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[epitaffio]

[A pink-haired young man in a questionable sweater is resting by the water in what keen-eyed viewers may recognise as Route 35. Particularly keen-eyed viewers - from Team Rocket, specifically - may also recognise this young man as Vinegar Doppio, a recruit who arrived about two weeks ago and was only recently informed that he doesn't have to attend training anymore.

That is not the story he's trying to sell.]

Hey, everybody. It sure took a while to get here, but I heard there's a lot to do in Goldenrod, so I really wanted to see it for myself! I was so focused on getting here that I never even introduced myself, though...

My name is Doppio. This here [a Morpeko climbs on his lap - it seems to be in a good mood, which may have something to do with its visibly full pockets] is Cristina, and... this is Pesci.

[He lets a Magikarp out of its PokéBall and into the water nearby; it proceeds to splash about in the exact kind of way that communicates it would be drowning if it weren't a fish, for about six seconds, until Doppio recalls it with a sigh.

There is a third member of his party, but he has decided not to introduce it. It would raise too many questions - best to keep it as a trump card for job assignments, at least for now.]

I'm not very good at battling yet. Apparently I don't have to do that, but... Pokémon actually like fighting, don't they? So I'd like to get better at it.

Anyway... It's nice to meet you all!

[He's learned some things about how Team Rocket works already. Now it's time to get a feel for really blending in with law-abiding offworlders.]


((OOC: Also open to action if your character is nearby!))

Comments

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[pursuit]

...So they really do just pop into and out of those things...

[ Don't mind him, briefly distracted as he is by what seems like obvious magic causing creatures to fit into these Pokéballs. He's much newer, and he's not over it yet. ]

I don't really know how the whole battling thing's like [ He thought people were asking for a brawl the first...several times...help. ] but practice makes anybody better, right?

[epitaffio]

[It's okay, he still thinks it's kind of weird too. Not so hard to wrap his head around, though, once he remembers a certain Stand from back home.]

Mm, I guess that's true enough. It's not like there's a shortage of Pokémon out there in the wild either...

[pursuit]

They do pop up in every patch of grass I've seen... Practically ambush me all the time.

[ He never thought there'd be a place where every creature he crossed paths with would try to pick a fight with him. ]

[epitaffio]

Right? [Despite the story he's trying to spin, Doppio hasn't traversed into the wild very much yet. He... knows the basics, though.] Can people here even go anywhere if they don't have a Pokémon with them?

[pursuit]

It seems like it'd be pretty dangerous, going around without one...

[ He hums as he considers this. ]


Although I guess they'd have come up with a solution for it. Probably.

[epitaffio]

Like public transportation? There's a train station in Goldenrod, but I think it only has the one train, so that's kind of weird.

[pursuit]

Just one train? This place must be really small.

[ Oh the things he doesn't know... ]

Maybe they've got some kind of gadget that keeps them away. Something that makes a sound or gives off a smell they dislike...

[epitaffio]

Yeah... Then again, I don't know! Maybe most people really do just have Pokémon.

[The little guys do seem to be everywhere, after all. And if Team Rocket makes a profit from them, that must mean the demand is high.]

[pursuit]

Yeah, that might be... I haven't really seen enough of this place to know that kind of thing either.

[ All he does know is that the place is a magic-free zone, which doesn't amount to much. ]

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[islandshore]

[Huh, new face. No suspicions here, really- all Riku sees is another off-world newbie. After a decade spent in this world, you get used to it, and he can appreciate the upbeat attitude.]

Battling is optional, yeah, but you're not gonna build a strong team without it.

[Riku sighs, shaking his head.]

Kinda messed up how we gotta make these monsters duke it out to reach maturity, but like you said- they mostly like it. And if they don't, they'll usually clue you in.

[epitaffio]

Oh, that's good! I wouldn't want to make them fight if they really don't like it.

[That, he's being sincere about. He'd rather not subject some poor, innocent creature to unnecessary fighting, as someone who isn't fond of that exact same thing himself.

... Unless the Boss gave orders to the contrary, of course. His word is absolute.]

It sounds like having strong Pokémon is really important in this place.

sorry about the lateness. family emergency and stuff came up outta the blue >.o

[islandshore]

Honestly, it depends on what you want out of it. If you wanna be "the best," then yeah, you're gonna need a solid team. Collecting badges, taking on the Elite Four... that's not something you can manage without putting in the effort.

But if you're just here to bond with the Pokemon and live a simple, carefree life, then it's not mandatory.

[He pauses, folding his arms.]

Still recommend it, though. Especially with Team Rocket getting more explicit with its schemes.

[At least, more so than in a long while.

...the irony is, sadly, lost to Riku.]

no need to apologise, I hope everything's ok!

[epitaffio]

[This world really does seem to revolve around Pokémon, one way or another. And if Carly was right, and you can't even use weapons here... then he and the Boss are going to need a solid team, indeed.

(The Boss is already the best, of course. This world just hasn't gotten the memo yet.)

But speaking of certain long-term goals...]

I've heard a little bit about Team Rocket... They were on the news, right? What's their deal?

[He's heard the insider's perspective. Now he wants to know what offworld civilians think.]

thanks! still a bit rocky, but it'll probably be fine in a while

[islandshore]

Criminal organization. Some compare 'em to a Mafia. In the past, some of their off-world members made a name for themselves with literally explosive plans.

[There's a not-too-subtle resentment to his voice. Someone's not a fan.]

Their main schtick's stealing Pokemon for profit, but they're not above train jackings and large scale attacks on cities if it benefits their agenda.

[At least, the old Rocket was. The new guard he's still getting a feel for.]

[epitaffio]

[See, explosives are kind of over the top, but he gets it. Stealing Pokémon makes sense inasmuch as everything here seems to revolve around Pokémon. Selling Magikarp? That one still has him confused.]

So they hire people from off-world too? That's crazy.

[... Oh! He's just had a really good idea.]

Do the members who aren't, you know... from here... make themselves known one way or another? I mean, do most people know who they are, or is it kind of an undercover thing? Are there tells or something?

[Carly's already told him about the pros and cons of pretending to be a trainer vs. a breeder, but he might as well try to find out if there's anything he should avoid, especially around people who have been in this place for a while.]

[islandshore]

Team Rocket's pretty stealthy. Makes it hard to tell who's in the organization and who's not. Some of their older members were... less subtle about it, but those guys are long gone.

[Riku grumbles at that fact. Would make his life a whole lot easier if they had more leads to go off of.]

Best thing I can say is to stay on your toes. They've been more proactive in their crimes lately. Probably feeling pretty good about themselves.

But sooner or later, they'll probably slip up.

[epitaffio]

[There's something to be said for the merits of smalltime crimes. Stealth and explosions usually don't go together, after all. But most members these days keep a low profile... That's good to know.]

Thanks, I'll be careful. Not that I think they'd steal from me... My Pokémon aren't all that strong, so why would they bother?

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[schachmeister]

Most pokemon do enjoy battling. And the ones that don't, well, generally they will make it more than clear when they don't. Back when my Dewpider was going through his... troublesome period, he'd just ignore me and take a nap on the battlefield if I tried to train him.

[Armin shakes his head, ruefully amused by thinking back on Boris' terrible teen days. Luckily he's shaped up a lot since then.]

In any case, it's nice meeting you, Doppio. I'm Armin.

[epitaffio]

Really? [Doppio has actually been having a similar problem with one of his Pokémon, but... it's the one he's decided not to introduce, and his decision still holds. He'll just have to fish for information some other way.] Cristina gets a little bratty sometimes, but I think she's just hungry.

Oh, and it's nice to meet you too!

[schachmeister]

They all have such varied personalities. In Boris' case, it was just because he was being, well, a teenaged brat, honestly. He'd always been a bit of a big ego even when I first caught him, and we got to a point where he was so much stronger than the local wild pokemon that he didn't see any reason in training. He was absolutely convinced he could handle anything out there in the world, so why train? I never train my pokemon if they don't want to, so for a good two years, he just stayed like that.

He changed his attitude last year when he was faced with a situation where he could've been a great help, but was far too underleveled for it to be safe. It helped mature him a lot. He even ended up finally evolving.

[epitaffio]

Wow, it sounds like he really learned a lesson!

[... If that's how it works, then Arttilio may still be a long way off from listening to him. But - wait, that means...]

How long have you been there, though?

[schachmeister]

This month has actually been my four year anniversary of being here.

[And you know what, he sounds absolutely thrilled about that.]

[epitaffio]

Four year...?!

[Sure, it had to be at least three years for the math to check out, but the confirmation still sounds surreal. Isn't that way too long to be stuck in a fantastical game logic land? What was Doppio even doing four years ago, other than the same old Passione routine? He doesn't know!]

Uh... It looks like you're pretty happy about it, though, so... I'm glad?

[schachmeister]

I know that hearing people can stay in this world for years can come as a bit of a shock. When I first arrived here, I was also anxious to go back to my own world. The idea of staying here for years was--

[He shakes his head for a bit. Yeah, he had not been down for that back then.]

But, in my case, at least, this world has been good to me. Better than what I would've been able to expect from my own world. Maybe it is selfish of me, but, at this point, I'd rather stay here than go back there.

[epitaffio]

[... Either this place has some serious upsides to it or wherever Armin came from kind of sucked. Just in case it's the latter, Doppio won't pry any further.

As for Doppio's point of view... Well, the Boss seems to be facing this situation as a stepping stone towards acquiring more power and influence, and Doppio is happy to assist him along the way. There's just one little thing that's been bothering them both - the only thing that could spell ruin, as it would surely be unsalvageable at this point.]

So... I'm just wondering... Do you know anyone who's actually left? What's that like? I mean... [How should he put it?] Most people probably have someone waiting for them back home, right? They'd get worried, if... if you were gone for too long.