"If we take the general accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear, I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened." -George S. Patton
[[Part of Rocket HQ]]
[[Sprite made by Feaqu]]
"Charmed. I am Dawn Yamamura. And your name is Amarillo, correct?"
Pause.
"… Negatory. I highly doubt this organization would have the oversight to provide a tutorial. Nonetheless, I do not foresee this being a problem. If you speak the truth and can break into the building itself, then that would be ideal. My Pokemon are too large and bulky for stealth tasks. Perhaps we could work on the task of destroying the equipment together."
"Ah. I spent a considerable amount of time building and programming robots during my stint as…" She’s about to say ‘champion,’ but who would believe her? "… As a high schooler. I have also cracked security walls to see if I could. If you were to buy me time to understand the fossil restoration machines’ AI, I believe the principal of them and a standard automaton’s mainframe would hardly be any different. Is it settled, then?"
"Yeah. Amarillo Del Bosque Verde, but you can call me Amar if it's easier."
"That works out really well then. If you can handle the technology part of it, I can definitely deal with security. Oh, I also have a Butterfree I could possibly teach sleep powder or stun spore to. though I'm not too sure about actually destroying the equipment."
"I think so. By the way, I also asked one of the scientists to help build something to make getting the information easier, and he's going to show me how to use it tomorrow, if you want to come along. Unless you want it to be challenging, then I can tell him not to worry about it.
Amarillo approaches the man cautiously. "Um, excuse me. My name is Amarillo, and I saw that you were offering help with missions? Well, um, I don't think I need you to make anything, but you seem really knowledgeable and I, um, need some help with my mission. You see, I have to steal information, but I've never had to use this software before, and computers are really foreign to me. I was wondering if you could help me with it, or send me to someone who might be able to?"
"That will be simple. As a matter of fact, I think I already have a blueprint for something that will make the process much easier. Come by tomorrow and I’ll give it to you, as well as show you how the device works."
"My skill set? Um, I'm pretty stealthy, and I know my way around the Pewter Museum. It should be easy enough to look up more information about it, too, like where all the camera are pointing and such, and if need be, I have a Raticate that can take out some of the cameras' wires. Past that though, computers are pretty foreign to me."
"I'm also really good with Pokemon. Like, really good. so if something comes up and we find noisy Pokemon or need more information from them, I could probably calm them down and learn anything we need from them. Do you know if they're going to give us any other information, or a rundown or something on how to use the equipment?"
"I used to go there all the time! I remember that place like the back of my hand. Now, I just have to find whoever Dawn is and talk strategy with her. This'll be a piece of cake!"
-so fast that Wes thought he was hallucinating. Lounging in his hammock, per usual for him since he was always so ahead with his missions, he could only catch a glimpse of Mesa’s oncoming tail slam. Luckily Wes’ instincts were faster, but even still, Mesa’s tail was able to leave a nice graze mark on his face. Shock was holding onto him tightly as he could only watch Mesa burrow out of Wes’ room, his enraged roars echoing eerily as he went deeper into the mountain base. For once Wes could honestly say peering into a vertical hole wasn’t what was making him sick to his stomach-it was the creature inside. If Wes wasn’t mistaken, he knew exactly what sort of behavior preluded such a violent outburst.
The sudden anger, the violence, the enraged yet sorrowful and confused cries, the lack of hesitation, he’d seen all these plenty of times before.
They called it Hyper Mode-a state of a Pokemon’s suppressed emotions boiling up to the surface in a sudden, intense, explosive tantrum. The problem was, of course, that only happened to Shadow Pokemon. Those don’t exist anymore. They absolutely can’t exist anymore. He and the other kid made sure of it. And yet here was Mesa, arguably Wes’ hardest, most dangerous capture, running amok in the same fashion as 7 years ago, through the uber-crowded HQ of one of the toughest crime syndicates around.
No
Wes hadn’t graduated back to words just yet. He was still half instinct, bursting through his door as he tried to follow Mesa’s tremors through HQ. It almost felt like he was back in Realgam Tower again, trying to dance around the arena and anticipate where Mesa was inevitably gonna—
—‘pop up’.
The other side of him right now, panic, only made him see things in some weird blur. All he knew was that Mesa was about to begin doing the thing, and someone, he couldn’t tell who, was in the way. He didn’t even bother with Pokemon. There was no time for that. Nor did he have the capacity for commanding anything right now. If he didn’t act this very second, there would be a body plastered on the ceiling and Wes’ would be in an interrogation chair—or a shallow grave depending on who the unlucky guy was.
Breaking into the fastest run he could muster, Wes closed in on the potential victim. Just as he saw Mesa’s spikes beginning to pop out of the large mound of warped steel flooring, Wes held up the side of his arm in an ‘L’ shape for cushioning as he rammed full force into the unsuspecting Rocket. Wes may not be a strong guy, but the pure force of his speed was enough to knock them out of the way of Hyper Mesa.
Finally finding his voice, Wes couldn’t tell if his cries to Mesa were making any difference. The dust and debris from Mesa’s underground attack clouded his vision, and Wes had no Aura powers to check Mesa’s status. Unfortunately for Wes, even Rui wouldn’t have had any time to look, for as soon as Mesa burst from the floor, the intersection of hallway had just as quickly caved in. Wes and the Rocket had been knocked far enough away that they didn’t get buried, but Mesa was off again. Wes of course wanted to follow, but in the ensuing tumble from Wes’ life-saving hit, he found himself being pinned under the Rocket.
Before he could say anything though, it was finally the Rocket’s turn to react first…
All Amarillo wanted right now was to sleep. He was honestly pretty surprised he didn’t fall asleep on the way home from his mission today. He had walked by so many Pokemon that needed healing, he hardly thought about how all the work would effect him. All he cared about was that the Pokemon he saw didn’t stay in the conditions they were in for much longer.
Now, here he was, trudging back to his room, half dreaming about finally being able to unbind his chest, and be a “she” again. It was hard work pretending to be a boy. Not just the aesthetic of the disguise, but remembering to respond to the right pronouns as well. Amarillo knew that as soon as he was done with Team Rocket, his days as a boy were through.
Now the only thing that stood between him and his bed, was the locked door down the hallway. Wanting to be ahead of the game when he finally got to the door, Amarillo reached into his pocket to pick out the key ring that had his door key on it. He had stopped in the middle of the hallway to flip through his key ring, but as he did so, he couldn’t help but feel a strange feeling coming over him. It was like something was getting closer to him, but he didn’t know what. It was then that he felt the ground shake and out of his peripherals, he saw a man running towards him.
"He- OMPH!" he barely managed to squeak out before the other guy rammed it him, sending her hat flying. She had a few questions, but they were all answered when she felt the hallway seemed to crumble just beside them. Yellow was in total shock.
"Wh-What just happened?" She asked, before realizing that she had pinned the familiar boy to the ground. With a bright red hue spread across he cheeks, she scrambled to get off of him, and back on her feet. She looked at the collapsed hallway in amazement. "What did this? How did you-?" She was wide awake now.
As if this situation couldn’t get more harrowing, she saw her hat down at her feet. Still blushing, she picked it up and placed it back on her head, despite the fact that her cover had already been blown.
Yellow sat at her vanity, concentrating on the meticulous job that her long hair required to put a bun on top of her head. First she braided her ponytail then wrapped it around and pinned it to the top of her head. She wanted to look good even if she knew the only things that would see her in her like this was her Pokemon. This Christmas had to be special, even if it was just her and her Pokemon.
It had been a while since Yellow had celebrated Christmas properly. The last time she remembered having a Christmas tree, well, it must have been when she was five or six. Back when her parents were still alive, and life was a lot simpler. There was Christmas dinner with her mother, father, and uncle, and though they didn’t have a lot of money, they made the best of what they had. Yellow's mother would sew her a new dress, and her father and uncle would both chip in for a nice family meal and a small Christmas tree. It wasn't much, but it was all that they could do.
After Yellow's parents were long gone and she started adventuring, she spent most of her time with her friends, Red, Green, Blue, and Silver. Some of her fondest memories were helping to put together a Christmas Eve/ Birthday party for Silver. Though it was small, it was always a fun event for everyone involved. They'd all exchange small gifts, and eat a special meal that Silver wanted. It wasn't much, but it was all that they could do.
Even after she was done adventuring and settled down in Viridian Forest, she still celebrated Christmas though it was only with her Pokemon. She'd buy them each a gift and make them a special meal with a couple extra pokepuffs for each of them. No matter how small the occasion, Christmas was her favorite holiday and was a happy occasion for Yellow.
Once she was all ready, she spread out the food in her room and released her Pokemon. One by one they all dug into the food. Though the room was lit up and the music was upbeat, the atmosphere didn't feel the same. The obvious elephant in the room hung in the air causing everyone to feel empty. It wasn't the same without Omny, Gravvy, and Dody there. Everyone ate their meal in awkward silence, until finally Yellow stood up abruptly.
The Pokemon turned to look at her as she walked over to her bedside table and started sifting through her sketch pad. Their eyes watched her curiously, as she went through her drawings. "These should make things feel a bit better." She spoke out loud, finally picking three drawings that she liked. Taking three framed pictures off the wall, she emptied them and placed the drawings inside the frames.
Walking back over to the spread, she signaled for her Pokemon to scoot closer together, standing the picture frames with the drawings of Dody, Omny, and Gravvy up, effectively giving each Pokemon a space at the table. "It's like they're still here." Yellow looked at her Pokemon, a warm smile on her face. "I know we all miss them, but they'll be here next year. Maybe try to think of it like they're on vacation? They'll be back before we all know it, and we can have another party just for them. I love you all, okay? We'll get 'em back, and nothing will happen to you guys, I promise. Now let's eat! It's Christmas, remember?"
They were encouraging words, and Yellow prayed that they would come true. They, along with the pictures, helped lighten the atmosphere and lifting everyone's moods if only by a little bit. It wasn't much, but was all that she could do.
Cue a small Zorua with a package in its mouth. There is a note tied around its neck:
Merry Rocksmas!
Your Rocksmas stone is: Andalusite! It’s yellow, like you. You are a very yellow person. But that’s not all! Try turning it over in the light. It changes colors! I have also given you this plush Pichu, to further complement your yellowness.
XOXO,
Roark
Yellow's eyes shined a little looking at the Andalusite. "Ooooh" she spoke out loud looking over the gem. It was so shiny and pretty; she would have to make it into a necklace or something when she could.
Yellow looked down at the Pokemon on the ground, Chuchu already excitedly running around with the Pichu plush in its mouth and the Zorua patiently waiting to be dismissed. She handed the little fox pokemon a poffin that she had made for Christmas and scratched the little one between its ears. "Tell Roark I said thank you, okay?" She gave a smile as the Zorua scampered off back to its owner.
vaporwave
stormborns
turnnoffyourmind
gracieabrams
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