Pokemon: The Change [[IC]]

[ChronicSanity]

As Devon entered the make-shift conference room with Reckless, he separated from his similarly cycloptic friend with a smile and a nod and headed toward one of the chairs nearest an open window. Despite his attempts at hiding it with Reckless during their talk, he was beyond tired and the dark circles under his eyes were beginning to show it. With a stifled yawn, he grabbed his potential chair and dragged it closer to the window, more to claim it than to actually sit, before leaning his head out and breathing in the 'fresh' morning air.

A soft breeze blew by, making his hair waver in the wind slightly before he attempted to slick it back again. It was always difficult to manage his hair when it was actually clean, he considered finding someone to help him cut it before realizing that this was probably a bad time, there were more important things to discuss. As he heard the doors shut and everything settle down, he hung his head in exhaustion, sighing loudly before dragging himself back inside and turning back to the table. Carefully he slid his chair back in place and half-flopped into it, crossing his arms and looking around at everyone gathered, first the right, then the left. He chuckled to himself as he finally understood his position. As he searched this crazy world for some semblance of safety, he ended up joining a group of people heading straight into the danger. Perhaps he was going as insane as the rest of the world though, because it didn't seem to matter any more. The only way to protect his family was to fight, he had to put them in danger to remove the danger.

Once Shawn and Garret made their 'opening statements' Devon looked around the room, attempting to gauge the situation before awkwardly raising his hand, unsure of how to appropriately get everyone's attention. "Um...Before we get too far into who's doing what or battle plans or whatever...I got something to say." He slowly stood up and glanced at each face before continuing, "Now, I'm no tactician. I'm not even much of a fighter, but what I am...Well what I was, was a trainer. And a damn good one at that. And as a trainer, I never went into a major gym battle without knowing each of my team's strengths and weaknesses. It's what kept my team alive..." He paused, "Well...Before the world went crazy." He unconsciously reached for his damaged eye before stopping himself and continuing, "My point is...There are many people here that I don't know, and don't trust because of it. So I suggest we lay all our cards on the table, so to speak. If I'm going to trust anyone with my life as well as my family's, I need to know your stake in all this." Devon stood tall, looking down at the seated gathering as if he their leader before suddenly letting out a loud, uncontrollable yawn, "Sorry, I'm also not much of a public speaker and after the...Events last night." He took a quick glance over at Meg and attempted to cover it by rubbing the sleep from his eye, "I didn't sleep very well." He concluded.

"I suppose, " Devon scratched the back of his head, "It'd be proper if I was to start off...I doubt you'd all want to hear my life story, but suffice it to say my life was ruined by the end of the world." He forced open his damaged eye and slowly turned around the room for all to see. His eye was almost completely red, except for his pupil which was completely clouded over, a slight tinge of green still barely showing. "My name is Devon Vanderhart and this eye was the second most important thing I lost to the feral pokemon. The first was my team." Devon closed his eye again, returning to his usual cycloptic self, "The reason why I'm here is simple. These Rockets are a danger and a menace. They've killed or hurt so many innocents in pursuit of whatever it is they are trying to obtain. I'm here because I want to find peace, and the only way I can guarantee it is to stop them." Devon clinched his fist, "As for my strengths and weaknesses, well...I suppose my strength would be my skill as a trainer. Many of you have seen my Murkrow, Turtledove in action already. I'm also not a terrible shot with my gun, though I might be a bit out of practice. As for weakness, well that's a bit obvious." He waved his hand in his blind spot, "Also, I only have two battle ready pokemon, Turtledove and my Larion, Danielle. I would...Prefer not to use my Shinx unless absolutely necessary. Honestly I would rather not be on the front lines of the fighting, but I'll go wherever you all need me the most...And...I think that's everything? " He stood silent for a moment, contemplating any further topics before sitting back down on the chair, "So...Who wants to go next?" He placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers as he waited for the next person to respond to his request.

[P.K.]

Cathy had taken up a position at the corner of the room, she didn't feel like sitting, she'd done some more tiding up and felt much better now with a fresh wash and some cleaner cloths. None of her Pokemon where out, Bolt was probably somewhere but she wasn't to worried so long as no one tried shooting him.She had decided she'd just let everyone else do the talking since Shaun and Gerrat seemed to be the 'leaders' of this group... which had doubled in size during the fight down in the caves. She looked around at the faces she knew and the faces that were new frowning for a moment, What a mixed verity it was like a trail mix...

She turned her attention to what was being said and listened to Devon speak for a moment about why he was here and himself. "Hum..." He was right about that, knowing you team so you could make them function. "Well, I guess someone has to go next." She shrugged pushing away from the wall for a moment as she contemplated what to say. "Honestly I've forgotten how I got mixed up in all of this but it doesn't really matter how or why I'm just going to move forward with it. My names Cathy Ann and all I can say is I'm searching for answers and the whereabouts of my parents, getting ride of Rockets is extra icing on the cake." Cathy shrugged. "I can't say I have a strength or a weakness, I'm sure some of my companions during the Goldenrod train station battle figured out my strategy. I'm all temper and no class and I'm not one to really hold back on fire power. If you need something burned to the ground or broken me and my team can deal whatever explosive damage you need. In that case I guess my weakness would be water and recklessness." She gave another shrug with a take it or leave it expression as she leaned back against the wall closing off her introduction.

~~~~~

Meg had taken a seat at the back of the room, in the corner slightly away from the table. She was both tired and still a little shaken. With a fresh cloths on and bandages around both bite wounds she still had Ev's ball clutched in her good hand against her chest. She quietly set as the others spoke, vaguely aware that someone in the room mentioned the events during last night. What was she going to do? She wasn't much of a fighter so she wasn't much use there, though she could her team wasn't the strongest and she certainly wasn't the best trainer. So many pokemon where lost to this... this sick world everyday. Gravler... silky... and now Ev. She needed to know if there was a cure, if there was any hope at all to fix... anything. Was it possible? And it wasn't just the world the Rockets were a threat as well and it might come down to getting ride of them before they could deal with larger scale issues? She wanted to believe it could be fixed.

So the question was. Could she be any help here? certainly not a front line fighter... perhaps a supporter... She sighed softly. She'd come this far, though she wasn't entirely sure why and her mother was probably having a heart attack by now. She might be more help if she wasn't around for everyone else to worry about but... this wasn't just their fight or their problem, it was her's to... So she wanted to help.

She blinked back into the present for a moment looking up at the room. She wasn't even sure who was talking... or who had even finished. But wasn't there something about introducing themselves? Something like that. She felt a little bad about not paying attention to those who had gone before her but perhaps she could make up for it later. "Um..." She wasn't sure she wanted to speak up, or even what to say. "I-im Meg, I can't say I'm very good at fighting or a very good trainer, to be honest I'm not sure what I can do to help.." She looked down at the pokeball in her hand for a moment. "But I can't just ignore it, We've all lost something to this and if there's something I can do to... Make it better and keep other people from going through the things we do then I'll do what it takes to get to that point." Did she need to say anything else?... She wasn't sure. She bit her lip quietly but decided there was nothing more to offer.

[Tetsuya]

Once ready, Haru and Meganium made their way not to the meeting room, but to Wendy's house to inform her of his run in with the Rockets. If they were planning a counter attack then she needed to be made aware of it, and if they had infiltrated the city then it would be best to go straight to her himself.

When that was taken care of, he finally made his way to where the meeting was supposed to take place. His side trip ended up making him one of the last to enter the room. Meganium had trouble getting through the now mostly occupied room, so Haru ended up taking a seat at the end of one of the many tables in the room, Meganium finding a nearby corner to comfortably fit into as the meeting finally began. Garrett and another man apparently called Shaun starting things off before others began saying their piece. Not wanting to go for too long before speaking himself and bringing attention to his own group, part of the entire reason for the meeting in the first place, Haru eventually stood to address the room.

"Well, my name is Haru Corbel. I was part of the group hired to take care of that...thing," Haru paused for a moment as his stomach churned at the memory of the creature they had fought last night, "In Diglett's Cave. But as I'm sure you all probably gathered, there's a bit more than that connecting us... like our 'run-ins' with Team Rocket."

Meganium shifted slightly as Haru paused once more steeling himself for what was coming. This was the first time he had openly shared the story and in any kind of detail, but he had no other choice. If they were all going to be working together, they all deserved to know exactly how Haru fit into this whole thing and how this entire mess had gotten started to begin with.

"I guess I'll start with how I got involved with all of this. I was born in New Bark Town, in Johto. It's a small, fairly out of the way town with not much variety in terms of Pokemon in the area, so we didn't have quite as much trouble as other places when the Change hit. We still had our fair share of problems, though. In one particular incident, a young girl that lived in town had been staying at her grandfather and uncle's nearby ranch with her brother, but those three were killed when the Change happened and she took off on her own. Once we found out, some people in town put together a search party and tried to find her. I...sort of forced myself into the group and was allowed to help out on the condition that I stayed close to the town. I didn't. Instead, I wandered off into the woods and eventually came across an injured Chikorita."

Meganium shifted again, nervously glancing around the room at the mention.

"I snuck it back home and did what I could to treat its injuries, while trying to hide it from my parents, which wasn't easy since he wasn't very trusting at first." Meganium now groaned quietly to itself, both at the continued focus and the now slightly embarrassing memory. "It wasn't much longer before I found out why. Two people started showing up in town asking about a Chikorita, and even though I had no clue who they were or why exactly they were after Chikorita, something told me that coming clean and handing it over wouldn't be a good idea. I thought they would eventually go away if I kept quiet, and it eventually started to seem like they just might when one of my friends who had left on a journey came back to town, with her very first Pokemon and now evolved and feral Feraligatr chasing after her. I knew it would take the guards too long to get ready to take Feraligatr down before it had ripped her to shreds, and by this time Chikorita had started trusting me more, so I got Chikorita and we both attacked it and tried to keep it busy until someone took it out. I'll spare you the details of what happened, but after that I didn't waste any time getting out of town. I knew my parents would be furious, but more importantly I knew those people would be back to try to get Chikorita and I wasn't going to let that happen."

Haru finally paused for a moment, both to catch his breath and let what he'd just said sink in.

"Eventually I found out just why they were after Chikorita- they had been working on a cure for whatever makes Pokemon feral, basing it off of the blood of Chikorita and its evolutionary line. I don't really know the specifics of it, just that they were doing all sorts of experiments on live Pokemon, primarily Chikoritas, and whatever they were doing wasn't pleasant."

Meganium was silent and still now, eyes closed tight as it tried not to think back to those early days in a lab. Seeing this, Haru decided not to dwell on that part for too long.

"I also found out that they were doing various other things to basically reverse the Change, and all with less than good intentions. So I spent the next twelve years on the run, trying to keep Chikorita, which eventually evolved into Bayleef and then the Meganium with me now away from them and anyone that seemed like they might have connections to them. We had a few run ins over the years, but those got less and less frequent as time went on."

He then retold the events of the last few days- going to investigate an Earthquake triggered by Chris's Tyranitar at Route 22, fighting off the pack of Houndoom and then being captured along with Mina and taken to the Rocket base, hearing straight from the Rocket's leader himself what they were doing and that they had been working on another Meganium which had been stolen, a sample of Meganium's blood being taken, escaping from the base with the help of Alex and Chris, and running into A on the way to Pewter and everything else that followed, all the while leaving room for Mina and A to jump in.

"Now, I realize all of this may have different meanings for everyone here," Haru said once he finished with that story, "but I can't stand what the Rockets are doing nor what they've done to get to this point. And personally, I'm getting tired of running away. Even if I wasn't, I don't think I'd have much of a choice in the matter at this point." He then quickly told everyone about his run in with the Rockets the night before. "If they're planning to retaliate then they wont wait for too long, so if we're going to do something we should probably act soon. As far as strengths and weaknesses go..." Haru paused for a moment to think that over, something he'd admittedly never really done before since he tended to avoid group combat.

"Well, Meganium and I can can both hold our own in close range combat and Meganium knows a few ranged attacks like Magical Leaf and Solar Beam, but most of his moves are shield and Powder moves. We can help with defense and slowing the enemy down a bit, but since Meganium's my only Pokemon we don't have much for variety when it comes down to offense."

Meganium frowned. Haru was right, as much as he hated to admit it. Meganium let out a small, almost defeated sigh as Haru finally sat down to let someone else speak. Haru turned and smiled apologetically- he knew it wasn't Meganium's fault, but that was simply the way it was and they both knew it.

[CartelSaide]

Upon entry Reckless noted the large table and chairs in this meeting room and thoughtlessly rubbed his shoulder as though it were second nature; just below the cloth of his cardigan rested one of his two Team Magma emblem tattoos. The last time he'd consulted in an actual meeting in an official meeting room was with his former team, and this melancholic sentimentality for his past was uncomfortable at best. Flashes of his last encounter with Dr. Rin momentarily shrouded his thoughts like lightning in a rainstorm, thunderous booms of his drunken call and Rin's voicemail snapping him back to the present with a shudder. He looked down at Void, just staring at her violet, discolored eye then shifting his glance to her proper red one, picking up the Umbreon and looking up at the seats around him. He set Void down in the chair beside Devon's, then crossed his arms and leaned against the upper back of the chair, awaiting the beginning - and more importantly the end - of this meeting. As he stood there, watching people trickle into the room, he felt the tension pick up which only further rose his own anxieties. Very few people here engaged in quiet, casual conversations among themselves as they waited for everyone else, even the most well-rested of the crew looked exhausted, and some even appeared bored. After all the comics and manga about super-humans and the like that Reckless had indulged in as a child, this rag-tag bunch of self-proclaimed heroes was anti-climatic; fact was almost certainly stranger than fiction, if not simply lacking in excitement. He'd have felt better about this surreal reality check if at least half of the bundle of people appeared determined and seemed more than partially prepared for the shit storm that was inevitably going to occur, but these people - including Reckless - were on their last legs. The fact that it showed so very clearly made Reckless's gut scream at him to get out of this suicide mission while he still had a chance. It was all made worse when Brendan walked into the room, reminding Reckless that not just adults, but children were playing hero here too, children who only 12 years ago would have been otherwise collecting badges or dreaming of adding legendaries to their pokedex, not to mention their PC. It was enough to make even Reckless sick, and his empathy for these kids was at an all time low.

Reckless scoffed, suppressing a laugh. Seriously, what the fuck am I doing here? The thought echoed through Reckless's mind like a soft whisper said in a silent room: quiet, but it's suddenness so booming loud it could not be ignored. More people entered the room, and the more strangers Reckless saw, the more he felt like a stranger himself.

He thought of Fang, his heart growing heavy, but this time with resentment and anger, particularly geared towards Abel and the stupid stunt he pulled. He wasn't usually so irrational, at least not so much so that he personally was aware of his irrationality, but Reckless half blamed Abel for her death, half blamed himself. He couldn't say for sure if it was Abel's fault that Fang went feral, but that didn't matter; the point was that if Abel hadn't have pulled the stunt that he pulled in the cave, Reckless could have at the very least done what Meg had done, potentially curing Fang when everything was over. The only thought that combated his rage against Abel was the thought that if he'd stayed in Hoenn, or at least never agreed to help this shambled together team of wannabe heroes, none of this would have happened. Reckless sighed. He wanted to leave. He played the scene in his head of him telling Devon he'd be right back after going to the restroom, then him going to his room, sneaking out through the window, and never turning back. He didn't of course, but the only link between him and this crew right now was Dr. Rin, which was strong enough to keep him here, to let him feel comfortable making a promise to Devon, but wasn't strong enough to keep him here through to the end if it became a choice between another member of his pack and this job - which at the end of the day is all this was to him anyway.

The meeting began, and Reckless, who had taken his seat and let Void curl up at his feet under the table, listened to Shaun and Garrett with intent. He wanted to know just how well they could lead this crew, as well as what sort of plan the group came up with based on their leadership. As he'd said to Garrett, he wanted to believe in them and their cause, but whether or not he did would depend quite a lot on this very meeting.

When this Haru fellow spoke up and spilled his story, Reckless at first didn't follow what was so important about it. Once the point became clear, however, he became very interested in what Haru had to say, not to mention what he could offer this team. At the mention of a potential cure, Reckless perked up and gave a glance in Meg's direction, curious about her general reaction. He then sent a look to Abel, a hard scowl affixed on his face. He wanted to stand up and scream in his face, You hear that!? I could have cured her, you fuck! but he bit his tongue, knowing nothing would come of it, not even an ounce of satisfaction on Reckless's part. Rather he turned back to Haru, white-knuckling his hands around his arms and waiting for an opportunity to speak.

Reckless tapped his knuckles on the table to lightly gather attention once Haru had tacked on his strengths and weaknesses. Before he began the meat of his mentions, he nodded generally in both groups' general directions on either side of the table and introduced himself formally, "Name's Reckless, hired merc." He looked to Shaun and Garrett briefly before giving the summary of his worth to the crew. "I'm one of some of us who has a decent number of pokemon. My pack, of whom are resting upstairs, consists of a Houndoom, Haunter, a Fearow, a recently evolved Mightyena, and an Umbreon. I've admittedly been going out of my comfort zone lately, and I'm willing to do so again if need-be, but I specialize in stealth missions, particularly assassination, tracking and hunting, and informative evesdropping. I built up quite a reputation back home in Hoenn for my skills, mostly considering I'm a former member of post-change Team Magma.

"I've only been in the Jhoto-Kanto region for a few days now, so my information regarding what's happening here is very minimal, but what I do have is a decade's worth of information on Hoenn's black market, Team Magma, and Team Aqua. I bring that up only because what Haru just said has me convinced that whatever's going on here is not limited to just this region; it's global." He paused and let that information sink in for a moment. "Teams Magma and Aqua have joined forces back in Hoenn, and have been working together to test the earth and waters for cures to the Change since it happened. I left years ago because I realized that someone else was pulling the strings, and that someone is Team Rocket." He readjusted in his chair, crossing his arms and leaning forward. "As Haru said, though, they're not looking for a cure for any reasons regular folk would agree with. They're looking to use this to mold the world to their purposes, using the post-Change world as a blank canvas, if you will. If Team Magma's philosophy stands here, then the bottom line is that if they hold the cure, they hold the power. Magma thinks the Rockets is going to help them make the world all land and Aqua thinks the Rockets are going to help them make the world all water, but both are imbeciles; they're nothing more than pawns, being used for their resources and skills. That's an entire country's worth of workers assisting Team Rocket in this research, however." He shook his head and leaned back in the chair once again, eyeing this shambled together crew. "I'm neutral ground, ok? Frankly, I don't care whose in charge because I'll do my own thing regardless of the political musical chairs until the day I die, but..." He looked at Brendan, the youngest person at the table as far as Reckless was aware, for a prolonged moment, then continued to speak to the general group, "Usually I don't give a fuck, but I'm still human enough to not wish death upon any of you. If my opinion doesn't matter to you, though, we can talk straight facts." He took a breath and just pointed out the elephant in the room already. "The odds aren't in our favor, most of us have already suffered losses to this shit, and this cause looks bleak unless we pull it off to perfection - I'm talking comic books and movies levels of perfect. The likelihood of just one of us surviving to win this thing is ridiculous, let alone all of us, and frankly we're probably walking right into our graves here. Point is... We started playing this game at check mate, and if you wanna get off the board before the king falls, nobody here will judge you." He paused, making eye contact with every single individual in the room. "This is your last chance. Are we really all in?"

A silence befell the table. Reckless leaned back in his chair, glancing at Garrett. If I didn't say it, someone else would have. He exchanged a nod, waiting for someone to break the silence, be it with bravery or a goodbye.