She found herself in a stare-down with a Delphox. It was in her way. Lex recognized the vicious shine to its eyes, so she treaded carefully. Amber eyes narrowed, silence falling between the two. It wouldn’t tell her what it wanted. Lex crossed her arms, mirroring the pokemon. After a few moments of thought she decided an introduction may be best, “Alexandra Briarwood, here to see Chu-e Choi,” It seemed to do the trick. The fox moved aside, allowing her to pass.

Lex couldn’t say she wasn’t surprised by the colorfulness of this underboss’s office. She had heard he was a colorful person but she had yet to spend much time with him to see that on her own. There was no nervous twitch or timidness to her presence. Despite being called to an Underboss’s office she knew she hadn’t done anything wrong to illicit punishment. Still, she didn’t have the slightest clue what he could possibly want with her.

“Mr. Choi,” she purred in greeting, a small smile pulling at the corner of her red lips, “To what do I owe this pleasure?” a hand vaguely motioned towards the office.

Chu-e Choi

The sharp eyes of the Delphox followed Alexandra Briarwood as she passed. There was a warning there in the pokemon's eyes. A threat of what would happen if she bothered his trainer in any way. But, well. Cipher was very overprotective in Chu-e's opinion.

When Lex entered, Chu-e glanced up from whatever he had been studying on his laptop. He offered her a friendly, warm smile; as if they had been friends for a long time rather than just meeting. "Miss Briarwood! Thank you for being so prompt." He motioned to the empty seat across from his desk. "Please, have a seat. Tea? Hot coco?" Standing, he shuffled over a filing cabinet in the corner where a set of cat-themed mugs sat next to a Purrloin themed electric kettle.

Chu-e started to fill one of the mugs with hot water, not waiting for her to answer. She would get a warm drink and she would like it!

"I wanted to speak with you about your showings during the power transfer. You were one of the ones chosen by Mr. Walsh, after all." A mug was sat in front of her, a drawer opened and a few pouches of tea flavors and a packet of powdered coco (with marshmallows!) sat in her reach. "Congratulations, by the way."

All Lex did was nod before sliding into the seat indicated by the Underboss. Her legs crossed and fingers laced around her knee. Amber eyes carefully watch Chu-e move towards the side of the room towards a kettle and various items to craft a warm beverage. Lex wasn’t particularly thirsty but it seemed rude to decline, “Tea is fine,” she responded as he began to pour the hot water.

Flashbacks from the island meeting made her frown. There was good and bad to that event. The good, she obviously gained a valuable companion, the Shadow Gardevoir. The bad? Her realizing how reckless Rocket could be. For someone who valued a meticulous plan and order in her line of work, the careless display of their blind passion for power was unsettling. That’s how mistakes were made.

“Yes, thank you. It was a honor,” she smiled, letting her thoughts turn to the corrupted pokemon now in her possession. The responsibility of it still weighed heavy on her hip within its pokeball. It was a pokemon she would never be letting out of her sight, “And thank you for advocating on our behalf,” she didn’t forget it was Chu-e who suggested Mr. Walsh consider allowing some of the newer members to prove their worth by obtaining one of the shadow poekmon. If it wasn’t for his intervention, she may not have been chosen. Other more powerful members definitely had their eyes on that Gardevoir.

Chu-e Choi

"If you don't take care of your foundation, the house will crumble." Chu-e replied easily, lifting his own cup of tea to take a sip. "Mostly I wanted to have this meeting to make sure you really understood the gravity of the Shadow Pokemon you received. They're dangerous; wouldn't want you to lose an arm or your life just because of ignorance." And, for his part, there actually was a mild touch of concern in his voice. Even if he hadn't personally met Alexandra Briarwood before now, she was Rocket. That meant she had a right to a bit of doting from Chu-e, in his mind. Even if they might resent him for it, he cared about those below his station in his own way.

"I don't know the specifics of all the abilities yours has... but I know my Delcatty will attack anyone who has their back turned- even myself. It's like their emotions have been blocked off, leaving only feral instincts. It is... a strange process." Which was one way to put it. Chu-e couldn't help but wonder how it worked. How to reverse the process; if there was any benefit to reversing the process at all. He had much he wanted to learn.

Lex let a soft smile creep across her red lips at Chu-e’s wise quote. It was true, no building was stable without a solid foundation. Although she enjoyed the security of a more irreplicable position within the organization (just for her own peace of mind) she knew she had to start somewhere. Her fingers gingerly flicked through the tea packets until she came across a bold English black which she then tore open and plopped into the steaming water before her.

So, it was all about the Shadow Gardevoir. Chu-e wasn’t the only Underboss checking in on her, “Not to worry, Mr. Choi,” she reassured him, wrapping her fingers around the warm cup of tea and bringing it with her as she leaned back, “I am aware of the responsibility. I’m not too proud to admit where I may need assistance. Cillian Quinn is working with me to ensure I can properly control the beast,” she nodded before taking a small sip of the liquid, “I appreciate you checking in though, it’s nice to finally meet you in person,” she didn’t want to sound like she was immediately writing off Chu-e’s doting.

“She’s . . . Different,” Lex agreed, “Not as violent as most, I understand. She’s mostly . . . empty,” that was really the only word she could come up with. The Gardevoir was a shell of a pokemon, void of all emotion, including a predilection for violence, “But that’s the hardest part for me,” she opened up (for some reason), “I just don’t know if I can trust her to perform the tasks I need her to without being able to bond with her,” there was a subtle crease of concern in her brows as she took another sip. Lex’s core team was built on strong bonds. She trusted them because they trusted her. They were one and worked like a well-oiled machine.

Chu-e Choi

"Ah," Chu-e nodded, seeming pleased. "Gav might be more help than me in this, then. He's more an expert on Shadows than I am." Getting a sip of his own drink, Chu-e listened as Alexandra Briarwood spoke. He could understand not being able to bond with a pokemon being frustrating.

"Since she's non violent.... Hmm..." Chu-e paused, pensive, before letting out a small sigh. "Maybe we could use her as a... controlled? I admit I'm more interested in the whole process to find a way to reverse it. Not for any particular reason, it just seems...." He trailed off, humming softly as he thought on how to word what he wanted to say. "Well, the whole process is unnatural. Emotions don't just vanish like that. It's not possible. I want to know exactly what happens to them."

Gavin had certainly been a huge help when it came to understanding the strange creature. But Chu-e had piqued her interest, “Reverse it?” that wasn’t a thought Lex had considered before. But would she really want to reverse it? It was the pokemon unnatural shadow nature that gave it the unique abilities she valued. Lex wasn’t a heartless person, but she did know when she needed to be selfish. Plus, it didn’t seem possible.

“I see your point,” she mused, nodding her head in agreement. It was strange for those emotions to just vanish, “I feel it may be different in the Gardevoir’s case though,” Lex sipped her tea while she gathered her thoughts, “The process seemed to have sucked the life right out of her leaving her completely empty,” Was a life force something you can replace? Lex doubted it.

Chu-e Choi

Chu-e nods at Alexandra Briarwood's questioning, not seeming bothered. He knew it was an odd thing to want- especially since Cillian Quinn was now being looked upon by a Shadow pokemon himself.

"One of the problems that led to the machine shutting down is that we don't know how to create more of the serum to make Shadow pokemon anymore." Was that classified? Maybe? It wasn't information that someone couldn't guess or even figure out on their own. There wasn't a reason for the machine to be down, otherwise. "If we can figure out how to 'fix' the pokemon, then we'll better understand the process and can work backwards in re-creating it. That means more Shadow pokemon, more effectively, with less loss of life and materials."

"That is interesting, though... My Delcatty is very lethargic now but still vicious. Otherwise, her actual personality hasn't changed too much from before. Still prefers Torchic flavored wet food to Magikarp, still likes this one spot behind her ears scratched. It's.... strange."

This was all new information to her. Lex hadn’t put much thought into really how they were made. She knew there was a machine, and she knew the machine wasn’t working anymore. That was a large part of why there were some that were jealous of the gift she was given. Lex still teetered somewhere between honored and shocked. Sometimes, it still didn’t seem real.

“Well, that makes sense,” she nodded after sipping her tea quietly. It made as much sense as it could to someone without a scientific background. It seemed quite logical though, “I assume that research is already in the works?” was that classified? Was she allowed to ask a question like that? Regardless, it was out there now, “Always willing to help where I can,” she grinned with a small shrug of her one of her shoulders, “Well, you know, like acquiring what’s needed. I am certainly not much of a scientist,” she joked, laughing lightly before pursing her lips. That was a stupid joke.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t know the Gardevoir before the transformation. Or, perhaps, it is fortunate,” she wasn’t quite sure which was better, “I only know what I’ve been told by Cillian Quinn about her and her previous trainer. Did you know them at all?” she leaned forward slightly, looking to glean any information she could about both of them.

Chu-e Choi

"Ah, I'm not either. I've told Gav a few times I'm better standing in the corner looking pretty than actually working in the labs." Plus, they did make him uncomfortable, sometimes, to be down there. The only reason he was able to stand being in most of the rooms down there was thanks to his high status and also his truth of his other Underboss. If Cillian Quinn were a shittier person, or they just hadn't hit it off as well, he would never set foot in the Labs if he could help it.

"I'm afraid you may know more than me if you've talked to him about them. Sadly, due to my absence, I don't have quite the history with many of the people here like Gavin does." Chu-e didn't have any idea who the Gardevoir belonged to before, let alone how it might have acted. He was in the dark.

"Aside from all this Shadow talk," He started, lifted his cup up to take a sip. "How are you, Miss Briarwood? Is Rocket treating you well?"

Alexandra Briarwood

A small smirk accompanied the soft laugh at Chu-e’s joke. That’s probably all Lex was good for too, but Chu-e was prettier of course. He didn’t seem like the kind of man who had a resting bitch face like hers. The scar certainly didn’t help her cause.

Lex was disappointed to hear Chu-e didn’t know much about the Gardevoir. It made her realized she actually didn’t know much about him except for the fact he was an Underboss. Lex just assumed he had been around for a while to hold such a position. The mention of an ‘absence’ didn’t go unnoticed. It wasn’t her place to pry although curiosity strummed a certain chord in her mind.

“So far so good,” her shoulders shrugged, “I don’t’ quite like the sub but I keep myself busy top-side,” Correction, she hated the sub and couldn’t wait for Rocket to finally have a headquarters on dry land or some sort of base that wasn’t constantly roaming the depths, “And how are you, Mr. Choi?” she smiled, throwing the question back at him.

Chu-e Choi