A dark energy materialized beside Barnaby, causing him to stiffen and step back in mild alarm; in response, his right hand hovered near his coat pocket, ready to deal with whatever potential threat exited the portal.

But it wasn't a threat. Just a colleague with his name on his lips.

"That's me." Barnaby confirmed, relaxing, and offered a firm hand in greeting. "A pleasure to meet you— Jayden, right?" He'd heard murmurings about the ex-beast since his arrival in Hoenn. Nothing of substance, but enough for his name to be recognizable.

Upon hearing the man's explanation for his late arrival, Barnaby simply smiled pleasantly and spoke in a reassuring tone, "Not a problem. We're still on schedule."

Shifting on his heels, he then proceeded to walk down the alleyway nearest the pizza shop. "The van's back here. We're scheduled to meet the client in about thirty minutes." His cadence was friendly but systematic, business-like without being too dry.

Soon enough the façade of a delivery truck came into view. Plastered on the side in large font was the logo 'SPEEDY SPHEAL'S FREIGHT SERVICES' with a rolling SPHEAL dressed in a red safari hat just below it.

Gesturing for Jayden to take shotgun, Barnaby hopped into the driver's side seat and buckled himself in. "Our job is to pick up the merchandise and deliver it to the team in Slateport. Should be simple enough, but..."

He paused, throwing the ex-beast a knowing look. "These guys have a reputation for being hotheads. Part of an outside gang, not affiliated with Rocket."

jayden cross
mission: COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL
outfit check

☉

“Smart. I’ve also set up a few contingencies at the pick-up site.” For a moment Barnaby’s eyes flicked to the DRAGAPULT outside the windshield, it’s translucent body partially obscured by droplets of rain and the rhythmic beating of the windshield wipers. “One can never be too careful.” Especially when dealing with low class criminals like the thugs they were meeting up with.

“They call themselves Crimson. They wear red and go around doing your typical juvenile gang shit.” Which begged the question: why was ROCKET working with them in the first place? Was it really necessary to contract out the labor of acquiring SLOWBRO? It didn’t sit well with Barnaby, but he didn’t voice these opinions aloud.

Soon enough, they were pulling into a warehouse parking lot on the outskirts of the business district. Outside stood one lone guard who, after seeing Barnaby flash his headlights in a distinctive 1-2-1 pattern, opened the bay door for them to drive through. Inside was an almost empty space, with a few large wooden crates along the back wall and a similar-looking delivery truck parked in the middle.

Beside the truck stood four men in their early twenties, each sporting a red bandana somewhere on their bodies. The apparent leader of the group was the biggest among them, with a mean face and fiery hair.

Before stepping out of the vehicle to greet them, Barnaby leaned a few inches closer to Jayden and muttered, "Prepare yourself. This guy is... not fun to deal with." With that parting piece spoken, he unlatched the driver's side door and alighted onto the concrete floor below.

“Sloan.” Barnaby called out coolly, approaching the gang members with a deadpan expression.

"Beeeeeeee~ I was wondering when your ass would buzz on in here!" On the other hand, Sloan's voice and mannerisms were animated and over-the-top, despite the face mask covering his mouth. "Get it? Bee? Buzz? Man, I'm fuckin' hilarious! Ain't that right, boys?"

His entourage wailed and bellowed at the lame joke, emphasizing their amusement with hard slaps to each other's backs. Sloan looked proud of himself, but the moment didn't last; a minute later, his eyes turned cold and slid toward jayden cross. When he spoke, it was in a much icier tone.

"Who's your friend?"

jayden cross
mission: COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL
outfit check

☉

"See, about that."

On cue, the three grunts released a Pokémon each - CRAWDAUNT, EMBOAR, and SCOLIPEDE, respectively. Sloan's own KROOKODILE stepped from behind their parked truck. All were of various shades of red to go along with the gang's crimson theme. They were nothing if not theatrical.

"I'm not really feeling like I'm in a sharing mood tonight. So, why don't you two just fly away, huh?" The puns kept coming, even when the man's voice practically dripped with venom and vitriol.

"We had an agreement, Sloan. You're smart enough to know the repercussions of backing out on it." Rather than sounding confrontational, Barnaby's warning came off almost bored, as if the other man's antics were nothing but a small annoyance.

Which, truthfully, that's all they were.

His eyes slid from one Pokémon to the next, assessing typing and condition, while also scanning the room for any peripheral threats. In the corner he saw a flash of something white, but it soon faded from view.

"Fuck that. I don't have time for this shit." Sloan countered immediately, removing his mask and spitting on the concrete below his feet. "Get these assholes out of my sight."

The three grunts followed their leader's directive without hesitation, their trio of Pokémon springing forward with murderous intent. They'd find, however, that the floor between them and where BARNABY FINCH and jayden cross stood had been covered in translucent SPIKES.

Courtesy of the FROSLASS that materialized from the shadows, who then succinctly launched a WILL-O-WISP - not at their Pokémon opponents, but at one of the grunts closest to Barnaby. The man screamed in agony as his flesh and polyester jacket melted together.

jayden cross
mission: COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL
outfit check

☉