"Incompetence's the norm in Hoenn, seems. Bloody rockets must've made off like bandits by now." Muttered the youth darkly. Such an easy steal seemed right up the alley of the living waste pile that was Team Rocket. He could only hope they had only gotten bloody Magikarp eggs.

But Zac was right, it was too weird. The youth looked back as well, frowning at the daycare in the distance, wondering if there was something else going on under the table that they might've missed.

"Should we go back? There's gotta be some paid service infraction somewhere in'ere. This can't be legal." These were the baby pokemon of people and their partners out there in Hoenn. This kinda shit couldn't possibly fly, right?

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I think? Though I ain't super certain of specifics... I ain't super acquainted with Mauville's streets." Yet. He would be spending a lot more time in Mauville looking forward. "But that ain't nothin' a gps can't solve."

The wonders of technology.

"Hn... Oh right! I almost forgot to ask this time... I never did learn how things went with FERNANDO SILPH regarding Katherine Fairburne." He said, eyeing the larger man with open curiosity.

He had been told that nothing regarding Giratina had been learned... but not whether the full power of the law would come down upon the woman like the hammer of god.

"Sooo... How that went?" Well, given the fact that Zac hadn't excitedly told him about getting his piece back, and the fact that Katherine had recently gotten a promotion that had given Doug his chance to rise up...

Yeah, it wasn't looking promising.

He did want to know what bullshit had enabled such a thing, however.

---

EGGS IN ONE BASKET (SOS)

TAG: Zac Ramsay

"Hoenn's governing body's more political than you thought?" Doug asked the other man dryly. Doug had already guessed things hadn't gone their way, but the way Zac spoke, it appeared things were even worse than he had thought.

Selena Desmarais? Worse?

What kinda drugs was FERNANDO SILPH peddling?

"That's just what'bout'isms." Doug said bluntly, brow furrowing. "Why not cancel both, then!? Do something, so called Councilman!"

It didn't matter how 'political' things were within the league, there should have been nothing preventing the upper brass from ordering that Katherine return Zac's belongings, at the very least.

"There's only one tier above bloody Fernando Silph, they really expect us to believe he or commissioner dahlia goode can't order yer stuff be returned?" Bullshit. That woman was being protected.

But why? She wasn't particularly important, regardless of however much clout she might have in Mauville. Was it because she was an Avatar? Was Silph just a sucker for a pretty face?

The youth's brow furrowed further, gaze darkening.

"I'll look into it." Or rather- he would order his intel officers to look into it. They would do far better at it.

God, it was good being in charge.

"Ya really think she's gonna be 'good'?" Doug asked flatly. "Phoey! She'll just abuse her new privileges, just like did before. Never trust a thief! Rockets started off as nothing but thiefs... always remember that."

The youth harrumphed at the mere mention of the word (despite being the one to say it), before blinking at Zac's next words, seemingly remembering only then about the GPS he had mentioned seconds ago.

"Oh, right." Doug said, before glancing at the map. "Route 117; think it's the Daycare Center? Huh? Are we just movin' eggs from one daycare to another?"

---

EGGS IN ONE BASKET (SOS)

TAG: Zac Ramsay

Doug glanced at his pokemon silently before placing the two eggs he held in each hand inside the basket, his Orbeetles floating the rest of them after.

"12 as well." He said as soon as his pokemon finished, looking around wearily at all the young men and women running around like chickens, trying to find more and more eggs to give to ungrateful customers.

Ah, yes. Retail. The 10th level of hell. The kind of job the youth had preferred poverty over.

"Oi, lady. Who's in charge o' this operation?" He asked suddenly after a moment, tilting a brow at the girl.

Might as well figure out who was behind this shit show.

---

EGGS IN ONE BASKET (SOS)

TAG: Zac Ramsay

Doug let Zac handle the pleasantries, him being the more personable of the two, as well as the one not ready to chew everyone present out for the shit show they had going on.

This need quickly deflated like a popped balloon upon hearing the girl's explanation, leaving the youth blinking slowly, before a sheepish expression crossed his face.

"Ah... Well, good job handling everythin', Ms. Kate." He said in a low mumble, scratching at his cheek.

The young lady went back to deal with the rest of the arriving trainers, leaving the two to just bask in the vast quantities of eggs being moved all around them.

"... Welp, that could have gone badly." Doug said with a relieved sigh, a possible catastrophe mercifully averted by Zac's calmness.

Well, mission over... he guessed.

...

"Hey Zac. Ya mentioned AQUA earlier, right?" He said, pocketing his hands as he glanced up at the taller man. "Not to be nosy into that business... but I had a couple of, uh... related questions. Mind if we move somewhere private?"

---

EGGS IN ONE BASKET (SOS)

TAG: Zac Ramsay

Doug nodded, and together they left the premises, leaving behind a trail of gawking staff (and, inevitably, more plants) on their way out.

They walked and walked, more or less until his Orbeetles could assure there were no souls capable of comprehending human speech listening. Then and there they sat down to chat.

For once, Doug didn't beat around the bush once they were sat down, glancing up at the large man.

"First off... What's yer thoughts on AQUA? First Impressions?" He asked the man point blank, leaning his head atop his fist, eyes sharper than usual. "Anything about it set off any alarms for ya?"

Doug wasn't like the many people who almost were almost unjustifiably wary of anything and everything the League did- not when a woman like dahlia goode was at the helm. She striked him as many things- but as far as he could see, corrupt and crazy were not one of them.

But- his assessments of others could miss the mark. Sometimes by far. He had learned that.

Zac hadn't immediately come out screaming about how the League was crazy, which was a good start- but then, Katherine had been signed up for it, so it wasn't all roses and daisies, either.

"Second... Could ya tell me 'bout... avatars?" He asked.

Because frankly speaking, he knew nothing about them, except what the public knew- which was, again, practically nothing.

---

TAG: Zac Ramsay

"I agree. Public's opinion ain't quite there yet, though." The youth said, scratching at his head with a click of the tongue as he remembered what some of his more social media savvy soldiers had said. Not everyone was all for it.

So with that in mind, he had wanted to hear the thoughts of an insider. He wasn't sure if the Sports team analogy worked, given the implications that bringing an avatar into the government's service had, but Doug still generally sided with having them all accounted for over letting them roam free and unregistered.

That just seemed like asking for more trouble in times like these.

Doug shook his head at Zac's next words.

"Nah, I ain't asking 'bout powers." He said, brow furrowing slightly as he tried to think of how to formulate the question better.

He didn't really care for powers or legendary pokemon. He cared about AQUA. It seemed to him that they would be the first ones deployed for any Rocket related operations.

He needed to be there.

Doug's brow furrowed as Zac went on to list his recent... problems? Changes to lifestyle? They were about what one would expect, given his patron and abilities.

He couldn't stop making nature wherever he went, so his house was in constant need of repairs. Checked out.

He... wait, what.

"Milk?" Doug said, head tilting in confusion. "Why?"

Was it because Bulu was technically a cow? Well, a bull, but you know, same difference.

The napping one just made sense. Bulu loved to nap, so of course Zac now wanted to nap as well.

"That one makes sense." Doug said casually, leaning back and turning his gaze to the sky.

Beat.

Click.

"... Wait. Run that by me again?" Doug said as he lurched forward, planting his hands onto his crossed legs, suddenly back onto focus.

"... Is that normal for avatars?" The youth said with an uncharacteristically serious expression, the sun shining above making his hat cast a dark shadow over his features. "Anything other than wanting to nap?"

---

TAG: Zac Ramsay