[attr="class","body"]

DRK Triad...[break][break]
Caleb did not know very much about the mysterious organization. He'd heard rumblings about their shadowy meddling in Hoenn's affairs, but nothing concrete. Some folks claimed to have been in direct contact with various DRK Triad operatives, but Caleb had no first-hand experience with them. He hoped it stayed that way: he had enough on his plate without adding another terrorist group to the mix.[break][break]
Except, here they were, in the flesh. He and jack wainwright couldn't just let them go about their business - after all, their motives could be sinister. The nondescript black clothing, the masks...it was clear they wanted to retain a measure of anonymity. That alone made Caleb suspicious.[break][break]
"Not sure," Caleb admitted, frowning. "I'm an expert when it comes to Rocket's tactics, but this is unfamiliar territory for me."[break][break]
Intuition told him they needed to be careful, however.[break][break]
"We should try and find out what they're doing. If we can get a little closer, unnoticed, perhaps we can snag some of their research notes."[break][break]
Comet's ears twitched, and Caleb glanced at the Lucario. His companion Pokemon's ability to sense auras would come in handy: he'd be able to warn them of anything especially dangerous below.[break][break]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","body"]

Caleb turned away from Jack, sneaking around to flank the DRK Triad research station from the opposite side. He, too, crouched low and tried his very best to go unnoticed. Comet stalked behind him, far stealthier than his human companion.[break][break]
Just a little closer...[break][break]
Comet growled softly, alerting Caleb. The Ranger froze, body tensing up as he stopped advancing. The Lucario's tendrils were standing up, activated by some sort of aura disturbance ahead. Caleb waited, heart pounding. They were right next to one of the makeshift "buildings" - a large tent structure that might be able to fit three people at most - and as far as Caleb could tell, nobody had seen them yet. Still, he ducked quickly behind a particularly large stalagmite - just to be safe.[break][break]
A small, floating eyeball rounded the corner of the tent and stared in the direction of the stalagmite. It was in the shape of a...letter? Caleb couldn't fully make it out, half-covered as he was by the rock formation, but he thought it might be an A.[break][break]
It was an Unown. Rare, but relatively harmless. Perhaps if they stayed extra quiet, it wouldn't find them - [break][break]
A beam of energy shot out from the Unown-A, immediately rocketing towards Caleb's hiding spot, and slamming into the stalagmite. Shards of crystal and stone flew in all directions, and Caleb yelped, leaping back.[break][break]
Comet, however, had been ready: glowing a bright azure, he activated his EXTREME SPEED, then streaked forward like his namesake towards the Unown-A.[break][break]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","body"]

"I guess they've spotted us," Caleb muttered, palms stinging against sharp gravel as he pushed himself back to his feet. Comet raced towards the Unown-A, but it blinked out of existence at the last second, appearing several feet away. The Lucario growled with frustration, sharply pivoting mid-stride - even with EXTREMESPEED, the Unown-A had been faster.[break][break]
Across the cavern, Caleb could see Jack staring back at a second Unown. Move! Caleb thought at him, panicked - what was he doing? Smiling at it?[break][break]
Jack and his Pokemon went flying backwards, rock and stone scattering in all directions as the HIDDEN POWER destroyed the ground around them. Caleb groped for a Pokeball, releasing Zuri. He pointed towards his fellow Ranger.[break][break]
"Help Jack!" He ordered. The Zeraora sped off, generating a QUICK GUARD as he did so.[break][break]
Caleb himself glared down the Unown-A that had originally attacked him. Comet began to shimmer with a silvery energy, METEOR MASH striking out with steel shards at the symbol Pokemon. This time, the attack would spread wide enough that the Unown's teleportation might not be able to save it from harm.[break][break]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","body"]

Comet's attack did manage to graze the Unown-A, and it spun in the air, clearly disoriented. This gave the Lucario the opening he needed to pounce on top of it, wrestling the little letter to the ground. A THUNDER PUNCH directly to its singular eyeball was enough to knock out the creature, and Caleb heard a voice yell in shocked surprise as a black-clad DRK Traid agent burst forth from the research camp towards him.[break][break]
Caleb glanced at Jack just in time to see him punch a different member of the Triad square in the jaw.[break][break]
"Nice," he grinned, pleased to see that Jack was perfectly capable of holding his own in a fist fight. Turning back to his own adversary, Caleb rushed forward, tackling the man before he had a chance to grope for a weapon or Pokeball. They rolled around in the dirt, but Caleb's superior combat training as a former Kanto Rocket seemed to give him an edge. Perhaps this man was merely a researcher, and not actually one of the mysterious organization's assassins.[break][break]
Once the man had been dealt with - passed out on the ground with a lump on his head - Caleb picked himself back up, dusting off his trousers and checking once more to make sure Jack had made it out of his own scuffle. Zuri flanked the Unown-M opposite Jack's Iron Moth, and together, electricity surged with fire as they attempted to deter it.[break][break]

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","body"]

"I hate it too," he murmured, following Jack's gaze down to the fainted Unown. Rocket had a tendency to do the same: use Pokemon like tools. It was disgusting. As Zuri and Comet returned to him, he felt grateful for their help. They were his partners not his servants.[break][break]
Caleb returned the fist bump, adrenaline keeping him alert despite the apparent end of the fight. He flashed Jack a tired grin. "You did great," he complimented, meaning it. Jack had more grit than he'd originally thought.[break][break]
Need to get him involved in the Amnesty Program, Caleb reminded himself. Jack had the motivation and the right attitude to help rehabilitate former Rockets, and wouldn't back down if and when things became difficult. Having someone like that involved could make a real difference.[break][break]
"Yep, time to go," he agreed, eager to get as far away as they could from the DRK Triad camp.[break][break]

[break][break][break]