Junsar leaned back in her chair, causing it to creak noisily – much like the rest of her body. She sighed heavily before she grabbed her cup of coffee, bringing it close to take a sip. As she did, her eyes drifted to the clock, noting that it was still only mid-day. It felt like much more time had passed, but that was to be expected.
An officer passed by the open door to Junsar's office, pausing to stick their head in. "Hey, chief, did you see that video going around online of the Team Aqua leader nabbing Kazan on the beach? It's a riot!"
Junsar cracked a sly smirk as she glanced over to the officer. "Well, at least Mr. Kazan's assistant will be reassured that his boss is alive."
"There's already remixes of the footage on Pokétube," the officer said. "Check out the one with Senri's theme song. It's amazing!"
Junsar snorted through her nose. "Just watch. Next, I'll be getting a call about pressing charges against Pokétube."
The officer let out a snicker. "Wouldn't be the first time."
"I guess I'll hold off on having the glass fixed, just in case," Junsar said as she set her coffee down.
"Oh yeah," the officer said. "The coast guard thinks the video has narrowed down where the Team Aqua base might be. The report should be on your desk sometime this evening."
"Just in time for the storm to hit," Junsar said, dryly. "I guess we'll want to check out the area bright and early tomorrow morning, after it's passed."
"Or even in a couple days," the officer said. "The weather's getting so nasty even the coast guard had to pack up the search and focus on prepping for the storm."
"Oh lovely, I'm really going to hear about it now," Junsar said with a heavy sigh. "As if I don't have better things to do..."
The sudden ringing of the phone on Junsar's desk interrupted the conversation.
"Speak of the devil," the officer said. "That's my cue to leave. Good luck, chief!"
Junsar sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes, both at the call and at the mock salute from her officer as he left, then reached for her phone. She waited several moments, letting the phone ring, before she finally answered it. "Junsar speaking."
The smooth baritone voice on the other end of the line froze Junsar's blood. "Ah, Junsar, it's been a long time since our last chat, hasn't it?"
Chief Junsar jerked, nearly dropping the phone as her eyes widened. She was struck momentarily speechless, sucking in her breath as if she had been punched in the stomach.
A breathy chuckle ended the brief gap of silence. "I do hope this is a good time to talk. I have pressing matters I wish to discuss."
Junsar swallowed hard, finally managing to find her voice. "Y-you."
"'You'?" the voice repeated lightly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the name of your old and dear friend."
Junsar grimaced, her mouth going dry. "M-Mr. Takakami." There was no doubt who it was in her mind, it was a voice that she knew from the bottom of her heart. The man on the other line was none other than Sakaki Takakami, the CEO of Silph Co. At least, that's how the public knew him, but she unfortunately knew him even better than that.
"That's better," Sakaki said. "Now then, let's get down to business, shall we? I've heard that you're in charge of the Kazan kidnapping case."
Junsar paused, then frowned. "I... y-yes, I am."
"As I'm sure you're no doubt aware," Sakaki said, "My company is currently working on a very lucrative partnership with Kazan Industries. The loss of its CEO would be most problematic at this stage for me. I do hope you're doing everything in your power to rescue him as quickly as possible."
Junsar's jaw dropped for a moment as horror flooded her, before she quickly gathered her composure – as best she could. "O-of... of course! We're combing the waters quite tirelessly. We're taking Mr. Kazan's safety very seriously."
"So I've heard," Sakaki said. "Laughing through the pain at seeing the internet lampoon a victim of a kidnapping must be quite difficult."
Junsar froze, her eyes wide.
Though Sakaki's tone was casual, Junsar could practically feel his smile. "Why, if someone didn't know you as well as I do, say Mr. Kazan's assistant Homura, they might think that you find this case beneath you. Perhaps even that Kazan was at fault." He chuckled without humor. "Of course, everyone should know that the police chief is above blaming the victim of a crime, don't you think?"
Junsar tried to form words, but all she could do was make a strangled noise in her throat.
Sakaki let out a breath that was almost laughter. "By the way, you really should get that door replaced soon. You never know who might be listening in on your private conversations."
Junsar fought the urge to hang up the phone, knowing full well that it was the worst thing she could possibly do. Her palms had grown moist as her body perspired, sweat trickling down the back of her neck. "I... I understand."
"Excellent," Sakaki said. "Do keep me posted on your progress. I trust the Kanto police will make this case their highest priority."
"A-absolutely," Junsar said, her voice rough. "I'll put every available officer on the case."
"I'm glad to hear it," Sakaki said. "A pleasure as always, Junsar."
The dial tone left no room for Junsar to respond, though the sound had never been more of a relief to the police chief.
Shakily, Junsar set down the phone back in its receiver. She sat at her desk for several moments, staring blankly at the wall before she slowly rested her elbows on her desk and buried her face in her hands. "Shit."
It was a challenge for Tabitha to find a wide enough patch of ground to land on. The island Team Aqua chose for their base was covered in trees and jagged rocks, which served to hide the signs of civilization from a distance. Both men felt relieved once the helicopter touched down, especially Homura, who was going out of his mind with worry.
Homura quickly jumped out of the helicopter and reached for his belt, releasing his Talonflame. Blaze appeared with a flash of light, in front of the helicopter.
Tabitha immediately followed suit, leaving his Pokémon in its ball for the moment. There wasn't much room for a Camerupt to maneuver among such precarious rocks and trees.
"They're obviously going to be waiting for us," Homura said, his voice tense as he moved quickly along the rocks. "And I can't guarantee they won't target the helicopter."
"Then we'll steal a boat," Tabitha said, his voice like steel. "Or we'll take their leader hostage."
Homura nodded, his expression as hard as Tabitha's voice. He silently slipped his hand in to the inside of his shirt, grabbing his gun to confirm its readiness inside the holster around his chest.
The entrance to the base was well hidden among the greenery, but Homura and Tabitha were skilled at finding secrets people wished to keep hidden. The lack of guards sent off alarms in their heads, which only grew louder when they realized the door was completely unlocked.
"I don't like this," Tabitha muttered.
Homura's eyes narrowed. "They're definitely waiting for us."
The image of a certain woman with intense eyes, vibrant red lips, and a blue streak in her hair flashed in Tabitha's mind, bringing an unwelcome warmth to his face. He quickly shook off inappropriate thoughts as he returned his focus entirely on rescuing Matsubusa. "Right."
Homura glanced over to Tabitha before he turned to Blaze. While he could already visualize the sassy redhead that was no doubt waiting for him, her smirk plastered across her face, he was far more concerned about Matsubusa. He didn't know what they intended to do to him, but he fully intended to save Matsubusa from that fate. He had already let their leader down once – never again. "Are you ready?"
Tabitha nodded as he held up his Pokéball.
Homura nodded, more to himself than Tabitha, before he drew his gun and approached the door. As he stood poised, he raised his hand. Behind him, Blaze took to the air, flapping upwards to gain some height. Then, as Homura then made a sweeping gesture to the obstacles, the Talonflame swooped forward and slammed in to it, blowing the doors directly off their hinges with a bang, the twisted metal flying inward.
The two admins wasted no time in charging forward, bracing themselves for the worst. Instead, they only found an empty hallway, barely lit by overhead lights. The nearby open doors revealed empty, darkened rooms, devoid of anyone - human or Pokémon.
Homura paused before he frowned, his eyes scanning the room suspiciously. He knew there had to be someone lying in wait for their arrival, he just didn't know where. There really wasn't any point to these games, considering the situation, but it seemed that Team Aqua very rarely cared about things like that.
Tabitha met Homura's gaze before pointing at the light fixtures then up ahead towards an intersection. Two hallways that branched off the one they were in were darkened, while one was lit. "Looks like an invitation to me," he said lowly.
Homura nodded, his expression grim. Wordlessly, he moved forward, following the lights. He had no doubt Matsubusa's captors were prepared for a confrontation, the only question was whether or not they'd keep the redhead with them or store him somewhere else.
For all the tension and anticipation that had built up within the two men, it was almost a letdown to find that the lights brought them to a comfortable lounge, where Shelly and Izumi were sitting in plush easy chairs, surfing the internet on their Pokédexes while enjoying some snacks.
Homura stopped in the doorway, his gun in one hand and his Talonflame by his side. He stared at both Shelly and Izumi, his expression hard. Even their strange demeanor wasn't enough to quell him. "...What a surprise."
Shelly lifted her head and gave a slight wave to the Team Magma members. "Oh, hey, you two finally managed to find a place to land, did you? Hope you don't mind that we made ourselves comfy while waiting for you. You two went way over the time estimates we were betting on."
Tabitha felt an unpleasant heat build on his face, as the remark felt like a crack at his skills as a pilot. "Your damn island had no safe place to land! I was lucky to get it down at all!"
Izumi grinned as she folded her fingers together, resting her elbow on her lap. "Well, that was the point. It'd be pretty suspicious for an abandoned rock to have a helicopter pad, you know."
"Where's Matsubusa?" Homura asked, impatient. He was in no mood to banter with them.
"Not here, obviously," Shelly said before stretching her arms over her head.
Homura narrowed his eyes. "...'Not here'."
Shelly lightly tapped her Pokédex. "I got word from Aogiri that the two of them touched down on land already and are going to wait out the storm there."
Tabitha blinked. "Wait, what storm?"
Izumi held up her Pokédex, flashing a picture of a weather radar at them. "The storm that you would've seen heading our way, if you hadn't been so focused on us."
Tabitha was at Izumi's side in an instant, examining the radar images and news reports that went with them. "Shit! That storm is huge!"
"It's just your usual off-shore storm," Izumi said, lightly. She glanced up to Tabitha, a sly grin on her face at how close he had gotten. "A lot of rain and thunder, but a sturdy base takes out most of the bite."
"Don't worry, Masky is safe," Shelly said. "Our bases are built to stand up to monsoons, tsunamis, legendary attacks, you name it." She paused and cocked her head slightly as she held up her Pokédex, which showed security monitor images, including of the doorway the two men destroyed. "Unless someone breaks down a door when it wasn't locked or reinforced."
Homura gave a start at Shelly using their infamous nickname for the leader of Team Magma. He stared at the redhead for several moments as things finally clicked in to place. It explained why there wasn't a ransom demand, why they were so determined to hunt him down. Everything made sense, and Matsubusa's situation became that much worse – and Homura's tolerance that much less.
"...So what you're saying is that Matsubusa isn't here." Homura said, more to himself than Shelly and Izumi. He turned swiftly on his heels, heading back to the doorway.
Shelly bolted upright. "Did you hear what I said? Matsubusa is safe! Just wait out the storm here and go pick him up afterward!"
Tabitha reached Homura first, grabbing his friend by the arm. "Hey, wait. There's no way we can fly in that storm. The risk of crashing is way too high!"
"He's with your captain. I wouldn't call that safe," Homura said, without looking at Shelly. He paused before he glanced to Tabitha. "...Blaze can handle it."
Tabitha's eyes shot open wide, revealing his red eyes. "You're going to fly through that storm on Blaze? Have you lost your mind?!"
Shelly put her hands on her hips as she strode towards the two men. "He already knows about Matsubusa's trauma and has basically called an end to the game. Once the storm is over, Matsubusa can go home whenever he wants."
"There's no way they could've gotten far, so quickly," Homura said. His eyes flickered to Shelly, unsure of what to make of her remark, but ultimately filing it away as currently unimportant. The only important thing was getting to Matsubusa as soon as possible. "It won't take me long to find them."
"Brilliant idea," Shelly said, an edge creeping to her voice. "Let's see if we can make Matsubusa's trauma even worse by having someone else he cares about die at sea trying to reach him. I'm sure that won't have any negative side-effects."
Homura bristled before he finally whirled to face Shelly, his expression livid. "And what would you even know about that!? Or care, for that matter!?"
Shelly's red eyes were like flames that burned Homura. "I may not look it, but I'm a fully trained medical professional, so I know a quite a bit. And I care because you know damn well this whole rivalry between us is nothing more than a dumb game of seeing who can prank the other the best! No one is supposed to get seriously hurt, and that's why our Boss, the guy you think is scum, called it off!"
"And you expect me to believe that!?" Homura demanded, focusing on Shelly even as he tried to pull his arm free from Tabitha. "You terrorized him, chasing him across the city until he was willing to board a boat, and then kidnapped him!"
Shelly's expression deadpanned. "Magnum O-Penis."
Homura hesitated at that before he grimaced. "That..."
"Paintballs," Izumi added, crossing her arms.
Shelly jabbed Homura's chest with her finger. "Sexual tension out the ass! You can't tell me that you didn't think of this all as just a dumb game between our teams, or that your boss wouldn't have kidnapped ours if given half the chance."
Homura clenched his fists. "T-that's beside the point!"
"The game is over!" Shelly shouted, throwing her arms out to her sides. "Aogiri has called this round off after seeing just how bad Matsubusa's trauma is. When the storm is over, he can go home, or you can all have a beach party here on us. You can talk to him over the phone and work out the details, but no one is going anywhere until the storm ends!"
"I hate to admit it," Tabitha sighed, "But she's right. We can't go do anything right now except wait."
"You can wait all you want!" Homura snapped as he whirled to face Tabitha, his expression livid. "He needs me! I failed him once already, and I'll be damned if I'll fail him a second-"
A hard impact of knuckles colliding with cheek and jaw tore Homura from Tabitha's grip and sent him crashing to the floor. He had only a moment to register the pain, before Shelly was on him, holding him by the collar with one hand and the other cocked into a fist.
"Okay, fine!" Shelly snarled. "If you want to be an idiot, I'll be happy to beat the stupid out of you! I was ready to dance since long before you got here!"
Homura stared up at Shelly from his position on the floor, shock and confusion momentarily flooding his face as a nice bruise settled in where the unexpected punch had sent him tumbling.
Blaze let out a tiny trill, eyes furrowed with worry as he looked between his trainer's prone form and the woman on top of him. He flapped his wings, hopping from foot to foot in obvious agitation.
Shelly yanked Homura closer, so close she mashed their noses together. "Listen up, Bird Brain, because here's how things are going to go down. We are going to call Matsubusa and Aogiri and talk this shit out. Then we're going to repair the door you trashed and get ready to hunker down for the storm. After that, we'll see what happens, but you're not leaving while I'm still conscious, and I guarantee you that before you can knock my lights out, I'll leave you a pile of bloody pulp that has to ooze its way out of the room!"
Homura gaped at Shelly for several moments, completely taken aback. While part of him was rather insistent in arguing with her, he found it hard to really muster the words to do so - especially when both Blaze and Tabitha looked at him so worriedly. Matsubusa's second in command hesitated before his mouth tightened. "...Understood."
Shelly slowly lowered her fist, easing back from Homura, but her eyes never left his. "Good. Now let's make that phone call."
The ride on Smaug had been mercifully short for Matsubusa. It seemed that no sooner had he heard the rumble of the storm and droplets of water against his skin than he was suddenly in an enclosed dock much like the previous base, with the Salamence swooping in to land on the dock itself. Matsubusa quivered as he held on to the Pokémon, giving himself a chance to register that the trip was over.
Once they had fully landed, Aogiri loosened his grip on Matsubusa to rub the redhead's shoulder. "Land ho."
Matsubusa shivered before he slumped forward. "F-finally..."
Aogiri leaned in to place a kiss on Matsubusa's cheek. "We can sit here for a spell until you're ready to go inside."
Matsubusa was about to respond when a rumble of thunder sent a chill through the redhead. He turned his head to peer over his shoulder at the water just outside the cave entrance, the waves becoming choppy. He trembled again before he scrambled to side off Smaug's back. "Inside, inside, inside!"
Aogiri had been tempted to laugh, but squashed that impulse immediately as he kept in mind that Matsubusa's fear was anything but silly. He made sure to help the leader of Team Magma disembark safely before he hopped off his Pokémon's back.
Dante leapt off Smaug to land lightly beside Matsubusa, barely rumpled by the ride. Instead he focused on nuzzling his face into his trainer's hand and letting out a low, but soothing noise in his throat.
Matsubusa's hand moved to grip Dante's shoulder, feeling comfort in the fuzzy heat he felt there. He took a moment to swallow hard, then glanced at Aogiri before turning to look at the massive doors leading in to the base. "I-I'm fine. I'm... fine."
Aogiri watched Matsubusa closely, noticing when the redhead flinched as he turned the lights on before they entered. "I'll take your word for it, but if you need anything, anything at all, speak up, okay? I'm pretty new to helping out with stuff like this, so if I say or do anything stupid or way out of line, feel free to clock me one."
Matsubusa tightened his grip on his Pokémon, though Dante didn't seem to mind. His eyes darted about the base as he entered, his body slowly releasing the tension in his muscles the further away from the water he went. When the door closed behind him, he jumped, but then seemed to recover enough to straighten up, releasing his hold on the Houndoom. After several moments, he frowned. "Are we... the only ones here?"
"Yup," Aogiri said. "Just you, me, and our Pokémon." He patted Smaug's side for emphasis.
Matsubusa glanced down the dark hallways and noticed how dusty they looked - not filthy, so much as unused. The place had apparently been without visitors for quite some time. He was about to comment on it when something else caught his attention - it meant that Aogiri and Matsubusa were the only two humans there. That thought alone sent a bright red blush to his face. "...O-oh."
Aogiri stepped closer to Matsubusa and kissed the other man's vibrant red hair. "I can let the rest of the gang out now and introduce you to them if you'd like."
Matsubusa's blush deepened as his heart fluttered in his chest. "...If you want."
Aogiri waited until they entered a large lounge area before he flashed Matsubusa a winning smile. "Okay, everybody, it's party time!" With a flourish, he sent five Pokéballs flying into the air, unleashing vibrant flashes of red light that turned into five different Pokemon, only one of which was familiar to Matsubusa - Leviathan.
Aogiri grinned at Matsubusa's startled expression and gestured to his team, starting with a large Pangoro with navy and white fur. "This here is Punk. I believe I mentioned him to you before."
Punk eyed Matsubusa briefly before focusing on Dante, sizing up the Houndoom who returned the favor.
The next Pokemon Aogiri pointed out was a Dragonair with shimmering, luxurious scales of baby blue over white. "This beauty here is Imugi." His hand then drifted to an imposing looking Aggron with black armor over a mostly teal-gray body. "And this bruiser is Colossus."
A Luxray with blue and black fur accented with gold stretched out with a yawn, his mouth full of sparks. Dramatically he flopped over onto his side and rolled away from the gathered group.
"Finally, we've got Aslan," Aogiri said with a chuckle. "As you can see, he can be a big ham when he's trying to tell me he's tired of not battling anyone."
Aslan lashed his tail once in the air, snapping it like a whip, complete with the crack of an electrical spark.
Matsubusa stared at all of the new Pokemon, furrowing his brow. It was a bit bewildering to learn just how much of an advantage Aogiri had over his single Houndoom. Worst of all, he never realized it. "...T-that's fine! I... I don't care how many Pokemon you have! I only need Dante!"
Aogiri chuckled before wrapping his arms around Matsubusa's waist. "Hey, I didn't introduce you to my team to show you or Dante up." He pecked one of the redhead's flushed cheeks. "I just wanted you to meet the family, that's all."
Matsubusa paused at that before he quivered, his blush deepening. "E-er, yes... I... o-o-of course. I'm just... making it clear."
"And of course, you already know Levi," Aogiri said, gesturing at the giant Feraligatr.
Leviathan quickly trotted closer to Aogiri and Matsubusa before standing up on her hindquarters. She learned forward, looking down at the redhead with a big grin on her face.
Matsubusa's arms instinctively went up to shield his head, guarding his hair from the Feraligatr's chin. "...Of course."
Aogiri looked around the room and clapped his hands together. "Okay, since we're on our own here, we're going to have to work together to get any chow tonight."
Matsubusa blinked at that, before he frowned. "...Of course. You certainly can't leave any perishables in an unattended base."
Aogiri smirked. "That's why we've got stuff in the pantry and deep freeze that can last for years if need be, just in case."
Matsubusa turned to eye Aogiri. "So, basically, booze and crackers."
Aogiri burst out laughing. "Hey, my cooking isn't that bad."
Matsubusa wordlessly quirked an eyebrow.
"Okay, I'll admit it," Aogiri said. "When I first started out in my trainer days, my cooking was the only thing that could make Levi quake in fear."
Leviathan made a great show of sticking out her tongue, dropping her jaw so that the pink could be seen among the sea of teeth.
Aogiri snickered at Leviathan before looking back at Matsubusa. "But that was the young, dumb teenage me that could mix up salt and sugar. I learned the hard way how to cook, and I used to make my own secret Pokéchow for my team."
Matsubusa quirked an eyebrow as he looked from Aogiri to his Team of Pokémon. Admittedly, he had no real room to comment on anyone's cooking, as Homura cooked all his meals for him, but he wasn't about to admit to that. It was totally different. "...So you're saying you think you can cook something to please my palate."
Aogiri paused to consider Matsubusa's words. "It depends. If you like home cooking, then you're in luck, but if you're used to having the bar raised Matt-high, then you're gonna have to suffer with peasant food until they arrive tomorrow."
"...I suppose I can handle 'peasant food'," Matsubusa said, dryly. "So long as it's edible."
Aogiri felt a surge of pleasure at seeing Matsubusa's deadpan expression, as it was much better than a look of fear. "Good." He lightly poked Matsubusa's nose. "Because you're going to help make it."
Matsubusa paused at that, his eyes widening. "...Eh?"
Aogiri's grin widened. "Didn't I say it before? Everyone has gotta pitch in here."
Matsubusa's face paled as he stared at the pirate. "I-I... uh, that's..."
Aogiri leaned in closer. "I can't wait to get a sample of your cooking, Masky."
Matsubusa quivered before he looked away, his cheeks tinting. "I-idiot..."
Aogiri dropped his voice into a low rumble as he loomed in close enough for Matsubusa to feel his breath. "Though I must admit I'm hungrier for the chef who'll be making it."
Matsubusa's eyes widened as he jerked, and he whirled to face Aogiri. "E-e-eh!?"
Aogiri took that opportunity to steal a kiss from Matsubusa's lips, his eyes dancing with mischief. "But I can wait. I'm a patient man."
Matsubusa squeaked in to the kiss before his blush deepened, mortification flooding his face. "Y-you...!"
"Yes, me," Aogiri said as he ran a finger along Matsubusa's chin.
Matsubusa shivered before he swatted at Aogiri's hand. "N-no cooking is going to happen if you c-can't keep your hands to yourself!"
Aogiri chuckled. "True. My bad." He stole another quick kiss from Matsubusa, grinning at how the redhead squeaked and sputtered. "That'll have to do me for a while."
Matsubusa let out a growl as his face burned, then quickly looked away. He wasn't particularly angry - if anything, he felt the exact opposite. However, he also felt very embarrassed, and the Pokémon watching them didn't help. "I-idiot..."
The insult did nothing to dampen Aogiri's spirits as he took Matsubusa by the hand and led the leader of Team Magma and their Pokémon to the kitchen.
Matsubusa obediently followed Aogiri, his eyes shifting to focus on Aogiri's hand as it held his own. It was firm and warm, his own pale skin quite vivid against the pirate's. It took everything Matsubusa had not to squeeze Aogiri's hand. As tempting as it was, he could only imagine the teasing in store for him if he gave in to the impulse.
The kitchen itself was attached to a large mess hall, which didn't surprise Matsubusa. He could totally see Aogiri and his admins getting completely wasted with the rest of his crew, partying it up without concern. While the redhead himself was protective of his team, he'd never show that much trust for anyone he didn't know intimately - and even then, it took a lot of faith on his part and stubbornness on theirs.
Peering around the kitchen as Aogiri lead him inside, the leader of Team Magma noted that it was a surprisingly modern and sleek set-up. He had been expecting something a bit more primitive, but it looked like something he'd expect from a legitimate restaurant.
Aogiri noticed Matsubusa's look of confusion and snickered. "Hey, when you have the best chef in the world, you don't let him rot away in a fast food joint, you get him the best equipment to work with."
"...How did you manage to acquire all this?" Matsubusa asked, slowly, before he paused. "Ah, of course. You occasionally hijack ships – including cruise ships. You took it from them."
Aogiri let out a cheerful hum as he made his way to the walk-in freezer. "Nah, hijacking cruise ships is just for laughs. Most of this was from generous donations made by some very unscrupulous people who had no reason to hold onto their cash anymore when they were heading off to jail for their crimes."
Matsubusa choked and turned to gawk at Aogiri. "J-just for laughs!?"
Aogiri threw a grin at Matsubusa over his shoulder as he clicked on the light in the freezer, revealing that it was full with all manner of food meant for long-term storage. "Hell yeah! People go on cruises for laughs, and what's more fun than a surprise campy pirate 'attack' where no one gets hurt, trainers get to battle, and everyone goes home with tons of pictures and a great story?"
Matsubusa paused at that before he furrowed his brow. The very idea that Aogiri'd do something so dangerous for such a reason was more than a little baffling - which meant it fit Aogiri perfectly. "...You're completely ridiculous."
Aogiri laughed merrily as he passed parcels and cans to his Pokémon to carry into the kitchen proper. "Why thank you. I pride myself on being able to live life to the funnest."
"'Funnest' isn't a word," Matsubusa grumbled before he turned to examine the rest of the kitchen. The area was a little dusty, but nothing that couldn't be wiped away – much like the rest of the base. "We won't have any meat or vegetables, so it seems we're in for a rather bland dinner."
Leviathan moved up behind Matsubusa to place her chin on his head, letting out a rumbling sound deep in her throat so that it vibrated through her grinning teeth. Behind her, her tail wagged happily.
Matsubusa yelped and reached up to try and push the Feraligatr away, face red. "W-what do you want now!?"
Aogiri chuckled. "That's just Levi's way of reminding you there's an entire ocean of fish out there, and she can spit in the face of any storm to catch as much fish as we'd like."
Matsubusa stepped back as he turned to scowl at Leviathan. "Really? I suspect it's more that she just wants to mess up my hair!"
Leviathan snapped her jaws together, still smiling.
Dante moved between Leviathan and Matsubusa, letting out a low growl of warning that didn't carry much weight to it.
Aogiri stroked his chin and pretended to mull over the situation. "That too, probably. You do have gorgeous hair that begs to be played with."
Matsubusa's cheeks tinted as he instinctively reached up to smooth out his hair. "Y-you say such stupid things...!"
Aogiri set down an armload of cans onto one of the counters. "It's because you're too cute not to say them, of course."
Leviathan turned her attention to Dante, her demeanor cheerful as her tail swished about behind her. She snapped her jaws and let out a rumbling noise again, then turned to Aogiri.
"Go ahead," Aogiri said as he made a shooing gesture to the Feraligatr. "Hurry up and nab us a ton of fish before we get a Poke-mutiny on our hands."
Leviathan nodded her head before she turned and dropped down to all fours with a heavy thunk. She then lifted herself up on her toes and trotted out with surprising speed, her tail snapping behind her.
Matsubusa watched the Feraligatr leave, then sighed as he lowered his hands. "Honestly, I never know how much of what you say to take seriously."
Aogiri used Matsubusa's momentary inattention to sneak close and slip his arms around the redhead's waist, spooning his beloved Matsubusa. "All the more reason to pay reeeeeeaaaal close attention to me, don't you think?"
Matsubusa jumped, his face turning deep red as he let out a startled squeak. "E-e-eh!?"
Aogiri brushed his lips against the edge of Matsubusa's ear, his voice dropping to a low and throaty rumble. "I know I'm planning on getting intimately familiar with all your turn ons."
Matsubusa's hands reached up to grasp the front of his changshan as he trembled, his heart thundering in his chest. "I-I d-don't have any! At all!"
"Oh?" Aogiri whispered, his warm breath tickling Matsubusa's ear. "So then you don't like me spooning you like this?"
Matsubusa squeaked, his face flushed as his heart thundered in his chest. He struggled for a proper response, but it was becoming unbearably hard to think - and hot. In the end, all he could manage was a high-pitched sputter. "C-cooking! Cooking!"
Aogiri couldn't help but chuckle before he kissed Matsubusa's cheek. "Right, right. Better fill up the tank before we start looking for all your turn ons."
Matsubusa could feel Aogiri's lips against his hot cheek, his beard tickling the skin, and it only served to make his temperature rise all the more. "I-I-I'm not a vehicle for you to drive around!"
Aogiri smirked. "No, but you're definitely in for a ride later."
Matsubusa choked before he clasped his hand over his mouth, whirling about to stare at Aogiri as he made an incoherent noise deep in his throat.
Aogiri snickered before kissing the back of the hand that hid Matsubusa's lips from his. "Just so you know, if I ever come on too strong for you to take, just let me know, and I'll adjust my flirting to your needs."
Matsubusa pressed his hand firmly against his mouth, blushing as he trembled. "...Mmf."
Aogiri gave Matsubusa a coy wink before he went off to get some cooking utensils and give the overwhelmed leader of Team Magma a little break.
Matsubusa watched Aogiri leave before he let out a sigh, lowering his hands. It was then that he realized he was being watched, and turned his head to see that they had an audience. Not only was Dante staring at him with a deadpan expression, but that the rest of Aogiri's team had also seen the exchange and were staring at him with varying reactions from confusion to amusement. The redhead bristled before he pointed at the gawking Pokémon. "J-j-j-just what are you staring at!?"
Punk clasped his big black furry claws beside his face and puckered his lips, making loud smooching sounds. A large Pangoro making kissy faces was strange enough without Imugi letting out a cry, her serpentine body going ramrod straight before she fell backwards with a warble in what was unmistakably a swoon.
Matsubusa quivered as his blush practically glowed on his face before he flailed his arm around, pointing wildly at the Pokémon. "S-s-shut up shut up shut up! Shouldn't you be doing something!?"
Aslan regarded Matsubusa before he picked up the edge of a plate with his mouth and rapped it against the counter, his eyes never leaving the redhead.
Matsubusa paused at that as he blinked, then frowned as he drew his hand back. "Huh?"
Aslan raised a paw and stretched it out before his gaze dropped to Matsubusa's hand.
Matsubusa furrowed his brow before his expression deadpanned. "If you're hungry, tell your trainer to stop messing around and focus on actually cooking something."
Aslan rolled his eyes and dropped the plate before he sauntered off to the nearest vent and flopped over onto his side, stomach facing the warm breeze.
Dante snorted smoke as he eyed the Luxray before he went over to Matsubusa and nuzzled his trainer's hand.
Matsubusa hesitated before he moved his hand to rub his Pokémon, then huffed. "Hmph... why am I not surprised they're his Pokémon?"
Aogiri snuck up behind Matsubusa to whisper lowly in the other man's ear. "I have the best family, don't I?"
Matsubusa jumped with a squeal, clasping his hand over his ear as he whipped about to stare Aogiri. "D-don't do that!"
Aogiri flashed Matsubusa a grin as he stepped in close to lightly stroke the redhead's chin. "I can't help myself - I'm addicted to how strongly you react to me."
Matsubusa huffed, his chin trembling beneath Aogiri's touch. "Y-you're not trying very hard."
Aogiri leaned in close enough that his warm breath caressed Matsubusa's lips as he spoke. "You're not complaining, either."
Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he straightened up, his hand moving to grasp at Aogiri's wetsuit. "T-that's..."
"You can, you know," Aogiri said as he gazed deeply into Matsubusa's eyes. "Not that you've ever had a problem with complaining before."
Matsubusa felt like his insides were melting from the heat seeping in to his body. "I-idiot..."
"Nah," Aogiri said as he ran his fingers along the contour of Matsubusa's jaw. "I don't see anything stupid about falling hard for a man like you."
Matsubusa tightened his grip on Aogiri's shirt, using it to keep himself stable as the rest of his body was ready to go limp. It was hard to think, and he was certain that was Aogiri's intention. However, before he could voice it, he was suddenly interrupted by a sickening slap of something being thrown down next to them. Matsubusa jumped with a yelp and instinctively lunged closer to Aogiri, pressing up against his chest as he jerked his head about. The redhead found himself staring at a massive tuna fish flopping about on the floor, multiple injuries on its fleshy body signifying teeth wounds.
And the source of said injuries was none other than the grinning Leviathan, soaking wet and proud as she stood by her prize, tail wagging.
Matsubusa gaped at the Feraligatr, then down at the fish as he kept his grip on Aogiri. "W-what?"
Aogiri let out a low whistle as he admired the magnificent prize. "Great catch, Levi! It's a beaut!"
Leviathan snapped her jaws together happily, positively beaming.
Aogiri looked down at Matsubusa's hands, feeling a rush of pleasure at how the redhead clung to him for security and safety. "Looks like we've got our main course."
Matsubusa didn't seem to register the situation, instead regarding the fish uneasily as he remained close to the pirate. "...That fish?"
"Yup," Aogiri said as he lightly stroked his fingers along Matsubusa's. "I'll clean it as soon as I'm good and ready."
"Clean it? You're going to-" Matsubusa turned his head to Aogiri, then froze as it finally dawned on him close he was and how tightly he was clinging to Aogiri. The redhead stared at his hands before he looked up to the pirate's face, eyes wide. "...Ah."
Aogiri ran his hands down to Matsubusa's wrists, working his way along the other man's arms towards the shoulders. "Oh darn. You noticed. And here I was hoping you'd hang onto me tight all night long."
Matsubusa was torn, his initial instinct being to immediately retract his hands but his body unwilling to comply. Instead, he stood unmoving with his hands still on the pirate's shirt. "...C-can't cook like this."
Aogiri gently massaged Matsubusa's shoulders, enjoying the feel of the Team Magma leader's lithe muscles beneath the silky changshan. "Nope. We sure can't."
Matsubusa shivered at the touch, his breathing hitching. "A-Aogiri, I..."
"Yes?" Aogiri asked, lowering his voice an octave.
Matsubusa paused before he made a frustrated noise in his throat, his fingers curling around the fabric. "B-bastard..."
Aogiri arched an eyebrow. "Come on, that's not what you were going to say and you know it."
Matsubusa looked away as he reached up to cover his mouth with his right hand, making another frustrated noise deep in his throat as his face positively burned with embarrassment.
Aogiri chuckled as he placed a kiss on Matsubusa's flushed cheek. "You are absolutely adorable."
Matsubusa's cheek trembled, as did the rest of his body, as he made a soft whining noise. He didn't trust himself enough to remove his hand, not yet.
"You know," Aogiri murmured, "I'd love to stand here and hold each other all night, but we've got a fresh fish that needs cooking before it gets less than fresh and our Pokemon mutiny for food."
Matsubusa blinked as he stared up at Aogiri, then quickly glanced over to the aforementioned Pokemon. At the sight of them yet again watching, the redhead let out a strangled yowl of protest as he shoved Aogiri back with his other hand. "Stop staring, you... you voyeurs!"
Aogiri laughed at both Matsubusa's embarrassment and Punk's kissy faces as he gathered up the large tuna. "Ah, they're just teasing you a little, Masky. It's harmless."
Matsubusa huffed as he whirled to glare at Aogiri, mortified. "I-I get enough teasing from you!"
Aogiri smirked and looked to his Pokemon. "Hear that? Only I get to tease Masky."
Matsubusa paused at that before he squeaked, quickly glancing between the Pokemon and the pirate. "I-I didn't say-!"
"Don't worry," Aogiri said with a wink. "Once we get some food in our bellies, I'll be sure to give you all the teasing you can handle."
Matsubusa huffed, crossing his arms in an obvious sulk. "A-at the rate you're going, that's never going to happen!"
Aogiri foisted the tuna onto the counter. "When you're right, you're right." He sighed and reluctantly focused on the cold dead fish instead of the redhead's hot body. "I better keep it in my pants for a while."
Matsubusa was about to retort when he saw Aogiri pull out a knife. He paused before his eyes widened, staring in horror as the pirate proceeded to slice in to the fish. The leader of Team Magma let out a strangled noise before he looked away. "W-w-what are you doing!?"
"Cleaning the fish, of course," Aogiri said cheerfully as he carved up the tuna with practiced ease.
Matsubusa made a noise in his throat before he retreated to the other side of the kitchen, refusing to look back at the pirate or what he was doing. "G-geh..."
Aogiri felt torn between amusement and concern, the latter ultimately winning out. "Hey, how about you and the Pokemon get some air while I get the fish taken care of?"
Matsubusa paused at that before he shook his head. "D-don't be stupid. I'm... I'm not going to run away from a dead fish. Even if you... are disemboweling it."
Aogiri kept his eyes on Matsubusa even as he efficiently took the fish apart. "So long as it's not going to be too much for you, that's fine with me. I love having you around even when I'm up to my arms in chum." Movement out of the corner of his eye brought his attention to Aslan, who snuck up around him to snag the fish head and bones before darting off with them. He chuckled wryly at the feline Pokemon before he set to work cleaning up the blood. "I'm just a bit surprised you can handle killing people just fine, all things considered."
"It's not the same," Matsubusa grumbled. "Stabbing and gutting are two different things."
"Yeah?" Aogiri asked, his tone deceptively light despite the topic. "How so?"
"There's no entrails, for one," Matsubusa murmured, his voice going quiet. He paused before his volume returned. "Besides, you'd be surprised how few times I've actually had to stab someone. It's more of a security measure in case Homura didn't get to them first - which rarely happens."
"You're right," Aogiri said, "I probably would be surprised." He flashed a smile that was faintly tinged at the corners. "I know you're a lot more hardcore than me and my crew when it comes to dealing with bad guys. I guess part of me wants to know how many notches you have on your belt and just how far you've gone, while another part is yelling it was a horrible idea for me to bring up the subject at all since I'm not comfortable with murder. At all. No matter how much the guy might have it coming."
Matsubusa paused at that before his expression grew forcibly neutral, guarded. He looked down at the cooking utensils in front of him, and set about preparing rice for their fish with careful movements. "...Do you mean Team Magma in general, or personally?"
Aogiri took his time to think about the question before he let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. "Both, I guess." He went to the sink to wash off the blood from his arms. "I love you, Matsubusa. Don't think me bringing this up is a deal breaker or anything. Just, well..." He faltered for how to explain the complicated feelings twisting around in his gut and allowed the thought to die with a frustrated exhale of breath.
Matsubusa was quiet for several moments before he looked down hard at his hands. "...Are you familiar with the Orre Incident?"
Aogiri cringed, his mouth twisting from the taste of bile rising up in his throat. "Who hasn't? The things the bastards running the place did to Pokemon..."
"The League is all over the world, these days," Matsubusa said, his voice becoming distant. "Though there are a few countries that still refuse to cooperate, they're generally places you would expect despot behavior from. Orre was one of the supposedly sane countries that rejected the League and its regulations, on the grounds that the League was infringing on their sovereignty rather than their supposed right to abuse Pokemon as they saw fit."
Aogiri realized he had left the water on for a full minute and quickly shut it off before focusing on Matsubusa again. "Yeah, I heard of that. Then they turned around and begged the League for help."
"Yes," Matsubusa said, with a slight chuckle in his voice. "Because their country had been overrun by organized crime, and their entire economy collapsed as a result of targeted attacks against their infrastructure."
Aogiri toweled off his hands and went back to preparing the fish for their dinner. "I'm guessing you brought this up for more than just random trivia about humans who were complete dicks to Pokemon."
"The team they needed saving from... was Team Magma," Matsubusa said. "Though, naturally, we were long gone by the time the League came in to clean up the remains."
Aogiri's eyebrows shot up, and he put the knife down to focus entirely on Matsubusa. "Your team took on an entire country?" He let out a low whistle when the redhead nodded. "Damn. That's hardcore."
"To be fair, it wasn't the entire country so much as the ones in charge of it," Matsubusa said, with a sly smile. "Though the country itself collapsed as a result. That's generally what happens when your economy heavily depends on Pokemon abuse."
"Bastards had it coming too," Aogiri said before he turned to his team. "Am I right, mates?"
Levi nodded her head before she let out a low growl, the sound joined by the other Pokemon on Aogiri's team.
"...What you and the rest of the public don't know is that there was a lot more going on than a country that prospered through the suffering of Pokemon," Matsubusa said as he watched the pot of rice boil. "There was already a team in Orre - one run by President Backley."
Aogiri blinked, his momentary enthusiasm evaporating. "What? I've never heard that."
"It was a local team, rather unoriginally called Shadow," Matsubusa said. "It ran the entire government and all government facilities. That's why they didn't want the League snooping around. The League would have realized that both Backley and his entire government was nothing more than a criminal syndicate with the keys to the city. The people of Orre didn't seem to realize it, but didn't particularly care either. They were comfortable, and that was all that matters."
The information hit Aogiri hard, and although a part of him wanted to deny that any place could be so corrupt, he wasn't that naive. "Shit, man..."
"We weren't aware of it at the time when we started targeting their facilities, but we discovered it rather quickly enough," Matsubusa said as he tilted his head. "They didn't even bother hiding most of their secrets. After all, no one dared defy them and they controlled the police. There was no one in the country with the power to stop them, so they had become rather complacent... and arrogant."
Aogiri leaned back against the counter, folding his arms against his chest. "Sounds like your team were big damn heroes."
"They were rather furious with us, swearing war between our teams in retaliation," Matsubusa said, before he turned to Aogiri. Though he was smiling, it was far from friendly. "It was a short war."
Aogiri found the expression Matsubusa wore unnerving, and a more than a little hot. It was the words that kept him from dwelling too much on the latter. "I'm guessing what you mean by war is a high body count, right?"
"...It was much lower than it could have been," Matsubusa said as he returned his attention to the pot. "Seeing their leader dead made their team collapse," The leader of Team Magma couldn't look at Aogiri, instead focusing on the rice as it boiled. "I suppose there's something demoralizing about seeing your leader's severed head, rather ironically attached to a similarly beheaded statue. The remaining admins couldn't cover it up, and the entire country panicked. They wasted no time in begging the League for help, crawling in their bellies to save their own necks."
Aogiri was at a loss. Any teasing remark he could think of felt woefully inappropriate, and his thoughts were too chaotic to form any sort of sober response.
Matsubusa hesitated before he grimaced, his hands moving to grip the counter. "...Reconsidering now?"
Aogiri shook his head even as he struggled with what to say. "No. I knew about this side of you already. I'm just not sure how to deal with, well, killing off bad guys." He made a vague gesture in the air. "My feelings are all over the place here."
Matsubusa watched the rice in silence for a moment before he finally turned his head to look at Aogiri, his expression uneasy. "And what does that mean for me?"
Aogiri gave Matsubusa a wan smile as he approached. "Look, I'm not cool with killing people, never have been, and I doubt I ever will, but that doesn't mean I don't get why it's necessary sometimes. Sometimes killing one evil bastard prevents a hundred innocent people and Pokemon from dying senselessly." He placed his hand on Matsubusa's shoulder. "What I'm getting at is I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it. I could ask you not to do it, but these guys we go up against don't usually play fair or care if they leave corpses behind. I can't just ignore it or pretend it's not happening, so I guess I just... want to let you know how I feel instead of just letting it hang unsaid."
Matsubusa's expression was sullen as he nodded, then lifted his head as he was about to speak. As he did, a thought popped in to his head and the leader of Team Magma paused. "...Did you touch me with gut hands?"
Aogiri blinked at the sudden derailment of the topic and burst out laughing. "Naw, I just washed them, but I can see why you wouldn't notice since we were busy waltzing in the drama zone."
Matsubusa eyed the hands suspiciously before he returned his attention to the pirate's face. "...It's your fault, you're the one that asked."
"True enough," Aogiri muttered before resting his chin on Matsubusa's shoulder, enveloping the other man in his arms.
Matsubusa paused before he closed his eyes, leaning forward to press his forehead against the pirate's chest. "...Idiot..."
The two lapsed in to silence, standing together as the Pokemon watched. Even though a heavy cloud still hovered over their heads, they found comfort in each other's warmth and waited for the storm to pass.
A feminine hand twisted a circular dial, ended the broadcast as a strange receiving device powered down. It rested on a table in a storage room on the opposite side of the base, built inside a briefcase for easy travel, with a pair of ear-buds that were currently being shared between two individuals – a man and a woman.
"Isn't that so sweet?" Musashi cooed in a quiet whisper. The secret agent for Team Rocket did not have her long red hair in its distinctive curved style, but deceptively hidden partially underneath a black bandana bearing the Team Aqua logo to make it seem several inches shorter. Her skin had also been temporarily artificially tanned to better blend in with the rest of the grunts that wore the same uniform she stole.
"Just darling," Kojiro said as he pulled the ear-bud out of his ear. He similarly looked like a Team Aqua recruit, much like his comrade. He leaned back to look at Musashi, smiling from ear to ear. "They're just absolutely precious, though I suppose a romantic like myself might be a bit biased~!"
Musashi leaned into Kojiro and let out a blissful sigh. "You're not the only one. This really puts me in the mood to take another get away someplace tropical and exotic. And what luck that we're in Hoenn~!"
Kojiro leaned back against Musashi as he chuckled. "Indeed. And now that we've confirmed that the boss doesn't need to worry about his little investment, we can take some time out and enjoy the sights~!" He paused as he flipped the receiver off. "I'm honestly a bit relieved. I wasn't looking forward to having to kill Mister Aqua Leader. He seems like such a fun guy, and this world needs more of those."
"I know what you mean," Musashi sighed. "Taking down evil villains is satisfying, but it gets depressing when there are just so many. It's nice to have a job that turns out so sweetly for a change."
"Besides, he's more a man who just wants to have fun," Kojiro agreed before he wiggled his eyebrows. "A man after my own heart."
Musashi lazily traced hearts on Kojiro's chest with her finger. "I can't wait to see the boss' expression when we surprise him with this unexpected development."
"Indeed, or our confirmation on his little theory about what 'Masky' does in his spare time," Kojiro agreed, tilting his head. "Seems he was right as usual~!"
Musashi giggled. "Oh, the boss does so love it when he's proven right."
Kojiro chuckled before he leaned back fully against his partner, propping himself up on his hands. "I suppose after we report in and enjoy the sights a bit, we'll have to go back to looking for our delightfully contrary little redhead."
Musashi coiled a strand of cardinal colored hair around her finger and smiled. "Yes indeed. Redheads are so fun, aren't they?"
"Mmmhmmm," Kojiro's grin widened as he eyed the lady beside him. "They certainly know how to liven the party~!"
Musashi laughed and outright sprawled against Kojiro, stretching luxuriously against her partner. "Speaking of which, I'm in a rather romantic mood myself after hearing all that. What do you say to getting out of here and have our own little... party?" Her smile widened, her ruby red lips silently speaking of tantalizing possibilities.
"Hm, hm, hm~! You read my mind~!" Kojiro said as he grabbed the top of the receiver and pulled it down, folding the machine up so that it closed with an audible snap.