Zorayda Moonlin
Freelancer: Lugia
Diglett’s Cave, en route to underground Freelance base
ARPer’s: None
Diglett’s Cave was a deep, dark cavern--one that people didn’t traverse unless they were brave hikers or mountaineers. Those were being seen less and less lately due to the recent frowned-upon training of Pokemon; the caves were once a popular training grounds for such activities, but no longer. ENDoG had made sure of that. It always blew Zor’s mind how people could conform to government ideas and conspiracies so quickly, going from revering Pokemon and their bonds with humans to making Pokemon into mere pets. It just went to show how gullible and malleable human’s minds were, especially in large groups... She made her way deeper into the caverns, looking for a specific landmark that would lead her to one of the Freelancer’s secret entrances, unknown to ENDoG forces (as far as they knew and hoped). The Pikachu on the blonde’s shoulder looked a bit unnerved; being weak to Ground-type attacks, it was scary being surrounded by dirt and earth on all sides. Dusk led the way with his naturally bright glowing rings until the four of them came to a misshapen boulder that somewhat resembled an Onix. To its left were a few signs of recent activity and tracks, but it didn’t really look out of place, since this cave was well-traversed by Pokemon... Looking left and right, the young woman pushed a specific spot and the cave wall opened like a set of automatic doors, surprisingly mechanical for such a natural-looking formation of stone.
She slipped through, her other Pokemon following. Dusk was last, glancing left and right before disappearing like a faint shadow. This tunnel was narrow and dark, but made of manmade material and looked much different from Diglett’s Cave. It had several passageways, some blocked off, some caved in, and some leading to nowhere. It was a sprawling, confusing and dark maze, meant to confuse strangers and ENDoG agents to ensure that they didn’t find the underground base of operations. The Freelancers could not risk the ridiculous strength of ENDoG... so the danger of the passageways were necessary. Zor put Pikachu and Viola in their Poke balls, leaving only herself and Dusk to traverse the path. Finally, after thirty minutes of solid walking, turning several times in the twisting paths, she came to an open room, where there was a woman tending to a clunky machine behind a large counter. To the right was a dinosaur of a computer that looked extremely well-used. The woman behind the counter turned, eyes lighting when recognition when they settled on Zor and Dusk.
“Ah, welcome back, Miss Moonlin. And you too, Mr. Dusk,” the lady greeted kindly. Zorayda grinned back. Her Umbreon blinked in reply; a friendly greeting from the serious Pokemon.
“It’s good to be back! How are you doing, Joy?” the Trainer asked. The nurse smiled, and Zor suddenly noticed the tired lines under her eyes and the strain in her expression. She was stressed out and anxious, just like the rest of the Freelancers against the seemingly endless power of ENDoG. There had been little push lately against their forces... it was like an ant trying to shove against a brick wall. It felt impossible. Zor’s expression began to fall as well with the weight of that tiny reminder and the two women shared a brief silence, commiserating and feeling a miniscule comfort in knowing that they were in the battle together. That was all the Freelancers had right now... or so they thought. A small handheld radio on the counter came to life, static hissing through the speakers. Nurse Joy jumped up immediately and began to tune it. Crackles and high-pitched whines sounded before she found the frequency, barely audible in the Underground.
“...eports of an unknown...ssailant has freed the Po...mon known as ...ayquaza, causing w...ckage and hindering ENDoG troops... facilities destro...” The man’s voice described what the person looked like--apparently a young man had managed to distract ENDoG lackeys and free the Legendary Pokemon Rayquaza, who in turn smashed some ENDoG buildings and caused havoc for the government-powered sect. Joy and Zor exchanged hopeful looks--finally, finally, something good had happened for the Freelancers! Dusk actually barked with happiness, making both women look down at him, then look at each other. They could only hold one another’s gazes for a second before bursting into gales of laughter.
Jace Timber
ENDoG: Lieutenant
Virbank ENDoG Facility, en route to party with the recruits
ARPer’s: Charmander009 (Arianne) and Cobalt (Myra)
Contrary to popular belief, Jace Timber knew everything that went on in the barracks and dorms of Virbank ENDoG Facility, specifically when it pertained to his own troops. So when the faint whisper of the word ‘party’ was said, the young man immediately perked up in interest. The Lieutenant had scurried into his barracks, changed clothes, and fixed his hair in the mirror before grabbing his wallet in less than five minutes. The two girls (he didn’t remember their names, but maybe chatting over a few drinks would serve to make him remember) weren’t even out the door before he’d popped in out of nowhere, looking entirely different from the stiff-backed, uptight Lieutenant from before. Now he was just a sharp-looking young man with a lopsided smile, looking every bit the part of a 27-year-old ready to show the young un’s how real partying was done. He watched as one girl headed out the door, the shyer one lagging behind. Jace trotted up to them, his longer legs easily carrying him forward a few strides until he was caught up.
“Ladies, care if your CO joins you?” he asked smoothly. He was always amused by his inferiors’ reactions to his easygoing behavior off-duty. One minutes he was a hardass and the next he was cool as a cucumber. They had to understand, though; it was nothing personal. It was just the military. “Don’t worry, first round’s on me,” he offered, patting his back pocket. “And if you follow along, I can show you the safer clubs. Not everyone’s a gentleman like me, you see.” With that statement he tucked his thumb into a belt loop and smirked, waiting to see what the girls’ decision was.
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