Colton tried to keep his expression stoic, but his nerves were very quickly getting to him as the woman straightened up, inadvertently floating upwards slightly. His uncertainty was clearly bleeding through onto his face, as sweat beaded on his brow an dhis knuckles turned white as he gripped even harder onto Bourdon's body. She was quick to give her ultimatum, warning Colton to back off to avoid getting hurt. That, combined with the lackadaisical attitude she had towards him, made it readily apparent that she considered him little more than a nuisance.

And that made something in Colton just snap.

"D-Don't underestimate me!" he shouted, his uncertainty now mixed with anger and resolve. He wasn't just going to back down, not when the Seal Stone was so close and he had a chance to show he was more than just the guy in the lab. "Bourdon! Block!" The Bronzong let out a powerful gong, its arms lifting upwards as a barrier formed around the four of them.

"If you want to get to the Stone, then you're going to have to get through me!"

ana fell

OOC: Battle
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 70 MP

Colton smiled as Gunner eagerly took the auto lockpicker. Perhaps he had aimed a little high with showing off his unorthodox, almost bioengineered tools so early. Compared to the lockpicker, they were very out of the box, both in their application and how he came up with them. Likely, that wouldn't stop him from studying Pokémon to glean inspiration from, but he would probably try and reel it back in the future. More voice changers and less "Dittos in a jar."

"If not Ditto, potential disguise tech could be derived from Zorua and Zoroark..." he thought for a moment as he watched the agent mess around with the gadget. With each press of the button, a different tool would pop out, showing its all in one capability for nearly every kind of lock imaginable. "Better to have it and not need it, I say," he remarked, shrugging his shoulders.

Colton nodded appreciatively as he accepted the lockpicker back and set it back down on the table next to him. "Just glad to be of service, I guess. If you've got any particular needs, feel free to bring them up and I'll try and make something for you. One's that are...less off putting, too."

Gunner Graves

Colton took a look back over the supplies as Hideo stated that he didn't really know what they were moving. Inadvertently, the researcher ran through his mental checklist again as his eyes flicked between each object. "Water, medical equipment, healing items for Pokémon, stuff like that. Just trying to keep the people on the frontline going as the battle goes on," he explained before looking at the supplies on the front cart. It was his own equipment that he was carting along so he could perform repairs on communication equipment at one of the camps.

"What muscle you can provide is very helpful. I'm not the best battler by a long shot, so another hand to keep this stuff protected is always appreciated," Colton said, smiling with an appreciative nod. The Ultra Deep Sea was a dangerous place, just about the most dangerous place he could ever think about delving into. Teeming with Rockets and dangerous Pokémon all around, plus...whatever lay in the furthest depths of this place. It was lucky that gravity operated in such a weird fashion, as an unwilling fall into those depths could very well spell the breaking of ones' mind long before their body.

Colton shuddered for a moment before waving Burnout forward. "Onward and downward, yeah?"

Hideo Kino

OOC: Cargo 1/2
10 MP (Paranoia), 10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 80 MP

Colton adjusted his glasses with his free hand, taking another cursory look around the area as he floated along, his free hand latched onto the ring atop his Bronzong's head while his legs dangled free. While it wasn't exactly fast, but it was reliable in the strange way gravity worked in this world. At the very least, Bourdon didn't seem too bothered by having to pull him along or even by the space around it. Bronzong were supposedly from another world or universe, so maybe this was right up its alley.

"Not too much farther now, bud. Supposedly, the seal stone is close by," he said, back to scanning around. Bourdon let out a rumbling gong of confirmation, continuing to float along entirely nonplussed. At least, he didn't look bothered, but it was hard to tell when it didn't really have a face to begin with.

It had been seemed a little too easy. No Rockets, no Ultra Beasts attempting to jump him, no eldritch brain shivers to send him spiraling down into madness. Everything was going smoothly. And that meant that something was going to happen.

Something dressed in a strange red and black two tone outfit with playing card suits emblazoned across it.

Colton's gaze locked onto the woman hopping between cover, a Gengar bouncing along happily next to her. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he silently directed Bourdon to float a little lower. What was it with people he met and them wearing such strange outfits? "Keep it steady, Bourdon. We'll have to be smart about this..." he said quietly. He was certain she would spot him floating in only a moment or two, so he tried to draw himself up and appear just as large as he was able to.

"Is it safe to assume that we're both here for the same reason?"

ana fell

OOC: Battle
50 MP (Participation), 10 MP (IC Post)

Colton nodded, already looking to the transmitter. His mind was racing through what potential problems or solutions might be. His stance relaxed as he approached it, kneeling down as his Pokémon moved up behind him. Just a cursory glance gave him no indication as to what went wrong, as nothing appeared damaged save the side paneling being opened up to expose the wiring.

"I should be able to, yes, barring any unforeseen circumstances," he answered, waving Arti over with one hand while retrieving a small knife with his other hand. Very carefully, he cut open the rubber casing around each wire, exposing just a little bit of it. "Run through the wires and see if you can't find the issue, Arti." The Rotom obeyed, leaving its preferred washing machine body and zipping into the transmitter as Colton reached into the box that had been on top of Arti's head, pulling out an Ohmeter.

He carefully set up the pins against each wire, checking the feedback received from each one as his Pokémon's electricity ran through them.

PENELOPE LIVY

OOC: Comms 1/2
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 70 MP

Colton's look of frustration fell away as Gunner remarked on his surprise, replaced by an amused smile as he took the container back. He knew his thought process when it came to making stuff was a little on the odd side, especially with his rather...mechanical way of looking at living creatures. "Probably not what I've made, but Pokémon have incredibly unique biology among the different species. It's very inspiring in terms of creating things for humans to use," he replied, he said with a shrug. "Not everything I make is so out of the box."

Colton pulled open a drawer next to him, pulling out a small, handheld device with a button at the top. "Last thing for now and I think it's probably more your speed, at least in trying to wrap your brain around trying to figure out 'why' I made it in the first place," he described, pressing the button on the top. In response, four mechanical legs popped out of the sides, with two metal sticks popped out of the center. "Auto lock picker, skeleton key, whatever you want to call it. Just place it on the lock in question, press this button, and it'll cycle through the tools inside until it gets the right ones for the job."

Gunner Graves

Colton stood at the entrance to the base, staring at the black Charizard blasting fire from its mouth at the opposite end of the cave. The golden coins glittered with each Flamethrower that burst from its mouth, a bit too much to be proper gold. He had to admit, it all fit together quite thematically, which could only mean that the real treasure was still under the dragon's protection.

Arti floated up behind him, its grin broad as it looked around the room. The Rotom was quite the opposite of its trainer, always much more excited to see new places and find new people to mess with and these secret base hunts had been the greatest thing Arti had experienced. "Well...might as well get that flag while we're here. At least it'll make the heat worth it," Colton said, prompting his Rotom to spin in the air cheerfully as the pair walked their way up to the Charizard.

Colton watched it rear its head back, flames building up in its mouth. He waited until just before it began to lean forward before pointing. "Hydro Pump!" he shouted. Arti's door flipped open, water gushing out to meet the Flamethrower and snuffing the fire out before it could ever really start. Colton picked up his pace, his Rotom right behind him as another command left his mouth. "Shockwave!"

A pulse of electricity left Arti's body, rolling over the Charizard and making its muscles seize for a moment, just enough time for Colton to reach it. Sweat dripped down his forehead as his gaze met the Charizard's, his fist clenched as he hoped his gamble payed off. After a few tense moments, the black dragon relaxed and held out a flag for Colton and with how quickly the tension left his body, the poor guy almost fell over as a sudden sense of fatigue overtook his body.

GUARDIAN POKEMON: Colton's Rotom-Wash, disguised as a normal washing machine among the other Rotom appliances throughout the room.

DECORATIONS: It appears to look like a typical college dorm or apartment, which contrasts pretty heavily with the ancient machinery and metal outside of the door. It is furnished with a comfy couch, TV, a small bed, a desk with a computer, a kitchenette and a washing machine and dryer. Notably, some of the appliances are part of an old brand, distinctive for their orange coloring, that hasn't been made in quite a few years

TRAPS: The REAL FLAG is found by interacting with the washing machine, after which Arti will fully possess it again and gift the flag to you. Interacting with any of the other appliances, a fitting elemental blast is blown into your face, though nothing incredibly hot or cold to actually cause bodily harm. Only a bit of soot, frost, or grass clippings will cling to your face and clothes.

Colton huffed as he struggled under the weight of the box he was carrying, his cheeks puffed out and his face red. After a few unsteady steps, he dropped it into the cart that had been strapped to his Revavroom. Burnout didn't seem bothered in the slightest, at least, his tongue happily hanging out of his mouth as his cylinders rumbled excitedly. "Okay...I think that's everything for this run," Colton said, wiping the sweat from his brow and cleaning his glasses with a cloth that had been tucked into his pocket.

Well, it was everything for now. Colton was well aware these supplies would only go so far before they needed more from outside Ultra Space, if those even made it. Just as many that made it through to their encampments were taken out by Team Rocket, which only served to strain their resources even more. He supposed it was only a matter of time before he was assigned on a run, which had his nerves on edge. Tramping through Ultra Space with the threat of attack hanging over his head was already a lot, but it being coupled with vital supplies being tethered to him was just about to hit his upper limit.

Really, the only reason he elected to pull himself back up by his bootstraps and keep from complaining was the fact that he had been assigned to running supplies with a child.

Colton looked over at Hideo Kino , uncertainty flashing across his face for the briefest of moments before he looked back down at the cargo and went through a mental checklist. While it was a little off putting, he supposed if the kid wasn't capable, then he wouldn't have been here in the first place. "There anything else we need before we take the plunge?"

OOC: Cargo 1/2
50 MP (Participation), 10 MP (IC Post)

Colton's lips drew thin at the answer the man gave him, partially out of annoyance for the sarcasm and partially because it didn't exactly lift any suspicions he had for the man. It felt more mocking than anything, a challenge to try and accuse him of wrong doing and what consequences that may entail. "Not exactly a whole lot of people handing out candy down here, is there? You're not going to come back with a very good haul," he replied, electing to try and match his attitude as he continued to awkwardly try and dance around anything direct. He needed to try and meticulously pull apart the man's façade before doing anything concrete.

The man's explanation wasn't the worst thing in the world, at least. No one was really going to arrest someone for pulling scrap out of abandoned areas of a power plant, save maybe GMH. Maybe he had just jumped to conclusions, born partially out of a selfish possessiveness over an area he had deemed "his." But, the man's off putting attire also played a large part, so Colton couldn't be entirely to blame. "Depending on where you found it, it's not entirely out of the question my own money has lined your pockets once or twice. The tech in these older parts in unprecedented and its hard to just let it slip by."

Colton hesitated for a moment at the question, his eyes narrowing slightly. It was bait, certainly, but bait he couldn't argue with. While he'd never attempted to smuggle tech he was certain GMH would confiscate out, the temptation was always there. He simply shook his head, though. "I can't risk it. I'm on good standing with GMH and I can't risk them barring me from entering in the future."

Isaac Merlo

Colton shook his head, his self satisfied smile growing, only to fall again as he thought about how annoying it had been to actually create the cream. "In a sense, the best way to look at this stuff is a non-sentient, non-living Ditto, with just the barest bit of a thought process to actually make it react to the environment. That's what makes it capable of changing itself in the first place," he described. There was a more technical description of how exactly it was capable of such feats, a long, boring explanation about synthesized DNA and electrical signals sent through the body to power it, but it would probably fly over Gunner's head. Just so long as it worked, then that was enough.

"Pattern recognition, essentially. Hands talk all different shapes and sizes and once it's found a thread to follow, it can smartly sift through the various prints on the sensor to stitch together the correct shape," Colton answered. "That's really the only real downside to it. It needs a bit of time to properly recreate the pattern, but it'll hold that pattern until you clean your hand off."

He wiped his own finger clean, his gaze focused on the container as he let out a frustrated sigh. "There's a lot of improvements I could make, especially if I could crack being able to change your appearance as a disguise, but I don't want to push it too far and just start synthesizing actual Dittos that I stick in a jar," he said, crossing his arms over his chest as his brow furrowed.

Gunner Graves

Colton nervously smoothed out the wrinkles in his lab coat, his heart thumping in his chest as he was led into the encampment. He felt like the entire weight of the world was on his shoulders, despite the issue being with the communications going out to the actual leaguers that were doing battle. At least, he was helping, even if it was in his own, small way.

Colton's body went stiff when he was introduced to the council woman, unsure if he should salute or bow as a greeting to her. Both seemed a bit too formal, though, so he simply nodded his head. "Happy to be of service. Where do you want me to start looking? Or is there any particular spots of exposed, frayed wires?" he asked, looking over his shoulder as he did. Behind him, Arti floated up, a box of tools balanced on its head while Burnout pulled a cart of tools behind himself, as well. Perhaps it might have been too much, but when it came to electronics, there were any numbers of potential problems.

Better safe than sorry.

PENELOPE LIVY

OOC: Comms 1/2
50 MP (Participation), 10 MP (IC Post)