fauxtographs | 1 � [VIDEO/ACTION FOR THE GOLDENROD ROCKET BASE/ROUTE 34]

1 � [VIDEO/ACTION FOR THE GOLDENROD ROCKET BASE/ROUTE 34]

[ACTION]

[It's a quietish, average day in the Goldenrod Rocket base, although that silence is soon broken rather aggressively by the sound of a shout-]

I'll show you what I think of your "uniform violation"!

[Suddenly, there's another shout, and if you're lucky enough to be standing near the doorway where first one came from, you'll be treated to the sight of a Random Grunt being hurled out of it.

That...yep, he's definitely airborne, and doesn't seem too pleased about it. At least his flight is short, as he soon lands in a heap amongst a nearby group of metal bins with a deafening crash. He seems uninjured, if...extremely dazed, and it isn't long before his assailant comes exploding out of the door.

...all five, furious feet of her.]

There! Right in the rubbish, where bullies like you belong!

[The source of the argument quickly becomes apparent now that the young woman is in view; she's wearing the typical female grunt uniform, but only the hat, shirt and skirt. Instead of the regulation boots, she's wearing a pair of knee-high green boots, and a pair of white tights underneath her skirt.

Apparently, someone hadn't agreed with her alterations. To add insult to injury, a Lillipup immediately runs up and starts furiously barking at the Grunt (as tiny dogs are want to do), although her trainer doesn't seem interested in doing anything to call her off.]

Hmph!

[Gripping the brim of her cap, the woman straightens it angrily, muttering darkly to herself as she looks up and down the hall. Her anger is quickly abating in favour of confusion, and perhaps a little bit of despair.]

And I still don't know where the exit is...this place is more of a maze than Misthallery!

~~

[VIDEO]

[Some time later, Emmy has finally managed to puzzle her way out of the Rocket Base and into the heart of Goldenrod City (ensuring, of course, that she changed out of the uniform before she left). While a few subtle things are slightly different, on the whole...it feels like she never left.

It's enough to make her want to just...sit down for a bit - so she does, after walking briskly to the outskirts of the city and collapsing on the grass with a sigh. Her two Pokemon, Lillipup and Scraggy, having been in dutiful pursuit since she left the base, similarly crash down to the ground nearby and look at her expectantly.

All in all, they make a rather amusing picture. It's now that she's using the Gear - still lying in the grass, with it held up in her outstretched arm.

Her chosen camera angle is about more than just a lack of desire to stand up, however - the last time she was brought to Johto, she arrived in New Bark Town. Of course, the last time she was in Johto, she hadn't been automatically enlisted in Team Rocket, and the whole fiasco has made her rather suspicious. If there is a chance that Goldenrod City arrivals and Team Rocket are linked...she can't afford to broadcast her current location to the entire network. Best to be safe, and solve the puzzle later. This way, with only her upper body and the grass in view, she could be anywhere. Hopefully, people will assume she's somewhere between New Bark Town and...oh, what was it called...Cherrygrove! Yes!]

Ah, hello there! My name is Emmy!

[With a slightly awkward, yet friendly wave, Emmy chases any negative thoughts out of her head and focuses on smiling for the camera. It's been so long since she's done this - the whole experience feels rather surreal, yet there's a strong feeling of deja vu.]

I was just wondering...well, if any of you happened to recognize me! You see, I've actually been here in Johto before, and it looks like it wants me back for Round 2!

[To her credit, she looks and sounds completely sincere. Continuing to smile, Emmy shifts slightly on the grass and adjusts her grip on the Gear.]

I don't really expect any of my old friends to still be here, but I thought I'd ask anyway! Other than that...well! Do any of you have any good battling Pokemon to recommend?

[Laughing softly, Emmy beckons to something off-screen; soon, her Lillipup trots into the frame and rolls onto her back so she can look at the camera too, tail wagging furiously.]

At the moment I've only got this cutie, so I'm going to need some suggestions! I'm no beginner, so hit me with whatever you've got!

Thanks for listening, and have a good day!

[And with that, the feed is cut.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Ah, you flatter me.

[He'll even give a little bow to show his appreciation! He's well aware of how impressive he is, but it's still nice to hear it from others!]

Mm, I've already heard a bit about them myself. But I find them more...intriguing, than unpleasant. And who knows? There's always the possibility of us being on a mission together.

[He makes it sound like that's supposed to help ease the unpleasantness, but...it doesn't at all, really.

...]

If you don't ditch us so quickly, anyway.

[If it seems that she's really invested in his answer, Jimmy doesn't appear to notice it at all. He just sighs softly, rubbing the back of his neck.]

Well....I think I could. I mean, I really should, I guess...it's not like they kept my Pokemon, or actually hurt him or anything.

[...Just traumatized him, clearly not a big deal, Jimmy.]

But I dunno if I can trust him again. ...'Least not right away. After a little while and they show me that I can trust them, then sure!

[And with Jimmy, a 'little while' will probably only be a few weeks, really.]

Decent, though I've lost a few friends since I saw you lost. But now I've gained one back!

[She wants to say something about hopefully getting her back into the PGC quickly, but Twilight is nothing if not discreet. Even under filters she's loathe to discuss even the group's existence in case they get hacked.

Instead she's going to focus on something else she can use to help that goal.]

I'm in Azalea now, picking up Applejack's last Johto badge. I have all eight myself. We're thinking of going to Kanto soon, but we might be able to swing by and see you before then if you can think of a good place to meet.

[She's assuming Emmy's in New Bark Town, but she doubts Rainbow and AJ will really want to fly back there after spending this much time out in the equally-boring Azalea.]

[...all of those sound...frankly, completely ridiculous.

...

...it's like she never left...]

And none of these Pokemon have ever been seen here in Johto, before? Not even in Kanto?

[That's...terribly odd, isn't it...]

[At least you're not the creepiest Team Rocket member she's ever met, if that helps...]

Well, if I had to be on a team with anyone, a doctor sounds like a wise choice! Maybe I could be convinced to stay around a little longer.

[jks she's gunna be out of here the second their instructor says they're done with training, but you know. She's got badges to get!

But in all honesty, you don't seem like a bad guy. Not that she's had too much experience with legitimately evil people, but you're probably not one! Definitely!]

Or at least, I can take care of anyone harassing you during training! I pack a rather mean kick, after all!

But what matters is giving them the chance, right?

[So...maybe there is hope, for her? The Professor had been kind, after all...

...but then again, there's a difference between stealing a Pokemon only to return it, and...

...well, what she did. Emmy's brow furrows momentarily as she thinks, but she soon returns her previous smile to her face.]

Although, I suppose you'd also have to consider your Pokemon's feelings, considering he was the one who was kidnapped! You said he was getting better, however?

[...ah. Right. A good place to meet...

...

...should she tell her? Twilight was one of her PGC friends, after all...]

A-Ah, it's fine! You don't have to worry about me - I've travelled these Routes plenty of times!

[Wait wait wait, she only said she wanted to see her in person, not pick her up! Oh no...how is she going to get out of this without looking horribly rude?]

That is to say, I'd feel terrible if I kept you from your trip to Kanto! Honestly, I'll probably need a bit of time to get on my feet, anyway, so!

[HAHA...HA...

...

stupid Team Rocket!]

Don't worry about me! We can just meet up when I get to Goldenrod, or somewhere less dreadfully boring!

Oh yeah, he's doing a lot better now! He's still pretty shy, but he was like that even before all that happened. And I dunno if he really likes this person a whole lot now because of it...but I guess there's nothing I can do about that.

[Since Crocker works with them at the Circus, the Breloom will just have to get used to it. Eventually...]

[The good thing about sleeping Pokémon? They tend not to budge. Go ahead, look all you want. Axis is too lost in dreamland to realize he's being observed. He's even making some hollow, metallic rumblings that vaguely resemble snores.]

It's catching them that's the hard part. Don't know what it is about them, but they've got this nasty habit of breaking out of even the toughest Pokéballs.

[Anyway, he should probably clarify two things.]

Anyway, your best bet's to head to the Ruins of Alph and keep your eyes out for a Pokémon that looks like a floating, blue dumbbell.

[Did...did she just offer to defend him...

She did.

...

This is where Rideaux just laughs. Not because he doesn't believe her, since he's seen plenty of proof that she's completely serious. He's just incredibly amused because no one's ever offered that before. Everyone back home knew he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, so this is...interesting. And amusing, of course.

This woman certainly is something.]

Aha, pardon me.

[He regains his composure very quickly, as if nothing is wrong. But he does shift to twirl a lock of his hair to keep that composure.]

I'd really love to see that, honestly. They would certainly think twice about harassing a doctor after that, wouldn't they?

[Hell yeah he's gonna roll with this, it's hilarious.

...]

You know, I believe this is a good time for introductions. [He'll give another little bow.] My name is Rideaux. To whom do I owe the pleasure of being my future knight in shining armor?

...you know, I can give you another demonstration if you think it's so funny.

[Hmph! But fortunately, she's not really all that annoyed. There's something rather useful about being underestimated, after all! Besides, at least you're being courteous. Practically gentlemanly, really!

Hmm...]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr Rideaux - or do you prefer just Rideaux? Well, anyway, my name is Emmy. It's a pleasure to meet you and...be your co-worker, I suppose! That's how things work around here, I'm assuming!

[Well, that's not suspicious at all. Twilight's not really sure what to make of Emmy's apparent reluctance to meet up with her, but then again Goldenrod is a pretty good place to get together, and she probably needs some time to reacclimate and get a new team built up.]

Alright. Then just let me know when you get to Goldenrod, and we can get together there. Are you going to stop to train for the gyms on the way or just head there?

Ruins of Alph! Got it! Although...

[...hmmmm.]

Do you think I could just get an egg from the Breeding Centre? Is that still around?

Well, that's fair enough. I probably wouldn't be too fond of someone who kidnapped me! But as long as he's recovered from what happened...that's what matters.

[Plus, if the Pokemon was given back, it probably wasn't Team Rocket who was the force behind the crime. That's comforting...somewhat.]

I hope it was a one-off event, anyway. Even so, it can't hurt to be cautious - there are some nasty sorts around these parts.

I'll probably just head straight there - I used to have an apartment in the city, so I wouldn't mind seeing what's become of it. At least I'm rather used to camping!

[Now, in an effort to force the topic of conversation away from her current whereabouts, Emmy locks the feed.]

Actually, while we're chatting, I was just wondering...you know that social group we both used to be a part of?

[Even with the lock, however, it can't hurt to be a little cryptic. Hopefully, Twilight knows what she's talking about.]

I was just wondering if it was still around.

[The problem with this is that "that social group" is too vague. If someone does get into this conversation there's still a possibility they might get suspicious.

Twilight, however, has a quick-thinking solution to this problem.]

Oh, you mean the book club? Yes it's still going, though we've lost a lot of members and it's been a while since we had a real meeting. But all the more reason to get you enrolled again once we meet up!

[Twilight Sparkle: Solving every problem with books. And friendship. She just hopes Emmy figures out what she's doing.]

That's the ticket! I was hoping to hear it was still happening!

[Oh, Emmy can follow along - and she's very glad that Twilight knew what she was talking about! So the PGC is still around...although by the sounds of things, it's....shrunk quite considerably and the meetings aren't all the often.

But still! It's around!]

I'll definitely be signing back up; I'll be sure to find a few books that might interest everyone, although I have a few in mind that might be good selections! You'll definitely have to take me along to one of the meetings once we're both in Goldenrod, Twilight.

[Have a wink. This is all so covert! Just like being a secret agent! Not that she'd know what that was like!]

Hopefully, it'll be just like old times!

Yeah, I hope so too.

[Jimmy's run into his share of trouble in just a few months...and though Emmy seems to know what she's talking about after having been here before, he just hopes she doesn't run into the same kinds of problems.]

Thanks a bunch for the advice, by the way. I think things'll turn out alright after a while. I mean, eventually we'll probably just look back and laugh about it!

[At this point the only thing that might be suspicious is if someone wants to know why they'd hide talk of a simple book club behind a filter, but Twilight's pleased with their subterfuge nonetheless.]

I'll be more than happy to get you signed up again. I've actually been made the organizer of the whole thing, so I should be able to get the details cleared away nice and quick for you. I'll just have to talk to the current leader about the details. You'll meet him soon enough if you haven't already, he's pretty much everywhere. His name's Riku.

No, they haven't. It's the strangest thing, really --- it seems as though no one's ever seen them before, either.

Granted, we did have something like this back in April, as well... it was some sort of slug, then. Really rather messy things... I wasn't terribly sad to see them go, but everyone went wild about them because of how unusual it was to see a completely new Pokemon.

They're apparently native to some other region and are actually called Goomy, but until we were made aware of that everyone decided to call them Bloobers.

Oh, don't mind me. I just wasn't expecting that offer.

[The underestimation factor is something he's intent on taking advantage of as well, so he's got no problem taking Emmy up on it.]

Just Rideaux will do, and the pleasure is all mine, Emmy. We'll likely be seeing quite a lot of each other in the coming weeks. Let's blow the training sessions out of the water, mmm?

[Or maybe kick them in Emmy's case. Either way!]

With all that said and done, I really should show you that exit at some point, shouldn't I?

[He shifts to face the direction he was headed when this whole debacle went down.]

I was actually on my way there. Are you all finished here?

[Face? Meet palm.]

...Man, I can't believe I forgot. Yeah, I'd say there's at least a chance if you can make it to Goldenrod. But I guess you already knew that, huh?

[He's gotta remember that he's talking to an oldbie. Of course she'd know.]

[A slug? Ew...can't say she's too sad to have missed that one!]

That's all rather mysterious, isn't it? It's almost as if these new Pokemon are leaking over from an undiscovered region...fascinating! What an excellent puzzle! If the Professor was here, he'd...

[...probably not trail off awkwardly like she just did, but that's...fine!]

Ah, never mind - either way, it's interesting! I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for any swarms that occur around New Bark Town!

Ah, that would be wonderful! It's so stifling down here, and I'm a bit desperate to get out of this stupid uniform!

[Even if she's not wearing the whole thing, it's still very silly! Honestly, who makes a mini-skirt part of a field agent's uniform? A big creep, that's who!

But at least she knows how to deal with creeps, so. Bye bye, Bin Grunt! Starting to walk, Emmy turns to face Rideaux as they head down the hallway, happily chatting away.]

Have you been out into the city yet? From what the other Grunts have told me, it's supposed to be massive! I can't wait to take some pictures!

You're most welcome! You've made me feel very welcome, so it's only fair that I return the good feelings! I could use a few of them, really.

[For Reasons We Shall Not Get Into because ~~spoilers~~ she'd really rather not think about it.]

Whereabouts are you at the moment, Jimmy?

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1 � [VIDEO/ACTION FOR THE GOLDENROD ROCKET BASE/ROUTE 34]

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