[attr="class","calebtest2text"]



Caleb crept quietly down the narrow alleyway, following the pale, eerie light cast by Zero’s softly glowing form to aid his footing. The Zorua led his trainer by several decrepit houses, many of which seemed sorely in need of maintenance, until they arrived outside of one in particular that practically reeked of abandonment. Boarded up windows, scuffed bricks, and overgrown grass: the average person would want nothing to do with this place. But Caleb was not the average person, and this building fit the description of the tip he’d received from his captain. Kanto Rocket often took advantage of abandoned warehouses for their various Pokémon smuggling operations; a derelict home in a clearly forsaken city neighborhood worked just as well.[break][break]
"Fuck this,” He murmured quietly to Zero as they crept around the side of the house towards the back. "If there are actually Rockets in there, we're getting the hell out of here. I agreed to free some captured Pokémon, nothing more.” He could not risk getting too close to Rocket; he had no idea how connected Kanto and Hoenn Rocket were, but best not to take any chances.[break][break]
Zero didn’t respond, but merely waited for his next instructions. Caleb sighed and pulled up a cloth mask covering the bottom half of his face, then continued forward through the overgrown yard. Eventually they made their way to a back door covered in out-of-control ivy. Caleb knew it would be locked but tried the handle anyway. Yep, locked.[break][break]
Next to the door, however, was a small window that had not yet been fully boarded up like those in the front. A human would not be able to slip through the gaps in the wood, but a small ghost Pokemon might. Despite every atom in his body screaming at him to get far away from this place, he muttered to Zero, "See if you can get inside, then open the door for me.”[break][break]
Zero’s eyes flashed red and he nodded, hopping up on the window ledge and squeezing inside.[break]

[attr="class","calebtest2ooc"][break]

NOTES

+ Mission: On the Down Low

original template by GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtest2text"]



The cleverly quick Hatterene would have likely had an edge over any other Pokémon, but Zero was quite accustomed to his master's penchant for taking on missions involving stealth and infiltration. Expecting that there would be at least one person and their Pokémon inside of the abandoned building, the little ghostly Zorua had executed AGILITY as soon as he'd unlocked the back door for Caleb. Because of this, the Hatterene's attack completely missed as Zero became an eerie white blur the instant she materialized behind him. He disappeared and reappeared farther down the hallway, leading away from the back door, luring the Hatterne after him so as to clear the way for Caleb's entry. The tactic seemed to work as the Hatterene began her pursuit.[break][break]
When Caleb slipped inside, as noiseless as a shadow, he was not surprised to see Zero flickering down the hallway, another floating, spectral figure following him. well shit, he thought, hoping he and his Pokémon weren't going to be too terribly outnumbered - it was, he was loath to admit, too late to back out now. Doing that meant abandoning Zero to whatever fait awaited him deeper inside.[break][break]
Caleb paused for a moment and listened. Footsteps were coming towards his position - heavy footfalls, despite their attempt at a slow, stealthy pace. Caleb reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two items: a Pokéball and a small, yet sturdy folded utility knife made by the master bladesmith Aurelie Lefevre.[break][break]
Body tense with anticipation, Caleb crept towards the footsteps he'd heard, rounding a corner and coming face to face with a semi-masked man who was an inch or so shorter than Caleb but much thicker, and by his side was a fierce looking Obstagoon. With the flick of his wrist, Caleb released Comet from the Pokéball; the Lucario growled as he noticed the Obstagoon, and readied himself into a fighting stance, fists raised.[break][break]
"I suppose you're guarding the smuggled Pokémon?" Caleb sighed, irritated. He didn't wait for a response - his question had obviously been rhetorical - before he flipped open his knife and lunged.[break][break]

[attr="class","calebtest2ooc"][break]

NOTES

+ Mission: On the Down Low

original template by GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtest2text"]



Rocket had used all kinds of code names for their agents in Kanto. Vague, mysterious aliases were how you stayed alive during a takeover of an entire region. Caleb had been called many things, but the one they'd used the most was a nod to the young man's favorite weapons at the time.[break][break]
The Shadow Blade was dead, but Caleb still knew how to fight.[break][break]
Instinct took over. His foe was larger and stronger, so Caleb had to be faster. The former spy knew the man would go for his knife, so when a strong grip engulfed his wrist, Caleb immediately yanked his grappled arm up so that the knife was dangerously close to his own face in an upwards position. Then he grabbed his assailant's wrist with his free hand from below, whipping his hips to the left to force the bigger man away. It worked, his arm was freed. Mobility restored, Caleb ducked and deftly slashed at the larger man's ribs; the sound of tearing fabric meant he may have also reached flesh.[break][break]
Just then, a blinding light flooded Caleb's vision and he yelled out in surprise. Comet, who had been in the midst of charging up a THUNDER PUNCH, abruptly pivoted to look back at his master with concern. Caleb did the only thing he could think to do in the midst of his shock - put space between him and the Rocket thug.[break][break]
"What the fuck?" He growled, trying to find the source of the sudden light. And then he spotted her: a petite feminine figure with a flashlight across the hall, also masked. Also Rocket.[break][break]
As he'd suspected, he was outnumbered. Time to adjust.[break][break]

[attr="class","calebtest2ooc"][break]

NOTES

+ Mission: On the Down Low

BY GUNSMILE

[attr="class","calebtest2text"]



When Comet went down hard, Caleb had to suppress the urge to rush to his loyal companion's side to ensure his safety. The nasty Obstagoon was closing in on Caleb now, which meant his options were growing more and more limited. Get the hell out of here, he decided. That's the only option now. There could be more Rockets deeper inside of the building, after all. This had been a futile effort from the start, and Tam Fawley didn't deserve to have the blood of any dead Rangers on his hands.[break][break]
Caleb quickly returned Comet to his Pokéball, and scanned the hallway for exits. The easiest and fastest route would be to simply run back towards the door he had originally entered. Zero is still in here, he lamented, though he knew the little Zorua would likely be able to find his way out as efficiently as he'd been able to sneak in.[break][break]
And then the young Rocket woman screamed.[break][break]
Her voice was shrill and commanding. The Hatterene that materialized out of thin air in front of her looked pissed. The attack she conjured hurtled towards Caleb in an angry cloud of crackling purple energy, and the Ranger had a split second to think Fuck before a flash of ghostly white leapt in front of him, meeting the cloud head on.[break][break]
Zero? Caleb managed to think, and then the world went black.

[attr="class","calebtest2ooc"][break]

NOTES

+ Mission: On the Down Low

BY GUNSMILE