Super secret prom meeting...

[islandshore]

Who: The Pokémon Guardian Corps
Where: The designated sleeping area at Prom
When: During the daytime festivities
Summary: Riku called a meeting for all PGC members to discuss recent happenings, touch base with one another, and contemplate future measures.
Rating: Probably no worse than PG


[It's tough to resist the urge to explore. To mingle and dance and just soak up the scenery, but Riku knows that if they don't do this now, they might not have another chance for a while. Meetups are tricky with everyone spread across two regions. They'd already missed their first planned meeting date, so prom will just have to suffice.

He'd already left his message and gone through the instructions: sneak out during the dance while nobody's looking. Leave in small groups-- pairs optimal. They are to keep their voices low and avoid suspicion if at all possible.

Riku will be hovering fairly close to the entrance, keeping eyes peeled for known PGC members. He'd rather not have to hunt everyone down, as that would arouse suspicions.

Once enough people arrive, he'll open the floor to discussions. Just remember to keep quiet!]


[ooc: Feel free to threadhop around. This is more or less an open forum for PGC members, and as this is an in-person gathering, I suspect the teams will want to mingle with one another.

You're welcome to create your own individual threads. I will be tossing up a couple subthreads for discussion topics, but don't feel restricted to these by any means! :) This is supposed to be an open space for any PGC interactions you wish to thread.]

Comments

Olivine Bombing Follow-up

[islandshore]

[It's been about two months since the bombing occurred, and while only a few bombs went off, Riku still considers this a hot topic. As such, it only seems appropriate to start there.]

Okay, so I'd like to think the operation in Olivine was a pretty big success. I wound up deactivating one of the bombs with some help from one of the locals. How'd things turn out for those of you who went? Did any of you bump into "Seth"? The more we know about what happened, the better we can prepare for Team Rocket's next move.

[After all, there's no telling when they'll strike next.]

[beholdmydemons]

I disposed of one down by the docks.

[And he's not sure how much he should say beyond that. He tried covering his tracks, but...

Walter is a relatively open book. He stops talking there, but clearly has more he could say if prompted.]

[islandshore]

Glad to hear it.

[His expression shifts for a moment, a smile appearing on his face.]

Did you see anything shady while you were out there? Just trying to keep a record so we get a better picture of what happened down there.

[beholdmydemons]

I...found it after a man told me he'd seen someone in fine clothes standing around with an Alakazam. I think he was using the Pokemon to teleport the bomb into place, because I found it attached to the inside layer of the pier. Orthrus smelled it long before I caught sight of it.

[islandshore]

Fine clothes and an Alakazam...

[Hmm. Riku's face falls at the thought, and he taps his chin.]

Well, if he's got an Alakazam, I'd guess that's how he got there and probably how he left. Train an Alakazam to hone in their teleportation skills, and you can go just about anywhere. He wouldn't have had to make Olivine the last Center he visited.

Plus, it's way more inconspicuous than flying.

[But that's not exactly a good thing, either. It means that catching the guy will be a pain and a half. How are they supposed to stop someone who can teleport off to safety?]

[beholdmydemons]

...After that, we followed a scent trail. It led straight into the local inn and up to Seth's room. [Omitting this would look more suspicious later. Walter's story just got interesting.]

[islandshore]

Wait, you mean you found his room?

[His eyes pop wide open, and his hands roll into fists. Why hadn't he mentioned that sooner? This could be huge!]

Did you find any clues? Anything that could hint at who he is?

[beholdmydemons]

He was there for a moment. He was wearing a mask, and had a Pokemon out - a Gardevoir. We tried to attack, but he just....he teleported away.

[...]

Left the room in some disarray. There was a bomb in there, too - we froze that one and left.

[islandshore]

A Gardevoir and an Alakazam...

[Hmm, so that's two Psychics with teleportation access. But even ignoring those teleporting capabilities, another horrible thought creeps into his head.]

Well, at least you got the bomb squared away. Sucks that he got away, but now that we know he's carting Psychic types around, we can try and work up a counter plan the next time he pops up.

[Which brings him to his next big point:]

How many dark types do you have?

[paopuprincess]

Wait, someone's going around bombing places?

[Hey there, Riku. You may or may not have noticed your biffle follow you into the other room, then stand around like a doofus watching for people.]

[islandshore]

That's not even the first time, Kairi.

[Riku heaves a heavy sigh and shakes his head. It's one of the reasons he's a bit wary to let Kairi into the fold. He's not gonna boot her, though. The truth is, she's probably safest within the Corps.]

Team Rocket's pulled plenty of nasty stunts before. They've blown up a lighthouse, set a landmark on fire... Let's just say they're not here for fun and games.

[paopuprincess]

That's terrible. Who blows up a lighthouse? What would anybody even gain from that?

[islandshore]

Publicity? Sick thrills? A promotion from the higher ups?

[Riku shrugs, placing a hand over his face. Really, he can't even fathom the way the Rockets think. It's like they're an alien species.]

Point is, they're all nuts. Smart, sure, but you can't be smart and insane at the same time.

[paopuprincess]

Someone like that shouldn't be running free. He could really hurt somebody.

[And pointing out the obvious is...]

[islandshore]

And that's what we're here for: dealing with creeps like them. Knocking them down a few pegs and thrwing wrenches in their plans.

[In other words, yes, Kairi hit the nail on the head, and it's what this whole meeting's about.]

[paopuprincess]

But what can we do about it? Is there a pokemon that can track people down, or something?

[islandshore]

We fight back. Chase them to the source, beat them down if we have to, and just... stay alert.

[His eyes drift to the door.]

You never know when they'll strike next. Some are more subtle than others, which means paying close attention to the network and the news.

[saxsongs]

Do we have the slightest idea of who this "Seth" guy is?

[He has no input on the Olivine bombing case as he really wasn't there, but... yeah, he's curious as to any guesses on who it might be.]

Though speaking of Rocket's next moves... I'm a little worried about Dr. Kato's plans. He said he's going to "take to stage" at some point and that he'd love to see a lot of victim's through his... "art".

[He hasn't really mentioned this before, because a lot happened and he hasn't really had a chance... but it's not like Kato's shown any movement since their conversation and Ren doesn't even know where to begin on investigating his case any further.]

[islandshore]

Nothing concrete. I fought him once, but he talked with telepathy, and he kept his face hidden under a mask.

[In short, it's one big ambiguity. Unless they manage to pin the guy down, all they can do is guess.

As for Kato, Riku tenses, brow furrowing. He'd almost forgotten about that.]

So how much can you tell us about Kato? I know you mentioned something about explosions before.

[saxsongs]

I was afraid of that.

[Those damn Rockets. Always hiding their identities.]

Well, he's the one behind the first Olivine bombing - when the lighthouse was blown up. Otherwise he hasn't really appeared in spotlight, but he did receive a reusable TM for Explosion... which can only mean harm. He thinks of what he does as "art" and the more victims his deeds produce, the closer to a masterpiece his work will become.

[That's the image Ren has about Kato in a nutshell.]

Other than that he sometime dresses up as a woman and gathers information like that. He's pretty good with disguising himself, unfortunately. [Fooled Ren once. Damn it.]

[islandshore]

Walter told me he uses an Alakazam and a Gardevoir, so at least we know to look out for Psychic types.

[Which is handy, but ultimately a small detail in the long run. Regardless, the mere mention of the Olivine bombing grabs Riku's focus in a tight stranglehold. His eyes pop wide open, then narrow into slits. His mouth twists into a frown, and he glares at the floor.]

Sounds like he's a psychopath. The only upside's that Explosion is a normal type move. Send in some ghosts and Steel types, and we might be able to neutralize at least some of the damage in theory.

[saxsongs]

Ah. That's at least something.

[Though it would be good to know what other Pokémon he had... or just who he was. It's more than likely Ren knows the guy from the little conversation they had on the anon post.


He nods at the Kato comment.]

Yeah, that's how I'd describe him. And I wouldn't be surprised if he also had real bombs like Seth does. I mean, he did use some kind of explosive with the lighthouse and it wasn't a Pokémon.

Oh and I do know he has a Hydreigon. At least before he was kicked out of here and brought back. Who knows, he still might have it.

[islandshore]

[Riku cringes at Ren's description. More bombs, and worse--]

A Hydreigon? Hmm... that's not good. Those things are huge powerhouses, and you can't guarantee a knockout with ice moves, either.

[His brow furrows, and he paces back and forth. What's the best way to handle this? Ice still works, of course, but the thing about Hydreigons is that they're fast, durable, and above all else, dangerous.]

What else does he have on his roster? The more we know, the better.

[saxsongs]

I don't know if his team got replaced when he left, but before that happened, he at least had a Houndoom and a Gengar. Other than that, I'm not sure. I didn't really watch him battle or anything.

[islandshore]

[Riku's brow quirks, and he snickers a little. A dark type and a ghost? Gee, could the guy get any more blatant in his villainy?]

Well, that's still a pretty good indicator for the type of Pokémon he likes. Packing counters for ghost and dark types shouldn't be too hard, especially with all the TMs that are out there.

Maybe I'll see about getting a TM pool together for members and a list of the most useful moves. I'm sure everyone's got their own preferences, so we could leave it open for others' feedback or something.