As much as Dorian disliked the idea of calling in emergency services to the area, especially with the greater chance of being identified by someone within the League, given that his scar was exposed to the world, he had no choice to comply. At the very least, Emma was far more low key than he was, so she could pass as a civilian while she was admitted to a hospital. The problem was Dorian escaping before he could be identified, but if Lucas' description of him managed to identify him as Dorian, it might cause problems with Emma.

But then, he was sure she'd have a good cover story to cover herself, should it come to that.

"Sounds like a plan.", Dorian told him. He would pull out a phone from his pocket, only to find it wouldn't turn on. "Could you make the call, please? I'm afraid my phone ran out of power.", Dorian asked him.

---

tags: Emma Wolfe Lucas Lane
notes: Checking on the rest of the captives, asking the hard questions!

As Dorian watched the other two Abomasnow get knocked into the the remains of the fire his Magmar had created, he couldn't help but give off a wide grin of satisfaction. If not for the presence of the League man who accompanied him, and the other victims of the Abomasnow within the cave, Dorian would've had his Magmar finish them off with a thorough Flamethrower, then light a cigarette on their smoldering corpses. Dorian turned his head to see that Lucas was attending to Emma. Though he wasn't happy with this, there was only one thing he could do, maintain cover.

Once everything was clear, Dorian ran up to the others. Everyone looked to be in some sort of bad way. Just about everyone in the group had taken a blow to the head, no doubt from the Abomasnow grabbing them, then dragging them off to the cave. Various other injuries across the group were seen. "Pardon me, but how are we going to get all these folks back to town for treatment? They're not looking so good!", Dorian would ask the League man.

Depending on how things went, perhaps it could create a diversion for Dorian and Emma to escape, or at least meet up with an inside man who could Teleport them back to Slateport? In any case, the fact that Emma was alive, albeit not in good shape, was good news.

---

tags: Emma Wolfe Lucas Lane
notes: Checking on the rest of the captives, asking the hard questions!

While it was explicitly clear to anyone why Dorian was here, it was ultimately on his own volition. After all, Dorian felt like he had been personally hurt by the former Beast's betrayal one year ago. After all of the promise he showed as a Team Rocket member, after proving himself to be the best of the best, he just threw it all away to ride a sinking ship. He even managed to get his poor family killed, something that even the Mad Dog of Rocket found himself balking at.

"Come now, Nikki-boy, what happened to your manners?", Dorian asked him. "I just popped in to say hello to an old friend~ Play a little catch up!", Dorian told him, his tone chipper as ever. Even if the 'friendship' was one-sided, given the differing circumstances for how they joined up with Team Rocket in the first place, the Mad Dog was still very fond of Nikolai during their time together, some would even say he looked up to his fellow Beast.

The sly grin that was normally stretched across the dapper man's face hardened into a far more somber expression. "You know, you could've made it big with Team Rocket, could've stood at the top while we all watched the world burn. But instead, you dive headfirst into the fires, taking your family with you. Your poor sister even had to pay with her life for your treachery, Nikki-boy...", Dorian went on, his tone matching his face. Dorian's face and tone would give Nikolai an insight into just how he felt about the death of his little sister in particular.

"So tell me, Nikki-boy, what made you abandon us, and get your family killed in the process?"

---

tags: NIKOLAI PETROV
notes: Havin' a talk with the traitor

Dorian found himself making another casual stroll through the Fiery Path. The heat that would make many sweaty and uncomfortable was a welcome feeling to the Orre native. Perhaps it was the fact that he was used to such brutal heat, given his upbringing, or perhaps it was the fact that he was in an area that was heavily populated by Fire-types. In any case, it almost felt like home to the blonde.

Trailing right behind the dapper man was a bored-looking Torracat. The large, fiery feline would let out an idle cry of boredom as he looked around, seeing nothing stepping up to face them. Dorian looked back to the Torracat, knowing just what the cat was on about. "Patience, Mr. Bigglesworth, we'll get some takers soon.", Dorian told the Torracat.

Within moments of him saying that, Dorian could hear something coming towards them from up ahead.

---

tags: @tag
notes: tl;dr

Dorian was relieved when the Ariados stopped attacking them upon recognizing them. Of all the ways he could've gone out, getting killed by a trigger happy Pokemon owned by one of his own Pokemon was one of the least dignified ways to go, especially if the hit resulted in a slow death. Dorian looked back to his unwanted comrade, seeing that he had hit his head, and was soothing the pain with the nearby ice. As much as Dorian wanted to laugh at the man for that, he knew he couldn't get away with it just yet.

"Oh my, are you okay, sir!?", Dorian said, looking to the man with a look of concern on his face.

Once he got his answer, he frowned. "My apologies, sir, I was so worried about just getting here, that I neglected to think about whether or not her Pokemon would've been let out. But knowing her, she has a Lycanroc that accompanies her frequently, the Midnight form, to be exact.", he would tell the man.

While Dorian couldn't understand the cries of the arachnid, Smoochie Duckie would understand what she had to say. He would gesture Dorian in the direction that the Ariados mentioned. Once she got back up to the ceiling, Dorian looked to the Magmar.

"Magmar, be a dear, and melt this ice on the ground for us, please?", Dorian asked his old Magmar, who would give him a nod, before spraying the ground ahead of them with Flamethrower, quickly melting the ice. Once the thin layer of water resulting from the meltdown evaporated, they would have solid ground with actual traction. Smoochie Duckie would continue to advance ahead slowly, continuing to carve a path for the men to walk on with Flamethrower.

"Shall we?", Dorian asked the man, proceeding forward on the now rougher ground, grinning in satisfaction at actually having some traction to walk on.

Once they would get closer, they would notice what seemed to be a snowstorm brewing within the cave. Dorian knew that they were getting close, but continued to go slowly. Once they got in good and close, Dorian would witness the block of ice flying in another direction, looking over to see the wounded Emma and her Lycanroc being the targets. Dorian watched on in shock and horror as the duo were slammed with the block of ice being kicked over to them.

Infuriated by the sight of his friend being hit by the block of ice like that, Dorian glared daggers at the trio of Abomasnow before them. Another Abomasnow detected the two humans and the Magmar coming towards them, and kicked another large block of ice their way. Smoochie Duckie responded quickly by blasting the block with an intense Flamethrower, melting the block of ice before it could make contact with them.

"Magmar, unleash a Lava Plume on these ruffians!", Dorian ordered, his voice surprisingly low and calm for the state of rage he was clearly in.

The Magmar nodded, getting ready to fire off a column of fire throughout the nearby area. As Smoochie Duckie got ready to unleash the column of fire, Dorian looked to the Ariados, as well as Lucas. "You should take cover.", Dorian told them, calmly stepping back from the Magmar, going for some cover, hoping they'd follow him.

A column of fire would erupt from around the Magmar, getting the trio of Abomasnow within the radius of the attack. The trio would cry out in pain as they were subjected to the fiery attack. In the aftermath of the attack, the middle Abomasnow winced at the Magmar in pain, while the other two on his flanks would cry out in pain, having been Burned by the effects of the Lava Plume. It was clear that neither of them would last long. It was a miracle that they survived the attack, perhaps given to the virtue that the column of fire was spread out to three targets, rather than being targeted at a single entity.

The 'healthy' Abomasnow would retaliate, unleashing a Blizzard at the Magmar, before dashing in to give him a taste of his Hammer Arm. The Magmar would take the Blizzard, wincing upon feeling the cold, but otherwise taking the attack well, much better than the Abomasnow trio took his Lava Plume. In response to the Abomasnow getting close, Smoochie Duckie blasted the creature with a point-blank Flamethrower, causing the creature to immediately burn up. The Abomasnow would let out panicked screams, scrambling around in circles for several seconds, before dropping to the ground.

---

tags: Emma Wolfe Lucas Lane
notes: Payback time! One Abomasnow down, the remaining two are burned, and in critical condition.

Of all of Dorian's regrets, this one stuck out to him the most.

He had missed out on the Winter Ball that took place in Lilycove last month. Aside from the sight of Lilycove in the winter being something he wanted to see, the revelation that one of their old Beasts, Nikolai, had outed himself to the world was missed. Had he been there, there would've been little to stop him from making a move on the traitor. But of course, even with him outing himself, the whole venue would've converged onto him at that point, and Nikolai probably would've been escorted to safety, while Dorian himself would've been escorted out in handcuffs.

So instead, Dorian took the time to study his prey. The Mad Dog of Rocket, having applied makeup over his scar, managed to blend into the town as just another tourist. In that time, he studied Nikolai's routine, attempting to keep distance from the man. Given that he was becoming a more public figure in the wake of his confession, it made it easier to follow him around. But despite all this, Dorian had to wonder if Nikolai knew he was being tailed by one of the Beasts.

Whether or not Nikolai knew that his former comrade was coming, Dorian found himself ready to make his move, waiting for Nikolai's arrival. Having studied his prey, after days of blending in with the crowds, Dorian had a feel of where he'd go next, and waited for him up ahead. His Magmar and Torracat waited in the shadows for the traitor, intent on ripping him apart, and cooking the remains.

Upon Nikolai's arrival, Dorian would step out of the shadows, clad in white button-up shirt, with a black coat worn over it, cream-colored slacks, and Dratini skin boots. Gloved hands would come out of his pockets, as he stretched out his arms, giving his former comrade an exaggerated bow. "It's been too long, Nikolai, old buddy~", Dorian greeted him in a cheerful, sing-song voice.

---

tags: NIKOLAI PETROV
notes: Hello, traitor~

As Dorian walked down the path, an angry-looking Charmeleon would hop down from above. With little warning, the Charmeleon would blast at the scarred man with a Flamethrower. Reacting quickly, the Chandelure would float in front of Dorian, taking the attack. Thanks to Flash Fire, the Chandelure would absorb the fire into himself, allowing it to strengthen him.

"Use Shadow Ball!", called out Dorian.

The Chandelure would form a glob of spectral energy, which he would lob at the Charmeleon. She would cry out in pain on impact, being sent flying several feet, attempting to get up, but collapsing to one knee. The Chandelure got ready to finish the Charmeleon off, until Dorian extended an arm out to tell the ghost to hold back. "No, I want this one alive. She could be of great use to us.", Dorian told the Chandelure, who would nod.

Taking advantage of the pause, the Charmeleon would fire a ball of draconian energy at the Chandelure. The Chandelure would float back a few feet, grunting in pain and annoyance, before firing another Shadow Ball at the Charmeleon. This time, the attack was enough to knock out the Charmeleon. Dorian would grin to the ghost in response. "That was some fine work!", he said to the Chandelure.

He would walk over to the fallen Charmeleon, a vacant Pokeball in his hand.

---

tags: @tag
notes: Searchin' for dem Pokez

Dorian looks back to Lucas as he chides him for taking such a direct approach. "I was never one for the subtle approach. Besides, I feel that the more aggro we draw onto ourselves, the better chance the captives will have, with the attention of the Abomasnow off of them. As for taking them all on at once, I've got that covered~", Dorian told the man, pulling down the scarf over his nose and mouth with a grin, before he would send out Smoochie Duckie the Magmar to deal with the threat. "Abomasnow have a very unfortunate weakness to fire, and I just so happen to favor Fire-types.", Dorian continued, before continuing on in.

"To be honest? I'm working off an assumption, at this point. The last time we spoke, my dear Emily was visiting family in Fortree. She hasn't called me or texted me since then, which, given the events, made me assume the worst.", he would explain to Lucas, elaborating on why he figured his companion got abducted. "But even if she wasn't claimed by the Abomasnow menace, I can at least make myself useful, and take care of them.", Dorian continued.

As the group ventured into the cave Dorian found himself nearly slipping on the slick floor, noticing just how slick the floor was. With an annoyed sigh, Dorian looked towards Smoochie Duckie, but before he could order the Magmar to start melting the ice, a familiar face dropped to the ground, causing Dorian to slip, and narrowly avoid the venomous brew.

The Magmar would cry out to the Ariados, telling her, in a way only a fellow Pokemon could understand, that they were on her side, that it was Dorian, and some unexpected company coming in to help her out. Dorian himself would carefully get to his feet, barely avoiding falling down again, and slowly approach the Ariados, lifting his goggles at just an angle that she could see, before pulling them down again.

"It's me, Arnie! I'm here to save Emily!", Dorian told the Ariados, hoping she'd listen to reason. The scar on his face was a dead giveaway to his identity, let alone the presence of the old Magmar, as well as the false name Arnie.

"Where is Emily now?", Dorian asked the spider.

---

tags: Emma Wolfe Lucas Lane
notes: Don't you recognize me!?

Dorian's race to the caves would be cut short by another man. Dorian looked up at the man, his face hidden behind a scarf and goggles, more than enough to hide his marred visage. "You could say that! One of the people who went missing was my girlfriend! If you let me come with you, I am more than prepared to deal with an Abomasnow!", Dorian would tell the man, his tone desperate. While the part about his girlfriend was a lie, his desperation to get Emma out of there was genuine. And of course, his team was very well suited to take down an Abomasnow or two that tried to get in his way.

Dorian didn't care if Lucas accepted his assistance, he was heading up to the caves anyway. After all, he refused to allow Emma to be potentially captured by the League, or killed by a hungry Abomasnow. The Mamoswine continued to race up towards the caves as fast as it could. What it lacked in raw speed, it made up for in its ability to traverse the terrain, plowing through the snow alone.

Finally, Thomas would reach the mouth of the cave. He would slide off of the back of his Mamoswine, giving him a pat on the head before recalling him to his Pokeball. "Thank you for the lift, Pillowbutt Snowerson.", Dorian whispered, before calling out another of his Pokemon, Smoochie Duckie the Magmar. Without waiting for their unwanted partner, Dorian and Smoochie Duckie would proceed into the caves cautiously.

Not out of fear for the Abomasnow that lived there, but because if Emma got up, she'd have something in the shadows, ready to jump whatever potential threats came at her.

---

tags: Emma Wolfe Lucas Lane
notes: Dorian's here!