route_1065 | Operation: Express Car; [train plot log]

Entry tags:

Operation: Express Car; [train plot log]

Who: Everyone who wants to participate!
Where: Goldenrod City, the Magnet Train, Saffron City.
When: November 23rd, 11AM-5PM
Summary: Heist on the Magnet Train!
Rating: Might go up to PG-13, possibly R if exceptional violence of swearing occurs.
Log:

They've spent the last few days preparing. He wasn't sure at first, how this was going to turn out, but the Team is confident. They are confident and now he, Archer, is also confident. He has no reason to expect failure; he tells himself, even if they fail, this will cement them back in the public eye. A threat again. It makes his collar hot to think.

He reviews the plans again, Petrel's notes and schematics, engineering details. Phase 2 will be the most delicate, but he's confident in the abilities of the recruits. The aliens, the outsiders, are strange, but useful. They have skills no other Grunt would possess. Archer recognizes he has been given a tool, and only a fool would fail to use it.

At 9:30AM on November 23rd, Archer sends a message through the Rocket Network. It is short, and simple, and jubilant.

Operation: Express Car START

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It's a nice day out, considering. Cold, yes, but the kind of cold that buries itself deep in the lungs and blows the mind into crisp clarity. Cheeks are red, movements brisk to retain heat, and around Goldenrod's white-dusted Magnet Train station, the energy is thick enough to taste. People in their thick winter coats press together, some alone, some with families and friends, most with their trusted pokémon. The larger creatures are returned to their balls, tragically fated to miss the voyage, while smaller breeds are held in their trainers' arms or scurrying around their ankles.

The station attendants are supervising while customers pass through, touching the microchipped Rail Pass to the card readers and moving in slow, sluggish trails through the gates. There is no shoving; the atmosphere seems too cheery for it, excitement manifesting in the form of loud, vigorous conversation. The train itself is gloriously slick, smooth and polished as a new bullet or a freshly-minted coin, humming with power. We ask our passengers to please mind their electric-types, reminds the stationmaster over the PA, as we seek to avoid any trouble or inconvenience during the ride.

Once you've passed the gate, find a seat and stow away your luggage. Relax, unwind; it's a long six hours ahead.

[[ ooc: ~~I kindly ask that players please DO NOT POST until all the subthreads have been made. Thank you!~~

GO FOR IT! Remeber to tag yourselves in!

NOTE: YOU CAN NPC ROCKETS IF YOU CAN'T NAB A PC ROCKET FOR PLOTTY FUNTIEMS. ]]

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Well I just came from the other side of the train, and--

[ Oh, great. They're edging in from all sides. Suzuna's attacks are just barely doing the job- but thank goodness Takumi's fully healed and ready for battle now. Misaki releases Taiyaki, an under-leveled Sneasel; but even if he's under-leveled, he helps out with the Screeches and throws in a few Leers at the Pokemon here and there, staying behind Takumi to avoid being hit.

It seems as though Taiyaki's attracting some attention, also, though not nearly as much as the Dratini is. ]

That doesn't stop you from watching your surroundings, does it?

[Not the time for this. So not the time. Not with Golduck launching a Water Pulse which finally knocks one of the more annoying Weezings out of the air before it can do anything. It falls right onto one of the Rockets edging forward from that direction, but the other has gotten close enough to grab at Shiryuu despite the Thunder Waves the Dratini is tossing out. Not that he gets far because Hitsugaya lunges at the guy who's at least two feet taller than he is, both of them throwing punches--

--And if the sudden blood appearing on the Rocket's shirt is anything to go by, Hitsugaya also just got his nose broken. Perfect.]

[ Before she can retaliate, there's a Rocket that moves in on her right, making grabby hands at Taiyaki. And as soon as Taiyaki shrieks, Misaki instantly goes for a punch to the Rocket's stomach. It hits- it hits hard- and her Wartortle and her Pidgeotto instantly move to take care of the Rocket's Koffing.

Misaki quickly turns to check up on Hitsugaya while the Rocket's recovering. And what she sees definitely wasn't anything she was prepared for. ]

Hitsugaya-!!! [ There's a brief, hard moment of shock before her brow furrows, her eyes widen, and her muscles tense. ] Get your hands off him, you bastard!

[The Rocket doesn't seem to care that Misaki just shouted at him, and he's already grabbed Hitsugaya by the collar of his shirt before slamming him down to the floor of the train in an attempt to get him to just stay down so they can take the Pokémon without any trouble.

But Shiryuu, having slithered away while his trainer was doing the punching, won't have it and whips up a Twister attack that all but roars down the train car, slamming a Koffing against the wall and knocking the Rocket back long enough for Hitsugaya to scramble back and get up, wiping blood off his face; it honestly looks worse than it is, and he just...doesn't seem to care at the moment. That's what adrenaline does...and hissing Golducks launching water everyone help too.]

Don't let your guard down. They're not done yet.

Oh my God-- [ Misaki freezes up after seeing how merciless these Rockets can be. Crap.

And when the Twister happens, her Pokemon manage to survive, but Misaki winds up disoriented. A mix of having a fever and nearly losing her balance = not fun. But she instantly goes back to focusing- as much as she can, anyway- and realizes that there's still the other Rocket she has to deal with.

Who, by the way, creeps up behind her and manages to snatch her Sneasel while she isn't looking. ]

No... NO!!!

[ And there goes Takumi firing Aqua Tails left and right at the rocket, while Pidgetto's gusts manage to keep some of the water away from Hitsugaya's side. But things are a mess, yet Misaki doesn't seem to care. And that's... also a result of an adrenaline rush. ]

[The Rockets are nothing compared to Hollows or even rough training for Hitsugaya, but he's not that surprised to see Misaki freeze up; it is a lot for someone from a relatively peaceful world to take in all of a sudden.

The Twister attack wouldn't help anyone anyway, and then having one of their Pokémon stolen from under them isn't going to help either. Seeing a Golduck slip'n'slide his way down the soaked car won't help, but maybe a Zen Headbutt to the head of the Rocket trying to get away with her Sneasel will snap Misaki to her senses. Maybe. It'll probably work better than his voice, anyway.]

Ayuzawa! Focus! You won't help him if you can't get them to hit their target!

Ugh! [ The world is seriously spinning right now and Misaki's head can't take it anymore. Her feet are glued to the floor- a misstep would make her slip, and she'd definitely go unconscious then- and her Pokemon look confused by her commands. She's just so overwhelmed by everything and the fact that the Rocket's slipping away into the crowd isn't making anything better-

until she sees that Zen Headbutt. And just like that, her senses are heightened. She hears Hitsugaya's voice and there's something that registers inside of her, telling her that she needs to concentrate. But she sends her Pidgeotto ahead in pursuit of the Rocket, deciding to stay behind with Takumi for a few moments, fixing her stare onto Hitsugaya. ]

I'm not leaving you behind!

[With the Pidgeotto overhead, Golduck is trying to get around behind the Rocket with Taiyaki but not having much luck with all the chaos around him. He sends out a few Water Guns to at least make the Rocket slip and slow down, though it won't last for long and Hitsugaya knows this. Now, to get Misaki to move already.]

Just go! He's in more danger than I am!

[Especially with Hina now darting across the seat backs and spitting embers everywhere. She's nowhere near as graceful as a cat and things are too wet to get any sort of good fire going, but no Rocket worth his salt is trying to get close for a little while. Not with all that barking!]

We'll be behind you! Now go get your Pokémon!

Okay, okay!

[ Finally deciding to listen to Hitsugaya, Misaki starts to sprint down the walkway, paying mind to the water spread out across the floor. Takumi gets ahead and manages to catch up with Suzuna, who's currently pecking at the Rocket's head to get him to stop. Of course, despite all the blood running down said Rocket's face, he has a mission, and he keeps on running.

But he does end up slipping on all that water Golduck made eventually, and Taiyaki instantly stumbles out of his grasp. Suzuna immediately grabs Taiyaki with her beak, holding him by its neck. Misaki stops just before the Rocket, and heaves a sigh of relief. ]

Thank... goodness...!!

[Not that Taiyaki is back in the...beak of his allies, Golduck turns around and slip-slides his way back to Hitsugaya, Confusion knocking back another Koffing that was trying to clear the way for the Rockets behind. Still encroaching on the trainers, still crowding the train car. This...is not going to end well.

Especially since Hina just took a tumble into a rather large puddle and is now shaking herself off instead of spitting embers all over the place; wet Growlithes can't produce many flames, and Golduck is getting tired. This will get ugly very soon; there's only so many Twisters Shiryuu can make, and Hitsugaya is slowly falling back towards Misaki. He knows a losing fight when he sees one.]

We're going to have to fall back. Find somewhere to hold our ground.

[ Yeah, it's pretty clear that things are getting pretty chaotic in here. Misaki's not exactly in the best condition to be fighting right now. So when Hitsugaya suggests that they fall back, she heaves a sigh and rubs her temple before she nods. ]

Alright. [ Her eyes scan the area, looking over all of the rubble and panicked passengers on board for a good resting area. There are Pokemon everywhere, so finding a decent spot is going to prove to be a challenge.

And then after moments of thinking, Misaki reaches a realization. ] The bathroom. It's pretty cramped in there, right?

[Chaotic is an understatement, and their teams aren't in any shape to be fighting, either. Not with everyone so worn out like they are. Still, Hitsugaya shakes his head.]

Too cramped. We'd be trapped and at their mercy.

[Moreso than they already are, but they'd have no room at all in there. Probably could barely stand up without stepping on another another. But they might not have a choice; not with nowhere else to go but that direction.]

Get to the entrance to the next car. We might be able to cut them off and buy some time.

[ She nods in understanding, heeding his instructions, heading towards the nearest entrance, her Pokemon right behind her. All of the debris and other Pokemon battles going on around her makes it difficult to maneuver past everything. But the entrance isn't too far away, and she manages to keep focused until the very last second.

When she gets to the door leading to the next car, she instantly presses her palm up against the wall to the side of the door, her free hand rising to rest on her forehead. Panting, she turns halfway around to face him. ]

Go on ahead. I'll catch up.

[He responds almost immediately to that, giving her a stern look even with one hand on the door handle. How many times has he given a lecture like this? Too many.]

Don't be ridiculous. Splitting up is asking for trouble we can't afford now. Neither of us is in any shape to take on a fight alone, and we'll stand a better chance here.

[Even with Rockets breathing down their necks, and Misaki looking like she won't be standing for much longer. Then again, neither does Hitsugaya, but he's not giving up just yet. They can hunker down here, try to outlast the enemy. They have to try.]

[ Oh geeze, she's been in this predicament one too many times- feeling helpless in the tightest situations. But... he's right. He doesn't look so good himself, and with her in this condition, neither of them will probably last long. ]

Fine.

[ Her eyes scan the area, even though her vision's not at its fullest. They're not in sight, but she knows that the Rockets are coming for them. They only have a few more moments to spare. ] Do you need to heal up your Pokemon?

[She gets the point, thank goodness. That's one less thing to worry about on their laundry list of things to handle at the moment. As she looks around, he backs away to put his back to the wall, shaking his head.]

We can hold for now. Just keep out of sight and don't let them find you.

[This is one time that his lack of height is proving useful: despite saying that, he isn't getting down because getting up quickly once he does on't be easy. At least being just over four feet makes it easy to stay hidden.]

[ A nod. She'll comply because she's going in and out of awareness, and there's no way she's going to throw herself out there for an instant defeat.

Misaki calls back her Pokemon, save for Takumi, as she slides underneath a row of seats, keeping Takumi close. She goes into a very uncomfortable fetal position- oh, the joys of being 5'5"- but it manages to keep her awake. All the movement, rubble, and excess smoke throw her into a constrained coughing fit as she wraps her scarf and her hands on top of her mouth in hopes that the Rockets won't hear her. ]

[As soon as Misaki is down and out of most sightlines, Hitsugaya peers out around the seat to check out the chaos. Thankfully, the Rockets seem to be busy with other easier to reach targets all up and down the train, and don't notice the two hiding where they are even as Golduck is recalled and Hina hunkers down next to her trainer sitting against the train wall. They'll watch the door, ready to defend if that's what they have to do, because there's really nothing either of them can do to help Misaki herself right now.

Even if Hitsugaya hates it. He's not used to sitting back and just being useless like this. Not used to it all. Still, with them so outnumbered and outmatched, this is the most either of them can do. Especially with both of them in bad condition. What he would give for his powers, even for a moment. What he would give...]

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Operation: Express Car; [train plot log]

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