The grunt who'd roped J.J. into his devious heist had been summarily disappointed when Gavin had caught wind of their intent. Originally, Gavin had planned to dismiss the kid's mission partner, but upon finding out who it was, the mastermind himself had been benched.

Gavin arrives under the guise of a Ranger, his glasses left behind.

It's the Corviknight that marks him for anything but, though there was irony in the fact that the shadowed bird had once been under the Rangers' care. It appears like a ghost from the shadows, its new master slipping from its back.

"Was this his brilliant plan, then?" Corviknight is returned to its capsule, leaving the Rockets alone at the border. "Wire cutters?"

[break]

j.j. harlow

Hearing the sound of footsteps approach, J.J. turns to look at the ‘grunt’ for being late, but his eyes briefly widen at sight of the Underboss. Swallowing his words he cautiously eyes the shadowy Corviknight return to its pokeball, only letting out a sigh once it’s gone.

Having firsthand experience at the other Rocket’s business nature, he lifts the wire cutters and points over at the fence. ”We’ve carefully scoped out the area. There’s actually a blind spot within the cameras and it’s not heavily patrolled.” he explains.

”Considering you’re not here with others, I assume you’re not here to reprimand me, right?” he momentarily glances back at the man before making his way towards the fence.

He quietly slinks along, keeping his body hugged against the nearby shrubs before clipping a hole through the wired fence. He carefully puts the wire aside, poking his head in to spot out any potential guards. Seeing no one, he turns back to Gavin and waves, signaling for him to approach.

---
Cillian Quinn
cuckoo in the nest

He's impressed that they'd planned ahead, acknowledging the explanation with a dip of his head.

"Implying I'd not have come alone, then?" No, J.J. would have been summoned, Gavin wouldn't have gone to him, but he spares no words to correct the assumption. "I'm here to help."

To assess, as well, but he keeps that part to himself and follows after the grunt in silence. The fence is dealt with and Gavin slips past the barrier into the zone beyond. He'd been here plenty of times during the way, when it was open to tours, but to traverse its carefully constructed biomes under cover of darkness was another thing entirely.

"I'm looking for Arctozolt," he says. "I assume you're here for profit. We'll take whatever we can."

A Greninja appears at their side and vanishes just as quickly, sneaking through shadows to scout ahead.

[break]

j.j. harlow

Pushing through the shrubs, he shrugs his shoulders at the mention of profit. ”Money’s nice, but that’s just a bonus. It’s more interesting doing things that people don’t really expect.”

He pauses for a moment, his icy blue eyes latching onto a baby-like figure waddling by. ”Arctozolt, huh? Isn’t that some weird Frankenstein of a pokemon from Galar?”

Thinking about it the odd fossils from Galar, he shudders as he thinks back to the strange fish-like dragon in his possession. Does it hurt to walk? Where is it’s stomach? How does it even poop? There’s just too many questions.

He pulls out a pokeball and quietly chucks it out, releasing the Frankenfish from its capsule as he points over at the Darumaka. ”Crunch.”

Seeing the looming shadow of Dracovish behind it, the icy Darumaka turns to look at the odd dragon, but before it has time to scream, the fish bites down, thrashing the poor creature in its mouth before spitting it out. J.J.’s quick to pull it towards him, stuffing it into a sack as he releases his two-headed dragon, letting it drag the poor pokemon.

---
Cillian Quinn
cuckoo in the nest

"Infiltration is half the fun."

The other half is the thrill of the chase, the pressing threat of being caught. It spikes his adrenaline in a way little else can.

"Yeah," he says of Arctozolt. "There's four of them, actually, but they've only imported the one for this."

He had an Arctovish, was fond of the demented creature for its strengths in spite of its unique weaknesses. His brow lifts at sight of the Dracovish, smirking as it dispatches the first of their targets.

Gavin releases his Sandslash in the chilly zone, and the vicious Pokemon is quick to fall upon one of Gavin's intended prey. The startled Arctozolt is no match for the shadowed creature.

[break]

j.j. harlow

J.J. will admit that there’s an extra sense of danger when it comes to infiltrating the Safari Zone; though the man’s lust for adrenaline seems to differ from his; especially since the only risk taken is being caught.

He is captivated by the Rocket Underboss though as the man brings out yet another shadowy pokemon whose aggression seems eerily abnormal. Where and how did he get these pokemon?

With each day passing in the criminal organization, it seems as if the rich boy’s commitment towards the organization only deepens; especially now that he’s actually committing crimes rather than just doing petty tasks.

”Those two pokemon of yours, they’re not normal.” he states the obvious, somewhat curious as he tiptoes between the door of trying to get his own.

---
Cillian Quinn
cuckoo in the nest

Gavin's attention shifts away from the unconscious Arctozolt, the ghost of a smirk on his lips as J.J. states the obvious.

"They're not," he agrees. "You've not heard of shadow Pokemon?"

They'd existed before Rocket had figured out how to make their own, but in a limited capacity. Now, after Rocket's lab and the war of the worlds, they were becoming more common... but still rare in the grand scheme of things.

"They're my specialty. Heightened aggression, a proclivity for violence, and often a severed bond between Pokemon and trainer... but it comes with certain abilities that others of their species lack. Sandslash." He whistles sharply to get the attention of the feral dual-type, who turns to regard him with a snarl. "Blizzard."

Targeting a group of Wooper, the shrew sends the wrath of winter toward them. One of them is frozen solid, but the others show signs of struggle in a creeping frostbite that slows and damages them over time. They faint, one by one, ripe for the taking.

[break]

j.j. harlow

The fledgling Rocket grunt nods as he listens to Gavin’s explanation, his curiosity somewhat peaking then dropping at the mention of a severed bond; though their overall uniqueness still has him captivated. ”Is there any risk in, you know, shadowfying a pokemon?”

His gaze shifts over to the group of Wooper falling one after the other. Without missing a beat, the grunt is quick to toss them into the sack carried between the mouths of the waddling Zweilous. Having a good haul, he looks back to the Underboss. ”Seems like we’ve got a good haul, boss. We should probably get out before they notice them missing, plus, it’s better to keep the avenue open.”

J.J. begins leading his Pokemon back to the hole in the fence, but not before having his Dracovish pull the Arctozolt with them by its tail.

”Right, I’ll make sure these boys are properly caged up before taking them back. They should fetch a decent price regardless.” he says as he begins cutting away at the fence even more to make proper room for the Arctozolt. ”You gonna stick around?” he asks, glancing back to the Underboss one final time.

---
Cillian Quinn
cuckoo in the nest

"Most don't survive the process." Though he appears indifferent as he speaks the words, Gavin's mind drifts to unmarked graves at the peak of Mt. Pyre. "Those that do will never be the same."

It was a blessing, he thinks, that he had not bonded with any of his shadow Pokemon beforehand. Had the first Sandslash he'd offered up survived, he could only imagine the pain of seeing its shift in personality. How much more it would have hurt to see a former friend turn on him behind frosted glass, eyes burning a desire to kill.

He dips his head when asked if he'll remain.

"Sooner we disappear, the better, so I'll help you get them out of here." He's already sending out a Corviknight, though this one's feathers of silver catch the moonlight and its temperament is calm. A megastone embedded in a band on its leg resonates with the pin in Gavin's glasses. "We'll split up when we leave; they'll be looking for a group."

[break]

j.j. harlow