Maybe this would be a fun outing after all, Jason realized as sparks danced across the infinite abyss of black above them. Madds seemed playful, like someone who didn't take herself too seriously. It was a nice change of pace compared to dealing with others that Rocket had to offer, [break][break]

“Aye-aye, Captain,” he replied with faux seriousness and a mock salute of his own. [break][break]

With a flick of the wrist, a Dragonair appeared at his side, and Jason easily climbed aboard to follow behind Madds and her own ride of choice. They sailed alongside, floating a few feet from the ground to keep Jason's own dangling feet from catching on anything below them, [break][break]

“A computer panel, hm? Better be worth fighting our way through a horde of necromorphs for. Or aliens. Or whatever else we run into out here.” [break][break]

Satisfied that he'd appropriately covered all of his pop culture bases, Jason dug around through one of the many pockets of his jacket as he rode along and produced a travel-sized aerosol can, [break][break]

“Need something to keep the static out of your hair?” [break][break]

Because why wouldn't he have some product on hand in a dangerous place like this? You never knew when a little hair spray might come in handy.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Madeline McKenna [break]
14. tend to another's injuries or staticky hair.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

In the grand scheme of things, this was alarmingly close to an actual job interview, Jason realized as he listened to Neon. Questions about aspirations, the offer of contractual work; it was almost disarmingly mundane in how it was presented, [break][break]

“A reputation is nice, but it doesn't pay the bills,” he chuckled coyly, watching the steam rise from the bite in Neon's pork bun, “But discretion is something I can handle.” [break][break]

He grinned when he spotted the next dish that was brought out and eagerly grabbed a slice of meat with his chopsticks the moment the waiter stepped away, [break][break]

“And trouble is something else I'm more than equipped to deal with. I should hope that my 'resume' would speak for itself in that regard.” [break][break]

The smile didn't fade as he finally look a bite of the spiced meat coated in fragrant sauce. Maybe Neon already knew all of the gritty details of his prior life in Alola, of his time spent poaching Pokemon en masse and coordinating deals with his father for buyers overseas. Maybe he even knew of his father's brief foray into extortion, and of the day Jason learned how to break each knuckle in a man's hand, one at a time, until the poor bastard screamed himself hoarse. [break][break]

Or maybe not. Maybe he'd get the chance to show Neon what he was truly capable of, [break][break]

“I think I can handle whatever you've got lined up for me.”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
mission

Where the Seviper had fallen, a Mareanie began to creep up; Jaina, valiant as a foolhardy creature like her could be, fired off another MOONBLAST to knock it out, too. After all, she couldn't let it possibly hurt the two trainers, especially when the littler of the two was in such distress. [break][break]

Jason, meanwhile, just narrowed his eyes as he appraised Lucia. Lies upon lies; she must really be trying to hide something, [break][break]

“That's all, huh?” [break][break]

He looked down at her with concerned scrutiny. She was too young to be scared for her damn life, and while he wasn't one to stick his neck out for just anybody, it was all too suspicious to ignore, [break][break]

“Are you sure you're doing alright?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Lucia Aldrete [break]
catching mareanie!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Oh, you flatter me,” Jason practically purred. [break][break]

But it was funny just how wrong this Cain's assumption was. Beyond the demands of his professional life - which, by design, were rather all-consuming - Jason was often completely alone. Maybe his cohorts could smell that desperation on him to please. Maybe, for all of his efforts to tailor himself to the tastes of others, people could tell how artificial all that fake sugary sweetness was. Maybe that's why, after contracts were filled and the work day was done, none lingered in Jason's presence. [break][break]

Cain didn't need to know that, though. Why spoil such comfortable pleasantries with something so dour? [break][break]

“Sometimes you've got to get away from the crowds to enjoy the little things. Scenery, I find, is one of them.” [break][break]

Which wasn't a lie, even if there were no particular crowds for Jason to evade, [break][break]

“There's something nostalgic about the smell of ocean air, isn't there?” [break][break]

His eyes carefully followed the movement of the parchment being stowed away. It was probably nothing, Jason thought, but you didn't get by as long as he had without paying attention to the little things.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Cain Toman [break]
skipping!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Hmm, I suppose that depends on your spice tolerance,” Jason replied with a teasing lilt to his voice, “Spring rolls are always a safe bet as far as starters go, but the fuqi feipian looks absolutely mouthwatering.” [break][break]

Though that was coming from a man that put chili oil on most of the food he ate. Jason wasn't sure how well Neon could tolerate that numbing heat, but personally, it was something he couldn't get enough of. For the time being, though, the pork buns were more than satisfying enough as the waiter delivered them along with their drinks, [break][break]

“Just Jason is fine for now,” he offered a little cautiously, waiting for Neon to take his first bite of food before following suit. Such established habits of deference were hard to deviate from, “It's a common enough name, and truth be told, I'm pretty much a nobody in these parts.” [break][break]

He frowned a little at that; it was a bitter reminder of what he'd rather recently lost, but he couldn't help but chuckle lightly at Neon's followup. 'Nice' was certainly not anything Jason had been expecting or prepared for when he had agreed to this meeting. He waved his chopsticks dismissively as he continued, [break][break]

“Think nothing of it. 'Skittish' is probably an accurate way to put it, given my circumstances. And besides, I certainly can't fault you for being thorough.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
mission

When Jason had been presented with the opportunity to join one of these strange expeditions, he had jumped at it. While not an out-and-out member of Rocket yet, he was eager for any opportunity to prove himself as an asset. Did someone need a handful of stolen Pokemon held until the heat died down? Jason was there. Was a less than scrupulous scientist in need of new test subjects? Jason was there, too. Hell, at this point, he was somewhat surprised that he hadn't stooped to the level of scrubbing toilets with how ready he was to make himself useful. [break][break]

So that's how he found himself here, in some sort of extra-dimensional hellscape of lightning and cables, met by a brunette that seemed to recognize him in a way that he couldn't reciprocate, [break][break]

“Oh, maybe so,” he purred with an easy grin, recalling his less than stellar performance with Zev Harcourt on their recent outing, “But I'm mostly just here to help. And sorry, I didn't catch your name- you're...?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Madeline McKenna

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Kids were always terrible at lying. Jason's brow quirked with questioning curiosity at Lucia's little slip-up, but he held back the line of inquiry waiting at the tip of his tongue. Bad liars were always much better at telling on themselves, he'd found, and were more liable to shut down under more intense scrutiny. [break][break]

So he just nodded, watching as she chased after her next target, but already approaching quickly when the child had the gall to actually try and touch the thing, [break][break]

“Lucia, you probably shouldn't- Lucia!” [break][break]

She screamed like she'd been burned, and Jason's brisk walk turned into a full-on sprint as he dashed to her side. He didn't think he had a paternal bone in his body, but who could turn away from the scream of a child? [break][break]

“Are you hurt? Are you okay?” [break][break]

Nearby, a Seviper slunk low behind a toppled trashcan, sizing up the Popplio that stared it down with uncharacteristic animosity. Jaina struck the creature with a fearsome MOONBLAST, sending the snake reeling. Once Lucia had been attended to, Jason would snag the Pokemon for his own collection, but only after he was sure that Lucia wasn't in any immediate peril.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Lucia Aldrete [break]
catching seviper!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

The dust had settled and their prey had been captured, but there was nothing that Jason could do in the moment to stave off the cold disappointment that had begun to set in. He caught the capsules with ease and followed dutifully behind the Beast, mulling over his words with careful deliberation. [break][break]

Jason's work on this outing had been sloppy and inelegant. He'd nearly been outmatched by his quarry, and his attempt at an unconventional approach had only complicated the acquisition of the Gardevoir. He needed to do better, to show that he had more to offer than just his capacity to fuck up. Perhaps Zev thought as much himself, if the cool edge to his voice was any indication. [break][break]

He remained more or less silent as the two departed from their hunting grounds. There was work to be done, Jason decided as he followed Zev from that place, determined to prove his usefulness both to the man he had worked with on this day, and to the organization that offered a future he could find nowhere else. Maybe he'd get the chance to do better next time.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Zev Harcourt [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

'Behind you!' [break][break]

The Gengar reacted faster than Jason ever could have hoped to. He knew taking his eyes off of the Gardevoir in front of him was a bad idea, but to ignore the one actively trying to assault him wasn't any wiser of a decision as he glanced frantically over his shoulder. As the pink and purple beam cut a wide arc away from him, Jason turned back only to be met by a glow like blinding moonlight. [break][break]

In the scuffle, the Kirlia had slipped from his arms, fleeing to the safety of it's cohorts. The Gardevoir he had been trying to negotiate with had taken the opportunity to reel back for a powerful Moonblast. Well, if this was how it ended, so be it, Jason thought in those few miserable seconds as he stared down his doom. Trying to reason with one of these lesser creatures was bound to fail from the start. [break][break]

There was the sound of rushing water and a crack like a bull whip as the Gardevoir suddenly hurtled forward, landing face-first into the dirt at Jason's feet. Yonah loomed overhead, having used her Aqua Tail like a cudgel to beat the fae over the head. Behind him, the bellicose cry of Xigbar rang out as she clamped her vice-like maw onto one of the other Gardevoir's arms. Perhaps the tides were turning back in the poacher's favor.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Zev Harcourt [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Dark eyes briefly flicked towards the direction of Zev's voice and back towards the Gardevoir. Jason leered, [break][break]

“Doin' just fine, boss!” he called back as he tossed his final Poke ball up into the air. [break][break]

The Gardevoir staring him down didn't know how to react to the little seahorse Pokemon that emerged in a beam of red light, nor to Jason catching it in a gloved hand before it fell to the ground. The element of surprise was a valuable tool on a hunt such as this. [break][break]

Jason brandished the Skrelp like a gun, squeezing the Pokemon clenched in his hand to command it to lob Sludge Bombs into the pack of Ralts and Kirlia that ran about in their panic. The Embrace Pokemon cried in anguish as it watched some of it's younger brethren succumb to the poison's quick work. It was exactly what Jason wanted to see. [break][break]

As a Kirlia tried to run past, Jason grabbed the ballerina-esque Pokemon and held the Skrelp's muzzle to it's head, like a gunman taking a hapless civilian hostage. Psychic Pokemon often possessed near-human levels of intelligence; it made them tricky to poach, at times, but also made them weak to the same pitiful downfalls that so often plagued humanity, [break][break]

“Alright, princess,” Jason hissed at the Gardevoir with agitation as the Kirlia ineffectively thrashed in his grasp, “Unless you want your friend here to take one of those attacks straight to the head, I suggest you stop fighting and start cooperating. Come with us, and I'll make sure the rest of your friends aren't eating poison before the day's done.” [break][break]

Yonah lurked just outside of the Gardevoir's periphery, still injured but no longer dazed by the strike that had sent her reeling. The Gardevoir's eyes flicked from Jason, to the Kirlia in his grasp, and back again. Jason grinned at the horror and panic held in that red gaze; it was only a matter of time before the Pokemon made the correct decision.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Zev Harcourt [break]
mission

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Pocketing his new prize, Jason continued to follow after the young girl. Who knows, maybe she was some kind of good luck charm; he hoped that they'd have the good fortune of running into more rare Pokemon on this trip. [break][break]

He hung back while Lucia skulked about the Maschiff. Her form could probably use some work, he thought idly; the young pup was probably too dense or too preoccupied to notice, but the Maschiff was down-wind of the girl. A more observant creature would have picked up her scent and bolted by now, but maybe this was just one of the reasons that this Pokemon made for a common companion for new trainers overseas, [break][break]

“You got this,” he called encouragingly as Lucia tossed the Pokeball at the pup, smiling when he heard the capsule 'click' close. [break][break]

A Gloom tottered around by the side of the road nearby; with a nod towards it, Jason wordlessly commanded Jaina to shoo it away with a gust of Icy Wind, [break][break]

“'Used to have one', huh? Makes sense; I bet it's probably evolved by now, right? A Mabostiff is a good Pokemon to have.” [break][break]

And one known to be very protective of children. It'd be nice to know that a Pokemon like that would be accompanying Lucia on her journey, and surely would act as a more vigilant warden than her conspicuously absent parents. Where the hell were those deadbeats, anyway? Jason briefly checked over his shoulder, half-expecting to see one or more Lucia-esque adults watching from some safe distance, but nope. He clicked his tongue with mild agitation; negligent bastards, the both of them.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Lucia Aldrete [break]
skipping!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]