And back to the action! :) I hope everyone continues to enjoy!
"Let us in! We know you're in there, Nurse, and so are lots of Pokémon!" Two of the Snagem grunts were attempting a break-in of the Pokémon Center within the Training Center as per the plan they'd devised, the pair pounding ineffectually on the heavy metal shutters that were barricading the entrance doors and all of the windows shut. This was something they hadn't counted on.
"Blissey bliss blissey blisseyyyyyyy bliss." The only response from inside the tightly shuttered Center issued from what sounded to be a very annoyed, angered Blissey, her message clear in her tone: You're not getting in here, humans.
A trim, black-haired woman named Makira tilted her head thoughtfully as she studied the shutters before quirking an eyebrow and muttering to the man next to her in muffled Orrish thanks to the black bandanna she was wearing over her mouth. "[Think the nurse in there even knows Common, Dietrich?]"
"[Of course- she's a League employee, they gotta know Common to get hired. And don't use our names, idiot! There's audio and video recording out the ass in these training places.]" Dietrich, the self-appointed leader, adjusted his own mask and gave Makira a withering look before turning his attention back to the shutters and addressing the Nurse Joy behind the secured walls again. "Open up or we're gonna start using our Pokémon to get rid of those shutters!"
"Hey, you jerks! Stop that!" A young girl's voice issued from behind them followed by grass-muffled hoof beats, Karen charging in on Star with Lily loosely hanging from her neck. "Leave the Center alone! There's only sick and injured Pokémon in there!"
Dietrich snorted. "Trying to play the hero, huh little girl?" He then tossed two Pokéballs and released a Cubone and Natu. "[Get 'em, boys! I want a Bone Club and Peck now, get her offa that Ponyta.]" The pair of Pokémon reluctantly started charging towards Karen and Star, neither really feeling it was sporting to attack the Ponyta while their fellow 'mon had his human on his back, but also not wanting to risk the ire of the man that had Pokénapped them a while ago.
Lily uncurled herself from around Karen's neck and hovered squarely in front of Karen and Star to protect them both, a determined expression on her face as she prepared to face the two 'mon charging them. "FEY!"
"[Vine Whip them both, Lily!]" The Comfey immediately obeyed, snapping her long, flower-covered vine towards the Cubone before turning her attention to the Natu and attempting the same. She managed to connect with the slower Cubone but not the speedier Natu, Cubone stumbling a bit at the impact of the vines as he managed to endure the highly effective attack, though just barely, letting out a cry of pain before ineffectually swinging wildly at Lily and missing her altogether.
"My Natu's really gonna put the hurt on your little flower there," Dietrich began with a smirk, switching to Common to mock Karen as the Natu's beak connected with Lily's head...who barely seemed to notice it, just letting out an angry 'Com!' before flying away from the small Pokémon and squaring up again.
"She may look like a Grass-type and have a Grass-type attack, but she's not," Karen replied with a smirk of her own as Star carefully shifted under her to face the battle. The Ponyta's head and ears swiveled in all directions to keep an eye and ear out for anyone trying to sneak up on him or Karen, his flames burning brightly even as he kept his mane and back cooled down for Karen's sake.
Dietrich laughed. "Well in that case maybe I'll get my friend here to help. Your Ponyta seems a little busy right now, and I doubt that little 'mon you're using can take on four Pokémon at once." He snapped his fingers, Makira rolling her eyes but beginning to reach for her own Pokémon.
"That doesn't sound like a very fair fight," Ash interjected suddenly from the bushes, popping out from the hidden maintenance path along with Eevee and Pikachu on either side of him. I hope that they're both really okay with battling, but it seems like they want to help out. Ash still hadn't had that conversation- or as much of a conversation as he could manage considering the language barrier- with the pair, but they both seemed to be sizing up the situation and their potential opponents, Pikachu's left ear and Eevee's right ear respectively both turned towards Ash and intent expressions on their faces. "Pikachu, Eevee, Thunder Shock and Tackle the Natu!"
Pikachu's eyes widened as he realized that he'd not only somehow perfectly understood which of his attacks Ash wanted him to use, but he could also physically feel some kind of energy pulse through him, a gentle, almost encouraging and warm burst of power surging through his veins after Ash had issued his instructions. Whoa, what is this? He could tell from a quick glance at his friend that Eevee had something similar happen and was also a bit stunned, though both shook it off and completed their attacks, Pikachu unleashing some of his stored electricity towards the Natu and Eevee waiting until it was safe before firmly pouncing on the Natu himself, using his body and the momentum generated by his charge to smack the Natu into the soft, grassy soil with a dull thud. Natu lay there unconscious after the pair of attacks, Dietrich recalling him with an annoyed grunt.
Karen decided to take advantage of the distraction. "Lily, take Cubone out with another Vine Whip!" Already weakened greatly, the Cubone was in no shape to try and even avoid the attack this time, dropping his bone and falling to the ground with a thud as soon as the Comfey finished her attack.
"What're you still just standing there for? Help out already!" Dietrich barked.
Makira shook her head in disgust. "Bailing you out yet again. This seems to be becoming a regular thing." She quickly released a Sneasel and Mankey, the two quickly getting into sparring stances. "Pin the Eevee and-" She was interrupted mid-sentence by a new voice on the speaker, an older-sounding woman this time who spoke only two words in Johto Kantai.
"[Code Hoothoot.]"
The grass and sky suddenly exploded with various flurries of activity, sound and several firm-sounding Pokémon cries, several of the training center's 'mon that had been hiding in the area around them revealing themselves and charging off in various directions with clear intent and destinations in mind. The sights and sounds struck the humans present and their Pokémon dumb for a moment or two, the group somewhat stunned as they took the sights and sounds in.
"What did she say?!" Dietrich demanded of both Karen and Ash, raising his fist in anger. "What the fuck did she just do?"
Ash and Karen exchanged a momentary glance and smiles, knowing that the announcement and coded message likely meant that James and the others had succeeded into getting into the Training Center's main office and liberating the employees from Snag 'Em's grasp. "Dunno," replied Ash with a nonchalant shrug and grin. "But you guys probably won't wanna stick around for much longer. The Pokémon sure look like they mean business."
"Good morning, and welcome to Pallet House!" Delia bowed to her two new guests, the pair of faces unfamiliar to her though new faces weren't uncommon this time of year; the summer to early fall was the most common time of year for fresh trainers to start their journeys, after all, due to the generally more cooperative weather for travelling. "I'm Delia, and I'll be your chef and waitress this morning."
"Thank you," Erik replied smoothly, looking around the small diner and only spying one other person, an elderly man partaking of a delicious-looking traditional breakfast in Kanto or Johto, the meal consisting of rice, natto, miso soup and a piece of grilled tofu along with a small pot of green tea. "We were just passing through the forest and someone pointed us your way for a good breakfast."
Seven looked around and took a good sniff of the air, his stomach grumbling appreciatively as he took in the various scents lingering in the diner. "Sure smells good in here." He reluctantly followed Erik and settled in at one of the booths, Seven already setting a napkin aside to tuck some away for Recca later.
"Here's some menus for you, and we have a breakfast special too that's right on the front page. I'll be right back with some water, would either of you like something else to drink?" After Erik shook his head without even consulting Seven, Delia headed back into the kitchen.
The elderly man hid a sly grin behind his newspaper as he carefully angled a Pokénav in Erik and Seven's direction through a tiny hole in his paper and tapped the camera button before attaching the photo to a text. Well, well, well, look who I'm sharing a certain diner with here in sleepy little Pallet Town. SOMEONE'S ordered his favorite errand boy to Kanto, three guesses as to why and the first two don't count. Never seen the boy with him before, though.
Domino's brow arched skyward under her expertly applied latex mask as she took in Giovanni's reply. Would have been surprised if someone besides Erik was sent. See if you can get a picture of the boy without the sunglasses, will you? Her artificially wrinkled and liver-spotted hand smoothly slid under her jacket before Domino opened a Luxury Ball under the table in a swift, practiced motion. Domino then turned her foot sharply towards the table Erik and the boy were sitting at as she tucked the ball back away, feeling her partner's expectant gaze on her from under the table after she softly tapped the top of Domino's turned foot in silent indication that the targets had been locked on to and she was ready to receive her orders. "Get the sunglasses off the kid, need pictures," Domino murmured to Kuro in her disguised voice.
"Cino," came the equally quiet reply before a Cinccino slunk out from under the table, wearing a very serious expression that suddenly brightened as she came fully into view, letting out a loud cry and playfully bounding towards the table she'd been pointed towards. "CIN CINCCINOOOOOOOOO!" Kuro made a point of leaping for Erik first to make it look good, Domino muttering ineffectually to 'knock that off now, get back here' in the background and becoming a bumbling older man as she slooooooooooowly got out of her seat and started shuffling towards the chaos, waving her cane halfheartedly as Kuro madly scrambled all over Erik's head and shoulders.
"[GET YOUR POKÉMON UNDER CONTROL!]" Erik yelled firmly as he popped up out of his seat, slipping into his native Sinnosian out of surprise as he tried to grab the slippery Kuro. The Cinccino grabbed the glasses off of Erik's face then bound over to a still seated, loudly laughing Ethan, nabbing his sunglasses from him as well before she retreated back under the table that Domino had been eating at.
"So sorry about this, both of you, he loves shiny things far too much." Domino then shook her stick again, getting her Pokénav into position in the folds of her newspaper and snapping a few shots of Seven's bare face in the process of crouching down. "Dorobo, give those glasses back to these nice people right now! I can't take you anywhere outside of your Pokéball, can I?" Kuro acted her part and 'reluctantly' gave up her prizes, half-shoving them out from her hiding place before fully retreating back under the table, sulking and muttering to herself huffily after the scolding. "Here you are. Sorry again, and please let me pay for your meals, at least." Domino handed the pair their respective glasses back.
"Don't worry about it. It was really funny, actually." The boy was still snickering, ignoring the momentary, icy glare Erik shot his way as he waved his hand dismissively, still shaking a bit with suppressed laughter as he placed his sunglasses back on and wandered back over to the table they'd been sitting at.
Erik cleaned his glasses and added "If you can't fully control your Pokémon, don't have them out of their Pokéball in a public place like this" darkly before walking back over to the table himself, Delia walking out of the kitchen to take the pair's order. Domino slowly got up and into her seat with her mission accomplished, attaching the best photo she'd managed to get of the kid's face to a new text after she settled back behind her newspaper.
Here he is. Really get the feeling there's not much love lost between those two from what I'm seeing, wonder why he's sticking around? Domino sent the picture off before slipping Kuro a few bites of food and one of her favorite Deluxe Citrus PokéPuffs as a reward for playing her role so well, content churrs and munching noises telling her that Kuro had fully settled in to her meal after a few seconds.
That silver collar around his neck is the answer. He has to be another hybrid, like Black. For now, tail them because they're almost certainly after Gary and try not to directly interfere unless it becomes necessary. We can't help the boy until we can get that collar removed anyhow, and with luck I should know a great deal more about both the hybrids and those collars shortly.
Domino smirked and quickly replied. I thought you didn't believe in luck?
In this case luck will be necessary, because I may learn quite a bit, or I may learn nothing at all. It all depends on the memories they've permitted Black to retain.
"Huh, interesting," Domino quietly muttered in her old-man voice before she tucked back into her meal, half-keeping one ear out as Delia took the other two's orders and delivered their breakfasts a short time later. She'd finally managed to overhear a (very likely fake) name attached to the boy while they were ordering, and made a mental note to get the information to Giovanni later. As Domino knew all too well from wearing and shedding identities like they were clothing, it was very hard to move around between the region-states without proper identification that held up to at times fairly rigorous inspection, so that fake name would likely tie back to a shell corporation or maybe even, Reshiram willing, a real person that Team Rocket could dig into. Ethan. Probably fake. Last name? was quickly typed as a note in her Pokénav to herself.
"...Gym Challenge?" Ah, there were some words that fully piqued Domino's interest, the Unovan expat now fully tuning in to the conversation a few tables away as 'Ethan' finished asking whatever Erik had likely directed him to ask. Trying to pick up the Oak kid's trail since he's travelling with a new trainer, eh? I see what you're doing.
"Oh! Well, depending on your Pokémon, we have a couple Gyms that are pretty close," Delia replied to Ethan with a smile as she finished laying their breakfasts out. "The closest ones to us would be either Viridian City, which focuses on Ground-types, or Cinnabar Island, almost directly south of us by boat- they train Fire-types. The next two closest after that would be Pewter or Fuchsia, Rock and Poison specialists respectively. From what I've heard from the trainers passing through, though, I'd stay away from the Viridian Gym if you're just starting out."
"What about for an Electric-type? Rock and Ground would probably give her a tough time." Seven tilted his head, having to force himself to not roll his eyes at Erik's prompting glances. Yeah, yeah.
"Well, in that case you'd probably want to challenge the Cerulean City Gym first, though they're a little farther out- they're Water trainers." Delia, ironically enough, refilled their water as she chatted. "My son started out with a Pikachu himself, in fact, so that's the first Badge his guardian is having him go after."
"Oh? Your son's started his quest as well?" Erik offered a polite smile. "Well, perhaps we'll head that way as well and run into him. What's his name?"
"Ash- Ash Ketchum." Domino could hear the pride and love in Delia's tone as the other woman replied. "He's travelling with a couple friends of his and his guardian."
Domino smirked with satisfaction as she finished her meal and waited to surreptitiously follow Erik and Ethan out, certain that since they'd gotten what they were after that the pair wouldn't linger long after they finished their own food. Kuro finished her meal and slinked up onto the booth next to Domino, giving her partner a Look as she noticed Domino's sly expression. Bingo. Next stop, Cerulean City. Sure enough, the other two paid for their meal and left almost immediately after getting that information, Domino nodding her head to Kuro as they gave the pair a slight lead ahead of them before leaving a pile of Pokédollars on the table and exiting Pallet House themselves.