Another building, another strange report of the supernatural. Who better to send then a ghost specialist to inspect it? Well, a ghost specialist and . . . Lex frowned, her amber gaze judgmental as usual as she traced the armored ‘costume’ up and down.

Lex’s bites her tongue, and without a word turns her attention to the building while spinning on her heels. She agreed with him there, “Yeah, Hoenn sucks,” but really it doesn’t, it’s her home now. What it certainly did was keep things interesting, “Come on, let’s get this over with,” something about not being able to see her partner’s face made her wary. Of course, Lex didn’t trust anyone so that didn’t help. Though she turned her back on the stranger, the flicker in her shadow told him she wasn’t alone.

Amor Rose

One of the Rocket Beasts, she was his partner. He would have to ask oscar clayton about her the next time they went out together for drinks. Since his joining had been so sudden he was getting a real trial by fire right now. Though she was a red head, which was a plus in his book, but he knew better than to mix those thoughts in. This woman would kill him, and so would her partner if he made such a remark aloud.

I'm going to need a drink after this. Came the thought as he followed along behind her noting the shimmer in her shadow, but he wasn't worried.

If he was going to do something stupid it would worry him, but he wasn't, so he didn't feel any danger for the moment. Though something told him that could change within a moments notice.

"Of course." Came the robotic reply from beneath the helm as he kept several paces behind her. And so wordlessly the uneasy partnership had formed. Though he was more concerned about why he had been assigned to do this with her. He understood that many in Rocket didn't trust him because he refused to reveal himself, but was this to see how loyal he was, or was she going to kill him?

I have a fifty/fifty shot of either I suppose.... Came the morbid thought as they walked into the so called Ghost House.

Alexandra Briarwood

Lex’s thoughts didn’t wander too far from Amor’s. The sudden partnership with the masked man was unsettling. She knew nothing about him, yet he had already won’t he favor of several higher ups in the organization. Was he there to kill her? Hide it behind the supernatural happening in the house before them? Rocket should know better by now, she’s not the same girl she was when Gavin trapped her in a room and made her fight to the death.

Paranoid, as always, she kept a keen ear out behind her, noting the mechanical rhythm to his step, “Doesn’t that suit annoy you?” she asks suddenly as they reach the door. Amongst the breezeless night, a chilly gust blows by her to open the door, “It doesn’t offer much stealth,” perhaps that’s not what he’s looking for. Does he rely on strength? Perhaps this is her night to find out more about this mysterious new Rocket.

Amor Rose

Two peas in a pod, or two loons in a psych ward? One so paranoid about his identity being found, the other paranoid about being assassinated. Perhaps they were more alike than they cared to admit, not that he knew her inner thoughts. When she asks her questions, he took a few seconds to respond. Making sure to keep everything succinct to not annoy her more than he perhaps already had.

"It suits the purpose I require of it." Came the machine like reply, and a slight chuckle at his own joke. "I do have a stealth variant of it, but well..." He shrugged. "If we are fighting ghosts....Sneaking up on them is futile I believe." Which made perfect sense to him. It was going to be near impossible to sneak up on a ghost if that was what they had come to see. Still his posture never changed as he stayed the exact amount of paces behind her.

"I will admit." Perhaps he was trying to lighten the mood a little. "Taking it off is annoying, but it is a necessary evil." The robotic tone resounded, as he watched the door open with that ominous wind. It would seem they had arrived at their destination. Though if there was anything truly otherworldly about it he had no idea.

Alexandra Briarwood

Lex can’t help but laugh as she turns to enter the building, her Shadow Gardevoir had already phased ahead. “You’d be surprised, how easy it can be,” sure, it’s easier said than done, but as someone who has spent a lot of time around ghosts she’s learned a few things.

Of course, their job today wasn’t to sneak up on them, it was to investigate the hauntings of this manor, one Rocket wanted to use in the future. Most grunts wouldn’t step foot in it if they knew it was haunted.

The house doesn’t look like a typical ghoul’s hideout. It’s quite clean, and a flick of the nearby light switch turn the foyer’s lights on, “Hm, doesn’t seem too bad in here,” but looks could be deceiving.

Amor Rose

She seemed to know her way around ghosts which was good. As he had minimal experience with them outside of his Dragapult. Though he didn't see her Gardevoir phase ahead, the dragon appeared from the ground beneath him revealing itself to her.

"I can have him scout ahead, if you would like?" She had mentioned that it didn't look to bad in there, but that didn't mean he trusted it further than he could throw it. It was a house after all, and he couldn't throw it very far, or well at all. So he he didn't trust the house at all. "Though you are the superior officer here, for lack of a better term. Which means you are in charge." He said easily mainly because it was true, and there wasn't a hint of dissatisfaction at those words. It was just fact.

"What do you think?" Came his reply, though his experience with hunting ghosts was basically nil. Unless you called watching the occasional show about hauntings, and capturing "real" ghosts experience.

Alexandra Briarwood

With came responsibility – none it that Lex wanted. She wasn’t a team player, and she certainly wasn’t interested in moving ‘up the ladder’ any further. It surprised her enough to find herself amongst the Beast. Imposter syndrome was real and even after all this time she felt as though she didn’t belong. But the higher the climbed, the less opportunity there was for others to stab her in the back. Having the high ground was always an advantage.

“Hm, right,” is all she has to say about that.

Naturally, she finds herself drawn to the Dragapult and her attention lingers on it for a moment, “Already ahead of you on that,” and as if on cue, a piercing shriek echoes through the halls of the manor. It’s bone chilling and even makes Lex’s hairs stand up on end.

The Beast tenses as temperature in the air drops a good 10 degrees, ”OUT” comes a booming voice.

Lex is taken by surprise, never once has a spirit actually spoke, “This isn’t a pokemon,” she decides, and this wouldn’t be her first encounter with the dead. She remembers battling the spirit of ALEXANDER STONE in the streets of Sootopolis.

She also remembers how angry her ghost-types were. No wonder her Shadow Gardevoir was so anxious to get into the building. Whatever was here didn’t belong, and the ghosts would make sure it disappeared. For good.

"Find it!" she own voice booms back as she stalks forward into the house.

Amor Rose

So it was a real spirit after all, but he didn't seem all that convinced. At the booming voice screaming for them to get out, his Dragapult immediately let out a growl in defiance, but he placed a hand on it's head. Attempting to soothe it. Often he had wondered if it was possible to commune with the dead. There were some people he would like to talk to, but he had always thought it was superstition. Nothing more than comfort food for the living. But if it was possible....

"Are you sure?" He asked her curiously, even through his suit he could feel the temperature drop. It wasn't that he was doubting her, but for someone who had no experience with such things, it was a bit hard to believe at face value. Regardless that wasn't important. "What do we have to do, to get rid of it, or calm it down then?" She seemed to be more on the ball that he was in this scenario. Whatever pokemon she had sent ahead was potentially already in battle with the spirit.

He hated sitting there doing nothing, but that was currently the best decision, because if he made one wrong move, it could endanger both of their lives, and he wasn't going to let someone die needlessly.

Alexandra Briarwood

“Yes I’m sure,” she snaps back without turning to give him the icy glare that shone in her eyes. Fucking amateurs.

She disappears around a hallway only to quickly reappear back in the foyer having found nothing of use, “We have to banish it, send it back,” to purgatory for human spirits, or wherever the hell it is they went. They didn’t belong here in the ghost’s Phantom Plane, that’s why her Gardevoir is so agitated and Lex had never seen a human spirit when she traverses it on the back of Spectreir, “Does your Dragapult know Phantom Force? It’ll be in the Phantom Plane, perhaps they can corner it while we find the body,” salt and fire should do the trick. Real Supernatural dshit.

Amor Rose

Hearing her snap back at him, he said nothing, and did nothing that gave off any negative vibe. Perhaps she was just tempermental, or agitated that they were going to fight a ghost. I mean who wouldn't be a little bit miffed that they had to fight something intangible that could mess with them. At her question he nodded.

"He can. You heard her, go find the thing, and corner it. Make sure it doesn't interfere, oh and don't set the house on fire." He gave a slightly stern warning to the Ghost Dragon. Whatever had happened before, for it to get that warning wasn't elaborated on before it vanished into nothing seemingly to go, and take on the intangible spirit. "Now we search for the body, correct? Should we split up, or no?" Perhaps he was asking to many questions, but if there was a "How to defeat an evil ghost" section in the Rocket Training Manual. He missed it.

"Maybe I should pray, and an angel will come help us...." He muttered to himself quietly, knowing that praying wouldn't give them an angel. Angels weren't real were they?

Alexandra Briarwood

Lex is just agitated – she’s always agitated. She’s wound so tight she’s constantly about to snap. She really needed a vacation with Killian. Perhaps back to Johto once all this nonsense with the meteor is over. If they survived.

“Yes, then burn it,” it’s rather simple as long as the specter doesn’t interfere. Hopefully their ghosts take care of that. Lex releases a rather strange looking Typhlosion to trial behind her as she goes up the stairs, “I’ll take upstairs, you take the basement,” she decides without consulting Amor. The basement would probably be creepier anyway, he’ll love it.

Amor Rose

How thoughtful of her to give him the murder basement. He sighed as she bolted off, and he wondered if the only reason she had given him the basement was because she was scared to go there herself. Shaking his head he took off into the kitchen, and began to rummage through the pantry. All the shows he had watched mentioned salting the body, and burning it. So he grabbed some salt, and ran down the stairs into the basement. It smelled putrid down there, and he could hear clanging, and banging from upstairs. Hopefully that meant his Dragapult, and her other pokemon were keeping it busy.

He wasted no time in scanning the room, and that is when he found it. nailed to the wall with several machetes, obviously this person had been murdered.

"I'm sorry....But you need to rest now." He spoke softly as he released his Charizard from it's ball, and he began to douse the body in salt. With each sprinkling he could hear shrieks of pain from somewhere, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Then when the shrieks were at their highest pitch, and gave a nod to Ogun, his Charizard, and a powerful Flamethrower erupted from his maw consuming the body, and then the shrieks turned into horrible screeches of pain. As if every fiber of their being, was being ripped apart.

And as the flames died down, and the corpse reduced to ash, the wails ceased. There was a small orb hovering in front of him, he didn't know what to make of it, but it began to float off towards the sky like a star ascending to heaven.

"Well I think we're done here." He said recalling his Charizard as his Dragapult reappeared next to him. Heading back upstairs he waited for her to return before leaving.

Who would've ever thought...Ghosts were real afterall....

Alexandra Briarwood