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Priam is a wildcard. Gavin understands this, even takes it into account, but he still does not expect the man to go charging into a collapsing building before they've managed to put the bulk of the fire out. Priam winks at him, and Gavin can only blink back, dumbfounded.[break][break]

Any hopes that he's making a poor attempt to joke are quickly doused, unlike the flames.[break][break]

"Damn it," he mutters — and follows.[break][break]

He's not about to let Priam risk his ass alone.[break][break]

Heat dries out his throat despite the best efforts of the pouring rain, and visibility is immediately compromised upon entering the building. Black clouds of smoke spread faster than Corviknight can effectively DEFOG, ensuring that there was no place entirely safe to stand. Rotten timber creaks and snaps overhead as a supportive beam gives way to flame and part of the roof crumples inward. This had been a terrible idea.[break][break]

This is a storehouse he's only visited on one other occasion, and he fumbles along one wall trying to remember the location of the back room. As well as rescuing some of the Pokemon, it was imperative that he recover any electronic data that could give them away.[break][break]

Coughing into his shirt, Gavin quickly loses his fellow Rocket in the chaos.[break][break]

"Priam!" he calls. "You all right?"[break][break]

Though he sounds calm, measured, his heart hammers hard in his throat.

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Through his exasperation at the situation they've found themselves in, he's relieved to hear Priam's all right. The coughing guides him further into the building, along a path of charred and soaked wood no doubt left by the Samurott.[break][break]

"Building's fucked," he confirms, "just Pokemon and potential intel."[break][break]

He's heard about electronics surviving some pretty nasty stuff, and he's not about to risk Rocket's safety on the hope that it'll burn with the rest.[break][break]

The metal knob of the door leading to the back is too hot to touch, so Gavin kicks it as hard as he can until it splinters around the hinges and collapses inward. Spotting what he's after, he glances back over his shoulder.[break][break]

"You know if they catch these things in balls or not?"[break][break]

He's sold a lot of Pokemon to the Market, but he's never actually purchased a Pokemon from it before.

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Though he likely hadn't anticipated such a disaster and thus hadn't come to the situation fully prepared, Gavin is relieved to hear that Priam carried the pokeballs they'd need. He was young, maybe a little reckless, but he was one hell of an asset.[break][break]

"Will do."[break][break]

He tosses a laptop into his bag with little regard for what was on it, snaps the lock off the metal desk and carefully avoids contact with it as he fetches the flash drives contained within. Documents contained in the locked drawer are fed to the growing flames before Gavin hears Priam's call from out in the main building. Priority number one: protect the Pokemon.
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With a last sweep of the room, he can only hope he hasn't missed anything before he dashes back out into the collapsing wreck.
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"We'll just need to get as many as we can." He grits his teeth; there is little choice when faced with the impending arrival of the League. "Leave any you don't think'll make it."[break][break]

Turning away, he quickly begins breaking cages, capturing some and losing others to their panic as they took flight or dashed for the exit. He could hardly blame them. A HYDRO PUMP from his Omastar comes crashing through a window and tackles part of the blaze, broken glass leaving Gavin with a myriad of small wounds that would remind him of this later.

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A howl cuts through the crackling blaze, sending a chill down Gavin's spine.[break][break]

Any assumptions that it was a wild Pokemon crying out for safety are quickly corrected by Priam's words — Gavin clues in to their meaning and turns sharply toward the hole created by his Omastar's aquatic assault. It'll be dangerous, but—[break][break]

"Yeah!" he shouts back.[break][break]

A last few fortunate souls are rescued simply due to their proximity to Gavin, who dips into his personal supply of pokeballs in order to secure their capture. They have no strength and energy left to submit, and he tosses the capsules into the same bag he'd thrown the electronics in.[break][break]

Then, he runs.[break][break]

Gavin stumbles on the vault through the window, clothing catching on broken glass. A violent cough nearly brings him to his knees, his lungs burning with smoke and stress. Half-recovered, he uses the silhouette of the collapsing building to fumble his way to the back exit, meeting up with Priam. The youth, at least, seems relatively unharmed.[break][break]

Gavin offers him a curt nod of approval, respect.[break][break]

"You're an absolute madman, charging in there like you did, but we saved more than we would have otherwise." His lungs wouldn't thank Priam, but Rocket would certainly appreciate the saved investments. "Need a ride?"[break][break]

Corviknight glows with evolutionary energy as it swoops down toward them at Gavin's signal, talons leaving deep ruts in the earth as it lands. He mounts up, wincing — the bird's metallic feathers have been heated by the blaze. It's uncomfortable, but not unbearable.[break][break]

"We can drop you off wherever, unless you've got transportation of your own."

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