Pokemon: Team Rocket Rising

[Hashihime]

Yue flipped through the pages of an encyclopedia, not looking up as she moved between the dispersing crowd of grunts who had already been checked off. The member who had checked her name couldn't seem to get her name right, so she kept having to correct him. Quite annoying, really. There weren't too many oriental named grunts. It couldn't be that hard to put two and two together. Also somewhat annoying was that she was required to obtain a new pokemon. She had never been too interested in Rattata, but she may as well study it and see what it was capable of.

The little bat under her hat chattered happily, making her look up from her book momentarily as she approached the conference room. Her small stature made her somewhat unnoticeable to the other grunts, allowing her to slip through the dwindling crowd scrambling through the rest of the hall and through the door. There were a few people already in the room, though she paid them no mind as her gaze returned to her book. She took a seat in the corner of the room she deemed to be the quietest and that would remain that way once the other grunts arrived.

The Zubat on the other hand, climbed out from under her hat and perched atop her head, twitching her ears at the others in the room and sending out a few clicks to learn her new surroundings. Yue had no doubt that she was itching to fly, but there was no room to do so without annoying the others. She would just have to wait until they got outdoors.

[Kenji]

Any of Sophia's fellow Grunts catching a glimpse of her features might notice she didn't look nearly as proud as the rest of them about completing boot camp. She relished the opportunity to expand her horizons, sure, but for her, Team Rocket was just another intrigue. In the back of her mind, she suspected there would come a time where she might deign to leave their service, returning to Johto and pursuing her next desire on a whim. For now, however, she would be a criminal, incognito to the rest of the world.

Even to her teammates.

As she left for the conference room to join up with her unit, Sophia rolled her Rattata's ball around in her palms, contemplating its existance. She loved most Pokemon equally, except for a select few, but Rattatas were so fragile, relying solely on their speed, and thus momentum, occasionally falling back on their oversized chompers. Compared to Cecile, Mallory, and even Rose, it was questionable whether or not using this Pokemon in active battling would be useful. Sophia reluctantly pushed the thought out of her mind, however, as she glanced up and saw the door to the conference room, returning Rattata's Pokeball to her belt.

Pushing the door open, she quietly entered, for the moment paying little mind to her fellow Grunts in the room, and focusing on which seats were free. Sighing, Sophia took a seat toward the back of the room, near a girl whom had a Zubat perched atop her head. A cute sight to be sure, one that brought a small smile to the Johto native's features, but she said nothing, staring down at the table and waiting for the briefing to begin.

[Crimson Curse]

My apologies, EHW, for being so pathetically late. Thing is, I had to return back to college on Sunday, and I had guests at my place on Friday and Saturday, making it that I hardly had time to get anything done regarding the sign-up. And since I arrived in college, I didn't have internet for 2 days. And now, Tuesday is way late than anyone else, and I made it a point that I WILL be posting a sign-up by today, so here I am. I had thought that since I'm already late, I'd also arrive with an opening post, but decided otherwise. Anyways, here ya go...

==================================================================================================

Name: Gabriel Zane Storm

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Appearance: Appearances can be deceptive, or so they say. If he were a part of a crowd outside, there won’t be much going in for the seventeen-year-old, unless of course, we take into account the crescent-shaped scar passing through his right eyebrow, which, despite the small size, is enough to cause raised eyes glancing along his direction. Often asked about it is something that the youth has gotten used to by now, and hence, he tries his best to bypass this question altogether, whether by using his black and somewhat long hair to camouflage the scar, or just ****ing people off by rudely spurning away their advances with his deep masculine voice.

As mentioned, his hair, which extends more to sideburns and a goatee, almost shoulder-length and quite silky in fact, is as black as his eyes, which give off an impression that they are quite cold and distant. While it is quite contrasting when compared to the pale Caucasian skin, young Zane is quite a lady-killer as looks go by; however, that is something that he could care less about, on any given day.

He is his own man and unmoved by any trends that might be considered 'cool' or 'in', and dresses in a way that he finds comfortable and fit for the particular time and place. When seen casually, the six-foot teen can be spotted donning a black full-sleeved hooded sweatshirt with the hood unused most of the times, though the opposite is more frequented during winters. Mostly plain, the sweatshirt has faint silver markings around the chest area. Along with that, dark blue denim jeans come almost without asking, as well as a pair of sneakers, which are predominantly blue with white soles and dark red markings. A belt along his waist holds together his collection of Poke Balls.

While in uniform, he is not unlike any other grunt, but he makes a point to avoid wearing any kind of headgear for the sole reason that he does not want to.

As far as accessories go, Zane is content with carrying a silver and black backpack while on the go, but whatever is inside - can be anyone’s guess.

Personality: For one, Zane can come off as a total **** if – or should we say when – he wants to; and most of the time, it is as such. Since a long time, this young man has always made it a point that people call him by his middle name – Zane, that is – rather than his given first name, because he feels that ‘Zane’ is more connected to his personality.

For a long time since he has grown up to the ways of the world, Zane has had quite a personality shift from an innocent well-meaning young boy to someone who is constantly bitter and all-round rude to just about everybody. He could care less if he came off as obnoxious to someone trying out a normal conversation with him, because for the seventeen-year-old, this certain someone’s feelings would hardly matter to him.

Experience has taught him that in this world, there is no one who looks out for you, except yourself, and this has become a sort of motivation for how he has trained his heart and mind to act, which has made this emotionless shell of a boy to care about no one but himself, to the point that he would ignore and embarrass you in front of a group of people solely for the purpose of self-pleasure. As a result, Zane has developed a habit of experiencing a perverted level of glee at the expense of others’ misery.

Never one to be a team player, he joined the Team Rocket organization after loads of internal debates, finally coming to a conclusion that he was doing it only for his own personal goals, and would be sure to make that a point to his fellow “teammates” as well, if they would try to get in his way. To get his way, Zane can go to any lengths, as well as sink to any depths, resorting to lying, cheating and manipulating to achieve his aim, without worrying about collateral damage.

On the subject of Pokemon, the only one that he ever felt a kinship with would be none other than the Charmander that he was paired with since he was a little boy, in effect his starter in a way. As they have shared almost a lifetime together, Zane feels free to talk to the fire lizard more than anyone or anything else – including any other human. The fire-type Pokemon has been the sole witness to any soft side that Zane might have displayed since their time together, which is no doubt, something of a rare occurrence.

Zane is also not much of a ‘friend’ to his other Pokemon, as they have not been a big part of his life, and he only maintains a strictly ‘professional’ relationship with them, extending to being comrades in a battle at the most.

History: Gabriel Zane Storm had a happy childhood. Born to a household with loving parents, they shared a blissful life in Virridian City. The young boy never had any reason to feel even a shred of sadness because his parents were always there for him, though it was never to the point that he would be considered smothered or spoilt. Home-schooled from a young age, Mr. and Mrs. Storm figured it would be good for their son to have a companion so that he would not feel awkward in social situations later when he grew up, they gifted him a baby Charmander on his fifth birthday – a bond that was forged since that long a time ago, between boy and Pokemon.

Life went on peacefully, but tragedy struck the family three years later. When little Zane was eight, the family was out for the night when a bomb blast devastated the world as the eight-year-old knew it. As he succumbed to blackness, the only thing that the little boy could remember that he was all alone.

When he opened his eyes, he didn’t know how long had it been since he had opened them last. He discovered that he had quite a number of injuries, though nothing major, and would take a few weeks, tops, to be fully healed. However, he also received the painful news that his parents could not make it out of the blast, however his Pokemon companion was safe as he was housed in his Poke Ball, tucked away safely in its’ Trainer’s pocket. His survival was however not without consequence as a crescent-shaped scar had cut into just above his right eye, which would constantly be a reminder of this ordeal, all his life.

With his world completely turned over, it was days before the suffering could finally leave Zane’s mind without bring tears to his eyes. After getting discharged from the hospital, he was put in an orphanage in the city. While he hoped that he would be with other youngsters similar to him, he was mistaken, because instead of being sympathetic to him, he was often the victim of bullying and emotional hazing. As a result, he gradually became distant to his fellow orphans, finding solace and a freedom to express his thoughts only in front of his Pokemon companion. Such a toll took place that he even shut himself off from the counselors assigned to him.

A kick in the gut came in the form of a news broadcast on the television, which rekindled the emotions of fear in Zane’s mind, as an organization by the name of Team Rocket claimed responsibility to the same bomb blast that he was unfortunately a part of. Something which should have scarred such a young boy instead awakened something else deep within him: anger. However, he learnt to house it within him and control and refine it, till he grew up to the age of thirteen, when he obtained an approval to become a Trainer and leave the orphanage.

Instead of being a Master, Zane had a different goal. He wanted to make those people pay, who had robbed him of his happiness. He knew that this was not possible until and unless he was strong – both physically and mentally, and thus he approached those aims as well. Training both himself and Pokemon was difficult, but he attacked that decision with a ruthless determination, that drove him to extremes. He also became distant to people in general, as well, learning to fend for and care about himself, before anything else.

As he approached seventeen years of age, he began to think seriously of his ultimate goal, and figured that the only way to destroy something completely, would be from within – thus, his decision to join the very people, who had made his life a living hell. His mind would be focused on his own agenda and that would be a secret he would take to his grave.

Other: - Zane’s sexual orientation is straight, though he is not interested in looking for a relationship at the moment, as he is focused on his goal. However, flings and/or one night stands are a different matter.
- While Zane is not a chain smoker, he can be spotted at times with a cigarette. It was because of his bad experience at the orphanage that he got into this habit as a stress reliever.

Pokemon Signup:

1.
Pokémon: Charmeleon
Nickname: Torch
Level: 20
Gender: Male
Nature: Brave
Attacks: Scratch/ Flamethrower/ Smokescreen/ Dragon Rage/ Iron Tail
Ability: Blaze
Other: Torch the Charmeleon is basically Zane's starter Pokemon, and only longtime friend. It will act fiercely to anything that it might deduce to be a threat to its master.
(Flamethrower and Iron Tail are TM moves.)

2.
Pokémon: Rhyhorn
Nickname: Knight
Level: 18
Gender: Male
Nature: Rash
Attacks: Stomp/ Horn Attack/ Earthquake/ Skull Bash/ Fury Attack
Ability: Lightningrod
Other: Knight is Zane's main 'melee' Pokemon, utilized best for its charging and physical attacks.
(Earthquake is a TM move and Skull Bash is learnt via breeding.)

3.
Pokémon: Fearow
Nickname: Blitz
Level: 20
Gender: Female
Nature: Hasty
Attacks: Fury Attack/ Aerial Ace/ Tri Attack/ Steel Wing/ Air Cutter
Ability: Keen Eye
Other: Blitz is quite useful as a scout as well as sometimes for sneak attacks, as Zane puts it to good use regarding both.
(Tri Attack is learnt via breeding, Steel Wing via TM and Air Cutter via tutoring.)

Rocket Rattata
Pokémon: Rattata
Nickname: N/A
Level: 15
Gender: Male
Nature: Careful
Attacks: Quick Attack/ Bite/ Pursuit/ Focus Energy/ Tail Whip
Ability: Run Away
Other: N/A

[EHW]

((Curse: Accepted, though your character may not fit in that well, as he will have to do a lot of morally questionable tasks. Secondly, you'll have to choose a different name, as otherwise we have 2 Gabriels, so things could get awful confusing. Your Free Rocket Rattata is Male, Careful.))

[Crimson Curse]

No, it's fine regarding tasks and all. My character is totally focused on being a grunt to show Team Rocket that he is one of them, but at the same time, he will have his own agenda as shown in the sign up. Brought that to introduce twists and all in the RP.

And about the name, while it is Gabriel, my character prefers to be called Zane instead, which is his middle name. I think I've mentioned it in my sign-up... Uh, I think. So, if that's that, I guess all's well and good, right? If that's approved, I'll try my hand at my opening post, then. 'Kay?

Also, if I might add an opinion pertaining to the number of members who would be taking part in the RP, I'm thinking maybe the eight of us (including Doru) would be fine. We all know how too many cooks can quite easily spoil the broth, and thus, eight seems like a good enough number to bring about the cap, methinks. Also, all of us are probably a bit rusty in our RPing due to absences, so we might be overwhelmed if we are to face a mob of characters. Forgive me if I'm wrong, though, for I'm just assuming this in general. Hence, the thought. Of course, the final say is yours alone, EHW.

[>>>>Booster]

   Jansen was among the first to shuffle into a line. "Name." The grunt handling the paperwork expectantly looked up at the new recruit from his seat with the kind of face reserved for a terrible Monday morning.

   "Jansen Crete. C, R, E, T, E." The grunt shuffled through a stack of papers, before settling on sheet covered in flowery cursive.

   "Right, here we are. Pewter, Museum of History," the grunt mumbled some incrompehensible names before continuing on. "Okay, go find Executive Nowell in conference room...3 A, I believe. He'll fill you in. Just follow the signs." The man shooed Jansen away after handing him a collapsed poké ball. “Next!””

   I can see the paycheck already. The thought bounced around inside the teen’s head as he struck out into the halls. All he could see in front of him was a life of premeditated crime in an organization with more money than man power. He hadn’t a doubt that there would be a few close calls, but nothing he wouldn’t be able to slip free of. He wouldn’t be killing anyone anytime before his loyalty pay came through—his six month survival goal. I’ll just keep my head down.

   As Jansen stepped into the conference room, an unwelcome, cool breeze washed over his face and his biceps quickly grew goosebumps. It reminded him of the top floor of his high school, complete with the steady roar of rushing air. There were large wooden panels across the walls, meeting a massive display the size of the entire rear wall, accompanied by a table that stretched for the length of the room. A few other Rockets were seated at the table in waiting positions. The grunt quietly strolled toward the head of the room before casually pulling a chair up to the table and adjusting his hat as he sat down.

   While he found an inexplicable amount of coolness in uniforms, it wouldn’t do. The uniforms were made to keep them all from being immediately recognizable. He needed to think of a way to easily humanize his coworkers. “Okay,” he breathed out as he stuck a bright green strip of gum into his mouth, “Before Nowell arrives, why don’t we go over each other’s names?” Jansen projected his voice as he pushed up his glasses. “No last names, please. I’m Jansen.”

[Lord High Summoner]

OOC: Sorry as well for this being ridiculously late

Name: Amal Syndrake

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Appearance: Amal is taller than the average adult his age, he stands at Five Foot and Eleven inches. His body is of a slightly muscular type, but he is far from being a body builder in this sense. His eyes are an icy and cold blue that pierce through a person’s soul and chill them to the bone. His hair is of the exact same color and it has taken many years to achieve this color. His hair is longer than the average males, he lets it grow out to his eyes and usually combs it to the side or not at all.

His taste in  is pretty varied but his favorite outfit is a hoody with the sleeves cut off and with a large hood that conceals his face. The color is never really a constant but his favorites are White and Red, which contrast slightly with the rest of his attire. He wears black fingerless gloves and a necklace of his own design*.His pants are usually a baggy type of cargoesque type pants with a black color and a symbol on the right back pocket that resembles a yin yang.

While in uniform Amal still wears his fingerless gloves and generally has a habit of having his sleeves rolled up past his elbows. He also substitutes the usual cover with a fitted cap that has an blazing red R in the center of it.

Personality: Amal is a pretty laid back guy and tends not to take most anything seriously, rather he looks at it all like it is a game to be played and have fun with. Amal is very bright but does not show it to everyone, he tends to be the goof of the world just to get a laugh in.

Amal is a strange character, he is always trying to entertain people and he doesn't really care if people think that he's an idiot. Though he is smart, he lacks the real effort to try and show that he is and usually keeps up his dumb appearance. He is a very loyal friend and won't desert someone no matter what they have done to him. Amal is a very intelligent being but he usually keeps to himself which is a reason why people don't get to see that side of him often.

History: Amal is child of circumstance, plain and simple. While early in life he showed signs of being a bright child, bordering on a prodigy, he lacked the drive and the compassion to try and put forth his best foot forward. He skated through his school experience and when it came time to go to college, he ended up being passed over by every university he applied for. Not wanting to stay at home and be constantly be reminded of his failure, he turned to the only things that gave him any passion: Pokemon.... and drugs.

He ventured the land trying to compete against various trainers and at one point taking on the gym challenge. However, his lust for a good time led him to waste his money and ultimately made him run into trouble with the law. It was at this point in his life that things began to really take a dark turn, as his acts came to a fever pitch, he was approached by Team Rocket for a chance to place his misused intellect as well as talent for training to better use, without having to conform to societies norms when it came to morals and ethics.



Other: Amal doesn't have any true oddities, apart from the occasional cigar and blunt that he uses to relax from a stressful day. His introduction into Team Rocket has led to a renewal in his interest in the arts as well as the science behind life, so most times he is found doing some off hand reading, of every variety.

Pokemon Signup:

1.
Pokémon: Growlithe
Nickname: Ignis
Level:18
Gender: Male
Nature: Adamant
Attacks: Flare Blitz(Bred), Bite, Iron Tail(TM), Odor Sleuth, Flame Wheel
Ability:Flash Fire
Other: Choice band, worn on front right leg

2.
Pokémon:Poliwag
Nickname:Bellator
Level:20
Gender:Male
Nature:Adamant
Attacks:Hypnosis, Waterfall(Bred), Brick Break(TM), Double Slap, Rain Dance
Ability:Water Absorb
Other:

3.
Pokémon:Heracross
Nickname:Firmus
Level:20
Gender:Male
Nature:Adamant
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn(Bred), Rock Slide(TM), Aerial Ace, Night Slash
Ability:Guts
Other: choice scarf


OOC: That ought to cover everything except my Rat

[EHW]

((OOC: Dear god, once Dorumon gets here, the sign-ups are being shut - this OOC nonsense is getting to an absurd point. Anyway:

LHS: Accepted, though you can have a 5th move on every Pokemon, and I once again re-iterate the point - cigars are for rich people, cigarettes are for grunts. Free Rattata is Female, Lonely.))

[Doru]

((I feel like such a loser for having this in so late, >.> here's hoping it's even good enough.

Also my favorite eeveelution would have to be Espeon, pretty cool design and great Sp. Attack. My least favorite come to think of it I didn't have one but would have to agree on it being Flareon and bec of it's moveset. I remember trying to use it and that's what ended up putting me off on keeping it on the team. ))

Name: William Obsidian
Age:17
Gender: Male
Appearance:

Will stands at six feet, two inches; this coupled with his muscular build and sinister grin could easily intimidate most people. Will has a brown skin tone matching with his dark brown eyes. He sports a low fade hairstyle with a lined beard going across his jaw and has somewhat thick eyebrows. He also wears a diamond ear ring on each ear. He’s almost never seen without wearing a flat brimmed cap, his favorite one being black one that he also wears instead of the Team Rocket cap.

When not in Team Rocket uniform, Will’s usual choice of apparel usually consists of black and grey almost bluish colors. Usually he’ll have a fully black sleeveless T-shirt underneath a grey button baseball shirt with the number one in white on the back outlined in black. He is sometimes seen with a silver cross chain hanging around his neck. For pants he wears some loose somewhat baggy grey shorts with a black strap hanging down holding his bat. His usual choice of shoes would be grey boots or white or black sneakers. 

Personality:
Will is a loud overconfident brute; he enjoys competition or more so enjoys beating others in competition. Will likes being on top, being the winner, he goes out looking for any chance to compete. He doesn’t think of much of his Pokémon other than his starter, seeing them as tools of getting him to the top. So although he does train and care for them it’s really only for his own benefit.

He dislikes being called William as it how he says “feels to formal”, so he goes by Will when not at an event. Will is not to type to talk about his personal feelings, he’d rather keep his sadness bottled up and replaced with flashiness. Will dislikes losing and when he sees things going south will start to get fired up into frenzy. His favorite type of Pokemon excluding his starter would have to be strong or intimidating ones.

History:
Will grew up as a native to the Kanto region living most of his life in Pewter City. He lived with his father who worked for the museum collecting their stones and fossils, his mother had died when he was about nine. After losing his mother Will didn’t really have any intentions of setting out on his adventure. He’d spend some time with his father watching baseball, and started to gain interest in the sport.

He started training and partaking in some junior games where he did fairly well. His father had gotten him a Squirtle for his tenth birthday, instead of training the Squirtle though Will had it help him by sending some baseballs at him with its watergun attack. After a couple years he was on his way to the big leagues but his increasing co.ckiness and attitude cost him his chance at it. He was soon let go for his unsportsmanlike conduct at 17 years of age.

Not wanting to stay at home and wanting to be the best at something he went off on his journey. He defeated Brock and earned another badge before being noticed by a Rocket Recruiter who thought he’d be a great addition to Team Rocket. Remembering the stories of Team Rocket stealing Pokemon he thought he'd tag along and get some stronger Pokemon. 


Other:
- Will keeps a short small black baseball bat with his name in white written on it

Pokemon Signup:
1.
Pokémon:Wartortle
Nickname: Mars
Level:20
Gender:Male
Nature:Serious
Attacks:Ice Beam, Water Pulse, Water Gun, Bite, Withdraw
Ability:Torrent
Other:
   - Ice Beam & Watergun are TM taught

2.
Pokémon:Tyrogue
Nickname:Troy
Level:19
Gender:Male
Nature:Adamant
Attacks:Tackle, Protect, Brick Break, Mach Punch, Foresight
Ability: Guts
Other:
   - Protect & Brick Break are TM taught and Mach Punch is Bred

3.
Pokémon:Nidorino
Nickname:King
Level:18
Gender:Male
Nature:Serious
Attacks:Peck, Tackle, Iron Tail, Poison Jab, Double Kick
Ability:Poison Point
Other:
-   Iron Tail & Poison Jab are TM taught

[EHW]

((OOC: Doru, though you've taken your sweet time, you're accepted and your character works well for the first assignment. Your Free Rattata is Female, Docile, which means I get the dubious honour of possessing the worst Rattata out of everyone. Hooray.

On a slightly more related note, for the purposes of the explanation, which is listed below, everyone is in the conference room. The Executive is a frosty all-business person, who doesn't suffer idiots, and therefore refuses to answer inane questions. Because of this, I decided to simply make the explanation sans interruptions. In other words - you have no need to reply as you being late, nor to interrupt the explanation or interject an opinion.

Your characters may now do what they want - I took the liberty to assume some fidgeting from "some other grunts" as a loophole to allow some personalities to shine through while not naming anyone in particular. However, those who are needed to be in civilian clothing shall need to put that on over their uniforms, and if you want to get to know anyone, now is your best time.))
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ace ignored the others, mindlessly playing with his dice as he attempted to roll a double six, when the figure in the business suit at the end of the table stood. Executive Nowell appeared to be female now they stood upright, stance and figure feminine in almost every detail. Coughing slightly to bring attention to herself, she started, “Ahem – since we are all present and accounted for, let us begin.” The projector at the end of the table flickered into life, with an image showing the Pewter City Museum being shown.

“This, as you are all no doubt aware, is the Pewter City Museum of History, home to the largest collection of historical artefacts anywhere in Kanto. It is also home to the biggest collection of artefacts and findings from Mt. Moon anywhere in the world, including an intact Aerodactyl skeleton, the skeletal remains of other ancient Pokémon, and other rare or expensive items. This month, the prize of the collection is present – an entire set of known fossils, from Aerodactyl and Kabuto to Cranidos and Shieldon. The Boss wants the collection to come into his possession.” As this was explained, more clips showing each item in question went through the projector, showing everyone what everything exactly was.

“We are tasked to steal as much of the Mount Moon collection as possible, with the prize of the collection if at all feasible. However, since this seems like a job which should be unsuited to Grunts, there are two other factors. The first is that I shall be accompanying you, both as operation-head and as your evaluator to see how well you can do. Secondly, a strike against the gym will also occur at this time, allowing us to be virtually unmolested in our heist. After twenty minutes, we are to escape the museum and meet up with a larger force at Mount Moon itself, where another operation will be taking place. Before I assign roles to each of you, any questions relevant to the operation itself?”

After the room remained silent, with a few people shaking their heads, Executive Nowell looked over the files on the grunts assigned to her. After a five minute wait, during which Ace played with his dice, and some of the other members fidgeted or made some introductions to one another, she started her explanations again. “Okay, the following members will be helping to steal items with the help of their Pokémon: Ms. Saotome and her Sableye; Mr. Finnegan and his Sneasel; Mr. Cath and his Spearow. You are to meet outside the museum with me, before entering afterwards. Aim for lighter objects if at all possible – you’ll need to smuggle it out of the city in a backpack, so something heavy or obviously large will get you caught or slowed down tremendously. You must appear to be basic members of the public, but have your Rocket Grunt gear underneath to change into if necessary,” The three nodded their acceptance to this, and Ace couldn’t get a read on their opinions of this.

“Mr. Storm, Mr. Syndrake and Mr. Obsidian – you three shall be our guards as we attempt to leave the city, as well as our back-up inside the museum. Use your Pokémon when necessary, but don’t blow cover before we’re ready to leave if possible. The same rules apply to you three – civilian clothing with Grunt uniforms underneath to use if necessary,” Nowell continued, with the trio each making their acceptance known, which left three grunts without a job to do so far, Ace counted.

“Ms. Bernadette, Mr. Crete and Mr. Hart – you three shall be throwing a distraction for us, both when we enter the museum, and when we leave, so you’ll need to be in contact with us and one another. Use your Pokémon well, and try to use moves which could allow us to disable our opponents. Mr. Hart, try to make use of your Clefairy’s Metronome and Present; Mr. Crete, that Ice Beam could be very useful; and Ms. Bernadette – your Oddish’s Sleep Powder will be critical. Make sure to be in your Rocket Grunt gear at all times, and to conceal your identities.” Ace nodded his acceptance with a slight grin, before turning to see which members were his partners for this mission, looking around the room but not really seeing anyone who was certainly one of them.

“With this all said and done, meet me at the mess hall in thirty minutes people – we need to complete this assignment by 14:00 this afternoon. Try to get to know your teammates – so you can plan accordingly,” the executive finished, before briskly leaving the conference room, leaving the nine grunts to converse between themselves if they so desired.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
((OOC:
To recap:
Kageito/ Morgain/ Hashihime: Thief Group
Crimson Curse/ LHS/ Dorumon: Thug/ Protection Group
EHW/ Tyren/ Booster: Distraction Group

Ace is fine to chat to the others, so if you wish to start a conversation with him, either reply and say so or preferably PM me so we can write one out without spamming the topic if possible.))

[Kageito]

((Gabe is open for conversations, but one shouldn't expect many friendly responses. Yet. Sort of.))

Gabriel remained seated, taking  in the information just provided. Well aware of Bastet's unrivalled ability to steal in the blink of an eye, he felt that the mission couldn't fail on his part. However, he didn't like the socialising part quite as much, even though he knew it would be mandatory to ensure success. He was, however, willing to hear her opinion on the matter, and dislocated a Poké Ball from his bracelet.

“I assume you're aware of the situation?”
The cat-like creature stretched and yawned after having fully materialised from the white flash.
“Mhm,” she responded lazily. “Shouldn't be too much of a problem, should it? We have a Sableye with us as well, you'd think they'd be capable of handling something as trivial as this.”
Bastet chuckled. She seemed to take pleasure in the idea of the raid.
“Anything to add, other than what we've all heard?”
“Not particularly, no. Team seems solid enough. Not that we can expect much more from a bunch of Grunts who have no experience other than just battling. You excluded, of course,” she added when the boy glared daggers at her.
The Sneasel leaped onto his lap and curled up, emitting a soft, distant purring. He petted her awkwardly.

[Crimson Curse]

He had a job. The instructions were clear as it could be. Nine Grunts in total were assigned this mission, with an Executive to accompany them, leading the expedition, as well as evaluating each of her underlings’ performance in their first ever job for Team Rocket. Gabriel Zane Storm was one of the nine participators, which in turn, were divided into three groups consisting of three people each, as their functions pertained to the mission. While socializing and being part of a team were some of the last things that this young man looked forward to, it was something which he had decided to undertake after all, as all this would serve a higher purpose eventually. And for that to happen there was only one path he could tread. He needed to climb through the ranks of this organization. Of course, he knew that it would take more than just ten minutes into being assigned his first ever mission that he would start getting promotions. Everything would take place when its time came.

However, right now, there was a more important matter at hand: the mission. Zane was currently in a conference room where he along with eight others, fresh out of boot camp and newly-appointed Grunts, just like himself, had been assigned their first ever assignment. There was a rush of emotions inside everyone without a doubt. It was not something that was subtle enough for people to miss. There was a rush of adrenaline inside the teenager as well, though it was quite different from the others; he knew that. He ran his eyes through the room, gazing past each of the other eight Grunts who would be his fellow teammates in the job that was to follow.

Hmf, he mused snidely to himself. Teammates.

He reached into his pocket and nonchalantly pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He tore open the pack like he had done so about a million times before and picked out one long cylindrical and nicotine-laced killer and placed it in between his lips, his expression indifferent. As he lit the cigarette with a silver lighter, he felt an odd longing for the mission to start already, feeling that this ‘get-to-know-your-teammates’ routine was quite the waste of time that it was proving to be. Might as well play along, he consented instead with a sigh. He leaned back on his chair, which could have been more comfortable, and before anyone could say anything, placed both his legs on the smooth table, one on top of the other, adopting a relaxed stance, though his face shone with an overconfidence that came with arrogance. Ignoring the surprised eyes that turned in his direction following a slight thud, Zane coolly inhaled deeply and blew out a thick cloud of grey smoke.

“The name is Zane Storm,” he announced coldly. “And that is all that you guys need to know.”

[>>>>Booster]

The grunts, having already gone over names before Nowell demanded their attention, were quick to split into groups. Jansen didn’t even stand up, but rather nonchalantly kicked his chair over to his new co-workers, sliding his arm along the cool surface of the conference table. Before he could even get a word off, a certain Zane made a show of himself. Jansen pushed up his glasses and sighed. “You just told us that a few minutes ago,” he muttered, sourly staring at the grunt through the blurry blind spot his glasses didn’t cover. “And thank the lord there’s a vent to haul away all that smoke,” he added. After a few seconds of off key silence, the bespectacled grunt turned back to his two partners. “I suppose us three got the short end of the stick didn’t we?” We’re the ones who have to deal with the heat.

[Lord High Summoner]

Amal smiled as he was placed on the guard detail, he had explicitly designed his team for power and it pleased him to see that his work had not gone unnoticed. He surveyed the room to find his two partners; he had heard their names before and vaguely remembered their faces from their time at boot camp. Amal quickly adjusted his uniform and ran his hand over his head, letting out a single sigh. It was then that one of the grunts began to light a cigarette and throw his feet upon the conference table. After this the grunt loudly announced that he was "Zane Storm", and upon hearing this Amal discreetly ground his teeth together. It figured that he would get stuck paired with some self-indulged fool of a man.

As the smoke began to drift about the room, all eventually turned toward the youth and even evoked a few responses from the more convicted of the grunts. It was at this point that Amal felt he had better take control of the situation before it got too far. A soothing breath was let out and his neck was popped before Amal slowly walked over to Zane, and as he approached a swift smack to the feet on the table sent them to the ground.

"Hey ****, have some respect for the uniform and your fellow grunts. You may think you're god's gift to man but in here you are no better than the rest of us until you make something of yourself. So save that smoke for when you get outside, and leave the feet on the floor."

Amal said as took a seat opposite of Zane, never breaking eye contact from the young man all the while. He could tell that the young lad was seething at this point so he quickly sought out to diffuse the bomb before he went off and caused a bigger scene. He would have to direct the conversation away from their rank and the obvious battle that would ensue around who had the right to do what. Thinking quickly, Amal decided to target the lad’s pride in an attempt to spark some sort of rivalry within Zane, and perhaps spark him to think more before acting.

"I assume your cockiness is with some merit, no? Seeing as I know I developed my team for strength and got security detail, I don't think it's a coincidence of our orders. I'd hate to think that that entire attitude is just a facade, worse yet to get into a fight thinking you've got my back only to get blindsided with you being overrun."

Amal finished the last sentence with a smirk; he knew that Zane wasn't going to react favorably to the attention he'd just received. However, Amal hadn't a care for his bruised pride; he needed a teammate that he could rely on and if he could assimilate this lad to same wavelength early on, it would make the rest of their time together run much smoother.

[Hashihime]

Yue flipped another page in her book, sitting further away from the growing arguement, and apparently, not paying attention to it in the slightest. Her bright purple eyes stayed obscured behind her glasses, focused on the pages of the encyclopedia-like book. The little bat on her head snuggled down into her hat, pushing it down over her bangs, and obscuring her eyes even more. She was small enough to stay under the smoke, the little bat waving it away with a wing. Their little squabble meant nothing to her. She had no wish to talk to them, though she wasn't good at talking to other humans in general. She just wanted to focus on her mission.

A theft would be easy enough. Being part ghost, nothing of solid matter would stand in Amber's way. It was just keeping her from eating the stones that was the issue. Also, this would be taking place in a museum. She'd need Amber to keep herself from getting distracted as well. So much knowledge there... It almost seemed like a shame to only be stealing some shiny stones. She sighed sadly. There had to be some lovely research notes hidden away there. What she would give to get her hands on them, but she didn't want to get in trouble for stealing anything she wasn't supposed to.

Hadn't that admin.. what was her name again? Yue couldn't remember right offhand. There were too many people in the room to think too hard about it right now. But she had said something about taking anything small and light if they could. Maybe there WOULD be something laying around. But she wouldn't take it unless she would have the opportunity to, and if there really were something of odd research value to be found there. Fantasies would get herself nowhere, she thought to herself as she sighed again.

Flipping another page, she continued to ignore the chatter. The little bat on top of her head chattered excitedly and swiveled her ears, focusing her hearing on the heated words between the haughty grunt and the two down talking him. If anything, these teammates wouldn't be boring.