OOC - Oh boy. Quadra scenarios incoming!
Petalburg PKMN Center
"How's he looking, Joy?" Norman folded his hands across his chest, feeling distinctly uncomfortable under the brunette's intense scrutiny. Nurse Joy had a particularly penetrating stare, and had on more than one occasion made Norman feel like he was a specimen under a microscope. He hated being watched by those twin shards of icy grey eyes, flecked with the lightest shade of blue... and she had just said something...
She raised an eyebrow elegantly and shot him an exasperated look. "Are you even listening to me Norman?"
The man in question nodded sheepishly and shot his kangaskhan Kurt an annoyed glare when the pokemon broke out into a deep rumbling snicker. "Ah... You said he would be okay." He guessed, praying he was right. The last time she had lectured him it had lasted an entire fifteen minutes. It'd felt like a year.
"As I was saying," she continued, satisfied he apparently had been listening. "A few days of bed rest and the squirtle you brought me will be back on his feet in no time." She tapped her clipboard a few times with her pen and nodded to herself. "That's about it."
She made to go, but paused and turned around at the last second. "I almost forgot. There was a call for you a little while ago, it was Wattson."
At the mention of his most dearest friend, Norman smiled. "Thank you Joy," he replied, then watched her go until she was out of his sight. Kurt's snickers had grown to a deep chuckle, and Norman sighed helplessly as he looked at the massive pokemon. "Come on you oaf, let's go home." He withdrew a pokeball and recalled his trusted companion, feeling an echo of sadness as silence rushed to fill the laughter that had previously filled the room.
As Norman stepped outside the pokemon center and into the soothing warmth of the sunlight he looked up and saw above him a cloudless sky stretching out as far as the eye could see, a vast ocean of blue. After a moments appreciation, he took out his cellphone and flipped it open, his fingers already dialling a number he had long since memorized.
The phone rang three times, when the fourth was intercepted by a booming voice that answered the call.
"Norman!" Wattson bellowed good-naturedly.
"Watson," Norman replied calmly, but he could not help but grin. "Still as loud as ever I see, how's the belly?"
"Coming along nicely, thank you very much. What about you, are you still wearing that ridiculous pair of flip-flops?"
"Their called sandals, and I'll have you know that its far more comfortable than shoes. Besides, you're one to talk about fashion, last I recall your favourite shirt was pure yellow."
They broke into chuckles, and Norman felt the tension in the pit of his stomach unravel. "Ah, I've missed you my friend." He sighed. "Things have been a bit rough lately. I can't help but wonder if its not too much..." He paused, uncertain how to continue.
"You know I'd support you if you truly do go down that road." The rotund gym leader's voice was collected and firm. "They're wrong about pokemon. And we both know it's just propaganda to control the populace."
This wasn't the first time they had had this conversation, and Norman felt his stomach clench again. This time though, it was different. Anger suffused his voice and he clenched his fists. "If only we were younger, Wattson. Our time is over, besides, they're far too strong now. Where are we going to find a group of like minded individuals who want to overthrow this regime? I can barely sway some of the other gym leaders to lessen the cruelty around themselves, never mind convince them of actual rebellion. Team Elite has the next generation under their thumb." He shook his head bitterly. "I fear it is already too late."
"At least there's still plenty of fight left in this old man. Don't be such a pessimist, Norman. Just the two of us can affect plenty of change." Wattson roared, and Norman felt a smile tug at his lips.
"Maybe your right. Maybe its time we did something, before its really too late."
"That's the spirit. I'll be waiting for that call."
"Take care, my friend."
On the outskirts Rustboro City
Sam could only watch on in horror and fear as the strange trainer barked out a command, following which his fierce looking mini-otter pokemon began to glow with a supercharged red aura. In the next moment, as Feisty was recovering from his aggressive tackle, the unknown pokemon struck.
The purple rat pokemon was flung back by the force of the blow and landed in a crumpled bundle near where the young boy stood, and Sam felt his heart skip a beat. But before he could take a step toward the fallen ratata, Feisty stirred and clambered to his feet, bruised but alive.
Sam felt his relief drain from him as he turned to regard the other person in the clearing. His pokemon had dropped into an offensive crouch and although Feisty bared his fangs and hissed at the opposing pokemon, the small diminutive otter did not move a muscle. Despair settled into Sam's stomach like a brick sinking in water, what was he going to do?
"A-are you a ranger?" He stammered out, noting for the first time that the other boy, who could not have been older than twenty, was not wearing the standard black and green uniform of the ranger association. Nor was he wearing the gold and black uniform of Team Elite.
Hope flared inside his chest. Maybe the other kid wasn't here for his pokemon.
With Ayce, Serene, Sarah, Piper and Dejamaru
"They're here." Someone whispered to the left of him, Piper perhaps, and Ayce nodded.
"We know you're there." He called out calmly. "Come out."
POV change
A slight rustle of leaves and then three uniformed rangers broke out of the foliage a little ways from the main group of young adults, who exchanged tense looks with each other. The two parties came to a halt and faced off against each other as the pokemon in the clearing took on defensive postures in anticipation for a fight.
"This is ranger Clarissa." The woman in the middle spoke up. "I see that there is a ranger among you. Identify yourself, stranger. Who are you, and under what jurisdiction are you in our patrol territory."
Beside her, Mikael jerked and hissed under his breath to her. "There's an assortment of extremely rare pokemon here. I think these guys are with Team Elite."
Clarissa's cobalt eyes widened in surprise, but her companion's words were true. None of the pokemon gathered were native to the forest. A scyther, an eevee, a growlithe, a wingull, a fox with red tinted fur and a small ball of purple fluff rounded out the assortment of pokemon in the clearing and the ranger swallowed hard.
Each and every one of the pokemon were stock still and alert, with no signs of fear or aggression. Unlike her own sableye who was hissing and shifting nervously, the adversaries were completely still. That type of discipline meant they were very well trained and were no strangers to combat. Outnumbered and outskilled, most likely, these were some of the worst odds Clarissa never wanted to have. What if she had stumbled on a secret Team Elite mission? Were they about to be silenced?
POV change
Ayce looked over at Piper, who shook her head ever so slightly. She clearly didn't recognize them, which was good and bad news.
"I'm afraid we can't answer that." He was thinking about how to explain to the three people in front of him that they had all been warped here against their will and had no clue what was going on, without sounding like a complete lunatic belonging in the mental asylum, when one of the rangers spoke up and interrupted him.
"Our apologies. We did not realize you were with Team Elite. Please forgive our intrusion, if there is anything we can do for you all, please tell us." He looked extremely nervous as he shuffled from foot to foot.
His nincada was all abuzz too, and Ayce felt a little bad for the entire situation. But at the mention of Team Elite, he winced and felt a phantom echo of pain in his head. That name again.
"We aren't with Team Elite." Ayce surreptitiously glanced at his party members while he spoke. No guilt or surprise when he mentioned Team Elite, it seemed none of them knew anything about that group either. They were all in the same boat.
POV change
Clarissa felt a trickle of icy fear dance across her spine as the boy's expression changed when Pier mentioned they were Team Elite. His answer further cemented her dread. And was that murder in the eyes of the agent on the ground?
"We aren't with Team Elite." His voice was cool, almost cold. His eyes flickered to his teammates and in that moment Clarissa knew they were screwed. This must be a top secret mission that no one was supposed to know about, and they had just stumbled on it by accident. Did the boy just pass a message to his teammates and they were about to attack? Clarissa had heard of the stories. Every ranger knew about the secretive squadrons of Team Elite. They were supposed to be professional agents of the highest caliber, whose teamwork and individual skills were the stuff of legends.
Gulping, Clarissa quickly moved to speak before they struck. "Listen, I won't report this to command central. We were never here and we didn't see anything. Please let us go." She was practically begging at this point.
POV change
"Listen, I won't report this to command central. We were never here and we didn't see anything. Please let us go."
Ayce was confused and unsure of what to say. What had just happened? Had they just been confused with Team Elite? Everyone else around him was equally confused, judging by their incredulous expressions. Dejamaru was grimacing in pain, but also seemed bewildered by what was going on.
"Okay." Ayce shrugged. At least this was better than fighting. Relief flooded Clarissa's face and the three of them recalled their pokemon and turned to go.
"Wait." Ayce called out, thinking quickly. "Who is Team Elite. I mean..." He paused, trying to figure out what to say. "Tell me everything you know about Team Elite." Ayce winced, hoping they hadn't figured out from his slip-up that they were not in fact Team Elite.
POV change
"Tell me everything you know about Team Elite."
Clarissa shot her teammates a confused glance. Was this a strange test of their loyalty? Although on paper the ranger association was a separate entity from the private Team Elite, everyone knew that the latter controlled the former entirely. "Um. Team Elite is the organization responsible for the protection of our region and serve as the primary line of defence against the savage monsters that threaten our peaceful world." She recited dutifully, trying not to think too much about the, in her opinion, clearly over exaggerated claim.
POV change
Ayce nodded thoughtfully to himself. That made a lot of sense, perhaps they had all been brought from their respective worlds to assist this Team Elite in repelling whatever evil monsters threatened this world. "Just one last thing before you go, do you know where we can find these savage monsters?" He added.
POV change
Clarissa blinked in consternation. "They're called pokemon. They are everywhere, sir." Then she quickly left with her teammates before the guy could change his mind. Clearly, he was crazy. Vowing to never get mixed up with Team Elite affairs ever again, she sprinted away, trying to get as far away from the Team Elite squadron.
"Close call, Rissa." Pier muttered in relief, and Clarissa didn't even bother smacking him for his informal address. It had been a close call indeed.
Team Elite Squadron Six
Three men in white uniform, trimmed with gold stood atop a cliff overlooking a solitary dragon pokemon.
"So this is the pokemon we're looking for?" The man in the middle nodded at the sleeping form of the Salamence a little ways below them.
"Yep. Red wings and all. We're supposed to bring it back alive, Prof wants to play around with it." The man who spoke lounged lazily on the warm clay floor of the mountain path they were on. The fading sunset's radiant glow refracted into a rainbow shade of colors on his translucent goggles.
The third member of their party scoffed as he leaned back and fingered his pokeballs. "That man is sick in the head. Have you seen the monsters he creates?"
"That is none of your business. Genome sequencing is an art with very little success rate and something I highly doubt you could appreciate. Your puny mind simply cannot imagine the marvel and possibilities that lies inside these creatures." The first man reprimanded.
"Oh shut up Scott." The third man growled. "Need I remind you that the last time Prof asked us to get him an exploud, he ended up fusing it with a golbat. Only instead of getting a flying sound generator, he ended up with a useless monstrosity that couldn't even fly."
"One of these days Klein, it will work and you'll be left looking like an antiquated idiot." Scott muttered sourly.
"Ladies..." The second man drawled lazily from his position on the ground.
"Shut up Steve." Scott and Klein said in perfect synchronicity. They shot each other a glance of annoyance and then looked away at the exact same time.
A moment of silence fell.
"Well? What are we waiting for?" Klein snapped finally.
"The sunset." Steve grinned. "It's almost over."
Klein threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Come on!" He pulled out his pokeball and released his golem. "Golem. Rollout then Self-destruct." He pointed at the still sleeping salamence. "Go."
As the pokemon dutifully went to carry out his instructions, Steve looked over at him. "That's like what, the seventieth pokemon you sent out to die?"
Klein shrugged carelessly. "Something like that. I'll just pick another one when we get back to base. What? Jealous you didn't think of it first?"
Steve rolled his eyes.
OOC - There we go.
