Mila's hands cradling his face should have reassured Gunner, but he felt the tremble in her fingers, too. Wordlessly, he leaned forward to wrap his arms around her in a fierce embrace, mindful of the cables. He pressed his face into her neck and closed his eyes. [break][break]

Dark gear and masks. Team Rocket, he thought. There was no other explanation. [break][break]

I'll kill them, he promised. Every last one of them. [break][break]

But out loud, Gunner said into Mila's skin, "Don't worry about them anymore. You're safe. You're with me now." [break][break]

He planned to ask her later why she'd been down in the Giant Chasm in the first place, but he knew that moment was not the time. She needed rest, not him haranguing her.

TAGS – mila alexopoulos[break]
NOTES – social

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Gunner sighed. Not for the first time, he found himself frustrated by Ollie's naïveté. The Amnesty Program was a complex machine; therefore, it only possessed complex problems. To Gunner, it sounded like Ollie was looking for a simple solution. [break][break]

"Those problems are above my pay grade. If you want to look for solutions, talk to the Council. Talk to Miss Livy." [break][break]

After all, the HBIC's participation in the Amnesty Program came down to decisions made by its director. [break][break]

For a split-second, Gunner thought about not saying the following words, but anger and spite tempted them out. He could not help, also, that it was also a perfect opportunity to scold Ollie for his childishness. [break][break]

"And, you know, sometimes we don't all want to work together."

TAGS – ollie morales[break]
NOTES – social

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Jack's voice crackled over the comms at the same moment Gunner spied the Genesect in the distance through the window. The agent tensed, certain that the airstrike would happen any minute now. [break][break]

"Got it. I see them," he confirmed before flipping off his microphone and addressing the stragglers. "Keep moving! Quickly! We need everyone out of here as soon as possible!" [break][break]

In the hallway, Gunner reconvened with Jack. They took up the rear of the crowd as they hurried down the stairs and out through a side door of Petalburg General. Emerging from the building, the sounds of battle from elsewhere in the city intensified. [break][break]

"We need to clear everyone away from the building," Gunner said, turning to Jack. "That way, we won't risk more injured from falling—" [break][break]

He never finished his sentence. A thunderous whoosh drowned out all other sound as a squad of Genesect bore down upon the hospital and the people fleeing it. TECHNO BLASTS shot through the air, obliterating stone and metal. [break][break]

Inside, three statues were pulverized into dust.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – the first wave: prelude[break][break]

[break]

MP EARNED[break]
+50 MP: showcase your own character's strength(s) meaningfully.

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Gunner tried to be patient with Ollie, but when the Head Ranger revealed his idea, the agent instantly hated it. [break][break]

"I'm not babysitting your defectors so they don't suffer the consequences of their own choices, Ollie," Gunner said, bristling. "It's bad enough we have to check on them like children who need reminders to do their homework or go to bed on time." [break][break]

The last person he'd had to perform check-ins on for the Amnesty Program was Chu-e Choi. Seeing the former Rocket's face every month had been too much. Too infuriating. And then he'd disappeared in between meetings. [break][break]

The League should have just executed Chu-e right away, in Gunner's opinion.

TAGS – ollie morales[break]
NOTES – social

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Gunner finished calling in backup to pick up the captured Rockets when Greyson asked about Penelope. Gunner raised an eyebrow at the other man, startled by the sudden inquiry. It wasn't relevant to their operation, as far as he was aware. [break][break]

"She's fine," Gunner said, though he wasn't sure how accurate that was. [break][break]

The past several months had taken their toll on her. Between losing to several Avatars aligned with Team Rocket, a temporary blinding at the hands of Naomi Sato, and her imprisonment by the Never-Rot, Penelope's mental state was questionable at best. [break][break]

But that wasn't Greyson's business, was it? [break][break]

"Why do you ask?"

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – mission

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Gunner jogged through the pediatric ward of Petalburg General, peeking into every open doorway to ensure each patient had already left or was on their way out. Isaac Merlo's ominous report echoed in his head: a Genesect airstrike was on its way to the hospital, and everyone inside had to evacuate. [break][break]

"Wainwright!" Gunner called out when he spotted the Ranger in a room with a father and child who hadn't yet left. "I've got this here. Can you check that there aren't any kids who aren't being escorted by a nurse or guardian?" [break][break]

Though the agent was not good with kids himself, he'd undergone plenty of training for emergencies over his years working for the HBIC. Civilian evacuations had to be quick and orderly, and those who did not comply could not be coerced. [break][break]

So Gunner crouched next to the crying little girl and reassured both her and her father that they would be okay. Neither doubt nor fear had room in his behavior or demeanor; the terrified people who counted on him would know otherwise. [break][break]

Beside him, his Bayleef released a small cloud of AROMATHERAPY to calm the child—enough to quiet her so she and her father could leave.

TAGS – jack wainwright[break]
NOTES – the first wave: prelude[break][break]

[break]

MP EARNED[break]
+50 MP: showcase your own character's strength(s) meaningfully.

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The Amnesty Program. [break][break]

Gunner stiffened, his serious expression darkening with a thin-lipped frown. Though their conversation hadn't exactly been an enjoyable one up to that point, it was not about to improve. [break][break]

"I don't know how much of a help I can be about it," he said, his words sharper and more clipped than usual. He forced himself to eat some sweet potato fries before he could lose his appetite completely. "Are you having problems with it?" [break][break]

At his feet, his Umbreon raised her head as she sensed her trainer's growing irritation.

TAGS – ollie morales[break]
NOTES – social

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Gunner grew still as he listened to Ollie's confession. He waited until a break in his friend's thoughts before heaving a sigh and saying, "I'm only good at war because I chose it, Ollie. Not at first, but when war was forced upon me, I decided I couldn't look away." [break][break]

The agent knew he couldn't compare to paxton concordas, who had grown up in Kanto. A year spent living there as a foreigner was an experience that paled in comparison to having the comforts and joys of home ripped out from their hands. [break][break]

But when Gunner considered the life he could have had with the woman he'd loved, it all came down to the same thing, for him. [break][break]

"And if I don't fight well in the war, then do the people I care about really deserve me?" [break][break]

He thought about GIDEON GRAVES. About mila alexopoulos.

TAGS – ollie morales[break]
NOTES – social

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Gunner noted the reddening of Ollie's skin, the awkward laugh, and the deflection but said nothing. Instead, he munched on his sandwich in silence until the other man brought up the battle in the Great Chasm. [break][break]

"Yeah. Against Fiorelli and Cross." [break][break]

That was how the HBIC connected the dots between Wyndon Pharmaceuticals, jayden cross, and the Avatar of Chien-Pao. [break][break]

Ollie's soft confession prompted a raised eyebrow from Gunner. "Do what well?" the agent asked.

TAGS – ollie morales[break]
NOTES – social

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Gunner rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling the start of a headache forming between his eyes. "I had noticed Miss Livy wasn't in the office. If she's not answering even your texts, then that's definitely concerning." [break][break]

He tried not to make a habit of prying into his boss' private life or free time. PENELOPE LIVY could go wherever she wanted without him keeping close tabs on her, and she could talk with whomever she wanted, too. [break][break]

Gunner knew about her close relationship with ollie morales—or, at least, he suspected it. But he'd never bothered asking about it. [break][break]

"If Team Rocket are the culprits, then they're going to have a difficult time keeping the Avatar of Chi-Yu under lock and key," he said, hoping to sound reassuring and confident. "We can count on her to escape with the others, though that shouldn't mean we should stop looking."

TAGS – ollie morales[break]
NOTES – social

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The sudden explosion threw Gunner off his feet, knocking him onto the hard ground. For a moment, he saw only darkness and heard only a high-pitched ringing. The dark silhouette of an older man swam into his clearing vision. Any words, however, came through muffled, as if he were hearing them from deep underwater. [break][break]

Still, he knew an enemy when he saw one. Rising despite the aches across his body, he recalled his Ditto and released a different Pokémon: his Claydol. [break][break]

"Tom," Gunner wheezed. His own voice sounded so distant, he wasn't sure if he was actually speaking. "Stop that man from leaving." [break][break]

The Pokémon's eyes flashed with psychic energy. An IMPRISON wrapped around the stranger. [break][break]

TAGS – state of the region 2024[break]
NOTES[break]
– Ditto swapped out for Claydol[break]
– Claydol uses IMPRISON on the leader of the Rockets

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Gunner knew that tone of voice. The somberness that governed his demeanor turned even graver as Gideon's gaze hardened. It was not a look Gunner often saw in his older brother, but he knew what it meant. [break][break]

When Gideon extended the folded paper to him, he expected the worst. And considering the letter's contents, it may as well have been. [break][break]

When Gunner finished reading, he met his brother's unrelenting stare with one of his own. When he spoke, his voice was steely. Determined. If Gideon wanted the truth, he would hear the truth. [break][break]

"The terrorist known as Naomi Sato was seen working in concert with a known Team Rocket operative. The same one who attacked you, in fact." [break][break]

"Councilwoman Livy and I fought them together several weeks ago. Unfortunately, Sato and her accomplice escaped."

TAGS – GIDEON GRAVES[break]
NOTES – mission

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When Beau's little Kubfu evolved into an Urshifu and started his smackdown on the Mega Metagross, Gunner could not help but whoop with excitement. "Fuck yes! That's more like it!" [break][break]

The battle continued, but Beau's movement toward his fallen Pangoro caught Gunner's eye. Growing somber, the agent joined his companion, his Bayleef following. She lowered her head toward Torben as the scent of spices wafted from the leaves around her neck. A HEAL PULSE washed over the ursine Pokémon. [break][break]

"He'll make it," Gunner promised, though he had absolutely no idea if that was true; Torben's wounds looked severe. Still, he squeezed Beau's shoulder reassuringly.

TAGS – Beau Fontaine[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]