victory_road | Twenty-Third Sacrament: Unity

Entry tags:

Twenty-Third Sacrament: Unity

Who: Walter, Diana, Jinx and Vanitas
Where: Fuchsia City
When: 5th March
Summary: Four traitors uniting to form something new...?
Rating: T for mentions of Pokemon abuse?

Log:

The meeting place, arranged by simple, cryptic letters ferried by Pokemon or sent over Gears, was a small, hole-in-wall cafe, off the beaten path nearby the studio. The Purrloin's Paw was a humble place, most often sought by locals as the Starmiebucks around the corner attracted the eyes of tourists and the famous/infamous workers of the studio. On this particular day it was extremely empty, with only two employees behind the counter, quietly talking to themselves.

Walter was already inside, seated at a corner table that let him see the doorway but hid him from direct line of sight. Assumption was sat at his side, club on his lap as he ate a poffin. Gloom was in his shadow, waiting for his command. Once everyone was gathered and general polite welcomes had been made, she had her orders; hypnotise the workers into a deep sleep and lock the door, flipping the sign to 'Sorry! We're Closed!' Then, they could discuss their 'problem' with Team Rocket.

Once they had their chats and made their preparations, they'd simply stroll out into the sunshine, leaving the cafe and it's sleeping workers as it was...possibly minus some treats from the display counter.

[ While this is made for the group to talk as one, feel free to start threads between characters privately to catch up and assume that there's some casual banter going on too! ]

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Diana brow furrowed as she peered at the book. "You want to make a base?" It wasn't a bad idea, she thought, fingers playing with the corner of a page. "Like a safe house."

Her mind flickers to the Academy, the town. The lake. But it wasn't the same. They weren't made to be hidden, weren't... It was different. And that was good.

"If we're staying in Kanto, and I think we should since we're all on the run here." Diana flashes a grin at everyone at the table. "I don't think we should have more than one. Not right now. Don't wanna stretch ourselves too thin and snap before we even get started, right?"

Her finger hovers over the pages and she uses her fingertip to draw invisible lines through names like Celadon and Saffron. "I think we should avoid big cities. Less foot traffic. I know it's easier to blend when there's more people, but when there's less it's easier to know everyone. Spot someone new."

She picks up some more food from her pile. "Gossip can work out for us too. Little towns talk, sure. But if get locals to like us, they'll talk to us, let us keep to ourselves, tell us if people come around asking questions." A shrug of her shoulders. "That whole 'look after our own' mentality."

DiDi opens her eyes and makes a chirping noise. Diana, without looking down, moves the muffin she was about to take a bite out of down and lets the tiny bird take a big beakful before returning to eating it herself.

"Exactly! God you would have done great at Villain school back home." Jinx beamed delighted at Diana's logic train.

"In a small town it's easier to win over the loyalty of the populace. The citizens in Pokeworld who are native to this place are dim bulbs at best. But a big enough crowd of idiots is still dangerous and if they turned on us it'd be game over. Buuuut it's way easier to convince a sleepy little town that we mean well if we chase out any trouble that knocks on their door."

She sipped her drink carefully before continuing.

"Think of it like community service on the side. Maybe some wild pokemon is causing them trouble? We sort it out. And especially if Rockets show up we clean their clocks. Let's have a look at that list."

She peered over the cities names and then took out her pokegear to start pulling up information about the cities she was unfamiliar with.

"It's been too long since I had a good secret base. I'm gonna have to start saving links to furniture and traps to make it cozy and secure. Who do we know that's really good with technology? We might need help installing alarms and things."

So...Jinx is apparently all in now.

Everyone was in it seemed. Walter smiled; a genuine, confident smile as he took in their suggestions. They were all making very good points too.

"With only looking at the map, I would say Pewter City and Lavender Town are the most promising options here, and as I intend to obtain the gym badges, I will be sure to make notes on the places I travel through." He nodded to Vanitas. "Once we have established ourselves here... you already have a place in mind for Johto."

At their talk of small quiet towns, he couldn't help thinking of his hometown. Small, quiet Silent Hill. The orphanage. What the people had missed, thinking that the priests were so kind and good...he tensed, expression darkening before clarity sank in and chased it away. A revelation.

"Jinx. Your community service idea...we could run some kind of shelter. For unfortunate Pokemon. The community will not look too deeply into what we do, if we are putting forward a good image. And if we obtain Pokemon from Team Rocket, it will not seem strange for us to have them in our care." A Pokemon shelter would be expected to take in hurt and abused Pokemon, wouldn't it? Walter had experience with working with the Joys in the Pokemon Centre. And while he didn't know how to help with emotional trauma... he had experience in living with people who'd gone through such things.

"Lavender Town doesn't have a gym, does it? That might be a good place to set our roots. Less foot traffic, so to speak," Vanitas offered before grinning. "Yeah, I've got a place in mind for Johto when the time comes." Mahogany would be a good central location and he wasn't all that concerned about anyone there causing them issues. He'd spent enough time there that he was familiar face to most so it wouldn't be odd for him to return and settle in again.

He tilted his head at Jinx's commentary, noting the same thing Walter did apparently though the other man seemed to already have far more thought process regarding it.

"A shelter...huh." That could actually work. And it would definitely paint them as model citizens and earn them the trust of anyone in Lavender Town. "That's not a bad idea at all. Even if Team Rocket tried to pull anything by outing us as former members, we'd have a reputation as shelter running, Pokemon loving individuals that just wanted to make a better life for themselves. Kind of hard to argue with that."

"Seems like we've settled it then." Diana leans back, trying to ignore the oddly pleased feeling in her chest at people running with her idea. "Lavender Town with a shelter as cover. I'm sure it won't be hard to get ourselves a building."

Her lip curls, amused. "I'm sure we've got enough Pokemon already to make it look legit. Then we'll just keep adding ones we get from Rockets."

She turns to look at Jinx. "We haven't been yet but I'm sure we'll make a stop." Then looks around the table again. "Should we meet again there?"

Jinx beamed equally proud of Diana's suggestion and the direction things were taking.

"Sound's like a good plan to me. We hook up again in Lavender and start hunting for locations. Spread a little money around to get started. Then we can furnish it how we need. It'll probably take a few weeks depending on how professional we need it to look." Then her grin grew even wider.

"You know what the best part about a secret base is though? If the space is big enough we can each put in whatever we think is important. Like for example a quality kitchen set up." she mused glancing at Diana "Or proper training quarters to help our mons get even stronger." This time a glance to Vanitas. "And of course facilities for rehabilitating. We just need either money...or knowledge of where what we want is so we can...liberate it."

She let the words hang there for a minute before adding "You know...for a good cause." as if anyone in the room really cared if they had to steal equipment.

Walter nodded at the suggestion of meeting there. But he frowned, remembering a slight issue with their chosen destination.

"There is one problem with Lavender Town; it is a Rocket location. I believe they will be using the Radio Tower, as they do in Goldenrod. Once we have established ourselves and gathered our resources, prepared our Pokemon... we will need to correct that." It was blatantly clear that, if they were to take Lavender, they would need to run Team Rocket out.

"I intend to travel from here to Cinnabar Island, to Viridian City and Pewter City. I can obtain the badges from those gyms and briefly observe those locations, but I will not stay long."

"The kitchen could have the worst stove in the world and still be better than Team Rocket's sad excuse for a lunch room," Vanitas drawled before shooting Jinx a grin as she mentioned a good space for training. Oh he was absolutely down for that. "The more space we have to utilize the better. Never know what may pop up, idea wise, in the future."

Then Walter spoke and Vanitas's eyes narrowed. So Team Rocket was already established in Lavender Town.

"I'll head straight up to Lavender Town," he said once Walter had explained where he was going, Vanitas absently wrapping an arm around Veritas and drawing her in. "Get settled in, keep a low profile. I can send Flood and Sneak in to do some recon on the tower itself and see what sort of presence Rocket actually has there and what it would take to run them out."

Though, honestly, they all knew it wasn't going to take much.

Diana stuck her tongue out at Jinx's comment about kitchens before listening to Walter.

Team Rocket would have to be driven out, there was no other way they'd leave. Diana wasn't pleased at the idea of having to do it, of instigating a fight, but she was also determined to actually pull her weight instead of surviving off others. She nods.

"We'll probably head straight for Lavender too." She gestures to Vanitas with her thumb. "Though, probably slower than this speedster." She grins at the dark haired boy.

"But once we're there I can have Lana and The Pack patrol the place. They tend to stay near the boarders anyway."

"OK so, head to Lavender town, clear out the Rockets. Set up shop there and start building ourselves up to take them down in other places. I like this. I really do!" Jinx insisted dabbing some crumbs off her Cleffa's cheek with a napkin. The Cleffa promptly took the napkin and started trying to eat it.

"The Radio Tower...now that might be something they want back once we have it. Between four of us, six pokemon each, plus the pack and Walter's Flock...the Flock did follow you out here didn't they?"

It had been hard enough to smuggle the entire Pack into Kanto. Either way it had worked.

"We won't have numbers on our sides if Rocket decides to jump on us with both feet...but that's a big IF. In normal criminal organizations they would. But in normal criminal organizations they'd be expanding a lot more effort to catch us. Right now we're an afterthought. After we take the Tower we might end up more of a priority."

She didn't sound worried, more like she was mapping it out in her head.

"So what we have to our advantage will be we're smarter then them, and we have more prep time to get the town on our side and make sure we're dug in hard enough they can't take us back out."

"Yes, the flock will heed me. And it is not just us four."

Walter gestured to the book again. "There are others native to this world who have joined and left Team Rocket. Some saw the fight I was involved in, in Celadon, and approached me. To express support. I have found that some seek revenge, and others seek to repent. By offering them what they want, we can recruit them to this cause."

He leaned back thoughtfully. "but we will be in trouble, when they become aware of who we are. Team Rocket acquires new members frequently. We cannot assume that they will not find new recruits, and that those members will not be informed of us. Especially if we do this."

"Even without the numbers we can still have power on our side. And strategy," Vanitas suggested, looking down at the book Walter had gestured to in an almost thoughtful manner. "Most of the Team Rocket members that are like us don't put a whole lot of thought into what they do with their Pokemon. When we hit the Pokemon Centers, Jack didn't use his Pokemon at all--most of his are worthless, actually. And Wrath's aren't anything to worry about either." He glances up not, looking from Walter to Jinx then Diana. "If we have a strategy, a defense, they won't be able to take anything from us. They won't be ready for our Pokemon to work together or for us to be working together. And they probably have no idea what any of us are really capable of of."

It's not like Vanitas had shown all of his cards to them and he has no doubts the others had tricks up their sleeves as well.

"Add in the others that Walter mentioned and we could put together something that would stop anything them tried to do dead in the water."

Diana thinks on their words, frowning down at the food in front of her. She doesn't look up when she speaks. "I don't think they expect much of any of us. And I don't think they kept too close an eye on the lower ones." She recalls one of her conversations with Jack, how he'd had no idea about the amount of badges she'd slowly been collecting. "They might know whereabouts you are with those chip things, but they don't know what you're doing. So, they don't know how strong you are."

Her gaze finally lifts to the people around her. "I don't think they're ready for how strong we can be. And we're pretty strong." She falters and hides it with a self deprecating smile and shrug. "Some of us anyway."

Diana quickly moves along. "We'd have to let others know about the chips."

Jinx offers Diana a bemused smile and winks at her. "They aren't the only ones who underestimate us. But then again we're used to being the underdogs aren't we?"

The second part snagged onto Jinx however and her lips curled into a wicked smirk.

"Well then why don't we take a page out of the Team Rocket playbook and make a little radio broadcast of our own? We've got a Radio Tower after all. Does its signal reach all the way to Johto?"

"We would need to be well established, before sending out such a broadcast. And if they know that we have that knowledge, and that their current members know, they will find another way; possibly by passing the Pokemon to implant the chips into the humans themselves. We can not be sure how long we were unconscious in their headquarters." It wasn't a pleasant thought but it had to be said. "If they do not know that we can pass that knowledge on to others, they are less likely to adapt their techniques."

As for tricks... well, Walter's hand hadn't been entirely shown. Even if he had demonstrated the kind of destruction he was both capable of and completely willing to bring.

"And we will need to be discreet. The Rockets will suspect us regardless, but by doing this we will be drawing attention to ourselves. And while ex-Rockets have understood by reaction to Team Rocket, there are others who felt that my actions in Saffron were 'too much'." It's clear from his tone that Walter didn't think much of that person's opinion. But he still knew that he didn't want to deal with a mob opposing them, or for Team Rocket to immediately identify them as this new opposing force.

"So we do things without them realizing it's us doing it," Vanitas said with a shrug as Walter brought up being discreet. "We establish ourselves like we already talked about, build a good reputation and make it clear we're bettering ourselves. Meanwhile these other individuals that seemed to have come out of nowhere start hitting Team Rocket in different ways before making the final strike against the radio tower. Start small and make our way to the top."

This wouldn't be the first time Vanitas had masked his identity before; hadn't had an identity even. Speaking of masks..

"We could use masks or something. I know it sounds stupid but it worked for me back home and Team Rocket's dumb enough to use those domino masks. We can take it a step further and use something that covers our entire face," he offered, glancing down at Veritas who was watching him curiously. "They'd have no way of knowing it was us then."

"All sounds pretty doable to me." Obviously right now it was all talk, but Diana figured they could actually pull this off. At least three out of four of them were competent at the things they would have to do.

"Ooo." Diana turns to grin at Vanitas. "Masks, huh? Would we all be matching? I bet Ji would love to wear a mask." She waggles her eyebrows at Jinx.

Jinx blushed and offered a lopsided grin playing with her hair pretending she wasn't totally into it.

"Well I mean, it is a time honored tradition among vigilante heroes, anti-heroes and honorable thieves."

She was totally into it.

"But more importantly uniforms to go with the masks. Diana and I will handle that you too just wear what we give you and you'll not only be unrecognizable, but stylish."

"Masks..." Walter glanced to Assumption who realised what he was thinking. The Marowak nodded enthusiastically, almost bouncing on the seat.

"At a festival I attended, they sold Pokemon masks. I still have the one I purchased, although I would need to get another if we were to use those, since the one I own would be too... obvious." With Assumption as his starter Pokemon, it felt like it'd be easy to make the connection between a man wearing a Marowak mask and Walter. He trailed off thoughtfully. "Perhaps, they could function as names as well... if someone overheard us address each other while wearing the masks, it wouldn't take long for them to figure out who we are regardless of our appearances. What sort of uniform did you have in mind?"

While a Pokemon mask seemed feasible, if Jinx then suggested going all out with a matching costume then he would need to retract his suggestion.

"Pokemon masks. That's not a bad idea. Neither is the names bit. The more we hide who we are the better off we'll be," Vanitas mused with a grin before looking at the girls with a somewhat...wary look.

"It better not be anything ridiculous." Seriously he will veto anything stupid you guys. There are certain colors that he absolutely refuses to wear.

"Codenames and masks. Now we're a real secret group." She chuckles. "Pokemon, huh? Guess we'll have to think of some fitting ones then."

Diana rolls her eyes at Vanitas. "Something sleek and stylish, of course. We're gonna be wearing them too. Me and Jinx don't wanna look foolish." She turns back to Jinx. "Something dark? With maybe some subtle colour accents? Vani would look good with gold, it'll bring out his eyes."

"Exactly, come on boys do you really think we'd want to be seen in public with you two if we looked ridculous? We're trying to inspire respect here!"

Turning to Diana's suggestions she nodded enthusiastically. "Something we can move around in. I'm thinking suits, we'll each have a slightly different style. Not jump suits more respectable. Somewhere between big business and fancy dinner party."

She already had some ideas in mind but she'd need to see what she could get her hands on.

"I don't suppose you boys know your measurements? I have fabric measuring tape in my bag." She sounded almost too eager to get started.

"I do not know my measurements."

Walter looked around the group, resting his forearms on the table and holding his hands together, thinking. As long as the clothing was comfortable and functional (and not too outlandish), he would be satisfied with what he was told to wear. But codenames... He looked at each person, reflecting on the Pokemon he knew and had seen. Looking directly at Jinx, he spoke calmly.

"Have you seen a Delcatty before, Jinx?" If she answered no, he'd pull up an image of the Pokemon on his gear and show it to her. The similarities between a Delcatty's large purple ears and her hair would be immediately obvious, along with the implication that Walter was suggesting it for her codename.

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Twenty-Third Sacrament: Unity

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