Team Itemizer Hako45 Tinsilla town was a nice place. Emphasis on the was. What used to be a quaint community known for its gorgeous flower fields and optimistic mayor was in a state of crisis. It was gradual. During the monthly flower festival, a rowdy Ekans had wandered into the tavern looking for a place to stay. An outlier, the community still welcomed him all the same, even after he mentioned that he liked the place so much he should bring his friends. At the moment it was fine. The more the merrier, they said! Unfortunately, nobody thought to question the tattoo on their body, or why it seemed to be a dying lotus in the palm of a charred hand. The Ekans left, and for the next month, things seemed alright. Then the snake came back with a Venomoth with the same tattoo. They were less interested in talking with the locals and more interested in touring around the place, side-eyeing everyone who looked their way or questioned them. Still, the people did nothing, and after a day they had simply left. Nobody realized this was the start of a sharp, ragged hill, nor that they had slipped right down it. More Pokemon with that strange tattoo came back. Four, then nine, then twenty, and they kept coming. By the time the locals realized these strangers were trouble they had taken over the town. In a single day, they stormed the town hall, kicked out the local guild, threatened the locals into submission, and instated their leader as the new mayor. The optimistic Bayleef was replaced with a not-so-kind Lucario who was hellbent on terrorizing the town and ransacking it for what it was worth. The Burning Lotus was in town, and they were planning to stay. There wasn’t much the town could do, but as they were overrun they managed to scramble a messenger to the next town over, aiming to get help from its guild. Still, many teams were reluctant to take the job. The Burning Lotus weren’t some nobody gang, they’ve done this many times and had it down to a science. Most teams were suddenly too busy, too scared, or too “this is way out of my league” to take it. The request was thrown from team to team, nobody daring to take it until one of the best teams in the guild caught wind of it. A team that was as morally dubious and controversial as they were skilled. A Galvantula stood at a ridge overlooking the town, watching the bonfires and patrol patterns of the Burning Lotus. A Slither Wing stood beside him, gazing down with him. “Still mapping the city out?” The Galvantula perked up, turning towards the dinosaur moth. “Already did. Just confirming a few guard patterns. You got what we needed, right?” The Slither Wing pat a satchel on his side, barely visible from all the fluff. “Berries, reviver seeds, food… bounce band, curve band, lockon scope… I have it all. “ He turned back to gaze at the overrun town. “That means all we’re waiting for is Kyle.” As if on cue, the bushes behind them rustled, the duo turning around. A Kecleon stumbled onto the ridge, carrying two sacks twice as large as its entire body. Gasping for breath and about to pass out, the normal type gave two thumbs up to his buddies. “Got… Got it all… I need a break…” Both bugs moved to assist their comrade, the Slither Wing relieving him of his bags as the Galvantula helped him stand. The electric spider turned towards the moth, who lowered the sack to reveal its contents. Dozens of blue orbs clattered against each other, each identical in every way. A strange symbol floated in the center of each. The trio smiled. It was time to take back the town. —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Burning Lotus’ entrance crew was probably one of the easiest jobs on the planet. Sit at the entrance to the town or city, beat up any travelers who approach, chase them away, repeat. The best part was that they were so well known nobody was stupid enough to approach the town unless they lived under a rock or were mentally ill. So it was a bit of a surprise when the Charizard lookout spotted a trio of merchants beelining towards the city. They immediately rang the warning bell, summoning the other five guards. A Machoke and Watchog rushed outside, standing in the entrance as the Charizard met up with a Rampardos and Floatzel, hiding behind the walls to surprise the victims. Despite this, the merchants kept moving, the Kecleon and his two bug companions unfazed by the show of force in front of them. They wore brown cloaks with the merchant guild’s insignia. Easy prey. They stopped a few feet away, meeting the disapproving eyes of the Watchog and Machoke. Without so much as a prompt, the Kecleon raised his arm. “Greetings, friends! We would like to sell our wares to your fine town.” The Kecleon gestured to his compatriots behind him, their warm smile at odds with the expressionless faces of his bug friends. “My name is Kyle, the Galvantula is Gyro and the Slither Wing is Xetsu. As a group, we-” “You can’t sell your wares here.” The Machoke stepped forward, hands clenched into fists. “However, we would like to inspect your wares for any illicit objects. If you wouldn’t be so kind to…” A smirk. “...Hand them over?” The Kecleon paused, frowning as he turned towards his friends. Wringing his hands, the chameleon spoke. “W-Well, that’s… Unfortunately, I can’t give these things to you. It’s- well it’s paramount that they remain-” “That’s just too bad.” The Machoke whistled, and the rest of the entrance crew appeared. Each bore a sadistic grin and an identical tattoo, preparing to attack the merchant trio. “Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.” A five versus three, with type advantages and less power than them. Usually, it was a sign to flee, and most did. Strangely, despite overwhelming odds and threats, the merchants didn’t run. The Kecleon smiled, hands going behind his back as they cocked their head. “...I suppose if that’s how it’s going to go down.” He stepped forward. “I can’t wait to see what you guys will be.” What? A blue blur hurtled toward the hooligans, faster than any of them could process it. It hit the Machoke squarely in the chest, enveloping them in light. The other members turned away, shielding their eyes from the radiance. There was no scream of pain, no yell of anger. The Charizard dared a glance at the Machoke, only to find him gone. Where a powerful fighting-type Pokemon stood was a jar of protein, rolling slowly towards them. It tapped the Charizard’s foot ever so slightly, stopping in place. He gazed back up towards the merchants, who had ditched their cloaks and fake badges in favor of colored scarves and goggles. The Galvantula and Slither Wing were no longer standing idly, having grabbed identical orbs from the sacks they were carrying and preparing to throw. The Kecleon now wore a maniacal grin, stepping back to grab another orb. So much for easy prey. The Kecleon heaved another orb toward the group, missing the Floatzel by a hair. The sea weasel watched fly by, preparing a devastating hydro pump as retaliation. The Kecleon didn’t bother to move, the grin still present. It angered the Floatzel, so much so they didn’t see the orb ricochet off the wall behind them… The orb slammed into him from behind, a flash of light enveloping them. The HM for the move Surf clattered onto the ground, unmoving. The Watchog watched it all happen, jaw dropped in shock. The Slither Wing took advantage of the opening to hurl another itemizer orb. Another flash of light and a pair of scope lenses lay where the Watchog was. Realizing they were losing, the Charizard chose to leave his comrade behind and take towards the skies. The Rampardos caught a glimpse of the pseudo-dragon flying away before he was smacked in the face with an orb, reducing them to a large pile of geo pebbles. Seeing the Charizard flee, the Galvantula shouted to get into slingshot formation. The Galvantula spun a web between two stakes the Kecleon slammed into the ground, the Slither Wing loading an orb in and pulling back as far as he could. The Galvantula watched the Charizard, taking into account their speed and direction and height… Above, the overgrown lizard thought he had barely gotten off, counting his blessings and flying straight towards the town hall to warn the others. Imagine his surprise when he turned back, seeing a blue ball speeding towards him faster than he could blink. Two members of the Burning Lotus, a Gabite and a Scyther, were sitting in the village center, laughing about their exploits. A fire stone came down from the heavens, smashing into the Gabite’s head before clattering onto the ground. The Scyther burst out laughing as the Gabite nursed their headache, wondering how a fire stone hit him on the head. Back at the entrance, the trio loaded the transfigured victims into a spare sack they brought along. They couldn’t just let these valuable treasures go to waste after all. After securing their loot and quick ammo check, the trio sauntered into the town, itemizer orbs at the ready. Team Itemizer was a very on-the-nose name, but it was a name that described them perfectly. Kyle the Kecleon, formerly a shopkeeper like his many siblings, was instantly drawn to the itemizer orb when he threw it at a thieving Eevee in self-defense. He was initially terrified, but after a night of thinking he realized that this orb held more power than anyone credited it with. Think about it. An orb that turned an opponent into an item instantly. It was like a ranged one-shot move that, depending on what you got in return, could heal you or power you up or provide you with more ammunition. The only downside was the fact the enemy could catch it and hurl it back, or you didn’t throw it well enough to make it effective. With a little bit of practice and the right items, though, these downsides became insignificant. Still, doing a job by oneself was tedious, even more so when you’re constantly hurling objects. Even the best pitcher in the world couldn’t throw perfectly a dozen times. Kyle realized he needed some conspirators. By chance, a Galvantula named Gyro and a Slither Wing named Xetsu visited his shop while he was practicing. They were an adventuring team down on their luck and looking for solutions to their problems. A quick talk in the back about their philosophies and abilities made all of them realize they were perfect for each other. Gyro was the strategist - the planner, the brains. He made up new strategies and planned missions to use the least amount of itemizer orbs possible. Xetsu was the strength - the muscles, the brawn. They broke through anything they couldn’t itemize, be it doors, pokemon, or walls. Kyle was the stocker - the charisma, the buyer. As a former shopkeeper, he got supplies and orbs at the best possible price while learning where potential business opportunities sprang up. Through training and missions, the trio rose through the guild’s team ranking. Their methods were unorthodox as well as incredibly controversial. Many people had criticized the team, claiming their methodology was cruel. But those people stopped when they brought down the worst invasion their town had ever seen (totally unrelated, establishing the town’s apple farm from the attacker’s generous “donations”). They didn’t stop there, instead developing their skills further, taking harder missions. The Burning Lotus were the victims here. Their next two victims were just a brisk walk from the entrance. A Hawlucha and Greninja duo banged on a villager’s door, demanding they pay their dues. The resident inside, a Duosion, had barricaded the door as best as they could, but being a floating blob of slime meant they had a severe lack of furniture to bar the door with. All they could do was hold the door closed with their psychic ability, but as the door splintered from a Hawlucha’s close combat the Duosion braced for the worst. An enraged Greninja peered through the gap, prompting a scream from the Duosion. Suddenly, light encompassed the Greninja, Hawlucha, and door. Turning away in fear, the Duosion prepared for the door to come down and the gang to ransack their remaining belongings. Then they realized that the home invaders were uncharacteristically silent. Turning back, they saw that they vanished without a trace. Mustering up the courage to open the door, they moved the furniture out of the way and pried the door open. Xetsu and Kyle were there, picking up a trap scarf and orange gummi off the ground. The Kecleon looked up and waved innocently at a befuddled Duosion before going deeper into the town with his bug companions. Down the road, Tinsilla’s tavern was overflowing with inebriated Burning Lotus members celebrating the takeover of another town. A Scrafty lay blackout drunk in the corner as their Carnivine companion drew over them with a permanent marker. A Grapploct and Blaziken were locked in an arm wrestling match, surrounded by a crowd of enthused vagrants. An Armarouge kept the entire bar rowdy by serving them as much alcohol as their hearts desired, and it seemed their hearts were endless. It was barely noon, yet the tavern was overflowing with members of the gang. So enamored with their games and drinks, none noticed a Galvantula climbing up the side of a building, a Kecleon on their back. On the roof now, Gyro and Kyle got to work. The Galvantula hugged the orb, concentrating and manipulating the power within as the Kecleon produced a spare sparkling chest. A few seconds of electrical know-how later, the newly charged itemizer orb was ready to be used. The usually calm, translucent interior of the orb was now storming, sparking, and shaking. It rattled in the box as the duo heaved it to the bar’s skylight. The Kecleon smiled, slammed the lid shut, and heaved it into the middle of the bar. The mood of the bar was literally shattered as a sparkling box smashed through the skylight, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Confused murmurs rang out, followed by dares on who would be the one to go up and open the box. Nobody seemed to mind that the box was actively jittering along the floor, nor that a faint blue glow was visible within. The Carnivine got up from harassing his Scrafty friend to open the box. Picking it up, the flytrap held it close to its ear, hearing its contents shake and rumble. They began to have second thoughts on this, but the cheering and laughter from everyone else prompted him to open the box. POW! The entire tavern shook as a shockwave shattered all the windows, a stunning light visible from everywhere in the town. In an instant, everyone in the tavern was transformed. The Carnivine didn’t even realize what was going on before they transformed into a green ribbon. The effects spread outwards, turning the Armarouge bartender into a magmarizer and the knocked-out Scrafty into a slumber orb. The Grapploct and Blaziken, previously tussling over each other, were disarmed when transfigured into a rawst and chesto berry. And those were only a sample of the victims the charged itemizer orb affected… It wasn’t done yet. As the items clattered to the ground, the orb began to suck everything back towards it, carrying all of its victims into the box. Former Pokemon were stuffed haphazardly into a deceptively small box, and as the final object - a life seed - was sucked inside, the lid slammed shut. A Slither Wing quickly picked up the box, strapping it to their back before returning to join its friends. The blowout of the tavern attracted everyone in town, and the Scyther and Gabite pair that were arguing over a fire stone turned to watch as the tavern suddenly went silent. “...What the hell? What was that?” The Scyther wondered out loud, looking towards the Gabite. The Gabite’s face was pale. “...We gotta get out of here.” “What?” The Gabite grabbed the scyther by the claw, pulling them into a nearby building. Slamming the door and crouching below the windows, the normally prideful dragon type would shush him up. “...It’s an explorer team. Team Itemizer. They’re infamous. I used to be a part of another gang that crossed paths with them. It dissolved because of them.” The Gabite paused, straining their ears. A few seconds later, he continued. “They do exactly what their name says. They turn Pokemon into objects with itemizer orbs. But they don’t change them back. I’ve heard horror stories from them. Selling, wearing, and even eating the people they turn. And the worst part?” He grabbed the Scyther by the shoulders, pulling him closer. “They know how the itemizer orb works. They know how to turn them back. They know their victims are SENTIENT and still in there. But those sadistic bastards, they just keep doing it over and over. They’ve gotten better at it too. That blast is one of their new moves.” The Scyther didn’t respond, only looking up at the ceiling. The Gabite shook them harder. “Are you listening?! What are you…” He trailed off. Slowly, carefully, he traced the Scyther’s line of sight to a corner of the building. Nothing was there. Still confused, the Gabite glared harder, only for their eyes to widen. An invisible outline was there, holding two orbs in either arm… Oh… The Gabite dived out of the way, covering his head as an itemizer orb zipped over him. The Scyther was not as lucky, and a flash of light confirmed the Scyther’s unfortunate fate. With nothing to hide, the Kecleon revealed itself to the dragon, an evil smile plastered on its face. “No, please!” It fell on deaf ears. The Gabite felt his head connect with glass, then an all-encompassing light flooded his vision. His body compressed and simplified in an instant, the Gabite unable to scream or cry as their body compressed into a singular Gabite scale. The Kecleon grabbed the Gabite scale and inspected it, rotating it in his hands. Unable to breathe, move, or speak, the Gabite could still see everything happening. The Kecleon’s crazed eye looking him over, the chameleon’s delicate touch on his reduced form, the overwhelming fear and urge to cry washing over him. Yet despite it all, he was well and truly powerless. Just like another item, the Kecleon threw it into the treasure sack along with the hardblow seed the Scyther created. One by one, each gang member was located, attacked, turned, and stowed in the loot bag with everyone else. The only mercy given was to the townsfolks, who were liberated by the team and given snacks to heal up and rest. Snacks who were transformed criminals from previous Team Itemizer excursions, but that wasn’t important right now. There was one last building to clear, coincidentally the most important one. The town hall stood high over the town, its flowers wilted and structure whittled. The gang had not been kind to the town it was taking over, and nowhere was this clearer than the building where all authority was absolute. Time for Team Itemizer to take it back. Inside, the surviving members of the Burning Lotus were preparing. By now, the entire gang knew what was going on, and everyone was terrified of this team turning comrades into consumables. Every window was boarded shut, and every door was bolted. They had devised a haphazard strategy of waiting for the enemy to come in before unleashing everything they had, the first time they had ever really used a strategy. In the mayor’s office, a Lucario hunched over the desk, paws supporting his face as he reflected on everything. This whole affair was a mess. He didn’t realize a psychopathic team was going to hunt everybody down and turn them into things. Now they were holed up in a decayed old building trapped in the town they had controlled. What were they supposed to even do at this point? THOOM The Lucario perked up, eyes wide and ears upright. A slight noise jolted him out of thought. Could it be them breaking in? CRUNCH Concerned yells and the sound of footsteps rang through the halls. The Lucario watched as some of his peonies ran through the halls, preparing to intercept the adventurers where they were breaking in from. A small smile formed on his face. They were strong and crafty, he would give them that. But if they thought they were going down without a fight they were dead wrong. CRACK Another one, surely the group must be close to breaking through. His palms glowed blue as he stood up, making a beeline for the door to the office. He wasn’t going to sit idly by, either. It was only three of them, the leader of the Burning Lotus had years of dealing with adventurers on his side. POW. CRACK. CRUNCH The Lucario paused, ears perking up once more. Something was wrong. More walls were being crushed, but they weren’t coming from inside the building. There was no hustle either, no fighting. So what were they breaking? Creak… Another sound, but it wasn’t wood cracking or stone shattering. The Lucario felt the floor shift from underneath him, going from straight to an ever so slight incline. Confused, he turned back towards the desk. The lamp, papers, and pens were all sliding off one side, along with the entire desk to the other side of the room. He realized too late what was going on. The entire building lurched to one side, throwing the Lucario onto the office wall. Glass windows popped as the entire room buckled and groaned. In a daze and wildly disoriented, the aura Pokemon focused just enough to realize the bookshelf was sliding right toward him. Yelling in fright and rolling to the side, the Lucario watched as the bookshelf slammed through the wall, falling onto the ground outside. A myriad of furniture and objects followed suit, sliding through holes formed in the walls or making their own. Wood buckled and cracked, confused shouting rang out through the entire building. Blocking a book from hitting his face, the Lucario realized that the ground outside was rushing up to meet them. The entire town hall rolled to the right and slammed into the ground, a horrendous cacophony of splintering wood and clashing stone audible from miles away. Already weakened from the Burning Lotus’ attack, the foundation was easy pickings for Team Itemizer’s Xetsu. All it took was a few broken support beams and a big ol’ push. They would fix it later, right now they needed to clean up the muck. The Lucario caressed his head, the whole world spinning. Surrounding him was what used to be the mayor’s office, now a maelstrom of shattered glass and decimated wood. Forcing himself up, he heard the sounds of a struggle, saw a blinding flash of light, then silence. Right in front of him, the accursed team stood in front of him, itemizer orbs at the ready and a sadistic smirk on their faces. He grit his teeth, glancing in all directions. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, not even a single person to help. His eyes were drawn to the at-capacity sack of assorted objects on the back of the Slither Wing, the Kecleon quickly tossing another seed into it. “...You think you guys are some symbols of justice?” No response. The Lucario sneered, aura burning bright. “You’re no better than us. Worse than us. How many lives have you taken for your own good?” His attempts to provoke the team did nothing, the Kecleon only shrugging as he threw an orb from palm to palm. His companions were no better, their poker faces giving the Lucario little leeway as to what they were feeling. It pissed him off. “Well, go ahead! You won! Throw the orb at me, I DARE you.” Silence again. There was no noise, save for the howl of wind and the crackling of fire from burning buildings. The Kecleon turned to both of its compatriots, who nodded back. They sauntered away, watching from the sidelines as the Kecleon turned to face an agitated Lucario. They thought they were such hot shit, huh? That would be their undoing. A faint smile formed on the Kecleon’s face as he took one step back, then another. He pulled his arm back, lined the Lucario up with the throw… then threw. The Lucario knew everything was on the line right now. If he didn’t stop this team, who would? Aura burned through his body, drawing energy from the plants themselves. It was more energy than he had ever felt coursing through him, and he felt powerful. Enlightened. Everything moved slowly, and as he watched the itemizer orb fly towards his face, the Lucario stretched their arms out… He caught it. He smiled, looking back up at the Kecleon. Their eyes were wider than before, and they were reaching for another orb. He wouldn’t let him get the chance. “...Irony is beautiful, isn’t it?” Mustering every bit of strength in his body, the Lucario hurled the orb back, the ball traveling faster than any of them could think. Grinning triumphantly, the aura Pokemon watched as the ball traveled right toward the unmoving Kecleon. It was one foot away, then one inch, then a single centimeter. The collision was imminent. …Then the Kecleon’s scarf glowed, bouncing the orb directly back at the Lucario. A flash of light surrounded the Lucario, who only gasped in fear before his entire body was reconstructed. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was compressed, shrunk, and curled into itself. The leader of the Burning Lotus struggled mentally. His new form was spherical, compact. He felt energy course throughout him, yet it was distinctly different from the aura he knew. The Kecleon marched over, every single step like an earthquake to the former Lucario. The chameleon bent over, massive fingers clutching the terrified leader and pulling him upwards to his face. The others gathered around, looking at the newly formed Lucarionite that Kyle clutched in their hands. “You must be mistaken. We have killed nobody. Every victim of ours is still alive to this day.” His visage darkened. “...EVERY single one.” —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The town was saved, and the residents were released from the gang occupation by Team Itemizer. The Bayleef mayor offered to host an awards ceremony for the brave team that saved the town, but they politely turned it down, saying keeping the townspeople safe was already the best reward they could ask for. It was a pure publicity move. The true treasure were the ruffians that they could pawn off to unsuspecting owners for a sizeable sum. Itemizer orbs didn’t come cheap, after all. Kyle the Kecleon did not lie. Every person that Team Itemizer turned was still alive to this day… depending on what your definition of alive was. If you meant the body and heart and mind, then it was true that they died. But if all you cared only about was the soul, then Kyle was being entirely truthful, and this time was no different. It was hard to say who out of all the transformed got the luckiest. For clothing, they were forced to endure the unpleasant sensation of being worn. The Watchog was bought by an upstart adventuring team wanting to prove themselves. They wore the goggles of almost every mission, the sensation of being stretched around the head of a Staraptor almost constantly present. Sometimes, though, the Watchog would be stowed in favor of a more fitting accessory, forcing him to spend hours, sometimes days stuck in total darkness. They could never decide which one was worse. It might have been better than the Greninja turned trap scarf. They had the misfortune of being dropped by their buyer in the middle of a dungeon while they fled from a horde of Zubat. One Zubat picked them up and brought them to their friends, the soul inside stretched and pulled every which way among the dozens of Zubat within the cave. It’s where they were now, covered in dirt and filled with dozens of holes. Throwables were interesting. There were two kinds, ones thrown directly at an enemy for a status ailment and a group of smaller ones that could be thrown willy-nilly. Those turned into things such as throwable seeds and effect orbs were linked to the target of the orb or seed, even if it missed. Their spirit simply existed around the Pokemon like a ghost, without any way to communicate or alert their unknowing captor. For smaller ones such as the group of rocks the Rampardos created, it was a bit different. Bought by a couple of children to play games, they got lost in a dungeon and had to fight their way out. Every time a former Rampardos rock was thrown at an enemy, a part of their mind was separated and left behind. Eventually, every single stone was used up, the Rampardos existing in every one of them. They saw, heard, even felt everything each stone went through, never able to take a break from anything. Perhaps the best off were the items bundled with boxes. At least they had the company of others sharing the same fate, even if there was no way to communicate with each other. There was the matter of the box being unlocked at your silent comrades being scattered, but for the residents of the sparkling box, it wasn’t an issue. That was because the Chansey that bought the box tripped on a seaside road, the box falling down a cliff before sinking to the bottom of the ocean. It is somewhere in the sea right now, its occupants still fully aware and waiting for rescue. They may be waiting a while. On the other end of the spectrum were all the consumables. Food, powerups, consumable seeds. They might have the worst end fate. Like thrown objects, they are permanently attached to the target, in this case, the person eating or using them. Instead of floating around the person like a ghost, they’re stuck inside the person’s body. The jar of Machoke protein was coincidentally bought by their brother, who wanted to bulk up for an expedition. They had to endure the sensation of being consumed and dissolved in their family member’s stomach before their mind was transferred to an appropriate place in their body. In this case, the former Machoke now existed as a slight bump in his brother's left forearm. At least he could watch his cleaner brother as an example for the rest of time. To Team Itemizer though, what happened to these Pokemon didn’t matter. They were making a tidy sum off of it all, and they were getting a whole bunch of fame and recognition from the whole guild side business. It was a perfect strategy. However… “So, what do you guys think about… expanding the team?” Kyle pitched to his companions as they lay in their base, pouring over work requests and bounties. Xetsu looked back from installing their latest trophy. “I’m not opposed to it. But recruiting more people will be difficult. We still have a ton of controversy even if we are effective.” He placed the Lucarionite on the trophy shelf, climbing back down the stepstool. “It’ll be pretty tough to get an applicant, especially a good one.” “Hm…” Kyle thought about it for a second. “Yeah, we really can’t do anything about that, huh.” “Then how about we go the other way around?” Xetsu and Kyle turned to Gyro, confused. “What do you mean by that?” “Remember back when we repelled that invasion? We had a whole bunch of people on our butt before, but then they all shut up when we did a good job at it.” His eyes glinted. “Perhaps if we save the land from some massive threat, we could change the entire land’s perception of itemizing as a whole.” “Pretty ambitious.” Xetsu marched on over, taking a seat on the couch as Gyro crawled up onto the back. “There’s not even a major problem on the continent yet.” “It’s just a matter of time. But when it happens and we manage to deal with it…” The electric spider giggled. “...It won’t be just criminals we will change.”