Write about your favorite canon character

(Written by NaivEevee )

As I narrow my eyes, my vision sharpens and focuses on the goods. Beside the store corner in shadows, I kick up dust behind me, lowering my body into a crouched stance. The shiny gold coins are practically spilling out of the Treasure bag of this newbie Pichu explorer - a perfect target. Gold. I love how irresistibly shiny gold coins are and how they shimmer and glint when I hold them up to the sun. The best part before starting my task is knowing that all of what I'm setting my eyes on is going to be mine.

I dash forward, picking up speed. In quick move, I snatch the brown satchel in my beak and tear it away from the Pichu who yelps in surprise. He tumbles towards his friend, an Azurill, perhaps another baby Explorer. Adrenaline surges through me, and I take off into the air. I move quickly, but it's not long before the Sheriff's Magnemite minions are after me with their sirens blaring. Too bad they've never caught me - not even once. So I remind them that they never will.

"Catch me if you can, fools!"

"ZZT...STOP! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST...ZZT!"

I dive towards the deep woods. There, I can find coverage among the leafy branches. I know I can lose them soon. No matter how quickly Sheriff's minions can move, they can't move quickly enough to dodge low branches at the last second or maneuver past the native flying Pokémon who live here. I turn back just in time to see one of the officer Magnemite crash into a tree trunk after a fallen leaf cover his only eye. I let out a victory cackle.

Eventually, when I am sure that no one is chasing me, I land quietly to the earth in a green clearing. I turn the satchel upside down with my beak, and a couple Oran berries fall out. I can eat them later, but I'm not interested in them. I only like my money. I count them all; there's exactly two hundred and fifty Poké Coins. Then I pick them all up in my beak and drop them back in the satchel to drag to my personal bank later. The rest of my stash are in the hollow opening of an old tree. It's near the ground, right next to the thick roots, and it's camouflaged by the leaves I use to cover it up. I think about depositing today's goods there right away, but just as I finish, I hear footsteps coming. It's near.

I panic. I know it can't possibly be the minions - they have no feet! I look around, and I spot a large bush that I can hopefully conceal my loot in. I start to flap in that direction, but I stumble over myself with the weight of my gold, and I crash to the ground. The gold - my gold - spills everywhere.

Immediately behind me, the bushes rustle and a figure whom the footsteps probably belonged to comes out. Round and pink like a Pecha berry, the Pokémon is one that I recognize as a Jigglypuff.

"Oh my goodness," he cries out with a bewildered expression as he stares at me lying there. He scrambles forward.. "Are you okay, mister?"

"Get away!" I shriek, flapping my wings wildly. "Shoo! Scram! This is my gold!"

"I'm trying to help you, mister," he says with a frown. "I don't want your gold."

I stop and blink. Does this Jigglypuff not recognize me? I know the Sheriff has put up hundreds of posters of me in the town as a D-rank outlaw so that every Pokémon knows I'm a criminal no matter where I go. This Jigglypuff must not be around this area, I realize. My thoughts are confirmed as my eyes fall on this Jigglypuff's Treasure bag that hangs over his round body. Without a doubt, he's an Explorer.

"Humph," I say, relaxing my body but narrowing my eyes. "I guess you can help me."

"Yay!" he says in an overly cheerful manner. His blue eyes sparkle with excitement. "I can help you! What's your name, mister? My name is Jigglypuff."

"Don't call me mister," I say a-matter-of-factly. "My name...is Chatot."

"Okay, Chatot!" he giggles. "I guess that means now we're friends!"

"Friends?" I squawk, taken aback. "We just met!"

"Everyone I meet is my friend, Chatot!" Jigglypuff sings as he helps me pick up my gold. "Are you an Explorer too?"

"No," I say nervously. "I...uh..."

"Don't be humble, friend! All Explorers are my friends! I love exploring! My master showed me all about what it means to explore! And to find treasures! Lots of treasures in every part of the world! So exciting!" He finishes by dropping the last gold in the satchel. "What about you Chatot?"

I yank the satchel bag back so that it slides behind me. "Humph. Well...I don't explore."

"Huh?! Why not?"

I think now is the time to break it to this Jigglypuff.

"I'm an outlaw," I say in a low voice. "I steal from Explorers. I'm definitely not one of them. This Treasure bag isn't even mine. I stole it from someone else! You know, I think it's best that you go back to where you're from and forget you ever saw me. Or else!" I quickly spread my blue wings. It's a tactic that I use to make myself seem bigger and scarier. "You'll be sorry!"

"But Chatot," Jigglypuff says with a confused look, "you don't seem that intimidating to me."

"What?" I flap my wings, and I puff up my chest. "I'm very intimidating! You...You don't want to test me!"

"Haha, you're getting all flustered!" Jigglypuff laughs. "I bet you've never even explored before. We should go exploring together! You'll like it."

I can't believe this Jigglypuff! "Didn't you hear me?" I say. "I'm an outlaw. I'm a bad guy. I don't explore! In any case, why would you want to explore with me?"

"Because you haven't done it before! Everyone should go exploring sometimes," he answers as if the answer can't be any more obvious.

"Humph," I scoff as I turn to pick up the satchel. "I don't want to go exploring. I'm not an explorer. Do what you want, but I'm not going anywhere with you. Farewell."

"...Good-bye?" His large blue eyes start watering.

Something about his sadness makes me uneasy. "Um...yes?"

"T-Too...soon," he sniffles. "No...no ...I don't want to say good-bye!" All at once the ground begins to violently shake around him. Leaves begin to fall at alarming rates. Winds started to pick up.

"Hey, hey!" I screech. "Don't....Don't cry! Don't --"

In that instant, a flash of darkness rushes past me. Shocked, I turn around. A Sneasel in the distance shoots me a mischievous grin as it holds up my satchel that it just used Thief on. I don't think they're native to these woods. It makes a face at me, then takes off in the opposite direction.

"Hey!" I shriek as realization strikes me. "That's my gold! Get back here! Only I...Only I get to do the stealing!" I fly after the Sneasel, but I hear soft footsteps following behind me as Jigglypuff runs behind me at a close range, wiping his tears.

"Yay, no more good-bye! I'll help you get your gold back, Chatot!"

"...The irony," I sigh to myself.

Up ahead is where the woods meet rocky gray mountains whose peaks are so high, they seem like they're touching the skies. There's a deep cavern there, but as far as I'm concerned, I've never been there, and I've never seen any Explorers go there, either. I watch in horror as the Sneasel smiles, sticks out its mockingly tongue at me, and dashes into the cave. It's hopeless. I don't know how deep the cave is and how dangerous the wild Pokémon there are. Crestfallen, I skid to a stop on the ground, and I flop down.

"Why aren't you moving, Chatot? We should go after your gold!" Jigglypuff pants beside me.

"What?" I turn to gawk at this bizarre Jigglypuff. I can't read him at all, and everything he has been doing and suggesting just seems so baffling to me. "Are you crazy? This cave...you don't know anything about it! How can you so recklessly just choose to waltz in?"

"That's what makes exploring so, so fun!" Jigglypuff chirps, puffing up his chest. "You never know what's coming. It makes it so thrilling! I know I can help you get your money back! Besides, we'll never know if we don't try! What are you waiting for? Come on!" He sprints towards the cave, his voice echoing and fading into silence as he ventures deeper inside.

"Wha--no! Come back, Jigglypuff! It's too dangerous!"

I look around. At once, it dawns on me that there's no one around but me and this crazed pink Explorer. There's no one else who can help me stop him.

"This is a bad idea, Chatot," I say to myself as I walk back and forth outside the entrance. "A very bad idea."

My mind is racing, and my heart is thumping faster than it has ever thumped before. But I try to calm down to think just for a moment. Suppose he finds my gold? Then he gets to keep it all even though I've worked so hard to have it all to myself from the beginning! I shake my head. I can't fathom the thought of losing my precious gold! Never!

"D-Darn it! W-Wait!"

I scuttle into the cavern. It's dark inside, and after a few minutes, I can't see the bright entrance behind me anymore. "Jigglypuff!" I call out his name.

I see him up ahead, to where the cave splits into two separate tunnels.

"I think it's this way, Chatot!" he says, gesturing to the tunnel on the right. "I hear movement there!" He dashes in that direction even before I properly catch up to him. Around us embedded in the rock walls are shards of blue crystals that seem to glow as we pass them, casting light in the darkness. They're everywhere and they illuminate even dust particles that float around us in all directions. It's nothing like I have ever seen before, and I can't help but marvel at their beauty that is comparable to my gold. I'm dazed for a long moment, admiring the view, before Jigglypuff touches me and snaps me of my trance.

"Let's keep going, Chatot."

We walk for a long time, and we soon arrive in a big, spacious room. The stone floor is so perfectly smooth almost as if it had been worn down this way over centuries worth of rain drops. Hundreds of jagged, long structure hang in ceiling that stretches high above us. There are several tunnels behind the room, but it doesn't matter anymore. I spot the culprit sitting alone in the distance, toying with my gold coins. My gold coins. I am reassured by the thought that when I get them back, Jigglypuff and I can retrace our steps and go back to the entrance to leave this place.

"Hey!" I bark. "Those are mine, you little rascal!"

The Sneasel looks up in fear and scatters into the darkness, leaving the satchel of coins behind. I hurry forward and pick up the satchel with my beak.

"Um...Chatot," Jigglypuff stammers from behind me.

"Give me a moment. I have to make sure all the coins are here," I say.

"Um...Chatot..."

"I'm almost done here."

"Chatot..."

"What do you need?" I turn around and find myself face to face with an angry Golem. "Yeek!"

I fly backwards, but I instead bump into another solid figure. It's a Pokémon with thick black band of hide running down the entirety of its back and extending all the way to the end of its long trunk. A Donphan. And that's not all.

There are wild natives everywhere. I spot multiple Graveler, Cranidos, Seviper and other Rock and Steel types. We've been ambushed and I didn't even realize.

"It's a Monster House, Chatot!" Jigglypuff screams.

"Yeek!" I screech. "Why didn't you say so--"

The Graveler beside me suddenly lunges forward with a closed fist, sweeping by me and missing me just barely by a mere feather. I flap my wings harder, forcing my body to immediately dodge the gaping mouth of another Seviper and its menacing poisonous fangs. Its mouth clamps back shut as it crashes into the rock wall behind me. But, I can't let my guard down for even a moment to take a breath. Immediately, a Beldum charges at me from amidst a cloud of dust that formed from the Seviper's previous impact with a head-on Take Down move.

"Look out, Chatot!"

I watch as Jigglypuff bolts forward in time to shield me and intercept the Beldum's blow with a Pound attack. The impact sends him tumbling backwards into a corner, diverting the rest of the enemy Pokémon's attention just enough so that I fly up high to where no attacks can reach. I look around, and my eyes quickly do the counting. One, two, three, four...there are at least a dozen Pokémon here while it's just Jigglypuff and I. We are drastically outnumbered. All my years of experience as a thief has never prepared me for combat. I only know how to steal and to move with stealth to make my escape. A thought crosses my mind: we don't need to fight them all. We just have to escape.

I let my ability, Keen Eye, do the work again, hoping that it would find something that can allow us to make it out of here in one piece. I spot a small sprout, a tiny seedling, poking out from the gray floor of one tunnel. It has to lead to the exit. A plant would need sunlight in order to grow, which meant that this tunnel has to the one.

I turn back to look at Jigglypuff who has now been cornered. He has impressively managed to fend off attacks with just a green barrier of Protect, but I know it won't last long. Laying some distance away from him is the satchel of gold coins just waiting for me to save it, too. There's not even any wild Pokémon around it, but I don't think twice.

"Hang on, Jigglypuff!" I yell. I swoop down and grab his stubby arms with my talons, and I hoist him up into the air. He's light, which makes it easier for me. I fly towards the tunnel to the exit. I can feel the warmth of sunlight and the smells of green up ahead.

"B-But your gold, Chatot!" Jigglypuff stammers.

"Forget it.".

"But Chatot, we have to go back and get your gold!"

"I said forget it!" I bark, and he becomes quiet.

Once we're out, I collapse into a grassy field and Jigglypuff rolls away from me. We're out of breath, filthy with cave dust, but we're alive. I stare up into the blue sky, appreciating for once how nice it looked without any clouds and how wonderful the natural breeze feels.

Jigglypuff gets up first. "Well... we didn't get your gold, but look!" He hops up and down. "Look over there!"

I turn to where he is looking at. Right behind us, there's huge orchard of wild Apple trees.

"Yummy!" Jigglypuff sings as if our lives were never in danger just moments ago. "Let's go take a look, Chatot!"

He scampers up the green hill and kicks the trunk with Pound. The red fruits tumble down all around him, and he manages to catch one.

"Look at this apple!" he exclaims, holding it up proudly. "It's so big...so shiny and red!"

"Mm," I say, arriving to inspect his find. "It's a Perfect Apple, you see."

"A Perfect Apple?" he squeals. "It sounds just like a treasure!" He takes a nibble and his eyes light up. They become the size of Orbs. "Sooo good! I'll never forget this taste. Try it, Chatot!"

I look at him and his bulged face, and I can't help but laugh. He holds up the Perfect Apple to me, and I take a small bite. I find that he's right. The fruit is amazingly crispy and sweet - an ordinary Apple can never compare. I take another bite, and this time, it's Jigglypuff who giggles.

"Thanks for saving me, Chatot."

"No, you saved me," I insist. "You blocked that Beldum's attack. I would've been knocked out had it not been for you."

"Yeah..." His voice grows quiet, but then he perks back up. "But wasn't it fun?"

"Fun?" I shriek,nearly choking on my bite.

"Yes, fun! Before the Monster House. Wasn't the cave so pretty? I'm sure it's like nothing you've ever done before."

I think for a moment, recalling how stunning the blue crystals were back at the cave and how much they captivated me. It's a shame I didn't pick any to keep.

"It was very nice," I admit.

"You should my partner, Chatot!" Jigglypuff exclaims. "My dream is to start my own guild...and you can be the first member! We can go anywhere!"

"Before you forget..." I say quietly. "I'm an outlaw."

"You can give back what you stole," Jigglypuff declares earnestly as he holds my wings, "and then you can become an Explorer! With me!"

I gulp. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea."

"I will come with you! I will let the Sheriff know that you're not a bad guy, Chatot. I know you aren't. You're my friend."

Something about what he said makes me feel warm tingles from the inside. I've never been called a friend before. It makes me feel like something better, like I can turn over a new leaf. No more stealing.

I think I'll like exploring better.