Opal Roleau
Neutral, Affected
Jubilife City
ARP’ers: None

Sunlight flashed in my eyes, almost painfully bright after spending a couple of hours under the ocean. I winced, instinctively raising a hand to shield my vision - only to hurriedly return to gripping Angelica’s harness as her back arched in a stretch, threatening to buck me off if I wasn’t holding on properly.

After a few seconds, Angelica’s body extended again as she stretched lengthwise. Once she seemed to be done, I patted her flank three times. With a low rumble, the Gyarados swam up to shore, slithering sideways through the shallow water like how a Serperior would move on land. She stopped near the shore, and I jumped off, landing in water that was a few feet deeper than I was tall. With smooth, unhurried strokes, I swam ashore - though I winced a bit as I got seaweed and then prickly beach grass under my feet.

“Yo, Angelica!” I said. The Gyarados’s fins perked up as she swiveled her large, sharp-toothed head towards me. She seemed a little bit tired by a long swim with a passenger - as a gilled Pokemon, she was an excellent Dive user, able to provide a continuous flow of oxygen to herself and her undersea passenger while she swam. However, despite her being a large, swift Pokemon built for submarine travel, carrying my weight while also supplying me with breathing air wasn’t exactly easy, even in short jaunts like the one between Canalave and the mainland. “Are you hungry?” When Angelica dipped her head - a humanlike gesture that I was sure to always teach my dragons - I said, “Alright, why don’t you go hunting for a few minutes while I change out of this wetsuit?” She nodded again, then disappeared under the water.

While she was doing that, I toweled off and slipped my shirt, jeans, and boots back on. I wanted to change out of my wetsuit entirely, but this beach didn’t exactly offer much privacy. At least I was somewhat dry - my bag was pretty much waterproof when it was shut, so my clothes weren’t even damp.

Having made myself presentable, I clipped my Pokeballs onto my belt and let out Hercules. The Gible sniffed curiously at my legs, taking in the saltwater smell that still baffled him at times. Once he was done sniffing, I rubbed his forehead a bit. He chuffed quietly at the affection, returning the favor by rubbing his nose against my fingers.

I smiled, “Hey, bud, we’re going to a new town today - Jubilife City. It’s a pretty big place, with lots of Trainers; I think you might be able to get some battle experience. Sound good?” His head dipped in a nod.

There was a loud splash; Angelica’s head rose up from the shallows once more. “Hey, Ange, you ready to go?” When she nodded, I recalled her.

“Right,” I said, half to myself. “Let’s get going.”

Jubilife came into sight within a few minutes’ worth of walking. I had heard that Jubilife City was the one of the biggest, busiest cities in Sinnoh, and it definitely lived up to the hype with its flashing signs and crowds. Like Castelia, my home city, its streets were alive, pulsing with light and energy. Of course, it wasn’t as big or as loud as Castelia, and the buildings were a bit older and more stately. Sinnohians seemed to have a thing for stone and marble, and there were decorative plants all over the place… I was glad it had such a distinct appearance. Anything that felt too Castelian would bring along feelings of homesickness, which I really didn’t want.

Fortunately, pretty soon I would be too distracted to think about anything except the thrill of a Pokemon battle - and, hopefully, the nice sums of cash I would be raking in. I didn’t have much money to bet yet, but I was confident that my team and I would be able to multiply my wealth in short order.

“You ready for the usual hustle?” I asked Hercules. He nodded, but let out a low, almost grouchy bark. I patted his head. “Don’t worry, if I run into anyone on your level, I promise I’ll let you fight.”

Hercules huffed and relaxed a bit, no doubt satisfied with my offer. I smiled. The little Gible was handling being new to a team that was all leagues ahead of him, but it wasn’t always an easy process. As thanks for his cooperation, I gave him a quick scratch behind his dorsal fin, to which he responded with a low, pleased croon.

As usual, I found a group of Trainers gathered at the Pokemon Center; a lot of Trainers tended to congregate around Pokemon Centers to meet up and socialize - or battle - their Pokemon. Hercules, a bit uncomfortable at some of the bigger Pokemon, tapped my leg in an “up” demand, and I hoisted him into my arms. “Hey!” I called out, doing my best to project over the chatter of the crowd. “Does anyone want to fight me? I can do one-on-one to six-on-six, and that includes doubles or triples! Come on, let’s fight, unless you’re too much of a coward to face me!” For his part, Hercules growled a challenge at any Pokemon who looked his way.



Jeanne Hemlock
Team Galactic
Eterna City
ARP’ers: None

“Excuse me, ma’am? A moment of your time?”

The woman in the business suit stopped, giving Beq and I a wary look before she said, “Sure, miss…?”

“Hemlock. Jeanne Hemlock.” I smiled, extending a hand. When she made no move to shake it, I returned it to my side and said, “We of Team Galactic are hosting a meeting in front of the Galactic building on the north end of town, this afternoon at five-o’-clock p.m. We will be giving a brief talk on the Rifts - both causes and effects - clearing up a few myths about the Affected, and answering any questions the public may have. Are you interested in attending?”

The woman still looked a bit guarded, but I could tell that she was somewhat interested. “You’re really fielding questions? I’ve heard a lot of rumors that Team Galactic is actually responsible for these problems.”

I shook my head. “Such tragic misunderstandings are exactly the reason we’re having this meeting,” I informed her. “Here,” I reached into my satchel and pulled out a flyer. Thankfully, the woman took it; I’d half expected her to just refuse. “This flyer lists the address and time of the meeting, as well as a brief agenda. We would really appreciate it if you came.”

The woman smiled tightly, “I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

I let out a quiet sigh. Handing out flyers didn’t sound as tiring as it was when most of the people you spoke to already wanted to dislike you.

“Jeanne,” rumbled a deep voice behind me.

I suppressed a sigh as I turned toward the other grunt. Rolland Hastings was one of the toughest grunts on my squad. A big, fair-skinned man with premature gray hair, he would have looked like someone’s gentle giant of a grandpa if it weren’t for his perpetual scowl.

“Nice work,” Hastings continued. He hoisted his own bag, which didn’t seem to have any less flyers in it than it had when we’d hit the streets this morning. “Your ability to get people to not see us as idiots and-or scum of the earth never ceases to impress me.”

“Hastings,” I greeted the man. He gave me a dispassionate look, green eyes shadowed beneath shaggy gray brows. “You need to get to work.”

He shrugged, “Nobody is taking me seriously; they all think I’m a thug, a cultist, or a cultist thug. And somehow I think that forcing these people to come to this meeting would send a different message than the one you want to send.”

The challenge in his voice was plain. Beq’s ears twitched like she was ready for a fight, but I put a hand on her head in a warning to stay back. “Until we receive other orders from further up the chain of command,” I said, my tone firm, “this division is mine to do with as I see best. Right now, the best thing we can do is to ingratiate ourselves to the people of Sinnoh. Quite simply, we are scattered, we are low on resources, and we could be toppled if the region suddenly all agreed that we are a serious threat. We need these people to like us - not just potential recruits, we need to be able to walk through the street without uppity preteens trying to ‘bring us to justice’. We need diplomats rather than warriors. I’m not asking for one hundred percent success; I’m just asking you to be polite. Do you understand?”

Hastings didn’t seem happy, but he backed down. “Yes, ma’am,” he answered. “I’ll get to it.” He then walked away. I didn’t take my eyes off of him until I saw him approach someone new, a hand extended in greeting.