islandshore | 57

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah. Happened a few months back, but I felt it was past due for a second round.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that you're anonymous for a reason. So, are you a friend or foe? That's what I need to know.

That depends on who I'm addressing.

I assume the name Hal Freditch means something to you.

Aha. So that was you...

As for who you're addressing-- I'm one of the PGC, and I think it's safe to say that here. Name's Riku, and Light was a good friend of mine.

"Was"?

...So that's it. No wonder you're recruiting.

Yeah, the secret's out. Lightning left a few days ago, so now we're having to recruit and restructure everything.

I mean, twelve was already cutting it pretty close. Now we're down to ten.

There's ten left of you in two nations?

That's not even one per city.

Exactly. We haven't had a major recruitment effort since last spring, so it's way overdue.

We're down to three squads-- one which got cut down to two members. We just bumped that back up to three, but as it is, we're at a major disadvantage.

I'll say you are.

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.]

I'd suggest not putting too much faith in any bites you get from these current recruitment efforts, for starters. Throwing out a dichotomy like the one you did, you might as well have just put up a neon sign advertising yourself as seeking out people of a heroic alignment; that's the way it looks to anyone capable of reading between the lines, of which you'll find there are many here. Several of whom aren't on your side.

Use this to identify people if you want, take down names to follow up on personally, but don't blindly trust them with all of your organization's secrets just because they were able to supply you with the right answer you'd already circled for them on a loaded question anyway. You gave me your exact current numbers on the strength of a two-word name; that doesn't exactly instill me with confidence.

For another thing, I'd suggest keeping an eye on yourself from here on out to make sure you don't get caught up in the fantasy of heroism to the point that it makes you a less effective operative in the first place. The battle you're taking up to fight doesn't boil down to the strict black-and-white dichotomy you're offering to your new recruits. Don't get so full of self-righteousness about winning the spiritual war against the forces of evil that you forget and overlook the smaller, more practical considerations of the battles you're really fighting.

Because I can guarantee you, not all of your allies are going to look like heroes, and not all of your enemies are going to look like monsters.

... Right. I probably should've handled this better; I was just trying to take a page out of Lightning's book, since she did something similar more than a year ago. I do plan to try and touch base with these guys in the flesh-- some of them I already know and trust, but it'd be reckless to trust every person on the spot.

Honestly, there's a reason why I'm trying to suggest multiple authority figures in the group; Light was a soldier, so she had all the right tactical skills. Compared to her, I'm a rookie at best. Fine with fighting, but all the ins and outs of what made the organization such a success... well, I'm kind of grappling a bit. I know there are people in the group more capable than me, so I'm gonna try and talk to them. See what we can do.

So... thanks for the pointers. I feel kind of ridiculous now, but believe me, I take no offense to anything you just said.

Your heart's in the right place, and there is value in that. But you're looking at trying to resist people who've done this longer than you, have more resources than you, and are generally insane enough to want to wreak havoc on the innocent masses for little apparent reason in the first place. You're already at a disadvantage; there's no sense in handing them any more advantage over you than they already have.

Part of knowing thy enemy is also being mature enough not to make assumptions about them. Many times you'll be wrong. And worse still, sometimes they will take advantage of you for it.

Touche. I've already gotten word that one of their members has a reusable Explosion TM, and that's bad enough on its own. Charging right into the fray might be what they want us to do.

And I guess not all of them are as blatant as Cobra Commander. Makes me wonder how many Rockets there are who've managed to blend in this whole time. That's something important to consider, right? I'd hate for someone to try and sabotage our efforts from the inside...

You're still looking at it wrong. It's not really about what they want you to do, is it? That's assuming something about them — that their movements actively include a trap they're laying for you.

The way you should be thinking is, what will they expect you to do. In other words, what assumptions will they be carrying about you — and how can you circumvent them.

Right...

Well, I guess that depends on how many of them actually know about the PGC. Guess the smartest route to take is a subtle one-- monitoring their movements, stealthy counterattacks. Probably disguising ourselves when we do make a move, that way they don't target us later.

That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself.

And will, one way or another.

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