islandshore | 57

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57 - text;

PGC filer;

Lightning and Hope are gone, which leaves us without leaders. That also cuts our numbers down to ten.

So, my question for your guys is "what next?" I don't think we should disband; just a quick look at the network will show that goons like Cobra are still at large. Still, we're gonna need some structural changes. New leaders, possibly new squads, and, more importantly, new members.

I guess I just want to know what you think. I don't know every one of you personally, but the PGC is supposed to be a team, so everyone should have a chance at giving feedback. I think if we sort out our strengths and weaknesses, that could help us with restructuring. It might be better to have multiple leaders so that if anyone disappears, there's people to fall back on. Maybe each squad can have one, beats me.

I'm gonna throw up an anonymous message in a sec to see about gathering newbies, though. If you've got friends you'd like to recommend, might as well bring them up now.

[Shortly after the PGC message pops up, a second message appears:]

Anonymous;

What does this world mean to you? Do you think it's something worth protecting, or would you rather sit on the sidelines and watch it burn? This place is more than sunshine and Pokémon battles. If given the choice to make a difference, would you take it?

[He remembers Lightning doing something like this before. He'll just have to keep his fingers crossed that it works.]

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This world is God's second chance to me. I would protect it with everything I have.

Fair enough. Just know that you may have the cross the line at some point. The Rockets don't discriminate when it comes to targets.

Can't help you with a way out, either. That's something outside of all of our control.

Oh, I know all about those types. But I also know that they're not worth my time. No amount of begging and pleading is going to set you on the right track.

[Sorry, Cobra, but you'll have to try some other time! Still, an admirable effort.]

Look down, and you'll see that someone went a step further than that.

I figure that most won't respond in that fashion, but what can I say? I'm curious. The population here cycles out so often that you could think of this as an experiment.

Oh, I've got plenty. Dark types, ghost types, steel types... Mind control's no issue.

[He flicks one of his wrists, brushing off the mere idea.]

But the whole reason behind the question's to get more people to fight the Rockets. The whole idea's to assemble an anti-Rocket defense force, basically.

We just got a significant dent in our numbers; we're down to ten, and that's exactly why we're recruiting.

So, if you're in, could you tell me real quick what your strengths and weaknesses are? That'll help us get all our newbies sorted out quicker.

Okay, so maybe the world's stretching it a tiny bit; we only have access to Johto an Kanto, but that's still a lot of ground to cover.

It's a big task, but somebody has to do it. The local law enforcement? The best they do is put out notices an fumble around. All the locals are pretty incompetent.

Ah, but that's the point - it's not much of an experiment at all. You're presenting a dichotomy - those who would watch the world burn, and those who would join in some sort of heroic effort to save it. Either be a hero or implicitly aid the villain, in other words.

So what would you suggest, if anything?

[He's got others to fall back on for tactics, but his own tactical skills are limited to fights and Pokémon battles-- all the more reason to get feedback. If this person can acquire the birds, surely they know a thing or two.]

Here's the current list:

Squad 1:

Ren Jinguji
Katara
(Tentatively putting you in here)

Squad 2:

Me
Sora
Lancer
Xion

Squad 3:

France
Atsuro Hihara
Twilight Sparkle
Ironhide

Of them, I know Sora, Xion, and Twilight, though I've spoken with Atsuro a few times, and I'm on pretty good terms with Katara. Xion's a competent fighter with a powerful team under her belt. Twilight's smart, strategic, and I'm pretty sure her team's getting up there in levels. I wouldn't call Sora a strategist, but he's brave and has the heart to stick up for others. Plus, his team's also packed with 100's.

Obviously, that's not a lot of info to go off of. I think the fact that there's been poor contact between all of us really doesn't help much. It feels less like a team and more like a group of people on a single mailing list who occasionally work together.

[Yusuke's eyes narrow a little bit.]

That depends on who these "others" are.

I suppose a trichotomy or even a quadchotomy might have worked better. It's obviously a simplification, and you're right; most people wouldn't confess to watching it burn. There's already a prevalent attitude here that if you don't act with good morals, you probably should.

But some people just don't care. If they're not aggressors and not completely apathetic, they might just be invested in their own needs, those of their friends, and staying out of the line of fire. Saying that they'd watch the world burn might be harsh, but it's certainly grabbed people's attention for better or worse.

[But it's all just guesswork on his part. People are never painted in just black and white. Why Light made her last question so simple is beyond him, but it's too late to rework it now. Might as well roll with the punches.]

I suppose I just don't see what this is supposed to tell you, given that the "right" answer is obvious to those of us that aren't predisposed to cackling over how evil they are in front of the entire network. Anyone can tell you exactly what you want to hear, if all you require is a certain answer.

So what do you have in mind? Other than just fighting back. More goes into that than just saying it.

Edited 2014-01-06 16:07 (UTC)

People with similar interests. People just as invested in protecting the people here.

The locals never do a thing about it, so somebody has to pick up the slack.

Assembling teams, for starters. Then there's sabotage, reconnaissance... In the past, we've even broke into one of the Rockets' strongholds.

We're just short on numbers and need new blood. Our group's down to ten, and that's not gonna do is any favors.

New blood, huh.

You guys all need to be in one place or something, because I'm not leaving Mahogany unless I have to. [ Promises in this case were more important. ]

Nah. It's actually better if we spread out-- gives us a broader view, especially when the Rockets could strike anywhere.

We usually sort people into squads, but until we know for sure how many newbies we're getting, that sorting process is gonna have to wait. A lot of the time, people don't travel with their squads, anyway; it's mostly for missions.

God's second chance? That's a poetic way of putting it.

The question is, would you be willing to work with others for a common goal? That goal being the safety of this place.

Missions. [ He was good at those. ]
I'm not all that strong yet with my latest team, but I'm pretty good at scouting out places.

I'm interested in this. Better than picking up gym badges.

[...This is a very good point. It's one thing for a person to say they want to help, but it's another thing entirely for them to back their words. Lying through text is all too easy.

Well, Riku knows one thing for sure; he's not about to share the finer details with a fellow anon. Especially when he's made such a bold claim.]

It's tough weeding out the liars, I'll give you that. Meeting face to face certainly helps; when you can see who you're dealing with, it's easier to erase doubts.

There's more to it than just a right answer, of course, but I'm not at liberty to say.

I'm going to assume this is about that group formerly led by Miss Lightning Farron; I seem to recall her making posts like this before.

How strong is your team right now? It's not a deal breaker, especially if you are good at scouting. Sometimes intel's more important than brute force.

Anyway, I'll put you down, then, and we'll see about sticking you into a squad in the near future. The group's called the Pokémon Guardian Corps or PGC for short. If you haven't heard of us, it's because we're covert. Our old leader always made sure to use a group filter to keep things away from prying eyes.

My strongest is a level 100 Ampharos named Asimov. He was a gift from an old friend. Sort of.

My other two are under level 20. I can't really use Asimov all that well right now because of a few reasons... But I trust my own skills more than theirs for the moment.

Edited 2014-01-06 17:38 (UTC)

[Group work? ...That wasn't exactly something he excelled at. But he was willing to give it a chance here. It certainly wasn't going to be hard befriending anyone the second time around. Hopefully.]

I've gotten better at it. So long as I get to really know the others, I think I'll do fine. They gotta know about me too, for it to work. Y'know, trust and all.

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