Sarah Reyes sat unphased by the loud *thump* of something slamming into her kitchen window. She giggled as she set the newspaper down and took a small kitchen knife in her hand while walking to the window. After etching the ninth tally mark into the window sill, she opened it to greet her father's wingull who once again made the mistake of assuming the clean window was open. She fed him a small treat and untied the letter attached to his foot, it was a letter from her parents. They didn't write much anymore, since the discovery of a new evolutionary line of pokémon, both being researchers, they didn't have very much time for their children anymore, though Sarah was okay with this; since she offered to take care of her brother after turning 18 so that their parents could travel the world. That was a little over four years ago, and today was her brother's turn to open the letter. Sarah bid farewell to the wingull and it flew off, she went to her brother's room and pounded on the door.
"Jacob, get up, got a letter from mom and dad. We also have work in forty minutes, you better not be sleeping" she yelled through the wood. The door was locked, though she was wise not to just walk right into the room of her 17-year-old younger brother. After a minute there was a grunt, a groan, and the sound of Jacob accidentally rolling off his bed. The boy was clumsy in the mornings, but efficient. Within minutes he was dressed and at the door, eager to see what their parents had said to them. They went to the kitchen together with hardly a word, as to begin their day together on the best note possible. Sitting down, Sarah began to pour her brother a bowl of cereal, she popped a small handful into her mouth but restrained from taking more since she already had breakfast. Jacob began to carefully open the envelope, without looking up he spoke,
"Did dad's wingull fly into the window again?" Sarah giggled again
"Yes" she said as she poured the milk and slid the bowl to Jacob. This time the letter was written by their mother, he cleared his throat and then read aloud.
"Dear Sarah and Jacob, sorry we haven't written in such a long time, we've been swamped with work ever since the discovery of these new pokémon. They're quite unusual, a dual-type ice/steel, they try very hard to keep to themselves. We have not attempted capturing any of them, but your father wants to try soon. They kinda look like armored mightyena with blue and purple fur. We'll send a photo as soon as we're allowed. Anyways, we both hope that you two are doing well and hope to hear from you again soon, it's been so long since we've seen your beautiful faces, and we miss you a lot. Love you always, mom and dad" He lowered the envelope to the table and began to dig into his cereal. Sarah began to imagine the pokémon. she couldn't help but imagine a frosty mix of a mightyena and an absol. Her thoughts were interrupted by her brother who had finished his breakfast already.
"Hey, wanna race me to work?" he blurted out, she turned to him quizzically
"And be all sweaty? No thanks"
"Oh come on, it's not that far"
"Not that far? Only two kilometers, yea I sprint that distance every other day, great cardio"
"You're no fun at all"
"Got your stuff together? We gotta go"
"Yea, do you have your keys this time?" Sarah sighed
"Yes little brother, I have my keys". The two of them left their home on the outskirts of Ruberia City, a medium-sized city located south of the center of the Cabaro region. Ruberia City is most famous for its Pokémon Sky Arena, a large tower looming over the city that is host to numerous events for pokémon trainers from all over to compete in. This week was a very important event in which some of the greatest pokémon trainers from all over the world would compete in. This meant a busy schedule for Jacob and Sarah because they worked in the nearby Pokémon Care Center. Unlike many care centers, this one was extraordinarily large, it featured a large dome over many biomes that pokémon could free-roam in, since more experienced trainers prefered their pokémon to rest outside of their pokéballs and theirs were trained enough to be docile towards each other. Just in time, the siblings made it into work and clocked in. Jacob made sure he stopped to pet the residing growlithe owned by the care center, it wagged its tail in satisfaction. Sarah went into the tech room and sat down at the computer, punching in her login info. Jacob went out into the dome, he could hear the sounds of tamed pokémon living as if they were still wild. Breathing in the crisp air, he toured the dome. With a massive radius of 300 meters, the dome and its small front building make up the second largest building in Ruberia City. Jacob could see other caretakers checking up on the roaming pokémon, he did the same. Sarah's job was much less hands-on versus her brother's. She monitored pokémon activity through her computer station, keeping an eye on the vitals of each resident. They were all linked to their pokéballs sitting in the storage room, data flow was easy to collect and view. Sarah was also tasked with watching the pokémon through the cameras. The day flowed just as any other, Jacob figured it to be quite uneventful. Until he stumbled upon an uncommon sight: an egg, lying in the brush. Jacob was in the forest section of the dome, there were a couple pokémon in the area, but none that he could determine to be the parents. Carefully hefting the egg, he examined it. All pokémon eggs were similar, with a milky white shell covered in large green spots. This was one of the many mysteries surrounding pokémon reproduction, it's nearly impossible to determine what was inside. Jacob stood puzzled as he wondered who the parents were, he looked around and began to walk with it, approaching pokémon he recalled to be compatible with the egg.
"Is this your egg?" he asked as he held it towards potential parents, most ignored him or sniffed the egg, but ignored it. Jacob's confusion increased, he looked around again and headed back to the area where he found the egg. Still no sign of the creators of his ball of life, Jacob decided to craft a small makeshift nest for the egg. Thinking back to how certain bird-type pokémon like to build nests in trees, he built up a suitable nest off the trail. After softly placing the egg down, he returned to his normal rounds. Jacob began learning about how to be a caretaker ever since he and his sister moved from Unova. Jacob thought of when he himself was a pokémon trainer, he quickly extinguished those thoughts however, he preferred not to think about them. Since his retirement from pokémon training, he had studied as much about the creatures as he could. He didn't mind people battling with pokémon, since they enjoyed doing it themselves, but had a distaste in how many people treat them.
Idle chatter rang around as Jackson Tonnes slipped on his coat, Team Vortex enjoyed flashing their colors to anyone within sight, but needed to avoid any sort of confrontation today. In the wake of the Diamond Tour arriving at Ruberia City this week, Vortex planned to hit the care center housing the competitors' pokémon. Recently the group had been laying low, people were smart to be cautious but dumb to let their guards down. Recon suggested that the center features little to no security, save for one mascot pokémon that roams the lobby and cameras. Jackson laughed at the report when it came in, they weren't exactly planning on sneaking in. The growlithe could prove to be useful if toughened up, but not a priority. Jackson stepped onto the makeshift stage that had been built in their little hideout, a building hidden in the forest west of Ruberia City.
"Alright, shut your faces and listen up" he began, the small band of Vortex grunts immediately quited as their Admin began to speak. "At this point you all should be ready to leave. Remember the plan of action: take what you can, kill the rest. Leave nothing behind, anything that even remotely poses a threat will be eliminated. Everyone check their v-catchers before we go, other than that, we're ready. Vortex in perpetuum"
"Vortex in perpetuum" the grunts responded in unison, the eight of them began to fiddle with their v-catchers as they filtered out the door towards the road. While not perfect, the v-catchers were effective at breaking the connection between pokémon and pokéball, sending them instead to Vortex terminals rather than ones owned by the pokémon trainers. Jackson inspected the six he clipped onto his belt, they were stylized like regular pokéballs but black with a purple V on the front to symbolize their users. While one could carry more than just six, Jackson preferred symmetry to the other side of his belt that held his six combat pokémon. Vortex honored the old tradition of only carrying six pokémon at any given time, not including those trapped in the v-catchers. Some members desired to add more, for extra security, but their requests were rejected due to the arrogance of their leadership. Vortex was feared by most, and any who attempted to stand up to the villainous team were generally taken down. Very rarely would a grunt be bested in battle, and when such a thing happened, the grunt would be shunned and removed for their failure; if they were not arrested or killed first. Jackson tailed his men as they made for Ruberia City on foot. Groups of Vortex members were never very large, only between five and twelve at most; save for the three bases they operated out of. While small, a team of Vortex grunts could effectively bring a town to its knees. Police in Cobaro was weak, and could not effectively combat the criminals. Within an hour, the group arrived in Ruberia City, the care center was down the street. They were to waste no time, and made haste to the front entrance. Jackson ordered his men to wait outside for the signal, and then removed one of the pokéballs on his belt. He examined the net ball's smooth blue exterior before pointing it towards the ground and tapping the button on the front. The ball opened up, and his scyther materialized on the ground in front of him. It stretched out its arms and wings before turning around to face its summoner. Jackson nodded his head towards the pokémon and turned around; pushing the door open, his scyther followed close. They were greeted by the woman standing behind the counter in the lobby.
"Hello! Welcome to the Ruberia Care Center, how may I help you?" she cheerfully started, Jackson's eyes scanned the lobby for a moment before answering.
"Here for a pick-up"
"Okay, can I get your name please?"
"Jackson Smith"
"Just a moment please" the woman began typing, her cheery expression shifted to a more concerned one before turning back to Jackson. "I'm sorry sir, your name doesn't seem to be here, which pokémon are yours?"
"All of them"