[RAID] Attack on Rocket

[TRHQ Agent]

((As per usual, this raid is only open for participation for players who signed up beforehand!))

Camphoreon had been alive with the sound of sirens for much of the early afternoon, the din collectively disappearing towards the northwest. The city itself seemed almost to quiver with anticipation. Word was out: The Rocket base had been discovered. The police station had become a hub connecting the city's willing fighters to the battlefield, vehicles of all sizes coming and going to ferry trainers, officers, and League representatives to the front lines. Another group departed, waved off with a wish for good luck from a pair of League officials standing in front of the station. As the vehicle disappeared down the road, they turned to wait for the next group of trainers that would arrive.

A few moments passed after the last vehicle departed before Alder shifted his gaze to the shorter woman beside him. "Where did you say you were from again, Petra?" He asked; he'd met quite a few new faces today as well as learned origins, but it was difficult to remember them all. The question also served as an opportunity to further commit her name and face to memory. "Kanto, was it?"

"Yes, sir," replied the woman - shorter indeed; her small stature was only further dwarfed by Alder's height, "that's correct. I've heard a lot about Kodo, but this is my first time visiting."

"I see." The man nodded his head and folded his hands behind his back, returning his gaze towards the streets expectantly. "I've heard about it as well, but being here and seeing it for oneself is vastly different." He paused as a thoughtful frown formed on his face, but it morphed into a warm smile that he aimed down at her, "Please, just call me Alder; there's no need for formalities."

Petra offered a nod in agreement, though she had yet to see much of Kodo and was looking forward to learning more about the small island region. She appeared briefly surprised by Alder's correction but promptly returned the smile, "All right, Alder, sir." With the matter of address cleared up, she too turned her attention towards the street and sidewalk to await any arriving trainers.

The frown returned, this time confused, and he opened his mouth to correct her a second time, but instead thought better of it. With a shake of his head and a bemused smile, he again turned his attention to the bustling streets.  

[TawnyAngel]

He had only arrived back in Kodo a couple of days ago but he had received the message and so here he was. When you were head and shoulders above the crowd you tended to notice other people who were too, and so he spotted Alder as he came out of a side street. Well if anyone knew what the hell was going on it would be him; Dith headed over with Viktor trotting at his heels.

Prepared for action as he could make himself the towering wall of a man had opted for khaki cargo pants and a t-shirt. Slung over his shoulder was his usual leather satchel containing first aid kit, battle items and so on. It looked as though this was going to be a rough one, and despite missing them he hoped he didn't see any of his young friends here. He did not, however, expect for his hope to be reality. They would be here.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

It had taken her quite a while - quite a long while - before she finally decided that she wanted to go. She had posed the question to her pokemon, and while almost all of her pokemon seemed eager for the opportunity - Isabella and Jacques especially - Anastasia, unsurprisingly, had no desire to go. Thus, Seraphine had left her and a couple of her weaker pokemon home with her mother, and had departed to meet up with her best friends so they could go together. They were the biggest motivator for her wanting to go, and it felt only right to go with them -- also it made her feel better since she was still quite self-conscious about her missing hand.

Despite being self-conscious about it, today she made no attempts to hide it, and had instead opted for a light top and capris with sneakers, a fancy headband and the belt Ray had given her for her birthday, although it was a little difficult for her to use now since three of her pokeballs rested on her left side, where she now lacked a hand. Clearly she needed something different now, though she couldn't fathom what at the moment.

Not that she could do anything about it at the moment, anyway. As they drew near the police station and the group of people in the area, she turned to regard her two friends with some hesitance, "Is this the place?" She'd never specifically come here herself, but she'd certainly passed by it enough times in all the years she'd lived here. Her pale green eyes shifted ahead again to their destination and quickly picked out Dith - well, if she wasn't sure before that this was it, she certainly was now. But why was he here, and where had he been?  

[League Trainer Rosie]

When the call for trainers went out, that the League and the police had located the Rockets Head Quarters, the place that Rockets had been hiding for years.
It was hard to fathom all at once that the Rockets now suddenly had a spot light on them, when for so long they had been lurking and causing chaos from the shadows.
Though somehow, this didn't make them seem less scary.

Of course there was no question If she would go or not, without hesitation the Trainer was on her feet, calling to her team to fill them in as she rushed to get herself ready.

The next step was to contact her friends, ask if they hear the news. Luke and Sera would be going as well, Luke it didn't surprise her at all, though she couldn't help but worry a little, though she wasn't sure why. It was Sera that surprised her, She knew the girl had been training, but to be confident enough to go out. It felt good to have her come with.

Tugging at her boots, making sure they were fit right, she tapped the toe of the pink sole on the ground, fluffing out the half skirt hanging from her hips to check that each of her primary team was hooked in an ready to go.
Rosie let out a deep sight, trying not to think about the concerns she had over this.
"You're ready, this is what you've been training for, this is something you can do." She told herself.
"You can do this."
Letting out a long breath once more she slipped her fingerless gloves on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pastin had taken her to her friends, and their immediate destination from there was the Police station, the sight of so many people and pokemon bustling around, being organized into groups and heading out toward the desert was almost dizzying, but somehow exciting.
"It looks like it, I wonder who we need to talk to." she said, glancing around.  

[Gwennythe]

The publicity of this event reached Lin much as the news of the fair had some time before.

He'd not had to rely so much on somebody's else transportation, this time, however, able to spend time riding along the routes atop Moriko.
This was how he approached the station; if it hadn't been Rocket, he might have appreciated the idea that he resembled some young squire knight, or old fashioned forest ranger, especially in his usual, slightly shabby, patched up outfit.
The Sawsbuck snorted as she stepped toward the gathering point, toward a very large man towering over the rest.
Lin, a hard look on his face compared to the boyish, sloppy grin those who knew him might remember, reached forward to pat the creature almost absent-mindedly before he dismounted.
Jeeves was perched upon his right shoulder, the grass type's little leaf-arms folded, and a thoughtful frown crossing his features.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove had yet to leave her home when she had received the message calling all trainers to arms, and when she did, it was like ice had settled along her spine, her body freezing in place with her dex in her hands. After a few moment's pause, however, the girl was off, diving into and emerging from her bedroom in a matter of moments, securing her belt to her hips and shooting off a text to Yuri before she released two of her team into the room, her heart sinking as they appeared.

The two eevee peered up at her, the elder suddenly on edge as she took in her trainer's state. The girl was tense, and very obviously fighting to stay calm for whatever reason, and when she bent to kiss the heart shapes atop her kit and her own head, she whined softly, watching as Dove left the house.

A short while later, after a quick stop along the way, the girl would appear, the sun gleaming off the tight top and pants she wore, her boots making little sound as she moved up the sidewalk toward her destination. A bag was slung across her chest, the black of the strap cutting across the deep wine color of her tank, one hand holding it tightly, the other flexing under the long arm band that hid her scars, just above the holster now around her upper thigh. As she approached, she remained silent, offering only a nod to the familiar few already there.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre yawned softly as he strode down the sidewalk, Velencia weaving between his legs as he went. He wore a simple, white, button up shirt with a under bust vest in a rich, dark purple and adorned with multiple pockets over top. His customary white trousers stretched over long legs only to meet the soft, black, leather of his boots at his knees. His two pokeballs were attached to the black, leather holster on his right thigh while his gun rested in the matching holster on the left thigh. The outfit, while rather restrictive looking, was easy to move around in and was capable of holding multiple objects making it his favorite training outfit. He'd pulled his hair up into a high ponytail as he did whenever he did something strenuous and was only slightly regretting it as the ends tickled the back of his neck. "We've never been apart of a raid before, Velencia." The dark pokemon let out a soft, 'Espe-Espeon.' and rubbed against the back of his leg. "Very exciting indeed." He hummed. A small, dark smile stole over his face for an instant before smoothing over into a pleasant expression. "It will be fun and perhaps we'll learn something about Zacharie's whereabouts, hm?" The Espeon nimbly leaped up into his awaiting arms and gently headbutted him under his chin. "Espeon~" She purred as she draped herself around his shoulders. He was actually quite excited. The high from dealing with his parents earlier that week had already dwindled down to a dull buzz and he felt anxious to find that high again. Hopefully this would give him the chance to find that high again. He had to be careful though, there were going to be trainers of all stations around, but that just added to the appeal. Nothing truly fun was easy.

Believe it or not though, that wasn't his main reason for joining the raid.

"Jerome." He murmured to himself, as he approached the police station. He would find this Jerome fellow and when he did he would find Zacharie. "Ah, looks like we are a bit late." He smiled when he spotted a few familiar faces.  

[Tymiko]

A water trainer came up the beach on the back of a bright blue Starmie, its gem flashing an array of colors as its rider dismounted. Once the girl was on solid ground (or at least as solid as wet sand could be), she thanked the pokemon as it reverted into a translucent, shiny blue blob. Taking out a pokeball at her belt, she called out Fathom, barely waiting for him to emerge before heading inland, the sand getting kicked up in her urgent wake.

The Vaporeon shook himself and looked around a second before realizing his trainer was already on the move. The blue blob nearby copied his shape so that soon there were two water-type eeveeloutions chasing after the girl. Tymiko observed the people as many headed to the police station and followed the crowd and signs. Eventually she arrived among the mass of people waiting to be transported and saw a few recognizable figures. One of them in particular stood out.

"Dith!" she called, waving a hand. "You're here!"  

[Suudonym]

An opportunity to fight for Kodo, to stand up and work to protect those who couldn't fight for themselves - missing such an opportunity was the last thing on Luke's mind. What was concerning to him was the resolve with which his friends decided to go as well. Subjecting himself to danger was one thing, but watching his closest friends subject themselves to that danger as well… that was significantly more difficult. He gave his best effort to swallow the feelings that constricted his throat, taking no solace in Rosie's and Sera's presence at his side as they approached the police station.

He nodded in agreement with Rosie's assertion to Seraphine's question, catching sight of Alder standing a ways away. "Well that's the Champion over there, so…" Whether or not they were supposed to be talking to someone or just making themselves obvious as volunteers, he wasn't as certain.  

[TRHQ Agent]

Once a sufficient number of trainers had gathered, Alder raised his voice to be heard over the various noises of both conversation and passing vehicles. "Good afternoon, everyone! I see at least a few familiar faces, but for those who don't know me, my name is Alder. First and foremost, I'd like to personally thank all of you for volunteering to help us today with our goals to remove Team Rocket from the region. I'd also like to reiterate that it will be dangerous, and that everyone must be fully prepared to handle whatever we come across." He paused briefly to survey the group in front of them before continuing, gesturing to the woman beside him as he spoke, "That said, I'd like to introduce you to miss Petra Rall. She is a special operations official within the League, and was pulled from her native region of Kanto to help in this endeavor today due to her knowledge and experience in situations similar to this one. I ask all of you to please give her your full attention, so she can explain the operation in greater detail than the short messages you all received."

With a nod and passing thanks in acknowledgment of the introduction, Petra stood with a confidence in her posture that alluded to the experience she had as one such special operations officer, speaking clearly to the trainer assembly, "As you're already aware, the goal of today's expedition is to expel Team Rocket from Kodo. According to our survey teams, the organization is currently in the process of evacuating their base, and there are groups of Rockets scattering out across the region in unmarked black vehicles. Our strategy is divide and conquer: Strike teams consisting of Kodo's police officers, League representatives, and capable trainers such as yourselves will intercept and engage these Rocket groups. Our objective is to make as many arrests as possible. The purpose of these arrests is either to dismantle the organization so severely that it cannot recuperate or to use the return of the captive Rockets as an incentive to force Team Rocket to agree to leave the region."

Petra folded her hands at her waist, the intrepid quality of her expression softening into one of gentle concern, "Just to reiterate one more time, we're expecting this mission to be incredibly perilous, and none of you are by any means obligated to subject yourselves to this danger. If you're in any way unwilling to face great risk to your personal safety, this is your final opportunity to withdraw. Once we're all in this vehicle," she gestured to a nearby unoccupied van, a pair of manned police cruisers waiting beside it, "there's no turning back. If anyone has any questions or concerns, now is the time to voice them."  

[Arclyn]

A young man stepped out of a hotel building nervously onto the corner of the street across from the police station. He wore a tattered khaki vest over a shirt with an Aerodactyl skeleton printed on it, tan cargo pants, leather work gloves, and a olive green bandana around his neck. He reached into his satchel around his shoulder and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper, and promptly tugged the edges to open the crumpled mess so that the paper was readable. He squinted at it for a moment, frequently shifting his attention between the contents of the map and a few of the people rushing past him. Finally he quietly tried to gain the attention of a nearby person.

"Ah excuse me, could you tell me-" but it was too late, the civillian had already rushed past him, not seeming to even notice he was there. Their attention fixed on a building across the street as they went by. He tried the same approach on several other people but was ultimately met with the same failure to get anyone's attention. Finally, the young man gave out a huff and stuffed his map back in his satchel, and marched along the sidewalk following the direction that everyone seemed to be going, deciding to investigate what everyone was so concerned about that they would not even give him simple directions.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove stayed quiet, almost afraid to greet the others as they arrived, but listening carefully to two officials as they spoke up. From the corner of her eye, she noted those around her that she knew: Yuri, whom she spotted a little ways off. Luke, Rosie, and Sera... together, of course. Dith and Lin, she was glad to see. Tymiko... Ty's presence worried her, even though she hadn't talked to the girl in a long, long while, but she let it go.

Closing her eyes for a minute, she waited, then came to attention when the woman began to speak, her brows furrowed. Special operations... hm. That was interesting.

The expectation that the mission would be perilous was no surprise, and while it left a heavy weight in her stomach, along with everything else, she stayed put, nodding a little in affirmative, sparing another quiet glance to those around her, wondering if she was really that out of place.  

[TawnyAngel]

...Yes; there was Rosie, Sera, Luke and-

"Ty!" He really wished she wasn't here but he found himself smiling anyway, pleased to see her after so long. After a pause he stooped to give her a brief tight hug before straightening again, sighing and smoothing a hand over his hair (held back in a thick plait for practicality today). "Da, I'm here. I got back to Kodo the day before yesterday... you're coming then?" She was too young, but there wasn't a lot he could do to stop her. Best he could do for her, or any of them, was watch her back.

Thinking of the others Dith turned to the trio again and waved, offering a smile to them as well though the expression was a little strained. He had been going to call a greeting as well - and wait, didn't he know that girl in the flashy outfit too? Dove or something? - but at the moment Alder started speaking and Dith turned to listen first to him and then to the league specialist.

Questions? Too many, or at least there were too many thoughts flying around inside his head. "How are we going to be organized?" he said after some moments, making a small gesture with one hand to draw attention to himself. "And what will we do if," when, "any rockets we locate resist arrest, we will be expected to incapacitate them?"  

[insidiousEnigma]

"Did you hear that? 'This mission is to be incredibly perilous.'" He told the Espeon resting on his shoulders quietly. Seemed a little bit like overkill but perhaps this excursion into the Rocket Headquarters would up to his expectations. He could sense Velencia rolling her eyes as she let out a scoff, "Espeon." He let out a soft hum of agreement as he scanned the trainers that had gathered. Quite the bunch, they all seemed so young. Speaking of young..."Rosie~" He grinned as he picked his way through the crowd to stand beside the blonde haired girl. "I didn't expect to see you here, though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." It hadn't been too long since the festival but it felt like a lifetime ago to him. "It's such a pleasure to see you again." Velencia eyed the blonde and her friends, her red eyes narrowed and focused.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Sera didn't know what Luke meant by 'champion' but regardless she followed his gaze to the redheaded man he'd indicated, and moved in that direction while staying near her friends, subconscious running her hand over the thin scars surrounding the end of her opposite arm. She already knew it'd be dangerous, but still, to be reminded of them made her more than a little nervous, though the presence of Rosie and Luke (and her invisible Mismagius nearby) offered her some comfort, as well as the knowledge they would be there the whole time. The brunette straightened up, both arms dropping to her sides as she glanced around; while she didn't have any questions, someone else might.

Someone she didn't recognize suddenly called Rosie's name, and Sera's attention snapped to one side to look up to the unfamiliar man and his odd-looking Espeon. Her pale green eyes narrowed similarly, appraising both man and pokemon. He sounded kind of weird; she wasn't sure she liked him.