Roleplaying

{Team Aqua HQ, Heading for Living Quarters}

 

Getting to his room was hardly a task to speak of for Dietrich. The elevator was vacant, save for himself, on the way down and there was hardly a soul to speak of down the halls he traversed. Those who were within his field of vision were smart enough to stay out of arms reach, at the very least, their steps slowing and conversations fading as they watched the more advanced Grunt wove his way past them with with long-legged strides. Little time was wasted in getting to the quiet pseudo-sanctuary of his quarters, where he temporarily closed himself in.

With the lock carefully bolted in place behind him, the hard-bitten Aqua shed his bloodied, rain-soaked coat, dropping it in a heap to the floor. His shirt soon followed and he set himself to work on unwrapping his right arm in a quick, practiced pattern. Much to his displeasure, regrettably, the surprisingly clean bandages were made bloody by the gory digits that unwound them. Accidental oversight or not, it was enough to irritate him as he attempted to decompress from his completed mission. Frustrated, -- for no particular reason, save for the excuse to be such -- he tossed the tangle of bandages onto his bed and stained his hair with a quickly run-through of his hands to rid himself of his bandanna.

He found miniscule levels of relief via pacing, his mind wholly wrapped up in this unimportant issue, if for no other reason than to keep his thoughts from straying to graver things. In his line of work it was all he could do to save himself from the depths of complete and utter depravity. To allow himself to sink to such levels would be to succumb entirely to his captors. Insanity would not be the victor in this battle of wills, no matter how terribly one-sided it usually was.

Many minutes passed as he walked off his troubles, but it wasn't enough; he needed something else, something to bring a burn to his muscles and exhaustion to his mind. It wouldn't fix anything, certainly not in a hell as deep and wide as his, this he knew. But... but it would let him ignore it for a moment, and that's all a slave like him could hope for.

In no time at all he had slipped on a pair of swim trunks under his denims and was out his door. Again, just as was expected of him, he cleared his way without so much as a word or a look; no Grunt with half a brain cell wanted to be between him and his destination. Lucky for them he was in more of a rush than his usual slow pace, cutting his travel time down to practically a third. Corner after corner he turned sharp, heading for the center of the third level and the heavy scent of chlorine that went with it.

The pool room welcomed him warmly, left empty as it almost always was -- training and battles were off limits in the pools on the living quarter levels, and few Grunts were going to spend their spare time in the water for no reason but to loiter; most didn't have such time to waste. Whereas Dietrich would have preferred the isolation of the ocean water, out of Aqua's immediate grip, there was no way he was going back out into the freezing rain just after getting out of it. Sure, he could handle it, but it really didn't sound all that appealing to his tense mind. The heated pool would do just fine for now.

On one of the benches he left his pants and ever-present Pokeballs, placing with it a towel from the locker room for later use. Each footstep, each tiny splash of the disturbed water echoed through the tile room, drowning out the rest of the Headquarters ever-so-kindly for him.

With water such a plentiful commodity in the current age, Dietrich's skillful dive into the depths of the pool were hardly out of the ordinary. The muted liquid universe beneath the surface enveloped the Grunt openly, eating away at his bloodstained parts without an argument or objection of any sort. Though it was far from even Dietrich's mind to consider the pool his only friend, it was most likely the thing in Team Aqua he dealt with in the kindest manor, even when considering how fierce of a swimmer he was.

 

{Aqua HQ, Third Floor Pool}

{Outside the DayCare}

 

Lucas arched his eyebrow slightly as he turned to face the person that would dare address him with such a mocking tone. To his slight surprise he found himself face to face with an Aqua member. From her clothes he could tell that she was a higher up of some sort. Grunts all had matching uniforms to a degree, and judging by the Weavile at her side she had to be a bit above an agent. Either that or very blessed by her superiors. Though, as he looked closer he recognized her as one of the Officers that Rocket had collected intel on. Her father was a higher up in Aqua as well, which explains why she was in Auqa to begin with and the reason she had achieved such a high rank in a seemingly short time, though the last part was simply speculation on Lucas's part.

'It figures that I would be interrupted by an Officer. This could get ugly if she asks what is in the bag, so better to divert conversation away from the subject if possible,' he thought with a mental nod to himself. "It's better than no work at all I would think. And if you are implying that you know something about me you would do well to remember just how dangerous your files say I am. Of course I doubt you people at Aqua have more than my name and face on records." His sarcastic smile beamed from behind his coat's collar as he looked the officer over.

He had definitely seen her somewhere before, in a file at the very least. She didn't seem the type to try and hide her identity anyway; moreover she probably flaunted her heritage and power if it was his guess. "Anyway, what is an Officer like yourself doing out here in the ran? Don't you have some grunts to go order around in that rabble you call a team? Or did you come here to harass more innocent bystandards to fill your quota for civilian brutality that you all have to fill weekly?" At the implication of a fight Dorian's head perked up and he gave Lucas a sideways glance to see whether he was going to be the one to initiate the scrap. Lucas saw the look of course, and shook his head ever so slightly, telling the ancient rock beast to hold his ground for now.

Giving a small huff, Dorian turned back to the pair before them and stared at them intently. He could almost see the pride on the female human's face and in her posture. She must have thought of herself as higher than others he would think as he watched her body language. Assessing her figure and stance, Dorian came to the conclusion that she would put up a moderate challenge if he had to fight her; though if Lucas had to fight her it would probably be close to an even match. With that mental note stored away, his eyes drifted down to the Weavile. From the fact that it was standing behind its master instead of beside them as he was, Dorian could tell that it was being rather cautious at the present situation. The Kabutops saw this as it being afraid of him and gave a snort in the Weavile's direction, almost challenging it to come out and fight. After seventy years of training and battle, all of this information was rather easy for the Kabutops to pick up, and he would surely use it to his advantage.

Shifting his weight from foot to foot, Dorian kept his stare intently on the Weavile, waiting for it to try something. Kabutops knew that he would most likely have the upper hand if it came to a battle due to the rain. He loved the rain for more than just the reason that he was part water, it also happened to be a great boon for him in battle. So he stood next to his master in anticipation for the battle he was hoping would come.

{At the Daycare}

Daniel stopped paying attention to Tan as soon as he heard Ricky say "caught". He didn't like that idea in the least. Though, he kept a brave face on, seeing as there was a Rocket in the room that could easily make the situation worse if he wanted to. "Not a problem, I've been walking these streets for years. Avoiding people is what I do best," he boasted slightly with a fake confident smile, though he tried to make it sound like he wasn't boasting. Daniel never took any important missions like this before, this was probably his first major mission, so the thought of being caught this early was a tad annoying. However, he pushed the thought away and kept up the fake smile while Tan finished investigating the area around Daniel. He went off to look around at what else there was, namely where the lady his owner was talking to got the bag. Tan found out where the Ekans was, hopped up on the table, and getting close to it, he sniffed it, trying to figure out exactly what it was. He's not used to seeing pokemon other than the common ones in Team Magma, so anything out of the ordinary perked his curiosity. Actually, everything perked his curiosity. It is Tan, after all. When the taller Rocket member described more in detail what would entail if Daniel got caught, it started to unnerve him some more. He continued his fake confident smile which slowly transformed into a nervous smile the more the man talked, eventually ending in the smile not really being a smile anymore, instead being a nervous frown. Daniel was glad once the man left, and scooping up the bag with the eggs, he adjusted it so that the strap sat on the shoulder opposite of the hip the bag rested on. By the time he had the bag comfortable, his usual bored expression was back, making him look calm again. Even though he very well knew any random person that would show up would probably make him just clear out of his skin.

Which is exactly what happened, metaphorically speaking. He heard a lady's voice outside, and guessed it was an Aqua coming for their share of the eggs. He calmed himself though, there was still another person in the room and he didn't want to be a source of humor for her. "Tan, leave it alone and let's go, back in the pokeball for you so I don't have to deal with wet fur smell," Daniel said, tapping the front button of Tan's pokeball on the Houndour's head. The Houndour gave a sad look to his new "friend" as the red energy absorbed his own, thus storing him inside. "Thanks for the eggs, but I think I should be going now," Daniel said to Ricky. He turned around and climbed the stairs slowly ,so he wouldn't do some accidental damage to the eggs. Once he got to the top, he gave a quick glace to the lady who he suspected he heard downstairs, and decided not to make eye contact. Walking past her calmly, Daniel walked out into the rain, hoping that the lady wouldn't stop and question him. Luckily, he noticed that the man from earlier confronted the lady, so this was probably Daniel's chance to sneak past them, though, he could miss something interesting he could report back on, which would lead to good graces with his superiors. Daniel pulled his hood over his head as he walked past the two, not making eye contact in the least, and after he felt he was out of sight he dodged over to the side and back tracked, making sure he was hidden by the landscape and the rain, his dark colored clothes hopefully helping him to blend in.

"Let's face it. Civillians dont usually go to the DayCare Center. I know what you've got there--but I'm not trying to stop you. Hell, I wont even let this slip to my superiors. Built up your forces, I could care less~" she spoke calmly. She could feel the Kabutop's gaze on her and her Pokemon, picking up that itch to fight in his eyes.

"Your men have yet to catch that Kecleon hanging around and collecting data every so often~ I know this to be true," she taunted with an innocent tone. "I didnt come here to fight. I didnt come here because of an order I was given. I'm a little higher up than that." She gave a small snort. "No, I was wondering if this would be a wonderful opportunity for Aqua and Rocket to... take up a relation, under the table, of course...~

"You see... I am interested in the Orbs, just as Magma is. Now, my overseers would like to destroy them. I would like to use them to the world's advantage. Should we be able to strike a deal... I would gladly give Rocket information about Aqua, should Rocket supply me information that Aqua will never hear...~"

The Magma Grunt's hastily retreating presance didnt escape her notice. A single glance down to Loki gave him all the instruction he needed. Warily watchng the Kabutops for any sudden movements, Loki stepped away from his owner and vanished into the dark, rainy setting, not coming back in the forseeable future. Lynn didnt seem bothered by this at all, her hands staying in the calm, resting positions they'd taken when she first started talking to the Rocket.

Loki was more than happy to run away from the large fossil pokemon. But, that leaving his mind, he had a job to do. Utilizing his agility, he stayed hidden in the darkest of shadows, his large eyes keeping a sight on his prey. Egg stealing was what he was made for, and if he was called to do it, there was no way he was letting Lynn down. Getting close to his prey, he let off a shrill cackle indicitive of his species. Fully intending to play with his prey before finishing him off, he darted around the human's footpath, letting off cackles to make him seem surrounded.

Finding his Taunting working, and feeling pretty full of himself, he positioned himself in the perfect location to jump, springing onto the human's back. Working quickly before he could be knocked off, he sliced open the bag upon his back and Snatched two of the eggs inside, them being all he could carry for such a small pokemon. Not letting himself be caught, he dashed away just as quickly as he'd appeared, making off into the night with his charge. He didnt dare go back to Lynn just yet, but decided to hang out in the trees, scurrying up a choice one to steak out.

In a torrential downpour such as this people hurried themselves out of the open, into homes and businesses. Hot chocolate and warm blankets, whatever struck your fancy as warm and homey certainly would be the direction a smart person would lean to drown out the chill of wind and rain. The crash of thunder and sky-shredding tears of lightning through the darkened sky were enough to intimidate even the bravest of water types.

Yet, amid the cloudburst was yet another 'Aqua', the figure buried safely beneath a warmly insulated poncho to ward off the rain -- a handy little aid, considering it would only further the cold brought on by the water soaking her mussed hair to the roots. Surely such a scrawny girl would be shivering from head to toe if it weren't for her protection. Given her height and the way her clothing masked her waist size, however, one would never know her teenage-esque, almost undernourished shape, making her a much more curious silhouette to any who might catch a glimpse of her through a window. Her gait was relaxed; there was no hurry for her.

Buried beneath the oversized poncho, at her side, was a duffel bag holding the wetsuit and goggles she had only recently changed out of; the riches her dive had earned her were nestled safely within as well. Her investigation of a partially submerged sea cave just a few leagues from Fallarbor Island had been fruitful, resulting in the recovery of more than a dozen water stones within two hundred yards of the underwater entrance. Admittedly, her initial mission to locate the Ruby Orb was unsuccessful, but that was hardly a surprise. Coming back with any sort of haul was a victory in its own way, particularly when it aided her positions in both Aqua and Magma to hand over her unearthed treasures. Certainly, the bulk of it would be going to Aqua, but there would always be a small, secret tithe of her finds that would make their way back to her true loyalty.

From the recesses of her deep hood there was a soft chitter of discomfort when the wind shifted, bringing a light misting of raindrops in against her lightly freckled face and the Zubat cuddled in against her neck. January chuckled as it gave a twitchy shake and pressed close to her jugular for warmth. As usual, whilst her other Pokemon would more often than not remain in their respective Pokeballs, Mouse was permitted to stay by her side, even amid the dankness of a rainy day. No matter how small she was, the bat's company was always welcome.

The walk from the pier was rather long, but peaceful for the relatively high ranking Officer. As it took her around a bend and past the Daycare Center, however, her brief moment of relaxation was brought short and her attention back to the world around her.

Voices wafted their way through the rain, first bringing a twitch to Mouse's ears, then a tip to January's head. Though one voice was rather unusual to her, the second was much more present in her memory; the voice of an arrogant Aqua Officer she spent little time around, but knew all too well by reputation. Though she couldn't make out the detail, the presence of a 'fellow' Officer brought her to attention and egged at that curious side of her.

Contemplation brought her to a pause in the rain-soaked street, her decision hanging in the air. Her fingers wandered down to check the bag at her side; quite technically, her mission was complete, so a little down time for herself wouldn't hurt anything... right...?

With that in mind, she headed around the side of the building to see the goings on. Just to be safe, a quick tap of a Pokeball earned her the company of a curious little Sableye. Wink looked up at his master with a questioning crystal gaze, raindrops pouring through his ethereal body. What could his master possibly have called him out for at a time like that? She merely smiled down at him and gave a wink and a whisper, "Just need an extra pair of eyes, not an extra body."

The small Pokemon perked and gave a hasty nod. Understanding each other perfectly, January walked right on by, not so much as batting an eye as Wink snagged her shadow and sank into it, leaving him an invisible, fast acting insurance.

Rounding the corner into view of the others only reassured her of her suspicions. Sure enough, there DarLynn stood, in all of her prideful glory, opposite to an unknown figure and a rather menacing Kabutops. The sight of such a Pokemon did bring her pause, but it wouldn't be enough to make her back down entirely. Instead, she would simply keep her distance if at all possible.

A quick survey of the situation could only give her so much information, but the atmosphere certainly had a suspicious feel to it. With a pale brow quirked, she strode towards the other Aqua. "It's such ungodly weather to be out in, Lynn. Is there a problem here?" The undercover Magma never let her eyes stray from either of the others for too long; whether she was supposedly her companion or not, January gave her full trust to few, and none of those were within the depths of the Aqua bureaucracy.

{Outside the DayCare Center}

"I don't know what your little buddy has been telling you, but if he has made me out as a traitor then you are definitely getting your info from the wrong sources. My ties lie where they will and I don't make a habit of making under the table agreements with those of suspicious integrity which I know nothing of." Going from his rather serious tone to a chuckle as he said, "And for all you know, I could be working for the DayCare Center. I happen to have paper work on it too if you want to take a look. Though, from your little speech I would have to say that you aren't all that interested in such things."

The sound of another voice simply made things even more complicated for Lucas, though he didn't see the need for an immediate escape so he decided to sit and see what was going to happen. Dorian on the other hand had been staring at the Weavile the whole time and the moment he noticed him move he shot his head up and looked to his master for the signal. All that Lucas did was give a sideways smile and mouthed the words 'go for it'. If a Kabutops could have ever grinned, Dorian would have been to do it right there at that moment. Finally he was getting some action in this boring spell of inactivity. Bursting from his master's side with speed that should be unknown to a rock pokemon, he left only the disturbed puddle of water in his wake.

At this point Lucas really had to think on what he was going to say. "No trouble here at the moment, except for the ungodly weather as you called it." His voice was charming but he was actually having to bite back a little to keep it sounding that way. There were so many things he really wanted to say at the moment, but this was not the place for any of it. Lucas's mouth had gotten him in trouble more than once and this was one of the times he intended to learn from his mistakes. "I just happen to be delivering a package for old Mr. T since he can't manage the heavy rain is all. Of course, then right as I step out the door I get accused by this Aqua Officer here of being from a criminal organization and carrying controband items here in this sack. If you ask me it seems like just another excuse for one of the higher ups to take their frustrations out on a civilian because they can do whatever the hell they want now that they run the place."

Dorian was gleefully following the direction he had seen the Weavile run off to. He had seen the little dark pokemon headed for the forest's tree line so that is the first place he started looking. The rain felt good on his rock hide and gave the great beast the amazing speed he was now displaying. 'Come out, come out, wherever you are~' he chanted in his strange grating voice. Noticing a small figure up in the limbs of one of the trees, he smiled and decided that he would cause some disturbance to the creature's sense of security. In a blur of motion, the large fossil swung its scythes at the bases of the tree and the adjacent trees as well. Cracking sounded from the bases of the trees as the strain on them caused them to start toppling over into each other. 'Come down and play little one~'

{Outside the DayCare Center}

Jenna was regretting having to go with her 'escort' more and more as he started talking about different things going on with Aqua that she really had no interest in knowing. Lanore rolled her eyes as the trio continued through the rain, the Grunt carrying on his one sided conversation with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Of course, they all looked up in surprise when they rounded the corner and noticed three figures standing in front of their destination. Almost immediately Jenna noticed one of the people that made her skin crawl; Lynn. She had been one that Jenna tried her best to avoid like the Plague, not wanting anything to do with the arrogant Officer that flaunted her power just about everywhere she went. That Weavile of hers wasn't any better, but for some reason she didn't see the little blighter around. 'Strange, that terror usually doesn't leave her side unless something big is going on.' Jenna noticed next that there was another Aqua standing there as well, or at least that is what she thought because of the color scheme of the outfit she was wearing. And the fact that Lynn didn't seem to be threatening or attacking her in any way.

Turning her attention to the man opposite of them, she was rather curious as to who he was. She didn't know him from anywhere or from any file she had seen and he didn't look familiar either. So, deciding to see what was going on since that was the way she was going anyway, Jenna began walking towards them. "Come on, move your legs there's something going on over there. And from the looks of it Aqua is involved." That last part seemed to have perked the other Grunt's interest because he finally stopped talking and followed behind her quietly. 'Though knowing Lynn, aqua may BE the problem.'

The trio approuched quietly but Jenna made their presence known by calling, "Everything alright over here?" Usually this wouldn't have been a good idea if there were an altercation because it would give away the element of surprise. But at this point it would be four against one and the odds were in their favor so she didn't mind too much. She stopped a few feet short of the group, cigarrette now in her hand instead of her mouth with Lanore looking wearily at the three they were addressing. "Anything I could be of assistance to?" Jenna offered half heartedly. Not really wanting to help even if they did need it, but she also didn't want to look bad in front of the Officers and get punished for not doing anything. She'd had enough of their tormenting already.

{Outside the Daycare}

Daniel was quite proud of himself, thinking he got past all the older people without being caught. He just had to remember the excuse of being a civilian worker for the daycare, and he'd be set. The rain bugged him the more he stood in it, but the encounter was much too appealing to be missing out on. However, a certain screeching noise did make him jump out of his skin for the second time this day. He jumped around, trying to figure out what exactly it was, before feeling claws grab into the back of his shirt and the bag becoming ever so lighter with the absence of two eggs. This happened a lot faster than Daniel's reaction time, which honestly, ticked him off. He released Cos from his pokeball, the lazy male Nidoran looked up at his trainer through the rain, clearly showing an expression of hate and discontent. The attacker, Daniel's guess was that it was one of Aqua's pokemon, was gone and hidden before Cos even materialized out of the pokeball, leaving Daniel bewildered and even more soaked with an annoyed Nidoran at his feet. Daniel sighed, which then turned into a harsh panic when he realized that the two missing eggs would surely get him into huge trouble. Watching the other people, making sure his episode didn't draw any attention to himself, he recalled Cos, who was excited to get back to the warmth of the pokeball. Daniel then scanned the area, looking for where his attacker went so he could come up with some sort of plan to get the eggs back. It would be hard transporting them in a damaged bag, but it was a possibility that he could go back inside and exchange the eggs. Even if it was a blow to his pride, he'd do it for the mission. Before he could act any more, however, a few more Aquas showed up, and some high ranking ones at that. Now, this clearly worried Daniel, who normally never shows worry. He thought about playing innocent and pretending to be a civilian, though it was Aqua he was dealing with, they'd probably be the alternate name for a donkey when the complaint was about some Pokemon eggs, which were highly valuable.

Though, the Rocket's Kabutops left in a hurry, then proceeded to cutting down trees. Daniel was awestruck by this, he wouldn't have ever thought a pokemon that looked that slow would be able to do so much destruction in a small amount of work, nevertheless move that fast. He was glad Tan didn't pick a fight with it, or else Daniel might have just been down one pokemon. The Magma Grunt's attention flickered between the Pokemon and the Aquas, torn between which one would be more valuable of a spectacle to watch.

"She's done nothing of the sort, I just thought you'd be a reliable source, should we be able to work things out," she said, but ended up pausing when three other Aquas joined them. Immediately she regretted not lowering her voice; when the hell did they get there?? Instead, she turned to give them both a fake smile. "Nothing is wrong, dears. Please, scurry along to your destinations and let me finish my work...~"

Looking back to Lucas, she dropped her pleasantries to give him an acidic look. Her voice turning to a growl, she was no longer playing the nice girl. "That Kabutops of yours lays a scratch on my Weavile, and Rocket is dead, do you hear me?" The Kabutop's departure didnt escape her notice for a second. She dared not look back at the sound of felling trees, keeping her hate-filled glare on the man responsible. She had peace of mind to keep Tank in his Pokeball, not wanting to cause a huge mess out of this and have to explain her unauthorized meeting with a Rocket. She couldnt pull Uno out, he was still injured from training. And Wallpaper couldnt fight. She couldnt just leave it up to the little scamp's ingenuity...

Reaching up, she tapped a pokeball at her sash, a flash of red producing a...mass of empty air? There was nothing to see there, yet she spoke the command, "Help Loki," as plain as her voice could manage. No speck seemed out of place, though one looking hard enough could see splashes upon the ground like little footsteps.

Loki had settled nicely into the niche between the trunk and branch, settling the eggs in with him. He saw a strange shape move in near him, but as the tree cracked and groaned as it's weight moved, he squeaked and looked around for another tree. With all of them around him toppling, he had two choices; go down with the ship, or let go of the eggs. His mission relied on those eggs, so he kept a hold on them. Growling, he jumped to the ground, landing a little roughly but keeping the eggs safe, his eyes on the large pokemon facing him off. "Back off!" he snarled in his high-pitched voice. Dashing off into the shadows, he placed the eggs in a thicket, hoping them safe there. Staying still in the overgrowth for a matter of moments, he waited for the Kabutops to follow him before dashing out.

The pokemon may have been ten times bigger than he, but that wasnt going to stop him on his mission. He landed a Brick Break upon the fossil's rock skull, knowing that he wouldnt damage him enough to knock him out, but enough to hopefully buy some time. Gravity taking him back, he dodged those insane sickles, ever thankful he was so miniscule in stature, and less of a surface area to hit. The moment he hit the ground, he was off running, now seeing his master surrounded by other people. Now he wasnt sure whether to return to her, mission incomplete, or do as he was told.

Wallpaper rushed into the fight, though kept up her camouflage. She didnt know exactly what Loki was doing, fighting such a huge pokemon, so she stood by, keeping still until she could gauge his danger level.

{Outside DayCare Center}

 

The departure of the living fossil didn't go by unnoticed, neither by January, nor her Pokemon. There was no doubt in the Magma spy's mind that Wink was paying attention, waiting for a command.

A nonchalant shift to rub her cold-reddened nose was all the commanding he needed before invisibly hopping shadows until he was in the strange rock creature's footfalls; hitchhiking at its finest. No, he had no intention to fight, just to figure out the trouble. Catching a glimpse of a vaguely familiar Magma face with a split bag on the way struck his curiosity, but he kept to his position.

With her Sableye safely at work, January kept her attention on the matter at hand. The condescending attitude of her acolyte brought a slight furrow to her brow; they were on the same level, had earned their keep, no matter what this snooty woman's background was. Of course, Jan wasn't the sort to snap for such a brief mention, but she wasn't about to go anywhere based on the whims of a peer either.

Before she could say a word, the other woman was snapping away at the fellow across from them. Her words were confusing, but her behavior was certainly not fitting for a situation as this. Not that it surprised January terribly; since when did Aquas show any terrible amount of class or integrity, after all? Still, someone needed to make sure this situation stayed under control, and her fellow Officer clearly wouldn't be the one to do it.

Bearing both her mission and her duties in mind, January stepped up to the plate and put a hand on the 'other' Aqua's shoulder, lips drawn into a serious line. "Now, now, let's not get into a fuss." Her voice stayed calm, in control; she would be the mediator here, since it was obviously needed, and she certainly was of a level to do so. Bright eyes traveled from her pseudo-ally to the stranger across the way, which she quickly presumed as a Rocket, judging by Lynn's blustering. "There's no need for a scene out here in the rain, certainly not in front of the Daycare Center. We wouldn't want to risk civilians getting drawn into the fire."

With professional grace, and even a bit of a subtle threat -- just enough to hopefully get her to back down -- Jan turned her attention back to Lynn. "We wouldn't want rash behavior to earn anyone here a write-up or potential suspension, now would we? That would mean paperwork and signed witness reports -- lots of mess for lots of people." Whereas there was often a sense of 'don't ask, don't tell' when it came to the behavior of Aquas, a write-up from a distinguished Officer or Commander could cause a whole ton of trouble for those involved. Not that it would bother January any to do such a thing; keeping the peace and maintaining a 'good reputation' for Team Aqua always looked good to superiors, often earning copious amounts of brownie points.

Wink wasn't sure what to make of this whole mess, but his attention stayed fixed on the whole situation. As it escalated to further violence he chose to move to safer places, leaping shadows into the brush not far from a very intriguing scent...

The sight of two cute little eggs surprised the Sableye, especially when they were so different, and nowhere near a nest at that. Slipping out of the shadows, he scooted to them on all fours, quick sniffs telling of human scents on them, suggesting domestic breeding. For an observant, bright creature such as him, it wasn't hard to come to the conclusion of thievery.

Though presently unsure of what to do with the little things, Wink knew he couldn't leave them for the thief to retrieve, or worse, for the cold to consume the tiny lives within the fragile shells. He quickly gathered them up in his arms, solidifying himself long enough to get a good hold on them before sinking down into the dark shadows of the leaves, taking the orbs along for the ride to escape the area, no doubt heading back for Jan's shadow. Surely his master would have the wisdom to know what to do with the delicate things.

{In the Wilderness}

'There you are little one~' Dorian cooed mockingly as he watched the little Weavile hit the ground giving him a half crazed look. He finally had an opponent after waiting so long and he wasn't going to let this one go down so fast this time. He had no fun with the recent foes because they all fell rather easily to his deadly scythes. This time he intended to make things more interesting. The fossil pokemon was looked over and saw the little dark pokemon land an attack on one of the double team clones he had created as the trees were falling. Smiling at the fact that the clone had fooled his target, the fossil pokemon gave a nod of the head and sent the rest of his dopplegangers after the Weavile.He would follow soon but he had something to do first. Had this been an actual mission he would have searched for the eggs, but this wasn't.

So instead, he buffed himself to get ready and go in and attack for real this time. Giving off a brief glow as he buffed his speed further with Rock Polish, Kabutops smiled inwardly. 'Let the hunt begin.' Taking off at a speed faster than before, he slid agily through the forest using the wet ground to aid him in his movements. His sense were tingling as the wet ground squished underneath his clawed feet that still found traction on the ground where others would not. The creature's glee built further in his chest until he couldn't contain it any further and let out a roar that was distorted with time, malice, and the sound of grating rocks.

{Outside the DayCare Center}

Lucas's mouth split in a rather amused smile at Lynn's outburst about Dorian harming her little Weavile. "I am afraid that his actions are out of my hands at the moment seeing as I am nowhere near him to tell him to stop." The familiar sound of one of Dorian's battle cries reached his ears which caused further amusement for the tall Rocket. "Though how badly he gets hurt is going to be determined by how long your little Weavile can keep him entertained." There was a flicker of malice that floated through his eyes at the end of his sentence. Knowing Dorian, he would most likely toy with the creature until he found that boring and then start going for the joints to immobilize it.

Knowing that he was now severly outnumbered, Lucas now knew that it was in his best interest to keep the thin line between order and chaos in tact. "I assure you however, that if you let me be on my way I can go retrieve my fossil friend and keep him from harming your little critter. But it won't do any of us any good to sit here debating all day now will it?" He hoped that the propsition of keeping Lynn's precious Weavile from harm would cause her to back down a bit. Of course it looked as though her cohort that had arrived earlier was doing that for him.

(The above post was supposed to be for Lucas, sorry about that. >3<;; )

{In front of the DayCare Center}

Jenna was quite confused by the outbursts going in, and just the conversation in general. She had walked in on something that she had no clue as to what it was. As well, her offer had been ignored which told her that the two officers probably had this under control. Even so, it's not as if they would ask for her help in the first place anyway. Who ever heard of a higher up asking a Grunt for help? Maybe with fetching them a soda or their lunch, but never with a battle or tense situation. Heck, the officers could have been getting their butts kicked and still probably wouldn't ask for help. Though, if they noticed a Grunt in the area and they didn't help they would most likely just write them up for negligence anyway because they were mad about getting their butts kicked. It was a rather vicious cycle that always came out with the officers on top. But the favor had always been to those with power so this was nothing new for Jenna.

Heaving a sigh that formed into a puff of smoke, Jenna weighed the options and decided that it was still probably better to leave this one alone. Motioning to her 'escort', she said, "Hurry up, we don't want to get caught up in this."

"But that guy is a Rocket and is probably about to get his butt kicked by two of our officers! Do you really want to miss this?" The excitement in his voice irritated Jenna to no end and grated against her nerves.

She was tempted to tell him that she would indeed like to miss it, but that would just agitate the situation. Instead she replied with, "While watching them may be interesting, being late with the delivery of the eggs that we were actually sent out to retreive would not go over well with our superiors." The comment seemed to knock some sense into the Grunt's tiny mind since he then simply nodded and gestured for her to lead the way.

Satisfied with this, Jenna made her way around the group with as wide of a birth as she could give them without catching attention from them. Lanore had twitched her ears and thought she had heard something in an alley close by. But when she looked over all she saw was shadows. There might have been the dark outline of a person there, but the Nidorina simply put this off as her eyes playing tricks on her in the rain and followed behind her master.

{Inside the DayCare}

Glad to be inside, Jenna stuck her half gone cigarette in her mouth as she shook out her jacket. Her Nidorina hopped out of the way from the spiraling droplets coming off the coat, not wanting to be any wetter than she already was. Walking up to the counter, Jenna looked to the older man and said, "Please let your associate know that team Aqua has arrived for their package." Her voice was flat and unenthusiastic, but what else would you expect from her? It's not like she wanted to be there in the first place.

{Within the Trees}

Loki quickly figured out his attack had been flawed. He dashed for any cover he could find, his small body able to outmaneuver the larger beast, no matter how quick the rain made him. Leaping around like his tail was on fire did no good to his escape, but kept him from being sliced open all the same. He tried to make his way back to Lynn, forgetting all about the eggs and this time worrying more about his life and the ability to see the light of day for another mission to come.

Wallpaper watched silently through the goings on, and eventually found the real Kabutops. Calculating Loki's moves as she'd been taught, she scurried toward him, her camouflage still in place. Taking up any high ground she could find, and taking a calculated risk, she leapt with precision onto the hulking beast. Finding a niche to hold onto on it's skull case, she wrapped her hands around it's eyes, turning to a pitch black color to block it's sight.

Loki took his chance and darted off the opposite way. Effectively steering the Kabutops away from her partner in crime, Wallpaper changed back to match the background and flung off, darting off in the direction Loki ran. The two were utterly silent as they flung themselves head-long as fast as their little feet could take them. Both prayed that Tank would be backing them, coming to their aid, hoping that the fossil didnt catch up with them...

{At the Daycare Center}

Lynn gave the girl a menacing glare, though her words struck her. She could do nothing but listen, especially in horror as the fossil's warcry pierced the air. Gritting her jaw at an odd angle, it was all she could do from releasing Tank to ravage this Rocket and his petty beast.

"Get out of my face. Gather your pokemon before there's trouble," she growled, hiding fear for her friend's safety in a well-worn commanding voice. She shrugged off the Aqua's hand and stepped on the way she'd been going before she stopped. She prayed for her childhood friend. She knew he could get out of sticky situations, but this was a murderous beast he was up against, not a building system he merely had to navigate.

As the day has gone by, the sky is darkning in a threatning way. The humid temperatures causes discomfort for anyone outside, though those are few and far between.
As things seems they can't get any worse, loud thunder is heard rumbling over the City, followed by a flash of lightning.

Meanwhile in the Offices of Team Aqua,a report about the missing Orbs are ticking in. The officer on watch soon lables it as Top Secret, but unknown to him, a copy has allready been sent both to Team Magma and Rocket.

Outside the DayCare Center, things are tense between two agents of opposite teams. Unlikely Allies, or will Lucas face jailtime?!

 

Dun-dun-dun~~

The world does not look like it used to be. The landmasses that remain were once the highest of the mountains and have now been reserved for the few farms remaining. Some Pokemon have gone extinct, while others which once was rare now thrive in this strange, new world.

Locations:
Fallarbor City was once a dull little mountain town, but after the great Flood it has bloomed into the largest city on the land. It has the only harbor and most ships stops by once in a while to get new supplies and such. As such, this is the starting point for most people. Of course, standard city layout with PokeMart, PokeCenter etc.

Daycare Center is run by Mr. T, an old man and his wife. The building is large and they are the only one in town who has permission to breed pokemon. All the teams get their pokemon from them, and the Daycare center collaborates with other Centers around, to spread the various pokemon types. 

Wilderness: The wilderness, the last areas where wild land Pokemon still lives, mostly centered around Fallarbor City, and other smaller uninhabited Islands, as well as the waste water.

Headquarters: Each team have their own respectable headquarters. Team Aqua has a fine office building on the Harbor of Fallarbor, Team Rocket has a basement in the city and Team Magma has a cabin located in the forest.

The Factions:

Team Aqua: From Grunts to Commanders, these are the police, the military the ruling force of our changed World. Grunts do the dirty work, Agents do the co-op operations, Commanders lead and nobody knows the whereabouts of the leader, Archie. Despite this, the Commanders and higher ranking Officers keeps the wheels turning and have a total control over the world.

Team Aqua control the boats, the harbor and the city of Fallarbor.

Team Magma: Though the opposing faction of team Aqua originally was forced to disband when Aqua and Kyogre took over the world and changed it, this group didn't stop by that. Infiltrating Team Aqua, working in the shades and borders, they are searching for the Red Orb in hopes of one day being able to awaken Groudon in hopes to restore our world.

Team Rocket: If Profit can be made, Team Rocket is involved. Originally they were officially disbanded when Giovanni went missing again-, though a small chapter remained in the dull town of Fallarbor and by all luck managed to survive and now watches with mild amusement of the bickering of Magma and Aqua.

It has been nearly 50 years since the Great Flood that caused the overwhelming change. Team Aqua overtook control over the world in a grand coup, and gained full military and political power. Despite that Archie hasn't been seen since days after the Flood. Though this wasn't common knowledge to anyone save those of highest ranks, a leakage caused by infiltrating Team Magma spies have cause stirring and trouble among the Team Aqua Grunts.

While Team Aqua's newest front figure, Archie Junior is trying to maintain the control, not only with the people, but also his staff, Team Magma are pushing with all their might, fighting dirty and tries to shake the very foundation of Team Aqua all in hopes to divert attention for their ultimate goal. Finding the Red Orb to restore life as it was.

Team Rocket are kicking it low, and chilling in a basement in Fallarbor. Though few in numbers, they are the ones holding the key to everything. With knowledge of the whereabouts of the Orbs, as well as other secrets and trick of trade, they might end up as the saviors of the world, or those that doomed us all.

Which side do you take?

Nobody expected Team Aqua to manage it, to stir and anger the Kyogre, and such the waters raised and the land masses vanished slowly. Only the highest areas managed to survive, and people and Pokemon flooded to them, but the aftermath nobody could fully expect.

The first Pokemon that vanished were the grass Pokemon, then birds and many of the flight Pokemon followed close. One by one, species of Pokemon vanished from the wild, until almost all was gone.

Only after almost all of the pure grass types had vanished, people noticed that the Electric Pokemon had almost completely banished, only few were left, and among those most of those were tamed by Trainers prior to the cataclysmic events.

But life went on, and people and the remaining Pokemon adapted to their new water world. Lands were saved to grow food, while people moved to the ocean. On floating villages or even just boats and platforms, people have made their lives work as good as they can.

1. 2 characters per player.
2. Only Trainers can be played, but you can include Pokemon in post.
3. One faction per player, unless you ask nicely.
4. If you are grunt, you may have 2-3 Pokemon, Agents up to 4, Officers upto 5 Commanders upto 6
5. This is what you can join as: Grunt, Agents, Officers, Commander (1 for each team, if you wanna be one, let me know over pm and we'll work out details.)
6. No legendaries, including the birds and the dog trio.
7. Only Pokemon from generations 1, 2 and 3.
8. Most people who join will be Grunts.
9. When posting, clearly mark where you are, such as this: {At the HQ} If you are leaving the scene at the post, mark it such as {Leaving the HQ, heading to the Harbor}


The Pokemons:

Team Rocket: Rattata, Raricate, Ekans, Arbok, Sandshrew, Sandslash, Zubat, Golbat, Machop, Machoke, Machomp, Grimer, Drowzee, Hypno, Cubone, Marowak, Koffing, Weezing, Gloom, Vileplume, Muk, Houndour, Houndoom, Poochyena, Mightyena, Seviper, Murcrow , Beedrill, Nidorina, *Nidoqueen, Nidorino, *Nidoking, Meowth, *Perisan, *Crobat, Taillow, Swellow, Nidoran 

Team Aqua: Cacaturne, Crawdaunt, Manectric, Sharpedo, Walrein, Sealeo, Seviper, Mightyena, Cacnea, Caravanha, Corphish, Electrike, Lanturn, Poochyena, Spheal, Zubat, Golbat, Sneasel, *Weavile, Murkrow, *Honchkrow, Nidorina, *Nidoqueen, Nidorino, *Nidoking, Poliwhirl, Tentacool, *Tentacreul, Slowpoke, Slowbro, Sheldar, *Cloister, Krabby, Kingler, *Ampharos, Quagsire, Nidoran, Seel, Dewgong,Walrein

Team Magma: Aggron, Claydol, Houndoom, Rhydon, Torkoal, Camerupt, Lairon, Mightyena, Zangoose, Baltoy, Houdour, Aron, Numel, Poochyena, Zubat, Golbat, *Absol, Skarmory, Slugma, Magcargo *Nidoking, *Nidoqueen, Nidorina, Nidoran,

~ If you are a grunt, these are what you can have. If you are Agent, you can have one which isn't on these list. If you are Officer or higher, you can have others which I haven't mentioned.

This list is not final and will be worked on!