer Middleton with a single clap, "I'm not gonna ask, you are technically a civilian but I would appreciate the help a lot, the sooner we get these thieves outta here the better, once I catch 'em I can take 'em back with me."

"You haven't even asked how you plan to get back," said Thomas cocking his head, "you seem awfully confident about your plan."

"I had to deal with a lot in Ryme City." She put her hands on her hips. "Dimensional anomalies aren't exactly new, I heard research about that in Alola, so it's something I know."

"So you understand the nature of this base?"

"Yeah, when we got pulled through we actually just found their meeting place and they were about to split, then your portal opened up and scattered us everyplace, we went for Purrugia first because she's the fastest and also the most annoying to catch."

"Well I'm glad to see you catch on quick." The major-general leaned against the table. "But are you sure you still want to do this Oddclaw?"

"I cannot let thieves run free," said the raptor with a tightening chin, "I have claws, I have fangs but I also have a gun."

"Okay hold up," the policewoman raised her hands, "just putting a disclaimer down, I don't want you to KILL the Sinister Six, just to capture them."

"Alright, I have another gun that will not kill them."

"Wait, seriously, what you got a net-catching gun?"

"It can kill machines, but if I shoot living beasts it does not kill them."

"Basically a laser gun," muttered Holt pursing his lips, "ahm not really a fan of lettin' you go out there without any backup or communication."

"You don't trust me?" she turned to him with a stern look.

"You only just arrived an' yer a little too composed fer someone that got shunted through a wormhole."

"When you live in a world full of flying serpents and psychic cats you tend to get used to weird shit real easy, especially if you're in police. If you can't trust me you can at least trust Red right?"

She looked up towards the winged beast, who in turn stood up to Holt with his head barely above his own giving the soldier a look at the bell jingling upon a collar round his neck, which upon closer inspection showed the signs of age from the skin of his throat hanging more loosely. The charizard looked to Oddie, gave a soft glinting look and with a firm nod turned back to Holt with a deep rumbling of approval.

"Hmmmm...alrigh', ah know we just met uh...s-sir Red but please, can ah ask you to keep Oddie safe? Just because ah worry, an' ah know his family will too."

[i]"Hmm."[/i] Red nodded with a hand over his chest.

"He says he-"

"No no," Holt cut her off, "ah know whut he said. Ah can feel it in me. Thank you sir Red, if ya need anythin' just ask."

[i]"Hmm."[/i] He placed his claws upon Jeremy's shoulder with a firm assurance as Holt visibly sighed.

"Well I'm good too," said Angela shaking Oddie's hand, "you wanna come with then welcome aboard! Just say when you're ready and we leave cuz the sooner we can the better."

"Thank you," I must speak with my family, then I must get my gun."

"Alrighty well, while you do that is there a place we can rest?"

"Sergeant, take them to the rec room." Thomas gestured out the door. "Wish I could help you more but without our tech I'm not chancing our soldiers in the wild."

"Understood major-general," she bowed before turning to Odd, "you just let us know when you're ready, we'll wait here for you."

"Do you know how long it will take to catch them?" the raptor asked fiddling with his claws.

"Uhhhh, well Red here can fly pretty fast to most anywhere you want, I'm not gonna take more than three days that's for sure."

"Three, yes. Alright that is good I will see you soon."

Whilst the newcomers took time to relax, Oddclaw headed back towards the hangar trying to best construct the ideal words to his family. This was a day he wished would never come, but also one he had been preparing for the past five years.

[i]Why do I keep doing this? I have every reason to stop with a family, I could just tell them no and return back home. No. No I cannot go, I have children to look after. But...those starbeasts need help, and if thieves have escaped out into my land I could never forgive myself if other children were taken, or even worse a few eggs...no, just tell Moonclaw this, it will be better if she hears this.[/i]

"Hey there!"

He stopped at the med bay hearing a voice, turning see Amy wave at him as she laid out on a table with Kevin taking a hammer to her dented midriff.

"How'd the meeting go with those two?"

"Good," said the raptor, "I am going to help them catch other thieves."

"Awww shit there's more of them?!"

"Moonclaw's not going to like that," said Kevin between hammering tinks, "she was really enjoying having you around all the time."

"Wait what's the problem here?"

"My mate does not like when I am hunting starbeasts," explained Odd leaning against the door, "she is worried."

"Well I mean I would be too, but it's your job right?"

"It is, there are dangerous beasts and I know how to fight them."

"Well good luck, lemme know how it goes-"

"Agh shit sorry," Kevin suddenly pulled away from her thigh.

"What?" She looked down at him.

"My hand slipped I didn't mean to touch that."

"Uh, you know I don't have reproductive organs right?" The wolf smirked shaking her head. "Besides you're a doctor come on, you can be professional."

"Heh...you're right, sorry." He shook his head dinking his head softly with the hammer. "You know you really oughta be more careful, for someone who's a leader taking on a thief single-handed-"

"Oh it's just a dent don't worry about it," she waved her hand, "I had worse down at the shelter when some addict tries to jump me."

"Yeah but it's not gonna do good for a nurse that can't fix herself."

"Says the doctor who broke his legs."

"Hah...okay, you got me, just trying to have a good bedside manner."

"It's not the bed I'm worried about it's your table manners," she patted the worktop underneath her.

"Hahaha, ohhh you're gonna hate me then cuz I never clean my plate."

"Long as you clean my plates I don't care what you do with yours."

Raising his brow Oddclaw left the two be and found Moonclaw at the library where their children sat round a table, trying to colour in pictures whilst Anna watched over them with gentle guidance.

"Now remember, the more you stay in the lines the better it will look."

[i]"Mmhmm!"[/i]

"Skyfang dear please take your time, it is not a race."

[i]"Nnnn-nnngh!"[/i]

[i]"GUH-k-khhhah!"[/i] Oddtooth sputtered with bright green teeth. [i]"Ah thwallowed a thtick!"[/i]

"Oh it's fine dear they're non-toxic."

[i]"DADDY, LOOK!"[/i] Seaclaw held up his colouring book of a stegosaurus in pink and green. [i]"Look whut I did!"[/i]

[i]"Oh, that is wonderful!"[/i] the father rubbed his son's head. [i]"Very clever, are you having fun?"[/i]

[i]"Yeah, u-uhm, Guardvoice has these sticks an' you can make things out of 'em!"[/i]

[i]"Bleh!"[/i] Skyfang spat hers out from her mouth staring at her book covered in scribbles. [i]"How'd you even do it?!"[/i]

[i]"You jus' hold it like this,"[/i] Seaclaw demonstrated with his opposable thumb.

[i]"I don't have THREE claws I only got two!"[/i] she raised her front claws and wagged them furiously.

[i]"You are going to help them yes?"[/i] Moonclaw asked looking up at her husband. [i]"I knew you would not refuse."[/i]

[i]"I am sorry,"[/i] he sighed tensing his arms, [i]"I know that this is-"[/i]

[i]"No. I understand."[/i] She snarled and looked to her feet. [i]"I hate this, I hate that you do this and I kept hoping this day would not come."[/i]

[i]"Wh-whut'th going on?"[/i] asked Oddtooth turning to his mother.

[i]"I have something to tell you,"[/i] said the father sitting down between them. [i]"I told you before that I am the Voice of the Tribe yes?"[/i]

[i]"Mmhmm."[/i]

[i]"And that before you were born, I fought starbeasts to help the hairless protect our home."[/i]

[i]"Y-yeth?"[/i]

[i]"Well...when you were born, I asked the hairless if they could fight without me, so I could care for you and raise you until you were old enough to protect yourselves. Now you are old enough, and I must help them again."[/i]

[i]"Y-you're leaving?!"[/i] Seaclaw stood up and frantically rushed to grab his father's waist. [i]"B-but, but-"[/i]

[i]"No no, no!"[/i] He stroked his son calmly and hugged him close. [i]"I am not leaving, I am only hunting beasts, starbeasts that are powerful and dangerous."[/i]

[i]"Could uncah Fishclaw not do it?"[/i] mused Skyfang rolling her neck. [i]"He's reaaaally strong an' he can throw stuff up in the sky!"[/i]

[i]"Then who will protect our home?"[/i]

[i]"Thuh hairlethh can fight,"[/i] added Oddtooth.

[i]"Yes,"[/i] said Oddclaw nodding, [i]"they can, but the starbeasts that come this cycle are too dangerous for them."[/i]

[i]"Whyyyy?"[/i]

[i]"Because these beasts can destroy their stone, but they are not as dangerous against flesh and bone."[/i]

[i]"...I don' underthhtand."[/i]

[i]"What is important is that I am a hunter who can hunt these starbeasts."[/i]

[i]"But why you?"[/i] Moonclaw leaned her head forwards against his chest. [i]"Why do you have to go, why not Eggfang or another hunter?"[/i]

[i]"The starbeasts that came and caught the thief need a guide,"[/i] he said shifting himself, [i]"one who knows the land, Eggfang has not travelled as far as you or I have."[/i]

[i]"What is so important of these other starbeasts that-"[/i]

[i]"There are other thieves out there. Dangerous thieves who can steal anything they wish. Anything."[/i]

His face stiffened towards her as she sighed with a grimace much to the confusion of Seaclaw and Skyfang who looked back and forth between them. Oddtooth however looked to his mother with a slow nod as she rubbed her cheek against his.

[i]"I wish I could be angry with you."[/i]

[i]"You can be if you want to,"[/i] he murmured, [i]"but you cannot change my mind."[/i]

[i]"Do you want to keep doing this? Every cycle-and-a-half the starbeasts come, every day the greatmoon comes and brings either new friends or terrible beasts."[/i]

[i]"I do not want to keep doing this Moonie."[/i] He kissed the tip of her snout. [i]"I want nothing more than to spend every day of my life with you and our children, please you know this."[/i]

[i]"I...I know. I do not want to blame you-"[/i]

[i]"I know. But I have to help, I cannot let-"[/i]

[i]"YES, I know I just...I...I watched you almost die."[/i] She stuttered with her breath caught in her throat. [i]"You almost...I just do not want to lose you."[/i]

[i]"Every hunt we risk our lives-"[/i]

[i]"Yes but at least those hunts give us food!"[/i]

[i]"And with these hunts I give protection! Moonclaw please."[/i] He felt his children nuzzle against his thighs as he pulled them close. [i]"I will only be gone for three days, not even that, one of them can fly and they wish to catch these thieves as soon as they can."[/i]

[i]"OOH YAH!"[/i] Seaclaw piped up with a beaming grin. [i]"Flyers are REALLY fast!"[/i]

[i]"Y-yeah,"[/i] Skyfang murmured with a dreamy grin, [i]"they can go eeeeeverywhere, I bet father'll be back before you know it!"[/i]

[i]"I don't want father to leave either."[/i] The older Oddtooth stood beside his mother. [i]"But if father hath to protect the land, then he hath to. I don't like it, but I know you have to."[/i]

[i]"Thank you Oddtooth."[/i] The father smiled and kissed his head. [i]"Three days. Then I return, alright?"[/i]

[i]"Do you promise?"[/i] said Moonclaw staring deep into his gaze.

[i]"I promise."[/i]

[i]"...alright. Even if it is only every one-and-a-half cycles."[/i]

[i]"I will return home with you before I leave, is that alright?"[/i]

[i]"Of course it is. Thank you."[/i]

She licked across his face as he nuzzled her aged complexion, smooching across her silver wrinkles as the children stood up to leave with their parents whilst Anna cleared up all the crayons to put in a box.

"Hmmmm...poor wee things," she muttered, "at least you'll get to see your father for more than a month, you could do far worse."

The raptors arrived home on the Ducky sometime in the late afternoon, skimming over the waters almost playfully to make the children gasp with excitement at the skirting waves and the odd icthyosaur leaping out to try and chase them. Seaclaw waved at every beast from the sea much to the confusion of his parents before they landed on the beach. Oddclaw headed into the forest grove where the old twisted trees stood, clambering up one particularly dull tree in the back to grab his laser rifle. The cool sleek metal with triangular barrel resembled a compact riot shotgun, upon which robotic heads were tattooed, stood out in the natural glade as he holstered its sling round his body.

[i]"This again?"[/i] The voice of Eggfang came from behind him. [i]"And here we all thought you gave this up."[/i]

[i]"I hoped so too,"[/i] said Oddclaw, [i]"but there are thieves that must be caught."[/i]

[i]"Mother will not be happy."[/i]

[i]"She is never happy with how I raise my children."[/i]

[i]"I know."[/i] She stepped up close looking over his gun. [i]"Fishclaw understands."[/i]

[i]"Of course he does, he has Starleaf."[/i]

[i]"Even without him he understands, this land has changed since we returned from the deep island."[/i]

[i]"What happened to that island?"[/i] her brother asked turning to her. [i]"Our tribe came from it but it did not come back with us did it?"[/i]

[i]"No,"[/i] she looked up to the trees, [i]"I barely remember it, but I knew that from the day we were born our lives would be different. No matter how hard mother tries to refuse it, this land is helpless beneath the stars and their coldfire."[/i]

[i]"We seem to know it better than other tribes do. I wonder if that is good or not."[/i]

[i]"It makes us special. You especially."[/i]

[i]"I do not want to be special."[/i] The raptor clicked on his rifle as it hummed deeply. [i]"I am a hunter, nothing more."[/i]

[i]"Why does it bother you so?"[/i] she circled to his front. [i]"Fishclaw is special too and it does not bother him."[/i]

[i]"Fishclaw was never told all his life that he would become a saviour, he was never given such a burden by his mother, his alpha, his alpha's father to become such a great and powerful hunter more than the father who saved his tribe from suffering."[/i]

[i]"None of us think that now so why-"[/i]

[i]"Your brother tried to kill me for it."[/i]

He clicked the rifle off as the humming ceased.

[i]"I am not hunting starbeasts because I want to. I am hunting them because I have to. I would gladly let anyone else do this, Moonclaw even said you should and I wanted to agree because I know you are the cleverest of our family."[/i]

[i]"But I do not have your skill,"[/i] said Eggfang pawing the dirt.

[i]"You can hunt any beast without fail. All I have is fire and the memories of the land, which are needed to hunt these beasts."[/i]

[i]"That is not the only thing you have."[/i]

[i]"No?"[/i]

[i]"You have a great kindness."[/i] She nuzzled his face. [i]"Your son Seaclaw is the same too, I have seen how he makes friends with those outside of our tribe, just as you made friends with the flyers and the waterjaws."[/i]

[i]"I think you are more a friend of the waterjaws than me,"[/i] he chuckled slinging the gun to his back, [i]"you should see Frozentongue again, Fishclaw tells me she has children now."[/i]

[i]"I heard, I am very happy for her! I wish I had the time to travel so far."[/i]

[i]"Why not do so?"[/i]

[i]"Because our sisters need help."[/i] She waved her head in a vague shrug. [i]"I have always been the auntie, the big sister, that is where my duty is."[/i]

[i]"No one said you had to Eggfang."[/i]

[i]"I know. But I have to."[/i]

[i]"Then you understand why I do this."[/i]

[i]"...I do."[/i]

She slipped her head over his shoulder to nuzzle the back of his neck, letting her brother hug her close as her single long tooth nipped his nape.

[i]"Try to keep mother off my back."[/i]

[i]"Hmhmhm, when do I not?"[/i]

Travelling back to the nesting grounds Oddclaw met once again with his family whilst Eggfang headed off Barren with a distracting view of Leafrunner's children scaling the rocky plinths of the former alpha's nest, dangerously defying heights much to the frantic shouting of the twins and their husbands running around in circles thinking of ways to get them down safely. Moonclaw was terse, but relaxed once he hugged her tight pressing her large neck against his chest before pulling back to kiss deeply, their tongues twisting slightly as she opened her jaws to take his snout into hers.

[i]"Please...be careful."[/i]

[i]"I will,"[/i] he whispered, [i]"remember I am not my father."[/i]

[i]"I know. I just hope you know that too."[/i]

[i]"W-will you be back soon daddy?"[/i] whimpered Seaclaw hugging his leg.

[i]"I will,"[/i] he bent down to embrace his son, [i]"three days, I promise."[/i]

[i]"Maybe three-and-a-half,"[/i] spouted Oddtooth with a prim posture, [i]"it'th already half-a-day gone."[/i]

[i]"Alright, three-and-a-half but no more."[/i] He pulled the two ferals close once more. [i]"Take care of your family while father is away, alright?"[/i]

[i]"OKAY!"[/i] squeaked Skyfang. [i]"I'm gonna climb the tallest tree an' tell EVERYONE when ya come back!"[/i]

[i]"I will come back, IF you promise not to climb tall trees."[/i]

[i]"...mmmmmMMMMMYEAH!"[/i] She chirruped nipping his face. [i]"I promise daddy."[/i]

[i]"Good girl. Right, I will see you soon."[/i]

Waving them off he headed back to the shore as Seaclaw waved back and the ferals barked their goodbyes. Oddtooth gave one look to his mother, and she bowed her head in turn.

By the time Oddclaw reached back to the base, the sun was starting to descend as the sky turned a shade of pink. Thomas stood with Angela and Red at the periphery of the base, shaking her hand as the raptor walked up to them.

"Once you capture the thieves you come back here," he explained, "then we can start sending you back to your dimension."

"Got it," she nodded, "I mean I knew all the basics from Alolan Monthly but you explained it all pretty well!"

"I admit it's not my department but Dr. Dixon is currently indisposed with our research, she's our chief in that stance."

"Well I thank you for all your assistance, and I'm sorry we couldn't stay any longer. But you know how it is," she spread her hands stepping back, "we gotta do the mission straight and fast, especially when we got electric rats and trees to chase after, you can't be slow when you're dealing with pokemon."

"I don't understand what any of that means but alright, just be careful officer. You ready to go Odd?"

"Yes," he nodded and bowed to the newcomers, "three days you said?"

"Yep," said Angela crossing arms, "Red's gonna fly us out and we'll use my tracker to hunt those little thieves which won't take long."

"How can you track them, I thought you said machines were dangerous around them."

"Mine doesn't connect to anything, it just picks out pokemon registered to a specific DNA sample that I got off each of them before they escaped."

"That is good." He turned to the major-general and shook his hand. "Goodbye Thomas, I am sorry we could not stay longer."

"It's fine," said Brightman patting his shoulder, "just wish I had the chance to meet your kids proper, we should have them up again."

"Or come visit us, they would love to meet you again."

"I still remember you feeding your son. Never gonna get that image out of my mind."

"Hahahaha. Alright, let us go."

"Take care of yourself, don't do anything I would do!"

"I won't!"

Angela leapt on the back of the charizard, putting her legs behind his wings as the raptor climbed up behind her. Despite being barely shorter than the beast, there seemed to be no trouble for Red to lift himself up with a mighty flap, slapping the sand with his mighty wings and pushing his body into the sky with a great leap that sent dust storms scattering behind in his wake. Thomas watched them with a hand over his eyes as they faded towards the west, the shadow of the beast lengthening its wings across the Brokentooth Sands.

"I have not been on a flyer in years," said the raptor behind Angela.

"Best feeling in the world right?" she turned back to him.

"I forget, h-how cold it is up here."

"You call THIS cold?!"

"I am not a warmblood like you, or your friend."

"You'll be fiiiine. Alright Red, our first target's way out west just keep flying in that direction!"

[i]"Hmmph."[/i]

The dragon-beast nodded as he veered north slightly, whooshing through the clear tropical sky as sunset began to loom behind them. Past the Sunmoon Trees they went where the leaves rustled in passing, the charizard flapped his wings towards the silent mountain. The cracked peak that split in two towered above the sea both north and south in a strait of black tar hardened over the years to become a molten steppe, the smell of sulphur still thick in the air that Red snorted through his nostrils with a sudden burst in his firey tail, the charizard slowly winding his way around the entire mountain to feel the drifting currents turn thick beneath his wings.

"Hohohhh Red likes this place," said Middleton grinning at the peak, "what is that some kinda extinct volcano?"

"The Death Nest," said Oddclaw sighing, "my mate used to live there."

"Really, the grey lady?"

"Yes."

"...I'm sorry about taking you from your family." She reached back to pet his hand. "I promise you'll be back home in time, scout's honour."

"I know. So what did these thieves take again?"

"Special equipment from the ExDee labs, it's highly confidential so I don't know what it really does, but it sounds dangerous so it's not good either way!"

"How dangerous?" the raptor leaned when Red banked to the left.

"Enough a government official came to me for the job," she leaned harder with him, "Ryme City's police is one of the best, next to Olivine's at least."

"You come from a world where humen and creatures hunt together?"

"Basically! We're partners in business, partners in battle, and in some cases," she patted Red's neck, "partners in crime!"

"How does such a world happen?" the raptor asked looking back at Red's burning tail.

"Pokemon always ruled the world, humans just live in it! The humans needed help, so the pokemon helped them. In turn the humans made houses, safer places, grew food and shared with the pokemon! You ever hear the story of Solgaleo with the thorn in his paw?!"

"No?"

"Well, it's like that, compassion and cooperation, that's the way of the pokemon, it's always been that way!"

"Your world sounds very nice!" he started to shout above the seething wind.

"I wouldn't want it any other way!" she cried back as Red started to dip. "Your world seems pretty nice too!"

"I like to think so!"

The charizard broke free from the mountain and flew straight further west, the black molten rock soon fading to become a desert that stretched long across the wastes. Grand dunes dipped and bent like the dying serpent in the sun, a golden abyss where giant scorpions roamed fearlessly in the harsh clime where the sea started to disappear from view. Angela kept her tracker noted, seeing it was still pointing west as she motioned Red to keep going, flying beyond the Barren Plains that went from sun-kissed to bloody-amber in the setting sun's gleam. Night was falling with each hour that the charizard kept abreeze as he swung his body down in fall to pick up speed briefly, forcing his passengers to grip tightly onto his back before swooping back up above the sands with an almost playful grace in kicking the tops of dunes, slashing with his claws in passing

"Hope this guy's not in the desert," said Middleton keeping watch on the tracker, "I hate getting sand in my shoes."

"These are the Barren Plains," said Oddclaw staring below, "my mother came from here."

"Sound like a multicultural family you got there!"

"Haha, yes we are an odd family. Maybe that is why I am so odd too."

"Wish I had the chance to meet them better. Hey," she turned her head back to him with a smile, "after we catch the thieves, what say you introduce me and Red proper to your family?"

"Alright! But tell him to be careful with his tail, there are a lot of trees near my home."

"Hear that Red, no dancing!"

[i]"Hmmmph."[/i]

The beast flapped his wings with a snort before they cleared the desert and scoured over rocks to reach the Birthlands themselves. Long green fields stretched towards the horizon even for the flying beast as dinosaurs all over started to settle in their nests. The lustrous savannah with its dotted trees and watering holes was a prehistoric vista of peace. Large-billed hadrosaurids nested beside the parasaurolophus whose long heads stuck out above the clustering of herbivores that spread across the veldt, with nests dotted throughout the sweeping hills and rolling plains in every direction.

"WAIT, there!" Oddclaw pointed towards two large bipedal beasts. "Down there, those are my friends they might have seen them!"

"Wait those two things?!"

"Yes, can you go down!?"

"Ask the pilot, not me!"

Red understood with a nod and swept himself down towards a hill, slowing his descent enough to allow the two passengers off in a running start before he steadied himself to a full stop. The two saurians had watched with awe at the winged dragon and came rushing after it, following up as they saw Oddie with increasing whoops of excitement from a dome-headed stygimoloch and a long-clawed therizinosaurus.

[i]"HEHEYYYY ODDIE!"[/i] Firetail jumped excitably with a gentle headbutt to his noggin. [i]"Wow it's been like cycles how ya doing?!?"[/i]

[i]"I am well thank you!"[/i] The raptor hugged him round his large waist. [i]"I am sorry I have not come to see you."[/i]

[i]"Ahhh it's fine Warmvoice told me you had a family an' such, can't blame you for that."[/i]

[i]"Yeah he's only been counting the days since he last smelled you,"[/i] Plainslash teased with a poke to his ribs.

[i]"SHU-NOOO!?"[/i] the stygimoloch shoved him. [i]"Whuddaya think I am?!"[/i]

[i]"Hhhahahahaha. Sooo what you doing round here Odd, got more starbeasts with ya?"[/i]

[i]"Well, yes,"[/i] the raptor gestured to the newcomers, [i]"they are hunting for thieves that escaped from their home, have you seen any-"[/i]

[i]"THIEVES?!"[/i] Both herbivores cried stiffening their backs.

[i]"Oh SHIT no!"[/i] barked Firetail with a stomp of his feet. [i]"You tellin' us more thieves are out there?!"[/i]

[i]"Yes, have you seen any starbeasts or anything that looks odd?"[/i]

[i]"Hmmmm...yanno, I think I remember Deepbeak saying something."[/i]

[i]"You called her crazy,"[/i] said Plainslash sweeping his claws.

[i]"Well it SOUNDED crazy, a warmblood that was on FIRE?!"[/i]

[i]"Well we got this one here."[/i] He gestured towards Red who kept his tail simmering above the grass.

[i]"...uh...y-you alright big guy?"[/i]

[i]"Hmm?"[/i] The charizard suddenly looked to them. [i]"Uhhhh, yeah?"[/i]

[i]"OH, so you can speak!"[/i] Oddclaw turned to him.

[i]"Heheheh yeah,"[/i] he rubbed his neck, [i]"sorry I might as well do this now, I'm Red it's great to meetcha."[/i]

[i]"I am Oddclaw,"[/i] he shook his three-clawed hand as the charizard squeezed firmly. [i]"It is good to meet you."[/i]

[i]"Yeah it...it's uh really good to meet you too, Oddclaw."[/i]

[i]"Is something wrong?"[/i]

[i]"No no it's just uh, well..."[/i] he rubbed his neck looking back east, [i]"I'm not...real good with humans that's why I kinda didn't really say anything back at that place."[/i]

[i]"Really?"[/i] the raptor looked between him and Angela. [i]"Why?"[/i]

[i]"I-i just don't, really...I don't get along with humans that's just how it is."[/i]

[i]"But, you are with her."[/i]

[i]"Yyyyyyeah well she's the exception,"[/i] he threw his hands in a shrug, [i]"yanno how it is right?"[/i]

[i]"UH you know your tail's burning right?!"[/i] cried Firetail getting antsy.

[i]"Oh yeah it does that, don't worry about it."[/i]

[i]"Doesn't that hurt?! Cuz well, my tail didn't do so great when it got dipped in that."[/i]

[i]"Well I kinda need this fire or else I die soooo don't touch it."[/i]

[i]"Seriously?"[/i] The domehead looked behind at his own burnt stump. [i]"Yeah you're definitely a starbeast."[/i]

[i]"You oughta live out in the Firesea,"[/i] said Plainslash scratching his belly, [i]"never run outta fire there since everything started, I'm Plainslash by the way."[/i]

[i]"And I'm Firetail, cuz yeah!"[/i]

"Uhhh I hate to interrupt," Angela patted Odd's shoulder, "but do your friends know anything about the Sinister Six?"

[i]"You mean four right?"[/i] said Red leaning over. [i]"We already got two."[/i]

"Yeah I know that but they're still a group."

[i]"We keep calling 'em six you're gonna confuse everyone when there's four left."[/i]

"Alright FINE the Fearsome Four, you happy?!" She turned to him with hands on hips. "Anyways, your friends, can they help us Oddclaw?"

[i]"Can you...understand us?"[/i] purred the raptor.

"What you mean I-u-uhhh...I mean, what?"

[i]"She doesn't understand you,"[/i] said the charizard tapping her head, [i]"she only understand pokemon."[/i]

[i]"But you understand us?"[/i] the therizino asked sneering.

[i]"Well yeah, we're all beasts aren't we?"[/i]

[i]"So how do you two understand each other-"[/i]

[i]"She knows what I mean, it's like a bond, come on why you getting all hung up on dumb details?"[/i]

"To answer your question," Oddie butted in with hands raised, "my friends may know something and they are going to ask others if they have seen the thieves."

"Awesome, thanks," she gave a thumbs up dilligent as she sat herself down on the hillock, "might as well take some time to chill outuntil you get back."

"Alright then." The raptor turned back to the two herbivores. [i]"Can you go ask the others if they have seen any starbeasts?"[/i]

[i]"No problem!"[/i] Firetail grinned from his beak. [i]"Just like, the day before or-"[/i]

[i]"Yes, we will wait here."[/i]

[i]"Good, come on Slash, before everyone falls asleep!"[/i]

[i]"Be lucky if any of us fall asleep,"[/i] snorted Slash walking off with him, [i]"what with you stomping around like a long-neck hatchling."[/i]

[i]"Oh like you're any better?!"[/i]

[i]"I'm all about caution, I'm a better hunter than you."[/i]

[i]"Yeah I'm sure those leaves never saw you coming."[/i]

[i]"How about you eat my shit?"[/i]

[i]"What and let you starve?!"[/i]

The two nudged each other before starting to wrestle with increasing ferocity, scarring and headbutting with biting nips and raking scratches before they started falling down the hill in a tight rolling hug, crying out much to the annoyance of local families as the sun's rays finally started to eke out of existence. Night fell quickly in the space of minutes as they looked up towards the stars briefly in silence, admiring the great wonders of the celestial sea along with their tremendous pale queen in the form of the great moon looming over Earth.

"Damn that's a big moon," said Angela staring towards it, "I don't think I've ever seen one that big."

"It happens every time those like you come," said the raptor sitting beside her, "Moonclaw and Thomas know more about it than I do."

"Yeah, they into astronomy?"

"Yes, that."

"Your friends gonna be okay?" the policewoman rubbed her head. "I mean, those two we met seemed a little uhhh kooky."

"They will be fine," said Oddclaw stretching his legs, "they might seem silly but they are good scouts and they protect this place."

[i]"This place got a name?"[/i] asked Red laying down on his side.

[i]"We call it the Birthlands,"[/i] replied Odd in the feral tongue, [i]"many leafeaters live here, with not many hunters around."[/i]

[i]"Reminds me of the Safari Zone...nice place, peaceful as anything but so boring."[/i]

[i]"How long have you two been together?"[/i]

[i]"Well maybe you oughta talk human so she can understand us, not fair having a two-way conversation."[/i]

"Oh, so if I speak it you understan-"

[i]"Yeah it's fine,"[/i] Red shrugged scratching his orange belly.

"Alright," Oddclaw turned back to the human, "sorry Angela, Red just told me-"

"I heard him," she winked, "well, I understood him but yanno what I mean, as for your us being partners, we've been together for like twenty-six years I think?"

[i]"Yeah,"[/i] the charizard yawned with a rippling of his neck, [i]"twenty-six loooong years of fightin' crime."[/i]

"There's dever a null moment that's for sure."

[i]"Did you just say 'dever a null'?"[/i]

"Did I?" she frowned leaning back. "I don't think I did."

"You did," said Oddclaw snickering.

"Heh, well uh bleh, yeah, we been partners for long enough."

"What do you two do exactly, you guard places?"

"Chase down thieves," she counted off her fingers, "solve crimes, collect evidence, eat junk food-"

[i]"Aw don't tell him that,"[/i] whined Red with his hand over his eyes, [i]"I haven't eaten a doughnut in like four weeks."[/i]

"Yeah cuz you were getting fat and having problems lifting UP into the sky!"

[i]"I'm OLD get off my back I need the sugar!"[/i]

"I'll only get off your back when you fly me to a destination and nowhere else."

[i]"I'm not your damn cab service you witch!"[/i]

"Hmhmhahaha," she smirked fiendishly leaning over behind Oddie to scritch at Red's head, "you'll thank me when you're older."

[i]"I AM older,"[/i] he snorted smoke from his snout.

"Not as old as me," Angela slipped her hands back into her hoodie.

"How old are you?" asked the raptor leaning close to her face.

"Didn't your mom ever tell you not to ask a lady her age?"

"...why does every human tell me that?"

"HaHAH! Ohohohhh you are cute." She pinched his cheek softly. "If we can catch two thieves before the end of tonight that'd be perfect."

"Tell me more about these thieves," Oddclaw stretched back to rest on his palms, "how dangerous are they?"

"Plenty," she pulled out her photos and showed the beagle painter, "first we got Louis, a Smeargle who makes forgeries because he thinks anything you can do, he can do better after spending years frustrated as a police sketch artist before he took another line of work."

"What is, for-jurry?"

[i]"It's like making fakes,"[/i] said Red keeping his head propped on his fist, [i]"making copies of stuff you're not allowed to so you can scam people."[/i]

"Ahh...a-alright."

"Number two," the officer flipped to the next photo of a slimy dragon, "Lester the Goodra, formerly 'Lester the Jester', an internet sensation who got his own show and wooed his way through the media industry with incredible charisma. He made a lot of backroom deals once he became too big a star for anyone to refuse things from."

"What is so bad about him?"

"Ask the girls he was caught with." She tightened her lip and moved on to the sloth she had crossed out. "Number three, Boris the Slaking, we caught him already, he's supposed to be the leader but he's a front, just a lazy bum that's only good for blocking people."

[i]"Basically a decoy,"[/i] Red yawned again as the bell jingled on his neck, [i]"be the big guy and make everyone think you're the one running things."[/i]

"When in fact it's THIS pokemon," the policewoman showed the strange horse-shaped beast, "Osborne the porygon, number four, a master hacker who sells all of their stolen goods."

[i]"He's the boss and the one to really watch out for, guy's a real bastard that'll take anything he can touch."[/i]

"He started out in Galar to help handle the stocks, transferred from Kanto labs to handle finance stuff, but then he started finding loopholes that other humans were exploiting themselves and thought 'hey, if they can do it and not get caught why can't I?' and turned his server into a personal tax haven."

"Tax...haven?" Oddclaw scratched his shoulder. "What is that?"

"Letting money shift through someplace without it being properly recorded or taxed appropriately."

[i]"It's like uhhh,"[/i] Red drummed his fingers on the grass, [i]"if you had someone with a lotta food live in your home, and according to your leader, some of that food had to be shared."[/i]

"Well yes of course," muttered Odd, "that is what we do in our trbe."

[i]"Now imagine if that someone didn't have to share any of their food, because they made a deal with your leader."[/i]

"Wh-what?! But that is not fair!"

"It's not," said Angela shaking her head, "and that's exactly what Osborne and his own bosses did, but when the police finally came, and the humans got arrested cuz even though they did steal SOME of the money, nobody believed them when they told it was the porygon that stole even MORE than they did. Since then he was released and now he's been hopping from base to base, stealing people's bank numbers and holding hospital records hostage."

"I..." Oddclaw blinked cocking his head, "how do you steal numbers?"

"By being this guy," she tapped the photo, "and he needs to be stopped, I dunno what he's gonna use the secret government stuff for, that shit is too hot to sell on the market and even he knows that. So whatever he plans to do with it, it's not gonna be good for anyone."

[i]"We know he's up to something,"[/i] said Red almost slurring half-asleep, [i]"just gotta figure out what, the tech he got is something to do with dimensions so it has to be connected to that."[/i]

"Dimensions," muttered Odd rubbing his chin, "just like the humen are doing here."

"Right," Angela pulled out the next photograph of the Liepard, "you already know Purrugia so no need to go on about her but then we hit number six. Maria the Infernape."

The last photograph showed a burning primate who shrieked with her fist halfway inside a small yellow rodent's stomach.

"Th-that...that beast is on FIRE!"

"And it doesn't hurt her one bit." The officer put back her pictures and leaned back. "Maria is a psychopath, she started like any other starter would in the Sinnoh region as a little chimchar running around hoping to be the best. But then she lost the first two gym fights, badly, and never really recovered from it. The rest of her team got stronger than her but she was left behind, always weaker, never quite catching up. Eventually she snapped, and beat her own trainer halfway to the hospital."

[i]"Some trainers have problems getting respect,"[/i] snorted Red, [i]"either they don't treat us right or they lack the experience like Maria's trainer did."[/i]

"They tried to contain her but she stopped caring about who she hurt. She broke free from the authorities, punching everything she saw even to the point of killing. She never wanted to lose a fight again and the only one who knows how to control her, or tire her out, is Osborne. So you got a master thief and his bodyguard who will never stop beating the shit out of you. Ever."

"I see," Oddclaw pressed his hands to his snout with a deep sigh, "I hope my gun will do enough for them. Oh, they have returned."

He nodded towards two shapes hoofing it from the darkening fields as Firetail stumbled up first.

[i]"Hooo, sorry, the mothers can really talk your ears off but yeah, Deepbeak gave us the whole story, said there was a warmblood on fire running around screaming its head off, shouted at this slimy thing and another warmblood that headed off north."[/i]

[i]"Sounds like our suspects,"[/i] the charizard cricked his neck, [i]"they said Maria ran off shouting at Lester an' Louis, the two headed north, what you say Ange we head off an' take them now, or wait 'til morning?"[/i]

"You still up for it?" she looked over to him.

[i]"I'm not that old yet, I still got life in me."[/i]

"I am good too."

[i]"Hey what about us?!"[/i] Plainslash swung his hand almost hitting his friend. [i]"You don't expect us to sit around doing nothing."[/i]

"They are asking what do they do whilst we hunt the other thieves north."

"Hmmmm..." Angela rubbed her chin looking over the land, "Red ask 'em about Maria then tell them to keep tracks on her."

[i]"Did anyone see where the burning monkey went?"[/i] paraphrased Red with shrug.

[i]"Uhhh,"[/i] Plainslash scratched his head delicately, [i]"not sure."[/i]

[i]"Alright, could you go hunt for that one whilst we take the thieves out north? That way we cover more ground."[/i]

[i]"Sure, no problem,"[/i] Firetail nodded, [i]"I think I got a good idea where it might've gone, you wanna meet back up here tomorrow?"[/i]

[i]"Sounds good, thanks. Alright we moving out Ange?"[/i]

"Lead the way big Red." She stood up patting his neck. "Come on Odd we got thieves to catch."

[i]"Thank you for helping us,"[/i] the raptor bowed to the two saurians.

[i]"No prob,"[/i] snorted the stygimoloch with the friendliest headbutt, [i]"see ya tomorrow then."[/i]

[i]"We'll be here in the morning,"[/i] the therizino raked his claws softly against each other, [i]"you better watch out for them though, they smelled weird least that's what I heard."[/i]

Jumping onto Red's back with Angela in turn, Oddclaw waved to his friends as they barked their goodbye and raced off towards the west whilst the charizard flew a straight north. The distance he covered was far swifter than any landwalker could reach, tearing through the Birthlands' sky as the stars whizzed past their heads. Oddclaw gazed upon the myriad lights blurring into a stream of consciousness, fascinated and slightly terrified of the speed that Red took. Sometimes he dipped to go faster when there was an open plain, swooping upwards fast to a screeching pull that burned at the raptor's ears as the Birthlands started to thin out as they came to the northern sea. The only part Oddclaw had never been to, but one that took two hours alone to reach as they spotted two unusual bodies staring out towards the sea. One of them was brushing his tail across a stone, the other stood on the precipice with a shining slippery fuchsia body.

[i]"I can't go to a fish market,"[/i] said the one standing.

[i]"What?"[/i] the artist muttered.

[i]"All those gaping lips staring out at me, just does something to me. Goldeens especially, little pearly gams I can just squeeze the way they pucker up-"[/i]

[i]"Lester be quiet."[/i]

[i]"Just like Lily was. Oh, she had the most lovely little face and the legs she had went for the summer-"[/i]

[i]"Lester be QUIET!"[/i] The Smeargle thrashed his brush-tail towards him like a pistol. [i]"I am TRYING to capture the gradient."[/i]

[i]"Ugh,"[/i] the Goodra turned with a slickening gurgle of his tail, [i]"you never want to talk about anything than your work, there are so many other things out there you can enjoy."[/i]

[i]"Because my work is more important, if you commissioned me you would know."[/i]

[i]"I would if you weren't so expensive Louis."[/i]

[i]"BAH, if you cannot afford me, you don't deserve me!"[/i] Louis swept his brush like a thespian. [i]"Those like you only care about yourselves, with your exposure and your obsession over the physical world whereas I am trying to CREATE a new world, one that Arceus himself would WEEP in gratitude!"[/i]

[i]"I much rather enjoy the one I'm living in,"[/i] the slug-dragon raised his head to the sky, [i]"yanno Lily must have graduated by now I think about it. Hope she still has the braces, make me feel all tingly when I touch them."[/i]

[i]"[b]I can confirm she does.[/b]"[/i]

[i]"WH-what?!"[/i] The goodra staggered before touching his earhole with a deep sigh. [i]"J-jeez Osborne give me a warning next time."[/i]

[i]"[b]Apologies,[/b]"[/i] said the voice from the earpiece. [i]"[b]How are things on the northern coast?[/b]"[/i]

[i]"All clear here, no sign of Purrugia. You sure she landed here?"[/i]

[i]"[b]The last blip I saw of her was in that region. She may have relocated but it's strange she didn't inform us.[/b]"[/i]

[i]"Probably trying to get away from Lester,"[/i] mumbled Louis between strokes.

[i]"Oh come on she's just playing hard to get!"[/i] Lester smirked shrugging with webs of goo between his arms. [i]"She knows the good stuff when she sees it, she has an eye for it, she's just waiting to capture the greatest prize."[/i]

[i]"If she wanted that she would steal my art! But NO, she would rather take a Sugimori over MY illustrious work, why did you even hire her?!"[/i]

[i]"[b]She is good at what she does,[/b]"[/i] said Osborne through the earpiece.

[i]"What good is a thief who cannot appraise value!? That's like a publisher who can't READ!"[/i]

[i]"Whatever the case she is our ally and vital to the operation."[/i]

[i]"There's nothing here to bother ourselves with, why can't we just regroup and get this project over with?!"[/i]

[i]"Well now hold on there,"[/i] Lester slipped his hands over the rock above Louis' portrait of the sea. [i]"We might have some potential lucrative deals going on here, did you not see those little reptiles running around over there?"[/i]

[i]"No."[/i] The smeargle pushed him away to the other side of the rock.

[i]"I had a little uh, field study whilst you were busy and couldn't help but notice some of those...well, they look like golducks but the smaller ones well, I'm just saying if we brought a few of them back as rare species imagine how much certain customers would pay for-"[/i]

[i]"[b]Say no more,[/b]"[/i] said Osborne with a smile in his voice, [i]"[b]When we are done here with Project Glutton, we shall see about surveying the local fauna and take a few of them back. You can of course keep one of them to yourself.[/b]"[/i]

[i]"Lovely."[/i] Lester wiggled with a slosh in his hips. [i]"They're just my size too, the bigger ones are too old and well, too big!"[/i]

"DON'T MOVE!"

The crushing stomp of earth shook their bodies as Louis sputtered with a cry of panic, pulling his brush away in time to prevent it smearing the canvas. Oddie, Red and Angela stood before them as the smeargle snarled shaking his fist.

[i]"YOU, ALMOST RUINED MY PORTRAIT YOU FAT SHIT!"[/i]

"Stand down," Angela swept out her badge, "officer Middleton, you're under arrest for grand larceny!"

[i]"WHAT?!"[/i]

[i]"[b]What's happened?![/b]"[/i] cried Osborne.

[i]"There's a filthy swinub here interfering with my work!"[/i]

[i]"He means a cop,"[/i] said Lester tittering, [i]"allow me to handle this."[/i]

The goodra slushed his way over towards them with a smile and a wave whilst leaving a trail of slime behind him on the grass.

[i]"Hellooooo sorry sorry, I don't want to bother you, we're just doing a little excursion."[/i]

[i]"We're not interested Lester,"[/i] snorted Red crossing his arms.

[i]"Lester? Ugh no no no I'm not Lester, my name's Trent, I get that a lot trust me."[/i]

"You sure do, cuz I know what kinda filth you are and I'm taking you in."

[i]"Alright alriiiight calm down, let's not get all weird about it. Yes, I am he and I know but I am just on a referral, Louis is my monitor trust me, just a little vocational exercise to help the good scientists of Alolan research."[/i]

"You're all going to Box Fifteen," said Angela walking forwards, "tell your boss Osborne that we're coming for him, after we caught you."

[i]"Look let's be reasonable,"[/i] Lester sighed squishing his paws against his sides, [i]"you're a pretty thing and I know it's going to be the highlight of your career just coming close to me, that's understandable, I'm famous! But if you just let ME go, I'll help you out with the rest of these thugs and I'll even make it worth your while."[/i]

"Yeah? With what?"

He walked forwards with a grin as she swept her hand towards Red to stop him moving in. Lester loomed over her at a height of 6'7'' his succulent lips glistening with a gentle nip of his teeth.

[i]"You know normally I don't go for a christmas cake like yourself but considering how dogged you are in chasing me, I can't help but feel honoured. You must have PLENTY of stamina."[/i]

"You think so huh?" she smirked back at him.

[i]"Oh yes. You obviously care very much about doing your job right like any good professional should. What say we discuss this privately, and just for being so kind to listen, I'll throw in the good stuff. Some special makeup I kept back from my old days and with a few clear-ups here and there, I could mistake you for your own daughter-DHHHFF!"[/i]

The slugdragon staggered falling onto his knee from the sudden gutpunch Middleton suckered him with. His face darkened as he tightened up his fists to suddenly lunge upon Angela and throw her underneath.

[i]"YOU, little BITCH-GAAARGH!"[/i]

Suddenly he went rolling hard from a single laser shot that punched him through the side as Louis looked shocked between them. Oddclaw kept aim with his rifle as it slowly recharged through its vented barrel.

"Last warning. Come quietly, or else."

[i]"Stay out of this you freak! T-typical,"[/i] he stumbled back up with a deep breath, [i]"all you females are so typical. Always you have to play hard to get, well if you want to ever catch me, you're going to have to WORK FOR IT!"[/i]

He swung his tail out towards them, the rubbery appendage suddenly stretching out like a wet towel across several feet as Angela dodged out of its range before Red leapt forwards with a flapping rush and a burning fist rearing up behind him. Lester quickly rolled like a slippery ball before swinging his tail out in a low sweep to knock the charizard down, following with a heavy clubbing strike of his tail that slapped hard like a tidal wave against the cliffs. Oddclaw took aim for another shot before he was whalloped hard from behind by an equally-slimy length, splashing across his back as he shuddered falling to turn and see his attacker. Louis had sketched out a goodra on another rock, which in turn had its tail come alive in a near-perfect replica of Lester's body like a 4D cinema screen.

[i]"If you insist on interrupting my work I'll make you APPRECIATE IT FIRST!"[/i]

"Then appreciate my GUN!"

The raptor fired a beaming shot of three that Louis almost dodged, scarring past his leg as he shrieked falling to clutch his knee and hide within the long grass briefly to recover. Angela stepped towards him bading Oddclaw to keep back as she made a sudden charge to try and pile on top of him, but the smeargle kicked back with his good foot to knock her away and swipe out with his fake-aquatic tail that smacked her fully across the jaw and send her spinning to the dirt. Commanding with his brush-tail like a conductor's baton, Louis motioned the goodra-mimic of the rock to sweep its tail in an approximate strike, the policewoman rolling fast to avoid the crunching slams before she shifted through the grass like a tiger, creeping low and managing to not disturb the long reeds before thrust-punching hard into the smeargle's stomach, hard enough to send him back against the rock to smear his goodra painting and render it useless.

[i]"WHA, N-NOOO! HOW DARE YOU DESTROY MY WORK, YOU FILTHY SWINUB!?"[/i]

"After I'm done with you your face'll be a work of art," the cop smacked her fist into her palm with a grin.

[i]"DON'T INSULT MEEEE!"[/i]

Rabidly scurrying to another rock he quickly sketched out something upon its surface, dodging Oddclaw's laserblasts as he turned fast in a duck-and-swipe motion when Angela stomped her way towards him. On the other side of the field, Red was dodging the vicious swipe of Lester's tail that swathed left and right across the grass, smothering it in his slime until it practically became a bog that trapped the charizard in an uncomfortable moistness, struggling to keep his fire tail above the dampness as he guarded himself with fists up. The slugdragon smiled and stormed through the wet fields with a sudden feint to the right, punching the dragon hard in the kidney to make him stutter and wheeze.

[i]"HHNNNGH!"[/i]

[i]"You...shoulda stayed home, fatboy-GUHHH!"[/i] A ruthless fire punch sent him flying with a scarred cheek.

[i]"You should've logged off, slimehole."[/i]

Clutching his face with a shudder of rage the goodra stepped up to show the black burn welting on the side of his face, thickening his breath with dark glowerings of deep purple that smogged from his teeth before taking a deep breath, vomiting out a vicious burning gust of dragon's breath that singed across Red's body like cold tiny daggers slicing through his skin. He flapped his wings hard to try and push the fog away, but it was too dense and forced him back as the deep-freezing smoke threatened to choke his lungs and suffocate his fiery skin. Struggling to step back in the wading slime of the grass fields, the charizard raised his fist up high with a wicked smoulder and slammed hard with a blasting zone that blackened the earth around him in a circle. The backdraft of his flames in turn managed to repel some of the slugdragon's breath, but he took a second deep breath for another helping until Red suddenly wrapped himself in flames with a subdermal rumbling through his body. Surging with heat until he became a crimson beast, the charizard spread his wings full like a demon before he burst forwards in a flare blitz, spinning his entire body to crush Lester underneath. Scorching black spread across his pot-belly as the slime became a hardened crust much to the wounding fright of the goodra who was bowled over backwards from the great living fireball that Red enveloped himself in. The dragon backflipped off him with a shuddering grunt, stumbling slightly as a spasm went through his skull from the recoil.

[i]"Unnngh! Guh, you, give up yet?!"[/i]

[i]"D-dammit, DAMMIT!"[/i] Lester pushed himself up with a rush in his glimmering eyes. [i]"YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?!"[/i]

[i]"No. I know I am, now shut up and lie down or I'll make you."[/i]

[i]"UGH, seriously?!"[/i] The goodra cringed pulling back his fists. [i]"You're one of THOSE and you think I even WANT you?!"[/i]

[i]"Oh, NOW you care about what others think."[/i] Red rolled his eyes and rotated his shoulders. [i]"Don't flatter yourself, only guy I want is big, blue and better than you'll ever be."[/i]

[i]"OH, what a coincidence, because guess what's coming!"[/i]

Spreading his arms wide the goodra opened his mouth and suddenly vomited a tremendous force of sickening sludgy water that formed a small tsunami of brownish-blue, a muddy waterwave that pulsed towards Red reaching a height of 8 feet that he hurriedly turned and flew away from over the field, a rising force that spittled with thickening roots and branches that twisted up in being pulled from the dirt until a wettening crunching force majeure burned in Red's ears. Heading straight towards the other side of the field, he found quickly dodging around the smeargle who tried his best to slap her away with his paintbrushing tail. Then the forger saw the rushing flood and an idea grew in his mind, slapping his brush against the earth and running frantically in a large rectangle pattern to sketch out a crude wave pattern with circular tips in a faux-Japanese aesthetic. The result formed a sudden lahar that mimicked Lester's own mud-flowing tide, a tremendous meeting of waves that threatened to consume Red whole as Angela cried out in warning. Then came a bursting triple laser that burned sharply through the wall in front of Red, vaporising the water to make a hole for the charizard to fly through just before it closed in on him.

[i]"THANKS!"[/i] shouted Red.

"NO PROBLEM!" cried Odd. "Just be carefu-WHAAH!"

[i]"BACK OFF!"[/i] Lester swung his tail hard to elasticate with whipping force at the raptor's head. [i]"Why don't you fight me PROPER instead of shooting off at the back like a chump?!"[/i]

"Hmph, alright!" He holstered his rifle against his back and cracked his knuckles. "Be happy Angela told me not to kill you."

[i]"How cute, I didn't get the MEMO!"[/i]

Lester lunged with a thrusting jump as he slammed forwards with his belly, trying to crush the raptor underneath as Odd rolled fast and roundhouse-kicked the goodra's face when he pushed himself up with a jiggling slosh in his gourd-shaped body. Louis however had to resort to new means after Red scarred the earth in mid-rush and scratched up his newest painting, much to his blithering fury as he slashed the air with his brush-tail towards both Angela and Red.

[i]"WORTHLESS, PHILISTINES!"[/i]

"You'll have plenty time to practice art in jail," the police officer shrugged, "nobody'll bother you in there."

[i]"I did not spend years inside police stations, doodling pictures of brain-dead morons from a bunch of mouthbreathing alcoholics just so YOU could put me on the other side of the bars!"[/i]

[i]"Too bad!"[/i] Red reared back his fist. [i]"Now get in the ball or else-"[/i]

[i]"PISS OFF INGRATE!"[/i]

The charizard swung his fist leaving a trail of fire swooping behind it as Louis dodged back, scrabbling an image in the dirt as Angela tried to jump on him before the sketch suddenly punched her hard in the throat with a two-dimension fist of seething flame that sent her rolling back. The faking punch came flying for the charizard next who dodged left and right, watching the movements of Louis commanding his sketchwork to attack before he swung back with his own fire punch once again to crush against the mimic fist and burn it straight back into the dirt from whence it came. Louis roared with furious stomps and in a fit tried to slap the charizard with his brush with all the strength of a child much to Red's amusement as Angela stiffly walked back up to them. He flicked the smeargle's forehead with his finger hard enough to bowl him back as Louis caught the brief sight of Oddclaw shooting his rifle at his partner in crime, the goodra dodging with a fast sweep of his tail to try and trip up the raptor who leapt over in a jumping shot.

[i]"Looks like you're out of ink,"[/i] Red smirked crossing his arms, [i]"what you gonna do now, draw up a lawyer to defend you?"[/i]

[i]"Now,"[/i] muttered Louis staring behind them, [i]"you'll have to help your friend from getting his head crushed like a melon."[/i]

[i]"Wait what?!"[/i]

Both Angela and Red turned as Louis quickly began to scribble out a long rectangular shape upon a flat stone with a hard-cast eye towards the action. The police officer realised too late when she turned and gasped to suddenly shove the charizard away.

"GET DOWN!"

[b][i]BZZZHHHH![/i][/b]

Standing proudly with a wicked grin as he gripped the stone in both hands, Louis now possessed a colourless copy of Oddclaw's "Starfire" rifle which had been given some fuller form to become 2.5D for the way it popped halfway out of the rock. Enough for the beagle to grip at its fake handle and feel it charge up in his hands for another shot towards the winged lizard.

[i]"HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOWWWW!?"[/i]

Burning a furious laser across the field Louis took aim towards Red who struggled to dodge between faster but weaker shots compared to the original, fizzing shocks of piercing purple plume that popped and sparked across his chest and wings with an acidic burst that stung him fiercely. Angela tried to skirt round from his field of view but Louis turned and stepped back with another warning shot that she stopped just short of crossing her eyes, strafing between shots before she came close enough he went swinging with the stone-drawn gun like a club to her knees. He whiffed past her legs before she sucker-punched him hard in the gut, wheezing with a breathless scream before he crumpled. Suddenly she grabbed him, forcing him to stare into her eyes as he froze with an unconscious fear that burned deep into his soul. The smeargle flinched, his face contorting with a scream as he cowered into a foetal position as Angela pulled out a poke ball and simply dropped it on his head, his entire body consumed in the ruby light that bled free from the orb as it opened.

Oddclaw found himself heading toe-to-toe with the sluggish dragon, Lester spinkicking with a tail sweep that he leapt over and landed a hard thrusting knee into the goodra's slimy face, following with a one-two punch that made him stagger back and forcefully heave a single breath to belch upon the raptor. Oddclaw quickly pulled back and fired his lasers straight for Lester's open mouth, slicing through the dragon's breath and burning the entirety of his throat with a gargling scream that made him choke and sputter whilst clutching his neck. In a furious rush he made for a body slam, thrusting himself forwards and hoping to crush the raptor under his weight, but Oddclaw surprised him by running up to him before jumping on his chest, backflipping with a springboard kick that cracked twice against the goodra's chin and knocked him down sliding through the dirt. With a second wind he stumbled back up, clutching his wounded belly and tried to make one last mighty swing of his aqua-tail, the raptor dodgerolling before a shadow whooshed over his head. Red came flying with both his wings shining like the moon, slashing down upon Lester's face in one soul-crushing flap that crunched the goodra's face almost inwards. Groaning weakly, he fell backwards with a limp shudder and laid flat upon the grass beneath Red's feet, his wings shimmering like steel in the sun before the whiteness faded back to its teal colourings.

[i]"That's four down...and two to go."[/i]

"Nice WORK boys!" Angela skipped over almost flying. "At this rate we'll be done by tomorrow!"

"Hopefully!" said Oddclaw with a toothy grin. "That was not very hard, I was expecting worse."

"The last two are definitely the strongest," she pulled out a third pokeball and let it thunk against Lester's body, [i]"we'll rest up back at the hill your friends were at, you good to go Red?"[/i]

[i]"Sure,"[/i] the charizard watched the goodra melt into a digi-puddle as his form was sucked into the ball, "I'm all fired up anyways so I need to tire myself out some before we sleep."

"Let's head back then." She picked up the ball and slipped it into her belt. "Thanks again for helping us Oddie."

"It is fine," the raptor bowed as they leapt back onto Red, "as long as the thieves are out there I will help you get rid of them."

"Fine by me, now let's get some shuteye someplace nice."

[i]"Wish there was a hotel here,"[/i] muttered Red as he flapped his wings with a heavy gust.

"You're not allowed back in hotels remember?"

[i]"Just put a shower cap on my tail, or hey, maybe fireproof your damn room like a smart human would!"[/i]

"Do you know how much cladding costs?!" she scoffed as the wind shrieked through her hair.

[i]"Be a lot less expensive than the fire damage, dumbass!"[/i]

They swept into the sky and over the great plains beneath the shining moon that gleamed upon his wings, stretching like a great bat over the land as families slept peacefully in the Birthlands mostly unaware of the newcomers of this year. Oddclaw felt inspired for how quickly the situation was handling itself, straightening his back tall upon the flaming beast as he gazed upon the Skylands far to the south as a piercing needle that scraped the clouds.

[i]I cannot believe how much I missed this. This excitement, the journey, the hunt for odd beasts...I wish I could show my family this, perhaps when my children are older I should take them on a great journey to explore new places...maybe the flyers could help with that.[/i]

The night rolled on uneventful for every beast. Morning would come with new discovery as Angela tightened her grip to steady her heart which Red felt with a flex in his fingers. He sighed to himself, looking back towards Oddclaw once then shook his head with a snarl as he flew on back to the hills where they would sleep.