Montagne Khastil - Unranked - June 17th - Lumiose City, Kalos
The setting sun lent a warm radiance to Lumiose's stone roads and buildings, and as the truck pulled onto Estival Avenue Monty felt strangely thankful that they'd managed to get back home unimpeded. The warehouse's garage door opened with a press of the remote lock attached to Michel's visor, and in a matter of minutes the men had the crates off the truck and opened up.
Antoine whistled as he cracked the lid off one of the crates, discarding the stacks of neatly packaged t-shirts concealing the crate's false bottom to reveal their freshly-assembled PokeDexes. "You'd never know these things were counterfeit," the gangly lieutenant commented as he examined one of the red and black tablets. "Let's see how they work." He released his Pikachu, who cried out cheerfully and looked up its trainer with a smile on its furry yellow face. "Stay still, buddy," Antoine said as he pointed the screen at it, and the PokeDex's screen expanded as it scanned the Pikachu.
Monty watched over Antoine's shoulder as the Dex pulled up a slew of information on the Pikachu, and while both men marveled at the tool the electric-mouse seemed a little confused. "These things are gonna come in handy," Monty thought aloud as he grabbed one for himself, peeling off the protective film and releasing Oracle to test it out.
After a minute of playing with their new toys, much to the Pikachu's confusion and Oracle's annoyance, Michel barked at them to finish checking the rest of the crates. "You can play with your computers later," The first lieutenant said as he tossed Monty a crowbar, "But Cormier's on his way to check the haul and...discuss the Wabash situation."
"I'm sure the Boss wouldn't mind us testing the shipment, y'know, making sure everything's in order," Antoine responded, nevertheless picking his own crowbar back up.
Monty cracked into the crate of Poke Balls next, revealing a mix-matched assortment of varying colored spheres. He picked one up, a dark green and black, and found a label on it; "Dusk Ball". He dug through the rest of them, finding a wide variety with not many repeats in the 50 Ball total, and reported the count to Michel.
"Everything's in order with them, then," the old man muttered. "We've got first pick since we did the job, five each. Not sure how many more Pokemon I'm planning on catching, though." His Vulpix was released from her Poke Ball, and she was delighted to find that her game of tag with Pikachu had moved to a bigger space. Michel tracked their chase for a moment and sighed, "Just Tama's already a handful."
"I've been thinking about that, too," Monty said as he selected his Balls. The battle with Tama had confirmed something to him which he'd only had a couple chances to observe in their week of wild Pokemon battling. "Oracle's great in close quarters-" He caught the Absol's gaze from her spot on one of the couches across the way, and she looked satisfied to hear the compliment. "-But she can get caught in a bind if her opponent keeps its distance with special moves." Oracle's satisfaction flipped to annoyance, and while she was too far to affect him Monty had a feeling she was trying to exert her Pressure.
"So you want something to compensate for her lack of range?" Michel asked as he did his own rummaging through the crate of Balls.
"Exactly," Monty confirmed, picking up and examining a Premier Ball before dropping it back into the pile. "Either something that can tank hits or that can attack from a distance itself." He'd tried to keep an eye out while they trained on the Laverre Nature Trail, but most of the Pokemon there seemed to specialize in physical attacks.
"For an attacker I want something that can keep up with Oracle's speed, too," the younger criminal elaborated as he continued his Ball search. "She was faster than everything we encountered on the Nature Trail, but I'm not sure if that means she's fast or that they were just slow."
"You looked into anything specific?" Michel asked, selecting a dormant Great Ball and pocketing it. "Tama's been good at range, but I get the feeling Oracle there wouldn't be a fan of another Vulpix."
That was another problem; Oracle. The Absol hardly listened as it was, and he had the feeling she only mostly tolerated being his partner. He didn't want another strong-willed Pokemon to deal with, but something that would slot into the team smoothly and above all follow orders. "A Fire-Type would be good," Monty said finally, picking a Great Ball of his own and pocketing it. "I think I'll challenge the Gym in Santalune, since I've heard that's where most novice trainers go for their first badge."
"And Fire's good for that gym?" Michel asked as he pocketed another Ball, a yellow and gray Ultra Ball. "Yeah, Santalune's a Bug-Type gym," the younger man replied, "And since Bug's super-effective against Oracle, I'll need something to balance out the weakness."
"Fire it is, then," the lieutenant followed up as he chose his last few balls while Monty finalized his own choices for a total of two Great Balls (which sounded great), the only other Ultra Ball in the crate (which sounded better than great), a Dusk Ball, and a Quick Ball.
Antoine finished checking the crate of X-items at the same time, and each man took one of each type. Monty didn't know the specifics of how they worked, but Michel assured him they'd come in handy during Oracle's training. "Works for me," the younger criminal declared, distributing his share throughout his pockets and turning to his partner.
The Absol was still laying on one of the warehouse couches, watching the scene with the crates unfold, and their eyes met as he walked over. Her resting place was an upgrade from the hard wooden boxes in the other building, and the annoying rats were keeping their frivolous games well away from her, but now useless Monty was coming to disturb her rest?
She watched with animosity as useless Monty opened some sort of metal box against the wall and produced a small cylinder from inside. Oracle folded her ears down at the loud CRACK! and HISS! that came from the cylinder, and to her surprise her trainer put his lips to it. Did useless Monty lose his mind?
She got her answer when he started drinking from the cylinder! So he really had lost his mind, daring to quench his thirst when she hadn't even been fed since this morning! That was the final straw. First he'd subjected her to the torment of listening to the two rats' yip-yapping all day, then he just went aboard that foul man's strange floating building, and now he was outright disrespecting her?!
Monty let out a satisfied "Ahh," as he savored a drink after a job well done, but in a flash of black light he found himself without a drink at all. Well, without a drink wasn't too accurate, since he technically still had it. Now it was just all over him, and all over the floor, and all over Oracle. "What the..." He muttered, and when he saw the crumpled can speared on her horn he finished, "...HELL?!"
Jean-Leu Cormier - Lumiose City, Kalos
The Lumiose streets had a certain infectious charm to them, like their culture and history oozed from between the cobblestones as you walked down them, and just feeling the street beneath his shoes made Jean-Leu feel a connection with his city that he just couldn't get cooped up in his penthouse.
The warm June evening lent itself well to the night life, and tourists and locals alike covered Estival Avenue like water after a storm. Lines spilled out of restaurants and from street vendors, Gogoat taxis walked side-by-side with cars, and all was lit by hanging lanterns, lights, and the dazzling gleam of Prism Tower working hand in hand. It was a picturesque scene, and the raw atmosphere it created was exactly what Jean-Leu loved.
He took his time getting to the warehouse, preferring not to let the ambiance escape him, and when he reached his destination he paused outside the door to light a cigarette. A FLICK! of his lighter later and Jean-Leu felt the familiar feeling of a nicotine rush, a sensation he found dulled with time but was elevated with his good mood. The lieutenants had better have some news that would keep his mood that way.
As Jean-Leu fished the warehouse key from his pocket, he heard shouting from inside. What the hell could those idiots be doing? He slotted the key and the shouting ceased, and Cormier opened the door to see Monty and his Absol covered in...something.
"Fun night Montagne?" Cormier asked, sizing up his underling as he shut and locked the door behind him. The bastard looked surprised, like a kid getting caught with his hands in the macaron box, but the Absol had a different look to it. The rate had a venomous glare in its red eyes, and it was staring right at Cormier. It pissed him off.
The yip-yapping of another pair of Pokemon pissed him off too, and he noticed with disdain that Michel and Antoine's partners were using the warehouse as their own personal playground. "How about we recall our Pokemon?" The Boss suggested loudly. It wasn't a suggestion, and in three red flashes the warehouse was back to its proper state; free of foolishness.
"Evenin' Boss, sorry about the Pokemon," Michel called from across the warehouse, and Cormier's lanky legs carried him to his lieutenants across as he replied, "We're in Lumiose, Michel, it's a good evening. Let's see the spoils of my purchase."
His first lieutenant seemed stiff, borderline nervous as he walked him through the contents of the crates. Everything seemed to be in order, from the Kalosian PokeDexes, to the Poke Balls, to the stat boosters, but something about Michel's movements and the way Antoine kept away from the conversation rubbed Cormier the wrong way.
"Something wrong, Michel?" He asked his second-in-command, and the man took a little longer than usual to find his reply. "Well...there was a hiccup with Wabash." What had been a good mood when Cormier arrived turned to an alright mood when he saw the bastard and his rate covered in what looked like beer, but by the time Michel finished telling him about Wabash's run in with Interpol and the hiatus on contraband shipments it was an outright shit mood.
"I see..." Cormier said, taking a deep puff from his cigarette and exhaling slowly. "And he wasn't caught? Just spooked?"
"Right, boss."
The probelm troubled Cormier, and he leaned on one of the crates as he pondered it. Wabash wasn't the paranoid type, and he hadn't had any big scares before. Sure, there were a couple times he delayed a shipment because of some regional coast guard or another, but they'd all had a run in or two with regional law enforcement. Interpol, though...Wabash had been in the family's employ since his grandfather's time, and in all that time they'd all managed to stay off their radar.
Cormier's flicked the ash from his cigarette and announced, "We'll need to be a little more careful from now on, then. I don't think Wabash will talk if they pick him up, but they'll at least figure out that he stopped off in Kalos."
Montagne finally decided to join the discussion, slinking up between Antoine and Michel, and Cormier was glad for the change of topic as he asked, "How's the training progressing?"
"Good," the bastard reported, "Oracle's been pretty cleanly sweeping through our training on the Routes, but I want to get more trainer battles in before we get our Badge."
So he was about on track, then. Given Montagne's slow start, Cormier had been a little worried that he'd misplaced his faith. "It'll do you good to get out of Lumiose for a bit, then," the Boss decided, taking another long drag from his cigarette as an incredulous expression blossomed on his underling's face.
"But si-"
"But sir," Cormier interrupted Montagne mockingly, "Of course you're right, the change in environment would help my Pokemon get used to battling in different environments, AND it's a good idea for me to keep away from the MOST LIKELY LOCATION for the Interpol agents to follow up on if they catch Wabash and get him to talk!"
For his literal lifetime of experience, the bastard wasn't great at seeing the big picture. Michel and Antoine would have to lay low for a while, but they'd be fine staying in Lumiose. Montagne was a bigger risk, though, and Cormier wasn't entirely comfortable letting his key hide in plain sight with the the threat of Interpol Watchogs hitting the streets.
Montagne started to protest again, but Cormier ignored him and instructed, "Get out into the country for a couple of weeks, maybe in the west past Shalour."
The bastard was practically fuming, but he knew better than to outright refuse a direct order. "Fine," Monty huffed, and Cormier stared at him for a moment before exclaiming, "Magnifique! You're dismissed." The Boss waved Montagne away, and he and his lieutenants watched the bastard practically storm out and lock the door behind him.
"Being a little hard on the kid, eh?" Michel asked, lighting a cigarette of his own. "He beat me in a battle today, you know?"
"It's true," Antoine added with a signature grin, "The old man got his ass handed to him."
Cormier shook his head and took the final puff of his cigarette, discarding it and accepting a second one from a pack Michel offered. "Then he's living up to my expectations," the Boss stated bluntly. "Our revenge will come, mes amis, but not before Khastil gets stronger."
"I thought you hated using that name, Boss," Antoine commented, and Cormier closed his eyes and blew his smoke through his nose. He did hate the name "Khastil". It was what fed the fire behind Montagne's eyes when he was given an order he didn't like, and one day it might be enough to make him refuse such an order. Cormier told his lieutenants the same, but Michel seemed to disagree.
A twinkle graced the first lieutenant's eyes as he asked, "Sure he doesn't get that from the name he should have, Boss?" Cormier scowled at the question, but thought about it for a moment.
"Maybe he does Michel. And maybe that's worse."
