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A pokemon he had never seen before was released from its ball. It was odd looking, almost like someone had forced together the pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit. He wondered what it was, or if it was some trick of the eyes. Even after a few blinks, the pokemon still stood between its trainer and his metagross. It was definitely real, but there was something about being inside the rift that made things worse. It was like the rift itself was trying every possible way to reject his very being.[break][break]



He wanted to make the first move, to order his pokemon to strike with ferocity but he had no chance to; his opponent shouted his orders and his pokemon took off, wreathed in flame as it slammed right into the Metagross. The steel/psychic type groaned in pain, after all a fire type move was a good choice to use against a steel type like Metagross. This was going was indeed going to be ugly.[break][break]



“Retaliate with Zen Headbutt!”[break][break]



The Iron Leg Pokemon roared in response to the order, a dome of psychic energy covering its face as it attempted to charge into the Silvally headfirst.[break][break]

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Kaname was nervous, it was the normal kind of nervous you get when doing a job for your secretive shadow organization hell bent on conquering a region; which is to say, very nervous. He was white knuckling the steering wheel, driving through sleepy little Dewford Town as quickly as he could legally manage. There was no reason for him to be nervous, this was a simple enough mission and it wasn’t like he was alone if things went south; though he admittedly wasn’t sure if his fellow grunt would be able to keep up.[break][break]

“To anyone who asks? We’re just making a delivery to a warehouse on the other side of town. In actuality, we’ve got a few shortwave radios to drop off before the operation starts. We deliver them to the communications teams and they do their thing.” Kaname rattled off a lengthy explanation, probably a bit too verbose but what was done, was done.[break][break]

“It’s easy enough, so if we fuck it up… Walsh and the Underbosses will have our hides.” It was a grim thought that escaped his lips, a personal fear Kaname had. Failure wouldn’t be an option today.[break][break]

There was a proverbial record scratch when Kouji opened his mouth the second time. Kaname was silent for several seconds, unsure of what to say after a statement like that. “Right, well, I wish you the best…”, was all he managed to offer. He momentarily shifted his complete attention back to the road as he slowed the vehicle down, flicking the turn signal on as he made a left hand turn into a suburb.[break][break]

The silence felt thicker now, heavier with awkwardness. The kid, and he was basically just a kid, was probably genuine but it didn’t change how weird of a remark that was. Then again, he thought, he was the same kind of person. He was going to become Head Scientist, no questions about it.[break][break]

“I respect your drive, so you should know I’m going to become the head scientist one day…” It was his proverbial olive branch, a way of apologizing without apologizing.[break][break]

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Silence, that’s all that he could offer the other. It was rhetorical, of course, but there was nothing he could say that would matter here.[break][break]



It’s a shame though, he was a decent looking man with a sob story. That was his type. If things were different, if they were together in some bar… Kaname might’ve bought him a drink. Even tried to soothe him. It wouldn’t be kindness that motivated him; on the contrary, it was a desire to control that drove him. After all, you can put together a broken toy however you want to.[break][break]



That’s what this was about for him. The chance to rise up the ranks, to gain power, that’s all that mattered here. So if he had to flatter, to lie, to make empty promises to get by… he would. If it meant he had to steel his resolve and prepare for the worst, he would. He wasn’t going to be some nobody forever.[break][break]



He wanted to interject, he wanted to say something sharp and venomous. However, the introduction of a strange phrase and the sudden disappearance of the Gallade shattered the fragile facade he was internalizing. He whipped his head toward the rock, his shouting interrupted as he was grabbed by the other man. A surprised Medea was face to face with the knightly pokemon, who brought down a pink blade of energy onto the Orbeetle’s hard carapace, nicking it. The retaliation was swift as the seven spots on Medea’s elytra flashed brightly as she launched a wave of psychic force at the Gallade, intending to throw him back and away from her.[break][break]

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Relief washed over the Rocket grunt upon seeing Zev’s face. It surprised Kaname that a Rocket Beast had been paired with a grunt for such a simple mission, but he wasn’t about to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth. With Zev’s experience, the chance of failure lessened. [break][break]

“Down the hill, right.” Kaname echoed, standing up and glancing over at his pensive Orbeetle. There was something that made him feel uneasy about attacking a first aid station, but every fighter who returned to the battlefield only prolonged the total amount of suffering that would occur. “We’ll hit hard. For the glory of Rocket.” [break][break]

Kaname quickly followed behind Zev as he walked towards the relay station. There was a building feeling of paranoia in his heart, what if things did go wrong?[break][break]

So, Zev would go in first and cause the distraction… and he would destroy the radio. That was easy enough, right? Kaname wanted to clarify a few… finer points about what to do about the cadets and rangers staffing the station, but it was too late for that. Zev and his Gengar were swallowed in shadows, reappearing in the center of the station to unleash hell.[break][break]

And unleash hell they did. A Dazzling Gleam from the Gengar and a Brutal Swing from the sudden Hatterene was sure to cause everyone to scatter, and those who didn’t were going to suffer for it. Kaname and his Orbeetle rushed in toward the chaos. “Psychic!” The grunt shouted and the Orbeetle obliged, her seven spots glowing as it telekinetically lifted the radio array and slammed it into the ground violently.

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He was between a rock and hard place now. The voice of another man rang out, ordering him to come out from his hiding place. Kaname quietly gestures for Medea to remain hidden and begins to slowly slink out from behind the rock like a child caught red handed. In his mind there was no other choice than to reveal himself, the man would either come to him or he could go to them. [break][break]

“Very astute, to trust your partner’s senses.” He remarks calmly, nodding toward the Gallade as he now stood beside the rock. Behind the calm exterior he was attempting to present, Kaname’s mind was frantic. Beads of sweat started to form across his forehead as his thoughts raced towards various solutions. “The bond between a pokemon and their trainer is important. Without that trust, how can you rely on them?” It would likely be clear that he was rambling, attempting to fill the air, to likely distract.[break][break]

“I can appreciate that you don’t like the pigs. I don’t either. That’s something we have in common.” He took a small step forward, his eyes never leaving the Gallade. “I don’t think this has to go down the way you feel it does. I’m sure there’s something I could do to help you out, so you forget about this and me.”[break][break]

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So this is the way it was going to be, so be it. Kaname knew in his gut he wasn’t getting out of this easily, but the fact that this was firm in his conviction and duty to the League was almost respectable. Perhaps it would’ve been admirable, if they weren’t about to be locked in battle for their livelihoods. Regardless of what the grunt thought of his opponent, he knew he had to survive and escape. Anything less than that was unacceptable.[break][break]

His apologies meant nothing. Regardless of Maverick’s tone, his words felt empty as they hit Kaname. As far as he was concerned, he was another dog of the League that would be dealt with in time.[break][break]

“So be it, then.” He produced the ball from his pocket and was ready to unleash his pokemon when a stream of light flashed and a tall, broad-shouldered pokemon appeared. The black-and-white pokemon, one Kaname had never seen before, displayed his strength with a few earth-shaking stomps and roared into the cavernous heavens, but it was when the panda-like pokemon took the stance of seasoned fighter that Kaname felt fear boil up in his chest. The Rocket grunt squeezed the pokeball in his hand, hesitating for a mere second before pressing the button and unleashing his own fighter; in a ray of light appeared the Mediate Pokemon. His Medicham did not display his ferocity or strength but instead balanced on one leg, his hands clasped together like he was in a state of prayer.[break][break]

Beneath that peaceful looking state, there was a warrior ready to commence combat.[break][break]

“Medicham, use Force Palm.” The grunt commanded and the Mediate Pokemon’s stance changed, adopting a more aggressive stance as it bounded forward on powerful legs. Upon closing the distance, Medicham would thrust a glowing blue hand toward the Urshifu’s abdomen; hoping to strike it and unleash a burst of concussive energy on contact.[break][break]

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He scowled under the mask. Go? Going was never an option for him; there was too much at stake here to run off. The seal stone, his own personal goals, his social standing… they were all at risk if he left now.[break][break]

“I’m afraid I can’t leave.” He replied, producing a pokeball from his pocket. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t go. I’m willing to let you turn around and leave…,” he pauses for a brief second, releasing his Metagross from its pokeball. “Otherwise things will have to get ugly.” As he spoke, the Iron Leg Pokémon moved to position itself in front of its trainer. [break][break]

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Sneaking through Dewford Town was not an easy task, not in the slightest. The town itself had become host to a warzone and was swarming with League officials and frantic civilians. This had been to Kaname’s advantage, the chaos of a warzone meant that invariably someone would be able to slip through the cracks. It just so happened that one Kaname Fujihara had managed to do just that; thanks to a little lying and a little hypnosis from Medea, the Orbeetle, he’d been able to bypass a checkpoint and make his way to Granite Cave.[break][break]



“It’s by sheer luck that they bought that lie,” he murmured, returning his mask to his face. Medea promptly responded with a low ‘hissss’ as they approached the entrance to Granite Cave. ”What is it? In all the years of owning Medea, Kaname knew that she was not a vocal creature; so the fact that she would emit such a sound made him nervous.[break][break]

What could’ve upset her to cause such a reaction? Kaname did not plan on staying put to find out, he quickly gestured for the Orbeetle to be silent and join him as he ducked behind a large rock on the beach. The entrance to Granite Cave was so close, yet it felt so far away; if he could just wait out whatever bothered Medea, perhaps the two of them could make a run for it and reach the Primal Rift inside.

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The sound of Phantom Force was unfamiliar to Kaname, who resolved that it was just the sound of wind passing through tree branches. It wasn’t until his orbeetle alerted him with a psychic wave of what could be best described as anxiety that he realized someone had arrived. He quickly whipped around to face Zev Harcourt , unsure of the allegiance of the man wearing black combat gear and a full face mask.[break][break]

Kaname quickly relaxed when asked to confirm his identity. No one, save for another Rocket, should know his name. “I am,” he responded, eyeing his masked compatriot. “And you are?” In his mind, it was best to just confirm before they set off. Meanwhile the grunt's Orbeetle regarded the Gengar with caution, her compound eyes trained on the Shadow pokemon.

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The beating of his heart rang like a cacophony in ears. To say Kaname felt on edge would be understatement; it would be more apt to say he felt like he, personally, was being kicked around by fate itself. First, at Granite Cave, then at the edge of the Interdream Zone, and now separated from any other Rocket members as he wandered the Ultra Deep Sea in a desperate effort to reunite with members of his team. [break][break]

Kaname clutched a pokeball in his hand as he walked through the cavernous Ultra Deep Sea. He was careful to avoid anything that looked even mildly suspicious, creeping around entanglements of seaweed or avoiding paths all together due to his own rising paranoia. That paranoia had led him here, down a path he thought was safe and would direct him out of harm’s way for a brief moment of respite… but he was oh so wrong. Another’s voice rang out, commanding him to identify himself or else, the man would be mandated to take him to League officials.[break][break]

His rather large Hounddoom began to bark and snarl, causing Kaname to recoil. His heart jumped in his chest and adrenaline flooded his body. A moment of fight or flight and like hell he was getting captured now. He’d come too far and gone on too long for it to end like this. Kaname wouldn’t let this potential conflict stop him either, there had to be another way.[break][break]

“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Kaname reasoned, his voice wavering as he stared down the unmasked man. “We don’t have to fight, we could both go our separate ways. You never saw me. I never saw you. Both of us, and our pokemon, get to live another day… It could be a win-win.”

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His heartbeat was loud in his ears, but narrowly avoiding death would do that to you. He found himself on the edge of the interdream zone again, that wretched world leaking into reality that writhed and fluctuated of its own volition.[break][break]

There was a little part of him fascinated by the nature of the realm, but he had little time to concern himself with metaphysics of the interdream zone. The mere fact he’d found another person so shortly after his first encounter made his anxiety very nearly erupt into paranoia. And the mask he was wearing would all but give him away as a Rocket.[break][break]

“You could say that…” Kaname murmured, slipping a hand into a pocket and grasping a pokeball just in case. ”It’s far more dangerous than you realize.” He wasn’t threatening the other man, it was just a statement of fact. This was war, and no one was safe.[break][break]

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Dewford Town, “a tiny island in the blue sea” or at least that’s what the tagline for the town said. Normally a quaint and quiet little island had become the staging ground for conflict between the Pokemon League and Team Rocket. The reason? The gaping dimensional wound that laid in Granite Cave contained resources that both factions desired, so much so they turned this island into a warzone.[break][break]

The thought of it all made Kaname anxious. Like a magikarp out of water, he was out of his natural element; after all this was a far cry from the labs he was used to. Still, he’d been assigned a mission and he intended to carry it out. He and another Rocket were assigned to locate and disrupt a League communications array. It was a simple enough task but one still posed a good deal of risk if they fucked it up.[break][break]



Kaname was waiting on the outskirts of Dewford Town, crouched down in a wooded area near the beach. Admittedly, he wasn’t the best at stealth but he was doing his best, hidden behind some bushes near the rendezvous point, waiting for any sign of a fellow Rocket’s arrival. Kaname's orbeetle floated quietly nearby, scanning the area for any signs of movement.[break][break]

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