islandshore | 62

Anon Text;

[The feed begins with a series of snapshots. It starts with images of a war-torn battlefield lined with giant crystals, Team Aqua and Magma grunts and hordes of Pokémon and trainers alike.]

This world isn't safe.

[The images shift. New snapshots appear of Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon, taken from a safe distance above, but distinct in that they are indeed giant, glowing monsters.]

What happened last week is proof of that. You may all be content to enjoy a carefree lifestyle, but if it weren't for divine intervention, life as we know it would have ended with a whimper.

Together, we were able to hold off Team Aqua and Magma's forces, but the battle doesn't end there. If you could make a difference in the protection of this world, would you do it?

[The message ends there. About a half hour later, another text appears on the network, this time from a non-anonymous source.]

Text;

So, I think we all learned something valuable from that mess down at Tohjo: Don't summon giant lizards and whales to start the apocalypse. God doesn't like it.

There's a lot I could say. It was a busy few days, but if you look past all the legendaries, the explosions, and those cornball teams, there are two things that stick out to me: the weird power up some of our Pokémon got and the Pokémon god himself.

[Case in point? Here's an image of a Mega Sharpedo getting punched in the nose by a Mega Charizard X.]

So, what do you guys think that power was? Did any of you get a straight answer from Arceus? And how about that fairy type?

PGC filter:

By the way, looking for a status report from all remaining members. With so many of us gone, we're gonna have to shuffle the squads. That's also why I sent out a recruitment message.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'd like to live a normal life. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just live here, traveling and enjoying all this world to offer? Maybe I could come to terms with some things I'm still struggling with.

But... I, however against my will, got the chance to save my home from something horrible before I arrived here. I didn't know what I was really doing, however, and by the time I understood... everything from how to use it to what was really happening...

Everything was gone.

I don't want anything like what happened to my home to happen here. So I guess in response to your question... I would. I don't exactly want to, but that's part of what it means to live. Sometimes you do things you don't want to do, but that you need to do.

Is this a set up for something, or are you just aiming to make us all think?

[He takes his time before responding, just because of how serious the message sounds. Her home, gone? That somewhat hit close to home, if only due to what he knows of his future. Though he hasn't experienced it firsthand, the knowledge has kept him up many a night.]

A normal life... I can see why you'd want that, especially after what you went through before. It'd be great if it was safe and simple, just fun adventures, training a team, winning badges.

But in the four years I've spent here, it's never been that clear-cut. We have a few sunny spots, but eventually a storm rolls in, even if it's only brief.

Since you asked, it's a set up. Or rather, an open recruitment. There's a group of trainers like you, striving to protect the regions from the forces of Team Rocket. We're a bit small, but also dedicated to protecting the peace.

[There's a pause as she thinks it over. She doesn't want to jump into anything immediately... But she can tell that the information she gets will be limited so long as they're both anonymous.]

So what does someone have to do to get recruited?

A genuine interest, for starters. Skills help, and so does being a team player. I personally meet with new recruits to make sure they're legit.

I might be able to bring a few things to the table... I've never worked with a team before, only a partner, but I'm willing to try.

Guess I should pull off the invisibility cloak first, though, huh?

Allow me.

I figure it's best if we discuss this under a more secure line. Keeps prying eyes from getting ideas. Especially if those prying eyes are on Team Rocket's side.

[She reads the name attached to the message. Riku... Carefully, she lets herself come off anonymous as well.]

Good call.

I'm Red. I know how to handle myself in a fight without Pokemon, and I know how to adjust different skills and strengths to different situations. I don't like to tell this to a lot of people... but back home I handled something called "the Transistor" which basically was a sword with different abilities it based off of different people. So that's where I learned it.

I only have these Pokemon. [And she sends over a roster.] However, I'm working on teaching my Chatot a way to disguise her Sing into something that's not exactly... traditional.

Combat skills? Awesome. Some of the Rockets have this habit of siccing their teams on trainers, so being able to hold your own in a fight is a big plus. And a magic sword? Can't be that much stranger than Keyblades and talking unicorns. Did the sword have a bunch of different souls inside? You don't have to elaborate if you don't want to.

[He'll take a moment to go over the roster.]

That's a pretty solid team so far. So, what's the plan with your Chatot?

[WOW RIKU. WOW. MIGHT WANT TO GIVE HER A SECOND THERE, BUDDY.]

...Yes. Including my boyfriend. [MOVING ON.] Sing is too recognizable across the species, I've noticed. However, Chatot can mimic anything so I've been teaching her to mix Sing and other songs together so it's not recognizable. Less of a chance for people to react against it.

[Well, that's awkward. So awkward he'll refrain from pressing for now.

Besides, the other stuff's pretty interesting.]

Hmm, so make it seem like she's just singing a regular tune? Wonder if that'd have any effect on the attack itself.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but Help, my Gardevoir, has been coaching her through it. I think with how we are now, we've been able to get it down so that there's no real difference.

Hey, let me know if you manage to pull it off. I'd love to see that in action.

But it can't be too hard. I've seen Pokémon learn how to speak, so anything's possible with enough work.

Exactly.

So, what should I know about this group of yours?

Generally speaking, we try to keep tabs on suspicious activity and intercept any threats. Because the Rockets tend to keep a low profile between attacks, that means it may be months before we get a serious call to action. During that time, it's all about networking.

For those of us spread out across the region, it could be simple as keeping an eye on the surrounding cities in case something shady pops up. We sort members into squads for field missions, but members are by no means required to stick with their squadmates during off time.

We also try to go for squads based on personalities and skill sets. If a travel group is already in the Corps, we'll usually make them into a squad.

I see... My traveling companion and myself are trying to travel around Johto, so we aren't settled down anywhere right now. We're hitting up the gyms.

Nothing wrong with that. I tend to move around a lot myself. If I stick in one place for too long, I kinda get stir crazy.

But it's nice to have a home base. Somewhere you can return to when you need a break from the road.

So do we all have a home base, or do we just all try to find somewhere to settle down when we have the time?

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