[PTU] Torrin Region: Island Hearts And Empty Wallets (IC)

[IrnBruAddict]

Sunnyshore City, Sinnoh, on the 15th floor of Terramax HQ, CEO's office

Lyra was the last one to enter the office, carrying a briefing file into the head office of Terramax CEO Ludger Terran, a well built and well dressed red-haired businessman. The man who was often compared to a red-gorilla stuffed into a business suit silently accepted the file then motioned for her to sit. He casts a glance at the file, absorbing the contents in less than a minute.

Ludger Terran, the son of Terramax's two founders Reiner Terran and Ahni Ramax, was not who he appeared to be. Looking at him , he often looked like a bouncer with his well built frame and tight fitting suit, but he had the mind of a true businessman. While his father had built a company that had made a name for itself for selling goods as cheaply as possible and had teetered frequently between bankruptcy and expansion on a month by month basis, Ludger had pulled the company from the ashes of mediocrity and into a global brand. After taking over, Ludger had managed to corral the company back under control and had slowly been building up their public image over the last few years. Still, it had not been an easy ride. Despite now owning the 7th largest manufacturer of pokemon trainer and pokemon training related merchandise, they were still plagued by poor public perception from PR disaster after disaster. The hiring of a famous Pokestar Studios actor for an advert only for him to be jailed 2 weeks after the campaign launched, the 2 months where potions and super potions had their labels reversed, the Azure Ball launch to be followed by the discovery of the faulty capture mechanism, and of course ... the Masterball incident. Terramax had built 3 prototype masterballs. And upon the testing of the first, it had resulted in the pokeball tester losing most of his arm and a massive payout to cover medical expences. And worst of all, the stupid memes and viral videos and jokes that were now floating around the internet about Terramax.

Ludger placed the file down and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration, letting out a sigh. 'Thank you very much Lyra.' While a ruthless businessman who looked like he might smash your face in if you ever refused an offer from him, he always spoke very politely to his employees, no matter their role. From board members to the cleaning ladies who worked night shift, he was always a very formal speaker. He glanced around the room to look at the assembled group.

On the log couch sat the 3 of the up-and-comers from the younger staff who were making themselves known in recent months. Kasuka Heiwa, a new junior VP who was recently promoted after brokering a take-over bid for Dison Dynamics, was avaiding eye contact with his brother on the other side of the room and chatting away with his fellow executives, Hector Ewald and Daniel Vance. Hector was a relatively new start, recently scouted from a prestigious legal school last year and had proved his worth in finding a small but obscure legal lophole that saved them a lot of money after the potion label incident, and had been recommended by his friend Kasuka to Daniel for this very position for the new Torrin branch. And everyone in the room knew Daniel, as he was the one that had briefed them all and had provided the legal documents for them to sign to gain access to the Torrin region. A born PR man, Daniel had been running damage control after the masterball incident, and this new expedition to Torrin was his brainchild.

Sitting in an armchair near the window was Miss Steele. A former shrine maiden and new employee of Terramax, after hearing of her knowledge of the spiritual and religious side of pokemon, she had been asked in person by Daniel to lend her expertise to the Torrin expedition. Daniel was insistent that Vanessa was crucial to making the operation a success. Taking a seat near her was the recently arrived Lyra Hellis. The youngest person in the room, the Kalosan teen easily stood out with both her bright pink hair and her athletic build making her stand out against the corporate setting. Despite her title being secretary for Hector, it was a well known secret that she would actually be providing security for the group. And Daniel had mentioned to both Hector and Kasuka that having her help out would smooth things over with the League due to her relationship with the Gym Leader Korrina, although if Lyra knew this or not, Daniel never mentioned it in front of Lyra.

Standing in the far corner of the room, next to a globe that opened to reveal a drinks cabinet that now sported an almost empty brandy bottle were the 2 who were not technically Terramax employees. Technically, these 2 were contractors who were hired due to familial relations. The giant of a man, the only one taller than Ludger himself, Trab had nursed his fair share of brandy waiting for the meeting to end. Luckily, thanks to a bribe from his brother involving a pack of Orrean cigars, Trab had mostly stayed on his best behavior today. Plus, after hearing where he was going, Trab had tried a couple of the local drinks brewed over in Torrin, and had to admit, whilst not his favourite, Torrish booze had it’s own charm, especially the whisky. And of course next to him was Joseph Rutila, who quite frankly was amazed he was there. After the last technology demonstration his brother had performed in a Terramax office, Joseph had heard the man’s carpet still smelled of Tauros urine for a week. Yet a couple days ago, his brother had received a job offer from Terramax due to a particular patent he owned and was quickly sent off to the Torrin branch. And that same evening, Joe had met with Daniel who had offered him a similar position in Torrin, although this one with 2 clear conditions. Help out the Torrin branch team, and make sure his brother didn’t burn down the Torrin research lab. Other than that, if Daniel had approached the young man out of pity for putting up with his brother for so long, so genuinely seeing some potential in him, Joseph wasn’t sure.

'And you're confident the League will uphold their side of the bargain.'

'Absolutely chief,' nodded Daniel, 'I have it on authority from Charles Goodshow himself that they'll rescind the embargo on Terramax exports to the Hoenn and Johtan regions that they threw up after the Master Ball incident if we can help out the Torrin chieftain get his little relic back. What with the Team Flare terrorist attack over in Kalos and the Ultra Beast incident in Alola, most Torrin islanders are wanting the security of being part of the League. But they're on edge after losing the relic, so the referendum has been postponed until after it's found.'

'And with no legal authority to act on Torrin, they've reached out to us to help, of course?'

'Of course,' said Daniel with a confident smile. 'Unlike Hoenn or the other regions, Terramax's factory on the western island provides such a large percentage of employment on Torrin that they can't afford to embargo us, and if we help them out with this, then we both strengthen our position there but also gain back some ground with the League. All in all, it's a win for us, a win for the locals and a win for the League. Just think of it like us doing a little community service. A little good deed for the year.'

'And needless to say,' adds Kasuka politely, 'if the Terramax team does find and recover the relic, then we can find a way to leak that out to the press and finally have some good publicity in the headlines for a change.' A joyful Daniel slaps him on the back of the shoulder.

'Exactly! Big business helps little fishing village solve a big problem. You know the networks will eat that stuff up.'

After staying silent for a minute, Ludger slowly nods and reaches into the file Lyra had brough him, pulling out 5 airline tickets. 'Very well, provided we proceed with caution and make sure to maintain a strong public image there, I give the go-ahead for the Torrin operation.' Ludger stares at the member that would be heading out. 'And I take it you all understand the importance of this mission? Public perception will be key. If this succeeds, our troubles will be over, but if you mess up our reputation any more than it is already, then the results may be catastrophic for Terramax. I expect swift results. You will report to the local authorities and the League amabasdor, and you'll be greeted by Rebecca Rodrigez, interim-head-of-site for the Torrin manufacturing branch. Any questions regarding the assignment before we send you off?'

[Arcran]

Trab leaned against the wall, gently swirling his drink around and wondering the obvious question of how in the hell it had gotten so empty. Truth be told, Trab was more than a little annoyed at being here in the first place. His brother might be helping him out but would it kill him to at least acknowledge that he's in the room? It wasn't that much to ask, truth be told. If it weren't for the pack of cigars in his pocket, Trab might even bother to call his brother on it. He'd wanted a couch to crash on, not to be shipped off to some stone age village, even if their drinks were stomachable.

"Nope," Trab says, speech barely slurring despite the amount of alcohol he'd drank. "Go to the village, make friendly, and find the missing relic. Just like treasure hunting back in the day, right bro?" Trab says with glance at his brother, leering at him through the sunglasses he was wearing even inside. "Actually, wait, any weird rules there? I'm not going to get burned at the stake if I light up a cig, am I?" Trab asks, the prospect of quitting cold turkey terrifying him slightly. "And what happens if the relic is gone-gone? What if some wackjob sacrificed it to a volcano god?" Trab asks, only half sarcastic.

[MichaelGoldclaw]

While typically seen wearing clothes appealing to the more... base desires, Lyra would be seen in a formal suit given the circumstances. Still, those who know Lyra would know she's only wearing it because she can't get away with wearing her typical clothes. The Kalosian hardly fits the corperate life, but she still fits. In the end, Lyra was also here for a paycheck and it wasn't a true oddity to find someone in a corperation who wouldn't sell their soul for a quick buck. From the sounds of it though, this was one of the better jobs. Doing good and getting paid to do it.

Lyra didn't really have any questions, but she did have a little joke to add to the half-sarcastic remark at the cost of sounding unprofessional. "Well, just in case they want us to follow it up, I think we should just invalidate ourselves as sacrifices if we haven't already. That is, if the sacrifices are... you know" she lets out a little chuckle.

[Esprit15]

Hector calmly listens, jotting down a few notes into his phone on the specifics of their job. The small, red circle in the upper right corner of the screen meant that it was still recording audio, a practice that he learned from one of his legal professors. Some people work to get around paper trails by only oral communication, at which point it just becomes a matter of testimony and convincing a jury that you aren't lying. Hard evidence however is hard to argue with.

Objectives:
Maintain positive public perception
Find lost artifact

Sequence of events:
Report to league ambassador and local authority

"We will receive more information in regards to locating the artifact when we meet with the local authority, correct? Otherwise we are just looking for needles in hay."

[CateranEnforcer]

Vanessa did her best to stay as professional as possible. This was a chance too good to screw up. Getting involved with this kind of assignment might be just the thing to help her climb the corporate ladder. Sharply dressed in a suit with her dark hair neatly tied in a bun she tried not to roll her eyes at the other flippant personalities she'd be working with in the coming days. She was however, much more appreciative of Hector's attitude and professionalism so it might not be all bad. "Yes, any details on the relic would be greatly helpful, unfiltered by superstition. As our colleague pointed out, some of these tribes may have unusual traditions an rituals. Is the relic genuine?"

[Eshkigal]

"Also, what would it happen to look like, anyway? Gods above, how the Void are you so good at this anyway, bud? Truly got a gift with the bottle."
Joseph raised his near empty glass as he tacked a bit onto the priestess's question and in toast to the talented bartender, trying to not fidget in the suit he had to wear for this. Far too restrictive, far too susceptible to tearing if he even tried to stretch out properly. If it weren't for the truly delicious drinks the man next to him concocted, the fact Marcus desperately needed this job, and two bribes, one from his brother, another from the giant before them all, to have gotten mixed up in this mess, he likely would not have stuck around this long. But, on the up side, the company going on this little trip seemed interesting, more so than spending another night stuck in a back and forth match with Drilla over the last berry, or beer, or who has to distract the angry gyarados by smacking it. Also, it was rare that he ever got out of region, and this seemed more interesting than Johto.

[IrnBruAddict]

Daniel smirks at the jokes flying about the room. 'I think you are making a mistake about just what sort of island you're being sent too, you guys must have played too much "Basements & Bagons" as kids! This is a fishing village island chain. So maybe dress less in Alolan shirts and more in raincoats. Think of it lik a more depressing Sevii Islands, but with worse internet.'

Before he can make any joke about invalidating Lyra as a sacrifice, Trab's brother speaks out. 'For once you're actually asking good questions brother. Of course, all the same legal rules apply over there. No fighting, no urinating in public and no "invalidating" unless they are over 18, so basically the same instructions Dad gave you when we attended grandmother's funeral.' Trab's brother gives a slight smile at that, showing the smallest hint of brotherly rivalry, but recovered quickly before he went back to being a professional. 'As for island specific stuff, there are a few little superstitions you should really learn, but it's best to ask out local employee on the island. I tried to ask her on the phone what you should avoid doing, but she wasn't being very clear. Something about eating? And beware a black and yellow? And there was also something about shoes in the shrine or something, but it was hard to make her out. The mobile phone signal there is terrible. But those are more superstitions than anything, and since it's obvious you're not locals, I doubt any but the crotchety-est old geezers would pull you up over a faux-pas or two.'

He turns to Vanessa. 'As for it being genuine?' He suddenly sounds a little unsure, the world of spirits and gods not easy for the businessman to get his head around. 'It's highly likely that it is,' he says hesitantly, 'but we don't really know what it does, since even the locals never used it. We at least know it's not a threat, it's not like a Red Chain or a Blue Orb that would bring about a dangerous pokemon. More than likely it just keeps the weather calm in the area and stops wild pokemon from attacking the shrines, but you'd best ask an expert. Perhaps one of the shrine caretakers could help. Sorry I can't be more specific.' Kasuka looked a little annoyed, not enjoying giving unconfirmed data. He had made his career as a perfectionist, and it showed in his mannerisms.

'Plus, we know it's likely still the island somewhere.' Daniel pulls out a picture, which is of a small pedestal on which a small all with a slight crack across it's surface. At the very centre of the ball was what looked like ... a penny? It was hard to make out, as the ball seemed to be pulling in the light from the area around it.'There used to be four, one on each island and one held by the chief who kept it a decade until the next chief was elected, but 39 years ago someone smashed one after an argument when the chief stopped him from hitting his wife, and all the other balls developed a crack, so the chief gave his up and place it on the new empty stand so they'd keep their, ahem, "balance" or whatever. And when they tried to sent one to Rustboro University 6 years ago for study, the cracks on all 3 started to spread so the boat it was on turned back and they've kept them there ever since. The League has sent a member of the Interational Police to investigate, who has found some clues, but as he's not sanctioned there by local laws, his hands are tied, so you'll be taking over. As contracted civillians getting paid, think of yourselves like glorified private detectives with an evening job in PR.'

Ludger pulls out a set of 5 dossiers from a drawer in his desk, and slipped a ticket into each one, which he then handed to Daniel to pass out. 'I've had my secretary prepare these for you, a small breakdown on the idol and your contacts on the island. You'll be met by Rebecca who has volunteered to provide you with housing for the duration, and she can direct you to the League Ambassador and his contact with the International Police. And as already said, you'll have the help of the local authorities if you ask. Lastly, you are free to speak with the current Island chief, although she is not said to be fond of outsiders, and the local professor, but she has a terrible working relationship with our own head of science on the Torrin branch who has personally suggested you stay clear of her. Of course, what you decide is up to your own discretion.'

He coughs slightly, but it is enough to draw the attention of the entire room with his commanding voice. 'Let me make it clear, ladies and gentlemen. Your first priority is to find the location of the relic and secondly to boost our public image. The local populace, their relationship with the League, even if relic is destroyed or not, these are not your concern. Terramax has no interest in whether Torrin joins the League or not. As long as we get the relic, broken on not, we have fulfilled our side of the deal with the League. You are not to be heroes, you are to be Terramax employees. Keep this in mind and keep yourself safe.'

[Arcran]

"Easy 'nough," Trab says, pulling out a cigarette before a glare from his brother forces him to pocket it again. "Not like anybody on that island has done anything for me. Anyways, bein' a hero is a hell of a lot of work. Sounds a lot easier to just find some stinkin' cracked relic and come back here," Trab states. They'd go there, take whatever the International Police had found, then end the problem before it even matters.

[Esprit15]

Something in the back of Hector's brain squirmed, that this job would end in one of them whistleblowing and getting stranded in a non-league region with no money or easy means to leave.

He ignores that little, squirming thing. "Seems simple enough."

[CateranEnforcer]

Vanessa nods and at the directions they are given and takes out a small notepad to transcribe them. She preferred it this way anyhow. They had to protect their interests here, and she had to protect her own. Just don't screw this up. Make yourself and your company look good here, that's what matters.

"I understand, and I'll make sure this matter is appropriately handled." All business, she packs up her notes. "Is that all?"

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Lyra would, for the most part, would pay attention. Everything was fine until those last words, specifically the words of the second last sentence. "You are not to be heroes, you are to be Terramax employees." A grunt from her would be heard from her as she tries to keep her composure. There was nothing truly bad about those words in particular, but how they were used and what they implied. It's one thign to avoid heroics, but it's another to be putting corperate interest in front of morality. Her co-workers might not agree, but Lyra is getting this job done right, not efficent. Eventually, she simply nods in understanding, trying to remain proffesional, at least in front of her surperiors.

[Eshkigal]

"Do what I can to keep it in check, but my old job means old reflexes, boss. No guarantees about heroics."
To be fair, chances were good there wouldn't be any gyarados to direct out to sea on this one. Joe gives a bit of a lazy toast to his current employer, and a nod.
"Here's to a successful mission, though."
Then he goes back to the slow sips, because you don't just down the good stuff. No, you savor that.

[IrnBruAddict]

With everyone giving their acknowledgement, Daniel escorts the group out the office while the other two start to discuss further business details. Daniel leads the group out the building to a mini-van, which takes you to the airport. While some of you may have hoped to get to use the company jet, unfortunately you were travelling in a normal airliner. But despite this the plane was nearly empty, having less than a dozen other passengers heading to the same destination, leaving the small aircraft still feel quite spacious.

After a long flight and less than spectacular airline food, the plane eventually arrives at the destination. From above you can see three small islands with a much smaller island off to the west. The main three islands are all connected by bridges you can spot from the air. You touchdown on the eastern island and disembark. The airport can barely be called an airport. After walking through a single solitary metal detector and 2 security guards, one of whom was asleep, you enter the airport. All there really was to the building was the conveyor belt where you collected bags and pokeballs, a small check-in desk where the hostess was busy gossiping away with a friend, and a duty-free shop/cafe that sold not much more than potions or healing items, coffee and touristy key-chains for souvenirs.

Outside the airport was practially deserted. All the other people who got off the plane either wandered off or hopped into cars with friends or relatives. There was no sign of the woman who was supposed to meet you, but checking the time Rebecca wasn't due at the airport until 10:30am and it was only 10:00, so you still had another half hour to kill. Next to the airport was a car-rental shop where you could grab a map of the Torrin region or ask about hiring a car. Across the street was a food stand where a bulky older gentleman with 9 fingers busied himself with chopping up some unidentified meat. A little girl had propped up a small table next to him, and a sheet of paper taped to the front of the table advertised it as a "Shells anb Leminade" shop, whatever that meant. And next to the pair, seated on a rock with a guitar on his lap sat a scruffy looking middle-aged gentleman who was lazily strumming away as he puffed away on a cigar.

Down the road, to the north east, was a small beach where 3 young boys were chasing a Psyduck and a couple older men were fishing. And it wasn't the white sandy beaches you'd hope for. This was a rocky beach, where you wouldn't be able to walk barefoot without difficulty, and the water looked really salty and cold. The main road lead off either to the west or to the south. If anyone checked their phone, there was no signal on this part of the island. The entire attitude of Torrin felt extremely lazy, between the way no one seemed in a hurry and the hot humid air hanging about. Definitely not the atmosphere of a region that had lost one of their most holy artifacts. Something was a little off here.

[Eshkigal]

Stepping out of the airport while still stretching, Joe looks around the area a bit. Definitely could see why this wasn't the premiere spot for tourism. With a shrug, he lets his pokeballs roll into one hand, knowing they get antsy when inside too long.
"Alright Levi, time to let you stretch! Oh, and Drilla too, I guess."
He smiles as the two familiar forms of his partners materialize, Levi giving a big yawn and a cheery "Bok!" as she greets the day, Drilla giving some agitated buzzing as he flies up to eye level, displeased with how long that took, though Joe just shrugs.
"They didn't allow mon out on the flight, man. Behave and you get a lemonade, though."
Giving a thoughtful buzz as he looks to the stand, before extending a stinger to shake on this agreement to hold off on being a buzzing nuisance until after his bribe, Joe leads his pair over to the kid's stall.
"Morning. How much for a pair of lemonades, kid? Ah, preferably with straws if you have any."
Levi sticks her tongue out near the lemonade, trying to smell how sugary the kid likely has made this, giving a cheery little head sway in greeting. Meanwhile, Drilla tries to see over the counter without buzzing loomingly. Kids always seem to be afraid of being stung.

[IrnBruAddict]

The little girl looks up as Joe approaches, smiling a grin with one missing tooth, a deep tan showing she's easily an outdoorsy type. She must have been 9 or 10 and just looking at her made it obvious she was a tomboy.

'Hey Mistah, $50 a cup or $200 for a pitcher! Or you get one cup free if you buy a shell!' She waves to the 9 fingered chef. 'See Gramps, told yah I'd get first business today. Mainlanders got taste!' She turns back and pours out some cups for Joe. She glances back as the team gets closer. As Levi pulls up and sticks her tongue out, the girl just smiles and sticks her back at the snake. But when she sets eyes on Drilla, he reaction was much more severe. 'OLD SHUCK! RUN!!!'

Upon hearing her shout, the old man also visibly jumps at the name, and the little one runs behind him, snarling at the Beedrill. She starts fumbling about her pocket for something when the smoking hobo speaks.

'Calm your jets Nana, and put your pokeball away. That there ain't auld Shuck.' The stranger laughs, his accent clearly not local not not from an obvious region either. 'And even if it was, pretty sure you ain't gonna take on a Beedrill with that little thing.' He nods apologetically to Joseph. 'Ignore the bairn mate. She was just jumpy. Just gie her a minute. Nana, it's only an o'ergrown bug. T'ain't nothing special.'

The little kid known as Nana slowly edged closer to Drilla, fondling a nest-ball in her hands. 'No way! That's a bug-type? Really Mistah? How'd you get one so big?' She pours out a few cups of "Leminade".

[Arcran]

Trab stretched awkwardly, glad to finally be off the plane. He'd been looking forward to the open bar on some fancy schmancy corporate jet, but it seems his brother wasn't exactly going to spring for the good stuff when it was just a bunch of regular folk. Figures. The bartender adjusts his glasses before rolling his neck from side to side, a series of loud pops startling anybody near him.

"Bit of a dump, isn't it?" Trab says, pulling out a pack of cigarettes before realising that his lighter was buried in his luggage. That was a goddamn pain and a half, wasn't it? With an annoyed grunt Trab releases his two Pokemon, tossing either of them a cigarette. "You lot don't leave without me, alright?" he says, throwing his hand up in a halfhearted wave as he leaves the group he was sent here with, making his way to the man playing guitar. Trab takes a seat on one of the other nearby stones, with Schnapp and Sangria following close behind. Trab reclines for a moment, before leaning up, looking towards the man with the guitar.

"Don't suppose I could bum a light?" Trab asks in a bored tone, looking at his unlit cigarette almost mournfully.

[IrnBruAddict]

'Suppose away mate, suppose away.' The man pulls out a small novelty lighter, in the shape of a golden Charmeleon, and on pushing the back of it's head the mouth shoots a small flame which he uses to light Trab's cig, then one for each pokemon too after seeing Trab had given them some too.

'Yeh ken that if it's such a dump, yer allowed to jump yerself back on the plane and head back wherever you hail fae?' the stranger asks, a cheeky smirk on his face. 'Still, what brings you guys 'ere ta Torrin? Fishin' season ain't fer another month 'n the region ain't known fer much else. An' no offence mate, but you don't look like a scientist for the lab. You trainers huntin' rare pokemon?' He starts to strum a folksy song and hum slightly to himself.

[Esprit15]

Hector barely noticed the flight's comfort or lack there-of. He had been nose deep in legal texts, looking for case law examples of what other companies did in similar circumstance, what the laws around this type of thing were written as, what protections a company had, the level of responsibility of employees, how codes of ethics applied, and so on. He's almost annoyed with the landing, since it meant he had to stop.

***

The lawyer smiles as Joe talks to the kid, chuckling a little at the antics that ensue. Always good to make nice with the local populace, and kids are the best way to make first impressions. With that being cared for, Hector instead opts to check out the car rental. If nothing else, they could get a map, though a vehicle would be nice...

[Arcran]

Trab takes a long pull on the cigarette, looking at the man. "Trust me, wouldn't mind flyin' home right now," Trab says, blowing his smoke towards Sangria, causing the Bellsprout to glare at him. "Gotta pay the bills though, you know? Supposed to help keep the rich folks entertained. Make drinks, find the places the parties are. You know, the hard stuff," Trab jokes, making his job sound a bit more glorious than it actually was. "Not entirely sure what the others are doin', they just promised me sandy beaches so I signed up," Trab says with a bitter laugh, earning a croak from Schnapp. "Still, it's a job. What do you do around here?" Trab asks, watching the boys chase the Psyduck in amusement.

[Eshkigal]

Confusion crosses Joe's face at that, before remembering yellow and black had some relevance. Drilla, on the other hand, looks far too pleased with being associated with power, Levi surprised at the kid's outburst until the guitarist speaks up. As Drilla begins buzzing angrily at being called an overgrown bug, beginning to hover up, Levi just wraps the end of her tail around the bug mon, keeping him from getting into trouble as Joe chuckles a bit at the kid's question.
"Just takes time and effort, though we do most of our work as a team. Keeping big mon from getting into trouble isn't easy, after all. Now, two...no, three questions for you. One, was that due to him being yellow and black? Two, what's the price of a shell? And three, what's your friend?"
He points to the girl's nest ball, still amused.

[CateranEnforcer]

All of this socializing with the locals seemed like a waste of time to Vanessa. She was not amused by the racket they were causing. Still, in their own clumsy way her partners had gotten a bit of insight into the minds of the people here. A small thing but ti might come in handy later. I guess we are supposed to make the company look good. I'll let them handle the locals for now. She also didn't feel the need to flaunt her pokemon around. They had a job to do as well, and now wasn't the time. She considered using her training to channel into the minds of a few nearby belonging to her allies, but she found the process often dull and uninteresting on trained pokemon. Maybe though she could glean something useful from that Psyduck. For the low amount of effort it took, she might as well.

Spoiler

Show

Channel the Psyduck and observe the conversation for now.
Intuition: (4d6)[18]

[IrnBruAddict]

Vanessa

As Vanessa casually listened in on the conversations, she melded her senses with the Psyduck, gaining a sense of what it was feeling. And her senses were flooded with annoyance. She could tell that this was a wild Psyduck that was being chased by the young boys as they attempted to catch it. And from it's memories, they'd been trying now for about 40 minutes or so, and the duck was just getting more and more annoyed, only not yet attacking them as it could tell these humans were on the younger side. It was losing it's patience, and Vanessa could tell if tthey didn't stop soon, the little Psyduck might unleash an unknown power on the boys. For some reason, Vanessa was getting a more earthly feeling from this Psyduck than normal.

Spoiler: Psyduck stats

Show

Cloud Nine, standard capabilities, knows Water Pulse, Fury Swipes, Confusion and Hidden Power (rock)

Hector

Hector picks up a little cheap paper map of the 3 islands, and looking at it he learns they are called the western island of Arkahy. the eastern island of Mahnn, and the southern island of Barran. The western island seemed more residential from looks of things, the eastern island seemed pretty empty other than the airport and docks, and the southern island was the most populated with a small city built there. It also showed the location of each island shrine, as well as 4 little pokeball symbols on the map, each with a small elemental symbol on it, which might mark the location of what passed for gyms here.

The receptionist apologized for not being able to provide Hector with a car, but they only had 4 cars in the entire rental shop and currently 1 was hired by a photographer tourist, 1 was used by the village chief's son while his car was broke, 1 was in the shop for a service and the last was hired by a Rebecca Rodriguez on behalf of a group of people who should be showing up soon. Looking at the last car available, it was a little jeep runabout that looked to be built before the invention of suspension. It would likely be considered an antique, reminding Hector of a car his grandfather might have driven in his youth. Still, if it was still running about now, it was likely a sturdy little thing.

Trab

The man looked a little hesitant for a second, then just shrugged. 'Nae much mate. Little huntin' 'ere, trainin' there. Occasional gig doon a local pub that wants live music? Really jus' killin' time till next month. Saving up for a Super Rod at the moment.' He sighs a little. 'Anything for a couple quid, yah get me mate? As ye say, jus' payin' the bills.'

Joseph

'Well duh Mistah!' the girl says, rolling her eyes. 'Nobody ever tell you to "Beware the Black and Yellow?" It's only one of the 7 rules of the island! You don't want Old Shuck to steal you away, you gotta beware the black and yellow and stick to the paths at night. No one likes black and yellow pokemon here. Even a Pikachu can cause the elders to jump in fright. Don't tell me you came to the island without knowing at least the 7 rules. I mean, I know all 7.' She gives Joe a look that is both sympathetic and smug at the same time, as if unable to process that an adult would not know what the 7 rules were.

She shifts about still clutching her ball as she seems to be keeping Drilla in her line of sight. She holds her pokeball out, and releases a Spewpa from it, which she collects in her arms and holds it tightly, the little bug giving a shake and scattering spores about. Judging from it's size, it was not far from evolving.

'This is Destructatron, my Spewpa, but you can call him Desty, everyone else does. And you can buy a shell for $200 Mistah, or a painter shell for $500.' She seemed really proud of the painted shells, which also had some holy symbols written on the inside of them and they were threaded on a string to allow use as a necklace.

Joseph makes not that under the table was a much large shell, that looked a bit out of place compared to the rest, looking more like a rock than a shell. It looked like it was sitting on top of a piece of paper which had the number $3000 written on it.

[Eshkigal]

"Spent too much time trying to not end up testing whatever my big brother put together to learn then, I guess. Also, nice spewpa, Destructatron looks really close to growing into a full grown Vivillion. Bet you he'll be strong as Drilla before long."
He makes a bit of a show looking at the shells before picking up the one for three grand and a smaller one painted in a pattern that complimented Levi well. Meanwhile, Drilla flexes at the compliment, intent to show off to his apparent fan.
"This one still for sale?"

[MichaelGoldclaw]

Lyra was finally off that gods forsaken plane. She didn't like flying unless she was 1st class. About time she got on ground, even if it was the worst set of "civilized" islands. She was the last one to leave the airport seeing as she decided to take her time and make sure she had everything. When she got her bags, she puts on her skates and decides to catch up with the group. Seeing has the group was going off in other directions, she decided to go check on the Psyduck as well. As crappy as the place looks, this little scene was showing Lyra the people were happy here. If only the same could be said about the visitors "A Psyduck, huh. Still have no idea why those things aren't concidered psychic, but I guess Archeus had a sence of humor making a psychic duck without the psychic traits."

[Arcran]

"What's going on next month?" Trab asks, looking at the man with some interest. "Coming into some cash?" he asks, a note of interest creeping into his voice. After all, if he knew an easy way to make some cash this job could be a hell of a lot more profitable than he'd thought.

[Esprit15]

As Rebecca is mentioned, Hector stops the salesperson. "Ah, good, we are supposed to meet up with her. Do you have a contact phone number for her?"

[CateranEnforcer]

Vanessa smiles as she walks up to the trio. "You boys should leave that Psyduck alone before you get hurt. You don't know what it's capable of. Why don't you let me deal with it before it loses its temper." She holds out a pokeball and addresses the Psyduck. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." That wasn't too bad was it? She was trying to keep these hooligans from hurting themselves right? No way this would reflect badly.

[IrnBruAddict]

Joseph

The girl looks taken aback, shocked that someone spotted her prize item. Only Desty shivering in her arms brings her back to her senses.

A smug little look appears on her face. 'Nice try Mistah, but I doubt a Mainlander who doesn't even know the 7 rules could handle such an awesome shell. Especially if you're as poor as the other mainlander.' She shoots a nasty glance at the guitarist, and mutters under her breath 'won't even buy a single shell...'

The little girl looks at Drilla showing off, clearly interested in the "Black and Yellow" bug. 'Then again, you have a cool bug. As a fellow bug hunter, I might let you buy it, if you have the monies of course.'

Trab

He rubs his nose with his thumb, giving a rougish smile. 'Just told ya mate, gettin' a Super Rod next month. Fishin' round here is pretty tight. Plenty good Water types round these waters, from common Magikarp to rare Mareanie, you can find most water types here, and if you can find a rare one, can cash in a good bounty.' He waves his arms in the manner of pretending to cast a rod. 'Caught a Relicanth last month before my old Good Rod broke, traded it for Noibat wi' some lass from Kalos. More than half mah team I got through tradin' fish.'

Hector

The secretary looks a little put off. 'That's highly unprofessional sir! It's against company policy to give out client details. Then again ...' she trails off, thinking of something. 'If I call her, and she wants to speak to you, that's not breaking company policy. Give me one moment sir.'

She grabs the phone from the desk and after a few moments, she begins to chat away. 'Becks? Hi! Yeah, those guys you were talking about, the ones from Terramax HQ? I think I got one here. What do they look like? I dunno, kinda well dressed and well groomed, if a little scrawny, looks the bookish type. I'll put him on.'

She passes the phone over to Hector who can hear a sing-songy voice over the phone. 'Yo, this is Rodriguez. So you couldn't wait to get to Torrin and arrived early, huh? So which one am I speaking to?'

Vanessa and Lyra

More interested in the locals wildlife than the locals, the girls watch the scene witht he Psyduck play out until Vanessa steps in. As the pokemon sees Vanessa offer a hand, it runs at her, ignoring the pokeball and climbing up her, throwing Vanessa off balance as she suddenly had 20 kilos of yellow feathers hanging off her shoulders.

'Hey, old hag! Give us back the stupid duck! We need it!
'Yeah, it was ours first! We've been after it for almost 20 minutes now!'
'Give it back, Granny!'

While Vanessa might not be able to see them, Lyra could see the old men who were fishing. The pair were surpressing laughter at the sight of the boys insulting Vanessa, but seemed keen to watch how things unfold rather than interfere.

[Esprit15]

"This is Mr. Ewald, ma'am," Hector says, formally. "I don't know about early - this is simply the flight that we were given tickets for. Most of the others are simply milling about the airport right now," the man continues, watching from a window as Mr. Rutila amuses the little girl selling shells, while Mr. Heiwa chats with the fisherman, and the ladies interacting with the local species. Truly professional...

[Eshkigal]

At that, Joe pulls $3,500 out, holding the roll over the kid's hand.
"Haven't had a chance to burn my pay yet, so how about it? Deal? If not, I am sure your gramps has some pretty good cuts of meat Levi would love."