it had been a rough couple of days. every attempt at getting close enough to gain information had been disrupted despite every effort to avoid most confrontations. she had experienced casualties of her own, and unlike many others, she had not slept a second to refresh. the singular lingering blessing of darkrai.[break][break]

she glared at the glyphs in silence, not responding to the young grunt for a long moment before finally reaching out and messing with one of the gears.[break][break]

”this one.”[break][break]
the glyph slid into place, and there was a worn mechanical sound. no boulders fell, and a passageway opened up to the next area. along either way were suspicious holes in the wall.[break][break]

venturing further into the chamber would stir many hidden rabsca from their hiding place.

[attr="class","ooc"]Kouji Matsubara [break][break]
- 10 MP per IC post in a RT Battle/Mission.[break]
- 50 MP for participation in a RT Battle/Mission.[break]
total: 60 MP[break][break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-marshadow"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poipole"][break]

the rabsca poured out the walls, floating closer. a protect from lulu’s poipole shielded them from incoming waves of confusion while kouji’s geninja went to work. her marshadow joined it, spectral thief wrapping a nearby scarab in malevolent wisps of black and purple.[break][break]

at kouji’s question, lulu glanced over. this brief eye contact was perhaps the most she’d given him thus far, having been more than focused on the job at hand. [break][break]

she had assumed no one else had caught on yet. they had all assumed she’d lost her powers entirely–but rumors had been bound to reveal her secret, as she stayed in the labs for days on end.[break][break]

”… i’m good at puzzles.”[break][break]

her eyes left him and she moved forward through the path as the bodies fell, speaking again over her shoulder, ”you look young. are you new?”

[attr="class","ooc"]Kouji Matsubara [break][break]
- 10 MP per IC post in a RT Battle/Mission.[break]
- 10 MP for assisting another character and/or their Pokemon.[break]
- 25 MP for using an ultra beast in your thread (1/1)[break]
total: 105 MP[break][break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-marshadow"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poipole"][break]

”ah.” she wondered if he had been one of the ones to spend twenty years in galar over the course of a moment–it had been a traumatizing scenario for many, and so she refrained from asking.[break][break]

her marshadow continued to aid in their onslaught against the rabsca, a shadow punch knocking one of the few remaining into the wall.[break][break]

his question was bold, considering the amount of distrust she had brought on for some with her disappearance. she wondered if his asking was innocent, or if he questioned her loyalty.[break][break]

”research,” she responded coolly. ”i was studying dreams in galar with a few of the region’s experts.” that much was true. ”it went longer than expected.” that was a lie.[break][break]

the rabsca trap was nearly cleared when the floor began to rumble. her poipole pointed behind them.[break][break]

”shit.” she reached for a pokeball and out came an alakazam. immediately, a mega stone was activated at her belt. ”slow it down!”

the mega alakazam levitated into the air, psychic energy glowing around the boulder and pulling against it. meanwhile, lulu turned and began running in the other direction.[break][break]

”come on! let’s look for the escape.” there had to be one. these were levels, right?[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Kouji Matsubara [break][break]
+ 10 MP per IC post in a RT Battle/Mission.[break]
+ 10 MP use mega evolution in your thread.[break]
total: 125 MP[break][break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-marshadow"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poipole"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-alakazam form-mega"][break]

alakazam levitated behind as they ran, the psychic-type still focused on the boulder. lulu’s other pokemon followed, searching for the obstacle’s escape.[break][break]

they jumped through the hole soon made by greninja’s shuriken, and as the alakazam released its hold, the boulder slammed into the wall where it would have surely crushed them moments later.[break][break]

lulu gave kouji an appreciative nod, ”good work.”[break][break]

more sounds echoed deeper in the tunnel. soon, she realized some of them sounded familiar.[break][break]

”heatran.” her steps stopped there. ”sounds like more than one. we should go back and tell the others.” rocket was there to tackle such unexpected challenges together.[break][break]

however, as she made her suggestion, she saw wisps of dream mist waft outward from the dark, conjuring a more immediate threat. The great tusk stamped the ground and then bulldozed towards them.

[attr="class","ooc"]Kouji Matsubara [break][break]
+ 10 MP per IC post in a RT Battle/Mission.[break]
+ 10 MP for incorporating the faction race's obstacles.[break]
+ 10 MP for spawning PARADOX POKEMON.[break]
total: 155 MP[break][break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-marshadow"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poipole"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-alakazam form-mega"][break]

”a steel/fire dual-type legendary. it has blood made of magma and can climb like a spider.”[break][break]

it was intriguing what their presence implied, or perhaps even a little worrisome. ”from what’s been studied about them, they seem to prefer volcanic caves.”[break][break]

she thought on kouji’s suggestion, looking for ways it might be possible. ”maybe…”[break][break]

then, an idea.[break][break]

”marshadow, attack from further in the cave. don’t let it see you.”[break][break]

the marshadow made no protest, stealthy enough to get away with venturing further into the dark. from it, a shadow punch burst out at the great tusk’s hide, causing it to turn and eye suspiciously down the tunnel. a perfect shot maybe, but then it began running, deeper into the cave and away from them. better to just let it go.[break][break]

lulu stared briefly in disbelief. ”hm. can’t believe that actually worked.”[break][break]

now, with luck, they could make their way out safely and deliver what they’d learned to the rest of rocket. several heatran were no match for their organization’s muscle.[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Kouji Matsubara [break][break]
+ 10 MP per IC post in a RT Battle/Mission.[break]
+ 100 MP complete RT Battle/Mission.[break]
+ 300 MP survey mission loss (fled)[break]
total: 555 MP[break][break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-marshadow"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-poipole"]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-alakazam form-mega"][break]