Ancient Dynasty; A Viper's Promise

[Alter Ego]

OOC: This RP is not dead. Honest. It's just...umm...been taking a prolonged power nap? xD At any rate, seeing as how I have no guarantee of a Kogenta IC any time in the foreseeable future I shall take the liberty of posting myself. ^-^

IC:

Valen paused, observing in silence as Kyoko peered into his eyes and for once not turning away at such a gesture. He was being dead serious about this one, but much to his surprise the same seemed to go for the brat too. There wasn't a hint of doubt in her little announcement of 'believing' him, though some of it returned at her later requests. Chain, as usual, was saying nothing, but neither was he departing; Valen supposed that that was the closest thing to an answer he could expect from the hacker.

"Fine." the boy replied at last, leaving the question of whether he had responded to both or only one of the requests open as he seated himself opposite to Kyoko, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts, "Chain, this is your last warning. Either you leave now or you're in on this whether you like it or not." he took a deep breath, allowing his eyes to travel to both of the other occupants in the room before he spoke up again, "Now I could go into an elaborate explanation here, but I think we'll try this the simple way." with that, he reached out his right hand and brushed the long bangs hanging in front of his face aside, leaving the black 'V' with the snake coiled around it that was printed on his forehead exposed, "Does this mark ring any bells with either of you?" not pausing long enough for either to answer, he pressed on, "No, on second thought we don't have the time to waste on childish guessing games. This is the symbol of Team Viper, a global crime syndicate currently integrated into three of the big four and a number of smaller regions, including this one. We do pretty much the same as most organizations; pokémon abduction, theft, extortion, smuggling, illegal experiments, assassinations, the works. You already met our leader today, and I believe you're both bright enough to realize who I'm talking about." his voice grew completely monotonous as he spoke the next phrase, like schoolboy reciting a particularly boring mantra he had been given for homework, "'Complete domination in all spheres of life should always be the primary objective.'" the teen gave a mirthless chuckle, shaking his head, "Waiwai's control of this place is just the tip of the iceberg. Oh, and you might be interested to know that you've both got an assassination order hanging over your heads, just like the rest of the tournament victors, due to be executed the moment your mission is finished. I should know...I'm the one meant to carry it out." he refused to meet either's gaze at the last statement, his expression even more grave than usual, the misty gray eyes staring vacantly towards the ceiling, "Now do you see why I was so reluctant to talk about this?"

 

[Kogenta]

Sensing Valen's movement, Chain turned toward him once he had helped Kyoko up, though by this point the purple-haired boy's arms were already folded across his chest. The hacker silently studied Valen's face as he spoke, not changing expression even at Valen's bout of humorless laughter. I wonder what that was . . . There's no sign of it left in his expression, but for a moment he seemed almost troubled--hesitant. Hearing Valen's ultimatum only served to deepen Chain's curiosity and cause him to wonder even more. A moment later, however, the hacker glanced down as he felt Kyoko's weight leave his arm, watching her as she stepped toward Valen. Somehow, her manner reminded him of a Pichu approaching a Feraligator. Despite whatever emotions were running through her, Kyoko managed to speak, stating her position openly, though not easily. At the pink-haired girl's suggestion that the group sit down, Chain waited until Valen sat before allowing his eyes to travel between the room's two other occupants. The situation, naturally, made him uneasy, and he was not ready to agree to something that he did not know the consequences of. Still, he had trusted Valen before, and he found no reason not to do so again.

Without a word, Chain seated himself on the floor at an equal distance from each of the two others, forming a roughly equilateral triangle. As Valen spoke, Chain listened to him quietly despite the thoughts that were rushing through his mind, confirming his vague suspicions in a far more detailed manner than he could have hoped for. After the other boy finished, Chain took a moment to finish processing what had been said before turning his emerald-gold eyes steadily toward Valen--who was, understandably, avoiding eye contact.

Though he had many questions to ask, Chain finally selected and voiced the one he found most pressing. "So why tell us?" I know you're not impulsive enough to risk this much without having a considerable amount to gain.

 

[Mika]

Kyoko simply listened, her facial expression remaining the same throughout the duration of Valen's speech. She shruddered at the mark on his forehead but strangely, the child moved naught when he proclaimed the death sentance over the both of theirs, Chain and Kyoko's, heads. When he was seemingly done and his eyes reclaimed that distant grave look about them, she again stepped a little towards Valen, her head tilting curiously as she simply peered up at him.

"So why tell us?" Chain's voice broke through the smothering silence like a bell in the middle of the summer night, clear and smooth in a muggy tense atmosphere. There was more to his question, as there is with almost all questions, than he was saying and it was obvious he was expecting an answer. Biting down on her lip, she pattered slowly around Valen, trying to find an angle to match his eyes for just a moment. Something deep within her was nearly screaming to soothe him. Kyoko wasn't quite sure how she was to do this but it wasn't something she could simply ignore. After once around Valen with no success, she swallowed hard and reached out, patting his arm lightly. "This, this may mean nothing Valen but... But everything will be alright, okay? Or, or at least we can try and, and make everything alright." Was he, was Valen just as afraid of Slythe as everyone else? Maybe, just maybe, that was why Valen was inwardly rejecting the Viper Morals. Maybe, just maybe, he didn't want to be a part of it anymore. It wasn't in her place to suggest such an idea but she tucked it away in a place she could find in her mind, just incase, before she pattered back to her little spot on the triangle and sat down, patiently waiting for Valen's next mini speech, if there was to be one. It really wasn't the time but she couldn't help smiling a little inside. Valen, he was talking to them, he was really talking to them.

 

[Alter Ego]

Quite frankly, Valen didn't know how to respond to Chain's question. Speaking, once he had gotten past his initial restraints, had been easier than he thought, but only because it had drowned the question he had now been posed. What was it that compelled him? Hatred for Slythe? The obnoxious visions that didn't give him a moment's peace? A phantom promise to a girl of whom she remembered nothing but a name and a tuft of dark green hair? Temporary insanity? At this point, they all seemed equally plausible to him, but above all one reason kept bobbing up from the depths of his mind: 'Because I could never look Reina in the eye if I didn't.'

It was then that Valen was snapped out of his thoughts by the light but unmistakable pressure of a foreign hand on his arm. Looking up in surprise, the boy needed a few moments to properly register that Kyoko was on the other end of the hand, which gave her enough time to finish the gesture and start out her little speech.

Valen just didn't know how to respond to this unexpected gesture, nor what to make of the girl's childishly sincere offer of trying to make it all better. Was she mocking him again? The would-be assassin peered intently at his would-be target for a moment, failing to notice any signs of such. So she was just being childish, then? Valen was not naive enough to believe that any outcome, even one involving the team's downfall, would turn out 'alright' from his point of view. He was neck-deep in Team Viper's assorted misdeeds, and no force on this earth could change that; that left either years in prison or years on the run from assorted authorities, there was nothing 'alright' about either. And yet...yet something told him that the girl's words were spoken in an attempt to help, a completely misguided attempt, of course, but an attempt nonetheless.

I don't need your sympathy.

Those were the words that Valen would have wanted to speak, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, finally replying to Chain's question instead.

"Suffice to say that I and Slythe aren't exactly on good terms." he said in his usual monotone, "I've been running my own agenda under his ghostly pale nose for several years now, and I'm sure he's onto me; be it through paranoia or evidence. It has always been a matter of time until one stabbed the other in the back, and I want to be the one holding the knife. Beyond that..." he gazed of into space, "...it's my personal business. I've already divulged things that would get an executive executed; I'm not going to spill my heart out for you too. Let's just say that I don't feel like doing this particular mission and leave it at that." Valen finally turned his gaze to meet Chain's again, confident that the hacker was already formulating his own idea of what these 'personal reasons' were and considering all the things he had witnessed, Chain's assumptions may even have been correct, "Anything else you feel like asking?"

 

[Mika]

-OoC-
December 22nd, 2005, 02:41 PM < -- Original post date! :O

We're almost to the two year mark!


-IC-

As her head hadn't come up at all during the entire ordeal, she'd never caught his eyes other than that moment when she had, and while she knew that logically, this wasn't the case, she hoped, even the itsy bitsy tiniest bit, that her words had soothed, helped, something-ed Valen. He was always so alone, it was his own choice yes but still, he was always alone. Him and his pokemon, taking on the world. That sounded like the most lonely thing on the whole wide earth, not to mention in this whole wide pokemon region, and regardless of what he said, she was pretty sure, no, she was absolutely sure, he was lonely. Maybe he didn't hear the voice wishing he had people around him amongst the others, probably the others that maybe told him friends would be taken care of. Kinda like how they were? Maybe. Maybe she, Chain and Valen were friends. Maybe they weren't. Regardless, Valen had made it clear (She couldn't help a small little smile when he said he didn't want to go through with the mission to murder them in the night) he wanted this, whatever it was, to work for the time being. Maybe it would last beyond, maybe it wouldn't. However, once she'd found herself on this theoretical road of hers, she couldn't help but ponder, did he ever lose someone close to him? A friend? Because of an order? Blinking, she stared down at her hands, turning them over to look at her palms, the palms and fingertips that had just seconds ago touched his clothing and arm. Mumbling lightly, she couldn't help but wonder, "Why did he feel like he was… suffering…?" She sighed, pulling her hands to her chest in a tight clasp, My hands feel so warm…Maybe I'll ask him later, if there was a reason I'd felt that feeling.

It had been an odd feeling. The moment she'd touched him, she'd gotten the strangest idea that perhaps, perhaps Valen wasn't all he was cracked up to be. The way his arm clenched, but not immediately, when she touched him, had somewhat made her believe he'd somewhat wanted it. Foolish, that's what she was being. A stupid little fool. He couldn't stand her, stand the way she dressed, acted, any of it. The way she was just…bothered him. It was frustrating, frustrating because now, now that she'd felt this feeling, she wanted more than ever to befriend the unbefriendable boy even though she knew, she wasn't going to admit it but she knew it, he probably would never accept her friendship. He'd be her friend, even if she wasn't his. Prehaps maybe, like her brother had said once, that would make her his friend in the end. Yes, that would work. If she just tried, if she just put forth the effort. Maybe that, no, no maybes. That would win him over eventually. It would, she had to believe. However, if she was going to be breaking the law anyways with this mission, there was one little thing she needed.

"Valen…? Do you have a Pokemon Storage Unit around? If we're going to be breaking the law anyways, I think I can get Sy out without any problems. Eeek! I didn't do that right!" Smacking herself in the forehead lightly, she shook her head a couple of times and after a silent deep breath, started again. She peered up at him respectfully, no smile at all on her face so as not to annoy him. The serious look she'd put on instead was humorous, it was obviously faked in an attempt to prove sincerity and looked more like a Munchlax's face than anything serious. It was, however, blatently obvious as to what she was doing. He'd told her time after time that she annoyed him, she was putting forward more than her two good feet to prove she wasn't constantly annoying. "May I… uh… sir? Um... Please um... use the Pokemon Storage Unit assign, yeah I think that's the right world sir, assigned to you...please sir?" Yes, sir was what they always said around G-Men and Police bases. Sir was a good word! …right?

 

[Baker's Bulbasaur]

OOC - Hey People, sorry to interrupt but just wanted to pop in and say Hi, can't believe this is still going! Very cool though. Anyway just wanted to pass through =)

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Indeed, only eight days to go to the anniversary. Go us! x3

And thanks for the visit, BB, even though it's only a hit-and-run style one. xD

On a less cheerful note: major inactivity to be expected on my part. I have half a year of compulsory military service ahead of me, starting on the 7th of January. That means no activity at all for the first couple of weeks and then only activity on my weekends off for a total period of six months. T_T I'll try to come around as much as I can, though.

Sorry for the inconvenience. :3

IC:

Valen blinked.

The way in which Kyoko had just addressed him was nothing short of absurd. She had been her usual self at first, but the next thing the boy knew, she had been dropping more protective 'sir's than a bottom-of-the-pile grunt in dialogue with Slythe, and though the teenager disliked being associated with his boss in any way, he just couldn't help noticing how utterly humorous the situation was.

Valen would have laughed if he had remembered how, but as it was the only thing that happened was that his expression lightened slightly as he procured the device from his pocket and tossed it over to the girl.

"Knock yourself out." he remarked with a shrug, "But keep in mind that Slythe's got that under surveillance. Any transfer you make is registered in the database."

Pausing for a moment, the teenager cast a glance at the scenery outside, "It's getting late." he said at last, "If this is all for today, we should split up. If there's no sign of us anywhere it will raise suspicions."

Valen slowly rose to his feet, brushing the dust off his jeans, procuring a scrap of paper from his pocket and quickly jotting down two lines of writing before tearing it in half, handing one piece to each of the others, "That's the number to my personal cell. It's a protected line so it's as safe as we can hope for. If something comes up, you can reach me through that. You should leave at different times and in different directions. The last thing we want is for anyone to catch onto us working together."

Without another word or even an additional glance, the teenager strode out of the shrine and into the darkening streets outside.


OOC: Yeah...figured it was about time they got out of the shrine. x3

 

[Kogenta]

So he does have his own reasons, though the most important ones are doubtless the ones he decided not to mention. Chain thought back on the short time he had known Valen and considered what he knew. After a moment of thought, the hacker turned his glance toward Kyoko in recognition of that fact that she was speaking. But, her words being addressed to Valen, Chain did not move many of his mental processes from the topic they were already attempting to decipher.

Valen clearly dislikes Slythe. So why is he listening to him in the first place? And what is it about this particular mission that is causing him to finally make a move against Slythe? Is it coincidence? Does he simply believe he's been waiting too long? No, I don't believe in coincidences. And Valen's not impatient enough to take a risk so life-changing without good reason. Something happened . . . Maybe it was during the tournament, maybe before, or maybe this issue only arose when he was given his most recent orders. He did say that he did not want to do "this mission." It troubles him.

Chain silently reviewed every fact he had learned about Valen--every experience he knew the boy had undergone, every word, every expression, and his responses to everyone he had come into contact with. I can't count on Valen to give me a straight answer. Not right now, at least. And the only person familiar enough with him who I can talk to is Reina, but . . . He paused. Reina. Memories of the hospital room incidents flickered across Chain's mind, yet seemed unable to produce anything that would properly coagulate. This in itself began to bother Chain, but he moved on. In any case, any other source of information that could help me understand Valen I have, though without its key.

After a moment, Valen's voice broke through Chain's thoughts, causing the latter to raise his eyes. The hacker quietly accepted the piece of paper, memorizing the number with the intent of destroying the evidence when the next opportunity arose. Just before Valen left, a thought occurred to Chain. He told us this much. I should probably tell him.

"Valen. I took another fishing expedition and caught something new: employee records. And from the security, I'm guessing the employees aren't the legal kind. Any idea how to get the fish's mouth open?"

 

[Mika]

-OoC-

Now I don't know if Slythe's tapping cells or not so I'll post the brother's convo. :3 Just 'n case.

-IC-

The moment the device was in her hand, she'd given Valen a bit of a salute and skittered back into the depths of the shrine. Smiling at the kind Ojii-sama, she set the little device on the little table and turned towards him, "Ojii-sama, would you like a meal, for your help? I may not, no, I'm nothing close to it, be the greatest cook in the world but I can cook yummy food, if that means anything." She clasped her hands together behind her back, swaying back and forth just a little, "If that's okay I mean." Her eyes were drawn lightly to the tablet, she still couldn't shake its words, not in the least. Tiny trembles turned into visible ones as she tried to shake off the nasty vibes drifting through her body but as quickly as it had come, it left her. Once again the perky child, she turned, poking the device til it opened. Scanning through her box, she scowled and pulled out her cell, scrolling through several numbers before finding one and, placing the phone against her ear, skittered back out of the main chamber and to the outside of the temple, settling under a tree for the moment.

…hello?
"…Onii-san? Um… Long time no see?"
"Emi..? Is that you? Where the heck are you? Everyone's absolutely worried sick!"
"Kyo-kyoko."
"eh…? Emi what are you-"
"Kyoko is what I go by. Don't call me that old name. Please."
"Don't be ridiculous, that's not your given name. I won't call you that, neither will anyone else"
"Onii-san! Ple-please, I don't have much time. I need you to send me Sync."
"Not until you tell me where you are."
"I can't, not now."
"Then I can't help you.
"Onii-san!"
"What?"
"I'm…on an island. In a Pokemon Contest. I'm one… of the winners."
"Wait, contest? Island…? …Is that the WaiWai corp contest?"
"…yes…."
"…you got into that contest?"
"…yes…"
"…Woah. That's… unexpected. You're not as weak as we-"
"I held up my end of the bargain, send me Sync."
"You know Dad put a Global out on you, right?"
"Yeah… I just, I need a little more time. I can't come home, not yet."
"…are you alone?"
"No, I have people with me. They're really nice, you'd really like them!"
"Really now. What makes you think that, hmm? I don't just let anyone be around my sis."
"Onii-san! Guwah! Valen, he's the strongest of us and Chain's really smart and Reina, she's nicer than she tells people and-"
"heh heh… I get it Emi. You're not alone"
"So you'll send him? And not tell Dad?"
"Emiko, you're not in any trouble, right?"
"Nope! None at all!"
"…alright. I'll send him. And I won't tell Dad. But you start calling me, alright? I worry about my only little sister you know"
"I know I know! Oniiii-san, you're making me all embarrassed and stuff!"
"Ha! Serves you right you little monster."
"Meanie!"
"…alright it's been done. Be careful, kay squirt?"
"Don't call me squirt!"
"Only if I can call you Emi."
"…fine. But just you!"
"I'll talk to you later?"
"Mhm, baibai."

Clicking the phone shut, she wandered back inside, pressing buttons on the device, she never was any good with these stupid things, til it gave her the display she wanted. Ordering the thing to give her what she wanted, she had soon exchanged one poke ball on her belt for another and, waiting nearly impossibly long, replaced it with an ultra ball of sorts that was painted a dark black and purple color. Nuzzling it kittenishly [Take THAT English Teacher Alter. An -ish AND a -ly. I WIN] she enlarged the ball and mumbled, "Sync, come out please…" A dark shadow fell over the room as the pokemon that emerged took the best physical form it could muster. A calmer than one would normally see Gengar emerged, fingers forming from shadow particals as the pokemon shrunk its size and settled in Kyoko's arms, smiling up at her sheepishly. "Been awhile, hasn't it."

"Too long, to be honest." Smiling, she hugged the gengar as best one could hug a ghost pokemon and then, happy her little reunion had occurred, she turned back towards the old man, "Now, did you want that meal? We're leaving in weird intervals so I'll leave last, thus, I can make you a meal if you'd like. Or we could just chat a bit more? Tis up to you."

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Long-delayed IC time. How ironic, if things stay pretty much the way they are, it looks like I'll manage a posting rate quite close to the pace this RP has had thus far. x3

Oh, and Slythe would probably be tapping into anything and everything he can, though it remains to be seen whether he'll make anything in particular out of this.

Aaaaanyway....

IC:

At Chain's words, Valen paused, his back still turned to the others as he stood in the doorway, but after a moment's contemplation he finally turned his head towards the hacker.

"Master access." he replied, "The file security looks big and tough, but if you crack the master access you can bypass everything else. I wouldn't suggest trying to get your hands on it outright since the passwords for them are changed at random intervals, but if you can somehow find and hack your way through it, you're in. If not..." he shrugged, "...well, then you'll just have to gut your fish the old fashioned way."

With that, he strode out of the shrine and into the darkening streets outside, forcing himself not to look back for even a split second. Normally, Valen wouldn't have dreamed of dismissing a chance to learn more about his own past that lightly, but right now...he kept his glare nailed to the street in front of him, his right hand instinctively clenching into a fist once more as he casually detoured from the path to his sleeping quarters and instead headed towards the pokémon center.

Right now, he had a more important issue to settle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Ambrose, quite frankly, was speechless. The threat to his security had been one thing, but the conversation that followed was even more unsettling, unsettling enough to detain him from answering the rather simple question he had been posed. Once Kyoko had finished here phone call, however, the old man had finally found his voice again.

"Oh, you needn't exert yourself like that on my account, child." he replied softly, "Good though your cooking no doubt is, I'm afraid that I'm terribly low on materials at the moment, and to be honest you already seem to have a great deal to handle without me adding to it." his expression grew more concerned, "Child, I do not wish to offend you, but these...people you are associating yourself with, are you sure you can trust them?"

 

[Mika]

-OoC-

:P Sorry I have a life Alter. -giggles- I've also been delaying posts for your sake mr busy-pants. <3

But now that life's over. TT_TT I hurt my knee AND the season's practically over. I'll have an Alarayne post up today or tomorow

-IC-

She'd been making him some tea, it was better than nothing, when he used that blasted "t" word. She sat upright like a twig and the glass slipped from her hand, shattering on the ground around her. Blushing, she flailed her arms, darting down the hallway after motioning for the old man to stay put, to fetch a broom, rag and bucket from the labeled utility closet and bolted back. Motioning that under absolutely no circumstances was the man to move, she swept up the pieces of her broken brown teacup into a pan and, after setting that to the side, smoothed her skirt out [size=-4][1][/size] and, after pushing her sleeves up, went to work cleaning it up, "S-sorry... I'm... I'm a klutz..." she scrubbed at the wooden floors softly, squeezing the rag harder than normal for a moment before she continued, speaking quietly as she did so, "...I shouldn't trust them. But I don't, I don't really have a choice you see." Exhaling from the depths of her diaphram, she squeezed the rag out in the bucket and continued, "...when you're me, when you're a runaway..."

She squeezed the rag out again, running a hand through her hair softly before she just went to work scrubbing softly, to keep herself talking "I'm the daughter of Morty Ecruteak. When I was three, it was found out I had medium...abilities. From that day, until a year ago on the day I got on this island, I was trained to be a medium, to carry on for my father. I...I just wanted to be a breeder. I love pokemon, I always have. My brothers, they went out on their journies...and then? When I turned 8, i wanted to start training seriously, so when I could leave, I could have a bit of a head start. My dad, he told me I could never leave the village, that I had to take his place someday, that I'd run the temple and my brother would run the gym. I, I left two years later." She laughed lightly, wringing the rag out one more time before she hung it on the side of the bucket, "So no.. I don't think I should trust them." Her eyes flashed with a fire as she connected, for the first time since they'd gotten into this room, with his, "...but you see, I don't have a choice. I know, to some extent, I'm being used. But that's okay. I don't mind...to some extent."


-OoC-

[1]

She folds her skirt in a Japanese mannor. She smoothed tucked the skirt around her right knee/thigh and lowers, first onto her feet, then her knees, then rocked back onto her heels.

 

[Kogenta]

Hands in pockets, eyes down, dark hair hanging about his face, Chain moved slowly down the sidewalk. The hacker had waited a few minutes after the end of the conversation to leave the shrine. And by now the information he had received had been processed several times and was ready to be utilized. Master access . . . Cracking one code will be easier than cracking ten, twenty, or fifty. At least, in theory. The programmers aren't likely to have made master access easy to obtain. I wonder what type of lock they used. Chain lifted his head, simultaneously raised a hand to brush back his bangs. Though plans of how he could dissect and puzzle through the computer program remained ever at the back of his mind, recent events had made his mood more cautious than usual--if that was possible. Whatever the case, for the moment the trainer preferred to retain awareness of his surroundings.

Upon arriving at the hotel he had stayed at the previous night, Chain realized he had returned his hand to his pocket and had been fingering his Pokenav. So much for being aware . . . He walked up to the front desk. "One more night," he stated quietly and took out his wallet.

The man at the front desk was same one who had checked Chain and Kyoko in about twenty hours ago. Chain wondered how often he had the night shift. Seeing the question in the clerk's expression, Chain replied, "She's not here at the moment." The man nodded, half his question still unanswered, and typed a few things into the computer.

"Would you like the same room as last time?" came the polite inquiry.

Chain considered. "No thank you. Different floor."

"Is room 429 acceptable?"

He nodded.

"Very well. Your cost comes to . . ."

-------------------

Once Chain had finished paying, he put his wallet away, took his room key, and started for the elevator. A few steps later he turned back toward the counter and spoke. "If the girl asks, tell her what room I switched to." He moved a few yards closer to the elevator, then decided to take the stairs instead.

The journey to the fourth floor was slower than it would have been had the male taken the elevator. At the moment, though, Chain felt that such a mindless activity could help align him, and the extra time would allow him to steady himself. As he opened the door that led into the fourth floor hallway, Chain paused to glance about. Looks about the same as the third floor . . . no surprise. He closed the door quietly behind himself. Taking out his room key, he made his way past several rooms until he found 429. Then, slipping the card through the electronic lock, he twisted the handle as the red light light switched to green. He stepped into the room, switched on the lights, and closed the door.

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Figures, I make a big-arse post here and of course that has to be the week when the database goes and defaults. xP

Anyways, horribly overdue but here goes...again...

IC:

Just another job.

Valen's trademark frown dominated his face as he walked through the emptying nighttime streets, their occupants long since retired to the comfort or their beds, save for the occasional stragglers sitting at an all-night-open café, lamenting the horrible restrictiveness of the security measures over cooling cappuccinos. There was only one way for a place of residence to remain as squeaky clean as Overcity was, and that was to determinedly brush every even remotely seedy establishment and person under the proverbial carpet. Undercity, in this case. The boy felt a tinge of glee at the gloomy faces he passed, glee over seeming to have been completely right about the nature of these supposedly 'good' citizens, but what little pleasure there would have been to gain from this revelation was hopelessly extinguished by the prospect of what lay before him.

Just another job. That was what he kept telling himself, this was just another job among many others, stepping over the bones of others for profit. He was no stranger to betrayal, or even murder for that matter, yet at the same time he knew that this case was different, and not just because the people who would usually serve as backup if something went wrong were now the ones who'd be going after him. No, what really made it different this time was that he wasn't alone. This time he was forced to work with people who hadn't been conditioned to the sort of thing that would ensue like he and his pokémon had been. Sure, Chain seemed competent enough, and certainly had the brains for it, and Kyoko - if her story was to believe - had influential allies of her own to call on should things get ugly, but what about the others? Avery was level-headed enough, but she was certainly nothing that spectacular and the mere thought of Cona taking on Team Viper on any serious terms was simply too absurd to even contemplate. And then there was Reina...

Valen's right hand clenched into a fist as he stopped outside of the pokémon center, staring into its brightly lit interior. Yes, Reina, the first true friend he had made in years. She had the guts, to be sure, and she was headstrong as any, but ironically that was the problem too; she was too headstrong to realize when it was more beneficial to back down, too brave to heed warranted fear, but most importantly: she was too important to him, and therein lay the root of the problem. Even if nothing went wrong, even if the redhead made it out of all of this unscathed, Valen still wouldn't be able to function at full capacity because something somewhere at the back of his mind would always be nagging with worry over her, and with stakes as high as these, he couldn't afford distractions like that. No, he concluded, there was only one way to resolve this, only one way to silence the worry, and he would have to take it, even if it meant that Reina would grow to hate him for it. He could tell himself that he was doing this for Reina's good, for her safety, but in truth he knew better than that.

It wasn't her she was protecting; it was himself, himself and his own foolish, misplaced feelings. Valen still did nothing for anyone but himself.

Without another thought, the boy slipped a long, thin injection needle into the holster concealed beneath his jacket sleeve and, with a last sigh, pushed open the doors of the pokémon center, stepping into the light.

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The moment he witnessed the child's virtual collapse, Ambrose regretted ever having opened his mouth. This child...though he wasn't sure how much of her story he should believe, the old priest could tell that the anguish was very much genuine.

"Such a terrible duty to visit upon a child..." he thought out loud, before catching himself, "I apologize." he said softly, "I did not mean to judge when it is not truly my place to do so. I'm...afraid that there's little I can do to ease your troubles, though I wish I could, but..." he hesitated, "You may spend the night here at the temple if you wish. The accommodations aren't as good as you'd probably get from one of the hotels here, but what little I have to offer is at your disposal. That..." he sighed, offering her an apologetic smile, "...is about all I can offer, I'm afraid."

 

[Kogenta]

Door locked. Curtains closed. Equipment ready. Chain sat on his hotel bed, his shoes lying on the floor nearby, and his jacket lying at his side next to the bag usually hidden beneath the coat. The trainer lightly tapped the Premier Ball that hung from his necklace. A scarlet flash of light shot from the open sphere, connecting briefly with a dark panel on the miniature computer that rested in Chain's right hand. As the light faded, the male leaned back, pressing a key on his computer before speaking. "Circuit, show me a list of your updates."

He was silent as he scrolled down the list, occasionally hitting a few keys to read an extended description. Chain's gaze flickered momentarily at the last item. That's interesting . . . Might take some time to grow accustomed to. But if the system works, it should prove rather useful. Slipping the computer into his pocket, Chain stood and walked to the bathroom where he picked up a bar of soap and made his way to the room's door. Removing a marble-sized piece of white soap, the youth softened and molded it between his index finger and thumb. He then pressed the soap into the door's peephole, pressing it in to be sure it thoroughly covered the glass and would not fall out. After returning the soap and rinsing his hands, Chain resumed his place on the bed and flicked another Pokeball into the air. By the time the object fell back into his palm, an Abra sat on Chain's sweater jacket.

"If you sense a foreign psychic presence, tell me," the hacker directed his Pokemon. He lightly brushed his hand over the psychic type's head in what was probably a gesture of affection or appreciation. Then, removing his computer from his pocket, he commanded, "Circuit, activate P.R.I.S.M."

A glow emanated from the digital device's port, focusing itself into a beam before building up a shape that gradually gained depth and colour. Finally, a Porygon stood before Chain. The trainer brushed back a strand of hair. "Make a scan of the room for electronic devices." Blue sparks danced about Circuit's form, occasionally drawing themselves in one direction or another before suddenly being absorbed back into their owner. Seeing the electricity fade, Chain knew that the scan had completed. For a moment he paused, drawing in a quiet breath in preparation for the task that lay ahead of him. Let's see if your program works, Father. He straightened a little. "Circuit, open a holo-window and report your findings." A cyan panel of light appeared before Chain, revealing a short list with brief explanations. The hacker glanced across the text, the azure light reflecting against the green-gold of his eyes. "Close window, and open another showing recently-downloaded files." The blue rectangle folded shut before being replaced by a second hologram. Without a word, Chain raised a hand and touched one file-name, sliding his finger to one side. A new window opened. I suppose I should admit this, at least. You know how to program.