HOME | DD

Description
Eurgh this actually took forever and the buildings look horrible. I've never been good with backgrounds but it was fun drawing loads of different teams.

CAMEOS FOR THE ILLUSTRATION

Illustration drawn and Zigzagoon belong to-
Story written and Adrian the Sandshrew belong to-

Warning!= Story may contain strong language.

-------------Task One-----Part Two-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You barely even let me talk."

"You didn't have anything to say."

"You didn't know that."

"You are correct!" Cinder snapped, reeling back at him, "and get this- I didn't care!"

"What the-", Adrian started, grimacing, and she cut him off.

"Are you really satisfied with doing almost nothing every day?", she snapped, "There's a reason we haven't been given any real jobs. Kara doesn't trust us as far as she can throw us, and frankly, I don't give half a shit what her reasoning is. Now, they're overwhelmed, they're understaffed, and they need more people for the job. This is our first actual mission. Let's not fuck this up, shall we?"

Adrian glared at her for a moment, clenching his teeth, then let out a huff.
"Fine," he muttered, "Fine, fine, fine! Let's get it over with. Where do we start?"

"Let's get rid of a few things first," she stated, "Where can we rule out completely?"

"Anywhere that's close to the guilds, assuming they know where they are," he suggested, clenching down on his bottom lip. "They'd probably have scouted the Royal Guard offices and the prison, but those last two are fairly close together. That leaves everywhere this side of Crescent Bay."

"Right. Now, we've got dozens of teams searching for the other two, the Sceptile and Riolu, along with a few after our target. Where would they be?"

"I'm not sure."

Cinder grumbled, bringing her palm to her face.
"Adrian?" she asked, "What did you call the Hunters before?"

"A bunch of dark, dramatic idiots thinking that they're badasses," he snapped, "or something to that effect. I can't remember. I swear, every single member of this absurd organization has either..." He cocked his head, tapping them out on his fingers, "a criminal record, a restraining order, or a skull for a wine-cup. Actually, most have all three."

"Has your opinion changed?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No."

"Good."

"I've said it a hundred times," he continued, "but if it wasn't for the pay, I'd leave in a second. The whole mentality that they've got is just ludicrous. Everything's on some kind of need-to-know basis, because behind the curtain of secrecy- damn it, that's redundant, but never mind- they can hide the fact that they don't know what the hell they're doing."
Cinder twirled the fur on the back of her head between her claws, giving it a little scratch before nodding.
"They think," Adrian emphasized, the tone of his voice growing harsher, "that it's enough to have their layers of reputation, of confidentiality, and that's it... They're more interested in being taken seriously than actually having the answers, and that's pathetic, really."

"How many adjectives did you just use?" Cinder asked, cocking her head. "You could've just said "they don't have the answers to anything, but pretend that they do to look badass". You didn't need to elaborate so much. And, with what you said earlier- it's not just the money you need. What place would even hire you? Not the Researchers, that's for damn sure."
Adrian glared at her, gritting his teeth.
"I do agree with you, though, and you know that," she stated, flicking a bit of fur away from her eyes.

"It's not that I think I'm superior to them", he retaliated, "It's just that they're literally so stupid that they're beyond comprehension. Anyway, what's the point of the question? I haven't suddenly changed what I think in the last couple hours."

"It was a rhetorical question, actually," she grumbled, "I was just saying that you know what the Hunters are like. Anyway, I'll show you what I mean." She gestured toward the alley, pointing at the dumpsters in the distance.
"Give it a second," she continued, craning her head forward a little. "Just... about... There." Squinting a bit, she pointed at a dumpster to the side of the alley.

"Where?" he asked, "I can't see anything."

"It was there a second ago," she replied, "Give it a minute."

"I don't see what you're-"

"There!"
There it was- a little brown shape scurrying past the dumpster, then turning back and jumping on top of it, looking inside.

"Is that a Patrat?" Adrian exclaimed, "What's it doing here?"

"The exact same thing as we are, moron," Cinder huffed, "and besides, don't you recognize him? That's a Hunter." She turned around, running her claws down her bandaged arm. "They're all over the place."
She clapped her paws together, and let out another sigh.
"They're all convinced that everything's going to work like they do- stereotypically, dramatically, always in the shadows. They're probably down every back alley in the whole city. Thing is, the Greninja knows this. We don't know how long they've stayed in the city, but it's probably just as long as the Sceptile impersonated the Ambassador, if not longer. They must've scouted the guilds by now, and they know how they operate. Because of that, the absolute last place that it would hide would be the back alleys. It's somewhere else."

"Makes sense," Adrian nodded, "So where were you thinking?"

"Anywhere but here. Like Whoretaker said a while back, the easiest way to not be noticed is if you're in a crowd. If my guess is right, he'll just be going up and down the retail district."

"How far away is that?" he asked, cocking his head. "We've been walking for a while now."

"Yes. In that direction. I'm not a complete idiot, Adrian."
She strode down the alley, walking out onto the crowded street, looking back and forth at the rows of vendors and colorful tents. The passerby were out in full force, as usual, moving from shop to shop as they scanned for the sale tags and the bargain signs.
"He'll probably have changed his clothes," she nodded, "so if you see any Greninja, just let me know. They are a fairly rare species, after all."

"We've got a couple blocks to cover, though," he replied, "How do we know that he'll be here?"

"We don't. I'm just speculating here. Hopefully, we'll get luckier- but I do know for a fact that we'll do better than the rest of those idiots."

"Okay, how are we supposed to catch it once we find it?"

"That'll be up to you, for the most part. I can take care of it once we've got it immobilized. Remind me how your Sand Tomb works again?

"I don't really understand it myself, to be honest," he admitted, tapping twice on the ground with his foot. "It has to do with the density and composition of the ground. I can change the density by tapping the ground it in the right places, loosening the dirt by the vibrations. I don't know why that works- I mean, I've heard that focusing on the right places can make anything structurally unstable, but hitting the right ones every time? There has to be something more to it, but I'm not sure what. I'd ask the Researchers, but you know how they-"

"Whatever," Cinder interjected, "You can make sinkholes in the ground, right?"

"Yes, I can. I've seen people make cascades of sand with it, that come out of the ground, but I don't know how to do that."

"Good. Make sinkholes, then."

"You know," he grumbled, "I still wish I could've talked to Donovan."

"Yes, Adrian, I'm sure that society as a whole couldn't function without you. Now can you please shut up and get going?"

They headed through the crowds, scanning through rows of colorful tents, expensive clothing stores, and countless vendors, looking for signs of anything out of the ordinary... but for once, the city didn't offer it.

"This is taking forever," Adrian grumbled, staring at a food cart across the street. "I'm going to get something to eat."

"I never said it wouldn't take a while, just that we had a better chance than average."

"Yeah, really... with the laws of irony, as soon as we stop looking for him, he'll be right there."
Cinder stared at him for a moment, then shook her head.
"Do you think someone could've caught him already?" he asked, glancing back at the food cart. "Say he went into an alley to take a piss or something, and they grabbed him?"

"I seriously doubt it-

Next Part- sepia-zorua.deviantart.com/art…
Previous Part- sepia-zorua.deviantart.com/art…

Team Eloquence Application- sepia-zorua.deviantart.com/art…

Description
Eurgh this actually took forever and the buildings look horrible. I've never been good with backgrounds but it was fun drawing loads of different teams.

CAMEOS FOR THE ILLUSTRATION

Illustration drawn and Zigzagoon belong to-
Story written and Adrian the Sandshrew belong to-

Warning!= Story may contain strong language.

-------------Task One-----Part Two-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You barely even let me talk."

"You didn't have anything to say."

"You didn't know that."

"You are correct!" Cinder snapped, reeling back at him, "and get this- I didn't care!"

"What the-", Adrian started, grimacing, and she cut him off.

"Are you really satisfied with doing almost nothing every day?", she snapped, "There's a reason we haven't been given any real jobs. Kara doesn't trust us as far as she can throw us, and frankly, I don't give half a shit what her reasoning is. Now, they're overwhelmed, they're understaffed, and they need more people for the job. This is our first actual mission. Let's not fuck this up, shall we?"

Adrian glared at her for a moment, clenching his teeth, then let out a huff.
"Fine," he muttered, "Fine, fine, fine! Let's get it over with. Where do we start?"

"Let's get rid of a few things first," she stated, "Where can we rule out completely?"

"Anywhere that's close to the guilds, assuming they know where they are," he suggested, clenching down on his bottom lip. "They'd probably have scouted the Royal Guard offices and the prison, but those last two are fairly close together. That leaves everywhere this side of Crescent Bay."

"Right. Now, we've got dozens of teams searching for the other two, the Sceptile and Riolu, along with a few after our target. Where would they be?"

"I'm not sure."

Cinder grumbled, bringing her palm to her face.
"Adrian?" she asked, "What did you call the Hunters before?"

"A bunch of dark, dramatic idiots thinking that they're badasses," he snapped, "or something to that effect. I can't remember. I swear, every single member of this absurd organization has either..." He cocked his head, tapping them out on his fingers, "a criminal record, a restraining order, or a skull for a wine-cup. Actually, most have all three."

"Has your opinion changed?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No."

"Good."

"I've said it a hundred times," he continued, "but if it wasn't for the pay, I'd leave in a second. The whole mentality that they've got is just ludicrous. Everything's on some kind of need-to-know basis, because behind the curtain of secrecy- damn it, that's redundant, but never mind- they can hide the fact that they don't know what the hell they're doing."
Cinder twirled the fur on the back of her head between her claws, giving it a little scratch before nodding.
"They think," Adrian emphasized, the tone of his voice growing harsher, "that it's enough to have their layers of reputation, of confidentiality, and that's it... They're more interested in being taken seriously than actually having the answers, and that's pathetic, really."

"How many adjectives did you just use?" Cinder asked, cocking her head. "You could've just said "they don't have the answers to anything, but pretend that they do to look badass". You didn't need to elaborate so much. And, with what you said earlier- it's not just the money you need. What place would even hire you? Not the Researchers, that's for damn sure."
Adrian glared at her, gritting his teeth.
"I do agree with you, though, and you know that," she stated, flicking a bit of fur away from her eyes.

"It's not that I think I'm superior to them", he retaliated, "It's just that they're literally so stupid that they're beyond comprehension. Anyway, what's the point of the question? I haven't suddenly changed what I think in the last couple hours."

"It was a rhetorical question, actually," she grumbled, "I was just saying that you know what the Hunters are like. Anyway, I'll show you what I mean." She gestured toward the alley, pointing at the dumpsters in the distance.
"Give it a second," she continued, craning her head forward a little. "Just... about... There." Squinting a bit, she pointed at a dumpster to the side of the alley.

"Where?" he asked, "I can't see anything."

"It was there a second ago," she replied, "Give it a minute."

"I don't see what you're-"

"There!"
There it was- a little brown shape scurrying past the dumpster, then turning back and jumping on top of it, looking inside.

"Is that a Patrat?" Adrian exclaimed, "What's it doing here?"

"The exact same thing as we are, moron," Cinder huffed, "and besides, don't you recognize him? That's a Hunter." She turned around, running her claws down her bandaged arm. "They're all over the place."
She clapped her paws together, and let out another sigh.
"They're all convinced that everything's going to work like they do- stereotypically, dramatically, always in the shadows. They're probably down every back alley in the whole city. Thing is, the Greninja knows this. We don't know how long they've stayed in the city, but it's probably just as long as the Sceptile impersonated the Ambassador, if not longer. They must've scouted the guilds by now, and they know how they operate. Because of that, the absolute last place that it would hide would be the back alleys. It's somewhere else."

"Makes sense," Adrian nodded, "So where were you thinking?"

"Anywhere but here. Like Whoretaker said a while back, the easiest way to not be noticed is if you're in a crowd. If my guess is right, he'll just be going up and down the retail district."

"How far away is that?" he asked, cocking his head. "We've been walking for a while now."

"Yes. In that direction. I'm not a complete idiot, Adrian."
She strode down the alley, walking out onto the crowded street, looking back and forth at the rows of vendors and colorful tents. The passerby were out in full force, as usual, moving from shop to shop as they scanned for the sale tags and the bargain signs.
"He'll probably have changed his clothes," she nodded, "so if you see any Greninja, just let me know. They are a fairly rare species, after all."

"We've got a couple blocks to cover, though," he replied, "How do we know that he'll be here?"

"We don't. I'm just speculating here. Hopefully, we'll get luckier- but I do know for a fact that we'll do better than the rest of those idiots."

"Okay, how are we supposed to catch it once we find it?"

"That'll be up to you, for the most part. I can take care of it once we've got it immobilized. Remind me how your Sand Tomb works again?

"I don't really understand it myself, to be honest," he admitted, tapping twice on the ground with his foot. "It has to do with the density and composition of the ground. I can change the density by tapping the ground it in the right places, loosening the dirt by the vibrations. I don't know why that works- I mean, I've heard that focusing on the right places can make anything structurally unstable, but hitting the right ones every time? There has to be something more to it, but I'm not sure what. I'd ask the Researchers, but you know how they-"

"Whatever," Cinder interjected, "You can make sinkholes in the ground, right?"

"Yes, I can. I've seen people make cascades of sand with it, that come out of the ground, but I don't know how to do that."

"Good. Make sinkholes, then."

"You know," he grumbled, "I still wish I could've talked to Donovan."

"Yes, Adrian, I'm sure that society as a whole couldn't function without you. Now can you please shut up and get going?"

They headed through the crowds, scanning through rows of colorful tents, expensive clothing stores, and countless vendors, looking for signs of anything out of the ordinary... but for once, the city didn't offer it.

"This is taking forever," Adrian grumbled, staring at a food cart across the street. "I'm going to get something to eat."

"I never said it wouldn't take a while, just that we had a better chance than average."

"Yeah, really... with the laws of irony, as soon as we stop looking for him, he'll be right there."
Cinder stared at him for a moment, then shook her head.
"Do you think someone could've caught him already?" he asked, glancing back at the food cart. "Say he went into an alley to take a piss or something, and they grabbed him?"

"I seriously doubt it-

Next Part- sepia-zorua.deviantart.com/art…
Previous Part- sepia-zorua.deviantart.com/art…

Team Eloquence Application- sepia-zorua.deviantart.com/art…