His grin split the bottom half of his face in to four segments! The grin itself, the grin of a mad stuntman unafraid of death! The Sunglasse, putting his eyes into unperceivable windowless windows into the soul! Eyebrows, which were the highway of unrestrained hair that went from those imperviable black shades to his flaming hair. Finally, HIS HAIR! A literal flaming centerpiece of his soul! One-Hundred Percent natural, no matter what anyone said! He was born with it full afterall!

"Aye, Sir! Its a wonder and a half! KEKEKEKE!" Dirk laughed heavily and mightily, much like a laughing skull really!

His Houndour at his side, also chuckled in its doggy way! "Dour!"

Of course, what he wasn't saying or showing, was how deeply scared for his life he was! He was minding his business, trying to find a map of the region, having ditched work and Kanto in all with but a note of where he was doin'. Then he got grabbed off the street, bike n' all, and now was standing before his new boss... Who apparently didn't get the memo he quit, but he certainly wasn't gonna say that! 

With a salute with the arm not holding his helmet (Houndour followed with an adorable puppy salute) he made himself useful! "Lemme take me and my bike and we'll get to the bottom o' it sir! Ain't nothin' gonna beat us in speed rushin' up and down the route!" "Houndour!"

⚰︎ Panic! Except dont!

Kouji Matsubara

"Whatever you said Boss!" Dirk grinned like a loon still. Boss could be humble if he wanted, let em focus on that! He didn't wanna end up on the choppin' block!

Dirk would be lying though, if he didn't oogle the Absol though. And a shared look with the Houndour at his side meant the single braincell they shared bounced between them rather rapidly to process this. Up until their boss and his Omen pokemon made to look at em, so they straighten up their salutes!

Now, he wasn't some blue nosed spotless shoed brat fresh out of reciving his starting pokemon! He was a tough, born and bred and proud son of a biker and a ranger! He hiked, he traveled, he went up every highway and route from Victory Road to Lavender town! So of course, his answer was obvious!

"Nope!" He saluted

"Dour!" Houndour Copied

"Done plenty o' rough ridin' up and down Mount Moon with my bike though! KEKEKEKEKE!" He laughed nostalgically

"Houndour!" The Dog copied, laughing presentismly having not even been conceived in that bygone era of his trainer's life.

⚰︎ Panic! Except dont!

Kouji Matsubara

They stood there saluting for a few silent strange disbelieving moments, Roads and Houndour. Both of them looked out after their new boss who rode off on a dog(?) pokemon.

The two, after simply not speaking or moving, looked to each other with visible confusion on both of their faces followed immediately by their heads turning in perfect synchronicity... If in opposite directions.

"You ever see anything like that?" Roads asked his partner

"Houn?!" The Houndour admonished, just as confused as Roads!

Roads shook his head, rubbing the back of hit as he glared down into the dirt "Well, s'pose we can't be keepin' 'em waitin'."

Houndour was already well ahead of him, scampering atop the console of the bike with his paws constantly scrabbling to find even the slightest traction on the smooth bike.

With only a bit of help with Dirk using his fingerless leather glove's palm to push Houndour up, he then set Houndour up with his goggles, then his Helmet.

A bit redundant with the additional skull esq forehead protector on the Puppy pokemon, but he wasn't gonna risk somethin' like that!

Before he finished, Dirk looked back after his new Boss, and he could only shake his head. "Who in this world rides a DOG pokemon?!"

Houndour could only sigh.

With Houndour ready and secure in his position, Dirk slipped on his helmet, his looney adrenaline junky grin back on his face, revving his motorcycle into a pur!

"KEKEKEKEKEK! LETS RIDE!"

"HOUNDOUR!"

The back wheel tore up dirt and rubber alike as the inertia was fought, and then overcome, sending the stationary bike with a back wheel ZOOMING up the route road! They took a hill fast, flying into the air, before bouncing down hard onto the ground!

"WOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!" Roads Roared again almost for the first time in a decade!

"HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!" Houndour roared for almost the the fire time in his life!

SPOILER: Click to show

Kouji Matsubara

The thrumming engine beneath his seat, the air and surroundings blasting past, actively dodging possible things that could trip up a bike and blowing through things he knew wouldn't... Ah, the memories this was bringin' back were somethin' else!

He almost didn't his Boss pull up beside him, but he didn't hesitate to stick his tongue out in a leer with his fist coming up to pull out the universal symbol for rock n' roll!

"KEKEKEKEKE! FOR RIDIN' ON A DOG, YOU SURE RIDIN' FINE BOSS! KEKEKEKKEEKEKEK!" Roads laughed in a roar, even as his Houndour's chuffing laugh followed, being caught in the wind! His tongue, of course, was floppin' all over the corner of his mouth, but that was normal!

"Houndour ain't nothin' new! Me and his pops used to do this all the time when we was out doin' the gym tour of Kanto!" Dirk cheered, smirking nostalgically "Lil' Bud here inherited all the skill and grace o' his Pappy!"

"HOUNDOUR!" Houndour ruffed happily, enjoying the wind in his face and his tongue in the breeze! Sloppily sending saliva all out the right side of the bike.

Dirk, of course, though, was immediately thrown back into business, BEFORE IMMEDIETLY THROWN BACK INTO CASUAL! Talk about whiplash! And he road a bike for YEARS! Hes an expert on things like that! "Aye, aye, aye, Boss! Gimme' a question at a time here! Can't go soft then hard then soft on me!" He admonished with a begging tone coloring his words

Kouji Matsubara

"Who? I don't recognize the name, only ever got six badges! It was also almost a decade ago ya'know!" Dirk shrugged. "Still tackled Victory Road though! Never managed to even find my way through! KEKEKEKEKEKE!" The laughter, unlike the almost self deprecating way he described it, was genuine.

He kept his speed even with the slowing Absol, his looney grin and his Houndour's lolling tongue almost iconic in how stuck and apart of them they were. It was only as they slew down to allow their Boss of their Pokemon that they actually changed... Well, Houndour put his tongue back in its mouth and opened wide to adjust its mouth flaps. Dirk just continued grinning like a loon.

"Nah, Boss! Nothin' like that! I once sat through the entirety of 'Silence of the Mareeps' without flinchin'! My girlfriend at the time was cuddlin' fer safety the entire time!" A thumb pointed at his chest and a proud grin showed just how confident he was in that 'boast'. "Don't chu worry, Boss! I'll get right to the bottom of it!"

Before he had even finished speaking, he once more revved his motorcycle, sending dirt and debris out from under his bike's tire, speeding into the clear-

AND IMMEDIETLY HIS EYES WAS ASSAULTED! His stomach became sick, his eyes watered, he had to choke down some puke in his mouth as it threated to throw him off his bike at the horror!

"W-W-W-W-W-W-WHAT?!?!"

Dirk slammed the bike to a sudden stop, sending both himself and Houndour to the ground in identical yelps of surprise and pain.

It didn't, however, stop a pinned by his bike Dirk from raising an arm to point a shaky arm at the horror before his eyes!

"WHO BUILDS A LOG CABIN WITH COMPLETELY MIX MATCHED LOGS LIKE THAT?!?!" Dirk cried in painful admonishment

Kouji Matsubara

"Oi, Boss! Bamboo would be better than- THAN THIS!" In a flash of movement, Dirk was on his feed, stamping the ground, and pointing at the atrocious log cabin sat in the middle of the woods. "Cause with Bamboo, you can get a single solid, consistent shape without loosin' yer color pallet!"

His finger moved up and down as the arm shook violently "LOOK AT THEM CLASHIN' WOOD TONES! THEM CLEAR UNTREATED SECTIONS! THEY DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO PAINT-"

Dirk caught off his rant, and grabbed his dog, when the other man who seemed completely disinterested in the clash of eye sore logs stacked together in what could loosely be called a Cabin, talked the new man Boss. Aka; The Boss of his new Boss... Aka; Boss's Boss who is Bossier than DIRK'S BOSS!

No, he wasn't hiding behind his Bike. No matter what it looked like! He was simply.... CHECKING FOR DAMAGE! Yeah! Ignore the fact he was on the wrong side from how it fell, that's irrelevant!

Of course, he didn't really understood the code speaks they were doin'. Like 'Haven't seen you in awhile.'

What did that mean? Somethin' bout a drop off? Some new mega weapon?! A NEW TYPE OF DOG POKEMON?!?! OH THESE DASTARDLY ROCKETS! HIDIN' THEM DOGS FROM HIM! DESPICABLE! EVERY LAST ONE OF EM!

Wait, hes a rocket...

He turned to his Partner in Hiding and whispered, a palm covering the direction the two Bosses were talkin to hide the stage whisperin' "Psst, what chu think they're talkin' bout?"

"Grrrowmm." Houndour huffed at him, his look nothing but 'What makes you think I have any idea?'

"Good suggestion!" He gave the thumbs up to his exasperated Dog!

Kouji Matsubara

If Dirk was watching a movie, which he's seen a lot of 'em it was how he destressed after his pencil pusher job, he'd think this serious stand off would be ruined by the idiot ineffectively hiding behind a motorcycle with their side kick. Obviously bad comic relief!

Now, as he hid behind this motorcycle ineffectively, clutching his partner and best bud Houndour for dear life, as he watched his Boss and his Boss' Boss duke it out with words, he swore to himself. "I ain't ever gonna insult them background idiots ever again... Probably..." He was silent for a hot moment, before he nodded resolutely. "Only sometimes."

As the motorcycle tipped almost too far, his arms flailed as he quietly panicked with "Aaa-AAHHH!" and Houndour bounded to the other side to use their side to try and hold up the bike. He finally remembered the kick stand, putting that down, and resting the bike on it, the Biker swore again "Okay, only occasionally! I promise it!" Much to Houndour's mental condemnations and physical sigh.

Back in cover, the Dog and the only slightly smarter man's heads tracked the conversation in real time. The moment a Boss spoke, their heads turned to that, before immediately turning on a swivel to the other Boss. They couldn't see their Boss' face, but they made assumptions with their creative imaginations to match to the Tone of his voice.

"Its like one of them Unovian Spaghetti Westerns!" Dirk whispered reverently, his fingers resting just below his lips. Right in nail biting range!

"Dour~!" Houndour whispered back, just as reverently! They both knew the legends of Clant Westwood, they've seen any of his movies!

"See! See! Its just like High Noon! They're gunna both draw their pokeballs at the same time, an' then-"

But dirk was Cut off wrong! As with a SHWING! The Absol demolished the opposite Gunman trainer's belt! Then it was POW, and the Boss' Boss got knocked down!

Then the Boss stood all cool over the downed opponant, and then-

The Dog and Man both jerked at being addressed, practically confused! Then reality caught up, and they both stood with stars sparkling in their eyes! Or, through his Shades and his Partner's goggles, BUT THE POINT STILL STOOD!

They sprinted at the boss, the man's hands in the air as he shouted "HOLY GA-MOLY BOSS! YOUS DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE A FREAKIN' NINJA!"

They got up to the dup, Dirk to Boss and Houndour to Absol, and both began to babble!

"It was like 'I just dropped... My Balls...' and then he made to grave and-and your absol was all 'Schwing'! And then you freakin run up, slide under em an 'WAPOW'!-"

"Houn dour, dour dour, houn, houndour!-"

The incapably cable biker dou raved at the awesome moves the two pulled off! Of course, the Houndour was harder to understands for the Humans of the group, but it was clearly the same thing on both sides of the coin!

Kouji Matsubara