Lex had an eye for danger. What seemed like a life time of sneaking around as a thief made hyper-aware of her surroundings. Something didn’t quite feel right about this. Lex normally trusted her gut instinct above all else, but this time, she wasn’t in charge. . It certainly didn’t make her feel better that she was stuck with two other she had never worked with before. The Thief was finally paying her dues for Rocket protection and was assigned this task with a Newbie and a Beast. Without question, oscar clayton was the one in charge. But that didn’t stop her from doing things her way.

“Something about this isn’t right,” she’d mumble to herself but loud enough for perhaps oscar clayton to hear. Unfortunately, she too didn't have much faith in the Rowan Wrynn boy. She didn't trust Oscar, either, but at least he had a reputation to back up his name. Instinctively, she moved closer to the wall of the cave, her black outfit melting into the shadows cast by the rocks. If you hadn’t just watched her slip into the darkness, it was hard to tell she was even there. The practiced and well-trained placement of her feet made her moves virtually silent.

What was it that was plucking the chords of doubt in her mind? In her experience, thus far, if The League was up to something, it was typically well-guarded. So far, there was nothing. If whatever was in the cave was so important they had to steal it, why wasn’t The League taking necessary precautions?

tl;dr: Lex is sus. She basically just sneaking deeper into the cave with her homies. She does not have any pokemon out yet. Lex's thief outfit + black hood

"That is all." The blonde man said, holding the cellphone to his ear. A soft smile was upon his lips; it did not match what he felt. "Understood."

The call over, the man slowly brought the phone down to table, reaching up to rub his temples as he withheld a sigh, keeping his smile in place.

A large, lion-dog-like pokemon resting upon the paved terrace floor besides him lifted its head and turned its gaze towards him, keen eyes staring at him with a measure of worry.

He responded by reaching over and petting its head, his smile a bit more genuine. Leave it to man's best friend to easily read his mood.

He had been on 'stand-by' for some time now. His only instructions were to report on Hoenn's on-going affairs to the best of his ability. To that end, the higher ups had managed to arrange for his inclusion in many such jobs as the one today.

Speaking of which...

He turned his gaze upwards. Dark already; any time now.

Reaching towards the table, he grasped a warm cup of tea resting upon it and brought it to his lips, sipping slowly. Best to make the most of whatever time there was left.

A moment later, a shadow swept over him, a large bird flapping its powerful wings as it perched itself atop the top rail of the chair across his own.

"So soon. Thank you." He said softly as waved for a waiter and left some money on the table, before standing up and reaching into his jacket.


Returning both the Arcanine and the Pidgeot to their pokeballs, the man made his way out of the Cafe's terrace and into the city, moving about a block before dipping into an alleyway, producing a particular pokeball.

"Let's be on our way. Gawain- Teleport."

---

TAG: zenji jabami Raziel Beckett Laurence Anderson Rowan Wrynn oscar clayton Alexandra Briarwood

The unsettling feeling that gripped her stomach was something she couldn’t shake. It seemed oscar clayton was having similar thoughts. It was good to know she wasn’t just being paranoid. A soft grunt acknowledged Oscar’s slip to the back of their trio. Rowan Wrynn reappeared with the group after examining some sort of machine that had caught his attention.

“What was that?” she asked curiously when he didn’t offer an explanation of his brief detour. There may be something to his discovery, after all. Any data Lex could collect to make her better prepared for what was ahead she would appreciate. Could even be nothing at all. Still, it was . . . intriguing that he was drawn to such a strange object.

Silence settled on them as they traveled even deeper into the strange cave. The further they got, the stronger the sensation of power became. It wasn’t something she couldn’t easily explain. Hell, she didn’t even recognize that was what made her feel so uncomfortable. This task wasn’t going to be as simple as snatching some shards like she had in Meteor Falls.

“What the hell . . .” Was her first thought when things started to get really weird. Through the shadows, a set of large, dark bubbles floated idly through the air. It was something she had never seen before and it was likely this was a first for her companions as well.

Well, better to not touch the bubbles.

Little did she know, the magnetizing presence of her Shadow Gardevoir who was phased in the spectral plane around her, was attracting the eerily similar energy that fueled the DARK BUBBLES.

A loud SNAP echoed across the cave as a bubble gently pressed against the thief’s back, “Ah!” Lex was pushed forward by the forceful explosion. A dark, slimy sludge coating her back. The wind was forced out of her lungs by the sudden strike. Her arms broke the fall forward and protected her from any further damage.

Lex’s sharp inhale brought the air rushing back. Her shoulder ached considerably, like someone pitched a baseball at her back. The sludge trapped within the mine felt heavy on her back, weighing her down in a strange way that she could tell would slowly grow exhausting.

“The bubbles,” Lex said between breaths as she pushed herself off the ground, “Don’t fucking touch them,” Looking forward, they seemed to continue deeper into the cave.

Suddenly a specter materializes from the phantom plane. The Shadow Gardevoir hovered protectively over the redhead, a cold, emotionless gaze falling on the trainer’s back. The Shadow Pokemon brought a cold, eerie presence to the already strange cave. Lifeless eyes settled on the Bisharp, attracted by corrupted energy she could sense within the pokemon. It was a similar energy to that of the bubbles. For a moment, she considered the Bisharp responsible, < We aren’t alone, > the voice whispered like a hiss in Lex’s head.

Amber eyes turned to the Gardevoir curiously. How could she possibly know that? “We aren’t alone,” Lex repeated, acting as a vessel to voice the Gardevoir’s revelation. Lex recognized the way in which she fixated on the Bisharp.

“No,” the command was firm. Lex could only assume the pokemon’s intentions based on the subtle twitch of her long, dagger-like fingers, “Get these out of our way,” Another firm command to follow. The corrupted pokemon drifted forward, raising her long arms. Amethyst energy stretched out, gently pushing the bubbles from their path as they group proceeded deeper into the cave.

tl;dr: Rocket triggers a trap! A bubble sneaks up on Lex from behind and explodes. She lets her companions know: Don’t touch the bubbles. Shadow Gardevoir recognizes the corrupted energy the Bisharp and the Bubbles share, giving her a clue that they are not alone. She then uses PSYCHIC to push the DARK BUBBLES out of their way as they proceed.