It was a peaceful morning in Tagtree Thicket. A few Shroodles rummaged through the tall grass in search of food. As soon as they gathered at a pile of tasty berries under a tree, a hungry Greedent nearly trampled them in order to retrieve the food first. The larger pokemon greedily took as many berries as it could and stuffed them into the fur and folds of its tail. The Shroodle group gave angry cries at the foe, but the Greedent didn't even bat an eye at them before scampering away with its haul, leaving the tiny rodents to begin their search from scratch.

It may have been cruel, but it was nature's way. And that's precisely why Violet hurried to draw the scene in her sketchbook. The purple-haired girl was sitting quietly under a tree, her back against the bark. It was always fascinating to see wild pokemon thriving and surviving the best that they could. However, this particular occurrence left a bad taste in her mouth for how close it hit home.

"Poor Shroodle," she mumbled, her pencil creating the basic shapes of the mouse pokemon. "So easily forgotten among the tall grass."

Even though Violet had classes to attend at the academy, she skipped them, like usual. She was sure the teachers wouldn't notice her anyway. They never did. Maybe it was her apparel that made her invisible. She dressed all in black pretty much all the time. Her clothes consisted of a tank top with a shrug to cover her arms, a plaid skirt, and platform boots. There was even a black ribbon holding her hair up in a ponytail. Her purple eyes stared hard at the picture forming before her. Black painted nails gripped the pencil tight with a rising frustration. Taking a deep breath, her hold loosened and she swiftly started to make corrections to her work.

Echoing laughter caused her to look up from her artwork. The Shroodles scurried away from the sound, which originated from a pair of students. There was a guy and a girl, both wearing helmets with a star design along with their uniforms. They were heading for the fenced off area where those rebel students set up a base. Team Star, they called themselves. They'd been stirring up trouble lately and bullied some kids into dropping out of school, or at least, that's what the rumors say. Violet wasn't one to judge. She frankly didn't care. It wasn't like she had any school friends to worry about or anything. Plus, she'd only ever seen Team Star standing up for themselves, nothing more.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Violet was shaken from her thoughts by the male voice. The pair were looking her way. She glanced to her left, then to her right before realizing they were addressing her.

"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, girly," the guy said. Violet ignored them and went back to her drawing. The grunt clicked his tongue, and the two marched over to loom over her. "Don't just ignore us! Can't you even answer when someone asks you a question?"

The goth looked up at them with a raised brow. "May I help you?"

The female grunt glared at her. "Yeah, we wanna know why you're hanging out around our base! This is the Navi Squad's turf!"

"Last I checked Tagtree Thicket didn't belong to you. Now if you don't mind, could you get out of my light? I'm trying to draw."

Violet's calm yet bold response had the guy stomping his foot. "I hate sassy little twerps like you! That's it! Prepare to battle!"

"I'd rather not."

The grunts froze. "Wh-what?"

"I said, I'd rather not," Violet repeated, giving a disapproving frown. "I'm busy at the moment. Why don't you make like a Combee and buzz off."

"Why you little-" the female grunt was furiously shaking her fists. "If you won't battle us, fine! We'll just go tell our boss and he can deal with you! Hasta la vistar!"

"Sure, whatever." Violet watched them run off and simply rolled her eyes. "Weirdos."

While returning to her drawing, the girl's thoughts began to wander. Since when did anyone notice her, especially when she was being quiet and keeping to herself? Her classmates didn't see her, neither did the teachers. She was just a silent little shadow roaming the academy's halls. So then why did Team Star's grunts spot her? Shaking the thoughts away, she tried her best to focus on her sketch. She finished it rather quickly, then dug into her backpack next to her to find her colored pencils. It was time to add some color to her picture.

~~~~

"Atticus! Atticus!"

The shrill screech of his name made the young ninja flinch. He was inside his tent, seated atop his Starmobile where he liked to meditate. It was the best way for him to focus on battle strategies and think up new clothing designs. However, the mysterious big boss of Team Star was occupying much of his mind. They'd recently disappeared without a trace, and he and his friends became outcasts when Operation Star failed.

Atticus opened his eyes, watching as a pair of grunts entered the tent. "What pray is the meaning for all this squalling?"

"There's an intruder outside the base," the male grunt explained. "She refused to battle us, and we can't get her to leave."

With a sigh, Atticus rose to his feet, leaping and doing a flip to land in front of them. "And why is this trivial matter important?"

The girl shoved in front of her pal. "B-because that snarky little jerk is suspicious!"

Atticus shook his head at them. "Very well. I shall confront this wretch. But next time, I suggest you take matters into thine own hands. I cannot be expected to solve every tribulation that befalls you."

He swiftly left, disappearing from their sight like the highly skilled ninja that he is. Upon leaving the base, he jumped up into a tree to get a good look around. At first glance, there didn't seem to be anything off. But then he spotted a head of purple hair under a tree not far from him. She was so still that he easily could've missed her. He hopped to a branch on a nearby tree, being stealthy as he made his way closer. He stopped in the tree just above her, peering down at the scenic, hand drawn picture on her lap. Strangely enough, the ninja recognized her from school, well, when he still went to school.

"Shouldn't you be in class, fair maiden?"

Violet jumped slightly, her head tilting back to look up at the ninja. "Oh, great. Have you come to harass me, too? I'm not doing anything wrong...other than skipping class, anyway."

"Nay, I am not here to agitate you further." He jumped down, landing gracefully in front of her. "Please forgive the rudeness of my comrades. They will be reprimanded for their behavior." Atticus surprised her by dropping to his knees and bowing.

The gesture was like something from an old samurai movie, and it kind of flustered the goth girl. "It's fine. Seriously. Just get up." She watched him straighten up to face her, but remained sitting on the ground in front of her. She could only see a single blue eye from under his headwear, but she had to admit, his outfit was awesome. "You're kinda strange, huh? I love your ninja costume, though. Very cool."

She could tell he was smiling by the slight squint of his eye. "Thank you. It was crafted by mine own two hands. A sublime vision of poison, wouldn't you say?"

Violet nodded, a soft smile tugging at her lips. "I do say. You have quite the talent there, good sir." She decided to use his own formal manner of speaking in return, although she kept her calm, almost monotone tone of voice.

The boy chuckled. "This isn't a place for a lovely maiden such as yourself. 'Tis dangerous to venture near Team Star's base. They are not to be trifled with."

"I think I can handle myself," she replied. "Besides, I know Team Star aren't bad guys. I saw what happened with the bullies and everything."

Atticus hummed, turning his gaze to the ground. "A grave misfortune. I suppose that means you were also a victim of those villains. 'Twas their doing that undermined thy splendid performance."

A gasp escaped the goth. She knew exactly what he meant. "You were...there? During my gymnastics?" She stared at him with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

The boy pulled down his headwear to reveal a familiar and handsome face. "Tis I, Atticus. My friends and I were spectators on the day of the gymnastics show." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes briefly. "I do believe I misplaced thy name. How careless of me."

"It's Violet." Atticus smiled, meeting her gaze. "I think I recall your face. You were one of the only ones who clapped for me."

He nodded. "Indeed. Although, your performance was marvelous. I can only conclude that you've also been ostracized to receive such unwarranted animosity."

Violet tried her best to remain composed even though his words cut deep. "I'm as invisible as a ghost type. Whether on purpose or not, no one ever notices me. I've learned to live with it." Her fingers dug into her sketchbook, giving Atticus the impression that it wasn't as fine as it seemed.

Instead of prying further, his eyes shifted down to the image on the paper on her lap. "I see thy talent isn't only gymnastics. That artwork is breathtaking."

Violet smiled at the change of subject. "Oh, thank you. Drawing pokemon is a hobby of mine. Would you like to see?"

Atticus nodded. She handed over her book, giving him a clear look at the Shroodles she drew. Upon flipping the page, there was a bunch of Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff drifting gracefully through a cloudless sky. The next page depicted a Zangoose and a Seviper locked in combat. And yet another showed a Dondozo with a Tatsugiri in its mouth, combining their strength to face a Gyarados. The ninja was practically beaming with every mesmerizing picture he laid eyes on.

"You truly have an artistic talent, Lady Violet! Why, I would like to hang these up all over my quarters to view whenever I'm in need of inspiration."

"Those ones are all spoken for, I'm afraid." Violet hurried to retrieve her sketchbook from him, hugging it to her chest and turning her head away.

The expression made her seem a bit down, so he raised a brow curiously. "Oh? Someone you're close to, I presume?"

She gave a small nod. "Yes. Someone very important to me. I promised I'd make lots of drawings for them."

He didn't know why, but hearing her say that seemed to cause a dull ache in his chest. It wasn't a mystery as to why. He empathized with her, and he thought she was quite beautiful as well. While he never got the chance to speak with her until now, he'd seen her at school plenty of times before. Maybe he was one of the only people to notice her, and although he hid it well, he was attracted to her, strangely enough. While she may have meant it was a family member that she made that art for, the possibility of it being for a significant other hurt. Just knowing she might be spoken for already... Atticus masked his feelings behind his usual composed smile.

"Um, if you like, I could draw some pictures for you." Her sudden offer stunned him momentarily, and he watched her grab her pencil to make a note for herself. "Any requests? Are there any pokemon you're particularly fond of?"

"I'm fond of poison types. Any of them will do. I'm certain any art made by thine hand will be as beautiful as its creator."

Violet blushed at just how smooth of a compliment that was. "A-alright. It may take a little time, but I'll give them to you once I finish."

"I can hardly stand the wait for when these impeccable pieces shall be within my grasp. Truly, thou art as generous as they come. There must be some way I can repay you. Name thy price, Lady Violet."

"That's not necessary, but..." The goth hummed, her little plans resurfacing and altering in her mind. "Could you, maybe, make me a new outfit?"

"Why, I'd be honored! How would you like it? Any specific style or color palette?"

Violet glanced down at herself. "Something dark and cool, maybe styled after the pokemon Salazzle. I'd prefer if it covered me well. Oh, and it has to be flexible and easy to move in."

Atticus absorbed her every request. "Is this outfit, perhaps, for your gymnastics?"

"Kinda? I mean, basically, yeah."

"Very well." The ninja stood, fishing a tape measure from his pocket along with a notepad and pencil. "I'll need your measurements." Violet set aside her things and stood as well, standing straight with her arms out for him. Atticus moved closer, hesitating on whether he had permission to make contact. "May I, Lady Violet?" She nodded for him to go ahead. "Then bear with me."

He started with her arm length, then moved to her shoulder width. It was a bit embarrassing when he had to measure her bust size, but he seemed to pay it no mind, simply recording the measurement as if he'd done it hundreds of times. Then came her waist and thighs. That was also a bit embarrassing. Fortunately, Atticus was a gentleman. He didn't so much as try to peek up her skirt or anything. He finished up with her legs, finally putting away his things.

"It may take some time to procure the right materials so I hope my lady can be patient. Fortunately, Salazzle are poison types. I'll have no trouble with inspiration on that part."

Violet smiled. "Great. Then I can't wait to see the finished product." She gathered up her things, placing it all in her backpack. "Guess I should go. I've got lots of new drawings to work on now. I'll be back if that's okay."

"That'll be more than okay. Tagtree Thicket is open to everyone. And I'll make certain no one in Team Star bothers you again. So I'll be looking forward to your next visit, my fair maiden." He bowed politely.

A soft giggle escaped the girl, and it was way cuter than Atticus expected. "We should probably exchange numbers, just to be on the safe side. Never know when we might need updates or something. Plus, we're friends now, right?"

"I suppose we are," the ninja replied with a chuckle.

His phone, themed after poison types, flew out from his pocket. Violet's came out of her backpack, its case designed after Gothita. The pair of Rotom Phones buzzed to each other, exchanging contact information before returning to their pockets.

"Well then, I'll see you later, Atticus." Violet waved and headed for the nearby path out of the forest.

It was such a strange, new feeling that stirred in the ninja. He hardly knew the girl, but she'd somehow captured his heart. He'd never harbored this kind of attraction toward anyone before. Honestly, he didn't think a noble ninja such as himself was capable of it. Having nothing to do but train all day, he was quite looking forward to working on her outfit and awaiting her next visit.