Lumiose Airport

Aphrodite: -blinks- ...I think I scared her.

-sighs, makes a phonecall-

Yes? It's me sweetie, I'm back. Listen, get me a J-Teamer, I'm going to need help explaining some things to someone.

Edited by Umbramatic on Aug 16th 2018 at 9:52:38 AM

Almost as soon as she arrived at the toilets - surprisingly empty for this hour - she locked herself in a cubicle on the far end of the room, rummaged around in her luggage for Birdie's Quick Ball, and unleashed him right there inside the cubicle.

"<Oogh, I bloody hate flyin'... you called, Miss Jetta? Wait, why the bloody 'ell we in a bog box? This a Kalosian bog? I thought it'd smell nicer...>" the Scrafty mused to himself. Jetta couldn't understand exactly what he was saying but she could tell he was confused.

"Listen, Birdie; I've got kind of an emergency on my hands here!" she said, reaching for her phone. "If you see anyone approaching, say, with intent to break in here, with the property damage and the carting me off to parts unknown, I want you to kick their greenhorn asses! And NO peeking under the other cubicles, that's rude, remember!?"

"<Alright, alright, no need to get all stroppy... coulda just left it at kickin' someone's arses.>"

Jetta soon dialed up the number at the very top of her contacts list: EVP Polyxene Krete, though she was labelled here as just 'Boss Krete'.

"Sullivan. Are you in Kalos yet? If not, you have no reason to be calling."

"No no no wait, I am in Kalos, uh... sorry, Executive Vice President, I was rude. It's just, there's an emergency! I think, uh... I think someone's trying to kidnap me! Or recruit me into some secret agency of Kyurem-only-knows-what!"

"...So? If this was a real emergency, you wouldn't have called me, you'd have called the police."

Jetta paused for a moment, cringing at herself for not thinking the same thing, on top of all the other things she'd failed to think of thus far.

"...Um... well, I don't know if it's an emergency, to be honest, but... this woman, Aphrodite Clavis, a big shot, with the CEO of Yggdrasil and the connections with some group called the J-Team... you haven't heard of them, have you?"

"Might have done. I think they had something to do with those PEFE eggheads, the ones who stole Pokefutures' assets from us..." Krete paused on the other line; listening closely, Jetta could hear the noise of an exercise bike speeding up a bit, the EVP obviously getting motivation from that rather unpleasant reminder. "Whoever they are, I don't trust them. In fact, even if I had no idea who they were, I still wouldn't trust them. How'd you get involved with them, anyway?"

"Well, uh... you see, um... the flight here was cancelled, and I was wor- I mean, I wanted to get here quickly, with the efficiency and the extra time, and then Clavis offered to give me a free flight, and..."

"What, you mean to tell me some random-ass stranger, big-name or not, asked you to get into her plane and you said yes? Have you never heard of 'stranger danger', Sullivan? I thought we discussed this!"

Jetta cringed at herself once more, even worse than the first time. How the hell did she not think of that? Arcsdamn, she was a big, fat idiot right now. "Well, I mean... when you put it like that..."

"Why didn't you just get your ticket refunded and then wait for the next flight? I booked it early precisely because I thought this might happen; the system's in place for a reason, you know!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, I-I made a mistake, but..."

"Well, there's no point whining about it now. Just get on with what I asked you to do, and if this Clavis woman makes you some kind of offer, just say no. If you're in the middle of a crowded, public-ass airport, she can't force you to do anything. Just say no and get the hell out of there, and call me back later, I need to discuss something else with you but I'm already five minutes behind on my daily spinning."

"Okay, yes, will do!" Jetta finished, before hanging up first - Krete liked that, she knew, because it showed initiative.

Unfortunately, while she was distracted with her phone, she only just managed to catch the rather alarming sight of Birdie lying down on the floor, sticking his head out from under the cubicle door. <"'EEEEEEERE'S BIRDIE, LADIES!"> he announced, an announcement which was met with screams and the clacking of high heels as some other toilet occupants fled the room.

"Urrrgggh, Birdie! What did I just tell you? That's not what a gentlemon does! Bad Scrafty! Bad!"

"<Eheh, sorry, Miss Jetta... just 'ad to do it. I always wanted to do it.>"

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Aug 16th 2018 at 3:01:49 PM

Lumiose Airport

-Aphrodite sees people fleeing the bathroom-

-Aphrodite sighs into her phone-

Aphrodite: ...Rod, we might want to hurry.

Stormlaundry

Galiya: <What, a missing Whimsicott? No, that can't be me, I most certainly did not fall into a vent while my trainer who I definitely do not have was not noticing.>

Soon, Jetta returns from the toilet, having put Birdie back in his Quick Ball and anxiously looking around in case those poor women he scared off were still there. Both fortunately and yet unfortunately, she ran back into Clavis. This time around, she opted to do her best to stand up straight and let her say something first, just to see what'd come out of her mouth. Who knows, maybe she had been wrong about this whole thing. ...Unlikely, but still.

Lumiose Airport

Aphrodite: There you are!

...I'm sorry. I haven't been clear enough. Is there anything you want explained?

Stormchaser administrative offices

Tommy knocks on the door, having donned a deerstalker cap just for the occasion. The walk toward the room didn't make a lot of sense to him but his gut instinct told him this was the place. He also had a feeling he knew where the whimsicott was.

Had things be different, he'd have chosen a much different field, using the power of science and logic to catch bad guys as part of the CCPD. But that didn't pan out and now he's a journalist who does investigative work as part of the job. Which is its own kind of hero, he mused.

Edited by MasterJayAM on Aug 16th 2018 at 10:45:24 PM

Stormchaser

-Who else does Rod find but Isbrand Sapphire?-

Jetta emphatically shakes her head. "I think, ah, I think I've figured out what's going on here now. I'm sorry, Miss Clavis, but w-whatever it is you're offering me, I'm afraid... I'm not interested. I have my own reasons for uh, being here, with the work and the business expenses and the pre-paid bookings. You're going to have to find someone else for whatever it is you want. N-now, I understand this probably means you gave me a free flight for no reason, but just, uh... just email B.C. Angela about it, and they'll deduct the costs from my next paycheque. O-okay? Good. I mean, at least I hope so!"

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Aug 16th 2018 at 4:03:09 PM

Stormchaser

Aphrodite: -blinks- Oh. I just wanted you to meet the J-Team. But alright. If you need to go off on your own feel free.

Stormchaser

-Rod suddenly shows up out of nowhere and hands Shaun his phone-

Stormchaser, elsewhere

Julius: I think that got the message across.

Edited by Umbramatic on Aug 16th 2018 at 11:22:46 AM

Stormchaser

-Shaun, not even questioning his life anymore, take the phone and mouths "call?".-

Stormchaser

-Rod nods-

Stormchaser

-Shaun holds the phone to his ear.-

Shaun: "Yo."

Jetta blinked rapidly for a moment, trying to discern if she was being genuine. But- no, she'd already made her mind up, she was on a tight schedule here. "W-well, you understand, it's not necessarily that I didn't want to meet them, it's just that I'm on a deadline, you know, with the ticking clocks and the rapprochements for lateness. Krete has me going all over the place so I can't plan too far ahead, hehe... egh. Sorry... but thanks for the lift, though, I really appreciate it! Maybe I'll see this Storm thing later on, anyways; I mean, it sounds pretty uh, well... you know," she said, gesturing with her hands to indicating something huge.

"Anyway, I should probably go get a taxi. See ya, Miss Clavis!" she said cheerfully, apparently having managed to overcome that initial nervousness simply by asserting herself. She waved and wandered off to the arrivals lobby.

Lumiose Airport

-Aphrodite blinks, sighs, heads off, and picks up her phone-

Aphrodite: Is this a J-Teamer other than my son?

The video displayed showed a 2.5D fighting game, it was a advertisement, a trailer, showing off the J-Team in various fighting poses, kicking each other's ass with various different big flashy moves. Ending with a cinematic of sorts.

"Finally, after all this time, I have been released," A deep voice said, Red eyes glowed and the trailer ended.

The comments of course went:

Harold and Stylus sat awaiting the Gym Leader, former actor, star, and surprisingly decent guy, his accent left a little to be desired but apparently in text he was extremely articulate. The two were talking it over of what the fight would be like, he was a bug type leader and who to use.

Stylus would obviously be leading, Harold intended on that, next to Stylus was Oliver, flying types held advantage over bug types and this would be a good first gym for the owl, after that was Amber, fire hurt all the time.

Out stepped a mountain of a man, former bodybuilder and actor Rip Stinger, "Welcome to my gym!" He stated warmly.

Harold stepped forward and smiled, introducing himself and shaking hands with Rip, they got through some pleasantries and Rip looked at Harold's first choice Stylus, "Huh. Why is his left arm metal?"

<Well obviously it's because I'm a steel type,> Stylus joked.

"He got in a accident and needed a new one made, hopefully not everyone will ask," Harold explained.

"I'll let them know after this match, so, you think you can take on the Stinger?" Rip asked grinning.

Harold stepped over to the ring and let Amber, Stylus, and Oliver pose together, "I think we're ready."

"Good, let's begin," Rip said tossing 3 pokeballs into the air, out popping a Kricketune, A Scizor, and a Pinsir.

Oliver blinked, <Silas what in the name of Alola have you gotten me in to?>

Stormchaser Admin Office Front Door

Stormchaser

Shaun: "Assuming you aren't also my mother, Ms. Clavis."

Interpol HQ

-Shun is currently wandering the office with a sheaf of files in hand, searching for JD.-

JD can be found at a computer terminal conversion with various Porygons printing out a few files, he sees Shun, "Ah detective. We ready to move?"

The battle had begun, Oliver was glad his wing was good again and just barely dodged as the Kricketune, Shifu, leaped outwards, <I hate this! I'm not a high enough level for this!>

Amber was holding back the Pinsir, Rook, with a steady stream of fire, her back blazing as she took on a wicked grin.

Stylus was actually locked in a dual of metal claw with the Scizor, Flyn, and was having a little trouble holding his own.

<You know the last mon to use Metla Claw on me took my arm,> Stylus commented as he held off another strike.

<Really now?> Flyn asked.

Stylus grinned and kicked Flyn in the chest, <Yeah, makes me mad.>

Oliver took to pecking Shifu and flying off, <I HATE THIS! I DON'T WANNA BE HERE!>

Flyn grinned at Stylus, <Oh, tougher than you look.>

<Buddy I'm a Lucario, fighting and steel typing, My trainer made sure endurance was a stat we raised to max.>

Flyn smirked, <SWITCH!>

Stylus looked confused, only to suddenly get kicked in the back of the head by Shifu, Rook leaped up and gripped Oliver, and Amber was suddenly struck by a Bullet Punch, sending her flying.

Harold whistled, "You're the starting Gym right?"

"Ya, you don't get as good as I do in this town without providing a bit of a challenge," Rip responded.

Harold looked over his bracers and gave it some thought, "Nah. Hey, line em up!"

Oliver used razor leaf on Rook and escaped, Stylus looked at Shifu and growled, before backing off, and Amber used Fire Wheel to escape.

Oliver hid behind Stylus as Amber rolled up, the 3 bug types were gaining close, Stylus took a deep breath, brought his paws together.

Rip raised a brow, "Aura sphere, it might work on one, but all of them?"

<Kaaaaaa-> Stylus began.

Shifu instantly started to dig his heels in, <What?!>, the others continued.

<Meeeeee->

Flyn blinked, <What are you doing?>

<Haaaaaaameeeeeeee->

Rook continued to charge, <Doesn't matter! We can win!>

Stylus opened his eyes, thrust his paws forward, a devious grin on his face as he did so.

"Amber, Inferno! Oliver, Leafage!" Harold called out, the two did as told.

From Stylus's palms a beam of aura shot, soon with curling attacks around it from Amber and Oliver as it flew towards the pursuing bug types.

<Oh> <Sweet> <ARCEUS!>

The attack found it's mark and the attackers were tossed across the room into a wall, out cold.

Stylus grinned and dropped to a knee feeling a little dizzy, Oliver waddled over and nuzzled against Stylus, Amber just gave a thumbs up (as best as one could while lacking thumbs). Harold whistled and grinned, "Great work everyone!"

Stylus gave his left arm a swing, the mechanisms giving a soft whirr, they were still working.

Rip clapped and stepped forward, "Good showmanship, nice attack. Didn't know your Lucario could do that," he commented.

"Yeah well Stylus is special, he's full of surprises."

Interpol HQ

-Shun nods at JD.-

Shun: Indeed we are.

-He slaps the sheaf of files down in front of JD.-

Shun: It seems that we are indeed looking at a set of three gems that our costumed thief is likely after. I was unable to find anything on the system about the third in the set, but I was able to locate the second: the Sapphire of the Sunken Kingdom. Apparently it's currently in possession of Ogden Dupont, owner of the Lumiose Game Corner. Interpol have him on record as a PoI but haven't been able to prove a connection to any criminal activity. He keeps the gem in his apartment, as part of a private collection above the Game Corner.

-He gives the rare smile of one who relishes this part of the job.-

Shun: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

JD let out a smirk, only to stop as he saw the avatar of CleverOS standing there with them, smiling. He hated that only he could see Clever.

"Yes, I do. Stakeout, we'll pick out a optimal location and then move in."

Interpol HQ

-Shun claps his hands together.-

Shun: Precisely. We wait for our thief to come to us. And... as much as I am loath to admit it, the vehicle you have access to will be ideal for this case. Let's get moving.

Lumiose City, outside the Game Corner - Several hours later...

-JD's spinner has been parked on the street opposite the Game Corner, and he and Shun are sitting inside, waiting intently. The silence has been hanging in the air for a good fifteen minutes before Shun finally breaks it.-

Shun: ...I did read your file, you know. I know about your intervention in the hostage situation that developed here.

Lumiose Game Corner

-Inside the Game Corner itself, the place is bustling. People from all over the city have come to spend their well-earned cash on the machines and the entertainment available. Looking over the casino floor, however, is an elderly, balding man who is taking no part in the revelry. Rather, he is tapping his cane impatiently against the floor and glancing over at a PDA hovering three feet above the floor next to him.-

Ogden: Hrm. Where is she?

RotomPDA: Latest updates from Lumiose Airport suggests many flights have been delayed. Perhaps hers was one of them.

Ogden: Still. I'd expect some update. I'd rather not be down here for longer than I can avoid.

Edited by Herbert40k on Aug 17th 2018 at 5:02:55 PM

Clay Tunnel

Rumba smirks.

Rumba: <Heh, those guys? They were easy. We can take on more.>

Hajime: "Whew, you're okay? That's good."

"And y-yeah, I'm trying to help. You have any leads we can go on?"

Angela, Bug Type Gym

Ken is watching, fairly impressed.

Truth be told, Jetta had actually been shadowing the older fellow for at least a whole minute by the time he started complaining about how late she was... even though according to her schedule she was actually bang-on time. Old man must be going senile, she thought, but better to not mention that... along with some other things, that she'd been busy mentally striking off a list. Come to think of it, she probably should have done that before she got here. It's not like she didn't have plenty of time, especially after waiting to get in, and then hailing an employee to tell her where the owner was, and- okay, now she's just putting it off.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Dupont?" Jetta finally revealed herself, clutching a briefcase close to her chest. Not quite her comfort clipboard, but close enough. Though given how loud it was, she wouldn't have been surprised if her weedy little voice fell on deaf ears.