Ask to Join Chilled to the Bone (15+) [RP]

[vaultie]

(( Discussion/Sign-up thread is here ))

-

Po Town, 10:23 AM

The slight patter of rain against the worn window was enough to wake Dahlia, her magenta eyes slowly adjusting to the low light of the room. Even in the daytime, the amount of light that Po Town saw was little, thanks to the constant overcast above the walled establishment. They could thank Tapu Bulu for that.

She yawned, peering around at those she shared her room with. Imagine that, three girls in a single room. Her dark eyes blinked, noting that both of her "sisters" were still sound asleep. She slowly tugged her covers off, the carpeted floor creaking slightly as she tiptoed past the other two beds.

Her first order of business was to take a shower- Hopefully there wouldn't be anyone else using the bathroom. Towel in hand, she knocked on the door, awaiting a response. ...Nothing. A sigh of relief escaped from her lips, as she entered, locking the door behind her and letting the water run. As much as she wanted to enjoy it, she knew the Boss would chew her out for taking too long or using up too much hot water. Thus, she was stuck with an 8-minute, lukewarm shower. Hopefully none of the other girls that shared the bathroom with her were waiting outside.

 

[Peachy Ace]

Ace shot awake, having yet another terrible nightmare. The weather conditions in Po Town didn't wake him, neither did the sleeping conditions either. Almost every night he would be presented with a horrible nightmare, to which he wouldn't get out of until the morning. He groaned, his fellow Admins still fast asleep. The Admins all stayed in one room, separate of all the other grunts. Both Plumeria and Atty, we're currently asleep, along with an empty bed. He didn't want to disturb either of them, so making as little noise as possible, he crawled to the window next to his bed and opened it, jumping though, and ending up on the roof, where a down pour awaited him. "One day Tapu Bulu, one day," groaned Ace, sliding down the roof and safely onto the ground, although his ankles did tremble a bit. "What to do today..."

 

[Senrova]

In contrast to the depressing weather in Po town, Andy was up bright and early in the cheery weather of Akala island, Paniola town. It felt amazing to be back in his home town and he felt somewhat nostalgic. Eager to introduce his two closest friends [Felix (from Kalos) and Codi (from Sinnoh)] to his home island, he scurried out of his bedroom and grabbed his bag (packed by his mother) from the table. Andy briefly waved goodbye to his parents as he quickly shut the door behind him. He looked around, wondering where he should release his team from their Pokéballs. The Pokémon in his possession were not exactly compact in size so just throwing them out anywhere wasn't a wise choice. He decided to walk out of town and begin his journey through route 4. Memorial Hill seemed a good place to start, so he headed over there.

 

[Foxy_Boxes]

The morning rain poured hard on Po Town, drenching everything in sight. Murkrow howled in the morning air, unfazed by the sun behind the dark clouds. In the courtyard of a run-down apartment complex, under a balcony, stood Gers, a lanky, skinny mid-tier Grunt, and his partner Pokemon Robin, a Rowlet, beside him. Gers was smoking a cigarette as the rain pattered down onto the concrete in front of him, creating a fine mist.

Po Town always gets a lot of rain; maybe we should pray to Groudon for some sunshine... No, thought Gers, who shook his head, I can't think like that no more. Daddy always told me them legendaries didn't exist. If he knows I still believe in them, he'll beat me to high Distortion World.

Gers took another drag of his cigarette and looked down at Robin. Robin looked up and gave Gers a friendly tweet, trying to cheer him up. Gers smiled and pet Rowlet on the head.

"Maybe we'll get out of here again, buddy," Gers said, looking out into the courtyard, longingly, "One day. Then we can get back to our challenge."

Gers put out the cigarette and returned Robin to his ball.

"Well," Gers said, adjusting his beanie to best hide his Z-Ring, "Time for rounds."

Gers left the courtyard and began his guard patrol around Po Town.

 

[FrostCrispz]

Tella stood inside her room of the house she shared with other high ranking grunts and admins. Gusma let her stay here because she might make it to admin rank soon. Tella placed a headset over her ears before flipping out two cans of spray paint. She began painting the Skull Logo, but instead of a black background, it was more purple/blue. Her headphones played some Skull Classics like Beat Them Down. The teenager continued making little tweaks she thought would benifit the logo until she came out with what seemed to represent Skull, a gang but family. Bad, but good. With that, she began the normal routine guard detail.

 

[vaultie]

Dahlia stepped out of the shower, a thin layer of steam on the mirror. The sink area was practically covered with cosmetics and feminine care products, considering the amount of girls that shared the single space.

She leant forward, wiping off a spot on the mirror, a circle big enough that she could see herself. Clad in still her towel, she began to do her makeup, occasionally borrowing a brush or tube of mascara from her sisters.

With no knocks on the door, she silently thank whatever god was looking down upon her that morning and had allowed her to get ready without any interruptions. Quietly walking back to her room, she saw that the others had awoke, sharing her good mornings with them and getting dressed. She was supposed to go out to Akala today- Something she wasn't looking forward to at all.

With her hair dried and her body clothed, she stepped out of the house and onto the streets of Po Town. It was a bit redunant because of the rain, but it would soon dry once more when exposed to the actual sun. She gripped her Ride Pager, walking towards the entrance of the giant walls that surrounded the town.

-

It was the weight of him leaving her waist that awoke Atty.

It wasn't uncommon for her to spend the night with the Boss, and at this point she had practically moved out all her belongings into his room, sharing the bigger space with the man. He didn't seem to mind at all, a side that only she got to see. While there were grunts that feared him, heard rumors of his fits of rage, how ruthless he was when battling, she could see him for what he really was.

She could hear him get up, his back cracking when he stretched, making his way over to the connected master bathroom. Atty sat up, clamoring for her phone in the dark. Checking the time, messages, etc, until Guzma stepped back out.

"Wh'time is it," He questioned, giving a groggy groan as he made his way back over.

"10:42," Atty replied, feeling the bed dip once he climbed back in, his arms snaking around her waist again.

"Mhh..." He grunted, breathing out and closing his eyes again. "Fuck that. Too early,"

Atty continued to sit, letting the larger man hold her as he ended up falling back asleep, though she luckily stayed awake. It'd only be a matter of time before the rest of the mansion began to wake up, and that would eventually come with someone knocking on the door, ready to bother the Boss about something.

 

[waluigipinball]

Touko, while everyone else slept, had left Po Town and snatched a few items from houses in neighbouring cities. It was, and always had been, her favourite pastime, though... she usually arrived earlier than this. With Serpentine close behind her, Tou vaulted over a wall and sincerely hoped no-one had seen her- it would be quite mortifying. She had a sack full of stolen goods- not too valuable, but decent- thingls like heart scales and empty Pokéballs, mainly just clutter- dead weight she was glad to rid people of. "Come on, Serpentine," she murmured, "We need to hide this somewhere." Her Snivy let out a squeak in response. She sauntered into the Town, an air of confidence around her as she'd managed to get in without being seen- but, she wasn't quite safe. Hopefully no one would question where she had been all last night- and she could get to her room before being asked what was in her bag.

 

[Merciless Medic]

It was getting later in the morning. It looked to be about 10 or 11, and a young goth girl could be seen stretching in some underbrush that kept her hidden from the wild Pokemon and the residents in the nearby Po Town. Her Ekans, Nathair, had been coiled around her for protection and warmth for both parties. She hissed softly as she slithered off of her trainer, stretching her 7 foot (2.1 m) long body (normally, Ekans are 6'7" or 2.0 m). She looked up as her trainer brushed off some dirt from her skin and clothes, fixed her hair, and then got up. Nathair kept an eye out for any hostiles as they neared Po Town. She noticed that people are getting up at this point in time, so it was now time to sneak in before it was too late.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she had noticed an older girl walk into the town with a large bag, probably stolen goods, and sneaking back in. Maybe she can follow in her steps? But no, that would be too risky and stupid. She was going to have Nathair slip up and over the wall, but realized the wall was too smooth and likely had been repaired awhile ago to keep shrubbery from growing on it. She decided it was going to be best to sneak through the front entrance. There weren't any trees to climb to get over the wall anyway, so she went for the door. Something caused her to stop in her tracks as she got closer. Why? What was that feeling? Her intuition? She looked around and saw nobody at the moment, but she decided to hide in a bush anyway, not sure of what to make of her intuition causing the hair at the back of her neck to stand on end.

She knew people were going to be patrolling the area, so she had to be careful. Maybe using Nathair as a scout... Maybe... She sent the snake slithering towards the entrance, staying close to the edge of the wall to avoid being seen that easily. Thankfully, her scales were of a darker purple than other Ekans, but her yellow band was brighter than most. Her black bandanna around the yellow band did help in hiding it, but it shifts constantly and it is hard to keep it on when she slithers around. She just hoped that it didn't slide off while she was moving around. She made it to the entrance, coiling up and putting some leaves and twigs in between her coils to make herself look more like the shrubbery.

 

[Foxy_Boxes]

Gers had just lit another cigarette and taken a drag when he saw Touko Poppyfrost hopping over the fence with a full bag. Gers and Touko were both Po Town locals who grew up together, but never really knew each other that well. The way she jumped the fence made Gers think she didn't want to get caught.

Hmmm..., thought Gers, reflecting on the rumors he had heard about Touko's affinity for theft. That's strange. Maybe the rumors about Touko are true...

Gers turned the corner down an alleyway near Touko to remain hidden.

"Psst!" he called out to Touko, in a loud whisper, waving towards himself, "Hey Touko! Over here!"

 

[vaultie]

Working her way over to the entrance, Dahlia began to drone out the activity around her, letting her mind become preoccupied with other thoughts. Of all the Islands, why did she have duty on Akala? Melemele would've been just fine, and staying on Ula'Ula would've been even easier. She could feel herself pout, approaching the heavy doors separating Po Town from the rest of the world. Ride Pager still in hand, she walked out, only to get pulled back to the surface as her name was called.

"Hey, Dahl!" A feminine voice shouted. She stopped in her tracks, turning around to see the source. Two grunts standing guard, an older girl with short, red hair, and a boy whose dirty blonde hair stopped just past his shoulders. The redhead grinned, gesturing her over. "You headed out?"

"Yeah," She stepped over for a chat with them, holding her arms behind her neck. "Not looking forward to it, though. Of all the fucking islands to choose from, I get stuck with Akala." She scowled. "No way I'm setting a single foot past Diglett's Tunnel. Heahea is the furthest I'll go,"

The other grunts shared sympathy with her, delving into conversation and keeping Dahlia occupied before she was to set off, giving her heads up about any Aether members that had last been seen around the island.

 

[Merciless Medic]

Nathair overheard talking and heard something about someone going to Akala. Cool. One less person to worry about. She motioned with her tail for her trainer to follow her, to which Darcy crawled over to quickly. She ducked down behind her Pokemon until the lady leaving for Akala had completely left Po Town. She then hissed at Nathair to follow her, as she peeked into the entrance way. There were already several people walking around. Oh dear. Once they all turned their heads though, she managed to quickly duck through the entrance, her Ekans by her side, hugging the wall. She noiselessly dove for a bush, now completely hidden and out of sight. She got up slowly once she realized nobody else was around her and began to walk around the house she just dove towards, peeking out from behind the corner, failing to hear anything or anyone behind her. Nathair was oblivious, as well, more focused on keeping an eye forwards rather than back.

 

[FrostCrispz]

Tella walked out making her way over to the wall. Before she left, though, a few Dusk balls were attached to the inside of her jacket. "So, check up on the guards, then I feel like doing something illegal. Might want to check with Guzma first though." She said under her breath. A shadow then raced across the ground from the morning sun, showing there was something there. Tella turned to see what it was.

Not at all to her surpise, a trainee stood with her Ekans beside one of the houses. "Zor, mind giving me a hand?" She asked while tapping the releace for her mon. Zor the Zoroark came out, just to change its illusion to another grunt. "This way." She said before slipping into another illusion to appear behind Nathair.

"Oi, whater doin out here without this sweet swag on newbie?" Tella asked while speaking in the native 'Skull Slang.' If you don't know it, it was easy to pick up on anyhow. "Fall back a step or two with your snake to get in the illusion. We can get yo your gear."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Hearing someone start talking with her from behind, her blood instantly turned cold and her skin became somehow paler. She looked around calmly though, trying not to make herself look anymore suspicious. It had seemed that this girl had thought she was one of them. Cool, all part to her improvised plan and a little bit of luck. She nodded, smirking a little at the accent, but she tried her best to pick it up. "Ah, well, y'see.... I left'nd didn't want nobody to get all antsy when I stroll through their streets. Thanks, dawg."

Nathair looked up, confused, but coiled up and around Darcy's body, coiling around her waist and resting her head on her shoulder. Darcy then walked along inside the Illusion cast by the Zoroark. The feeling of stepping forward in the illusion had felt odd to Darcy. Her hair stood on end and she could feel a strange aura emanate from the Zoroark as its power was focused on changing its appearance. She wouldn't have noticed that there was a Zoroark nearby if the girl hadn't said something about an illusion being cast around them, and Darcy knew all about Zorua and Zoroark through books she was practically forced to read due to boredom. She walked alongside Tella and Zor, thankful that these two were here to help them.

 

[vaultie]

Dahlia exchanged her goodbyes with the other grunts, stepping away from the entrance.

She paused for a moment, feeling someone or something nearby. Upon peering around, though, there was nothing to be found. She tapped her foot for a moment, train of thought slowly getting back on it's tracks as she pulled up the Charizard on the ride pager.

It's data was transferred to the specialized ball that came with the pager, the girl making room to release the winged beast. It blinked, giving her a look of distaste, but spread it's wings out anyways. Assisting Team Skull was not something the fire-type wanted to be invested in, but he really had no choice. He had a job to do.

Dahlia climbed onto his back, situating herself in the saddle provided. "Take me to... Fuck, I dunno. Route 6? Yeah, Route 6."

With her mind made up, the Charizard took off, whipping up a bit of wind and sending stray raindrops flying. The pair took off into the skies, hues changing from stormy grey to bright blue as they left the outskirts of Po Town, headed towards Akala Island.

 

[waluigipinball]

She heard a harsh whisper of her name, and stopped dead in her tracks. For a moment, she was worried that she was gonna get scolded for sneaking out again- but, it was just good old Gershwin Adams- someone she had known for a while, but not really 'known'. Tou tightened her hand around her bag and made her way over to the other, her maroon eyes tinted with a confused tone. "Uhh... can I help you?" she asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Serpentine scurried up Tou's body to perch on her friend's head, as Tou silently willed Gers not to ask too many questions.

 

[Foxy_Boxes]

Gers took a long drag of his cigarette and put it out. He grabbed the pack from his back pocket, pulled out two cigarettes, and offered one to Touko. Gers put the other one in his mouth and lit it, against the will of the rain, taking a small puff before answering. Gers always had mixed feelings towards Touko. He didn't know if she could be trusted or was like the other miscreants of Po Town. Either way, Skulls gotta stick together.

"What are you doing acting so sneaky?" Gers asked, skeptical, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. "And what's with the bag?"

 

[waluigipinball]

Well, Tou supposed she couldn't really get out of it, could she? Taking the offered cigarette, she lit it (after a couple of attempts) and took a drag and a puff before sighing, and reluctantly asking his question. "Nosey bugger, aren't you?" she joked, a slight smile curving her lips. "I was trying to get this stuff back to my place before someone asked what I was doing, but... that didn't really work. It's full of dead weight I relieved some snobs of last night. I stayed out a bit too late though," she said, taking another drag of the cigarette.

 

[Foxy_Boxes]

Gers took another puff of his cigarette and eyed Touko up and down one time. She seemed to be telling the truth this time around. Maybe he can trust her a bit more than the other dumbasses around here. Maybe.

"Guess the rumors about your habit were true," Gers muttered under his breath.

Gers knew that he had to stay on his toes around anyone in Skull, especially his brother and the leadership. This was pretty rare for him to even do, though, as most people just passed Gers by. While that seems sad, it does have its perks. The nice thing about being insignificant is that no one really notices you unless you make them. Also, you have time to explore every nook and cranny of somewhere without fear of retribution.

"Well," Gers responded, "Guess I can't leave you to do this alone. God knows if you were this noisy coming in you would be a cannon in a concert hall across town."

Gers smiled playfully at Touko. "Let me help you get your stuff back home," Gers offered, "I know all the back ways so we won't be seen."

 

[waluigipinball]

"Rumours?" Touko echoed, tilting her head the slightest bit. She want too social when it came to her fellow Grunts, but even then she was surprised that she hadn't heard the so-called rumours about her. Even so, she took a puff, and nodded in agreement to his offer.

"I'm usually a lot quieter than I was this morning, but... pulling an all-nighter throws your senses off whack a bit," she chuckled. "Okay then. Show me where." She was used to arriving in the early hours of the morning when it was still dark, but Tou had underestimated the distance between Po Town and Maile City, and as a result she'd taken much longer to arrive back home.

 

[Foxy_Boxes]

Gers turned around and began casually walking down the alleyway. He waved back nonchalantly as if he knew exactly where he was going. And he did. Gers frequently had guard duty and knew the streets of Po Town like the back of his hand. As a side skill from that, he also knew where everyone lived. He wasn't much of a thief, so he rarely had to use this knowledge, but it had its uses sometimes.

"Alright, follow me," he commanded, monotonously.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As Touko and Gers walked through the back alleys on the way to Touko's place, Gers couldn't help but wonder why she needed to sneak around to go steal stuff. Weren't her parents pretty high up in Skull? Gers tossed the butt of his cigarette aside and grabbed another.

"Hey," Gers began, lighting his cigarette, "Why are you sneaking around to steal shit? Aren't your parents pretty big in Skull?"

 

[Captain Cardboard]

The wind whipped around the cliff face, and Kale swallowed nervously. Adjusting his grip, the boy reached back a hand to the small pouch on his belt. Although he knew he shouldn't do it, Kale couldn't help but to look down. The steep drop to the crashing surf was dizzying, and Kale quickly looked away. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. Kale grabbed some chalk and covered his sweaty hand, the moved on to the next small outcropping. The weather on the cliff face was kinda weird. When Kale had started out from Malie City, it was bright and sunny. But now it was a thick overcast in the sky. Kale glanced up in the clouds and shook his head. Sitting here on the cliff wouldn't help him if it started raining. Kale continued climbing across the cliff face.

On his wrist his Xtransciever chirped, startling Kale. Freeing a hand, Kale turned it on. The face of a young woman with long black hair appeared on screen, looking a little concerned. It was his Aunt Izzy.
"Hey, Aunt Izzy." Kale said, trying to not let the strain into his voice. He quickly switched the Xtransciever from video to audio, and kept climbing.
"Kale?! Where are you?" Aunt Izzy asked. Kale continued climbing. Looking up, he noticed there was a ledge large enough for him to sit on. A perfect resting place.
"Oh, just trying that thing I talked to you about. Going around the perimeter of Ula'ula." Kale said with a small grunt. His Aunt let out a sigh.
"Kale, I told you before! There's no path that goes all around the island! You'd have to go and free climb a cliff, maybe even twice because you don't have a Pokemon that knows surf!" Izzy said. Kale didn't respond, only focusing on reaching the outcropping. "...Kale?"

"I'm still here." Kale grunted. He grabbed the edge of the outcropping and pulled himself up, sitting down and leaning against the cliff. He looked out at the vast ocean. It was quite a beautiful sight. With the press of a button, Kale turned on the video of his Xtransciever.
"Hey." Kale said. Aunt Izzy'a head was on a desk, her hand on her head.
"Kale..." Aunt Izzy said. "Please don't tell me you're climbing now."
Kale only looked away with a nervous smile.
"I'm... I'm sorry."
"Kale, you turn around RIGHT NOW."
"I can't, I'm almost across. To turn around now would take longer than just continuing on to Po Town." Kale explained. Izzy sat up, a look of alarm on her face.
"Po Town?! You can't go to Po Town!" Izzy said.
"Why?" Kale asked, confused.
"Po Town isn't actually a town! It's a place that's been overrun by a group of thugs called Team Skull!" Izzy stood up, her expression going from alarmed to angered. "And one of those punks stole my heart scales!"

"Calm down. I'll be fine." Kale said. Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"Really? Even if their leader uses a Golisopod?" Izzy asked.
"A what?"
"A big bug Pokemon." Izzy said flatly. Kale's face went pale, and he pressed his back to the cliff. He took a few breaths, then looked back down at the Xtransciever.
"I... I'll keep my distance. See you later today, Aunt Izzy." Kale said, and turned off his Xtransciever. He looked out at the ocean, then along the cliff. From here, a good distance away, Kale could actually see a bit of Po Town. He was well above the large walls, but still had a little distance to go till he got to Route 17.

 

[FrostCrispz]

It seemed to the people inside the illusion that they never moved, where in reality they had travelled all the way to the main Grunt rooms. Tella stepped outside the illusion to snatch up a basic Grunt suit, female model of course, and tossed it into the illusion. "Get yo body dressed." She said while stepping outside. Zor released the illusion as well. "Also, report yo Ass to your duties ASAP!" Tella commanded before exiting the normal dorms and back into another illusion by Zor. "Lets head up to Guzma to see if he has anything up for me." She said before thinking a little further. "He's probably asleep still. Might as well just wait then." She said before sitting on a bench outside the main house.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Luckily, the rest of the way to Po Town was not as it was getting from Malie City. There were many more ledges that Kale was able to rest on, and even though it began to drizzle rain, the handhelds were much easier to grab. After a bit more of climbing, Kale dropped down to another ledge. He looked back at what he had accomplished.
"Heh. I'm never gonna do that again." Kale said. It hadn't been his first time free climbing. Kale's parents often took Kale out for training excursions at Mt. Moon or Rock Tunnel, where they would climb and try to move large rocks. Kale thought it was pretty dumb, but he enjoyed the climbing part. Plus, there wasn't many bugs in caves. Only the occasion Paras, but those were easily avoidable.

Kale sat down on a rock and took a drink of his water bottle. He didn't really mind the rain, as it felt cool on his hot skin. Kale was actually close enough to Po Town that he could make out two kids standing by the entrance. The walls surrounding the town were pretty high, and way too smooth and wet to climb. Not that he wanted to get in anyways. Feeling a little lonely, Kale took out both Shine's and Nina's Pokeballs and sent them out. The Emolga and Nidoran Female looked around curiously, then jumped onto Kale's lap.
"Hey, hey!" Kale said, smiling and petting his Pokemon.

 

[vaultie]

Luckily, by the time Dahlia and the ride Charizard had landed, her hair was already dry once more. The lizardine Pokemon folded in it's wings, being recalled back into it's specialized ball and sent back to wherever ride Pokemon came from.

Dahlia stretched, sniffing the air. Paniola Ranch was nearby, the smell alone giving away her location. She looked down the long strip of open land that was Route 6, seeing no trainers in immediate range of her. Lucky them. She took out one of her Pokeballs, sending out a companion to walk alongside her, Scarlet appearing in a quick flash.

The Salandit "thipped" her tongue out, scaling her trainer's leg and climbing up onto her shoulder. "Looks like another uneventful day scouting, right hun?" The girl gave a quick scratch under her chin and began walking north, heading over to the ranch and town instead of south towards the Battle Royale stadium. Who knows, maybe there would be other Grunts out and about nearby?

--

Atty's free hand had found itself wrung up in Guzma's hair as he slept beside her, running her fingers through bleach-white locks. He didn't seem to have an issue with it at all, considering he was still sound asleep, and if anything the gesture was helping more than hurting.

Her other hand remained on her phone, scrolling through text with her thumb. She continued to sit in silence, listening to the combination of rain against the window and the soft breathing of the man beside her. The room had lightened a little bit since she had first woken up, daylight breaking through the blinds of Guzma's bedroom.

He was sleeping in a bit longer than Atty was accustomed to, if she could be honest. He had mentioned being stressed after coming back from a meeting at Aether- Something both she and Plumeria opposed. Still, there wasn't much they could do. Guzma had the final say in things, and that meant being in cohorts with the secretly corrupt foundation, whether the admins liked it or not.

 

[Ninian]

Coming from the direction of Paniola Ranch was a blonde-haired teen, a small sleek black Pokémon at his side. Unlike most of the other members of Team Skull, Gladion woke up at the crack of dawn. His goal was to become stronger alongside his Pokémon. Not to mention, he lived all the way on Route 8, which was far from most locations. He would have to eventually make his way to Po Town if he didn't run into another member of Team Skull to get his day's assignment. This is also assuming whomever he ran into knew what it was, which was unlikely. There were only a handful of competent members in the group.

Hands in his pocket, he continued along the path until he saw a familiar silhouette. It was certainly a grunt given their outfit, but he couldn't quite tell which grunt. However, after a few moments of walking in her direction, he recognized them as Dahlia. She might know what he's supposed to do for the day, if she bothered to look that is.

Once in range, the Umbreon caught sight of the Salandit, Scarlet. He gave her a polite nod of acknowledgement.

When the pair were finally in range, Gladion spoke out, "Hey." Clenching a fist, he asked a question he hated asking. "Did you see what I was assigned to today?"

⟶ Route 6

 

[vaultie]

Scarlet was the first to notice the boy before Dahlia did, snaking her way down her trainer's body and over to Gladion. She hopped, clinging to his ankle, staring up at him with beady, lavender eyes.

Dahlia tugged her bandanna down once she approached, watching as her Pokemon clamored for more attention. "Gladion," She nodded back, returning the acknowledgement. She didn't look all too pleased however, finding his presence more awkward than comforting. Still, it was better than her being completely alone. "Sorry, dunno anything about what you're supposed to be doing," Though she started off with a "sorry", her tone sounded a bit more condescending towards the younger man. "I only bother to check my own shit. You're welcome to hang around, though," She shrugged. "I was probably gonna head over into town, see if there's any others there. It's too early for any dumb little kids to be running around, and I have nothing better to do."

 

[waluigipinball]

Tou looked at Gers, raising an eyebrow quizzically. He was correct- well, partially. He was helping her so she may as well tell him the truth. "Well, they're admins now, " she began, Serpentine rested on her shoulder. "But we used to be super super poor- like, shit tier grunts. So I'd go out to Maile City and I learnt to steal- started off with food, then money, then valuables."

"I gotta kind of... affinity, if you will," the pale girl continued, shrugging, "And when my folks started moving up the ranks, stealing just became a sorta habit of mine. I usually only nab junk like Pokéballs and Heart Scales- but it's the thrill it gives me, really. Every time I grab something or pickpocket a Trainer, it's like fucking heroin or something. Blood rush, ya'know?" Touko giggled. "Sorry for the rambling. How come you know your way round all the sneaky back alleys?"

 

[Ninian]

Despite his cold exterior, Gladion was very accepting of all Pokémon, even if he didn't appear outwardly warm. As the small reptile clung to his ankle, he merely stared at it curiously. His brows actually softened slightly, though no smile tugged at his lips. With a small nod, he'd finally acknowledge her, "Scarlet."

At her backhanded apology, the teen averted his gaze, "Yeah. I figured as much." Gritting his teeth he inwardly cursed himself for even trying to ask. It was obvious that it annoyed her. However, her invitation was certainly unexpected. So much so he wasn't entirely sure what to say. The astonishment lingered for a few moments before he attempted to brush it off coolly, "Heahea? Yeah, I can come with you..." Pausing for a moment he'd continue, "What's your assignment, if you don't mind my asking?"

⟶ Route 6

 

[Merciless Medic]

Taking the grunt uniform, Darcy smiled as she nodded, giving the grunt a thank before going off to the changing room, acting like she knew where it is even though she had no idea what the layout of the place was like. She finally found it after a bit of inconspicuous searching and hopped inside. She changed into the clothes, balling up her other clothes and throwing them in her backpack. She then set it off on top of some lockers in the changing room, hidden away in a corner. She then started walking around, taking note of how they walk with swag. Swinging her hips kind of feels funny when she walks, but she finally got it after practicing in the changing room, swinging her arms limply at her sides as she slightly hunched over. She didn't know if it looked too exaggerated or if it was just right, but she thought it was kind of good for now. She would just have to walk around like she had constant back pain at the moment, liking that the skull bandanna and cap hid most of her facial features. She began to walk around the facility, not sure where her patrol posts were and just kind of wandering around. She finally went outside and started randomly walking everywhere, finding people and walking around on their patrols, too.

She decided to keep herself quiet, just walking around with her Ekans wrapped around her body as she walked around with swag. She saw someone sneaking around with a big bag full of stuff, and someone escorting them. She just carried on, trying not to pay too much attention, nor attract too much attention. There will be a point in time, though where someone will notice she's not one of them. Something told her it wasn't going to take long.

 

[vaultie]

Dahlia clicked her tongue, grabbing the attention of Scarlet. The Salandit looked back from Gladion to her trainer, slinking down his ankle and crawling back over to the older girl. She once again scaled her body, resuming her position as a shouldermon.

"I'm not sure of the specifics, actually," Dahlia admitted, answering his question. "I didn't wanna ask, either. The Boss seemed pretty pissy last night, and I didn't see him or any of the other admins by the time I left. Plumeria's gotta be awake by now, but I dunno about G and Atty. Probably sleeping in still, honestly."

She nodded when he brought up Heahea. "Mhm, gonna cut through Paniola to get there. See if anyone's out nearby. But let me tell you," Dahlia's voice slightly rose, a stern expression carving itself onto her attractive face. "No way in hell I'm going anywhere near Konikoni. Not even gonna take a single step near Diglett's Tunnel, either." Her feet began to move, her destination up towards the ranch and to Paniola Town first. She was slow, giving Gladion a chance to take the hint and follow.

--

Guzma's arms eventually freed Atty when he rolled over onto his other side, giving her a chance to get up and get ready. She used the same master bath, keeping her shower quick and her morning routine quiet. She dressed in the low light of their bedroom, only pausing when Guzma lightly stirred. With herself ready and presentable, she found herself at his bedside, brushing back white bangs and softly giving a kiss to his forehead.

Allowing him to sleep in a bit longer, Attt sneaked out of the room, giving her good mornings to the grunt that stood guard right outside their door. She took a shortcut, and instead of using the planks outside, simply sat and slid down the railing of the main staircase to bypass the broken chandelier. They really needed to fix that sometime soon...

Although she would likely need to take the outside way going back up, she pushed the concern aside, heading towards the kitchen. A few more good mornings were given out to the small amount of grunts situated in there, and she was able to keep hold of a light conversation with them as she worked.

Within minutes, the smell of pancakes began to waft through the air as the batter hit the pan. Thankfully the mix was cheap, and that meant she could make more than enough for her "younger siblings", the ones already in the kitchen watching and waiting diligently. Hopefully the smell would attract others to come in and actually eat a late breakfast, or if not, at least wake them up.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

After resting for a little bit with his Emolga and Nidoran, as well as snacking on a granola bar, Kale felt that he was ready to go. He looked back up at Po Town, then at the path of ledges he was on. There was quite a bit tall grass on the ledges, which was good. He'd be able to sneak by (hopefully) without being seen. The bad part was that the ledges still went right by the entrance. Kale adjusted his backpack, tightened the straps, and knelt down with his Pokemon.
"Now, we gotta be real quiet." Kale told Shine and Nina. "There's a group of bad people nearby."
Shine nodded eagerly, still smiling. Nina simply nodded, still trying to look tough.

Kale began to sneak across the ledges, keeping low so the tall grass would mostly hide him. When he was right across from the entrance to Po Town, however, a buzzing noise caught his attention. Kale slowly turned to see a Ledian looking at him curiously. A bug Pokemon. Kale started to back away slowly, his breathing becoming more panicked. Shine looked back and noticed something, and tried to call out to her trainer, but it was too late. Kale's foot slipped off the ledge, and the brown haired trainer rolled down the ledge, landing in with a loud grunt. Nina rolled her eyes and slid down the ledge after her trainer, while Shine simple glided down.

"Mole, mole, mole!" The sky squirrel Pokemon scolded her trainer. Shine hopped up onto her trainer's chest and looked down at him, folding her tiny arms with a pout. Kale slowly sat up, taking Shine and putting her down in front of himself.
"I'm okay, Shine. Really. Not hurt at all." Kale said. Meanwhile, Nina walked up to the entrance of Po Town, curious about it's high walls.

 

[vaultie]

The two grunts from before still stood their positions at the gate, both the red haired girl and the blonde boy. They kept themselves busy, conversing over the light patter of rain against the ground. It wasn't until they heard a grunt that they both suddenly stood at attention, actually doing their jobs and scanning over the area.

"What'd you think that was?" The blonde teen spoke up, gripping his Pokeball as he questioned his female companion.

"Not sure," She replied, eyes over towards the ledges and tall grass adjacent to them. "Maybe just a Pokemon or something," Shrugging, she let her guard down for only a moment, when the sudden rustling of grass caught her attention once more. This time, it was much closer, and she could actually make out a small figure in the corner of her eye. Turning, she gripped the blonde's arm to get his attention.

The male grunt blinked, watching the small Nidoran slowly approach. "What kinda Pokemon is that? Is that what made all that noise?"

The girl scoffed. "You ask too many questions. I don't care what it is or where it's from, but it looks pretty rare. I'm gonna catch it!" She took out her own Pokeball, sending out her companion to do battle. "Go, Shellder!"

The bivalve was released, tongue lobbing out as it watched Nina, prepared to fight even though it lacked the proper intimidation."-Der!"

"Alright, cutie," The redhead was now talking directly to the Nidoran. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You let me catch you, or I have my Shellder here take you out by force!"

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Nina may not have been able to understand humans all that well, but she knew a challenge when she saw one. Letting out a low growl, the Nidoran Female pointed her small horn at the Shellder.
"Nido, nido." Nina growled. She was attempting to intimidate as well, but was to small to look really threatening. Nina sudden charged at the Shellder and swiped at it with her claws, attacking with Fury Swipes.

Meanwhile, back over with Kale and Shine, Kale just realized that Nina was no longer with him. He looked around, panicked for a second, then sighed and looked back at Shine.
"Why does she always run off like that?" Kale asked. Shine shrugged, and Kale made sure his backpack wasn't broken or anything. The rain was kinda starting to annoy him, but not too much.

 

[vaultie]

The grunt's Shellder clamped its shell down as it was attacked, protecting itself from Nina's sharp claws, but unfortunately still getting knocked around by the other Pokemon.

She sneered, watching on as her Pokemon was hit, getting knocked back from the force of the scratches and swipes. "Tch, should have expected something like this. Guess it'll be the hard way after all, then. Shellder, Icicle Spear!" She called out her attack, the water type responding. It opened its shell again once the assault of Fury Swipes was over, retaliating and sending shards of sharpened ice towards Nina.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

The Icicle Spear attack bombarded Nina at point-blank range, knocking the female Nidoran back. She squealed in surprise, not expecting that attack. Nina staggered to her feet, glaring angrily at the red headed Team Skull Grunt.
"Nidoran!" Nina cried, charging the Shellder again. This time she attacked with her small horn, attempting to poison the Pokemon with a Poison Sting attack.

Kale jumped to his feet when he heard Nina's cry. Shine jumped onto her trainer's shoulder as well, looking alert.
"Nina!" Kale yelled, running towards Po Town.

 

[vaultie]

The Shellder was hit with the Poison Sting, unable to react in time to defend itself. Though the initial hit didn't do too much, the Pokemon becamed poisoned, letting out a sickly cry. "Shell..."

Eyes focused on the battle, the male grunt nearly didn't see Kale rush up. He sidestepped in the way of the boy, throwing his hands up to come off as a threat "Ay, back off! We saw this thing first!"

The redhead practically growled, glancing at Kale and rummaging through her back pockets until she found an extra Pokeball. "Enough stalling, already! Go, Pokeball!" She lobbed it towards Nina, expecting it to make contact and grab the Nidoran up, but she was met with another problem. The ball struck Nina, but instantly rebounded back, returning itself to its sender. The grunt nearly ducked in time as the ball was sent flying, a look of deep confusion twisting her face. "Wait, what-?!"

 

[Merciless Medic]

While Darcy was on her "route", she could smell the faint smell of.... Pancakes.... Even though she was not one to eat a whole ton, she still had a love for the flat starchy bread. She looked around for where the smell was coming from and her Ekans had her head pointed to the large mansion they were just at earlier. Hot damn.... That place was basically a maze. She walked in, using Nathair's tongue to track where the pancake smell was coming from, aiding in Darcy's route to the kitchen.

She finally went inside and found a couple of grunts waiting and the co-leader of Team Skull cooking stuff. She began to get extremely worried. Not only was she practically in the heart of the place, but if they figured out that she isn't one of them, that lady would be extremely pissed. She'd been watching the team enough to know that this girl was Atty and that she was Guzma's girl. She would have to make a good first impression and convince her, or just pray to Arceus that if she found out, she'll be a hell of a lot nicer and see her skills of infiltrating Team Skull's town as something worthwhile. She sat down in a nearby table, waiting for the pancakes to get done and trying to make as little noise as possible.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"What do you mean? That's my Pokemon!" Kale said to the grunt. Having never seen a Team Skull Grunt, he didn't know that the two kids he was talking to were a part of Team Skull. After all, Kale had only had run in with Team Rocket Grunts, which where mostly adults. These kids were around Kale's age, how could they be part of a criminal organization. Kale tried to make his way past the male grunt.

Nina flinched as the Pokeball bounced off of her, then glared back at the redhead grunt. Still next to the Shellder, Nina began to once again start swiping at it with her claws in a Fury Swipes attack. She was so occupied on the battle that she hadn't noticed her trainer show up yet.

 

[Foxy_Boxes]

Gers' face remained still, as if made of stone. "Well," Gers said, unfazed by the girl's questioning, "When nobody pays attention to you and you're constantly on guard duty, you learn where most everything is without being bothered."

Gers took another drag of his cigarette and gave Touko a questioning look, "And thinking that I missed you dodging my question is a mistake. Why are you sneaking around stealing shit if your parents are Admins?"

 

[waluigipinball]

“Because,” Touko began, a slight smirk curving her lips. “It’s fun. Besides, I don’t sell the stuff I steal- not all of it, anyway.” The girl was famously carefree toward any sort of moral code- she knew stealing was wrong, and she knew she don’t strictly need to do it- but she did it anyway. “You could call it an addiction, I suppose.”