fauxtographs | 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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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?

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!

[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.

...wait a minute, did you say 'Riku'?

[Surely she couldn't mean the fellow she spoke to earlier, could she? Could that kind of coincidence really occur...?]

I don't suppose he's a young man with white hair...?

[You know, in case there's a few of them running around! Not that 'Riku' is all that common of a name, but...well, it can't hurt to be cautious, where the PGC are involved.]

Oh, so you've already gotten in contact with him. Great, you can tell him I vouched for you, that should be enough for him. He knows full well I'm nothing but picky about who I suggest join up.

[Practically to paranoid levels, but hey, she comes from a world where evil love-eating monsters can disguise themselves as close friends and even lovers. A girl needs to be careful.]

I might send him a private message, then, and see what he has to say. Honestly, I'm really glad to hear that the club is still around. You wouldn't believe the things I could share with you all...

[This is going to be very, very interesting.

...and speaking of which.]

...Twilight, before I speak to Riku, there's...something I need to tell you.

I haven't been completely honest with you, about...my location.

[She pauses there. Dishonest about her location? Well that can only mean one of two things. Either Emmy's actually been back for a while and she was avoiding the network for some reason, or...]

I... I have a feeling I know what you're about to tell me, just from that information alone. But go on.

[...yeah, you're...correct with your assumption there, Twilight. Good puzzling skills!]

Well, if that's the case, I'd almost rather not say it. It's all rather horrid, really, and I've honestly got no idea why this happened-

[-that's a lie, but Twilight doesn't need to know that info, it isn't relevant-]

-but I'm in Team Rocket, at the Goldenrod Base. I've received two starter Pokemon, and I start my training as a Grunt tomorrow.

...I don't really know what to do with myself, honestly. That's why I'm so glad you got in contact with me.

I was afraid you'd say that. Alright. We'll go through this step by step, but the first thing to do is to get you to a safe place. You'll have to go back to the Rocket Base for training or they'll get suspicious, but you should get out and spend some time elsewhere to clear your head. We can approach the problem better when you aren't stressed.

[Not that Emmy's liable to be able to truly de-stress under the circumstances, but being in what has to register as "enemy territory" cannot possibly help.]

What Pokemon did you get?

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