Operation: Express Car; [train plot log]

[these_balls]

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. ]]

Comments

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

“Alright kid,” Before Bakura could do much more than stand up the Rocket Grunt shoved his sack in his direction and demanded, “Hand over all of your Pokeballs!”
The Koffing, with his better vantage point, nodded towards the ground indicating the shorter Gollum standing there.
“Yea, we will take that Pokemon too! Hurry it up! I don’t have all day, ya know!”

[shiromadoushi]

There was no premeditation of anything in Bakura's mind, just a haze of the desperate fear of losing his friends meshed with a righteous furry against those who would take them from him.

His right first swung out, while his left hand grabbed for the bag, trying to yank it away.

"Gollum! Attack!" he shouted, the pokemon leaping into action to enact a much stronger beatdown on the Koffing that his trainer could give to the grunt, but with no less feeling.

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

The Rocket stumbled backward as much from the shock of being stood up to as it was from the pain of Bakura’s fist striking him. His left hand didn’t release the bag full of ill-gotten Pokeballs however. In fact he actually seemed to grip it tighter to prevent Bakura from wrenching the bag away from him.

“What are you doing you stupid, kid?!”

It was the only response he came up with before he too coiled a fist fully preparing to knock this obnoxious trainer away from him. The Rocket pulled back, getting ready to strike, but he was greeted with a fiery hot foot before he could launch his counterattack. It was just a small bit of ember enough to make his position highly uncomfortable but not enough to do any actual damage to the train itself… beyond a light singeing. The Rocket had to abandon the bag and fall back or risk a more serious burn.

[shiromadoushi]

"I won't let you take my friends from me!"

There was nothing but adrenaline running in Bakura's brain as he yanked back on the bag again. Both his hands ached horribly, his left screaming with the tension that the abused tendons and muscles didn't know how to bear, his right throbbing from the pain of impact, but it only fueled him further. But it was nothing. He'd survived far worse to protect his friends than just that!

When the Rocket fell back, Bakura tossed the bag behind him before lunging after, intent on beating down the threat to his friend until it was no longer a threat, no matter what the cost was to himself.

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

While the Rocket member was distracted Eagle took the opportunity to clean out those Rocket aligned Pokemon until the Grunt himself was left entirely without backup. Take out the weaker opponents and leave the strongest one for last… It was a strategy he often used. Now that the Grunt was alone there could be no surprise interference from an unprotected flank and the other passengers would be safer with out the terrible noxious gasses those creatures had been emitting.

Eagle looked back at Bakura just in time to see him recover the bag and charge the Rocket. He had prevented the Grunt from striking Bakura last time, but there was no time for it this round. The attack was too swift and the Rocket’s counter too pointed as he balled up a fast and took a swing at the kid trying to level more blows on him.

Eagle... may want to pull him off, at some point. He's kinda gone berserk :)

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura gave a pained exclamation as the first connected, rolling back slightly as a flash of pain blinded him. He'd never been in a physical fight before. Anytime he'd run into that sort of situation, he would either run or black out and wake up back home, the situation resolved and a new miniature he couldn't recall making added to his collection.

For one, brief, rare moment, Bakura found himself wishing for the Ring. For that power to seal away someone's soul so they couldn't hurt anyone any more.

But he didn't have the Ring. All he had was his own determination, which kept his fists flying back out to counter punch, throwing himself even more fully into the fight, the pain only fueling him more.

'Even if my soul should shatter!' Even if he was being beaten up in return, even if he was in pain, it didn't matter. This was nothing compared to that moment. Nothing compared to what he'd already suffered to protect his friends he had known less than a day. To protect those who had been his constant companions, his constant company for months...

Ha! I was thinking that when I saw Bakura snap earlier!

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

Even trained for battle as he was the Rocket lurched under the sheer fury of Bakura’s assault. He tried to back away, retreat out the window he had entered from, but he couldn’t get away from the kid long enough to do that. He ended up stumbling, dropping to one knee…

That was more than enough Eagle decided, “Bakura!”

But this seemed to have gone entirely unheard. The only thing Eagle could do was to grab Bakura from behind and yank him forcefully away from the prone man on the ground before any more damage could be leveled on him.

“Bakura, that’s enough! He is down already!”

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura struggled a moment before going slowly limp in Eagle's arms, gasping for breath, entire body trembling weakly. His nose and knuckles were bloodied and he looked just as bad, if not worse, than the escaping Rocket.

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

Its not like the Rocket was able to escape very quickly. He did stand and teeter his way towards freedom, but one glance from Eagle and Carrera moved to block his path. Why allow a thief to escape? This Grunt could be turned in as soon as the train stopped at the next station.

Bakua had been a shock. Eagle had always though he would be capable of defending himself if only he had a reason and enough gumption to go for it, but the level of… well, madness, that had taken him over during that fight was eerily unexpected. Who knew he could hide a darkness like that?

“If I let you go will you be alright now?” Eagle was not about to let him have another go at that poor Rocket guy.

[shiromadoushi]

There was a long pause as Bakura just took in shaking breaths, Gollum moving to his side to support him. "I-- I think so..." he finally managed, voice quiet and utterly exhausted.

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

Bakura could be helped over to his seat then before being released. Those wounds of his would have to be looked after… but that was something to do only once the Rocket had been firmly secured. Once he was bound with his hands behind his back there could be no counter attacks. Then Eagle returned to Bakura’s side to see how he was doing after a little recovery time.

[shiromadoushi]

Not any better than he was before. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, the pain was taking its toll, leaving Bakura looking as if he were about to pass out, even with such relatively minor injuries.

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

“I don’t think it will be too much longer before the train arrives at its destination.”
It was small talk to get Bakura to focus on something else for a while. Eagle gave the injures a quick look over but there really didn’t seem to be any major damage. Most of these would just need a little time to heal on their own and the few cuts and scrapes that were bleeding could be stopped easily enough with the bandages from a first aid kit, kindly offered to them by another passenger.

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura nodded slightly. The majority of it all was just shock, and part...

He was so used to being asleep when the Ring took care of problems like this that his body was expecting the nap.

And another part of him was worried what Eagle thought of him right then.

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

Eagle didn’t share his thoughts. He didn’t even know Bakura was curious about them. His main focus was just trying to make sure Bakura was settled in… then he had to know what was going on with this train. If there had been one thief on board there might be others. It would be entirely irresponsible of him not to go and check on the engineers and the other passengers.
“If you will be alright here I will leave these stolen Pokeballs in your care for a while. We can make sure they are returned to their owners once this is all settled.”
Bakura’s shoulder received a friendly pat as Eagle stood up from where he had been kneeling. He smiled warmly before heading for the door that would lead to the train’s engine.

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura nodded, putting his arms around Gollum, who had climbed laboriously up into his lap in concern. Everyone else's precious friends... he could protect them until they could be returned.

[unyieldingwill.livejournal.com]

Eagle looked back once, just to make certain everything would be alright while he was gone, before sliding the compartment door open for Carrera and himself to exit. With Gollum there Bakura would be safely looked after and surely Geo would return to his seat soon. Those two could look after Bakura with no trouble.

This incident was something they would have to discuss later but for right now making sure all of the thieves were stopped was the top priority. Once Eagle had gone the door slid closed behind him with a loud click. The eerie silence settled in instantly, only broken by the whispers of the other passengers trying to recover from the shock of what had just happened.