islandshore | 60 - video/text/action for travel group;;

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60 - video/text/action for travel group;;

[It's still raining. At least, it should be, but today we have a nice outdoor shot with little rays of sun shining down, while a Charizard lumbers around in the background, grumbling shaking off little droplets of water. There's a Toxicroak rubbing the top of its head and grumbling before a Vaporeon scoffs and squirts her with a stream of water...

And then the camera pans to Riku, looking slightly soaked, with his hair clinging to his skin.]

You know, at this rate, I bet the Department Stores are gonna run out of Sunny Day TMs. It's been, what? A week since this weather started? I'm surprised the routes haven't flooded yet...

[Groans, waving one of his hands.]

But anyway, I was thinking. We know these "Bloobers" are called Goomies now, and the Pokédex has some info, but has anyone ever thought about swapping notes on these guys? The Pokédex can only tell us so much, and if there's another region out there with tons of new Pokémon, then--

[Riku's cut off by an abrupt SPLAT, as a water balloon nails him in the cheek, splashing water all over his already damp hair and leaving bits of rubber stuck to his cheek. If that's not bad enough, the Sunny Day ends abruptly, and the downpour resumes with a vengeance, splattering him with big, wet droplets.

The culprit? That'd probably be the spiky-haired doofus laughing in the background. Once Riku pulls the busted balloon off his face, he whips around and charges...]

Oh, so you think you're funny, huh?

[And the feed cuts.

Later, a text message pops up on the network:]

Text/Filtered from Sora;;

So, Sora's turning eighteen on the twenty-third, and I'm wondering what you guys think is a good way to celebrate. It's kind of a big deal for him, and I really want to make it count. And if any of you guys are friends with him, I bet he'd love to see you around. Just gotta figure out the right location and hope we don't get nailed by more stupid rain.

Text/PGC filter;

Tenten's gone, which means we're down one of our group leaders. We've lost a few other members recently as well, and I think it's just about time to start recruiting again.

Tenten's loss means we're also down one team organizer, which means we're gonna need someone to step up. Preferably someone good at bookkeeping.

If you've got anything new to report, let me know.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

We're losing people faster than we are gaining them, it seems. It would be nice if Team Rocket was in the same situation.

[He wouldn't bet on it, though.]

I doubt the latest newcomers will be very interested until they see for themselves Team Rocket's actions, but it's not as if we can simply wait for an attack before asking for volunteers...

[A beat.]

...Goomy reaches its second stage at level 40 and its third around level 50, and still has more Water-type moves than you'd expect from a pure Dragon-type. I've been considering teaching Bavarois Flamethrower to cover his Ice weakness, but I worry it might dry him out.

Yeah, it's a tough call. We either throw out a call to arms or wait for the next big explosion and hope for the best. That's the thing with the Rockets: they seem to time their attacks so that they happen when they least expect it.

[Which is irritating, but not surprising. What kind of villain would attack when there's a whole group of heroes waiting to fight back?]

And if it makes you feel any better, my Goodra's had no trouble with fire moves. Might be the dragon typing, or maybe it just doesn't bother them as much when they use it.

Or whenever they feel bored or slighted, which is not particularly easy to predict, barring the feelings their most vocal members.

[He shall refrain from mentioning names, as it is surely unnecessary.]

That's good to hear; I'll have to expand his moveset soon, then. Oh, I can also tell you that eating their slime is a terrible idea, no matter what a Pokémon usually eat. Truly.

...Wait. Don't tell me your Pokémon actually--

[He trails off, staring at the screen. Just... what? What were they even thinking?]

I refuse to comment on my Arcanine's foolishness, beyond saying that he now knows better than to ever try it again.

[Too bad he didn't figure that one out before trying it in the first place.]

[Riku slaps his palm over his face and groans.]

So what'd it do? Make him sick?

It made him very sick, and made his very presence unpleasant. Almost to the point of being a worthy punishment for the more... enthusiastic members of Team Rocket.

[Even that's most definitely not a very paladin-like thought to have.]

...You know what? They've poisoned people before. Maybe we should try slipping Goodra slime into their coffee when they're not looking.

[Kinda sadistic for Riku, but hey. It'd give 'em a taste of their own medicine.]

...That'd never work; the difference in texture is too great and I doubt it dissolves well enough. If it was added to a gelatinous meal or dessert, however...

[He's almost horrified by the fact that he's seriously considering the idea.]

Perfect.

[Cecil, you've lit the little lightbulb inside Riku's head. That idea is brilliantly sinister, and judging by Riku's smirk, well...]

Nobody'd expect Goodra slime jell-o. If we wanted a more subtle way to fight back, this is it.

[...Oh dear. Hopefully this is not enough to ruin his paladin credentials.]

Poisoning others is certainly illegal in this world, however, even if it is not fatal. Besides, how would we ensure that the meal is eaten by the correct person?

...True.

[He deflates at that thought, shoulders sagging.]

But man, I feel like all the good tactics we could use would be illegal on at least some level. I mean, the locals sure don't like the idea of siccing our Pokémon on actual people.

Of course they would be. The best tactic would be to simply battle them directly, with our own weapons, but we both know what the local law enforcement would think of that. And I can understand why they'd be upset at the thought of sending a Pidgey or Caterpie to battle against a fully grown human adult.

[...There might be a small part of Cecil that is still not quite used to the thought of people being helpless against monsters.]

True, but what about sending a Charizard or a Metagross? The Rockets have no qualms with playing hard, fast, and dirty. And the quickest way to shut down a team is to go for the trainer themselves.

[It's different with pidgeys and caterpies, but even Goldbats can do some nasty damage on unarmed people.]

I believe the problem is that we are expected to be fair even if our opponents are not. Perhaps the general lack of death here has not allowed the locals to learn that it is a terrible, dangerous idea, and that attacking a Rocket with a Charizard might be the only way to protect innocents from their Hydreigon.

[Not that he's wishing for anyone to die, but.]

Pfft. Well, that hasn't stopped me before.

[He looks over his shoulder at Flare, who is currently sitting beneath a tree and grumbling. Stupid weather.]

Personally, I make sure every one of my Pokémon knows how to fight off human targets. The way I see it, we're not from this world, so why should we slip into their cookie cutter molds?

It's best not to alienate them or break their laws if we can avoid it. We never know when their cooperation might become important to us.

[More important than it already is, at least.]

...But why would you need to teach them directly? I was under the impression that all Pokémon could hold their own against humans, as much as their strength allows.

Maybe, but I don't want to sit back and act helpless when I could be out there fighting myself. Not the most conventional method, but I've already done the whole trainer thing from top to bottom. Once you get all the badges, there's really nowhere left to go.

[Or if there is, he just can't see it, so he's moved on to the next logical step.]

And it's not that they can't hold their own against humans. Some Pokémon are just too timid-- they've got it hardwired into their heads that they should only attack enemy monsters. I want to make sure they know when to cross that line, because I know for a fact that guys like "Seth" will.

...For now, at least. There are routes between Viridian and Johto territory, and some sort of cave north of Cerulean. If only they allowed travelers to visit them...

[But complaining about it has never made a difference, and so he stops.]

I've asked some of my Pokémon to aim attacks at me before, as practice, but never against others in a serious battle situation. Perhaps that makes a difference in their minds, and fighting back against a true assailant would be more difficult for them.

Hey, I just wish we could see the other regions.

[But he doubts that'll happen any time soon. Took more than a year for them to even gain access to Kanto.]

Yeah, my Pokémon and I spar all the time, but I think it's easy for them to forget just how dangerous some of the Rockets really are, just like all the locals.

You might be asking for too much, considering that even large ports such as Vermillion and Olivine offer no opportunities to travel further.

[Not that he's tried to board every boat to be certain, but surely that would be advertised.]

Could it be that they simply cannot see humans as threats? Even wild Pokémon instinctively seek out humans as trainers, without care for the human's personality.

Hmm... Wonder what'd happen if a trainer tried to get there themselves. Could always make a makeshift boat and use water Pokémon to sail. Or fly, but without a map...

[He trails off. There's a ton of potential for disaster. Getting lost at sea without help. Getting caught up in some ocean storm...]

That might be it, though. Pokémon have been working with humans for such a long time that they're probably just conditioned to trust them. That, or Pokéballs brainwash them, but I doubt the people here'd create something that twisted.

That'd be much too risky, considering we have no idea how far they are, or what kind of supplies we'd need to reach them. We might not truly die here, but starvation is still a painful fate.

[Or would they be transported back to the Pokémon Center before the worst of it? He'd rather not find out.]

...Still, that's also a possibility. We've no idea how they work, after all, and some of their other abilities would seem just as improbable at first glance.

Hmm. But couldn't we just pack fishing poles?

[...Wait, but most if not all of the fish are Pokémon. He slaps himself with his palm once realization hits. Ugh...]

Man, I wish we had clearer answers. Not just for the Pokéballs, but where all the real meat in the place comes from. What is it, synthetic?

In any other world, perhaps. Though I've no doubt we'd somehow catch nothing but Tentacools even if there were edible fish.

[There are culinary lines he refuses to cross.]

Perhaps it comes from Pokémon that died of old age or illness. Which is a very alarming thought.

60 - video/text/action for travel group;;

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