ITT: We are all Pokémon Trainers

Channah: -reading news on her laptop- Hey, did you see this yesterday?

Montanari: –looks up from a book- <Mmm?>

Channah: -pushes away from her desk and motions at the screen- All this 'bout some serial killer in Johto. They're sorta near my parents.

Montanari: <Ah, yes. That.> -is still for a moment- <Don't you worry about it.> -puts down his book, neatly marking the page with a silver-lined bookmark- <So, are you ready?>

Channah: Yep. And I do have extra pokéballs this time, so don’t - –goes over to the door and pauses-

-iron chains dress the door like an ugly industrial Christmas decoration, held in place by four locks-

-in red lettering, someone has written “Don’t go out!” on the door-

Channah: Er.

Montanari: <Curious.>

Channah: Guess you should've asked the room if it was ready, heh. -saunters over to inspect the chains-

Yesterday

Ren: Oh she's the planner...

edited 4th May '18 5:06:14 PM by keys2tkingdom

-Lucius blinks in surprise at Santiago.-

Lucius: Oh, uh... that's g-good to know. Not that it, um, changes anything. I just figured we'd hang out, have a couple beers, see what happens, y'know?

Ersatz

Colt stepped through the door, eyes immediately drifting to wherever the backpacks might be. He approached, but his focus drifted to some other things for stock. He reconstituted his focus by grabbing his fingerless Obscura gloves and admiring them as he approached.

The GM House

Deziree: So, Dune - what did you spend all that time doing?

Dune: Got a tip from Mesquite about a certain group.

Deziree: The School?

Dune: Team Iron. Something about a missing person. I tried looking. All the leads were colder than a Bergmite.

Deziree: Hm. And the last second detour?

Dune: Someone said they'd seen me somewhere nearby. Where I obviously wasn't.

Deziree: ... That's not good.

Dune: No. It's not.

Eclo Canyon

-Vulture lets out one final gasp as he regains feeling in his left foot.-

Vulture: That... was... an experience...

-He vomits onto the sand.-

Vulture: I must... try that again...

-Kai is on the couch, playing Breath of the Wild on Switch. She feels someone tap on her shoulder.-

Kai: Hmm?

-She looks up at Scarlette, who waves sheepishly.-

Scarlette: Um, hiya. Sorry to bother you.

Kai: Oh, it's fine. Something up?

Scarlette: No, I was just sorta... getting stir-crazy in my room, so I came out and saw you here. Um, mind if I watch?

Kai: Oh, sure. Here, make yourself comfortable.

-She scoots over to give Scarlette room to sit. She does so, curling up and looking over Kai's shoulder.-

Scarlette: I miss being able to play things myself. Kinda hard with only one hand to work with.

Kai: Oof, yeah, I can imagine. Barely anything's made in a way that works one-handed.

Scarlette: Yeah. I can, like... I can still play some Wii games, the ones that only use the remote. And I guess others that don't really rely on reaction times, like Capumon and stuff. I can just set it on a table and stretch my hand over stuff and all that.

Kai: You must be amazing at sleight of hand.

Scarlette: Oh, hell yeah, I'm fantastic at it. And other things that take good finger dexterity.

Kai: There's an obvious joke that I'll refrain from saying.

Scarlette: Yeah no it already crossed my mind as I was saying that.

-Kai snickers. Scarlette tints and shuts up.-

Ersatz Alliance

Allegedly Human Woman: ~Very well. How will you be paying?~ ♥

-a young girl wanders through the Safari Zone, eyes wide with wonder-

Lass Angel: H-hello?! Any Pokémon out there?

-behind a rock, a Marowak straightens her daughter's skull-

Columba: <"be ready to appear before humans always"; I guess it's your big day, sweetie.>

-she hugs the Cubone-

<Remember what Grandpa Bert told you about postcards! Sneak one to me so I'll know how my girl's doing, OK?>

Smile Smile: -nodding- <Of course!>

-hugging back- <I love you mom! And goodbye!>

-she then runs out from behind the rock-

<Hey human! Over here!> -hop hop-

Lass Angel: Huh?

Oh!!!

It's a cutie-bone! AAaaaaaaaaa!

What do I do?! They gave me Pokéballs to catch Pokémon here but Gerald said you are supposed to battle with your own Pokémon first but I don't have any Pokémon but mom and dad knew that so maybe I don't need to battle and I can just throw the ball?

-as the girl was preoccupied deriving the game mechanics of her universe, the Pokémon was calmly walking forwards, until standing directly in front of her-

Smile Smile: <That's about right!>

Lass Angel: Oh?

-she leans down, holding out the ball towards Smile Smile-

Do I just throw this at you?

Smile Smile: -grins- <Well, not necessarily...>

-she taps the ball, vanishing inside-

-ping!-

Lass Angel: EEEeeeeeee!

MOM I CAUGHT A POKÉMON!

Columba: -shedding a wistful tear- <They leave the nest so fast...>

Squealer: <With *this*!>

Squealer pulls out a debit card with an X design on it.

Ersatz

“Woah, hang on! I haven’t even decided yet,” he defended, his gloves subconsciously swirling with Obscura. And then he noticed Squealer, another face he swore he knew from somewhere. He dispelled it before he started looking through their selection, wondering if he knew that lady speaking in red from somewhere while at the same time wondering if those backpacks had any properties.

“Do I know you from somewhere,” he muttered under his breath. “And do these bags have any properties I should be alerted to?” He asked aloud.

edited 4th May '18 9:08:20 PM by AbsentCoder

HUMAN: ~ah, thank you, do you want to run that as credit or debit?~

-to Colton- ~oh, the surplus stock? Let's see...~

~this one's smaller on the inside than the outside...~

~this one reduces your weight by 50%...~

~this one makes Rest always last 8 turns when you use it...~

~this one can store 999 items of any size but you can't take something out without putting something else in to replace it...~

~this one's bigger on the inside but has a smaller zipper than the rest...~

~and this one is impossibly stylish.~

-Hale and some Aspects are sitting around a campfire on the beach at night. A large, pure black circle on the ground surrounds them, which seems to be keeping out the gray, vague humanoid shapes standing mindlessly around the edges and staring at them-

Metanoia: ...You know Hale, there's a time and a place for practice...

Hale: -grumbles about unfair sudden horde battles-

Fangirl: Um... It’s really hard to concentrate, with all these – things around... -‘’nervously eyes a figure just on the edge of the circle, its head tilted slightly to the side’’-

Truth: -snorts, tugging her hood lower- I’m so sorry, let me just build some nice cozy Void walls around us for privacy. Oh, that’s right – I can’t, because you fuckers stole a bunch of my magic for your dumbass “reconstruction projects”. See what happens when you start taking other aspects’ opinions seriously? -waves her arms- Democracy is a saccharine lie that ends with your mind getting invaded by boring Nobody ripoffs, remember that.

Dioh: -accidentally drops a marshmallow in the fire, then sighs. He seems far more relaxed in Truth’s presence than before- Eh, you weren’t really doing anything with all that magic, anyway. Just sitting in your cave and moping –

Truth: I can drop the barrier at any time. Any time. Just saying.

Metanoia: Guys. Please.

Fangirl: They definitely can’t come in, right? There’s so many... And they’re not attractive at all! Then there's the sky... -plays with her rings-

-indeed, the island shape of the mindscape is starting to resemble some kind of apartment space on the edges, walls and ceiling and inexplicably bland furniture coming in and out of focus in the sky and terrain. Dark red tendrils snake across the sand on the beach in random directions, phasing in and out of view-

Truth: Who knows. Even my power is bound to run out eventually. Although I probably deserve whatever awkward punishment this is, so whatever.

Hale: -stares down another figure facing the group; suddenly his eyes flash and an aborted Psychic seems to issue from the black gem on his head, causing the figure to jerk slightly- <…Icannotreachinsidetheirminds.Iamstartingtobelievethattheyhavenone.>

Metanoia: Hale, don’t keep taxing yourself. Maybe... Maybe it means being trapped in my room all night is getting to me. Cabin fever’s been bothering me more after that mindscape dive.

Hale: -settles down for a nap- <Idoubtit.Allowmetimetorecharge.Snuffle.>

-varying levels of Cuteness Proximity reactions ensue as the Espeon curls in on himself to sleep, tail flicking over his nose-

Ersatz

Colt grabbed the one that was bigger on the inside and compared the zipper to the size of the laptop bag and the Prax Obscura. Would it fit?

Well, of course it would, but would it fit through the zipper first, both ways? He could almost swear he knew who was operating the counter, but didn’t say anything.

-Tagg, Maggie, Sergey, Diane, Sholto, Gogie, Umbra, Ammy, Lina, Arika, Nico, and m!Robin all recieve letters inviting them to the wedding of Ace and Tsunami in Floroma Town on July 14th. Various accompanying papers give information on the hotel, other events, and who they can bring.-

-Most of them can take a plus one and their teams, with two exceptions.—

-Diane and Tagg are both allowed to bring as many people as they want.-

-Sholto, Gogie, Umbra, Ammy, Diane, Maggie, and Tagg also recieve an invitation to a wedding shower the week before the wedding.-

In summary:

Edited by SwiftSeraph on Jul 6th 2018 at 12:04:37 PM

She stops, noticing a mist of some sort emanating from a nearby alleyway.

Shiki: "Hm."

She steps towards the alley, one hand falling down to the handle of her knife.

She steps around the corner, greeted by the sight of a woman in a red and black dress accompanied by a Nihilego.

Iris: "What have we here?"

Shiki: "Nobody in particular."

Iris: "Well, Odysseus, might I ask a... favor?"

Shiki frowns. "Go... ahead."

Iris: "I'm looking for my dearest Artoria, see..."

Shiki's eyes flash with recognition.

Iris: "Oh, do you know something, dear?"

Shiki frowns, glancing between the Nihilego and Iris. "Yes."

Iris: "Oh?    Do tell.   "

Shiki: "No."

Iris: "   Why not?   "

Shiki: "Hm. I just can't stand you." She draws her knife.

Iris: "   Then I'll just have to get the information the hard way.   "

Shiki: "Good luck with that."

Iris: "   Ahriman.   "

Shiki attempts to remove her scarf, before the Nihilego grabs it, dragging her towards it.

Shiki: "Ahriman? The Zoroastrian devil?"

She slashes her knife up along the Nihilego's tentacle, causing it to recoil, and, more importantly and relevantly, release her scarf.

She attempts to undo the scarf, but is unable to before the Nihilego is once again on her.

Shiki: "You're just annoying!"

She leaps back, sliding along the ground into the street.

She looks up at the slowly advancing Nihilego.

Shiki: "Even a spirit, if it lives, I can kill it."

A voice calls out from a nearby roof.

???: "Hey, Shiki! Catch!"

Shiki glances over. "Touko?"

A sheathed katana sails through the air, which Shiki catches with one hand while she tries to finagle her scarf to no effect. Concerning, but can be dealt with when there isn't a crazy woman trying to extract information via unpleasant methods

Shiki tosses the sheathe to the side, looking up at the (still advancing) Nihilego.

"And you're not even that!"

edited 4th May '18 10:44:24 PM by Izshta

Squealer: <Oh, debit, please.>

He then notices Colt.

<Oh, hey! You seem kinda familiar too! My name's Squealer.>

Maggie is now 20 years old. And as one of the first things since reaching that age, se is lying on er bed after having watched a certain superhero movie with Tagg.

GC: Oh, Heya Ace

GC: What's Up?

edited 5th May '18 1:56:29 PM by CorvusAtrox

Virbank City Gym:

This time the Machop is hit by the Venoshock attack, however he manages to avoid getting poisoned and instinctively retaliates with a Revenge attack in the form of a roundhouse kick.

"Chopper and I are so in sync, he's sometimes able to already predict what kind of attack I'll want him to use," Mark points out with a sense of pride as briefly recalls some of their adventures and triumphs.

Ersatz

“‘Too?’” Colt parroted. “But yeah, the name’s Colton. I think I played half a hand of poker with you that Sylveon took over and won,” he recalled. “She was really proud of it.

“But yeah, ‘too’? You know her?” He asked.

Ahriman: {Teke-lili teke-lili!}

While Shiki's not doing much to the Alien Jellyfish, it's also not doing much to her.

Iris walks out of the alley, snarling.

Iris: "   Why are you being so difficult!   "

Shiki cuts a slash across one of the Nihilego's tentacles, who rears back, Teke-lili-ing it's displeasure.

Shiki: "You're not the first person to ask me that."

Iris extends a hand towards Shiki, apparently telekinetically grabbing her jacket by the left arm and yanking her towards her.

Iris: "   Tell me about my dearest Artoria!   "

Shiki: "No."

She slides out of her jacket, parrying a tentacle and dodging a Venoshock.

Iris snarls, furrowing her brow and dropping Shiki's jacket on the ground.

Iris: "   Kill her.   "

Ahriman: -angry?- {Teke-lili! Teke-lili!}

Shiki attempts to jump back, but Ahriman wraps their tentacles around her left arm, twisting and crushing it.

Shiki: "Aah!"

She brings her sword around, shattering the blade against the side of Ahriman's bell, eliciting an angry screech, causing Ahriman to release her arm, which flops to the side, limp.

Shiki looks down at the now-appearing brown-black stains on her kimono, frowns, and dive rolls to collect her jacket as a Golurk slams an Earthquake into the ground below Ahriman.

Ahriman teke-lilis angrily, retreating.

Shiki, meanwhile, goes and leans against a wall, using her still-functional arm, her teeth, and her knife to bind her arm with her coat.

The mist recedes as the Golurk continues to chase the Nihilego off.

A red-haired woman◊ with glasses in a tan, high-collared trenchcoat over a white button-up shirt and black slacks walks over and stands above Shiki as she ties off her jacket.

Shiki glances up at her. "Eh. Touko."

??? Touko: -grinning.- "Shiki. Getting into trouble as usual, I see."

edited 5th May '18 10:19:28 PM by Izshta

edited 5th May '18 4:59:45 PM by SwiftSeraph

Squealer has a realization,

Squealer: <Oh, yeah! That game! That was fun.>

<And I dunno why I said too! It just felt like an appropriate addition!>

GC: Yup, I Got It.

GC: Glad To See You Got A Date Settled On.

edited 5th May '18 6:02:53 PM by CorvusAtrox

Thanks to Herb for spagging this with me!

-Having returned to Pyrite Town, Alice is leaning outside the doorway of a slightly battered townhouse, adjusting her tie.-

???: You certainly look dressed for the weather.

-Alice looks up to see Kai approaching. In contrast to her usual appearance, she's instead wearing a plain-looking tank top and shorts, certainly better suited to the heat. Alice looks her up and down before replying.-

Alice: The price of fashion is a costly deodorant bill.

-She smiles.-

Alice: That said, I am glad to see you here. I was wondering whether you would accept my invitation.

-Kai grins in return.-

Kai: It came at a good time. I'm certainly glad to be here, I've been looking forward to this visit. And to seeing you again, of course.

Alice: Charmed.

-She straightens up.-

Alice: I assume you'll be wanting the full guided tour, then?

Kai: Oh, of course.

-She gestures inside-

Kai: Lead the way~

-Alice nods, and steps through the door. The landing is pretty unremarkable - just a flight of stairs and a flatpack desk, behind which is sat a young woman with white hair pulled up in a tight bun.-

Lissa: Welcome back. I didn't know we were expecting guests.

Alice: Lissa, this is Kai. Kai, Lissa. She's a Frontier Brain and... old acquaintance.

Lissa: Yeah, we've met. Should I put her on the client list, or is this just a booty call?

-Alice reddens slightly. Kai stifles a giggle.-

Alice: She's just looking around.

Kai: Yeah, we're tragically not that close yet. Anyway, it's a pleasure to see you again.

-She gives a subtle bow. Lissa raises an eyebrow at Alice.-

Alice: ...Whatever you have to say, keep it to yourself.

Lissa: Wasn't gonna say anything in the first place.

-She jabs a thumb behind her.-

Lissa: Anyways, you're probably gonna want to head downstairs. That's where the magic happens.

-Alice nods, and pulls out a key to what appears to be the cupboard under the stairs - only to use it to open a heavy metal door that leads down onto another stairwell. She gestures to the doorway.-

Alice: After you.

-Kai grins, and enters, descending down the stairwell.-

Kai: I'd almost forgotten I'd met her before. She looks like she's doing so much better!

Alice: Yes, reasserting one's own free will after years of indoctrination will do that to a person.

-She continues down the stairs until she comes to another metal door.-

Alice: I will admit that we are all rather rough around the edges here. I decided early on that the best way to combat criminal networks such as Cipher would be to recruit those who understand how such people think. Criminal mentalities rarely develop in isolation.

Kai: That's certainly understandable. Theoretical knowledge can only take us so far before we need the minds of those who have lived it themselves, after all. And I definitely trust your ability to screen them fully and effectively, I'd expect nothing less.

Alice: Why thank you. Plus said experience lends itself well to retrieving Shadow Pokemon - by whatever means necessary - and returning them to their owners.

-She leads Kai down to a barracks-esque room, where a brawny, brown-haired young man is sat around a table with two others in paramilitary gear, only distinguishable by the fact that one has her hair pulled into a ponytail.-

Alice: Speaking of which, meet the retrieval team.

Seth: I swear, slight me again and I will see your cities burned, your roads torn up, and your crops turned to ash.

Val: Dude, we're playing Catan. Chill the hell out.

-Kai snickers at the exchange.-

Kai: Now, where's the fun in a game if you can't be in character? That's what makes it fun.

-She waves to the group. Mook and Val wave back, while Seth raises an eyebrow-

Seth: In character?

Val: Hey, Al. Who's yer squeeze?

Mook: You didn't tell me she was cute. I woulda shaved if I'd known.

-Alice huffs. Kai raises an eyebrow, smirking in amusement.-

Alice: Kai is here in her professional capacity as a Frontier Brain. Nothing more.

-She turns back to Kai.-

Alice: Seth was formerly a Neo-Galactic Excubitor, and Val and Mook worked for Cipher. All have expressed a desire, if not explicitly to make amends, then to put their talents to use in opposition to their former employers.

Kai: It's a pleasure. You know, I'm noticing a trend of people expecting things to be more intimate between me and anyone else, is there something I should know about this establishment that I didn't know previously?

-Val smirks.-

Val: Yeah, you rumbled us. We're all here for casual hookups. All the detective shit is just for show.

-Kai gasps in mock astonishment, putting a hand to her mouth all dramatic-like.-

Kai: My word, Alice, I can't believe you would deceive me like this! How can I possibly trust you now that you've revealed your ulterior motives?

-Despite the faint redness in her cheeks, Alice manages to maintain a perfect deadpan.-

Alice: I was hoping that the whirlwind romanticism of boiling deserts and morally ambiguous espionage would have swept you off your feet by now.

Kai: Gosh, you're all such scoundrels. Are there any other dashing rogues I should be meeting while I'm here?

???: Oh, is that my cue?

-A white-gloved hand takes Kai's from behind and twirls her around, revealing a slender figure in a bauta mask who bows and mimes a kiss. Kai can't help but laugh, grinning wildly.-

Minstrel: What elaborate errand brings your vivacious visage to my magnanimous majesty?

-Alice sighs.-

Alice: Kai, this is Minstrel. He's primarily responsible for missions requiring a level of infiltration and espionage. And yes, he's always like this.

-Kai giggles more, bowing in return.-

Kai: Oh, make no mistake, Minstrel made his mark in my memory many moons ago. I would remember that audacious alliteration anywhere~ Goldenrod, was it?

Minstrel: Indeed! I must say, I imagine the impression was impeccable. Fate must favour my fair figure if it has brought your beauty to meet me once more.

Alice: Tone it down, you two.

Kai: Oh, fine. We can reflect on our reunion another time.

-She turns to Alice-

Kai: I can certainly say you've held my interest in this motley group, if there's any way I could fit in. I don't suppose it takes an audition?

-A brief expression of surprise passes across Alice's face before being replaced with a smile.-

Alice: I'd say I'm confident in your competence.

Minstrel: See? My intonation is infectious~

-Alice rolls her eyes and ignores Minstrel.-

Alice: I will admit I'm surprised, though. I would have thought your responsibilities to the Battle Frontier and the J-Team occupy most of your time already.

-Kai rubs the back of her neck.-

Kai: The Battle Frontier certainly does, but I am a fair bit more distant from the J-Team than I used to be. Hell, I spent almost all of last year away from them after my official induction to the Frontier. Those duties may make my involvement somewhat intermittent, but regardless, I'd still be happy to lend my abilities to this whole endeavor when I can.

Alice: Then we'd be happy to have you.

Mook: Hey, don't we get a vote?

Alice: No. This is a dictatorship, pure and simple.

Minstrel: Gasp! A dictatorship? How dastardly!

-He whirls around to Kai.-

Minstrel: Madame, we have been misled! We must commence a crusade against this terrible tyranny!

Alice: You literally just said the word "gasp".

-Kai giggles.-

Kai: How terrible. That said, I feel like I know what your votes would have been anyway.

-She winks at Mook, who goes slightly red. One can almost see the sparkle.-

Val: I guess it would be nice to make this place less of a sausagefest...

Mook: Dude, we're literally split 50/50.

Minstrel: In what way?

Mook: Y'know. Gender-wise.

Minstrel: Whomst the fück is a gender?

Kai: I can't possibly imagine what they might be talking about. I'm afraid I'm not as clear-cut as most people might assume, you know.

Minstrel: That makes two of us, then~

-Alice clears her throat.-

Alice: Regardless, we'd all be very glad to have you aboard.

Kai: I'm glad to hear~ I'll certainly look forward to it, I can say that much.

Alice: As will I.

-There is a lingering pause.-

Val: ...Well, there's too many of us for Catan, but I've had a Caverns and Charizards campaign on the backlog for a while if yer sticking around.

Kai: Ooh, count me in, Diane and Skye never have the time for a campaign with their work, and I've had a rogue rolled up for a while.

Val: Aight! Someone run upstairs and grab Lis, we're about to get adventurous.

Alice: Are you sure she would be-

Val: Oh yeah. She's just as much of a nerd as the rest of us, she just don't like to admit it.

-Kai grins, and takes a seat as Mook goes upstairs to fetch Lissa.-

edited 5th May '18 6:31:58 PM by BittersweetNSour

Jab: <Because I lost!>

Ever: You tied. Strictly speaking, you won.

Jab: <Not cleanly.>

-he huffs-

Ever: Dude, you were, like, MVP for my Sinnoh League run. You can't tell me you're still doubting yourself.

Pleth: <Well, you know, it's about how tough you feel.>

Ever: Isn't that usually more about being pretty?

Pleth: <What's the difference?>

-Ever glances between them-

Ever: ...I can see the family resemblance.

Both: <Shut,>

Ever: -giggles-

Come on, Jab, I'll find you a fight.

Jab: <Whoo!>

Pleth: <Hey, maybe we could use this fight as a chance to—>

Ever: Later!

Pleth: <It's always later.>

-nevertheless, she follows along as Ever and Jab head outside-

-PEFE!Every is returning to her room, when she notices that the door is very slightly ajar-

-she frowns-

PEFE!Every: Spark, did you leave the door open?

Spark: <I did not. Did you?>

PEFE!Every: -shakes her head firmly- It could be Tuft, but...hm.

-drawing a scalpel from her coat, she enters the room-

-and a bucket falls from the door, onto her head, soaking her completely. Spark dives for cover, and is not so much as splashed-

-...-

-PEFE!Every stands there in shock for a moment, before slowly removing the bucket. Attached to it is a note-

-PEFE!Every takes off her beanie, squeezing water out of it-

PEFE!Every: Step 1, change the locks. Step 2?

Spark: <Oh dear.>

PEFE!Every: Payback.

Spagged with Tangent and Corvus, thanks guys.

The solution would be simple enough, Delta set down the money he had gained from the Charizard sale, a refund.

Paul looked over and sighed. "Why do my suppliers have to be so difficult of late."

“And what, Delta, do you need with my weremon?” Paul asked testily

Delta looked at Paul and responded, “Because I was hired to pick up the Weremon for another customer, I figured since I was never hired by you for that job and we merely exchanged, it should be a simple refund.”

The logic was sound, it wasn’t a job so he had no reason to finish it, Paul had plenty of exhibits for his zoo, and the other customer had already hired Delta, no harm no fowl.

Paul stood up, placing his palms on the desk, “You understand that I get attached to my collection pieces. A mere refund couldn't compensate me for the emotional value.”

“Then what do you want in return Paul?” Delta asked, “We are both men of business, what do you want in compensation for the Charizard?”

Plan A had failed, time for Plan B, failing that, Plan C. Delta was prepared.

Paul scratched his chin, “Another lycanthrope might sway me... a like-for-like trade.”

“Another Lycanthrope… do you have a specific target in mind?” Delta asked, masking his disgust, a job was a job.

Paul opened a desk drawer, pulling out a printed-out darknet page featuring a two-month old job posting from a certain bounty hunter, “I believe you took this job? It mentions a... let me see here... were-Mightyena?”

Delta tilted his head, considering the helmet it was hard to be expressive at times before saying, “That is my current client. I cannot bring you my client in exchange for the Charizard, that goes against the terms of the job.”

Dracula shrugged at Zatara, <If only there were more Lycanthropes nearby… Maybe we could grab them.>

Paul smirked and shrugged, “Well, Delta, at the moment we seem to be at an impasse then. Come back when you have a better card to trade.”

Delta gave Paul a look and then stepped out of the office, Zatara sticking out his tongue while Dracula bowed, Plan A and Plan B hadn’t worked, time for Plan C. Delta did have a schedule to keep.

A man wearing a suit with messy hair and an extravagant looking mustache walks past, looking a bit unsure and glancing at the people who came out of the office, stopping suddenly, then trying to hurry on his way.

Another extravagant mustache stands in the man's way, floating around the face(?) of a pillar of shadows holding a newspaper and trying to look inconspicuous.

The man just glares at the other extravagant mustache but does nothing yet.

As Delta stepped out, he noticed the men with mustaches, they weren’t very good at hiding, and this was coming from the guy in the metal mask with a Alakazam that wore a top-hat.

“Zatara… Scan em.”

Zatara nodded and proceeded to try and psychically probe the individuals.

The man with the mustache was most definitely the Charizard Delta was looking for.

The shadow did not register at all. The deep void of a Dark type.

Zatara opted to ignore the Dark Type, after all the Target was right there, ~Ey boss. Found em.~

Delta turned his eyes to the messy haired business man and started to march forwards, “This should be easy… Just have to tell him that he’s wanted back…”

Dracula stalked alongside Delta, grinning.

Not hearing whatever Delta was muttering and getting an obvious panic response from this, the messy haired man with the obviously fake mustache runs off in another direction. Not necessarily the best one for an exit, just one to try and lose them.

Delta stopped, before breaking out into a sprint, “After them,” was the only thing he muttered. Dracula took ahead, being the fastest one there and slowly started to gain on Hazard.

<Cease your running, you cannot evade us.>

"I won't let you catch me again!" Hazard says in turn, attempting to duck underneath a table in the Wizardry: The Convergence section of the casino.

<It’s in your best interest. We were hired to get you. We shall, this I promise,> Dracula responded jumping onto the table and poking his head under, a wicked grin on his face.

"I'm not gonna let you do this!"

Hazard, unable to run further, Slashes at Dracula's face. Granted, since he's a human this is unlikely to do much, even if he hasn't clipped his nails much.

It didn’t, and Dracula was lightly slapped, he did not look amused and proceeded to grip onto Hazard and drag him out, <You’ll be less trouble if you’re… sleepy.>

Hazard thrashes against the Noivern, trying to get out of his grasp. "Ngh, if I were a Pokemon like last time, I'd show you!"

<So you claim Fire Lizard,> Dracula responded before biting into Hazard’s neck.

This wouldn't hurt Hazard much if he were a Charizard, but being a human currently, he's getting weaker. He flails a bit, but less so.

When Hazard went limp enough, Dracula smirked and stopped, <There we go…>

Delta stepped forward with Zatara, “Got him under control?”

Dracula gave a thumbs up and Zatara snickered, ~For my next trick! I shall dis a pear!~

“You mean disappear…"

~That too!~

A newspaper and fake mustache get thrown in Zatara's face.

Delta smirks under his mask, “It’s been fun,” he says.

With a snap, Zatara announced, ~Ladies and gentlemen thank you for your time you have been a great audience! GOODNIGHT!~

And with a blast of confetti and smoke, they were gone.

The team reappeared in the cargo bay and Zatara let go of Hazard.

Delta crouched over and slapped Hazard a few times, before pulling out a syrette with a booster and injecting Hazard.

“Wakey wakey… It’s time to give you the lowdown.”

Hazard gets up, still feeling kinda drained even with the booster shot and looks at Delta.

"Ngh… What are you gonna do with me this time… Didn't bother freezing me, huh?..."

Delta shook his head slowly, “Wasn’t hired for that. Got hired by a old friend of yours to get you back. Would have explained that I was there to get you out but you ran.”

<That and we probably didn’t explain very well… Oh well. I figured being free of the Macrauls would be incentive enough to go with us.>

"...Get me back as in back to Gogie? Geez, I didn't expect anyone to go that route, but…"

He rubs the place where Dracula bit him.

"Still, what did that Noivern do to me? I still feel so weak…."

“Just a little bit of leech life, make you passive otherwise you would be struggling the entire time. You’ll be fine. Dracula lives up to his name.”

<I am the night.>

~Wrong franchise.~

<Not if you read the Vampire version of Zubatman.>

~Well yeah, but still doesn’t hold a candle to the original book of Dracula or the current Zubatman rebirth seri-~

“It can wait. We can discuss comics at a later date. Congrats Hazard, your friend got lucky with a loophole in the job. Had I been hired to capture you, then the starting price they gave would have had to contest what Paul gave me, since you were a extra. I figure this works out. A Job’s a job.”

A Peon walked in and saluted before Delta.

“Take him to the infirmary and make sure he won’t die on us. I’ll contact our client in a little bit.”

The Peon nodded and marched over to Hazard.

Hazard, still in a fog, gets led over. This was a pain, if he'd be experiencing this he'd rather be frozen or something. He was glad he was going back to Gogie, but… this whole thing.. Ngh… He looks for a bit at the Peon's neck as he's led, finding something… strangely alluring about it.

“Hey if you’re going to stare, dinner and a movie first… We really need to get you fed, you look awful,” the Peon responded leading Hazard out.

edited 5th May '18 7:23:28 PM by EchoingSilence