[M] Pokemon: Avarice Versus Justice! (Ashen and Headwrapper)

[Headwrapper]

A small flock of Hoothoot scattered as the door to the apartment building in southeast Goldenrod swung open. From it appeared a male who stood at an average height for an adult, his face hidden beneath his dark hood. The man stepped out into the dark early morning, his fingerless gloves holding a messenger bag in one hand, and a paper cup with a plastic lid in the other. After taking a few steps down the street the man came to a sudden halt, before turning and walking over to the tall chain link fence that served as the cities southern border.

On the other side of the fence the man could see a stout figure, peering from behind a dark evergreen. "Drowzee. Drowzee!" he barked. The short figure would finally waddle up to the fence, peering up at the man behind its long yellow snout. The hooded man sighed as he squatted down to be face to face with the short fat lump. "Do you have to make me late every morning? Get out of here, what did I say would happen if you kidnapped another child?" A long moment of silence passed as the man and Pokemon stared at each other. The wings of the Hoothoot returning to their original meeting spot could be heard back towards the apartment.

Finally growing impatient, the man would set down his messenger back. He held up his now freed hand to the fence, his index finger held back by his thump, before giving the long yellow snout a flick. "Get out of here before I let Umbreon have a turn with ya." In response, Drowzee would give his snout a tender rub with a small stubby hand before turning and waddling back into the tall grass. A smile grew across the hooded man's face before he picked up his messenger bag and continued on his way.

After finally making his way uptown, the man would the wide blue doors of the Goldenrod Police Station. With some effort, he managed to open one of the doors despite his full hands, and he hurried inside. As he passed the front desk he thought he heard a greeting, which he returned with a simple nod as he continued to the office. A long hall packed with desks, the office was mostly empty except for a handful of the night crew. As silent as ever, the man continued passed them without a word, slipping away into a room even farther in the back of the building. This room was similar to the previous, but much smaller and with fewer desks, six of them to be exact, arranged so each pair of desks faced each other, separated by black dividers. The lights automatically flickered on as the man stepped through the doorway.

He counted the empty seats as he made his way to the back of the room. "One, two, three, four, five... six." The final desk, in the back of the room, was his own. With much urgency he would sit on the black leather chair and begin unpacking his messenger bag. A few folders, a laptop, and his favorite pen, worn from obsessive clicking, biting, and tapping. He placed the computer on a dock and turned it on, and then took a glance around the empty room as he waited for the machine to boot up. As his eyes scanned the area, he lowered his hood and unzipped his jacket, revealing a white, collared shirt. His tan cheeks were covered in stubbly hair, and dark purple circles rest just below his brown eyes, which were nearly covered by his wavy, dark hair. Those dark eyes would stop, noticing something unusual about the room.

The desk that sat just in front of him, that faced his own desk and was usually covered in random photos of crime scenes, boxes of donuts, or cartons of takeout that the other detectives brought was perfectly cleaned off. It almost looked like a brand new desk. Although hidden underneath his hair, the man's eyes furrowed as he almost immediately made the connection. "Ugh," he sighed, remembering the responsibility the uncovered wood symbolized. His glance would shift back to his computer screen, a line blinking, beckoning him to type his account information. At least he was early enough that some work would be done before the others barged. He raised his still gloved fingers to the keyboard, his fingertips peeking out of the cloth from just past the knuckles. Clive Oiler, the screen read as a string of asterisks filled the empty field, just before the computer unlocked.

[Ashen]

It was a dark morning, before the sun even rose, and a young woman was pacing. It was warm out, though really, anything even remotely un-cold was warm to the Snowbelle City native. A Beartic was watching her master pace, a worried look across her small face. When her master stopped and noticed her Pokemon, she hesitated. "You can't tell me you're not nervous?" she said. "I mean... This is what we've worked so hard for, Zita. And all our efforts, all our years at the Academy and all the time we spent doubting--it's finally coming to an end. Today's the day! I'm going to start work as... as a real detective! Zita, this is insane. Of course I can't sleep! We've trained so hard, you and me and Valkyrie. I just can't believe it's here already."

The Beartic could only watch and smile. She didn't have to do much to keep the woman going.

As the rookie detective rambled, a Braviary peeped his head into the room. Valkyrie, upon hearing his name, gave a soft cry and walked over to his master. He cocked his head, wondering why the darkness did not symbolize bedtime tonight.

The master was far too nervous for that. She gently pat her Braviary on the head. Whereas the Beartic was as old as she, her Braviary was her closer companion. They'd been through the Academy together, and they were much stronger in each other's company. "Kyrie, this is... This is so much. I can hardly believe it." She walked up to her full-length mirror hanging from her closet door. Her dark blue eyes were shining sapphires, sparkling a shade too dully. The bags under her eyes told her she should have gone to bed, but she knew she would have to use makeup to hide them in the morning. She stared at herself in her short nightgown, her Beartic and Braviary behind her. "Finally," she said. "Yulia Oryolovna, Private Detective."

Morning crawled to meet Yulia's enthusiasm. She was dressed in her uniform before the sun even woke. Back in the mirror, Yulia soothed her pencil skirt one more time. She unbuttoned and buttoned her suit jacket, tugged her undershirt into place. She checked her small-heeled shoes, shifted her stockings. The scarf around her neck was a fashion statement, one she made daily. Glasses perfectly symmetrical, she nodded to herself in the mirror. Finally, Yulia took her flat, sky blue hair in her hands, and she tied it up into a tail that met her shoulder blades. "I'm ready!" she sang. Then, in a calmer, quieter tone, she affirmed, "I'm ready."

She made sure to get a good breakfast, not knowing what to expect of her day. Around her were the food bowls of four Pokemon. Her Glameow, Fritz, was the pickiest eater, and was always the first to every meal. Valkyrie and Zita ate at the table, across from Yulia. The last member of the group, Ivy, crawled up to Fritz's bowl to try and steal a bite. The Skorupi was not so lucky, and received a scratch attack for her efforts. She went back to her own dish, defeated.

When breakfast was done, Yulia recalled three of her Pokemon to their Poke Balls. She then knelt down to meet Fritz's level and planted a kiss on his head. "Be a good kitty," she cooed. The Glameow simply rolled his eyes at her and turned away. Yulia sighed, then headed out to her car. She started the forty-five minute drive to her workplace. Once there, she parked in the parking space allotted to her. Standing outside those intimidating doors of the Goldenrod Police Station, she took in another large breath. This was it.

She hadn't been told much about her partner. Clive Oiler was his name, a young prodigy whose last partner had been transferred or something. Or perhaps he had never had a partner at all. Would he be accepting of Yulia then? Annoyed? Whatever the case, Yulia was sure she would be able to handle it. She had gone through all sorts of hells getting here, and she was not going to let some snobby boss get under her skin.

Heels clicking, Yulia walked her way down the hall. She had memorized the layout of the building already, as always going above and beyond to be ready to succeed. She made her way to the back of the room, past four tables. Hers was the fifth one, the empty one, waiting for its new occupant. Before even setting her messenger bag by it, Yulia walked straight past it. Her boss was already at his desk. She walked his up to him and gave him a low bow. "Mr. Oiler, sir," she greeted, offering him a proper salute. "I am Yulia Oryolovna, the new recruit, and I am reporting for duty! I've been told we will be working together on the coming missions, and I look forward to meeting you, sir."

She had perfect posture, though held her salute for a moment too long. Her piercing eyes looked through him, but she knew better than to maintain eye contact for too long. She stood there, appearing confident, and waiting for him to respond. It came down to this. Would her partner like her? Would she know how to get around it if he didn't? Of course she could, she thought. She was Yulia Oryolovna, valedictorian of her graduating class at the highest ranking police academy in the world. She could handle anything. She would fulfill her goals.

She would make her parents proud.

[Headwrapper]

Clive chattered his teeth loudly as he continued his work. Sprawled before him was layer upon layer of photos of Team Avarice gang members. Each was cropped so that the main focus of the picture was for an individual. A neat pile of similar photos sat on the corner of his desk— these were the original photos the crops were taken from. The grunts in the pictures varied in appearances - the criminal organization seemed very diverse- but they all shared a common outfit. Black pants and shirts, with gold trim and a large golden "A" on the front of the shirt. They greatly resembled Team Rocket, the very same team that was taken down by children all those years ago. Unlike the Rockets, however, team Avarice opted to wear masquerade masks instead of donning a hat.

"You are real people, aren't you?" the detective sighed softly, glancing between the pictures and records that were displayed on his computer screen. Who were these people that called themselves Team Avarice? More importantly, where were their weakest links, their grunts, being recruited? Their motives were not completely clear just yet, but if they are able to mobilize a large number of grunts in a short amount of time then they would obviously be a problem. Truly, theyu already were a problem. There have been reports of Pokemon being stolen from trainers in neighboring towns or along the routes, and so far none of these missing Pokemon had been recovered.

Clive's attention focused on one particular photograph for far longer than it had on others. The woman pictured, sporting the Avarice look, had dark crimson hair that fell in long curls around her mask. "Could you be one of Whitney's girls, I wonder?" A gloved hand reached out to set the photograph off to the side, in its own special place, away from the rest. The man's fingers tensed just after setting down the thick paper stock, sensing a disturbance in the peace that was the empty office. Was it about that time for him to wear his headphones to drown out the others?

Before he knew it, a blue streak zipped down the walkway and stopped directly by his desk. The girl was quick to introduce herself, and even offered him a bow and a salute. The detective let out a long sigh and pulled his jacket around his collar. Honestly, he had not gave much care to prepare the new recruit that was forced on him. The PD was granted additional funding for once, and with that money was able to recruit much needed help. Everyone else needed help, anyway, but Clive felt that he did just fine working alone. He remembered the dry taste in his mouth when the chief told him that he would finally be able to have a partner and how it was perfect that a fresh detective could be paired with a prodigy like himself in such a busy time.

"I'm Clive. Mr. Oiler was my father's name." He left his response at that. It hung in the air while he clicked a few more times at his computer, and finally tearing himself away from the screen so that he could turn his chair and face the new recruit properly. The man stayed seated, his dark eyes slowly scanning the woman before matching her gaze. Was she unimpressed, disappointed maybe, with her new boss's shabby and unorganized appearance? Well if she did, oh well. There were more important things to this line of work than being pretty and putting on makeup each morning. "Oh. I guess that empty desk there is yours. Did they give you a laptop yet?"

[Ashen]

Yulia thought her partner looked quite lackluster. For one so young, he had the enthusiasm of an old man. She kept her comments to herself and maintained a smile the whole time he typed away at his computer. When he finally did look at her, she offered another bow, not knowing if he'd caught the first. "My apologies, Mr. Clive," she corrected, not quite willing to part with formalities yet. She watched him take in her appearance. Of course, Yuilia had made sure everything had been perfectly in place before she had left for work. Her partner would find not a thing out of place. She stood with confidence knowing this, and waited for him to finish his study of her before speaking.

"They gave me a laptop during orientation." Yulia placed a hand on her messenger bag. "I have already completed the necessary online trainings on it, and have organized all the necessary documents for the GRPD. I've studied all of our workings intensely and am ready to start work as soon as possible."

She was a go-getter, that was for sure. The online training sessions were supposed to last her a few months into the job at least. The documents on the Goldenrod Police Department were probably unopened by most of its staff. In fact, no one had even told her to set up her issued laptop, but of course she had. She smiled as she told him this, not in a malicious way, and not looking for any sort of praise. She was proud of herself, and that was all that mattered.

Her dark eyes fell to his desk, and the collection of papers. "Team Avarice." She spoke the name as if its syllables carried a sour taste. "I do hope that, together, we will put a stop to them."

It was common knowledge, the goals of Team Avarice. They were an organization most deemed worse than even Team Rocket. A band of villains set on kidnapping Pokemon, only to torture them to bring out their "full potential"... It was sickening, and Yulia hated that they had any place in this world. It was the reason she had become a detective. She would see to the end of Team Avarice if it was the last thing she did.

She turned her gaze back to Clive. "Have we any new leads on them? I reviewed their folder many times. I do look forward to putting an end to them. Ah--sorry." She backed away, only just realizing how much she was talking and how eager she probably looked. "I should ask, before all else, do you have a task for me? You'll find I'm a quick worker, and it is absolutely a pleasure to be here, sir."

[Headwrapper]

Clive's lips curled into a scowl as the recruit described the work she had already completed. It was clear that she was not saying this all to seek his approval. No, maybe it was for her own self-esteem, or maybe there were other standards she hoped to live up to. The ambitious lot were always pushed by something or someone to strive for greatness, no matter how strange or annoying it might seem to others.

Crap. If she had completed all of the training already there's not much I can do to keep her off my back. As much as he would rather work alone, the man knew that any attempts to keep his partner preoccupied with busy work or other trivial things would not go unnoticed. This girl, Yulia, would probably take notice to it and draw attention from their superiors herself. Such a thing was not beneath the overachieving type.

It did not take long before the girl's attention was drawn towards the work on his desk. Overachiever or not, anyone in town would know who Team Avarice was. They were dangerous to people and Pokemon alike, and had already caused major lockdowns in cities across the region. Clive's dark eyes glanced over the articles placed before him, eventually locking back onto the picture he was inspecting earlier.

The detective's eyebrows raised when his new partner's sudden apology came. So she did have some self awareness after all. Even so, the man did not convey any sense of guilt over his lack of enthusiasm. "I don't have anything for you yet. Sorry, I'm used to working alone." He turned back towards his desk, scratching his stubbly chin. He picked up the picture of the red-haired girl once more, lost in thought for a moment. "Actually, how good are you and your Pokemon at battling?"

Just as Clive managed to produce his question, another figure stepped through the door. "Hey look, Clive finally made himself a friend!" The first figure was a taller man, at least a decade older than Clive. His dark uniform did little to conceal his muscular physique, and his white hair was buzzed short, contrasting with his tanned skin. Following closely behind him was a woman, shorter than the man, but still tall for a woman her age. Her long, green hair framed her pale face, falling straight down either side and almost reaching her hips.

"Jean, don't make fun of Clive. He doesn't understand jokes anyway." The woman stepped forward, extending one hand to Yulia. "You must be the new recruit. I'm Natasha, and this is my partner Jean.

[Ashen]

Though Yulia took note of the man's lack of energy, she did not think any less of him. She was used to people not being nearly as enthusiastic as she, and she did not let the jaded demeanor affect her. He told her he had nothing for her, but Yulia didn't mind that. It was day one after all, and she was more than capable of keeping herself busy. There was some worry in her partner's features though, and Yulia watched him awhile to figure out why. Did he feel it was his responsibility to give her something to do every minute? She shook her head lightly, and was about to tell him that it was quite alright, but then he spoke again.

Battling. Yulia's parents had both been battlers, her father for work and her mother for recreation. She'd grown up knowing the mechanics of the fight. The Academy had trained her extensively in battling too, and though Yulia's grades in that had not been as high as other things, she knew herself to be perfectly capable. She liked strategizing, and she liked showing how much her Pokemon could handle. She'd never had a full team of six, but knew her profession didn't exactly call for it anyway. Her bonds between her three Pokemon were fortified more due to the fact that there were not six Pokemon to share her love.

But why was Clive asking? She studied him a moment more. Did he want to test her? Yulia smiled at that. Finally, a way to show her skill beyond her stellar grades from her transcript. She bowed a little, and she made a move to dig into her bag for her three Poke Balls, but before she could formally respond someone interrupted them. She looked up at the two people in uniform walking towards them. They were joking about Clive, but Yulia didn't dare smile at her partner's expense. She waited for them to speak, then bowed again. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" She held out a hand for Natasha, then one for Jean. "I am Yulia, and yes, this is my first day here. I'm very excited to be here, working alongside Mr. Clive." She motioned towards Clive, casting him a smile.

When Yulia looked back to the two new people, she still wore a smile. "Are you two detectives as well? I haven't gotten a chance to meet everyone yet, or, really anyone besides my partner and a couple people who helped with my orientation. I do hope to learn everyone's names soon!" When she turned back to Clive, trying to include him in the conversation too, she noticed that he did not look particularly happy about these two. Maybe the man just wasn't a people person. She'd find a way around that, or maybe she'd even fix that. Wouldn't that be funny, she thought, a new friend. She cleared her throat, then looked back to Natasha and Jean.

[Headwrapper]

The glint Yulia's eye and her motion towards her bag were plenty to serve as an answer for Clive. It would be beneficial to have a partner who could hold her own in a battle to help compensate for his own limits. Clive's Pokemon could not hold their own for very long in battle, except for his Umbreon. The rest had been trained for sleuthing, spying, and if he needed to be creative, interrogating.

The jests direct towards him as the fellow detectives entered did little to stir him. More or less he seemed to just ignore them, continuing with what he was doing without so much as recognizing the incoming party. The dark spheres of his eyes continued to dart around the files and photos lain on his desk, and occasionally towards his computer screen, but hardly ever towards the others in the room. Still, even though he had not paid much mind to the others, he could feel his jaw tightening as he felt their stairs lingering on him every so often.

Natasha's lips curled slightly as she shook Yulia's hand. "That we are. In fact, it looks like your desk is just behind mine." A pale hand gestured to the desk that was the fourth one from the entrance to the office. "It will be nice to finally have another woman around. The men don't know it but they wouldn't be able to find the radio tower if a woman didn't point them in the right direction first." She turned to glance at her partner. "Isn't that right, Jean?"

The large man's muscles seemed to bulge even more somehow as he stepped closer. "I never claimed I was smart. They've always said you have to be in this type of work, but I have my own way of getting to the bottom of things." A large white smile glistened as the man let out a low chuckle. The man stepped away to pick up a large blue mug that had been sitting on the corner of desk number three. "Who wants coffee? Ladies?" The man paused for a moment, peering over to Clive. "Clive?"

Clive's eyes didn't even leave the computer screen as he continued clicking and typing away. A gloved hand raised one of his hood strings to his mouth so he could chew on it as he continued observing the images that moved across the screen, before moving that same hand to hold a paper cup he had brought with him that morning, which was empty. Without moving his eyes away from the screen he would drop the cup into the trash bin sitting next to his desk. "I'm good." With that, the larger man would exit the room with his mug to get his own coffee and anything that was requested from the other parties.

[Ashen]

Yulia smiled warmly with Natasha as she joked. She didn't offer much, not willing to place herself above men even in jest, but she gave no indication that she did not approve of the joke. She watched the way Jean responded, and she wondered if Yulia herself would ever get to that level of comfort with Clive, or he with her. She bowed a bit, and to Jean's question she responded, "Just water, thank you."

Jean left after that, leaving Yulia and Clive alone with Natasha. Yulia could tell Clive was not too fond of this woman, but she did not dare inquire yet. She turned her attention to Natasha, figuring Clive would like the time where he was not being directly spoken to. "So, Ms. Natasha," she said politely. "How long have you been with the force? Do you battle as well? How many cases have you worked on, and what sort of things should a beginner expect? What has been your hardest case? Your most rewarding?" Yulia watched Natasha's face, then shifted. "Ah, forgive me, I do not mean to interrogate you. I just want to be as prepared as I possibly can! I've done well in every training program, but you know how things are. Sometimes school programs and tests don't exactly translate, you know?"

Yulia took a very conscious step away from Natasha. This was the kind of thing that had annoyed many of her peers at the Academy. She asked too many questioned, harbored too much enthusiasm; but how could she not? This was her raison d'être, her very reason behind her existence. And yet, she could feel the headache creeping through her mind. Her fingers were stiffening, her feet growing cold. She could feel her body protesting this annoying demeanor. She tried hard to shake it off, and unconsciously a hand dove into her pocket for some kind of painkiller. Not now, please.​

[Headwrapper]

Natasha's emerald eyes widened for a moment, as if caught off guard by the bombardment of questions. She should not be surprised that a rookie would be so eager to here of more veteran detective's stories. After all, although Natasha and Jean lacked the reputation Clive Oiler had, they had plenty more experience. In a few years, when the detectives that sat at desks one and two decide to retire, Natasha and Jean would become the most veteran active detectives on the force. The woman recovered quickly from the younger girl's interrogation, a dimply smile curling across her face once again.

"Really I don't think any of those are simple to answer," she chuckled. "How about I take you out to lunch for your first day, and we can talk about those things then? Assuming that's alright with Clive, of course." The woman offered a mischievous glance over Yulia's shoulder, staring at Clive at his desk behind her. Of course, he did not respond right away. But Natasha knew better than to think he had been ignoring them entirely. While the man was known to tune out anything that did not help him with his work, he also seemed to know and recall everything that he had witnessed, even in passing.

"I don't mind. But she might be busy today." The large printer, a large cube that took up one corner of the office, began to hum and stir to accompany the brief answer. Clive quickly walked over and snatched up the page that had been printed, and strode straight back to his desk. "She's going to be challenging the Goldenrod City Gym today, and, if her Pokemon aren't too tired after that, we'll be visiting the Underground as well." His dark eyes scanned over the warm printed page he held in his hand, observing the profiles of the people on the list. At the very top was the red-haired girl, and just beneath was a blond man, not much older than Clive. Those two were the most important on the list, since he knew where to find them.

Jean returned from his quick voyage, a warm mug in one large hand and two bottles of water grasped in the other. He offered the cold bottles to the two women in the room before sitting at his desk. As he waited for his computer to boot up, he noticed Clive staring at his list. Jean had watched Clive perform this ritual dozens of times. He had always took a moment to review his thoughts before doing any field work. "Say Clive, shouldn't you print two of those lists at a time now?"

Clive looked up at his list, eyes quickly flashing towards Jean and lingering for a moment before glancing over to Yulia. "Oh... Right..." A hand moved over to his mouse, and he tried to mask his reluctance by making sure he put extra fervor in clicking to print another page. Soon the printer came back to life with whirs and hums as it produced a copy of the page he had been holding. "There you go."

[Ashen]

Natasha didn't seem too irritated with Yulia's onslaught of questions, and for that the rookie detective was grateful. She quite liked the idea of lunch, but before she could answer she looked towards Clive. Her partner seemed to have other plans for her. Her sapphire eyes watched him as he retrieved a sheet from the printer. He spelled off her tasks for the day, and Yulia wondered where all these tasks had suddenly come from. Regardless, her mind was already racing. Whitney was a normal-type user, and Yulia would have no problems with type advantage. Her Miltank was a problem to most who challenged her, but Yulia's Beartic...

She pulled herself out of her thoughts, realizing she could not lose so much time to strategizing. Jean returned then, and Yulia bowed her thanks before taking her water bottle. He reminded Clive of Yulia's position as his partner, and she smiled pleasantly. She opened her water bottle and took a sip, then capped it and reached for the paper. She thanked Clive, and as her eyes trailed the paper her face grew serious. That woman... Quickly she looked back up, wondering if anyone caught the recognition in her eyes.

The young recruit tried to shake it off. She glanced between the three others, assuming she was safe. Clearing her throat, she turned to Natasha and Jean. "Thank you very much. I should complete the tasks Mr. Clive has given me. If I have free time during my lunch break, I would love to grab something to eat with you." She grabbed Natasha's hand, gave it a firm shake, then grabbed Jean's as well. "I will see you both around, then?"

Once the two had left, Yulia turned to Clive. She still felt wary about the paper in her hand, but she was trying to remove it from her mind. "When did you want to head to Goldenrod Gym?" she asked. "I think Whitney has a slight disadvantage against my team. While I claim no fighting-type Pokemon, two of my Pokemon do have very powerful fighting-type moves. I am still up for the challenge, however. You will be accompanying me, yes? Otherwise I can go alone, please don't let me interfere with your work."

She was talking too much again. Yulia shifted a bit. She folded the paper in her hands and tucked it into her bag, giving her hands something to do. She met Clive's eye then. He didn't see the way her gaze lingered at that woman? He didn't notice how uncomfortable she got? Did he see the effects of her worsening headache? This would not ruin her first day, she would not let it. She had prepared for this, prepared to do this, and nothing was going to come between her and her goals.