victory_road | The Softest Target

Who: Kazuki Hihara

epitaffio Steve Palchuk

breakyourlife and Rei Ayanami

instrumentally (and anyone else that shows up I guess?)
Where: At the Silver Horn in Azalea Town
When: November 1st-ish
Summary: Some Rockets come to town to Poke-nap a wild Meganium staying at the Silver Horn. Kazuki tries fruitlessly to stop them.
Rating: PG-13ish

The Silver Horn was a peaceful, sleepy place at night. The only lights that were left on were in the lobby and the kitchen. Sebastian the Indeedee was finishing up some paperwork at the front desk. Sticky the Slurpuff was in the kitchens baking bread for tomorrow morning. A Furret was slipping through the halls, putting some laundry away. The soft noises they made as they did to work could lull anyone to sleep.

Only two Pokemon kept watch at night. A Noivern did silent loops around the property, and an Absol would occasionally check the gardens. The Absol, being an Absol, was keenly alert to danger, and could foretell a disaster just as well as any of his species. He would go straight to Kazuki the moment he did.

The Meganium and her babies were right there, a stone's throw away from the back porch. Their nest was dark, but otherwise, there was no protection, and they were all asleep. Totally ripe for the picking.

It really was too easy.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Where Steve and Doppio sneak in and nab that Meganium!

Realistically, Doppio has been the brains in this scenario. Even so, that won't stop Steve acting like he's in charge. He's been around longer, and he's certain that he can take the Meganium even if she is tough.

Every Pokémon he's brought with him is powerful, and he's made sure they all have type advantage over grass. His hand hovers over his Galvantula's ball as he catches sight of the sleeping mother in their nest, ready to get this over with.

"We can do this in no time," he whispers to Doppio, a victorious smirk on his face before they've so much as done anything to warrant it. "Let's go already."

God, Steve can be such a pain. If he really wants to "take charge", however, it's all the same to Doppio - just as long as he doesn't get in the way. Doppio is the only one who needs to know who's really in charge, anyway.

Besides, it's not like he's going to complain about backup muscle.

Anyhow, whereas Steve has opted to focus on subduing the Meganium, Doppio's type coverage is a little bit wider - he really doesn't think the Meganium herself is going to be the main obstacle here. Sure, security didn't seem very tight, from the intel he'd gathered - but there are guard Pokémon somewhere, and it would be cautious to assume they are a fair bit less trusting than the shelter's owner.

"Just be careful, okay? There's no need to start a fight if nobody sees us."

Ideally, this will be quick. In and out without a single witness... That's the goal.

Steve rolls his eyes, clearly dismissive of Doppio's warning as he releases his Galvantula from her ball. She at least seems more cautious than her trainer, skittering into shadow so she can assess her situation.

"Please. Six Eyes has got this. She'll have her tied up in no time, like taking a banana from a Tropius."

Six Eyes chitters uncertainly. The Meganium is definitely not a threat to be taken lightly, and she doubts her web-based attacks alone will be enough to take her down quietly. Steve shoos her forward anyway.

"C'mon. Use Sticky Web. It's easy."

If it goes south he has back up options, but he doesn't see why it should come to that. Despite her reservations, Six Eyes moves quietly forward to follow the order.

It really is disorienting to be reminded, again and again, that Team Rocket works very little like a real criminal organization ought to. Steve's attitude, for instance... Okay, well, to be fair, it wasn't often that Doppio worked with other people back in Italy, and on the occasions that he did, any respect they showed towards him was really respect for the Boss, and that's why this feels so much different.

Which is both a roundabout way of saying that Doppio has no doubt things will change for the better once the Boss has more resources available to him, and... ultimately inconsequential right now, because what he needs to do is suck it up and do his job. He sighs and sends out his Morpeko, crouching down close to her.

"Keep close to Six Eyes, okay? Give us a signal if anything goes south."

Cristina is Doppio's smallest Pokémon, and one of the fastest. As long as she's fed, she can be discreet - so, as Doppio reminds her of her task, he hands her two additional handfuls of berries and seeds, and with a satisfied squeak, she follows the Galvantula.

In fairness, Steve's attitude is probably only tolerated because the Rockets he associates with are largely fellow non-locals.

Six Eyes jumps as Cristina gets close, shrinking further into the shadows until she realizes she has an ally. She chitters, chelicerae twitching as she warns her they need to be quiet. The nest still seems dark and quiet, but the few lights on at the inn make her nervous. She keeps low and quiet when she does move, ready to ensnare their target and her young just as soon as they are close enough.

Cristina chirps annoyedly - she knows they need to be careful! - but that's all she does in protest, her light limbs making her steps nearly inaudible. She skitters from hiding place to hiding place, but never falls too far behind Six Eyes. Some things smell nice here... but she still has plenty of food in her pockets, so it's not that hard to stay focused.

In any case, it looks like the actual nabbing is all on the Galvantula. For now, Cristina is keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Six Eyes is unconvinced at first, but since the Morpeko is being quiet and keeping close she relaxes a little as they get closer to the sleeping grass-types. Everything still seems peaceful for now, and their proximity to their targets is ideal.

From here, most of the decisions are on her. Steve wants her to restrain the Meganium, but he hasn't taken into account the babies and whether they should be taken care of first or second. Her instincts say second. They aren't as strong as their mother, but they could still make noise, or worse... escape and run for help.

She vibrates anxiously, turning to her ally to request her assistance stopping the Chikoritas making this difficult if they wake up.

Cristina shrugs. They're here to do their job properly, right? So she'll do whatever she has to do!

With that, she gives Six Eyes an encouraging pat on the back. Or... as close to her back as she can reach, anyway. her arms are not very long.

Where Kazuki tries to fight back and loses, while Rei fights back and does a much better job.

It is late. A strange hour, somewhere between night and morning. A time when it should be quiet, aside from the snores of sleeping pokemon and the activity of the nocturnal ones. Yet Rei hears scuffling in the halls. Footsteps, perhaps. A visitor to the Inn? A possibility, though she is not certain if there is anyone staying at the moment.

She leaves her room, taking six pokeballs with her. Just in case there is some difficulty. Someone wandering where they should not be.

Edited 2021-11-25 00:35 (UTC)

"Tsukimori... What's the matter?"

Kazuki was asleep on his feet as his Absol tugged him down the hall, his shirt in his teeth. He rubbed at his eyes with the backs of his hands It was really rare for him to be woken up in the middle of the night like this, and he wasn't that type of person that could just leap out of bed at a moment's notice.

The Absol was quite insistent, however, and refused to let up. He kept dragging his trainer along until they both bumped into someone coming from the opposite direction.

"Eh? Rei-chan, are you okay? It's really late!"

If there is any? I'm not sure if we need this but I'm putting it here anyways!

The Softest Target

The Heist

no subject

I'M CRYING HOW DID I MISS THIS FOR TWO WEEKS

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

The Fight

Re: The Fight

no subject

Aftermath?