So. As it was, Valerio's partner for this mission wouldn't be showing up. Not because of anything Chu-e had done, no, it was one of those mysterious events that sort of just happened. The guy had fell and broke his leg and gotten whisked away to someone else, likely never to be seen again. As was the nature of unnamed NPCs.

Chu-e, also, had just been happening to pass by and spotted the place. It had looked Right Fucked Up and like the kind of place that he could get into some trouble. Or maybe just rest, since he had been doing a hell of a lot of that lately. When he spotted some red headed guy out front he worried at first about trespassing. But, this guy was probably trespassing too, so did it really matter? Two was better than one.

"Hey!" Chu-e called, raising a hand and waving the guy down. May as well go for that vaguely friendly approach. It usually got him less trouble.

At the question, Chu-e just jerked his thumb in the direction of the mansion before he walked over to the door. It was old and locked up- until he got his fingers on it. The picking kit in his pocket sew the old door quickly opened and pushed in with a foot. "Wanna get into some trouble?" A small flashlight was dug out of his bag and a pokeball tossed out. A Litten, of all things, gave a stretch before bounding over to sniff at the redhead's shoes.

"That's why we're here, right?" As if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Chu-e really did have his own way of thinking sometimes. Still, he didn't wait on the other man and slipped inside. It was dark, dank, and dusty as expected. It was a mansion so the front foyer was grand but it also looked like other vandals had been here before. The cloth covered furniture had been tipped over.

A large portrait of a woman, faded, was front and center. The eyes seemed to follow him... Chu-e flashed the light right at it and squinted. "I think Gastly and Haunter are in here! You good with that?" He wasn't an expert on them or anything, his specialty had always been Normal and Fairy before shit went down, but he had been to places like this enough to recognize some signs. Other ghost types usually weren't as overt in their haunting.

He just snorts. "What? You supposed to be one of those things?" A turn to grin at the other man and there is something very sharp about his smile this time. Just for a moment, before he delves a little deeper into the mansion. "Puff, come on! Red, keep up!"

As he turned a corner, a Gastly, as expected, jumped into his face. Chu-e just snorted, causing the wild ghost pokemon to pause that it's scare hadn't work. "Try again. I've seen worse." He casually waved the pokemon off and continued to move, making the Gastly pout before it faded away.

"So, what's Rocket want with a dusty old place like this, anyway? I thought Blackwell but the big one and everything fell apart." Maybe, just maybe, Chu-e's memory was a little better than Val's.

"Yeah, that was the point." He snorted out a laugh. "And as far as you know, I still am. Right?" He winked at the other before grabbing a pokeball from his hip, tossing out what looked to be a Slowking. The water type had thick drool pouring from her muzzle and a snarl showing sharp teeth.

She lunged at Val. But instead of hitting him, she jumped over him, sinking purple tipped claws into a wild Gengar. The ghost pokemon cried out pitifully before collapsing into smoke. Chu-e just laughed to himself and went to move deeper into the mansion.

"So, how have things been holding up? New guy sticking?"

"You know, I was told the same thing recently by someone else." Chu-e still couldn't fathom why he would be wanted by the current Rocket at all. Was it just because of his former 'Beast' status? "Nah, I'm just nosy. I also want to keep up with where activity is happening... so I can stay the hell out of dodge." Getting caught in the crossfire was really.... not ideal, to put it one way.

Whistling, Chu-e calls his pokemon back to him. The slowking lumbers on all fours, snarling at Valerio as she passed. The man just gave his pokemon a pat on the head and motioned for her to go deeper ahead of them, which she eagerly did. Any wild ghost types would quickly fall prey to her dark type attacks. She was not the usual Slowking.

"You ever manage to lure someone in with your wiles and charm? Or do you still have that harem of pretty things to call you 'daddy'?" While they had never been the closest, given Chu-e's higher rank at the time, even he had known of the man's knack for taking in other members of the organization.

"I got the skinny from Merlino." No use in beating around the bush. Or showing all the cards in his hand. "Don't count me as someone running from what I did in Rocket. You'll just have to excuse me if previous management made me a little gun shy about leaping back into that fire." Even mister 'Underboss' didn't seem to know the full story in that one. He doubted that Valerio did but maybe the world would work to surprise him.

"The new boss doesn't have to show anything until I'm ready to step from the shadows, you got that? So no words leaving those lips, kay?" Chu-e placed a finger to his own lips and made a 'shhhh' motion before stepping deeper into the mansion proper. Even if his words seemed like one, his voice didn't have any sort of threat lacing his tone. Then again, he had always been unpredictable at the best of times. It was seen as a boon in Kanto, long ago. Now it was just frustrating to most.

"Nah, I already said. Just got nosy little bitch disease." A small chuckle as he followed the noise of Valerio's pokemon deeper into the mansion. "I also might want to check in on a few loose ends. Make sure they're all tied up." Another statement that sounded more threatening than he really meant it.

"Speaking of, do you have any info on one 'Arthur Wright'? Used to be Rocket, undercover gym leader last I saw him." Which was to say, he was spying on the league for rocket when they had been together.