[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

He was prepared for anything, his eyes fixed on the entrance of the hideout with Volt sticking close to his side. However, he couldn't see much from his position behind the gym leader, so he wasn't exactly sure what had hit the ground. Judging by the size of the thud, it couldn't have been a person; it didn't sound big enough. It also couldn't have been something very small unless it was heavy, so maybe it was a camera?
[break][break]
As they all moved around the corner, he finally got to see what it was and realized that his hypothesis was correct. It had indeed been a camera, another security camera. He hoped they wouldn't come across too many of those.
[break][break]
Already braced, he didn't react when he saw two rocket grunts as the doors opened. He had kind of expected to run into some of them sooner or later, so it didn't come as a surprise. After all, it would be too much to hope that they could get in and out without being noticed.
[break][break]
His eyes fixed on the rocket grunts, he barely paid any attention to Volt moving past him or the actions Josh took. The rocket grunts were the most obvious threat, at least to him.
[break][break]
What he wasn't expecting was the use of Bullet Seed weapons, but he made sure to keep his expression neutral. Luckily, he didn't receive any damage. The Salazzle, Josh, and Volt made sure of that. The closest he came to being hit was when one of the bullets hit the wall next to him, causing him to flinch slightly. It had sounded like a whip to him.
[break][break]
Wary of any more threats, he decided enough was enough. "Volt, do you think you can send a low-powered surge of electricity to disable their weapons?"
[break][break]
Not needing to be told twice, Volt moved to a position where Josh and Fire Eyes wouldn't be in the way of his attack before sending a low-powered Spark towards the automatic weapons. The plan was to use the electricity to short out the weapons without causing any harm to the grunts, or at least any serious harm, if they got caught up in the attack.[break] Josh Devlin

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

As they descended into the depths, he kept a close eye on his surroundings. His attention was caught by a mega-evolved Slowbro, which made him frown. He hadn't realized that Pokémon could mega evolve without a trainer present. He made a mental note to stay away from it, considering that mega-evolved Pokémon could be unpredictable.
[break][break]
Since he had already decided to avoid the mega Slowbro, he simply nodded. To remain vigilant for any further dangers, he continued scanning their surroundings as they moved towards their destination. Surprisingly, they reached their destination sooner than expected, and soon they were entering the seafloor cavern.
[break][break]
Following Shalin, he dismounted and returned Jet to his Pokéball. Although he could have left Jet to wait for him, he didn't want to take any risks with the aquatic Pokémon. So, until he needed Jet, he would keep him safely inside his Pokéball.
[break][break]
After returning Jet to his Pokéball, he released Nyx from her Pokéball. "Scout ahead, but stay outside and don't attack other Pokémon. Remember, they're not a threat," he instructed the Gliscor, watching as she went off to scout as instructed.
[break][break]
With the Espeon providing light, they could follow Nyx. He could have used Celestia, his Galarian Rapidash, to light the way as well, but he thought it would be too crowded to have two large Pokémon with them. So, he decided it was best to send Nyx ahead to scout.
[break][break]
Just because their purpose was to observe didn't mean they should be careless. With Nyx scouting ahead, they hoped to avoid walking into any danger. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry.
[break][break]
As his fellow rookie mentioned a hoping the Pokémon screaming in pleasure rather than pain he was torn between tensing and his face heating up in embarrassment. Unsure how to really react he settled for a shrug, his expression giving nothing away. “I just hope we can help it out, no matter what the problem is.”[break] ORACELIES SOLAR, Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

Compliments always made him a tad uncomfortable. He had spent sixteen years never receiving one, only to receive them quite frequently over the past three years. It just wasn't something he knew how to deal with, so a lot of times he just chose not to deal with it.
[break][break]
At the moment, he was dealing with it by focusing all his attention on the Pokémon. He wanted to make sure he didn't make things worse, after all. "He probably would've been stable anyway, but it's better to be safe than sorry," he pointed out at last, deciding not to tell her that he had done it to prevent the Taillow from feeling any more pain than necessary. Not wanting to get into that again.
[break][break]
Returning to the task at hand, he didn't even pause from what he was doing as she asked her question. After answering her, he was relieved that she would be able to carry his stuff and would be careful, not that he really showed it. He did give her a nod as a way of saying thanks, though.
[break][break]
Once he had tended to the wounds to the best of his ability, he would carefully pick it up. "I'm ready now, let's go slowly. I don't want to jostle the Taillow," he said as he began to head in the direction of the Pokémon Center.[break] Mika Nakayama

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

It seemed optimism was her default. She was definitely more cheerful than he was. Then again, that wasn't exactly hard to accomplish. But it was evident in everything she did. Everything she did screamed eagerness to help. If he was being honest, he wasn't too sure how to feel about that; he had never had to deal with someone like this before, as far as he could remember anyway.
[break][break]
As she mentioned her Gengar being able to lead them away with something shiny, he nodded. It was a good idea. It would also prevent them from putting themselves at risk. Not that he really cared one way or another if he put himself at risk, but that was because he could be self-sacrificing at times.
[break][break]
While she gave her Gengar something shiny and directed him to run off with it, he kept an eye on the bird Pokémon. He waited with bated breath to see if they would fall for the plot. Luckily, they did, and he watched as they took off after the Gengar, who had gone the extra mile to get them to chase him.
[break][break]
Once they were gone, he turned back to Robin. "It wouldn't bother me; I probably won't get around to eating it until supper time tomorrow anyway. I often don't feel real hungry throughout the day," he told her. That's why he usually only ate half and saved the other half for later.
[break][break]
As she mentioned putting something up to avoid any more bird Pokémon from nesting, he nodded before releasing Nyx from her Pokéball. "Go help get the nest down so we can relocate them," he told the Gliscor, watching to make sure she followed his instructions before turning to face his partner for the mission.
[break][break]
"Do you have any ideas on how we could prevent them from returning?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her as he waited. While he could probably think of some solutions himself, he was curious about what ideas she would have.[break] robin coello

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

Though he seemed completely focused on his battle, that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention to how the older male was doing with his battle. While he was dealing with the Leavanny, he was watching Orion's battle from his peripheral vision. So, he was aware of the Silvally switching types, which he had to admit was cool but wasn't really worth the prize it took to get a Pokémon like that.
[break][break]
Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that kind of stuff, though. The Leavanny managed to land a hit on Rook, hitting the Corviknight with X-Scissor, which the steel bird was able to shrug off like it was nothing. Though to the steel bird, an attack like that was nothing.
[break][break]
Knowing the dual bug/grass type wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer, he indicated that Rook should finish it. Getting the message, Rook used Pluck against the Leavanny, causing it to faint. With that out of the way, he prepared himself to help out the older male if he needed it, though he made sure to keep an eye on the Oranguru in case it sent out another Pokémon.[break] Orion Lykos

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

Sending Jet out had been more of a subconscious decision than a thoughtful one. If he was being honest, the thought had just popped into his head and he had done it. He hadn't really even considered whether it was a good idea. The fact that she saw fit to send out her own Pokémon to help his own Pokémon let him know that sending out Jet to help him collect trash was a good move.
[break][break]
He watched his Sharpedo just long enough to make sure he would play nicely with her Marshtomp before redirecting his attention to the woman, though the praise soon had him looking away again. "You give me too much credit, I just didn't want to get my clothes wet."
[break][break]
Receiving praise had never been his forte. It didn't help that he was a pessimist. It often led to him brushing off the compliment, downplaying his own achievements, or both. It really depended on the situation and what he did. Something that often drove his grandparents crazy.
[break][break]
Silence lapsed between them for a bit with just a bit of small talk here and there. It wasn't until she mentioned being a ranger that he would look her way again. They were both rangers, what were the odds of that? What were the chances that he would just stumble across someone who was a ranger as well?
[break][break]
"Funny you should ask. I'm actually a ranger myself, well, a cadet. I'm still in training," he admitted with a small shrug before continuing. "I'm also a photographer on the side. I mostly take pictures of nature and Pokémon," he said as he added more trash to the bag.[break] @saturn

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

To be honest, before this mission came along, he hadn't given much thought to thwarting Team Rocket. Sure, he knew that the time would probably come at some point, but he hadn't really taken the time to think about it. For the most part, he had avoided thinking about it, not wanting to waste time thinking too much about people who could give his father a run for his money.
[break][break]
He knew dealing with Team Rocket wasn't a joking matter, and considering the fact that the older ranger had a sword on him, it was clear he was prepared for the possibility of things going south, of things ending on the violent side. Though hopefully, this could be resolved without any conflict.
[break][break]
Thankfully, he wasn't given much time to think about how the mission could go before they were moving on with the mission. It seemed Josh approved of his idea, even giving him pointers on how he could make his idea better. Listening to what he had to say, he nodded before following through with what he had said, using Thunder Wave to crack the lens of the cameras to make them unusable.
[break][break]
Once he had discreetly disposed of security cameras on his end, he regrouped with the gym leader. Upon meeting up with him, he noticed that he had a Salazzle out of her Pokéball. Eying the Pokémon briefly, he returned his attention to Josh for further instructions.
[break][break]
Taking in what he had to say, he nodded. "Yeah, I really don't want to draw unnecessary attention to us," he agreed, waiting for the signal to go into the building, figuring he would just follow after the gym leader and his Pokémon.[break] Josh Devlin

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

Ora would definitely be easier to say, so he would definitely call her that. It was better than risking mispronouncing her name. That's how he preferred to think, as it reduced the chance of getting on her bad side. The last thing he wanted was to have a strained relationship with the people he was trying to work with; it would make things awkward.
[break][break]
It seemed that he and Shalin were on the same page regarding the name issue. Luckily, his name was pretty easy to pronounce, so he didn't have to worry about convincing them to call him something else, unless they referred to him by his last name. That would make him feel like he needed to watch his back for his father.
[break][break]
He responded to her comment with a nod, indicating his agreement with Shalin. Hopefully, that would suffice, as he wasn't one to be talkative. As Shalin began to address him, he turned his attention to her and listened to what she had to say.
[break][break]
Ever supposed that was true. That's why he had developed the habit of carrying a first aid kit. Though he acknowledged that it was mostly his father's fault, as he couldn't tend to his injuries when his father was around, so he had to find an alternative. Hence, he started carrying a first aid kit.
[break][break]
"True enough," he finally said, his expression revealing nothing. He didn't provide any further verbal response, just nodding as Shalin mentioned going down when they were ready.
[break][break]
After both of them had submerged themselves in the water, he followed suit. As they continued deeper, he made sure to stay alert and aware of his surroundings, keeping his guard up.[break] ORACELIES SOLAR, Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

He wasn't sure how he felt about the mission. Swimming itself didn't bother him; in fact, he was quite a good swimmer. It was the feeling of wet clothes he didn't care for, as the fabric tended to rub against his scars and irritate them. He supposed it could be worse, though. He could have been expected to show up in swimming gear, and he would honestly rather be in pain than show off the scars he had.
[break][break]
This whole mission had him restless. It would be another mission where he wouldn't use Rook. Had he come to depend too much on the Corviknight? Probably. But Rook was pretty much his rock, and it always felt weird not to use him.
[break][break]
Instead of Rook, he had decided to ride Jet. The Sharpedo was fast; he had to give him that. It didn't take long to reach his destination on Jet. Upon arriving, he gave his fellow rangers a curt nod in greeting.
[break][break]
"Yes," he said simply as the green-haired woman made sure they were the right people. His expression was impassive and remained so with their superiors' greeting. "Nice to meet you two," he said, deciding he would at least try to be civil. After all, he would be working with these two for the mission.
[break][break]
As she mentioned Pokémon allowing you to breathe underwater, he couldn't help but be a bit skeptical. What was the Pokémon going to do, form a bubble of water around your head? He had never once heard of a Pokémon allowing you to breathe underwater, not that he had had many ventures with Pokémon underwater. Okay, try any. So he had figured as long as it was some kind of fish Pokémon, he would be fine.
[break][break]
"The cold doesn't bother me," he said, deciding that he wasn't about to get into the rest of her comment. Though he hadn't tried to hide his skepticism, mainly because he had never heard of divers relying on Pokémon to help them breathe. Didn't they always use scuba gear?
[break][break]
Deciding not to think too much on it, he decided to listen to the briefing. Of course, he knew what was expected of them, but it was always nice to refresh his memory. The fact that they wouldn't be expected to battle was a plus. He didn't really care much for it, not wanting to hurt Pokémon, though if push came to shove, he would definitely use his Pokémon to battle if he had to.[break] ORACELIES SOLAR, Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

Parties, he hated them. And this was coming from someone who had never been to one. At least not until now. But he was sure he wouldn’t have liked them much as a kid either. Even back then, he hadn’t been much of a people person. Seriously, what about him screamed ‘party’?
[break][break]
His grandparents had been quite happy when he had told them about the party, even if he was only attending for work reasons. That was quite typical of them, though. They were always going on about him needing friends. He had friends. And now he was being told he needed more. Just the thought made it so he had to resist the urge to huff in annoyance.
[break][break]
Though the fact he had to dress up was making it harder. Seriously, wasn’t dressing up for kids? That was what his father had always said. Not that he had done much dressing up as a kid. Then again, he supposed he really shouldn’t listen to anything that had ever come out of his father's mouth.
[break][break]
His partner’s voice drew his attention, and his gaze flickered towards him. His partner for the assignment was someone named Sterling. Not someone he was too familiar with, despite both hailing from Galar. Though that wasn’t too surprising. The people he already knew from Galar were just coincidence.
[break][break]
The younger teen was dressed as some kind of plumber, vastly different from his own choice as a vampire. But then again, he hadn’t wanted to come and had wanted something that wouldn’t take a lot of effort. Though his grandparents had found his choice amusing for some reason.
[break][break]
“No, I’m not a big fan of crowds,” he said, letting his gaze momentarily trail over the people that were also attending. No one had really tried to cause trouble. But he was sure there was only a matter of time before someone tried something.
[break][break]
He had made a checklist of things someone may try, and every now and then, he would check to see if nothing had happened. Seeing that nothing had happened, he turned his attention back to Sterling. “My grandparents were quite happy work made it so I had to attend, though.”[break] STERLING WARDEN

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

It's true that he didn't expect any level of difficulty. Ghost Pokémon were known to be mischievous, and it was probably just some harmless pranks by some ghost Pokémon. Unfortunately, not everyone found it amusing, and he wasn't the type to either. However, he also wasn't the type to make a big deal about it. To him, it was just a Pokémon being a Pokémon.
[break][break]
"I don't think it will be anything more than a few harmless pranks, but we should still be cautious. Pranks have been known to be taken too far," he agreed, his gaze sweeping the area as they walked. As the manager had said, no one else was around, but it was better to be sure than to be caught off guard by someone suddenly appearing.
[break][break]
Upon reaching the apartment, they entered. It hadn't been locked when the person living in the apartment had left, and he could only assume that they had been in a hurry. Some people and ghost Pokémon were just like that.
[break][break]
Looking around the apartment, he said, "The place is pretty clean despite the fact that the residents left in such a hurry that they didn't even lock up. Speaking of the building manager, he does want us to lock up after we're done before returning the key to him."
[break][break]
"We should check all the rooms from the report. Most of the incidents happened in the kitchen, so we can start there."[break] @elliot

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

In the background, he could hear Mika talking to her Pokémon, but since he was focused on the Taillow, he wasn't really sure what she was discussing with them. However, that didn't mean his guard was down. He just believed that a conversation paled in comparison to an injured Pokémon. That's the way he saw things anyway. Then again, he had always had a soft spot for Pokémon.
[break][break]
While she dealt with her Pokémon, he slowly approached the injured Taillow so as not to spook it. Not that he thought it was in any condition to try anything, but it was better to be safe than sorry. So he would approach the Taillow as he would any Pokémon that could turn aggressive.
[break][break]
"Its injuries are pretty bad, but I don't think they're life-threatening," he explained upon hearing her question. Even so, it had to be in pain, and he didn't like the idea of a Pokémon being in pain any longer than necessary. So even if the Pokémon Center was close, he wanted to at least reduce its pain.
[break][break]
Unfortunately, the best he could do was tend to it with human medicine. Though it was kind and safe for Pokémon, so it wouldn't harm it, it wouldn't have as much of an effect as medicine meant for a Pokémon. But something was better than nothing.
[break][break]
"I know we're not too far, but I don't want the Pokémon to be in any more pain than necessary...." he trailed off as he realized what he was doing. "I mean, we could at least reduce its pain until we get to the Pokémon Center. I have some Pokémon-safe medicine that could reduce the pain, at least to the point where it's more comfortable. It's more effective on people, but something is better than nothing."
[break][break]
After saying that, he started tending to the injuries as best he could. Once he was sure the Taillow was more comfortable, he turned back to Mika upon hearing her question. "Sure, could you carry my camera bag? I can carry him as long as I'm careful, but I'm afraid if I try to carry too much, I could jostle the Taillow."[break] Mika Nakayama

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

[attr="class","setting"]

Finding the dragon took longer this time, but it didn't matter to him. It had given him time to prepare for what was probably coming. He had anticipated an attack, so his guard was already up. When the Dragonite tried to sweep his legs out from under him, he dodged by jumping backwards.
[break][break]
He barely had time to recover before the Dragonite attacked again. This time, it went for a palm strike. There wasn't enough distance between them, so the most he could do was redirect the power of the move.
[break][break]
He did this by twisting his body slightly, causing the strike to graze his shoulder. If the attack had hit him head-on, he probably would've been knocked over, but since it hadn't, it only caused him to stumble. However, he quickly stepped back with the blow, allowing him to correct his balance more easily.
[break][break]
With some distance between them, he was able to dodge attacks more effectively. "Come on, be a nice dragon," he said soothingly as he dodged another attack, while also maneuvering his bag into a position where he could reach into it. Pulling out his half-eaten sandwich, he dodged another attack while unwrapping it.
[break][break]
"Come on, I have a peanut butter and banana sandwich with your name on it if you come down," he said, playing the part of using food to calm an aggressive Pokémon. Though berries would have been better, a sandwich would work in an emergency to calm an aggressive Pokémon if one didn't have access to berries.[break] Oliver Shrakes

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + notes

[attr="class","pokeclass"]