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Yet another commission from Jitters! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE how this came out!!!

This commission is a few months old but I haven't gotten to uploading it since I was working on a little story for it! Story is down below if you're interested!

Art done by @ jitters_xp (on twitter) / @Jitters#9583 (on discord) ! Go check out their artwork and other social medias!

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The outdoor weather for a refreshing walk couldn’t have been any better; baby blue skies with not a puff of a cloud in sight, the sun gleefully shining down, the summer weather being rather hot but comfortable enough to go for a nice little jog, gentle comforting breezes blowing by, what more could one person ask for? With such inviting weather for not just today, but the next three days, it could make one regret staying inside instead of having fun in the sun.

Well, one young adult and his Thievul Nicky were spending the fullest of these beautiful days, taking a walk and enjoying time with Mother Nature. Today was a special day for Nicky; his trainer, Jimmy, set up a little playdate with two of his best friends, a male sky-blue-eyed Jolteon named Volt and a female lavender-eyed Thievul named Natalie. And while Nicky played with their friends, Jimmy would hang out and talk with his other best friend Jason, and his girlfriend Aurora. The two boys were walking through a thick, lush forest, since it was the fast route to the play date destination, which was at Aurora’s house.

Nicky couldn’t help but whine and squeal with uncontainable excitement, happily skipping alongside his trainer, with Jimmy cooing to him, “Awwww, is my good heart bandit excited to see his best pals?”

Nicky would yip and vocalize “Thievul!” in joy, panting happily.

“I can feel the excitement radiating off of you! I’m eager to meet up with my buds as well.”

Jimmy was about to say something else when Nicky’s ears perked up to the sound of something moving about in the lush flora, making him stop right into a playful-looking yet defensive bow within less than a second. His trainer would stop walking a few seconds later, turning around and wondering why Nicky was acting all strange. With ears swiveling about and nose twitching with each smelling sniff, it seemed as though the Thievul detected an uncertain yet ominous presence lurking around.

Nicky’s thoughts went wild, soon detecting an increasingly fearsome presence as he thought, “What’s that sound? Something tells me we’re about to be ambushed. This scent I’m picking up doesn’t smell inviting either; this macabre scent is making my nose sting…”

A low, defensive growl would soon emit from Nicky’s throat as his face scrunched up, signaling to Jimmy that something sinister was up. But what could Nicky be picking up? A wild, strong Pokémon? A threat of unimaginable proportions? An undiscovered legendary?

Based on how Nicky’s acting, whatever it was goes off the threat level charts and should be taken cautiously.

Out of nowhere, two buff men in black uniforms with the red letter “R” adorned on them emerged from the foliage and presented themselves right in front of Jimmy and Nicky, boasting facial expressions that signaled that the two were up to no good.

NO!

ROCKET GRUNTS?!

THAT WAS WHAT NICKY WAS PICKING UP?!

Well, this is not good…

“Well well well, who do we have here? James Brookwood’s son, Jimmy Brookwood and his ‘oh so pwecious heart bandit’ Nicky.” The bigger man spoke with a menacing voice.

He continued while laughing, “We’ve been hearing some news about ya, so don’t try to act dumb on us. You can try to fulfill your quest to rescue your daddy all you damn wish, but he’s locked up in Giovanni’s clutches like Fort Knox, and there’s not a single thing you or your mustached sidekick can do, heheh.”

Hearing where his father was made Jimmy’s blood boil, causing his usual cheery and uplifting mood to transition to pure rage at the drop of a hat. Nicky was also enraged at hearing this, furious that the person who saved him during that one summer night was now held hostage by the evilest corporation in the world. Out of anger, Nicky let out the meanest, most furious, and menacing Pokécry towards the two men Jimmy has ever heard him do.

Nicky is always a happy-go-lucky type of Pokémon, wanting to brighten people’s day and spread joy wherever he foxtrots to.

You’d have to be the most horrible human being for even a wholesome creature like Nicky who is never angry or easily upset to be pissed off at you.

“I knew it! I knew that you heartless bastards abducted my dad! What do you want from him!? Why is he important to you degenerates!? What kind of nightmarish things are you putting him through!?”

The more petite man would then snarkily reply, “Pffft. Why would WE ever want YOUR sorry ass to know why? It shouldn’t matter to you, since the only thing you should worry about is OBEYING TEAM ROCKET.”

Without warning, the two men pursued Jimmy and Nicky, causing them to retreat away in the opposite direction, fearing they might be captured next alongside their dad. Running as fast as they could, they never dared to look back for even a second, thinking of being unable to be home again and being used as test subjects for their horrible experiments maelstroming in their heads.

“You can run all you want, but you can NEVER hide from TEAM ROCKET!!!”

As the two ran, running so far away, Nicky tripped on a root and tumbled about for a bit before stopping flat on his face. Jimmy would yell out, “NO! NICKY!!!” but had no choice but to keep running from the shorter man, with legs that burned from exhaustion and extreme use. Nicky would attempt to get back onto all fours and run away, but before his beans met proper contact with the ground again, the bigger man would stomp onto his tail, letting him let out an ear-piercing scream of pain and preventing him from running away. Looking behind him, he saw the bigger man, looking down at him with a shiver-inducing grin while gently tossing a Team Rocket ball up and down in his hand.

He couldn’t get away now.

“Th-thth-thievul!!!” Nicky frantically vocalized out, eyes widening and his body scrunching up in fear as he began to whimper and yip frantically.

“Awwwww… Poor thing… You’d be a perfect test subject alongside your stepdad. Now stay still AND OBEY TEAM RO-”

Without warning, Nicky let out a defensive cry and fiercely snapped his jaws onto the man’s leg, the man yelling out in pain. He would try to bitchsmack and kick Nicky off him, but Nicky’s jaws maintained a fearsome grip on his leg, soon drawing blood as Nicky growled raucously while tearing away with his razor-sharp claws.

“GET THE FUCK OFF MY LEG YOU EMO-LOOKING MUTT!!!” The man fiercely yelled, smashing his Pokéball right into Nicky’s head, making the Pokéball open up and capture the Thievul.

Said Pokéball would then tumble to the ground, shaking about as it struggled to capture the Thievul that was now beginning to see nothing but red.

One…

Two…

Three…

…

Just when the man thought he had eradicated the threat, Nicky broke free from the Pokéball, letting out a fearsome cry once more while in a very aggressive stance. All the color on the grunt’s face would quickly drain away as he attempted to slowly back off, but Nicky slowly followed him, his sharp fangs showing and his pupils the narrowest of slits.

Nicky would growl loudly, “Thiiieeevvul… THIEVUL!!! (You fucked around… AND NOW YOU’RE GONNA FIND THE THE FUCK OUT!!!)” just before then pouncing onto the grunt and using a Pokémon move many times out of sheer rage.

Nicky repeatedly used Play Rough and Claw Slash on the opposing Rocket Grunt!

It’s beyond effective!!!

The Rocket Grunt is now writhing in pain and bleeding profusely!

The opposing Rocket Grunt suddenly fainted from the excruciating pain…

Nicky has won!

Our mustached fox bandit didn’t stay around for too long, hence, he was afraid that backup might be on the way. He would frantically look around for a quick escape out of view, just before gracefully leaping into a little crack in the foliage and sprinting off.

Nicky’s relentless gallop of a retreat was short-lived, the shaken-up fox bandit confused and not knowing which way was which, or how to get back to his trainer, his brain struggling to pick up the pieces of the situation that unfolded.

He was misguided.

Blinded into misplacing his steps.

Lost.

He took a moment to lay down, panting heavily with his long pink tongue hanging out as he looked around. Nicky’s world still spun round and round in his head, his little fox brain doing its damndest to process what happened. Nothing seemingly made sense the more Nicky tried to make sense of the situation, and it shouldn’t be any surprise since this was the first Team Rocket ambush Nicky and Jimmy had ever encountered. The two had heard many stories of Rocket Grunt encounters and the horrors that happened in some of them; the kidnappings, the theft of Pokémon, the muggings, and even worse, people murdered in cold blood. Nicky had to figure out where Jimmy was before it was too late!

The cute black button that was his nose began to sniff about, seeing if it could pick up his trainer’s scent, and his ears swiveled haphazardly like a radar to try and pick up any sound that could be from his trainer as he then got up. His aquamarine eyes scanned the surrounding area as he slowly walked, seeing if there was a chance that Jimmy was anywhere to be seen. He only saw the lush forest and its beautiful, luxuriant foliage that breathed botanical life into the surrounding atmosphere, sprinkled with vibrant flowers for a pop of color.

He searched for what felt like an eternity, eventually coming across a small, narrow yet forgotten path. He stepped onto the trail, his paws sinking slightly into the soft earth. The fox bandit would pause momentarily, investigating the muddy ground solid enough to support him. By now, our mustached vulpine hero had become distracted from his mission, a wave of youthful curiosity flooding his floofy body as he took a few steps on the soft ground. Nicky would eventually skip and jump about playfully onto the mud, enjoying the soft, doughy yet mushy feeling it had on his beans while venturing down the unknown route.

Guided by an invisible thread of curiosity, the imaginary line reeled Nicky in like a fish that took a piece of bait. The curious Thievul continued to explore what was ahead of him, his easily distractable brain yearning to know where the muddy footpath would lead him. At the same time, the mud began to become a little more sludgy and wet, squishing and squelching with each step. Nicky panted happily as he enjoyed the sounds and the feeling of the mud, the air resonating and filling Nicky’s booper-snoot with the strong yet pleasant scent of wet earth beneath him, a floral undertone faintly being present.

Eventually, the yellow brick road of curiosity led the foxy Pokémon to a small glade, with a few small yet inviting rays of sunshine shining through the opening of the forest’s roof, right down onto a pit of dark brown mud in the middle. The Thievul’s pupils would dilate seeing this, his curiosity piquing through the roof. One of Nicky’s most favorite things to do whenever he saw the opportunity was to play in the mud; he absolutely adores and loves the feeling of soft, squishy earth on his paws and his body. He doesn’t know exactly why, but something about mud is so stimulating. Maybe the texture, the softness, and the sliminess are the exact reasons.

The mud’s surface was seen as inviting to Nicky, the solidity and the shallowness of the soft earth illusory. The illuminated parts shimmered in the sunlight like chocolate frosting on a cake, its beauty hiding a sinister, deadly truth. The oily-esk iridescence blanked over the surface, the texture being a soft, boggy appearance that hinted to it being rather deeper than normal mud, but in reality, its depth stretches deeper than meets the eye. A few beautiful vibrantly colored wildflowers could be seen near the patch of mud, with multiple skunk cabbages adorning the very edge of the pit. No living thing appears to have disturbed or distorted the surface recently, telling Nicky he was the first one here.

But little did Nicky know, a sign out of view to his left that read “CAUTION! DEEP MUD” stood to warn others, meaning that someone had been here before. How else would that sign have been put there if someone didn’t fall into it at one point? That must’ve been long ago then. Who knows?

Nicky crept closer to the pit’s edge, not knowing how deep the pit in question could be, the urge to have a mud bath becoming perceptibly unbearable. He would then get into a playful bow, his front body lowering close to the muddy ground and his rump in the air which soon began to gently wiggle from side to side, ready to jump into the patch of mud. Nicky was full of anticipation, the intrusive thoughts to leap into the patch growing stronger every second.

Eventually, Nicky let his intrusive thoughts win, playfully hopping up and landing into the pit, ready to play in the muck.

But Nicky wasn’t expecting the pit to be deep enough to swallow him whole. He had been in deep mud before, but the deepest mud he encountered went halfway up his legs, which wasn’t that deep.

Nicky crash-landed into the pit with a squishy SPLAT!!! and was now in the muck with his rump submerged and his legs all the way into the mud, him letting out a quick yelp of surprise. The gelatinous mud would jiggle about for a little, followed by pockets of trapped gas popping at the surface in an ugly fashion. Not to mention, a profound, smelly, and swampy scent would follow suit after the bubbles.

The heavenly sensation of the cool, soft muck tickled Nicky’s brain, making him pant heavily with big breaths and deep exhales as he became aroused. Of course, all this was rather difficult for Nicky to process, since he never expected the mud to be deeper than it looked. He would attempt to move around but the thickness and heaviness of the mud fought back against him, the sleeping monster that was the peat bog now awake and sluggishly pulling Nicky deeper the more he moved.

Our mud-loving Thievul would soon get himself somewhat upright, with his chest much higher than his butt. His tail, mostly above the mud, wags in happiness chaotically. Nicky continued to agitate the soft, quicksand-like mud while he paddled about with his front paws, letting the force of Earth’s gravity pull him down further.

“Oh dear, the mud here is rather deep… But this feels so good…” Nicky thought to himself, panting even harder from the amazing sinking sensation.

The pit of sludgy earth continued to give way, the cold, slimy mud squelching and smearing about as it closed in more on Nicky. His body slowly began to feel the weight of the muck, the mud creeping higher up his body and slowly compressing him with more weight. Nicky’s cheeks warmed up immensely as he blushed from how much he loved the mud, his tongue hanging out the right side of his muzzle as he panted heavily. The fur on his body became caked up with the goopy soil, and his sweater became soiled with dirt.

At this point, the fox was sunken up to his chest and halfway up his back, his floofy tail splattered and matted with the very earth that was now bloodlust for his demise. He panted even harder and quicker, now squealing and giggling joyfully, his heart racing and pupils overly dilated with euphoria. Unbeknownst to Nicky, he sunk further and further towards the hungry brown quicksand’s point of no return at an alarming rate, his playful yet adrenaline-induced movements only speeding up the process and fogging his brain with an ignorant bliss.

With the heart bandit still oblivious to how dangerously deep he was sinking, his fur was clinging onto his body like a shroud, heavy and sodden with thick, viscid earth that weighed him down like an exercise weight vest. The cold mud continued to close around him like a vise, a frigid embrace determined to pull him under and drown him in its suffocating hold. With every inch Nicky sunk, the mud compressed against him with more pressure, slowly yet surely reducing how much air his lungs could hold. It soon started coming to the point where his chest was on the verge of strainingly heaving. The deeper the swallowing earth dragged him down, the more resistance against his muscle power added up, threatening to tire all his strength towards terminal fatigue. Each enthusiastic thrash and joyful squeal seemed to be matched by a sinister counterforce, the mud's unyielding grasp tightening around him.

Abruptly, Nicky’s heart sank when he finally realized something was wrong, him stopping his movements for a moment.

As the thick slurry slowly rose with Nicky’s chest halfway submerged, he thought, “Wait a second… shouldn’t I have felt the bottom by now? This mud pit is getting a little too deep…!”

A realization popped into his head as he sluggishly sank into the swamp-like slurry despite not moving; What if there WAS no bottom?!

“If there’s no bottom and I keep sinking until I’m submerged… W-w-what if I can’t breathe?! What if I fucking drown?!”

In the span of mere moments, the euphoric atmosphere of a surreal mud bath that had initially enveloped Nicky in a blissful state of mind, began to morph into something far more ominous. The playful muck, once a source of joy, now took on a rather sinister undertone, urging the naive Thievul to recognize the impending danger and fight for his survival while there was still a glimmer of opportunity.

Intoxicating levels of jubilance and pleasure drowned out Nicky’s sense of danger, fear still present but struggling to obtain his full attention. Nicky would begin to flail and thrash about, his front legs and rear hocks starting to burn with exhaustion already. Sooner or later they would succumb to muscle fatigue, the frantic movements only giving way towards a faster, more hopeless demise. His handkerchief suddenly became undone, slowly slipping off his neck and onto the pit’s surface.

Futility began to set in when his strength began to wane, the Thievul sunken halfway up his neck and his tail now pulled under into the earthy abyss. The sensation of sinking deeper into the muck and the weight of it on his body began to become overwhelming for Nicky, him now trembling from how amazing it felt and how surreal being stuck in the gelatinous, deep muck was.

He was now very close to having his head start to become sunken under, and no more usable energy was left in Nicky’s limbs as his struggles began to come to a halt, his muscles succumbing to fatigue. His limbs were exhausted of their strength, his miry fate sealed and the deep mud patch eager to claim its victory. Nicky just stayed there, panting heavily and letting the mud patch consume him, hence he knew he had crossed the point of no return. The disastrous amount of euphoria booming in Nicky made the feeling of fear and not wanting to drown become lost to his thoughts. Many loud yet overly amused yips and squeals came from Nicky, watching the mud creep closer and closer toward his muzzle with his heart racing.

Nicky held his head a little higher, the muck threatening to swallow his whole head and drown him. As the muck began to creep up his head, the sensation of sinking deeper and being weighed down by the mud overloaded his senses, overstimulating him to the point where it was impossible to think straight or control himself from vocalizing out in pure joy. The mud gradually inched over his face and muzzle, the thick slurry pouring into his muzzle and nose causing him to gurgle on the mud. Nicky's sensory overload went berserk as his mouth flooded with the swampy earth, his body trembling uncontrollably and his eyes rolling into the back of his head in pleasure.

“I’m… I’m in heaven…” Nicky blissfully thought to himself, the feeling of sinking under making his limbs tingle and his brain tickle.

The muck’s crater around Nicky’s face closed in, the mud patch securing its newly caught prey. One last thing Nicky saw before everything went black and silent was the beautiful forest roof, and the sunshine filtering through the lively, green leaves of the trees. Eventually, the mud closed the window to the outside world, leaving Nicky fully submerged except for his stylish head hair. That hairdo would also be slowly sunken under, all that remains of Nicky being his handkerchief and a crease in the mire’s surface, signaling that a recent victim was swallowed whole, never to be seen alive again.

Suddenly, a voice repeatedly shouted out “Nicky?! Can you hear me?! Where are you?! I’ve been looking for you for the past five minutes now!!!”

Jimmy had dealt with the Rocket Grunt earlier and is now trying to reunite with his wholesome Thievul Nicky. Worrisome panic filled his mind, fearing he might’ve lost him like how he lost his dad. He went up and down multiple paths and trails, hoping to find his floofy sidekick again.

Not long later, Jimmy comes across the same path Nicky was on, except he was on the other side where you could clearly see the sign that warned others of deep mud. He cared less about his sneakers being caked and ruined from the mud and more about the safety of his foxy friend.

Many moments pass, and Jimmy comes across the same glade Nicky had jumped into and sunk. What he saw next in the middle of the mud patch sent chills down his spine.

That was Nicky’s handkerchief!

“Does that mean- No! It can’t be!” Jimmy cried.

As a horrid realization set in, Jimmy thought frantically, “HAS NICKY DROWNED IN THAT MUD PIT?!”

Out of fear, Jimmy went into the deathly clutches of the swampy patch of earthy slurry, sinking up to his waist. Jimmy did not care about anything except for his furry companion. He felt around in the mud, seeing if he could locate Nicky and try to rescue him before it was too late while grabbing his handkerchief. But moving around meant that Jimmy would also start to sink faster, and soon the mud swallowed him up to his abdomen. Many moments pass by, his desperation only growing faster in a vile bloom.

Eventually, Jimmy simply gave up and began to sob heavily, grieving the loss of his wondrous heart bandit Nicky. He was so heartbroken that he simply let himself slowly sink further until submerged, just to drown with Nicky; that’s how much he loved and cared about him.

Just when Jimmy thought he really lost it all, he felt a little movement happening here and there in the depths of the thick muck.

Wait…

Was that Nicky?!

He’s still alive!!

Seconds later Nicky resurfaces, his entire body caked with thick, gelatinous mud all the way down to the roots of his fur. One deep, oxygen-deprived breath for air ensued as he got his head above the quagmire, Nicky’s straining lungs able to resupply his blood with the life-breathing gas.

Jimmy would exclaim to his mustached fox Pokémon, “Nicky!!! Don’t you EVER scare me like that again!!! I legit thought you drowned in the mud!!! Also, I JUST bathed you the other day!!! Why’d you let yourself get this dirty?! Now I’m dirty as well!!”

Nicky let out a foxy giggle, playfully winking at him as he slowly got himself to the pit’s edge and pulled himself out. Once he escaped, he would shake his entire body off, making mud fling all over like a truck kicking up mud while mud bogging. Looking back at Jimmy, he saw him almost up to his neck in the thick, clammy mud, desperately struggling to get himself out with a soul-crushing look of fear. The fox’s heart sank when he saw this, finally realizing the grave gravity of the situation, along with how dangerous the mud pit’s deepness and thickness was. All those scenes in movies, fireside stories, and YouTube videos that came to Nicky’s mind sparked a shocking revelation within him.

This wasn’t any ordinary mud pit…

Nor was it just some deep peat bog…

This was genuine quicksand!

And his trainer was in one of those deadly traps, moments away from being sucked under and drowning!

“Nicky! Please! You need to find a way to pull me out! I can’t reach anything to grab onto! There’s no other way I can get out!” Jimmy frantically yells, pleading to Nicky for help.

Nicky would quickly vocalize, “Th-Thievul!!! (I-I’m on it!!!)” while looking around for a branch or vine to help pull his trainer out of the mud.

It was a fierce race against the clock, a test Nicky was assigned to decide whether his trainer could make it back home for another supper or not. He would bolt down the narrow path, seeing what could be used as a lifeline for Jimmy.

Thankfully, it did not take long to find something that his trainer could grab onto; a dead tree with a big, long branch sitting dormantly in the foliage off the beaten path.

Nicky exclaims, “Perfect! This is the ticket to saving him!”

He would snap his jaws onto said branch, and tried to muster as much strength as he could to snap it off. Nicky growled as he tugged and pulled at the branch, worried down to the marrow of his bones that he wouldn’t make it in time at this rate. The amount of strength he used soon started to make the burning in his legs return for another round of muscle fatigue.

Tug… tug… tug… *crackle* tug… *crickety* tug… tug… tug… tug… tug…

CRACKASNAP!!!

As Nicky yips in accomplishment, he rushes over to the path, and towards the deadly glade that was holding Jimmy hostage. While he ran, Jimmy desperately yelled out, “HEEEELP MEEEE!!!!”

By the time Nicky returned, his soul left his body as he saw his trainer just barely above the surface, their head and face about to become sucked under. Our mustached vulpine hero would then bring the longer side of the stick out to Jimmy, him grabbing onto it for dear life.

“PUUUUULLL!!!” Jimmy screamed, Nicky following through and not wanting to let him down.

Mustering up every ounce of strength Nicky had left in his body, he began to pull forwards, slowly yet surely pulling the young trainer out. He maintained a grip on the doughy ground with his claws, them acting like a traction control aid on a modern car. Through burning muscles and fearsome growls of strength, Nicky pushed on through, knowing that this was all or nothing. The gelatinous, swampy muck refused to accept defeat and insisted on becoming victorious, keeping a firm grip on Jimmy, making this situation a tug of war between life and death. The lush forest even seemed to hold its breath in anticipation, praying without fail that the fox bandit would save Jimmy from what would’ve been his final resting place.

The more Nicky pulled, the more the suffocating grip of the quicksand slowly relinquished its hold, with his efforts relentless and his determination unwavering. Inch by painstaking inch, he drew his trainer closer to solid ground, his heart pounding in his vulpine ears, in time with the rhythm of his exertion. So much adrenaline and hysterical strength blitzkrieged through his body that it seemed to block out most of his senses, his ears beginning to become filled with a monotonous yet deafening ring, the excruciating burning sensation of muscle fatigue stinging him like a swarm of Beedrills. The two souls’ worlds flipped upside down, inside and out, not knowing if they’d make it as time seemed to stretch toward infinity.

Finally, with a final surge of strength, Nicky freed his beloved trainer from the quicksand's clutches, the two stumbling onto solid ground, gasping for air and trembling with gratitude. The forest seemed to exhale a collective sigh of relief, the leaves rustling in a gentle breeze and the birds chirping in a victorious song in the forest as if applauding Nicky's heroic act.

Heads spinning and thoughts speeding a mile a second, the two struggled to pick the pieces up. Attempting to make sense of the intense ordeal that went down was much easier said than done, the two counting their lucky stars as they got their bearings together. Nicky slowly turns around, looking at Jimmy with a guilty, embarrassed look on his mud-caked face. His tail, heavy from the earth that tried to consume him under, tucked between his legs as he sat down, letting out a saddened whine as if he was trying to say he was sorry for what happened, his ears flopped down and his head bowed down in shame. Jimmy saw and heard this while getting up, understanding Nicky through his Pokéspeak.

He would quickly walk over to Nicky with legs that shook and trembled from fatigue, kneeling and giving him a tight hug while saying “Nicky, please, you don’t have to be sorry; none of this was your fault. Words cannot describe how thankful I am that you saved me from sinking under. Also, I perfectly understand everything that happened and that you most likely got lost. I also understand that you probably couldn’t help yourself when you came across the mud pit; I probably would’ve done the same if I were you, heck, I probably would have jumped in as well. I enjoy the mud as much as you do, too. Next time, just be careful when playing in mud, alright? You could’ve been sucked under and drowned. Oh, sorry for yelling at you when you resurfaced; I was only worried and in the mindset that you were gone away. Just know that I care to the moon and back about you.”

The mud-coated Thievul’s mood lightened up, his harshness on himself dissipating as he hugged Jimmy back while affectionately rubbing his earthy head against him. A soft, vulpine purr would emit from Nicky’s throat, the two falling into a mellow, blissful state as the soothing sound gently filled their ears. Gently embracing the two in a sea of serenity, the forest would join in on the two’s moment, comforting energy from the leaves rustling, the birds chirping, and even the faint washing of a nearby stream resonating in a perfectly harmonious tune.

Brushing off the treacly earthy sludge instinctively, Jimmy got back onto his feet, the mud and water that soaked the inside of his Salomans squishing about. The mud was starting to dry up somewhat, the consistency of the caked-on dirt becoming more doughy than before.

Jimmy would then speak, “Alright Nicky, I think we’ve gone ‘off-track’ enough; to Aurora’s house we go!

…And also take a nice deep shower to clean us off as well.”

And so the two were on their way to their destination once again, taking one last glance at the deep bog, the monster now sitting in a dormant state of defeat. Jimmy and Nicky vanished into the lush foliage, navigating their way toward the path they were on before the ambush. Their footsteps would quietly yet triumphantly echo throughout the thicket as they set foot onto the path, their spirits forever marked by the muddy battle they had fought.

And lastly, they both took away the incident in a more positive, silver-lined view; another valuable life lesson to always be careful, and that only some things were as solid as they seem.

But most importantly…

You never know or can be fully prepared for when death tries to knock down your door, but you can always live life every day like it's your last.

Description
Yet another commission from Jitters! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE how this came out!!!

This commission is a few months old but I haven't gotten to uploading it since I was working on a little story for it! Story is down below if you're interested!

Art done by @ jitters_xp (on twitter) / @Jitters#9583 (on discord) ! Go check out their artwork and other social medias!

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The outdoor weather for a refreshing walk couldn’t have been any better; baby blue skies with not a puff of a cloud in sight, the sun gleefully shining down, the summer weather being rather hot but comfortable enough to go for a nice little jog, gentle comforting breezes blowing by, what more could one person ask for? With such inviting weather for not just today, but the next three days, it could make one regret staying inside instead of having fun in the sun.

Well, one young adult and his Thievul Nicky were spending the fullest of these beautiful days, taking a walk and enjoying time with Mother Nature. Today was a special day for Nicky; his trainer, Jimmy, set up a little playdate with two of his best friends, a male sky-blue-eyed Jolteon named Volt and a female lavender-eyed Thievul named Natalie. And while Nicky played with their friends, Jimmy would hang out and talk with his other best friend Jason, and his girlfriend Aurora. The two boys were walking through a thick, lush forest, since it was the fast route to the play date destination, which was at Aurora’s house.

Nicky couldn’t help but whine and squeal with uncontainable excitement, happily skipping alongside his trainer, with Jimmy cooing to him, “Awwww, is my good heart bandit excited to see his best pals?”

Nicky would yip and vocalize “Thievul!” in joy, panting happily.

“I can feel the excitement radiating off of you! I’m eager to meet up with my buds as well.”

Jimmy was about to say something else when Nicky’s ears perked up to the sound of something moving about in the lush flora, making him stop right into a playful-looking yet defensive bow within less than a second. His trainer would stop walking a few seconds later, turning around and wondering why Nicky was acting all strange. With ears swiveling about and nose twitching with each smelling sniff, it seemed as though the Thievul detected an uncertain yet ominous presence lurking around.

Nicky’s thoughts went wild, soon detecting an increasingly fearsome presence as he thought, “What’s that sound? Something tells me we’re about to be ambushed. This scent I’m picking up doesn’t smell inviting either; this macabre scent is making my nose sting…”

A low, defensive growl would soon emit from Nicky’s throat as his face scrunched up, signaling to Jimmy that something sinister was up. But what could Nicky be picking up? A wild, strong Pokémon? A threat of unimaginable proportions? An undiscovered legendary?

Based on how Nicky’s acting, whatever it was goes off the threat level charts and should be taken cautiously.

Out of nowhere, two buff men in black uniforms with the red letter “R” adorned on them emerged from the foliage and presented themselves right in front of Jimmy and Nicky, boasting facial expressions that signaled that the two were up to no good.

NO!

ROCKET GRUNTS?!

THAT WAS WHAT NICKY WAS PICKING UP?!

Well, this is not good…

“Well well well, who do we have here? James Brookwood’s son, Jimmy Brookwood and his ‘oh so pwecious heart bandit’ Nicky.” The bigger man spoke with a menacing voice.

He continued while laughing, “We’ve been hearing some news about ya, so don’t try to act dumb on us. You can try to fulfill your quest to rescue your daddy all you damn wish, but he’s locked up in Giovanni’s clutches like Fort Knox, and there’s not a single thing you or your mustached sidekick can do, heheh.”

Hearing where his father was made Jimmy’s blood boil, causing his usual cheery and uplifting mood to transition to pure rage at the drop of a hat. Nicky was also enraged at hearing this, furious that the person who saved him during that one summer night was now held hostage by the evilest corporation in the world. Out of anger, Nicky let out the meanest, most furious, and menacing Pokécry towards the two men Jimmy has ever heard him do.

Nicky is always a happy-go-lucky type of Pokémon, wanting to brighten people’s day and spread joy wherever he foxtrots to.

You’d have to be the most horrible human being for even a wholesome creature like Nicky who is never angry or easily upset to be pissed off at you.

“I knew it! I knew that you heartless bastards abducted my dad! What do you want from him!? Why is he important to you degenerates!? What kind of nightmarish things are you putting him through!?”

The more petite man would then snarkily reply, “Pffft. Why would WE ever want YOUR sorry ass to know why? It shouldn’t matter to you, since the only thing you should worry about is OBEYING TEAM ROCKET.”

Without warning, the two men pursued Jimmy and Nicky, causing them to retreat away in the opposite direction, fearing they might be captured next alongside their dad. Running as fast as they could, they never dared to look back for even a second, thinking of being unable to be home again and being used as test subjects for their horrible experiments maelstroming in their heads.

“You can run all you want, but you can NEVER hide from TEAM ROCKET!!!”

As the two ran, running so far away, Nicky tripped on a root and tumbled about for a bit before stopping flat on his face. Jimmy would yell out, “NO! NICKY!!!” but had no choice but to keep running from the shorter man, with legs that burned from exhaustion and extreme use. Nicky would attempt to get back onto all fours and run away, but before his beans met proper contact with the ground again, the bigger man would stomp onto his tail, letting him let out an ear-piercing scream of pain and preventing him from running away. Looking behind him, he saw the bigger man, looking down at him with a shiver-inducing grin while gently tossing a Team Rocket ball up and down in his hand.

He couldn’t get away now.

“Th-thth-thievul!!!” Nicky frantically vocalized out, eyes widening and his body scrunching up in fear as he began to whimper and yip frantically.

“Awwwww… Poor thing… You’d be a perfect test subject alongside your stepdad. Now stay still AND OBEY TEAM RO-”

Without warning, Nicky let out a defensive cry and fiercely snapped his jaws onto the man’s leg, the man yelling out in pain. He would try to bitchsmack and kick Nicky off him, but Nicky’s jaws maintained a fearsome grip on his leg, soon drawing blood as Nicky growled raucously while tearing away with his razor-sharp claws.

“GET THE FUCK OFF MY LEG YOU EMO-LOOKING MUTT!!!” The man fiercely yelled, smashing his Pokéball right into Nicky’s head, making the Pokéball open up and capture the Thievul.

Said Pokéball would then tumble to the ground, shaking about as it struggled to capture the Thievul that was now beginning to see nothing but red.

One…

Two…

Three…

…

Just when the man thought he had eradicated the threat, Nicky broke free from the Pokéball, letting out a fearsome cry once more while in a very aggressive stance. All the color on the grunt’s face would quickly drain away as he attempted to slowly back off, but Nicky slowly followed him, his sharp fangs showing and his pupils the narrowest of slits.

Nicky would growl loudly, “Thiiieeevvul… THIEVUL!!! (You fucked around… AND NOW YOU’RE GONNA FIND THE THE FUCK OUT!!!)” just before then pouncing onto the grunt and using a Pokémon move many times out of sheer rage.

Nicky repeatedly used Play Rough and Claw Slash on the opposing Rocket Grunt!

It’s beyond effective!!!

The Rocket Grunt is now writhing in pain and bleeding profusely!

The opposing Rocket Grunt suddenly fainted from the excruciating pain…

Nicky has won!

Our mustached fox bandit didn’t stay around for too long, hence, he was afraid that backup might be on the way. He would frantically look around for a quick escape out of view, just before gracefully leaping into a little crack in the foliage and sprinting off.

Nicky’s relentless gallop of a retreat was short-lived, the shaken-up fox bandit confused and not knowing which way was which, or how to get back to his trainer, his brain struggling to pick up the pieces of the situation that unfolded.

He was misguided.

Blinded into misplacing his steps.

Lost.

He took a moment to lay down, panting heavily with his long pink tongue hanging out as he looked around. Nicky’s world still spun round and round in his head, his little fox brain doing its damndest to process what happened. Nothing seemingly made sense the more Nicky tried to make sense of the situation, and it shouldn’t be any surprise since this was the first Team Rocket ambush Nicky and Jimmy had ever encountered. The two had heard many stories of Rocket Grunt encounters and the horrors that happened in some of them; the kidnappings, the theft of Pokémon, the muggings, and even worse, people murdered in cold blood. Nicky had to figure out where Jimmy was before it was too late!

The cute black button that was his nose began to sniff about, seeing if it could pick up his trainer’s scent, and his ears swiveled haphazardly like a radar to try and pick up any sound that could be from his trainer as he then got up. His aquamarine eyes scanned the surrounding area as he slowly walked, seeing if there was a chance that Jimmy was anywhere to be seen. He only saw the lush forest and its beautiful, luxuriant foliage that breathed botanical life into the surrounding atmosphere, sprinkled with vibrant flowers for a pop of color.

He searched for what felt like an eternity, eventually coming across a small, narrow yet forgotten path. He stepped onto the trail, his paws sinking slightly into the soft earth. The fox bandit would pause momentarily, investigating the muddy ground solid enough to support him. By now, our mustached vulpine hero had become distracted from his mission, a wave of youthful curiosity flooding his floofy body as he took a few steps on the soft ground. Nicky would eventually skip and jump about playfully onto the mud, enjoying the soft, doughy yet mushy feeling it had on his beans while venturing down the unknown route.

Guided by an invisible thread of curiosity, the imaginary line reeled Nicky in like a fish that took a piece of bait. The curious Thievul continued to explore what was ahead of him, his easily distractable brain yearning to know where the muddy footpath would lead him. At the same time, the mud began to become a little more sludgy and wet, squishing and squelching with each step. Nicky panted happily as he enjoyed the sounds and the feeling of the mud, the air resonating and filling Nicky’s booper-snoot with the strong yet pleasant scent of wet earth beneath him, a floral undertone faintly being present.

Eventually, the yellow brick road of curiosity led the foxy Pokémon to a small glade, with a few small yet inviting rays of sunshine shining through the opening of the forest’s roof, right down onto a pit of dark brown mud in the middle. The Thievul’s pupils would dilate seeing this, his curiosity piquing through the roof. One of Nicky’s most favorite things to do whenever he saw the opportunity was to play in the mud; he absolutely adores and loves the feeling of soft, squishy earth on his paws and his body. He doesn’t know exactly why, but something about mud is so stimulating. Maybe the texture, the softness, and the sliminess are the exact reasons.

The mud’s surface was seen as inviting to Nicky, the solidity and the shallowness of the soft earth illusory. The illuminated parts shimmered in the sunlight like chocolate frosting on a cake, its beauty hiding a sinister, deadly truth. The oily-esk iridescence blanked over the surface, the texture being a soft, boggy appearance that hinted to it being rather deeper than normal mud, but in reality, its depth stretches deeper than meets the eye. A few beautiful vibrantly colored wildflowers could be seen near the patch of mud, with multiple skunk cabbages adorning the very edge of the pit. No living thing appears to have disturbed or distorted the surface recently, telling Nicky he was the first one here.

But little did Nicky know, a sign out of view to his left that read “CAUTION! DEEP MUD” stood to warn others, meaning that someone had been here before. How else would that sign have been put there if someone didn’t fall into it at one point? That must’ve been long ago then. Who knows?

Nicky crept closer to the pit’s edge, not knowing how deep the pit in question could be, the urge to have a mud bath becoming perceptibly unbearable. He would then get into a playful bow, his front body lowering close to the muddy ground and his rump in the air which soon began to gently wiggle from side to side, ready to jump into the patch of mud. Nicky was full of anticipation, the intrusive thoughts to leap into the patch growing stronger every second.

Eventually, Nicky let his intrusive thoughts win, playfully hopping up and landing into the pit, ready to play in the muck.

But Nicky wasn’t expecting the pit to be deep enough to swallow him whole. He had been in deep mud before, but the deepest mud he encountered went halfway up his legs, which wasn’t that deep.

Nicky crash-landed into the pit with a squishy SPLAT!!! and was now in the muck with his rump submerged and his legs all the way into the mud, him letting out a quick yelp of surprise. The gelatinous mud would jiggle about for a little, followed by pockets of trapped gas popping at the surface in an ugly fashion. Not to mention, a profound, smelly, and swampy scent would follow suit after the bubbles.

The heavenly sensation of the cool, soft muck tickled Nicky’s brain, making him pant heavily with big breaths and deep exhales as he became aroused. Of course, all this was rather difficult for Nicky to process, since he never expected the mud to be deeper than it looked. He would attempt to move around but the thickness and heaviness of the mud fought back against him, the sleeping monster that was the peat bog now awake and sluggishly pulling Nicky deeper the more he moved.

Our mud-loving Thievul would soon get himself somewhat upright, with his chest much higher than his butt. His tail, mostly above the mud, wags in happiness chaotically. Nicky continued to agitate the soft, quicksand-like mud while he paddled about with his front paws, letting the force of Earth’s gravity pull him down further.

“Oh dear, the mud here is rather deep… But this feels so good…” Nicky thought to himself, panting even harder from the amazing sinking sensation.

The pit of sludgy earth continued to give way, the cold, slimy mud squelching and smearing about as it closed in more on Nicky. His body slowly began to feel the weight of the muck, the mud creeping higher up his body and slowly compressing him with more weight. Nicky’s cheeks warmed up immensely as he blushed from how much he loved the mud, his tongue hanging out the right side of his muzzle as he panted heavily. The fur on his body became caked up with the goopy soil, and his sweater became soiled with dirt.

At this point, the fox was sunken up to his chest and halfway up his back, his floofy tail splattered and matted with the very earth that was now bloodlust for his demise. He panted even harder and quicker, now squealing and giggling joyfully, his heart racing and pupils overly dilated with euphoria. Unbeknownst to Nicky, he sunk further and further towards the hungry brown quicksand’s point of no return at an alarming rate, his playful yet adrenaline-induced movements only speeding up the process and fogging his brain with an ignorant bliss.

With the heart bandit still oblivious to how dangerously deep he was sinking, his fur was clinging onto his body like a shroud, heavy and sodden with thick, viscid earth that weighed him down like an exercise weight vest. The cold mud continued to close around him like a vise, a frigid embrace determined to pull him under and drown him in its suffocating hold. With every inch Nicky sunk, the mud compressed against him with more pressure, slowly yet surely reducing how much air his lungs could hold. It soon started coming to the point where his chest was on the verge of strainingly heaving. The deeper the swallowing earth dragged him down, the more resistance against his muscle power added up, threatening to tire all his strength towards terminal fatigue. Each enthusiastic thrash and joyful squeal seemed to be matched by a sinister counterforce, the mud's unyielding grasp tightening around him.

Abruptly, Nicky’s heart sank when he finally realized something was wrong, him stopping his movements for a moment.

As the thick slurry slowly rose with Nicky’s chest halfway submerged, he thought, “Wait a second… shouldn’t I have felt the bottom by now? This mud pit is getting a little too deep…!”

A realization popped into his head as he sluggishly sank into the swamp-like slurry despite not moving; What if there WAS no bottom?!

“If there’s no bottom and I keep sinking until I’m submerged… W-w-what if I can’t breathe?! What if I fucking drown?!”

In the span of mere moments, the euphoric atmosphere of a surreal mud bath that had initially enveloped Nicky in a blissful state of mind, began to morph into something far more ominous. The playful muck, once a source of joy, now took on a rather sinister undertone, urging the naive Thievul to recognize the impending danger and fight for his survival while there was still a glimmer of opportunity.

Intoxicating levels of jubilance and pleasure drowned out Nicky’s sense of danger, fear still present but struggling to obtain his full attention. Nicky would begin to flail and thrash about, his front legs and rear hocks starting to burn with exhaustion already. Sooner or later they would succumb to muscle fatigue, the frantic movements only giving way towards a faster, more hopeless demise. His handkerchief suddenly became undone, slowly slipping off his neck and onto the pit’s surface.

Futility began to set in when his strength began to wane, the Thievul sunken halfway up his neck and his tail now pulled under into the earthy abyss. The sensation of sinking deeper into the muck and the weight of it on his body began to become overwhelming for Nicky, him now trembling from how amazing it felt and how surreal being stuck in the gelatinous, deep muck was.

He was now very close to having his head start to become sunken under, and no more usable energy was left in Nicky’s limbs as his struggles began to come to a halt, his muscles succumbing to fatigue. His limbs were exhausted of their strength, his miry fate sealed and the deep mud patch eager to claim its victory. Nicky just stayed there, panting heavily and letting the mud patch consume him, hence he knew he had crossed the point of no return. The disastrous amount of euphoria booming in Nicky made the feeling of fear and not wanting to drown become lost to his thoughts. Many loud yet overly amused yips and squeals came from Nicky, watching the mud creep closer and closer toward his muzzle with his heart racing.

Nicky held his head a little higher, the muck threatening to swallow his whole head and drown him. As the muck began to creep up his head, the sensation of sinking deeper and being weighed down by the mud overloaded his senses, overstimulating him to the point where it was impossible to think straight or control himself from vocalizing out in pure joy. The mud gradually inched over his face and muzzle, the thick slurry pouring into his muzzle and nose causing him to gurgle on the mud. Nicky's sensory overload went berserk as his mouth flooded with the swampy earth, his body trembling uncontrollably and his eyes rolling into the back of his head in pleasure.

“I’m… I’m in heaven…” Nicky blissfully thought to himself, the feeling of sinking under making his limbs tingle and his brain tickle.

The muck’s crater around Nicky’s face closed in, the mud patch securing its newly caught prey. One last thing Nicky saw before everything went black and silent was the beautiful forest roof, and the sunshine filtering through the lively, green leaves of the trees. Eventually, the mud closed the window to the outside world, leaving Nicky fully submerged except for his stylish head hair. That hairdo would also be slowly sunken under, all that remains of Nicky being his handkerchief and a crease in the mire’s surface, signaling that a recent victim was swallowed whole, never to be seen alive again.

Suddenly, a voice repeatedly shouted out “Nicky?! Can you hear me?! Where are you?! I’ve been looking for you for the past five minutes now!!!”

Jimmy had dealt with the Rocket Grunt earlier and is now trying to reunite with his wholesome Thievul Nicky. Worrisome panic filled his mind, fearing he might’ve lost him like how he lost his dad. He went up and down multiple paths and trails, hoping to find his floofy sidekick again.

Not long later, Jimmy comes across the same path Nicky was on, except he was on the other side where you could clearly see the sign that warned others of deep mud. He cared less about his sneakers being caked and ruined from the mud and more about the safety of his foxy friend.

Many moments pass, and Jimmy comes across the same glade Nicky had jumped into and sunk. What he saw next in the middle of the mud patch sent chills down his spine.

That was Nicky’s handkerchief!

“Does that mean- No! It can’t be!” Jimmy cried.

As a horrid realization set in, Jimmy thought frantically, “HAS NICKY DROWNED IN THAT MUD PIT?!”

Out of fear, Jimmy went into the deathly clutches of the swampy patch of earthy slurry, sinking up to his waist. Jimmy did not care about anything except for his furry companion. He felt around in the mud, seeing if he could locate Nicky and try to rescue him before it was too late while grabbing his handkerchief. But moving around meant that Jimmy would also start to sink faster, and soon the mud swallowed him up to his abdomen. Many moments pass by, his desperation only growing faster in a vile bloom.

Eventually, Jimmy simply gave up and began to sob heavily, grieving the loss of his wondrous heart bandit Nicky. He was so heartbroken that he simply let himself slowly sink further until submerged, just to drown with Nicky; that’s how much he loved and cared about him.

Just when Jimmy thought he really lost it all, he felt a little movement happening here and there in the depths of the thick muck.

Wait…

Was that Nicky?!

He’s still alive!!

Seconds later Nicky resurfaces, his entire body caked with thick, gelatinous mud all the way down to the roots of his fur. One deep, oxygen-deprived breath for air ensued as he got his head above the quagmire, Nicky’s straining lungs able to resupply his blood with the life-breathing gas.

Jimmy would exclaim to his mustached fox Pokémon, “Nicky!!! Don’t you EVER scare me like that again!!! I legit thought you drowned in the mud!!! Also, I JUST bathed you the other day!!! Why’d you let yourself get this dirty?! Now I’m dirty as well!!”

Nicky let out a foxy giggle, playfully winking at him as he slowly got himself to the pit’s edge and pulled himself out. Once he escaped, he would shake his entire body off, making mud fling all over like a truck kicking up mud while mud bogging. Looking back at Jimmy, he saw him almost up to his neck in the thick, clammy mud, desperately struggling to get himself out with a soul-crushing look of fear. The fox’s heart sank when he saw this, finally realizing the grave gravity of the situation, along with how dangerous the mud pit’s deepness and thickness was. All those scenes in movies, fireside stories, and YouTube videos that came to Nicky’s mind sparked a shocking revelation within him.

This wasn’t any ordinary mud pit…

Nor was it just some deep peat bog…

This was genuine quicksand!

And his trainer was in one of those deadly traps, moments away from being sucked under and drowning!

“Nicky! Please! You need to find a way to pull me out! I can’t reach anything to grab onto! There’s no other way I can get out!” Jimmy frantically yells, pleading to Nicky for help.

Nicky would quickly vocalize, “Th-Thievul!!! (I-I’m on it!!!)” while looking around for a branch or vine to help pull his trainer out of the mud.

It was a fierce race against the clock, a test Nicky was assigned to decide whether his trainer could make it back home for another supper or not. He would bolt down the narrow path, seeing what could be used as a lifeline for Jimmy.

Thankfully, it did not take long to find something that his trainer could grab onto; a dead tree with a big, long branch sitting dormantly in the foliage off the beaten path.

Nicky exclaims, “Perfect! This is the ticket to saving him!”

He would snap his jaws onto said branch, and tried to muster as much strength as he could to snap it off. Nicky growled as he tugged and pulled at the branch, worried down to the marrow of his bones that he wouldn’t make it in time at this rate. The amount of strength he used soon started to make the burning in his legs return for another round of muscle fatigue.

Tug… tug… tug… *crackle* tug… *crickety* tug… tug… tug… tug… tug…

CRACKASNAP!!!

As Nicky yips in accomplishment, he rushes over to the path, and towards the deadly glade that was holding Jimmy hostage. While he ran, Jimmy desperately yelled out, “HEEEELP MEEEE!!!!”

By the time Nicky returned, his soul left his body as he saw his trainer just barely above the surface, their head and face about to become sucked under. Our mustached vulpine hero would then bring the longer side of the stick out to Jimmy, him grabbing onto it for dear life.

“PUUUUULLL!!!” Jimmy screamed, Nicky following through and not wanting to let him down.

Mustering up every ounce of strength Nicky had left in his body, he began to pull forwards, slowly yet surely pulling the young trainer out. He maintained a grip on the doughy ground with his claws, them acting like a traction control aid on a modern car. Through burning muscles and fearsome growls of strength, Nicky pushed on through, knowing that this was all or nothing. The gelatinous, swampy muck refused to accept defeat and insisted on becoming victorious, keeping a firm grip on Jimmy, making this situation a tug of war between life and death. The lush forest even seemed to hold its breath in anticipation, praying without fail that the fox bandit would save Jimmy from what would’ve been his final resting place.

The more Nicky pulled, the more the suffocating grip of the quicksand slowly relinquished its hold, with his efforts relentless and his determination unwavering. Inch by painstaking inch, he drew his trainer closer to solid ground, his heart pounding in his vulpine ears, in time with the rhythm of his exertion. So much adrenaline and hysterical strength blitzkrieged through his body that it seemed to block out most of his senses, his ears beginning to become filled with a monotonous yet deafening ring, the excruciating burning sensation of muscle fatigue stinging him like a swarm of Beedrills. The two souls’ worlds flipped upside down, inside and out, not knowing if they’d make it as time seemed to stretch toward infinity.

Finally, with a final surge of strength, Nicky freed his beloved trainer from the quicksand's clutches, the two stumbling onto solid ground, gasping for air and trembling with gratitude. The forest seemed to exhale a collective sigh of relief, the leaves rustling in a gentle breeze and the birds chirping in a victorious song in the forest as if applauding Nicky's heroic act.

Heads spinning and thoughts speeding a mile a second, the two struggled to pick the pieces up. Attempting to make sense of the intense ordeal that went down was much easier said than done, the two counting their lucky stars as they got their bearings together. Nicky slowly turns around, looking at Jimmy with a guilty, embarrassed look on his mud-caked face. His tail, heavy from the earth that tried to consume him under, tucked between his legs as he sat down, letting out a saddened whine as if he was trying to say he was sorry for what happened, his ears flopped down and his head bowed down in shame. Jimmy saw and heard this while getting up, understanding Nicky through his Pokéspeak.

He would quickly walk over to Nicky with legs that shook and trembled from fatigue, kneeling and giving him a tight hug while saying “Nicky, please, you don’t have to be sorry; none of this was your fault. Words cannot describe how thankful I am that you saved me from sinking under. Also, I perfectly understand everything that happened and that you most likely got lost. I also understand that you probably couldn’t help yourself when you came across the mud pit; I probably would’ve done the same if I were you, heck, I probably would have jumped in as well. I enjoy the mud as much as you do, too. Next time, just be careful when playing in mud, alright? You could’ve been sucked under and drowned. Oh, sorry for yelling at you when you resurfaced; I was only worried and in the mindset that you were gone away. Just know that I care to the moon and back about you.”

The mud-coated Thievul’s mood lightened up, his harshness on himself dissipating as he hugged Jimmy back while affectionately rubbing his earthy head against him. A soft, vulpine purr would emit from Nicky’s throat, the two falling into a mellow, blissful state as the soothing sound gently filled their ears. Gently embracing the two in a sea of serenity, the forest would join in on the two’s moment, comforting energy from the leaves rustling, the birds chirping, and even the faint washing of a nearby stream resonating in a perfectly harmonious tune.

Brushing off the treacly earthy sludge instinctively, Jimmy got back onto his feet, the mud and water that soaked the inside of his Salomans squishing about. The mud was starting to dry up somewhat, the consistency of the caked-on dirt becoming more doughy than before.

Jimmy would then speak, “Alright Nicky, I think we’ve gone ‘off-track’ enough; to Aurora’s house we go!

…And also take a nice deep shower to clean us off as well.”

And so the two were on their way to their destination once again, taking one last glance at the deep bog, the monster now sitting in a dormant state of defeat. Jimmy and Nicky vanished into the lush foliage, navigating their way toward the path they were on before the ambush. Their footsteps would quietly yet triumphantly echo throughout the thicket as they set foot onto the path, their spirits forever marked by the muddy battle they had fought.

And lastly, they both took away the incident in a more positive, silver-lined view; another valuable life lesson to always be careful, and that only some things were as solid as they seem.

But most importantly…

You never know or can be fully prepared for when death tries to knock down your door, but you can always live life every day like it's your last.