If there was anywhere that Colton genuinely enjoyed exploring, it had to be New Mauville. The complex, despite teeming with wild Pokémon, was equally bursting at the seams with old tech in the older parts. Every time he ventured into the depths, he always came out with some interesting bit or bob that he could tinker with back in his lab or, if he was really lucky, an entire blueprint to pour over. He often dreamed about what wonders lay within. The source code for Porygon Z's upgrade? An broken up appliance Rotom had an affinity for? The broken down remnants of someone attempting to create a heretofore unknown artificial Pokémon? That was what New Mauville represented to him. At least, so long as GMH didn't confiscate anything he found when he'd come back to the parts they had repaired, but usually flashing his HBIC I.D. made things work out.

However, things were different these days. Team Rocket were skulking about in just about every crevice Hoenn had and he would be naïve to think that his haven was safe from their presence. The place was a verifiable goldmine to anyone who knew what they were looking for and Colton had no doubt that Rocket had more than its fair share of salvagers and tech experts ready to comb the place over.

Still, he couldn't let that potential threat keep him from delving into the old power plant. There were some old vaults he'd managed to crack the codes on that he was excited to open up to see what lay within. It helped that it was also in an area where he had yet to see another soul grace, whether by chance or by it simply being too out of the way for GMH to send someone down to retrieve what may lay there.

Or, that's what he thought. At least until he saw a blond man in a leather jacket and a black mask scrounging around.

Colton froze, his eyes wide behind his glasses while one hand fumbled for the Pokéballs on his belt, his fingers struggling to wrap around the smooth surface as they grew slick with sweat. Perhaps it was wrong to assume the worst of the other man and there certainly were some rather unique individuals with very peculiar styles of dress in Hoenn, but there was still something deeply off putting about someone skulking about where most wouldn't venture.

"H-Hey! W-What are you doing back here?" Colton piped up, brandishing his Pokéball in the most threatening way he could manage. He was a Leaguer, after all, and if this guy was part of Team Rocket, then it was his duty to try and put a stop to whatever schemes he could be manifesting.

@isaccmerlo

Colton unconsciously took a step back as the other man casually sat down and propped his feet up. He watched the Pokéball in his hand go up and down for a moment, nervously taking another step back, before looking back at the masked man's face. Colton was stuck for a moment, unable to speak until he remembered the feeling of his own Pokéball in his hand. Arti's Pokéball. His grip tightened for a moment as resolve filled his chest. "W-what's with the get-up, then? Salvaging down here isn't illegal, except for certain areas..." he said, his body slowly starting to relax. "Y-you can't blame me for thinking...well, you know..."

It was a bit weird how...casual this guy was being about being pretty much accused of nefarious actions. So, while Colton's body relaxed, he was very much still on alert as he began to look around the area they were in. "So, what is it you're after down here? Everything I've pulled out of this section, GMH won't ever let me keep," Colton said. For a moment, his nervousness fell away, replaced by frustration. "So annoying...the things I could make with the stuff here..."

Colton kept himself from talking about the lockboxes in the area. Not many people knew they existed or had a reliable way in and he was still unsure just who he was talking with. He couldn't think of any normal person going so far out of their way to crack open old vaults for technology they probably had no use for beyond selling for scrap, but perhaps this guy was one such particular treasure hunter with the talent to break them open.

Isaac Merlo

Colton's lips drew thin at the answer the man gave him, partially out of annoyance for the sarcasm and partially because it didn't exactly lift any suspicions he had for the man. It felt more mocking than anything, a challenge to try and accuse him of wrong doing and what consequences that may entail. "Not exactly a whole lot of people handing out candy down here, is there? You're not going to come back with a very good haul," he replied, electing to try and match his attitude as he continued to awkwardly try and dance around anything direct. He needed to try and meticulously pull apart the man's façade before doing anything concrete.

The man's explanation wasn't the worst thing in the world, at least. No one was really going to arrest someone for pulling scrap out of abandoned areas of a power plant, save maybe GMH. Maybe he had just jumped to conclusions, born partially out of a selfish possessiveness over an area he had deemed "his." But, the man's off putting attire also played a large part, so Colton couldn't be entirely to blame. "Depending on where you found it, it's not entirely out of the question my own money has lined your pockets once or twice. The tech in these older parts in unprecedented and its hard to just let it slip by."

Colton hesitated for a moment at the question, his eyes narrowing slightly. It was bait, certainly, but bait he couldn't argue with. While he'd never attempted to smuggle tech he was certain GMH would confiscate out, the temptation was always there. He simply shook his head, though. "I can't risk it. I'm on good standing with GMH and I can't risk them barring me from entering in the future."

Isaac Merlo

Colton chuckled at the statement, giving a nod of his head and a shrug of his shoulders in a "Fair enough" gesture. He couldn't disagree, since the tech stored away here was often times much nicer to receive than any candy he could imagine. It was rare that he found someone as equally keen about scrounging around in the depths of New Mauville and it almost made him drop his guard entirely.

He was still very much hung up on the fact that the guy was wearing a skull mask while skulking about as he looted.

Colton couldn't help but scowl at Isaac's comment, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I won't confirm or deny it," was all he said. It wasn't like he could judge, considering he benefitted from people smuggling stuff out. He just hated that that was what he had to sink to, what with GMH being such sticklers about what goes in and out of New Mauville. It wasn't like they were sending people down here to recover stuff!

"Not really much to the story. Just a guy trying to research new things, whether that include the old junk found in here or anything else," Colton said, tucking his hands into his pockets. He kept it vague on purpose, still not wanting to give too much away to someone he didn't really know.

Isaac Merlo