[attr="class","kheader"]

[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","rocket"]

Gavin slips into the role of a desk jockey looking for more excitement in his life; he'd passed up on the chance to join the rangers out of high school and had gone on to a life of dreary office work and monotony. This volunteer program was the perfect chance to prove — both to the Rangers and to himself — that he still possessed the fiery spark of his youth.[break][break]

If they liked him enough, surely they'd keep him on after the program ended, right?[break][break]

The Turtwig that accompanies him is the perfect companion for a rookie Pokemon trainer who's never seen much of battle. Gavin had captured the poor thing with an intent to study it, but it had been overshadowed by his passion for fossils.[break][break]

Of course, it wasn't the only Pokemon Gavin had taken with him.[break][break]

Had the plan gone off without a hitch, there would be no need for Plan B. Of course, it doesn't go as flawlessly as they'd hoped.[break][break]

Emma's Weavile are not the problem. They pickpocket the Gardevoir's pokeball and return it to their mistress without fuss. The problem arises when the ranger reaches for his Gardevoir and finds it missing... and radios for back-up.[break][break]

Gavin plays at innocence as best as he can as they're questioned by their mark — Did they see what happened? Did they have something to do with it? Are they lying to him? — but the very real threat of back-up means this situation would devolve, fast.[break][break]

Better to face one angry ranger than two.[break][break]

Gavin's Greninja sets up a SMOKESCREEN immediately upon its release, and they make a break for it.

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","kheaderbig"]

[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","rocket"]

Emma is dressed to impress, and to blend in by being the most flippant, annoying bitch on the scene. The two Weavile that set out and retrieve the Gardevoir are neat and delicate, their strategy being that no one knows there's two of them. Where one disappears, the other remains with Emma, mimicking her dramatic poses. One might consider it a mockery- Emma sure does.[break][break]

But she's putting on a show to remain unabashedly stupid in the middle of this ranger recruitment activity. She had come here with the sole intent to look at hotties - her exact phrasing upon arriving. She made a fool of herself with ease, dropping the ball on every task and brushing it off with a flirty giggle and dismissive hand gesture.[break][break]

However, their plan is too good to be true. It goes without a hitch and Emma is unable to distract the ranger long enough to take his mind off off of his missing Pokeball. She's merely fortunate enough to cry wolf and scream in fear as the smokescreen fills her nose and they make a break for it. Of course, that, too would ultimately end in a failure.[break][break]

Mostly, anyway.[break][break]

Since everyone not officially trained to handle a stressful situation were running, it's just a shot in the dark that Lance finds the two of them specifically. [break][break]

"Ew! This smoke is going to ruin my nice clothing. I just got it dry-cleaned!"[break][break]

She plucks at her dress covered in smokescreen soot as she watches the scuffle nearby.

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","kheader"]

[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","rocket"]

Something sneaks from the shadows in an attempt to trip him, and Gavin narrowly avoids landing flat on his face as he stumbles to dodge. In what time it takes for him to regain his stride, however, the one who pursues him has drawn close.[break][break]

Time for a change of plan.[break][break]

He can hear Emma nearby, whining about her dress as she sticks to her cover. He skids to an ungraceful halt, turns on Lance with wide eyes full of apparent fear. He is much calmer than he appears, heart hammering more from adrenaline than alarm.[break][break]

"H-Hey, man, look, I don't know what's going on." No evidence would be found on his person. Though this had turned into a royal fuck-up, he's determined to maintain his cover. "Your buddy started shouting at me and I freaked out, I didn't know what to tell him!"[break][break]

With any luck, Emma's second Weavile is long-gone with their prize.

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","kheaderbig"]

[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","rocket"]

Under the cover of the SMOKESCREEN, Emma's Weavile disappear. In tandem, they slide the stolen Pokeball back and forth to throw off the scent. There would be nothing of interest to find on Emma's person other than a sultry smile.[break][break]

Her dress is smokey, the white lace stained with tendrils of smoke. She coughs on it, an exaggeration, but a convincing one. She removes her sun hat in favor of fanning herself as the ranger stops them.[break][break]

It seems, however, that she wouldn't be the one being searched. Emma regards the situation with amused curiosity, her expression falling back to bitchy aloofness if the attention is ever returned to her.[break][break]

"So handsy, I'm almost jealous."[break][break]

Her voice is a purr. The longer they could stall, the farther her Weavile could get. They were expert thieves, stolen or trained to be perfect. They were, in fact, already out of sight.

[break][break][break]

[attr="class","kheader"]

[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","rocket"]

If the ranger doubts his story, he doesn't show it, and Gavin maintains his panicked groveling in spite of his disdain toward cowardice.[break][break]

When he's ordered to stay put, he does, counting seconds in his head to judge the distance the Weavile have traversed.[break][break]

"Yeah, man, of course..."[break][break]

With nothing to hide, he empties his pockets as directed. His wallet identifies him as one Robert Miller; if thoroughly investigated, the ID wouldn't hold the same veracity as that of Gavin or Patrick, but this was only meant to be a surface fake. It's why he cooperates so readily, gives them fewer reasons to look too deep. Alongside the wallet is Cavalli's phone, which naturally comes up with a lock screen. His jacket is empty save for a receipt from the mart where he'd bought some extra potions for the trip.[break][break]

As Lance searches him, Robert shoots a dirty look at the girl in the soot-stained dress, as if resenting her for not being caught instead of him. Beneath the surface layer of disgust is reassurance meant for Emma alone.[break][break]

The other ranger approaches, covered in smoke and looking pissed. Gavin won't meet his eyes, as if threatened by his temper.[break][break]

"See? I don't have it."[break][break]

He doesn't even have Greninja's pokeball. In the smoke, he'd handed it to the Pokemon and directed it to flee. The only pokeball on his person belongs to the Turtwig who now lazily picks at dying grass, indifferent.

[break][break][break]