Frontier Town Founder's Square

[Jackie Cat]

A new day brought new visitors to Frontier Town.

These ones were... different.

A Samurott had set up a little personal grooming station at the side of the fountain, with a hand mirror, shell razor, and some kind of foamy lather to brush onto her carefully-trimmed whisker-tufts. She remained focused on the act of cutting, even as some passers-by gave her dirty looks for using the public fountain in such a way. A wide-brimmed straw hat lay just beside her.

Meanwhile, even more dirty looks – and looks of horror – fell upon the hulking Golisopod who was bathing in the fountain. It seemed that one of the two had heated the fountain's water until it steamed, and Golisopod was now sprawled out enjoying an improvised hot springs of sorts. Just next to him on the fountain's rim was a folded poncho.

"Hey, Kyoko," he burbled.

"Mm?"

"Did you notice the statue? I wonder if it's of some local big-shot."

There was a brief silence.

"Most likely."

"Heh. Take your time shaving, ma'am. I don't wish to hurry out of this lovely water."

The Samurott raised an eyebrow. "Ibuki, our departure depends on whom we encounter here, does it not? This is a public place. We are well-positioned to ask locals if they have seen that person."

"Ah, yes. Of course. Well, don't mind me, then!"

Eventually, news of the pair's unseemly behaviour spread around the town, and certain offworlders soon approached...

 

[AdamArtDraws]

"You know, if you wanted to give yourselves a wash, I know a good bath house a short walk away," Felin said, approaching the pair with her usual smile and bravado. The slight curve of her brows indicated caution however, yet at the same time some anticipation.

"Don't think I've seen either of your faces here before. You're new in town?" Felin asked with a slight tilt of her head. "Or are you here on business?"

 

[Phoenixsong]

Honestly, even with all the Frontier Townies scandalized by it, it was kinda funny to see the two big pokémon just lounging around in the fountain. A big ol' stuffy statue of a bird, a bird which was definitely not Ignatius no really he promised, turned into a bird bath. He deserved at least that much, the prick. But blah blah public nudity probably, and maybe people drank out of that water or something? Did they? Hm, Leaf had never noticed either way.

Why nobody was telling them off if it was such a big deal, she had no idea. Probably just because they were huge. Fair enough that it was weird they weren't doing this at the Haus or the Saloon or something, though.

"Hi! Who are you looking for?" she asked, moving closer. Would she have any idea who it was? Unlikely. Was the answer probably gonna be interesting anyway, with rough customers like these? She'd eat her scarf if it wasn't.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Feeling his strength finally returning to him in full, Corey was taking the opportunity to enjoy a brisk walk through town. The ralts expected to see the usual goings on, now that it appeared the community had settled back into a certain degree of normalcy... What he got instead was an unfamiliar Samurott taking a shave and a Golisopod bathing in the public fountain... Already this was a peculiar pair to stumble upon, but... why were they doing this here of all places? Was that just a normal thing in Forlasian culture? Hardly seemed the most sanitary...

Now, despite how strange this was, Corey initially figured this wasn't his business. After all, he was, at most, an amateur bounty hunter, not any kind of police. This sort of thing wasn't his responsibility... and yet... it seemed some of the others of his group had decided to personally inquire about the situation. Now, admittedly he knew very little about this Sprigatito, and even less about the Ponyta, but evidently they were of the more eagerly outgoing sort, judging by how they were just blatantly approaching these two strangers without a care in the world.

Letting out a sigh, as he now couldn't help but have his own curiosity get the better of him, Corey edged his way closer to the fountain as well, just to see what all this was about.

 

[Jackie Cat]

The Samurott carefully put down her tools, wiped her face clean with a small washcloth, and stood to turn to the newcomers. She bowed, with her paws overlaid.

"Good morning," she said. "My name is Kyoko, and I serve a distant lord of Tsainan."

She gestured behind her to the lounging isopod.

"This oaf is Ibuki. Pay him little heed – he is an exceptionally poor retainer."

At this, the Golisopod laughed amiably.

Kyoko sniffed, and reached inside her hat for a piece of paper. She unrolled it, and held it up for Felin and Leaf to see.



"Have you seen this person?" she asked. "We have been looking for him for several days. Your assistance in find him would be a blessing."

 

[AdamArtDraws]

"Nope never seen him before in my life," Felin replied curtly before shooting Leaf a glance. "You?"

 

[Phoenixsong]

Well, they sure seemed polite enough. Leaf squinted at the poster the dark-shelled samurott held up for them. Was that the pokémon who'd been helping the mayor? No, no, her name had been... Rim or Rin or something, right? "Don't think I've seen them specifically, sorry," she said, shaking her head at both the sprigatito and Kyoko. Then she added, realizing she felt a little wary after the whole Sonora thing, "What kind of stuff did he do?"

 

[Mr.RMA]

"Well clearly he disturbed the peace somehow," Corey chimed in, still a slight distance off but close enough to be able to read the wanted poster. Slightly emboldened now that he chose to speak up, he closed the gap between himself and the group.

"Seems like a somewhat low bounty though... I'm afraid I haven't seen this indivudal either, but, if I may be so bold to ask... why are you two so determined to track this Bisharp down in particular? Just out of a sense of duty perhaps?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Kyoko huffed with what sounded like disdain for the pokémon on her poster.

"I do not know what specific malfeasance earned him a place on this notice, but knowing Bisharp Kotetsu, no doubt it was some disgraceful behaviour more befitting a barbarian ruffian than a son of Tsainan. The lord of my house has charged me with responsibility for him – it is this assignment that brings me to this country." She sighed. "...Each day, I am the furthest from my homeland I have ever been."

"I bet he got sodden and started a fight!" hollered Ibuki. "If only all 'mon were happy drunks, eh?"

"If only all 'mon were sober at all times," countered Kyoko, with a sour tone.

 

[AdamArtDraws]

"So, you want to catch him. Do I have that right?" Felin asked, stroking her chin while she grafted the Bisharp's features into her mind. The reward for him was... paltry to say the least.

If she ran the numbers for how much it'd cost to go through contacts, set off on the hunt and tracking him down wherever he was... wouldn't she be running at a loss? Bounty hunting wasn't cheap.

Felin drew her face away from the poster and glanced over at her peers to hear their thoughts on the matter.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Corey pondered this new info for a bit. Seemed this was a fellow who'd traveled from afar and had a habit of getting in trouble with the law when it came to his antics, and these two were sent to retrieve him. That was their story at least, and to be fair, the stress coming from Kyoko seemed pretty sincere.

"Well, if he's really as rambunctious as you say, he's bound to make himself known with his, err... 'activities' soon enough, yeah? Unless you think he'd be lucid enough to realize when he's got a warrant out for his capture."

 

[kyeugh]

Prim passed some afternoons peoplewatching in the town commons, much as she did when visiting cities back home. Today she chose the gaudy fountain as her perch, passively absorbing its waters through the woody skin of her ankles and feet. Hydration made the sky seem just a little brighter, made the singing of birds a touch more melodic.

She had chosen a good spot today, it seemed, as there was no lack of entertainment to be had. She watched with a stony expression as the huge, unseemly pokémon tottered about the fountain like drunken toddlers, carelessly dashing the cobbles around the fountain with huge waves as they moved.

Things seemed less funny when one of them produced a poster featuring a sneering visage all too familiar to her.

View attachment 1312

"Have you seen this person?" she asked. "We have been looking for him for several days. Your assistance in find him would be a blessing. I do not know what specific malfeasance earned him a place on this notice, but knowing Bisharp Kotetsu, no doubt it was some disgraceful behaviour more befitting a barbarian ruffian than a son of Tsainan. The lord of my house has charged me with responsibility for him – it is this assignment that brings me to this country." She sighed. "...Each day, I am the furthest from my homeland I have ever been."

"I bet he got sodden and started a fight!" hollered Ibuki. "If only all 'mon were happy drunks, eh?"

"I know that bastard," she spoke up at last. She turned her address to Ibuki, gesturing at the nasty welt developing between her eyes—it shone emerald, not ruby like a human contusion would. "Crossed with him at Nina's Place. You look smarter than he did, so I'm sure you can piece together what happened from there." She grimaced and removed her feet from the fountain. "What else do you want to know?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

At the timely appearance of Prim and her shiner, Kyoko took a sharp intake of breath, and Ibuki gave a great belly-laugh.

"I apologise for the behaviour of my countryman," said Kyoko, bowing to Prim.

Ibuki gave a sort of waving salute to the Petilil. "Sapling, did he let you have the first blow?" he asked, good-naturedly. "How did he look?"

Kyoko turned to Corey, shaking her head at the Golisopod's attitude.

"The Winds have not blessed me with the wisdom to understand Kotetsu's behaviour, much less predict it. However, I doubt a paltry bounty will concern him. He is a formidable warrior and I doubt many of this region's wandfighters and the like have the strength to fight him."

She carefully took her hat and returned it to her head.

"Are you capable of battle? I have not yet seen any strong fighters in this town."

 

[Mr.RMA]

The sight of the Petilil arriving on the scene with a very conspicuous bruise, which, as she reported, was at the expense of this Kotetsu, seemed to strike a nerve in Corey. Beyond his bandaged face, his eyes glowed with intense anger, perhaps only a step below what he'd felt when he lashed out at Ignatius. Once again, Prim was someone he knew very little of, but he knew when someone had been bullied... and he was not going to stand for it.

"Are you capable of battle? I have not yet seen any strong fighters in this town."

His timidity seemed all but gone upon being asked the question.

"I'll admit we may not seem like much individually at first glance, but I assure you, when the likes of us work together, we're plenty capable. If this... pardon my Kalosian, but, if this prick is going around harassing people like this, and you're so inclined to take him back to your homeland, I can promise you we'll do what we can to make that happen... sooner rather than later."

He cast his glance at the others, admittedly not so certain if he was really speaking for all of them or not, but, he felt rather confident that if they were all from the Nexus, they in turn were not the sort to just let this kind of thing slide.

He turned his attention squarely at Prim. "Do you know if he's still at Nina's Place?"

 

[kyeugh]

"I apologise for the behaviour of my countryman," said Kyoko, bowing to Prim.

Ibuki gave a sort of waving salute to the Petilil. "Sapling, did he let you have the first blow?" he asked, good-naturedly. "How did he look?"

Kyoko turned to Corey, shaking her head at the Golisopod's attitude.

Prim squinted at the heaving golisopod. "Well... He did invite me to strike him first, and I did. But this was after he hurled me halfway across the room like a wild person, so I suppose it depends on what you consider a 'first blow' to be. As for how it turned out, well. Like I said, I think you can handle the detective work."

She returned Kyoko's bow, quite awkwardly. "Glad his behavior doesn't seem typical of his homeland, at least," she added with a sigh. It was quite something that the apparently-ascendant land of Tsainan had been forced to send retainers after its rowdiest vagrants—but her mind turned to Ferry, and she realized she didn't play such a different part back home, all things considered.

He turned his attention squarely at Prim. "Do you know if he's still at Nina's Place?"

"This was days ago, so I certainly hope not," she replied. Then she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Based on the way these two are talking, though, maybe we shouldn't put it past him?"

"The Winds have not blessed me with the wisdom to understand Kotetsu's behaviour, much less predict it. However, I doubt a paltry bounty will concern him. He is a formidable warrior and I doubt many of this region's wandfighters and the like have the strength to fight him."

She carefully took her hat and returned it to her head.

"Are you capable of battle? I have not yet seen any strong fighters in this town."

"Couldn't hack it alone, obviously," Prim said, "but there was another bisharp—Rin, I think?—and as a group we made quick work of that one. Purely deserved, of course. Twenty-five pieces probably aren't going to pull in that many swords, though."

She paused for a moment, eyes flashing. "Myself, I'll help for nothing. Call it a random act of kindness." Her eyes lingered on the poster, two words in particular printed in bold face:

Wanted ALIVE​

 

[Namohysip]

That was when a Treecko entered the premises, only idly listening in on the conversation, as she dipped her bucket into the fountain and left a few coins in return as "payment" for her procurement of water.

"Bounty hunting again, are we?" she asked with a little hum. This conversation seemed interesting enough, so she set her bucket near the edge of the pool, in the shade, and climbed inside to become an audience to the discussion. "We're strong enough to have taken out the mayor and his guards if that's strength. I don't really know. We don't know our own strength very well yet."

 

[Phoenixsong]

So they were more concerned about the fact that he was in some kind of trouble back home than that he was wanted for whatever peace he'd disturbed here? More jumped-up chaperones than bounty hunters, sounded like. Now Leaf really wanted to know what Kotetsu had done for Kyoko and her "lord" to go to all this trouble. People feeling like they needed to babysit someone who could take care of themselves made her eye twitch.

She rolled her eyes a little at the ralts voluntelling her to help, and at the treecko blathering on like this was just some other job. Kyoko and Ibuki seemed pretty cool, but they didn't even know any of these guys. If Kotetsu really had punched out the old flower lady for no reason, though, then he did at least need to answer for that... ugh. Fine.

"If he wants to pick a fight, we can fight," she said, shrugging. "I guess we can find him and see what he's got to say for himself."

 

[AdamArtDraws]

"If he wants to pick a fight, we can fight," she said, shrugging. "I guess we can find him and see what he's got to say for himself."

"FOR the right price. Give us triple his bounty and then we're talking," Felin desperately wanted to add, but her inner cat mind held her tongue and she didn't voice it. Instead she brushed the back of her neck and hummed in thought.

"Bounty hunting again, are we?" she asked with a little hum. This conversation seemed interesting enough, so she set her bucket near the edge of the pool, in the shade, and climbed inside to become an audience to the discussion. "We're strong enough to have taken out the mayor and his guards if that's strength. I don't really know. We don't know our own strength very well yet."

At that moment she noticed the bucket dwelling Treecko. "Oh, fancy seeing you here. That makes four of us here now. Should be enough to take down a swordsman."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Oof!" whistled Ibuki. "Better luck next time, sapling!"

"Rin?" asked Kyoko, with interest. "That is a Tsainanese name. Another Bisharp, you said? I wonder if she is also a samurai, or else a masterless warrior. Or worse..."

It sounded like Kyoko had said samurai, but Prim would have heard knight, and perhaps wandersword in place of 'masterless warrior'. Regardless of if any listener knew the word or not, the Voice had evidently translated a word meaning noble warrior.

Then the Samurott frowned.

"I think we may not fully understand each other. Forgive my imperfect Luctemarene tongue, I must have misspoken. I am not trying to collect Kotetsu's bounty, or to take him back west, or to fight him – he is my... What is it you foreigners say? He is my boss."

Ibuki snickered at her from over in the still-bubbling fountain.

"The oaf's boss, also," added Kyoko, groaning. "For my sins."

Just as Kyoko's words sank in for the gathered offworlders, a clunking of metal armour could be heard from down along Main Street. The Samurott looked up and scowled at the approaching Bisharp.

"I heard you finally made it into town!" called Kotetsu. "Good for you! Took you long enough."

Kyoko bowed to the new arrival. It looked like she lost a week off her life to do so.

 

[Namohysip]

"Oh, look. Twenty-five dollars just drifted near the fountain," Mhynt hummed and took no action to leave her cozy personal oasis.