Team Rocket: How the Muk are They Still Alive?

[Esprit15]

Well killer? What's wrong? You scared? Afraid to get your hands a bit dirty? I've killed two men already. I'm not afraid. Then why did you question him when what you were to do was obvious. I...just wanted to be sure that's what he mean- Liar! Stop lying! You do nothing but lie! You can lie to anyone else. You can lie to your teachers, you can lie to your mother, your father, your brother, you can lie to Romeo, but you can't lie to me. I always know what you're thinking. You can't lie to yourself. Get out of my head!!!

Artemis pulls the trigger and the gun doesn't fire. She tries three more times and still nothing. Safety, Liar. Deep breaths, just shut it out. She clicks the safety off and puts the gun close to the man's forehead. You're just putting him out of his misery. Mercy killing. That's a load of crap and you know it. Fine, you do it! The gun goes off. Artemis drops the gun as though it was a toxic Ferroseed as the recoil hits her hands.

Mother was right in the nightmare. You are weak.

Artemis just looks at the dead body. He's dead, Gerald.

[Eshkigal]

Good. Don't worry, I'll teach you to really use it properly later. But now you know what the kick feels like.
He looks up at her, staring down at the body.
What's wrong? Isn't this business as usual?

[Arcran]

Ethan squints, biting back the urge to curse the man out. Your telepathic. If I was hiding something I knew, you'd know. I have no idea what your talking about. I've just been studying the data you graciously gave me. Ethan feels around for his glasses, everything quite a blur. Anni was just a blackish-purple blob to him at the moment.

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As you reach for your glasses, you almost have them before a booted foot rolls over them, breaking the glass with a sickening crunch.

"Oh please. You know Psychics can only read surface thoughts you idiot. And when all you do is bitch about your back in your head, it's hard to figure it out.

"Now let me explain this," he says, kneeling next to you. "Your friends have escaped. They're going through my guards without even trying. And here you are, calm as ever, the only one who even considered joining me. You were buying them time, weren't you? What's your plan? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" he shouts. "Does Rocket know about the Skorupi experiment? Do they know where our base is? WHAT IS YOUR PLAY!?!"

You can barely see the rage on his face through your blurry vision.

Paul looks at Willy with awe.

Wow, girl. That was perhaps the biggest boom yet.

He could see a shadow of the Sandslash she would someday become. Then he gave out a big belly laugh as he saw the next room.

The Pokeballs! Willy, Buck, let's get in there and find everyone's mons. And, you know, whatever else we feel like taking.

Paul takes them and looks to see whether he can use them to widen the hole in the wall from the Bulldoze and slip Buck inside to open the door. If not, he will have Buck use Brick Break to smash through the wall.

Romeo starts taking off the armor. 'Maybe not tell the others about the Cresselia thing just yet. Concentrate on getting everyone safe first, any holy wars can come later.'

Elly assists with clearing the way, picking up any smashed rocks and tossing them aside with telekinesis.

Between Elly's telekinetic powers and Buck's raw strength you quickly widen the hole to allow even Paul's considerable bulk through.

[Arcran]

With Sparky's help, he injects this one. Leg might have to go after this due to how torn up it is...
(HP: 49/80)
He then frisks the guard by him for more (looting).

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Each guard possess the exact same thing; a sub machine gun (Level 15) with one clip (four rounds) of Steel Type Ammo, a Fresh Water, a LumLum Juice, Level 15 Light Armor.

As you loot, you also find the Pokeballs from the guards. It seems each only had the one; the one with the red Pokemon has it safely secured in a Pokeball on his belt. The Machop is very much dead, and the rodent has fled.

The moth though... It should be dead. You saw Aquilla and Buck utterly destroy the thing. Still, it seems to be alive; one wing pinned under one of the rocks that fell from the Bulldoze. It's barely moving; gently twitching every few seconds.

[IrnBruAddict]

Romeo walks over and slaps Artemis right in the face. WHAM!

'I'm not happy with killing, but sometimes in needs to be done. But WE DO NOT KILL HELPLESS PEOPLE! I'm not Anni, and I'm not going to sit back and let you act like him. We're better than him, otherwise there's no point in fighting. Might as well give up and let him win.' Romeo turns his back on her. 'Do you really want to become like that Artemis?'

Romeo leaves Arte and Gerald, helping Paul find everyone's teams.

[Eshkigal]

"Wait...that wasn't the norm?!"
Gerald gets up and hurries over to Romeo after recalling the moth and grabbing both it and the red mon's balls.
"ROMEO! Romeo, wait, I put her up to that! I didn't know!"

[Esprit15]

Artemis barely responds to the hit. "Gerald said he was practically dead anyways. A bullet to the skull was more merciful than leaving him to die."

[MesiDoomstalker]

Ethan smirks, struggling to stand up, supporting himself against the wall. Why am I here? Why am I here? Last time I checked, you wanted me in your little organization. Don't blame me for grossly underestimating my teammates. I told you. I told you, you won't convince any of them. Ethan jabs a finger in Blobanni's direction, probably missing. You said you trusted me, but I'm not feeling it. I told you, I've been here the entire time. The only time I've been buying is yours. I've been waiting for you to keep your end of our bargain. My play is to survive. To win. I don't much care who's side I'm on, so long as I come out on top.

And all your doing is blaming me for your own overconfidence. I told you, point blank. You won't convince any of them. I suspected they'd break out as well, I assumed you were smart enough to take neccesary precautions. Apparently I was wrong. You have no one to blame but yourself. If I were you, I'd advance your plans. Because you know they will come for me. You want me in TR and me staying would make no sense, so I'll have to go with them. Cut your losses and move on. Or you could continue to ignore my advice. We both know how successful that tactic has been.

[hustlertwo]

People schmeople. Will you guys quit pretending there's a reason to care about dead cannon fodder and look for our teams already?

Paul steps over one of the executed guards without a second thought in order to paw through the balls for the rest of his team, and then the mons for the others as well.

[IrnBruAddict]

Romeo ignores Gerald and Arte, continuing to help Paul look for mon. In the back of his head, he wonders what Elly meant when she said he changed. If Gerald was getting out of control... he'd kill him himself before he done something stupid and got Arte or John hurt.

[Eshkigal]

Gerald looks as Romeo ignores him, then eventually shrugs before taking another fresh water (79/80).
"Just don't like him mad at the wrong person. Anyway, um...Paul! Right, Paul. That's your name, right? Uh...to be blunt, can you help me identify my team? Ani kinda...ate most of my memories, and what's left is pretty hard to sort through at times. Oh, on that note, don't let him kiss you, guys. He has a whole room of braindead people he molested the memories out of."
He helps out too as Sparky looks at him confusedly, grabbing his toolkit and a metal arm that look very familiar as he does (if they're in there.)
"So, who do we put their vests on?"

[Esprit15]

Artemis clears the debris off of the man, and grabs supplies from him (the other fresh water I used). She heads back in to find the supplies for Taylor and Jessica, shoving Gerald out of her way. Romeo, you see any sign of Jess or Taylor?

[Eshkigal]

Gerald is shoved, and shrugs again before handing Arte one of the remaining fresh waters, the other going to Romeo. One lumlum juice each, too.

[Esprit15]

Artemis looks for mental signals from Taylor, Jessica and Ethan.

[IrnBruAddict]

'Elly tried finding them, only found you two and faint traces of Ethan. Ollie seems to have trouble tracking indoors.'

[Arcran]

Ethan smirks, struggling to stand up, supporting himself against the wall. Why am I here? Why am I here? Last time I checked, you wanted me in your little organization. Don't blame me for grossly underestimating my teammates. I told you. I told you, you won't convince any of them. Ethan jabs a finger in Blobanni's direction, probably missing. You said you trusted me, but I'm not feeling it. I told you, I've been here the entire time. The only time I've been buying is yours. I've been waiting for you to keep your end of our bargain. My play is to survive. To win. I don't much care who's side I'm on, so long as I come out on top.

And all your doing is blaming me for your own overconfidence. I told you, point blank. You won't convince any of them. I suspected they'd break out as well, I assumed you were smart enough to take neccesary precautions. Apparently I was wrong. You have no one to blame but yourself. If I were you, I'd advance your plans. Because you know they will come for me. You want me in TR and me staying would make no sense, so I'll have to go with them. Cut your losses and move on. Or you could continue to ignore my advice. We both know how successful that tactic has been.

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Anni is quiet through your speech, finally speaking slowly when you end.

You're right. Ignoring you would be folly, he says. With your blurred vision you are unable to make out the sadistic smile on his face.

Change of plans. I don't need a spy anymore. I need bait, your hear him say a split second before something slams into your head, dropping you unconscious.

People schmeople. Will you guys quit pretending there's a reason to care about dead cannon fodder and look for our teams already?

Paul steps over one of the executed guards without a second thought in order to paw through the balls for the rest of his team, and then the mons for the others as well.

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You quickly find everybody's team members. The array of Pokeballs is truly astounding; it takes a few minutes before you manage to find all of them.

Artemis looks for mental signals from Taylor, Jessica and Ethan.

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As you search, you have to go the very edges of your range before you find Ethan; Jessica and Taylor are nowhere to be found.

Ethan is currently unconscious, and moving. A few seconds later you can't sense him.

What you can sense is a large group mustering behind the blast door. There seem to be at least twenty of them and maybe ten Pokemon. They're having trouble with the blast door, but it can't take too much longer for them to get through.

[Esprit15]

"Guys, Ethan's unconscious. And moving. Also, some guys are working on the blast doors. We wanna fight them or head back? Feels like twenty-ish men, ten mons." Artemis lets Calva and Vigent out. Need to get Aquilla a TM for a ranged move...maybe Rock Slide. Stay behind me, Aquilla. The bird gives a chirp and flies behind his trainer.

[Eshkigal]

"We'll need to thin them out to be safe, either way."
Gerald reattaches his arm with the sound of hydraulic tubing reconnecting, Sparky on his shoulder and hissing at the doorway. He sends out Wagner and Joe, holding the fish close with his probably mostly useless mech arm, Wagner growling at the doorway.
"Muk yes, I really do have a dog! Awesome!"
If there's time, he tosses a few more pokeballs (5) into his toolbox, his mech arm slowly closing around the handle.

[hustlertwo]

Paul, ever the greedy sort, takes a last-minute grab at as many of the Pokeballs as he can fit in his large, greasy hands, then looks to the others.

Supermarket sweep time. Everyone grab a handful and lets away.

[Eshkigal]

"...I have an idea. Arte, Elly, mental conference time."
We're going to drop at least two shelves of these on them. Levitate them around the lights, once people rush in, drop them. If they work for our enemies, we run faster, if they hate our enemies, we...ooh. There's the metal arm thing-a...a beldum! Mjolnir! Right? Right. We have him eat their metal, guns and whatever, if they get past the pokemon, and we then take them out. You guys with me?

[Arcran]

Artemis

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As you continue to search, you feel a brief presence of minds in the cieling, only to have them vanish almost as soon as you touch them. In addition, you sense elation from one of the guards. It seems he thinks he found a way to open it!

[Esprit15]

Several unknown Pokéballs add theirselves to Artemis's bag. I like it. Just make sure I'm a decent distance away when you give Mjolnir the command. She shares Gerald's idea with everyone else, and starts working on lifting a shelf with Elly. Heh, just like Jess and Taylor did for their recruitment. Dropped a shelf on some people trying to kill them... This was a few more people, probably.

And then she gets the sense. Crap. She focuses a burst of electricity in the door mechanism. It slammed a door shut before, should do the same now.
Guys, people in the ceiling. Not sure where exactly. Aquilla, prep.

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Artemis uses Electrokinesis as she did before on the door to try and slow progress. She then uses Telekinesis to help Elly lift the first shelf, holding it close to the blast door.

Aquilla gets on the floor and starts slashing his claws into the ground, getting them razor sharp.

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Aquilla used Hone Claws

[Eshkigal]

Ah, complications. Everyone out of the room, we'll smack them around if they prove hostile. Or maybe the stabby thing from before will decide they look delicious.
Gerald falls back, grabbing his pistol and heading out.

[MesiDoomstalker]

Ethan wakes up inside a verdant field. He looks around quizzically, finding his glasses on his face and intact. This isn't right. Ethan closes his eyes, concentrating on his old lab at University. Opening his eyes, he spots the familiar workbench, miscellaneous robotics parts and notes strewn about. Better. However, I am still trapped within my own mind. Might as well use the time. Getting up, he walks over to the large whiteboard hanging on the wall, scribbled in blue ink various thoughts and notes. A wipe of the hand and the writing disappears. If only he had this kind of control in the real world.

So I am unconscious, in an enemy base, prisoner of a sociopath. A large box traces itself on the board, and then a small Ethan and Anni pop up. Ethan looks rather dashing and intelligent, and Anni looks far uglier and unpleasant than normal. Mini-Anni grabs Mini-Ethan, without much issue. Mini-Ethan doesn't resist. Tiny words All part of the plan. appear in a word bubble. My allies are free and presumably attempting to free me.

Mini-versions of the team form inside the box. A Mini-Romeo sporting a dunce hat. Mini-Gerald looking more like a sad Lillipup Furry with a robotic arm than a human. Mini-Artemis, who was more of a red-faced, perpetually angry Artemis than anything else. And finally Mini-Paul, who is fatter, more disgusting and generally unpleasant than the real thing, which seemed an impossible prospect, even for Ethan's mind. The Mini-Team squabbles, incoherent speech bubble popping over each of them. Well there isn't much hope they will coordinate themselves without me. However, McMurder was stupid enough to allow them to escape. So, even with their bumbling, they should be able to locate and free me. Or at the very least return my team so I can free myself.

Mini-Team try to bum rush Mini-McMurder, who rebukes them easily with a haughty laugh. Mini-Ethan takes the distraction to free himself, summon's Ollie and Mjolnir who promptly strike Mini-McMurder in the back, knocking him out. Mini-Team then starts bowing down to Mini-Ethan, standing victorious over Mini-McMurder's body. You know it won't happen like that. Ollie was standing on the work table behind Ethan. You know that he has Ghost/Dark armor. I have Odor Sleuth but Mjolnir has no way around the immunity, he would have to use Metal Claw.

Unfortunately. However, I am in an information blackout. I'm working with what information I have. I think your avoiding something important. Mjolnir floats besides Ethan, studying the morphing white board. His form slowly morphs between Beldum and Metang and in between. And what is that? You tell me. I'm a manifestation of your mind. Your smart, you can figure it out, even if you already have figured it out. Otherwise I wouldn't have said anything.

Ethan leans back, resting against the workbench. Well, I haven't missed anything in the tactical aspect of the situation. I'm missing a lot but because I lack a way to find the missing sections. What else could I be missing? Me? Audwulf sits at Ethan's feet, looking up at him longingly. Your missing me.

Ethan stares at the dog. Your not real. None of you are real. Void, I'm not real. The real Audwulf is out with a Growlithe pack. But we are here regardless. You are playing a dangerous game. And have already lost one. If I had gone through with the plan. Played the spy. I could have lost all of you. I could have lost my own life.

Its bigger than that. I'd risk the others too. If I made a bad move, Rocket wouldn't think twice before striking us all down. Or if you played double agent? Even more risky. Or maybe not. I wouldn't be in the Luxray den everyday I worked. I would have backup from Rockets and from the team. But still risky. There is no such thing as a riskless action.

Auduwulf hops onto the counter and stares Ethan in the eyes, burning passion in his eyes. You need to stop thinking about yourself all the time, Ethan. You believe yourself superior, but evidence is to the contrary. You thought you were smarter than McMurder. You thought that, because you thought of it, the Steelupi's were stolen from you. You thought, that because I was your pokemon, I wouldn't lose to that wild Growlithe. Reality check. Your not perfect. I lost, someone got a functioning design first and your in McMurder's dirty clutches. The world doesn't revolve around you. Of course not, it revo- Your missing the point Ethan! Your actions have consequences beyond yourself. Because of your overconfidence, I'm gone! Audwulf burst into flames, leaving behind a pokeball, which also bursts into flames, leaving a pile of ash.

Mini-Arte speaks up next Because of your short-sighted actions, we have to rescue you. Putting us in more danger than if you had just kept your mouth shut and played along. Mini-McMurder promptly blasts the team with a Mini-Shadow ball, erasing them.

You know its true. Otherwise you wouldn't hear it form us. Ethan just stands there, eyes shifting rapidly from the ash pile to the smear that used to be the Mini-Team. Your not real. None of you are real. You can't talk and the others aren't made of ink. Awww, is baby gonna cry. Shut up. SHUT UP! Go away, all of you! Ethan swats his hand and the lab starts to dissolve. You can't run from the truth Eth- You are responsible, ignoring the facts doesn't make it untr-

Ethan sits down in an empty blackness, curling his legs up close. Burying his face in his arms, he mutters. Its not true. It can't be. It just can't.

[IrnBruAddict]

Romeo leaves Elly to help with the trap, while he rushes to deliver Mark and the Twins their balls back, grabbing 1 random pokeball and stuffing it in his pocket. He also looks round for Mark's sword, grabbing it if he can.

'I'll catch up with you guys once John and the others are safe. Elly, stick with Arte.' He runs back as fast as he can. The sooner Mark was geared up, the safer the kids were.

[Eshkigal]

"Romeo!"
He pulls out Glasgow and Kubota.
"Give these lovebirds to John, in case things go sideways. They'd listen. Wagner, you're with him too, watch out for the thing in the ceiling. Now, let's move."
He tosses the balls to him on the way out.

[Esprit15]

Artemis just focuses on keeping the case steady with Elly's help. She started watching the lights, ready to black things out at a moment's notice. Dying here would be unpleasant. Then don't.

[Arcran]

As you discuss a plan for attack, a beam weakened from Willy's previous attack collapses, caving the roof in on the entire hallway in front of the door. Those guards aren't getting to you any time soon.

[Eshkigal]

"Or that works too. Leg it, we can loot this later if we get the chance!"

[Esprit15]

Was there a god of architecture? Need to make some sort of thanks to them if they exist. The shelf gently lowers itself. Artemis then proceeds the run the Muk away, recalling Calva and Vigent again. No point in extra mons being out if they could help it. Aquilla glides behind her. Got her supplies, got her team, collectively they had Jess and Taylor's teams. Escape. That's what they need right now. Find Ethan, kill Anni, get out.