Johanna didn’t get to see much of Ruby’s battle. It seemed almost finished faster than the battle between Bewear and Steelix.

The outcome had been the same for her fellow Rocket. Whatever these kids had played at, they had been sent running with their tails between their legs. Profanities yelled in their direction by Ruby, clearly a big hit to their already non-existent morale.

“Yeah, you are probably right about that,” Johanna said. She looked at Ruby, somewhat in a new light. What had just been a partner for a single mission had for Johanna grown into something more. Perhaps it was a budding friendship? Ruby hadn’t abandoned her when she could easily have done so, but perhaps that was more because of Rocket’s Loyalty. Still, Johanna was sorely lacking in friends and surely it wouldn’t hurt to consider herself a friend with a fellow Rocket?

While Johanna was pondering, her Bewear walked to her. Its emotionless gaze looked at her, it moved around her for a short second, as if to check if she was alright. And then it gave her a big hug. One which seemed to apply a bit too much force to be comfortable. But he quickly released her from his grip. Only to look towards Ruby. The same gaze was given to her, and then it took a few steps toward her. Arms wide open inviting, no, demanding a hug from her.

Adrian gazed for a moment at the bear. Its lack of fear annoyed him. But he wasn’t as stupid as the appearance of that Bewear. He knew the thing was a Normal/Fighting type. “Steelix, Iron Tail,” Adrian commanded, but when he pointed at the target. He didn’t point at the Bewear, no, he pointed at Johanna.

Johanna gasped. She hadn’t thought him cocky enough to do that.

The tail of the Steelix grew bright, coated in steel. But the Steelix came no further. Bewear wasn’t going to even entertain the idea of that attack connecting. With a powerful thrust of its legs, which even left behind marks on the ground, it propel itself towards the face of the Steelix. A slightly shimmering white shine covered its paw just as it slammed the paw into the underside of the Steelix’s head. The sound of a loud bang emerged as the force connected with the object.

The Steelix fell backward to the ground, crashing into one of the playground slides there. The Bewear landed gently like a butterfly upon the ground.

For a moment Adrian stuttered, trying to think of a command to give. But Bewear wasn’t going to let the kid’s Pokémon have his way. With an equally powerful thrust, did the Bewear propel itself forward. Ground buckling underneath and flying backward in response. The same shimmering energy covered the Bewear’s arm. But this time thicker, heavier. Like a HAMMER ARM did the Bewear’s appendage fall upon the head of the Steelix, slamming it further down, digging a Steelix-shaped hole in the process.

The Shimmering white light began to cover the Bewear’s body as it grabbed for the tail. But it was here where Johanna had seen enough. “Stop it, it’s knocked out already!” Johanna commanded. Her before so timid voice finally found strength and sternness.

The Bewear halted.

“Wh… What was that.” Adrian had fallen to his knees. What arrogance he had clad himself with, had been washed away with the cold hard reality check. He looked to his goons. They fared no better.

Heavy steps walked towards Adrian. He turned his head to the sound and saw the Bewear. Its eyes were UNNERVE’ingly unemotional as it placed a paw on his head. Adrian’s eyes shot wide when he felt the pressure being applied. He began to sniffle and sob like the man-child he was. Bewear looked towards Johanna, she shook her head. And then the pressure was released. The Bewear let go.

Adrian didn’t take the chance He wasn’t going to stick around here. He began to run retrieving his Pokémon in the process as he tried to get away from it all.

Johanna sighed in relief, now with that over she could turn her attention to Ruby, she wondered how she had been fairing.

Something was off. Maybe it was the gaze that was consuming her, or maybe it was the pink hair that induced a sense of familiarity.

And yet when the word JOY escaped the crazed woman’s mouth Johanna’s eyes opened wide like a Deerling caught in the headlights of a truck. For a moment fear gripped her throat, and quelled whatever words she wished to say. But then something in her heart was moved. Perhaps it was the dancing Happiny, perhaps it was the wish to truly live up to the JOY name, and DUTY to help others that came with it, that forced her to watch and accept what she saw rather than take the leave that her fear so desired her to do.

Johanna praised herself for having gotten up when she did. What would this woman have done had she still been lying down. Would the sand she was now resting upon have been her? Some questions were better left unanswered.

Still, pity filled her heart. For this woman seemed so caught in the script. She knew the script, any self-respecting Joy would. Through a burst of power, the woman brought herself out of the script that was forced to be repeated. “I…I…” Johanna tried to reply. But a mix of nervousness and the sudden closeness between the two caused her to pause.

Though her eyes barely dared to move from the woman, for a brief moment she caught glimpse of the two Happiny.

For as reserved as Johanna’s Happiny was. She still found herself swept away in the excitement of the other Happiny. It joined its fellow Happiny in dance, nuzzles, and hugs, though if asked it couldn’t explain why. Perhaps it had simply found a kindred spirit?

Meanwhile, Johanna was asked for a second time, but again barely had the time to respond. This time because of the woman’s reassurances. Yeah, something is definitely wrong, but what? Johanna concluded as she took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment before readying herself. “I am glad to hear that you are okay,” Johanna spoke slowly and purposefully. Each word was carefully spoken to avoid triggering another burst.

Holding one hand towards herself, she tried to make it clear to the woman that the words that were about to follow would be about herself. “My name is Johanna Joy. What is your name?” Again she spoke slowly, hopefully not causing any distress to what appeared to be an already very distressed woman.




OOC: Mission thread for link.
LOCATION: Slateport Beach
Outfit: This

@clair

Just a nice day of relaxation. No Rocket business, no Joy business, no nothing business… That was what Johanna thought she was in for when she laid down.

But fate had another plan in store. It felt like less than ten minutes from lying down until today’s random event popped up. A Happiny joined them. Acacia the Happiny and Johanna both beamed smiles at it. While Johanna’s Happiny jumped towards it and began introducing itself before asking what manner of business it had here, Johanna began to look for a trainer that might be missing the poor thing.

From the way she was angled, she saw nothing. So when the feminine voice reached her ears she shuffled around in surprise, quickly standing up for she knew how vulnerable she was lying down. Johanna was about to say something, but then the person turned around to compose herself.

Johanna felt a mild sense of uncomfortableness, which didn’t improve when the lady turned back around. Something was off about her. Her voice, the words. It reminded her too much of all those overworked and fatigued nurses which she had met throughout her life. But that couldn’t be it. What were the chances of two Joys meeting randomly at the beach?

“Uhm, I don’t think so?” She paused, uncertainty flooding her voice. “Are YOU okay? Can I help you with anything?” She returned the question right back, figuring the way she spoke, no gusto, it almost felt mechanical in a way, though she wasn’t certain if that was just her interpretation.





OOC: Mission thread for link.
LOCATION: Slateport Beach
Outfit: This

@clair

Sometimes, a vacation was needed. This was the conclusion that Johanna had reached after her adventures upon the high seas. While she had chosen not to travel far, the beaches of Slateport would do for a relaxing backdrop while she tried to apply some sun to her otherwise pale frame.

Currently, she sat upon one of the beach towels she had brought along. Hands busy slathering the unprotected parts of her skin with proper strong sunscreen. Her Happiny was busy working on Johanna’s back, slathering it similarly, while she valiantly fought against the long blue braided hair of her trainer.

Once the both of them had finished their task. Johanna reached for the pink sunglasses resting neatly in her hair and pulled them down to cover her eyes. A parasol covered them in light shade.

Pokémon and humans alike then laid down relaxed. The Happiny has found a similar-looking pair of sunglasses. For a moment Johanna gazes out over the crowd of families already gathered there. She saw humans and Pokémon alike. But not a single Chansey line. For a brief second, she wondered if perhaps her choice of Pokémon outed her for what she was, or perhaps nobody cared at all.

Oh well, she had bigger troubles to ignore on this vacation.




OOC: Mission thread for link.
LOCATION: Slateport Beach
Outfit: This

@clair

Perhaps fear led her to walk faster. Perhaps she simply hoped to end this sooner no matter the result. Whatever her reasoning might be she walked quickly through to the Terminal, reaching the cul-de-sac along with everyone else before they were locked within yet another dome.

Great, just great. Johanna cursed, though she kept it inside, concealing the annoyance as best she could for she knew it could affect morale. Another riddle was provided to them, and she felt how her heart sank. It didn’t help that the subject of it were those monstrosities from the NEWS, though perhaps she should’ve assumed so from the title of this Terminal. Why couldn’t it have been a battle of some sort, at least that was nice and easy! Perhaps if she had been provided a giant Pokémon to fight, she would’ve felt useful. But no, nothing.

And so she stood there trying to mull it over.

“Okay. I have no idea about this, so I am guessing wildly here, and it is probably too obvious to be true.” Johanna began. “But if this is some kind of Pokédex-like list, wouldn’t that purple one be the choice here?” Johanna suggested pointing towards the Poipole, though she couldn’t for the life of her remember its name right now.

Anyhow, she resigned to waiting for the opinions of the rest of her group. For she truly hoped they had a better idea.

TLDR:
- Reaches Riddle-area
- Suggests Poipole as an answer, but has no idea.
-Doesn't press anything and awaits for peoples suggestions.

@terminal3group

Like a Sharpedo in the water, Adrian smelled blood. Johanna the victim was defenseless in trying to hide it. She cursed her weakness. Why couldn’t she have simply behaved like Ruby? Surely Adrian wouldn’t have turned to aggression if she had.

While she didn’t like the thought, she had already resigned herself to being abandoned by Ruby. There was no reason for her to stay and help Johanna with an issue of her own making.

But to Johanna’s surprise, Ruby didn’t run, didn’t budge at all. She proclaimed that if Adrian wanted to take them on, then he would take on both. Though she didn’t say a word to Johanna, the blue-haired punk understood the gaze Ruby gave her well enough.

“Well, isn’t that cute? And here I thought you’d be the smart one, Ruby. At least your friend seems to know her place.” An arrogant smirk on his lips as he jumped down from the Mankey bars landing with the grace of someone who’d done it more than once.

Adrian threw the Pokéball into the air. It quickly popped open, revealing what was most definitely the biggest Steelix she had seen. Quite frankly, she was certain it would hold at least a sizeable chance of having the Hoenn record, as it stood above them casting its arrogant shadow upon them and everyone else, quite similarly to Adrian.

Johanna took a deep breath. “I am sorry Ruby, I might not be able to appear intimidating like you.” She paused. She still felt a sense of uncertainty. “But could you let me handle him?” She retrieved a Pokéball of her own.

Adrian laughed heartily, the mere prospect amused him. “Yeah Ruby, let’s see what your friend can do. Meanwhile, you can play with everyone else.” He gestured for his goons to take care of Ruby.

Just as Adrian finished his speech. Johanna released her Pokémon of choice. The golden and black Bewear towered above his trainer as it stood between her and their opponents. Its face did not betray an inkling of emotions, as it simply stared emotionlessly towards its next victims.

Again Adrian pretended to consider the offer. But he had no intention of being controlled by anyone. Besides, he could smell the fear in the air emanating from Johanna. It was clear to him who they worked for, and if these two could get in. There was no way it was a place worthy of his presence.

“Y’know, Ruby you seem cool enough. Wasted over there, though. Can’t say the same for your friend.” Adrian spoke cockily. As he pointed directly at Johanna. He took a heave of his cigarette and blew the smoke into the air for a moment of pause. “So, Ruby, I am going to be nice and let you walk away from here now.”

Adrian turned his attention to Johanna. Retrieving a Pokéball from his pocket and started to play with it intimidatingly. “But you aren’t walking away from here until you’ve handed over your Pokémon.”

Johanna looked scared. It seemed these kids were intent on turning the tables on them. She hadn’t thought they would be ballsy enough to try something like that. But now, they all one by one found their Pokéballs and stood at the ready.

She spent most of the late evening, and early night just staring from the campfire to the stars and back. It was nice to experience nature like this, unpolluted by the machinations of man. But as a human, she was not nocturnal, even if her sleep habits sometimes suggested otherwise.

And so she found herself in a tent with angelo vestri. All the experiences and social interactions done today quickly overcame her with mental fatigue and so she fell asleep. Alas, it was not a deep sleep. She drifted from stages of semi-awake to lightly sleeping, due to no fault of his own Angelo’s presence and the weird rumbling she heard coming from him or so she assumed since she slept turned towards the very wall of the tent.

When she finally truly awoke to the sound of clanging bells, she was ready to murder whoever had the audacity of being so noisy. Alas, when she exited the tent all dressed in the same clothes she wore yesterday her mood changed completely.

The sight of various Pink Pokémon filled her stomach with butterflies. Perhaps it was the Joy part of her genes reacting to the sight or perhaps it was simply because the Pokémon were damn cute. Either way, she had to physically halt herself from D’aaaaaw’ing at them.

Some curious Pokémon jumped her way, though when she carefully tried to pet them, they jumped away skittishly. This saddened her for a bit, but nothing a hearty but quick meal couldn’t fix.

When Zinna rejoined them, Johanna was ready and willing to get on with the day’s work. And so she followed their esteemed Ranger-leader to where they would be doing work. A series of tasks were given to the group to pick from.

With a smile, she realized she had just the right Pokémon for one of those tasks. She summoned her Trevenant. It looked around curiously. The big tree and its trainer went over to the damaged berry plots. “Hauke, I will let you handle this. And I will keep away any unwanted guests.” Her eyes fell upon a pair of Whimsicott which were mischievously looking towards the pair.

And so the Trevenant went to work. He uses all of his Grass-type instincts to work the earth. First clearing the plot of land, then checking the berries and vegetables there. Carefully collecting any healthy berries he might stumble upon.

Meanwhile, Johanna was trying to handle the Whimsicott who playfully tried to get past her. Though whether that was their real objective or if they just wanted to play with her, she couldn’t quite deduce, for they certainly seemed more focused on messing with her than getting past her. And their loud laughter seemed to agree with that assessment.

Lugw4RDW

---

TLDR:
- Sleeps lightly, but hears the rumbling.
- Sees pink Pokémon, tries to pet.
- After meal goes with the group.
- Makes her Trevenant work on the BERRY PLOTS while she deals with Whimsicott.

@tag

She managed to dodge, she was safe and so was Anat the Blastoise for now. But she saw others around her who weren’t as fortunate. Eyes shut wide open in horror as those hit by the digitalization beams turned into data and disappeared.

She felt panic rising, overwhelmed with everything she wanted to just curl up into a ball and pretend that everything was going to be alright. But she knew she couldn’t. She couldn’t give up like that. She had Pokémon back home that expected her return, not to mention Megan would surely wonder what became of her, not to mention her mother.

Still, her panic fought bravely for control, which only helped when something out of a horror movie started to happen to those whose devices were used. Luckily it seemed other people had that little bit under control if one could make such a claim.

Not having to deal with the doppelgangers offered her some small measure of time to notice her surroundings, such details as the dispelling of the dome, and the sudden file attached to her. For a brief moment, she wondered how a file could be attached to her since she was of flesh and blood. She was of flesh and blood, right? She touched the file, popping it open briefly watching it before it closed once more. Johanna decided that it was better to not think too much about the details.

She recalled Blastoise back into her Pokéball before she began to move along with the group. It didn’t take long before she came upon three branching paths. She didn’t know which one to pick, the labels told her nothing about what she would be heading into. But perhaps that was the point. She watched where everyone was going. It seemed a lot of people were going for terminal 1 or 2. But if they needed to do all the terminals then someone would have to do Terminal 3. With a sigh, she decided to do so, though she would’ve preferred a group to hide in.

And so she began to move down TERMINAL 3.


accTR8Ke

TLDR:
- Just panicky watching all the chaos around her.
- Looks at the file.
- Recalls Anat the Blastoise back into Pokéball.
- Follows the group.
- Picks the path leading to TERMINAL 3 (Ultra Beasts)

@tag

It’s funny how priorities change what one does and doesn’t notice. Talk of Dimension hopping, Father Winter, Granite Cave? Barely registers on Johanna’s radar, not even a nervous blip besides her initial confusion. But when the conversation turned to Legendary Pokémon, well she was all ears.

Gavin’s confirmation eased her somewhat, right up until he mentioned Team Rocket. Her eyes shot open and her mouth dropped, for a moment she was about to admit the same, but she stopped herself just in time, though she hoped it hadn’t been too obvious. She figured if he was a higher-up and knew she was a part, then there was no reason for her to admit it and if he didn’t, well, she couldn’t step on his toes if he didn’t know she worked under him.

Not long after, Gavin’s words were welcomed by Skylar’s threat. Yes, threat, for that was how Johanna perceived it. She even noticed the plural usage of legendary. Alas, this time she was too slow to stick her nose into a matter which was maybe better left unanswered? Instead, she simply hid in the background and watched the conversation unfold.

@tag

Thoughts and expectations whirled in her head as she took a deep breath before going down into the water. But being digitized was definitely not one of them. Time felt like it was slowing down. Her body felt like it was being pulled in opposite directions, like spaghetti being slung around by the firm hand of an experienced cook. Time and Spaghetti-contortion were feelings she could deal with, but by far the worst of it was the sensation of her innards squeezing, threatening to show to the world what little food she had eaten before coming here.

And then suddenly it all came to a halt as she landed upon something which felt like a thick pane of glass, soon followed by her trusty Blastoise. Johanna spun around, gazing in amazement at all of the Blockscape surrounding them only stopping when the image and voice of some scientist type began to speak.

Of course, it was an avalanche of information she had to suddenly take in. Universal BACK-UP plan, DRK TRIAD, ORIGIN POINT. Though it was all too overwhelming for her. She listened all the same. Luckily her Blastoise was nearby. Nervously she stepped closer to it. Found comfort in its size and ability to protect her.

For a brief moment, they had respite as a riddle was shown to them. Oh no, not another riddle! Johanna found herself thinking. And then the Porygon began their offense against them. Both Blastoise and Johanna tried to dodge the best they could, but neither were particularly graceful about it.

While the Blastoise did its best to dodge, it wasn’t about to let the Porygon have the time of their life. And so returned fire with WATER GUN!

Meanwhile, Johanna was too busy trying to stay alive to think much of the riddle. But one by one she heard people say what they thought was the answer. She realized perhaps they all had to say the word for them to escape and so quickly chatot’ed with those around her. “Data?” Of course, she was in no way certain and her voice reflected that.

6qbY|X4t

TLDR:
- Lands on the platform and looks around
- Listens to speech
- Tries to survive
- Answers riddle.