They’re fighting two different wars. Playing to different objectives. Maybe there’s something deeper to all of this. All Navy knows is that these people killed his brother. They facilitated the death of his brother’s ace Pokemon. He just wants to beat them to within inches of their lives. Maybe beyond that. He’s already shaking. Already tired.[break][break]
The rocket grunts turn to face him. They’re shocked. One man, alone, in the entrance to the complex. He smiles.[break][break]
For just a moment, he looks less a man and more the dragon he fears.[break][break]
“Hey, guys.” Cassius slips free of his ball. The two have not been together long, she was a Christmas gift from the flower shop lady of all people, but they know what to do. Cassius to the right. Navy to the left.[break][break]
They’re going for their Pokeballs. That would even the playing field. Navy doesn’t give them that chance. He introduces the grunts to the school of hard knocks. A deep, firm hit to one’s temple. A roundhouse kick that sends the other crashing into the wall.[break][break]
When he looks back, Cassius’s hands are bloody. By the time Navy did such a simple maneuver, that apex of muscle and fighting spirit had beaten both of the grunts to a pulp. Within an inch of their life.[break][break]
“Yeah, I think we’re good here.” He kicks one while they’re down, ripping off their pokebelts and tossing them aside. Whatever Pokemon are hiding within won’t bother him now. None are loyal enough to pop out and cause him problems.[break][break]
With injured knuckles, a bleeding head, and a flexing Machamp, Navy turns back to face a newcomer. He falls into a battle pose. He thinks that they must be another Rocket come along to join the party. He thinks that until he sees…[break][break]
“Josh?”


[break][break]

+ ooc notes

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…this guy. [break][break]

It’s hard not to like Josh. He’s a good guy. His heart is in the right place. They’re in the middle of Rocket turf and he’s offering to go to lunch and catch up. Neither man is quick to jump into a tirade on where they’ve been. There’s a job to do. A battle to fight. A war to win. Navy’s just caught in the middle. Josh is a proper hero. The detective supposes he’ll play sidekick for a little bit. The two of them together can get through this, or so Navy hopes.

[break][break]

“Good to see you again, man.” Navy offers, sharp eyes moving about. One look tells him that this isn’t Josh’s wheel house. He’s a guy meant for the race tracks. The fast life. They’re down in the dirt. Navy feels just a little dirty. It’s wrong to drag a guy like this down to his level.

“Stay low. Knowing you, you got some long, fancy email telling us what you need to do.” Despite how tired he is, how dire the circumstances, how eager he is to dive into his own misery, he can’t help but smirk. Being around a friend does that to a guy. [break][break]

“Nice trick with the camera. Let’s keep moving. Talk low. We’ll stick to gestures. Tell me where to go.” He withdraws Cassius back into the ball. He deserves a rest. He’ll come out soon enough, before the rockets are on top of them. For now, they need a more subtle approach. As a rocket patrol approaches, Navy dives into a room off to the side. It must be a storage shed or something. It’s a tight fit, but there should be enough room for Josh and him to stay out of sight while the patrol passes them by.
[break][break]

+ 30 MP

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“Yo, Josh? Can I make a suggestion?” There’s a chiding tone in Navy’s voice. Not something serious, despite the severity of their situation. “Rule one of being stealthy: don’t ride into your stealth mission riding a giant Liepard. It’s not your style, you know? Get on foot.” Whether Josh takes the semi professional man’s advice to heart remained to to be seen. [break][break]
For now, their mission is going smoothly enough. Maybe the League will cut him a nice paycheck. After all of the trifles he has endured today, a nice fat paycheck sounds like heaven. [break][break]
“You know what my question is?” He makes small talk as they reach the hostages. “How did Rocket build this place so quick.”
“Probably because they saw this fight coming sooner or later.” One of the scientists chimes into the conversation. The rest are too yet feeling relieved that Josh Devlin himself was here. [break][break]
It’s at that moment that things don’t go to plan. One of the many, many Rockets dressed like a grunt for this operation walk in. He’s holding some groceries.
“Oi, you ladies have some weird taste in food, I’ll say t-” He sees Josh and Navy. The grocery bag falls out of his hand. [break][break]
Like any sensible human being, he turns and runs.

[break][break]

+ 40 MP

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“If we make it out of this, I’ll do what I can to train you. Who knows, they might make secret agents out of us.” Navy hopes not, despite the jokes he makes. That’s how he gets around his friends. An easygoing rock. A guy people can rely on. That’s how he wants to be seen. So, he projects that image with a smile, even if this whole thing makes him uneasy.[break][break]
Really, the things that happen in this reason are insane by any objective metric.[break][break]
He’s been out of the game for a couple of months. Sure. He hasn’t had his finger to the pulse of any intelligence networks. The most he’s done is use some backdoor access keys to an Interpol database. But there wasn’t a hint of something like this. Other than the hoopla about the wilds after the meteor, he hadn’t even had a hint something like this was coming.[break][break]
One day, there was just a traffic jam as he island hopped for work.[break][break]
And now he’s here. With Josh again. In the middle of a building that by all rights shouldn’t be here. Barreling towards an objective that will bring down rockets on top of them like flies. He leads Josh as best he can in as quiet a way as possible, but the gym leader’s right. No matter what happens, no matter what comes next, they have a firefight on their hands.[break][break]
Navy feels like the devil’s got his number tonight.[break][break]
So be it. He’s better at straight up fighting than anything else. He’s an idiot like that. Solving crimes, helping damsels…[break][break]
Stuff like that’s a part of him, but it’s all secondary to the clash. That kindled dream of being the top champion remains there. Even if the fire’s burned low, he made his brother a promise.[break][break]
He pulls out a pair of pokeballs. He looks to Josh.[break][break]
It’s like the calm before the storm.[break][break]
“Alright, Josh. We’ve got at least a minute before the manure hits the fan. Let’s make the most of it. Quick strategy meeting. Gonna throw out a Gallade and a Machamp. Got anything that syncs up with ‘em well? We use a chokepoint and it doesn’t matter how many they have. I’ll leave these guys in your care and get that wiretap goin’. Sound good?”


[break][break]

+ 50 MP.

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Navy looks to the Greninja. He sees the saddle it wears. He has to resist rolling his eyes. That’s Josh for you. He’ll put a saddle on anything. Navy lets Cassius and Roland out of their pokeballs. They’re an odd looking pair. Roland is shorter by about a head. Cassius doesn’t have anything going on in his own head, but he’s cheery. Happy. He flexes and gives Josh a thumbs up. The two of them will help Josh.[break][break]
“Alright, you guys. Listen to Josh. I’ll be doing what I can.” Most of his Pokemon are too big to help him with what he needs to do. Looks like he’ll be on his own, running through the innards of this place.[break][break]
“Josh? Stay alive. We’ve got lots of stuff to talk about. I wanna catch up with you.” Navy turns, rises, and walks off towards the building. Soon, this place will be swarming with goons. Nobodies attached to the organization. The army that lurks in the shadows. Navy quietly wonders where these guys go during the daylight – what their normal day to day lives are like. [break][break]
It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except the battle that he knows is coming. He just hopes he can sneak through here, put this off for as long as he can. Creeping through this metal jungle like a snake.[break][break]
Roland, despite not having hands, gives Josh some approximation of a salute. The Gallade respects this human greatly. He was a friend to Navy when Navy needed one, and for that the Pokemon will fight tooth and nail to protect the man.[break][break]
The fight’s coming. Navy and his Pokemon just hope they’ll be good enough to weather the storm when it comes.


[break][break]

+ 60 MP

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Josh’s team isn’t alone when they begin the opening salvos of the battle. More grunts pour out of the building as the alarm sounds. The siren kicks the base into high gear. The Rockets are going all out on this venture. When two more grunts rush out the front door to meet Josh and his gang, a familiar duo teleport behind them.[break][break]
Cassius is laughing a low, rumbling laughter the whole time. It’s like a smoky train engine puffing coal with each gout of laughter. Matters are serious, but Cassius is hellbent on enjoying himself. His four arms swing out, punching one of the human’s lights out before he can even go for his pokeball. Behind his smile, the fighter laments what he’s doing. At the end of the day, he’s killing his opportunity for a good match. He’s meant for the glitz and glamor of center stage, but for now he’s consigned to punching folks out in the shadows.[break][break]
It could be said that Josh and Cassius are birds of a feather. Both are meant for the limelight. Both force their way through this fight. Cassius makes a show of encouraging Josh and his Pokemon with his spare hands.[break][break]
One of the grunts manages to free a ball from his belt. There’s a bit more grit around this one than the rest. He throws out his pokeball and…[break][break]
Out comes a Metagross. Roland’s eyes widen. For a grunt, that’s an impressive Pokemon. It hums, thundering along the ground. The Gallade zips towards it again, twirling in the air and leveling a blade made of psychic energy its way. Roland engages in close combat.<br><br>
Navy, meanwhile, slips into the shadows. Creeping through a side door. Watching the grunts pass him by. Josh and Roland are outside playing heroes. Let them wear the mask of a hero. It suits them both. He’s doing what he has to do. Just a warrior, consigned to hide in the shadows for a little while longer.[break][break]
He ends up in a room laced top to bottom with all sorts of communication equipment.[break][break]
Bingo.[break][break]
Pulling out his usb drive, ready to upload a virus that’ll tap the system, Navy prays that his friends can hold out for just a little while longer. If this thing is as good as the League officials made it out to be when they gave this thing to Josh, it’ll infect the whole network in this place.[break][break]
…something like that might work pretty good for his own purposes, Navy realizes.[break][break]
“Hope you’re doin’ alright, Josh…” Navy muses.


[break][break]

+ 70 MP

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