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Gym Leader Chinika
Viridian City
"Sorry to bother. At Olivine. Ralph and Jack very suspicious. Get here ASAP."
The text from Ray was short and concise. Chinika grunted in the cold night air. She would go to Ecruteak before she went to Olivine, but she wouldn't go anywhere until she had sorted these things out. She stepped out on the street in the dark Viridian City. Alex the Charizard whimpered behind her. She reached out an arm with a pokéball in it and made him return to its safe inside. Instead, she sent out Sandra, the shiny Lampent.
Sandra got instantly nervy from the dark and empty street, but Chinika calmed her down and asked her to accompany her trainer. Sandra nodded with her lamply body and soared behind Chinika in the air as the gym leader walked on.
She had been told to meet with some of her parents' friends in the house in front of them, to learn what had really happened to her parents. When she got close, Sandra suddenly became even more nervous.
"What's the matter?" Chinika asked quietly. The pokémon's mentality was tiring at times, but nevertheless Sandra had a good sense of intuition.
Sandra pointed at the house and shook her head. Chinika sighed. "I have to enter. My parents are important."
And so she entered. There was a corridor and Chinika knew she had to go upstairs to the second floor. When she got there, it was the first door on the right. She turned the doorknob and heard Sandra struggling to keep quiet behind her.
In the room she entered, a single man was standing at the window. He quickly turned as the gym leader entered with a dark face. When he recognized her, he relaxed.
"Miss Chinika," he said and bowed slightly. "I'm Petrell, a friend of your father's."
"A friend you say. Do you by any chance mean work mate?"
Petrell's face was hidden in shadows, but she registered a slight smile there. "Yes, your are quite right. Work mates we are. And now, he is in danger, and so is your moth-"
"Have they been taken by the IA?" Chinika interrupted him.
"Yes. As I said, he and your mother are in danger... as are you."
Chinika gulped. "What do you mean? As long as I don't act rashly-"
This time, Petrell interrupted her. "Oh, but don't you see? You aren't being rash for nothing, you are just like your parents. Rushing here as soon as you hear the news... not planning properly... They were never very trustworthy, your old folks, they have probably spilled both one or two things already..."
Chinika suddenly felt very cold, even though Sandra was radiating her fiery heat right above her head. Petrell lowered the glasses he was wearing and turned his middle aged eyes toward her.
"Yes, the IA have surely... inquired them about you. You thought they didn't know about your parents being with TR? They know more than the leader of Team Rocket lets you know. And here you thought you were important. A gym leader. Important to a town, but still just a pawn in the big game."
"I... I don't understand," Chinika said, because she couldn't really come up with anything else to say. "What are you playing at!" she added after a few seconds of silence.
"Things will start moving now. We needed a catalyst. Your ignorant and rash parents set it off and we just kept the ball rolling. It's pretty brilliant, actually. You are the decoy. The IA gym leaders will probably soon get a message from the Indigo Plateau revealing your true allegiance... and then you will be in the center of attention. The other TR gym leaders can pretend to know nothing of your allegiance and join the chase... the manhunt on you. Or should I say womanhunt?"
He laughed slowly, watching Chinika stand there, trying to grasp it all. She was breathing very quickly and stood very very still. Her eyes were pinned to Petrell's face.
"Did... our leader order this?" she finally asked.
"Yes," Petrell answered once again. "It's your parents' fault for being captured, it's only fair you should take up this role now. But don't feel bad about it. It's just another job for Team Rocket, really. Another mission. The mission of being a hunted girl. A secret decoy. For what, I'm afraid I won't tell you. In case you get caught, I mean. You are your father's child, after all."
He laughed again, and turned to leave the room.
Chinika shuddered. She was... no longer safe. He was telling her that the IA would soon know about her being with TR. And all the gym leaders would get to know. And they would surely send people to hunt her down. Maybe they would even go themselves to look for her. She wondered what Ray and the others who were supposed to be her allies would do. Would they reveal their true allegiance and fight back? And be hunted as well? Or would they pretend to know nothing? And should they find her... what would happen then?
A decoy. She was a mere decoy now, hunted. She suddenly missed Frederic and felt a sting in her heart. Would they take him and the gym? Or would he... yes, he would be wise enough to swear that he had nothing to do with it. That he was loyal to the IA. He had to say that. He wouldn't be stupid enough to stand by her...
The man called Petrell was almost out of the room. Chinika's eyes grew angry.
"Who are you? You are no friend of my father's."
Petrell just smiled and walked out into the corridor. Gone. Sandra let out a yelping noise. Time was precious now.
Gym Assistant Frederic
Ecruteak City Gym
The phone rang. Frederic answered it, with the tiniest hope that it would be Chinika. But he somehow knew it wouldn't be, and he was right. It was Karen of the Elite 4. Frederic blinked as he answered her.
"Good evening," she said.
"I was wondering if I could speak to gym leader Chinika?"
"I'm afraid she is out at the moment," Frederic said, thinking rapidly. He was very worried about what was coming. Why would an elite 4 member call her this late?
"Do you know where she is?"
"... not really," Frederic replied truthfully. He was deciding what cards to play. "May I ask why you are calling?"
"Some unexpected news have been revealed and all gym leaders must be told about them immediately. Now, why has Chinika left the gym? Isn't she with the others?"
Frederic suddenly froze. That's right, the other gym leaders had gone to Olivine to explore the Rocket poster.
"No," he said, not really knowing if it was a good idea to speak the truth or not.
"Then, why has she left? Surely she must have told you something. We know you are her right hand."
Something now struck his mind. She wouldn't be asking like this if not... something had happened.
((
OOC: Long return post is long. But gets things going. In your next post, you should somehow get a message from IA saying that Chinika is a traitor that should be looked out for. The message will come from one of the Elite 4 (
Karen, Lance, Lorelei or Koga... if I have mentioned other Elite 4 members elsewhere, please remind me because I can't find them xD)
Bottom line is, Chinika's parents aren't really strong hearted. They got captured and spilled info on her when they got tortured (yes IA does that stuff, they aren't all good 8D ).
And, you are allowed to do/invent drastic things like this by yourselves as well. Happy hunting~))
