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Description

Next: www.deviantart.com/cyber-wildc…

Word Count: 1380

It started off as any other ordinary day as an Emerald Enforcer.

From the moment she woke up, the young Swablu named Skye would go to the gym to run (or fly) the obstacle course, then spar with a fellow Enforcer. And then, once she was done, she would patrol around Kora City, keeping watch for any suspicious characters...especially those of the Blue-Spirit Outlaws or Lexin Wayfarers.

As someone who grew up moving around the city while performing at different venues with her parents, Skye knew about every building, every facility, and every alleyway. Being a Flying-type also helped with her maneuvering abilities, allowing her to squeeze by without too much difficulty.

After that, she would stop by to chat with some of her neighbours and friends before returning to the Enforcers Compound, where she would relax in the bath house before returning to her dorm and settle in her bed with a good book in her wings.

Skye could not have asked for anything more...though she did find it odd today that her partner had chosen not to accompany her on their patrols. She figured that they were likely still training at the gym, but still…

She decided not to dwell on it any further as she opened up to where she left off in her favourite mystery novel, Trials and Tales, and began to read. Almost right away, she let herself fall into the world of the novel, picking up the important evidence that would help prove the client’s innocence, going through the trials one step at a time, and even deciphering any inconsistencies within testimonies. These novels were the very reason Skye had chosen to become an Emerald Enforcer - to help the innocent, and bring the guilty to justice!

But in her heart, she knew that reality was not the same as the mysteries she read. She knew that there was a grey morality tucked away - a grey that only she knew about. She learned that there were lawmons who acted as spies for outlaws, and outlaws who were given a chance to redeem themselves. And that was her second reason for being an Emerald Enforcer - to believe that anyone could change. That they could be good Pokémon, if they only just tried a little harder. That was what her parents had told her many times before, and that was what she had come to believe every now and again.

Now, if only her partner shared a bit of her understanding. Maybe someday, but for now…

As if responding to her thoughts (though not exactly), a series of fast footsteps approached the door, accompanied by the sudden swing of the door. Skye looked up from her book to find a smaller-than-average Darumaka wearing only a blue belt with a silver buckle around their waist. Although they were breathing very heavily due to their run, it did nothing to lessen the grin on their face.

“Oh, hello, Tashi,” Skye chirped. “Back from your training already?”

“You kiddin’ me, Skye?” Tashi replied with a laugh. “I already did my training a half hour ago.” They went over and clambered up the bunk beds, and propped their elbows on Skye’s top bunk. Now that they were a bit closer, Skye could see some sort of rolled-up paper tucked away in the belt.

“But enough about that,” Tashi went on, their grin expanding just a bit further. “You remember the heist the Emerald Enforcers took on last month? At some bank in Elmheart?”

Skye frowned as she nodded. About a month ago, some of the Emerald Enforcers had gone to Elmheart to defend one of the biggest banks from the Blue-Spirit Outlaws. Though they were valiant in their efforts to keep their foes out of the main reception area, in the end the Blue-Spirit Outlaws were able to get away with a large sum of Auran, among other things. And to top it off, one of the Enforcers - a gruff old Skuntank named Leo - had snapped so much that he set off an explosion that destroyed a large portion of the building. The citizens were so upset that it took them a long time to get the stones and wood as well as the replacement furniture before they could get the bank up and running once more.

Needless to say, the Emerald Enforcers were met with a messy (but nonetheless dismal) failure.

Still, even the news didn’t deter Tashi from continuing on. “Wellll…” they said, still grinning. “After my training, I decided to cool off at the bath house. Y’know, just to get rid of all that sweat and stuff.” As they spoke, one of their hands drifted off to the roll of paper in their belt, and they slowly pulled it out. “And I was on my way back when I found something very interesting.”

They whipped the paper open, revealing the paper to be another heist job. “Check it out!” they chortled with a wink. “The Emerald Enforcers are going to guard some sort of warehouse, over in Spearpoint Bay! And our enemies this time are the Lexin Wayfarers.”

Skye’s heart dropped all the way to her talons. Spearpoint Bay… Lexin Desert… and the Lexin Wayfarers… It all felt like some sort of waking nightmare, coming back to haunt her.

All at once, she felt the memories plague her mind...memories of the day her parents’ troupe disbanded over a massive dispute. The day her parents’ objection to crossing the Lexin Wayfarers to Spearpoint Bay caused everyone to disband and part ways to live their own lives. And the day she had lost her best friend...her first friend...and the only friend she ever had.

There were times where she wished she could take it all back, to reform the troupe to what it once was. But at the same time, she knew that it was too late. Besides, she was an Emerald Enforcer now, with a goal to form her own performing troupe - one that would work together as a singular unit and not a bunch of squabbling Staravia over every little decision!

Tashi seemed to notice her sad expression, and their own expression changed to one of concern. “Skye?” they asked, hopping up on the bunk and waving their hand in front of Skye’s face. “Hey, Skye. Ground control to Skye!”

Skye blinked her eyes before looking up at Tashi. “Ah, uh,” she stammered, shaking her head to get those bad memories out of her head. “W-what?”

“Are you OK?” Tashi asked. “You looked pretty distressed a second ago.” Their expression changed to slight sadness. “I really want to take on this heist to help the Enforcers make up for what happened last month. But it’s alright if you don’t want to come along.”

Do I want to come along? Skye couldn’t help but think it over. Part of her didn’t want to go to Spearpoint Bay...but another part of her actually wanted to. That part saw nothing more than a perfect opportunity to run into her old friend, have a little reunion and some small talk, and also do the things they did when they were younger.

Skye took a deep breath. She knew the risks and the possibilities of running into some of the former troupe members who might berate her for her family’s decisions back then, as well as the possibility of some of them becoming Blue-Spirit Outlaws or Lexin Wayfarers. But if she was going to go, she was going to do it for the sake of finding her old friend again!

Having finally made up her mind, she turned to Tashi and nodded. “I’m coming with you,” she said. “After all, we’re partners, right?”

Tashi smiled. “You got that right, Skye!” they replied. They clambered down the bunk bed before rushing to the closet. “I’ll go and make the necessary preparations. You just sit back until then!”

Skye let out a sigh as she closed the book. A feeling of excitement mixed with dread swarmed her mind. This was it, this was her first heist as an Emerald Enforcer! And she was going to help make it up for their failure back in Elmheart.

All she could do now was hope that she had made the right decision.

Characters Featured:
(that's me) - Skye (Swablu) and Tashi (Darumaka)

Pokémon © Nintendo/GAME FREAK

© and others

Art and Scorched Symphony ©

Description

Next: www.deviantart.com/cyber-wildc…

Word Count: 1380

It started off as any other ordinary day as an Emerald Enforcer.

From the moment she woke up, the young Swablu named Skye would go to the gym to run (or fly) the obstacle course, then spar with a fellow Enforcer. And then, once she was done, she would patrol around Kora City, keeping watch for any suspicious characters...especially those of the Blue-Spirit Outlaws or Lexin Wayfarers.

As someone who grew up moving around the city while performing at different venues with her parents, Skye knew about every building, every facility, and every alleyway. Being a Flying-type also helped with her maneuvering abilities, allowing her to squeeze by without too much difficulty.

After that, she would stop by to chat with some of her neighbours and friends before returning to the Enforcers Compound, where she would relax in the bath house before returning to her dorm and settle in her bed with a good book in her wings.

Skye could not have asked for anything more...though she did find it odd today that her partner had chosen not to accompany her on their patrols. She figured that they were likely still training at the gym, but still…

She decided not to dwell on it any further as she opened up to where she left off in her favourite mystery novel, Trials and Tales, and began to read. Almost right away, she let herself fall into the world of the novel, picking up the important evidence that would help prove the client’s innocence, going through the trials one step at a time, and even deciphering any inconsistencies within testimonies. These novels were the very reason Skye had chosen to become an Emerald Enforcer - to help the innocent, and bring the guilty to justice!

But in her heart, she knew that reality was not the same as the mysteries she read. She knew that there was a grey morality tucked away - a grey that only she knew about. She learned that there were lawmons who acted as spies for outlaws, and outlaws who were given a chance to redeem themselves. And that was her second reason for being an Emerald Enforcer - to believe that anyone could change. That they could be good Pokémon, if they only just tried a little harder. That was what her parents had told her many times before, and that was what she had come to believe every now and again.

Now, if only her partner shared a bit of her understanding. Maybe someday, but for now…

As if responding to her thoughts (though not exactly), a series of fast footsteps approached the door, accompanied by the sudden swing of the door. Skye looked up from her book to find a smaller-than-average Darumaka wearing only a blue belt with a silver buckle around their waist. Although they were breathing very heavily due to their run, it did nothing to lessen the grin on their face.

“Oh, hello, Tashi,” Skye chirped. “Back from your training already?”

“You kiddin’ me, Skye?” Tashi replied with a laugh. “I already did my training a half hour ago.” They went over and clambered up the bunk beds, and propped their elbows on Skye’s top bunk. Now that they were a bit closer, Skye could see some sort of rolled-up paper tucked away in the belt.

“But enough about that,” Tashi went on, their grin expanding just a bit further. “You remember the heist the Emerald Enforcers took on last month? At some bank in Elmheart?”

Skye frowned as she nodded. About a month ago, some of the Emerald Enforcers had gone to Elmheart to defend one of the biggest banks from the Blue-Spirit Outlaws. Though they were valiant in their efforts to keep their foes out of the main reception area, in the end the Blue-Spirit Outlaws were able to get away with a large sum of Auran, among other things. And to top it off, one of the Enforcers - a gruff old Skuntank named Leo - had snapped so much that he set off an explosion that destroyed a large portion of the building. The citizens were so upset that it took them a long time to get the stones and wood as well as the replacement furniture before they could get the bank up and running once more.

Needless to say, the Emerald Enforcers were met with a messy (but nonetheless dismal) failure.

Still, even the news didn’t deter Tashi from continuing on. “Wellll…” they said, still grinning. “After my training, I decided to cool off at the bath house. Y’know, just to get rid of all that sweat and stuff.” As they spoke, one of their hands drifted off to the roll of paper in their belt, and they slowly pulled it out. “And I was on my way back when I found something very interesting.”

They whipped the paper open, revealing the paper to be another heist job. “Check it out!” they chortled with a wink. “The Emerald Enforcers are going to guard some sort of warehouse, over in Spearpoint Bay! And our enemies this time are the Lexin Wayfarers.”

Skye’s heart dropped all the way to her talons. Spearpoint Bay… Lexin Desert… and the Lexin Wayfarers… It all felt like some sort of waking nightmare, coming back to haunt her.

All at once, she felt the memories plague her mind...memories of the day her parents’ troupe disbanded over a massive dispute. The day her parents’ objection to crossing the Lexin Wayfarers to Spearpoint Bay caused everyone to disband and part ways to live their own lives. And the day she had lost her best friend...her first friend...and the only friend she ever had.

There were times where she wished she could take it all back, to reform the troupe to what it once was. But at the same time, she knew that it was too late. Besides, she was an Emerald Enforcer now, with a goal to form her own performing troupe - one that would work together as a singular unit and not a bunch of squabbling Staravia over every little decision!

Tashi seemed to notice her sad expression, and their own expression changed to one of concern. “Skye?” they asked, hopping up on the bunk and waving their hand in front of Skye’s face. “Hey, Skye. Ground control to Skye!”

Skye blinked her eyes before looking up at Tashi. “Ah, uh,” she stammered, shaking her head to get those bad memories out of her head. “W-what?”

“Are you OK?” Tashi asked. “You looked pretty distressed a second ago.” Their expression changed to slight sadness. “I really want to take on this heist to help the Enforcers make up for what happened last month. But it’s alright if you don’t want to come along.”

Do I want to come along? Skye couldn’t help but think it over. Part of her didn’t want to go to Spearpoint Bay...but another part of her actually wanted to. That part saw nothing more than a perfect opportunity to run into her old friend, have a little reunion and some small talk, and also do the things they did when they were younger.

Skye took a deep breath. She knew the risks and the possibilities of running into some of the former troupe members who might berate her for her family’s decisions back then, as well as the possibility of some of them becoming Blue-Spirit Outlaws or Lexin Wayfarers. But if she was going to go, she was going to do it for the sake of finding her old friend again!

Having finally made up her mind, she turned to Tashi and nodded. “I’m coming with you,” she said. “After all, we’re partners, right?”

Tashi smiled. “You got that right, Skye!” they replied. They clambered down the bunk bed before rushing to the closet. “I’ll go and make the necessary preparations. You just sit back until then!”

Skye let out a sigh as she closed the book. A feeling of excitement mixed with dread swarmed her mind. This was it, this was her first heist as an Emerald Enforcer! And she was going to help make it up for their failure back in Elmheart.

All she could do now was hope that she had made the right decision.

Characters Featured:
(that's me) - Skye (Swablu) and Tashi (Darumaka)

Pokémon © Nintendo/GAME FREAK

© and others

Art and Scorched Symphony ©