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It’s no secret that X has found himself in some rather… bizarre predicaments throughout his job as a Maverick Hunter. But one particular situation he ended up in during what was supposed to be a typical mission in the woods was something that he, nor anyone else could have seen coming.
X trekked through the forest, Buster in hand, when his optics detected something in the grass. His Buster retracting, he approached the object, and upon closer inspection, it looked like... some kind of sack, brown in color and with a drawstring attached. Did someone leave it behind...?
X leaned down and picked up the sack, examining it closely. It seemed to be filled with something, but there were no outlines indicating anything inside. Still, it couldn’t hurt to return it to its rightful owner, once this mission was finished, of course.
Suddenly, the drawstring loosened as the sack opened, all on its own. Before X could react, he felt his head being pulled inside by a force that came out of nowhere. Well, it had to be coming from somewhere. It was coming from… within the sack...?!
“W-what the-?!” X, caught off-guard, tried to pull his head away, his fingers clamping down onto the fabric, but whatever force was pulling him in turned out to be stronger, and, within a split second, his entire head was sucked inside the sack, the opening tightening around his neck (nowhere near enough to strangle him, fortunately).
X’s body jerked forward as the sack’s pull intensified, swallowing him up from his head, to his shoulders, then his chest in an instant. His fingers scrambled against the fabric in a desperate attempt to resist, but the sack was relentless. His torso was engulfed next, followed by his legs as the sack fell to the ground, until only his boots were jutting out, twitching as the Azure Hunter struggled inside.
A strange, purple glow pulsed inside the sack, almost mockingly, before X was suddenly stripped of his boots as they were yanked off his feet and tossed to the side, leaving only his bare, bodysuit-clad feet exposed as the drawstring tightened around his ankles. X’s toes flexed involuntarily, the cool breeze of the forest brushing against his now-uncovered soles as his feet wriggled in confusion and frustration. Strangely, the sack remained at its original size despite holding nearly an entire Reploid. All X could see was darkness, even with the small source of light provided by the red gem on his helmet. The interior seemed bottomless, yet was cramped, giving the Azure Hunter little room to move.
X’s mind raced with questions regarding his predicament and how he ended up in such a vulnerable state (with only his feet exposed, no less). Was this a trap set up by a Maverick? A sick joke? How was such a small sack able to swallow him without bursting at the seams? And just who or what stripped him of his boots? The sack defied all logic, and X was at a loss at how to explain any of this.
He paused when that same purple glow pulsed through the fabric. Was it... magic? No, that couldn’t be. He knew about the concept, but there was no such thing as magic. At least, that’s what he believed.
Somewhere in the distance, the sound of rustling leaves reached X’s ears, signaling another presence approaching - likely Zero, having heard the commotion. If X could speak right now, he'd be calling for help. But his words were muffled within the sack, and all that remained outside of it were his helpless, wriggling feet, an absurd sight for anyone who happened to stumble upon it.
Zero's boots crunched against the undergrowth as he emerged from the tree line, his long, golden hair swaying with his movement. His sharp blue eyes immediately locked onto the bizarre sight - a pair of familiar blue feet protruding from a sack, toes curling in obvious distress. Zero blinked twice in disbelief before stepping closer.
“X...?!” Zero spoke, his tone both concerned and bewildered. “What happened? Did some Maverick do this?”
X’s toes uncurled at the sound of Zero’s voice, muffled from the outside world, relieved that the Crimson Hunter had come to his rescue.
But then he remembered how he was engulfed by the sack just now. If Zero got too close, then that meant he would be swallowed up as well, and X knew he couldn’t let that happen.
“Zero, wait! Don’t come any closer! You’ll be-“ X tried to warn Zero, but it was too late. He had already grabbed his ankles.
And unfortunately for X, he was proven correct, because the moment Zero pulled on his ankles, the sack’s magic flared up again. With a sudden yank, Zero found himself being pulled in headfirst. “What in the world-?!” His protests were cut short as the sack consumed him with the same unnatural hunger, leaving only his own armored boots visible, until those too were stripped away and tossed aside, adding a second pair of bare feet to the sack.
Now both Maverick Hunters were trapped, their struggles causing the sack to wobble slightly with two sets of flailing feet and wiggling toes, accompanied by muffled protests.
Inside, X and Zero’s bodies were pressed up against each other, further adding to their discomfort. X’s head was pressed against Zero’s chest plate, wedged between the two green orbs, and their limbs were tangled, barely able to move a muscle. It was already cramped enough, but the addition of Zero made things even more unbearable. And though X knew it wasn’t his comrade’s fault, it did little to bring him any sort of comfort in the enchanted prison.
“Mmph! Zero, your chest plate-!”
“I’m sorry, X, but... I can’t... move...!”
X’s feet rubbed against each other in discomfort, while Zero’s toes wiggled in frustration. They were nothing more than helpless pairs of feet now, left at the mercy of whoever would come by. And yet despite the added weight of the Crimson Hunter, the sack expanded no larger than its original size.
The forest remained eerily quiet except for the occasional rustle of leaves and the faint, muffled grunts and protests of two trapped Reploids. X's bare soles twitched against each other, his toes curling and uncurling in restless discomfort, and his bodysuit offered no real protection against the strange magic that had rendered him so vulnerable. Zero, ever the stoic Hunter, remained more composed, but even his feet betrayed his irritation with subtle shifts, his heels pressing against the mouth of the sack as if testing for any weakness in its hold.
Then, footsteps. Light, almost playful. A familiar chuckle cut through the silence.
Oh, no.
"Well, well," came Axl's amused voice as he twirled one of his pistols in his hand, his grin practically audible as he crouched down beside the sack, drumming his fingers against his knee, “never thought I'd see the day when X and Zero get turned into a couple of foot decorations."
X's feet stiffened in recognition, his toes splaying briefly in indignation as he sighed exasperatedly. Zero's, meanwhile, flexed sharply. “Haha, very funny.” he replied from the sack, clearly unamused. “Are you going to help us or what, Axl?”
If Axl was here, that meant rescue was possible... But given his penchant for mischief, that might not be the first thing on his mind.
Sure enough, Axl reached out, tracing a single finger along the arch of X's left foot. It was just a light tease, but was enough to make the trapped Reploid’s foot jerk in response, his muffled protests vibrating through the sack. “Axl, c-cut it out!”
“Whoops, sensitive, huh?” Axl grinned, switching his attention to Zero’s soles. He dragged a fingertip in slow circles along the ball of the Crimson Hunter’s foot, watching in delight as Zero’s toes clenched tightly. “C’mon, Zero, you’re never this tense on missions. Why don’t you relax a little?”
The sack wobbled violently as both senior hunters struggled in vain - X's feet kicking slightly, Zero's heels pressing flat against the fabric as if trying to push through it. Axl, thoroughly entertained, leaned back on his heels, having every intention of taking advantage of X and Zero’s predicament.
Axl’s gaze shifted to a stick that happened to be laying nearby. Grinning deviously, he snatched it, before dragging it along X’s arch, his toes splaying in response.
“Hahahahaha! Axl! Stohohop!” X’s muffled laughter erupted from the sack as the stick was dragged along his sensitive arch. His foot spasmed, toes curling wildly before splaying out again in helpless reflexes. The Azure Hunter kicked fiercely, but the sack held firm, leaving him completely at Axl’s mercy.
Zero, meanwhile, remained silent, but his feet tensed, toes pressing together as if bracing for his turn. Axl, grinning like a cat cornering its prey, didn’t make him wait long. He dragged the tip of the stick in slow, deliberate strokes along Zero’s instep, watching as the usually unshakable Hunter’s resolve visibly cracked. Zero’s foot jerked, his heel digging into the sack’s fabric as a low, barely restrained grunt escaped him.
The sight of his two mentors reduced to twitching, ticklish feet was too much for Axl, and he doubled over laughing. “Oh, man, I gotta get a picture of this!”
“Axl, this isn’t funny!” Zero yelled from inside the sack, another grunt escaping him as Axl dragged the stick along his foot again.
After a few more deliberate drags of the stick, Axl dropped the piece of wood and decided to do things the old-fashioned way. He began scribbling his fingers over Zero's soles, and the Crimson Hunter's toes splayed as he finally broke out into laughter. It never ceased to amaze Axl how Zero, the usually stoic Hunter, could be so easily knocked down a peg by something as simple as tickling.
Zero’s laughter, deep, rumbling and uncanny from a stoic Hunter like him, burst from the sack as Axl’s fingers skittered mercilessly over his soles. His feet twisted in desperate evasion, toes curling and uncurling in rapid succession, but Axl was relentless, spidering his fingertips along the high arches and the delicate ridges just beneath his toes. Zero was reduced to breathless, wheezing laughter, his heels drumming against the sack’s maw in vain. “Hahahahaha! Axl-hahaha! Stop it!”
X, still recovering from the earlier assault, managed to regain enough composure to plead between intermittent giggles. “A-Axl, hehe, knock it off already! We’ve got work to dohoho-HAHAHAHA!”
Suddenly, Axl switched targets mid-scribble, raking his fingers in quick, zigzagging patterns up X’s soles. His reaction was instantaneous - his laughter pitched higher, his feet spasming as he practically folded within the sack, his knees pulling up, only to be constrained by the cramped space. “NOHOHO-HAHAHAHA! ZERO! HELP!”
Zero, still catching his breath, growled, or at least tried to, though it came out more like a winded chuckle. “I-pfft-am trapped, too, you know, X-AHAHAHAHA!” The Crimson Hunter quickly dissolved into laughter again, this time pitching higher as Axl raked his fingers over one sole, while dragging the stick he used earlier across the other. “BAHAHAHAHA! YOU’RE DEAD WHEN WE GET OUT OF HERE, AXL!”
“Pfft, yeah, right.” Axl replied nonchalantly, before ceasing and tossing the stick away, only to resume a second later, this time scribbling his fingers on X and Zero’s feet at the same time, and their laughter started up once more.
The sack wobbled violently as X and Zero writhed frantically, their feet flailing in a desperate attempt to escape Axl’s playful torment, but the gunslinger’s fingers would always follow. The two Hunters’ muffled laughter mingled together, a symphony that reverberated in their enchanted prison. Their faces, unseen from within, were blushing with humiliation, yet all they could do was laugh and plead as the ever-so mischievous Axl tickled their exposed soles.
Axl, grinning ear to ear, finally relented, and X and Zero’s laughter soon died down to intermittent giggles. He admired his handiwork - two of the most formidable Maverick Hunters in history, reduced to squirming, giggling, barefoot messes. He crossed his arms. “Alright, alright. I guess I’ll let you guys out... if you admit I’m the best Hunter on the team.”
“Never.” X and Zero both snarled in unison, their feet tensing in defiance.
Axl sighed dramatically, before shrugging. “Worth a shot. Man, you guys are buzzkills.” He reached for the sack’s drawstring, only for a sudden rustle in the bushes to make all three Hunters freeze.
Someone else was here.
"Well, well..." A Maverick stepped out of the bushes, having witnessed X and Zero’s plight and their torment from the young gunslinger. "The so-called 'beacon of hope' and his stoic-as-all-hell friend trapped in a bag, mocked by one of their fellow Hunters."
Axl quickly raised his pistols, his shoot-first-ask-questions-never instincts taking over, but the Maverick was faster, and he pinned the gunslinger to the ground, causing him to drop his pistols with a cry of disbelief. Before Axl could react, the Maverick lifted him into the air, and shoved his head into the sack's opening. Almost right away, the sack's magic activated, and Axl was promptly swallowed up, until only his boots remained visible. However, like the two other Hunters before him, his boots were not spared, as the magic yanked them off his feet, exposing his bare, bodysuit-clad feet as his boots were tossed aside to rest alongside X and Zero's.
"Hope you losers like drowning in each other’s sweat, 'cause you ain't getting out of that sack!" the Maverick laughed cruelly, before walking away, leaving X, Zero and Axl alone and trapped in the enchanted sack. Now there were three pairs of feet, one blue, one black and the other ashy grey jutting out of the sack.
The sack wobbled and jiggled violently as Axl thrashed inside, his muffled protests joining X and Zero's own disgruntled noises. His bare feet, sleek and streamlined like the rest of his frame, kicked wildly at first, before settling into an occasional twitch of frustration. The three pairs of soles now made for a ridiculous sight: X's flexing in agitation, Zero's still maintaining some semblance of dignity despite the absurdity of it all, and Axl's wiggling with restless, boundless energy.
Inside the sack, the situation was cozy, in the worst possible way. X found himself sandwiched between Zero's chest plate and Axl's back, while Zero had one elbow accidentally digging into Axl's side. The young Hunter squirmed, his voice muffled but distinctly annoyed.
"Okay, this is way less funny from this side." Axl groaned, his toes curling as if trying to push against the magical fabric.
X sighed, his own feet shifting uncomfortably. "You did just spend five minutes torturing us instead of helping us, so forgive me if I'm not sympathetic."
Zero's voice was dry, yet a small chuckle rumbled from his chest as the smallest hint of a satisfied smirk appeared on his face despite the situation. "Heh, karma."
Axl scoffed and rolled his eyes, rubbing his feet against each other to scratch an itch on his arch. “So, uhh... How the hell are we gonna get out of this thing?”
There was silence for a moment, before the fabric suddenly rippled with magic, jostling the trio somewhat, and a voice (possibly from the sack itself) echoed in their minds, its tone amused.
“Ask nicely.”
X’s feet twitched in surprise at the sudden voice, his toes curling inward briefly. Zero, ever the pragmatist, remained still, though his heels pressed firmly against the sack’s maw as if testing its limits. Axl, however, had no such restraint.
"Seriously?!" Axl’s voice was equal parts incredulous and indignant, his feet kicking in protest. "You suck us in up to our feet, take off our freaking boots, and now you want us to ask nicely to get out?! What kinda messed up magic sack are you?!"
The sack rippled again, the fabric shifting almost smugly around them. The voice hummed, its tone teasing.
"Mmm… I do not know. Perhaps I enjoy the company. Three legendary Maverick Hunters, all tucked in snug as can be~"
X groaned, his soles flexing in frustration. "Look, we don’t have time for this. There are Mavericks out there causing havoc, and we-“
"Ah-ah!" the voice interrupted, the sack’s magic giving a playful squeeze that made all three Reploids jostle against each other. "No mission talk. Just a simple, polite request. Or… you could stay like this a little longer. I do not mind~"
Axl groaned dramatically, his feet wiggling in defeat. "Ugh, fine." He took a deep breath, then spoke in the most exaggerated, saccharine tone imaginable. "Ohhh, mighty and super cool magic sack~ Would you pleeeease let us out? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
A brief moment of silence.
"...That was terrible."
Zero exhaled sharply, the closest thing to a laugh he'd allow himself in this situation, before speaking in his usual measured tone. "Release us. Now."
The sack shivered (though whether it was from amusement or intimidation was unclear), before the drawstring finally loosened. With a sudden, undignified ‘FWUMP’, all three Reploids spilled out onto the grass in a tangle of limbs, finally free from the sack’s grasp.
Axl groaned, rubbing his head as he sat up. "Note to self: never pick up weird bags in the woods."
X, already reaching for his discarded boots, shot him a flat look. "You weren’t even the one who picked it up."
Zero, already back on his feet (and not commenting on the whole ordeal), simply adjusted his armor and muttered, "We’re burning that thing." X nodded in agreement.
The sack, now lying innocently on the ground, gave one last teasing ripple before falling still.
X aimed his Buster at the sack and began charging a powerful shot to ensure it would be destroyed, but before he could fire, it engulfed itself in a purple aura (likely its own magic), before vanishing into thin air in a burst of glittering particles.
X lowered his Buster with a frustrated sigh, his bare soles pressing into the earth of the forest floor.
"Of course it disappears the second we're free." Zero groaned, facepalming.
Axl stretched his arms overhead, rolling his shoulders with a groan. "Yeah, yeah, magical foot-prison escapes justice again. Real shocker." He wiggled his toes experimentally before snatching up his discarded boots. "Next time, I'm blasting any suspicious sacks on sight."
Zero, already clicking his boots back into place, shot Axl a sidelong glance. "You mean after you spend five minutes tickle-torturing your superiors inside them?"
Axl froze mid-step, boots half-on. "...Okay, first I tickle, then I blast. Priorities."
X shook his head, sliding his own boots back on with a quiet click of metallic plating settling into place, before facing the others. "Let's just... pretend this never happened."
The three Hunters exchanged glances, before nodding, a silent agreement passing between them. Some missions didn't need to make it into the official reports, and this was one of them.
As faint, mischievous laughter was heard from the bushes right as they turned to leave and continue on their mission, however, the trio realized that this may not be the last time they encounter that enchanted sack. Regardless, none of them looked back.