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[fingersandteeth]

Is there any reason I *shouldn't* release a six-foot-tall, extremely bouncy, spherical whale who keeps spraying water in my face back into the ocean?

[No seriously, is there? Because after this thing sprayed him at the beach, he'd decided to catch it so he could passively-aggressively turn it in for his Rocket Quota, but it turns out that the damn thing isn't high enough level for them to want it!]

Comments

[fingersandteeth]

It's a thing from my world. It doesn't matter, really.

So they're a gang. With a really stupid name.

[schachmeister]

You still better not underestimate them. They were once able to kidnap the Elite Four and capture a legendary. Whatever their name might be, they can certainly be dangerous.

[fingersandteeth]

[Okay, but. Even if he's only a member of Team Rocket because he was literally press-ganged upon entering this universe, there's a little part of him that's pleased to know that they're actually competent and formidable.]

That sounds pretty impressive. The Elite Four are famous trainers, right? A legendary what?

[No. Wait. What else?]

A legendary pokemon?

[schachmeister]

Yes, Sorry. A legendary pokemon. Nephelis to be exact.

And the Elite Four are among the most senior and skilled trainers in this region. They represent the Pokemon League and aid the Jennies when something big threatens to disrupt the peace. They are also the last four champions you have to beat if you are interested in opening your own gym.

[fingersandteeth]

Huh. If they're that formidable, I wonder if the stupid name is to throw people off, so they'll discount them.

[schachmeister]

I'll admit, I've thought about it, though not so much because of the name.

The way some of the grunts act, you'd think they were as bad as that Skull gang that came around here once. [Now those guys had been bozos.] But then I think about the fact that they were able to kidnap Lance and the others and Nephelis, which clearly means they are very capable. I've wondered if it is on purpose. If they have these low-level grunts pulling idiotic things just so people don't look too deeply into what they can really do behind the scenes. Sort of like sacrificing some pawns in chess so your opponent thinks you are a rookie and will underestimate you. Or get overconfident and manoeuvre himself into a terrible position.

I might be overthinking it though.

[fingersandteeth]

Or it might be the organization is full of incompetence on every level, but there's just enough members that *can* tie their own shoes that they make up for all the ones that can't. It's hard to tell.

[schachmeister]

Somehow I'm not sure which one would be more terrifying.

[fingersandteeth]

Until someone publishes a tell-all book after they get caught, I doubt we'll ever know.

[schachmeister]

I guess so. In any case, if you are worried about anyone targetting you, it's people like that you need to look out for. And they won't be targetting you for, well, any of those reasons you mentioned before.

[fingersandteeth]

Yeah. Only because I'd have something they want. Which means I probably shouldn't brag too much on here when I do have Pokemon worth stealing, in case they're listening in.

[schachmeister]

That might be for the best. This network is only supposed to be available for us outsiders, but there is no guarantee nobody is passing information to Team Rocket. Or part of them.

[fingersandteeth]

If they do have other world transplants like us among their ranks, that would explain the wildly varying levels of competency.

[schachmeister]

Well, while we might not be originally from this world, many of us have adjusted pretty well, I'd say. We even have some gym leaders among our ranks. So I'm not sure if that is the correct conclusion to draw.

[Not how he doesn't bother mentioning that he is one of those gym leaders. Or could be, at least. If he actually bothered to open a gym. He has the credentials for it, at least!]

[fingersandteeth]

[Oh Armin. He meant that the Transplants were the competent ones, not the other way around.

But he's not going to correct that assumption. Because it occurs to him that might give too much away.]

Huh, really? I hadn't known that.