Cruel? Oh, he was talking to his Pokemon. She never understood how people could treat Pokemon like, well, people. They were animals. They weren’t cruel or nice, or anything like that. They just acted on instinct and did what they wanted to or needed to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Well, aside from the actually intelligent Pokemon, of course. She had met deities of sorts, after all. Considering those to be animals would simply be wrong. But your common Solrock? That was just, well, rock.

Shizue had briefly raised a brow but returned to the conversation proper when the other clearly addressed her instead of this Pokemon. “Me? Well, it depends on your definition. I have been affiliated for years. But I have only officially joined about two years ago due to certain happenstances.” That probably was a good enough answer. Rocket was a place for people without anywhere else to go as much as anything else. She figured he would understand as much. Plus, their conversation was interrupted anyway as she watched someone bring the man a Pokemon. That was…unusual. “It seems that you have some kind of benefactor, then.” Sure, she was given Pokemon all the time to experiment on. But this was not that. It was different, so someone was just giving this man an unexpected gift, which was odd.

“Murasaki Shizue,” she simply replied. Giving her name was no big deal, really. Especially here in Rocket. She never gave too much about secrecy, as she was fairly up-front about herself. She had come to Hoenn and had started living with Rocket right away, so keeping her dientiy a secret would be foolish enough. Though, she did sometimes go out under an alias. Not that it helped too much given her somewhat striking looks.

At the end of the day, she just was not an actor. Nor was she too much of a social animal. Hence he got a name in response, but otherwise she continued to nibble on her sandwich. She was not a fast eater either, though. Instead, she tried to eat consciously and observe her surroundings. Which, in this case, included Zorrow – an obvious alias, at least to her – feeding his Pokemon. The first one, she did not care too much about. However, he soon tried to feed a rock. That was moderately interesting, so her eyes fixated on that display. It was difficult to feed rock types and the like due to their diets. It probably paid to observe and watch what they liked to eat. She didn’t have one, after all. And she did not care one iota that she was kind of staring there. If he did not want to be watched, he should not do it in public.

bryce holstein

While others might sit together for lunch or even have their Pokemon keep them company, Shizue often just chose to go alone. It was more expedient. She did not have to spend longer on eating than necessary that way. And besides, most grunts were idiots. There were only a handful of people in this base that she could have a fruitful conversation with. At least that was her opinion. Admittedly, the sample size was small. Yet, each she tried only reinforced the notion. It was mayhap a bit unscientific in the end. But she did not truly consider it a problem, still. At the end of the day, this was about effort. And as long as it did not feel worth it to expend effort, she simply would not.

But that did not mean that she would outright ignore these people. The green-haired woman in her lab-coat simply did not seek them out specifically. But she did not run from them, either. Just like this time: given that most tables were full, she had to find one already half occupied. Ultimately, she chose a quiet one. The boy sitting there did seem to be the quiet type and he was disciplining his Pokemon to behave. That was good enough. Shizue simply walked up to Brice’s table, briefly stopped when she was close enough to be acknowledged, then seated herself. She, too, was the quiet type. And if he did not voice any objections, then sitting down was fine. Hence, she would start with her meal right away. There was no point in trying to strike up anything on her own, she reckoned. Though she would not be opposed to replying, either.

These kinds of festivals reminded her of home. And she was not quite certain she liked it. Not because she had such a strained relationship with her home region, really. But these kinds of festivities had always been straining in their own right. Shizue just never really knew what to do with herself on them. Everyone else seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do at any time, strolling about the place in a purposeful gander that she could not quite follow personally. Yes, she had gotten herself some of said ice cream herself, though she did not well know where to go next, simply standing in the middle of the path, uncertain.

Which certainly was not helped by her sticking out, wearing a Johtonian kimono. No surer way of outing herself as a slightly lost foreigner, probably. But that was what they had worn to those at home, so she had gotten it out of the closet here, too. She had originally only come for the hand-off after all, but after that was done, she had started to wander these grounds regardless. With nothing to do, this melancholy had gotten her, made her get ice-cream that she was working on absent-mindedly as she remained uncertain of what to do next.


Josh Dragomir

PLAYERS' endeavors

MARK WHICH ENDEAVORS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED

✖ make an ic-post within the event period.


• x3 pokeball


✖ complete a thread within the event period


• x1 shard

✖ participate in 1 blight & bane swarm


• x1 move tutor

✖ reference another character by tagging them in an ic-post


• x1 egg tutor

MILESTONE endeavors

MARK WHICH ENDEAVORS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED

✔ complete 3 total endeavors


• x1 elixir of miasma

rewards

MARK WHICH REWARDS YOU HAVE EARNED

x3 pokeball (to lash)
x1 rainbow shard (to Violet)
x1 move tutor (to lash)
x1 egg tutor (to lash)

x1 elixir of miasma (to Shizue)

Some combinations were truly unique in her field, she felt. Rock and Poison were certainly among them. It was natural for plants to develop poisons. Ivies, Lillies, Hemlocks, they all had reason to develop poisons to protect themselves from getting eaten.



Rocks though? Not so much. This line of evolution still required more research. Hence, she was here, sitting on the edge of the swarm and observing, learning from their behaviour. Rock types were on the cross-section between biology and lithology after all. Not precisely her field, but she wanted to learn regardless. Hence, that was all she cared about today. Though if she saw a chance she would grab a specimen for study, of course.



cpp1f1lp

DONATING/EXCHANGING

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS!

[break]

DONATING: ### MP TO TEAM ROCKET/THE LEAGUE[break]

EXCHANGING:500 MP for Paradox (Slither Wing)[break]
[break]200 MP For Mega Stone
[break]150 MP For Draught
[break]

CURRENT TOTAL MP: 1140

SPOILER: Click to show

Clash comms Cargo Post Kill Assist Paranoia Win Tie Loss Battle Mission
100 100 100 10 10 10 10 200 250 300 150 100
pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/34506/7-11-run-postdorm?page=1&scrollTo=415732 1 5 1 1 1 460
pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/34205/little-birdie-told-me-comms?page=1&scrollTo=415576 1 7 1 1 470
pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/34210/defend-comm-site-postdorm 1 7 1 1 1 480
pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/34446/long-haul 1 12 1 1 1 580
Thread 1990
Thread
Thread Spending Paradox 500
Mega Stone 200
Drought of Downpours 150
850

Left 1140

• player/ooc name:lime
• character tags: Violet Fairbanks Megan Whitmore Evette Moreau Mireille Wynter Shizue Murasaki Lasciel Elis
• dropped characters' tags (if applicable):
• ic posts for characters:pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/34506/7-11-run-postdorm?page=1#scrollTo=415732 https://pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/33687/cementing-choices-mission-past?page=1&scrollTo=415559 https://pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/30477/step-time-dw?page=1&scrollTo=404616 https://pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/31764/foolishness?page=1&scrollTo=411256 https://pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/31207/cliffhanger?page=1&scrollTo=411250 https://pkmn-hoenn.boards.net/thread/33813/sokolov-investigations-player-evette?page=1&scrollTo=400224
• are characters in directories?: Y
• any notes/comments:

Well, it was hard to disagree with that. This one was not going to win the races any time soon. It would make for a terrible messenger. Shizue had selected her own one due to that as well. Toxapex, Goodra, Swalot, most of her team was just incredibly slow. Electrivire was the fastest after Intelion and even that was more of a bruiser type, really. It was best to leave it to the flier that the other offered up. Plus, it had some relevancy to their research, even though it was not a poisonous bug.

On the topic of poison, though: “They could be used that way. But it would defeat the purpose, would it not? This is a chaotic situation out there. There is no guarantee that the Pokemon would be received with much care, even by our forces. Those barbs would be a risk to them. And an indicator to our foes that the intelligence might be tainted. After all, poisoning just one person intercepting a messenger is not going to prevent anything from being taken. It would just make the cargo look more suspicious.” Or maybe she was overthinking this. Or giving the opposition too much credit. At the end of the day, most rangers were fairly stupid.

But she liked to assume a baseline of competence from her opponents. At least until it was proven otherwise. Always possibly to remedy a faulty perception downwards. Upwards…not so much. “Stacking too many layers of entrapment is unneeded complexity in my opinion. Just increases the chances of things going wrong.”

“Even you know that is not true,” she replied to the girl. Her confusion and hesitation were all the proof Shizue needed in that regard. This one was probably telling herself many things, a lot of them lies. That was just human nature, too. “Your friend here is considering context, albeit only one step removed from the sounds of it. That has value in some regards. My mother always said that the most important step is always ‘the next one’, so the next one to make. I am different. I believe in reason and science. There is no objective good, bad, right or wrong. There are only outcomes.”

She sighed, deciding to believe that the young one could not follow this much at all anymore. But the older man had stopped attacking her for no reason. Well, no reason other than probably thinking that it was not the best thing to do. For that, she would hold back as well. If words could solve this, so be it. That was more expedient. When it worked. “Backwards induction. Look at the final outcomes, identify the ideal one, then the choice that leads to it. Then the optimal choice that leads there. Then the optimal choice that leads you to said optimal choice. As long as the final outcome is pareto optimal, any choice made towards that end is the correct one.”

Shizue raised her arm. Not to give an order or summon another Pokemon. It was simply for her own visualization. That was the spot where she had been hit with the substance that was the opposite of life. “I have seen the threats that mankind stands against. If man insists on fighting one another instead of focusing on the real issues, then, as you say, stranger, ending the struggle is paramount. As your young friend has proven, a peaceful solution is out of the question when one fights the other just for existing. This whole war out there is meaningless.” She sighed, once more. Of course, she still planned to support Rocket. She just knew better than to speak the real truth out loud.

The easiest way for a war to end was for one side to win. Preferably the side that would stand a better chance against the next enemy.

Briefly, she held her head, not in pain, but in annoyance. “I…should not be pontificating. This place is not good for me. Is this paranoia inducing melancholy? Either way it is not good. And you girl, you should go to aid the injured as you planned. You are wasting time talking that they might not have.” She shrugged. “Their lives are meaningless to me, but they clearly matter to you. Make the choice that you can live with here, not what some genius would call right or wrong.”


Julia Davis Jett Roan

Another person appeared. It had to be another ranger. Simply because they immediately attacked her, personally, with an attack that would probably kill a normal human. Goodra managed to get in-between and use a protect of its own. But it was still bad to now be at an numerical disadvantage. Even if that girl seemed so utterly confused at this point that she probably was not going to do much fighting anymore.

“I do not think this girl has even given them much talk,” she replied, her and Electrivire continuing to walk off while these two rangers caught up with one another. “Morals can be flexible. As long as one is honest to themselves. Even if it is for the betterment of mankind, I know when I do evil. And when I do good, I know I am not a saint. Morality requires rationality, certainty and knowledge. Those who lack these parts simply ought not to speak of it.” That man probably knew what he was talking about a bit better. But that likely only made him more dangerous.


Julia Davis Jett Roan

“Did you hope I was not?” The League certainly was bloodthirsty these days. As if they were always looking for some kind of reason to assault others. Granted, her being a Rocket probably was one. And she likely would not be able to keep up the ruse she wasn’t much longer after this, at least if these guys were good enough to connect the dots gathered from some encounters.

But to her, that alone should truly not be reason enough for one to fight. But, apparently, she was the only rational person here. Shizue sighed. Though, admittedly, the tablet probably put some kind of malware into the system anyway. It wasn’t quite not prudent to distrust Rocket. Though she would not have given this without being forced to. So, in the end, that would be the girl’s fault. “Either way, can you tell me which way proper safety lies?”


Elinor Anderson

“You do what you think to be the right thing. There is a difference,” she responded, coldly, as she watched those two struggling. If she brought both of her Pokemon to bear on the others, even protect would not be able to truly save them anymore. It was kind of pathetic, really. But she did not press that particular issue, even though she could have had.

Instead, she sighed, remembering her lessons. “Your….perception is coloured by what you think. If I was simply picking Daffodils here, you would not attack me. Even though poison can be extracted from those as well. Most any substance has the potential to be weaponized or used to help others. Water is the prime example. The same cup of water can be used to save a man in the desert, to torture another man just a city over. Material is material. If you think you are doing the right thing by stopping me and do not apply the same kind of standards to the one picking Daffodils, then your morals are not worth anything.”

Shizue decided to start to walk away, specifically making Electrivire take the lead so any attack on it would have to go through her. “Your Pokemon is clearly unwell fighting like this. Maybe it is smarter than you. Simply stand down and pretend you never saw me, girl.”


Julia Davis