Ha, what an easy attack to dodge! All Scizor needed to do what side step this punch and it’d be home free! So, it went to do so–

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTT! A sudden wave of electricity seized its motor function. None of its limbs responded, as if inhabited by a separate, chaotic mind. Those bunched wires pulled back and knocked the insect back into the wall. “Scizor!”

And before Grigori could help his Pokémon or Shred, the Mildly Irritated Xurkitree sent the Claydol packing and once more took hold of the grunt. They ran past both him and Howard, and then into the stairwell. Right over the edge. This was not looking good.

“Mr. Howard, we must chase after Mr. Shred… even if we really don’t desire it,” Grigori lamented. He understood the disappointment, but was that really the time? He could’ve tried to run away from the alien creature, but instead chose to berate the both of them. Fool.

So, he bolted right for the stairs. Scizor recovered and managed to follow long despite its terrible state. That was a lot of stairs though. Hmm. Well, there was an option, but it might not end well. Tentatively, Grigori tapped the Scizors shoulder. A jolt of electricity ran up his arm and throughout his body. But it didn’t particularly hurt. Or feel THAT awkward.

“Scizor, fly us down there!” Grigori wrapped his arms around the bug. That static-y feeling soaked into his bones, yet it was a necessary evil for the moment. Scizor rolled its eyes but did as requested. It too hopped off the edge and furiously flapped its wings. They were by no means capable of achieving proper flight, but it did mean their fall wasn’t bound to the likes of Gravity.

It did not take long for them to make contact with the ground. Every single hair on the grunts body stood at straight as possible, his haircut more resembling a pin cushion than anything else. He paid it no attention, though. Who knew what the alien was doing to Shred at this moment?

Yet, as they entered the next large room, there was a… complication. To everyone’s plans. Two more creatures had stirred inside the facility. Another living bundle of wires currently wrapped itself around a chain of metal blocks. They floated in all sorts of directions, clearly angered by the other Xurkitree’s actions. It tried to shake it off vigorously, but to no avail. Its single massive blue eye looked at the new arrival, and then–

It groaned. A furious groan, easily identified on sound alone. All attention had been removed from the nuisance on its leg. Another limb detached itself from the main column of stone and immediately flew towards the Xurkitree that held Shred, and towards Grigori and Scizor.

The grunt dove for the ground, as did Scizor. They narrowly avoided being forcibly decapitated by raw strength. “Mr. Howard, is this thing familiar? It does not appear to be happy with us.”

---

howard slayte @shred

Prompt Fulfilled: involve the status condition, "paralysis" in a meaningful way.

Ahh. Grigori took in the fresh air. It wasn't everyday he got to enjoy the great outdoors without the fear of his profession interrupting. This needed to be relished in all of its glory. Not taken for granted nor rushed through with uncontained excitement. A slow, gentle stroll throughout the Safari was just what the doctor prescribed.

Well, maybe not that. A little bird had told him that the area seemed to be invaded with a few peculiar Pokémon. One's he'd never seen nor even heard of until that moment. And the simple act of watching a Pokémon in the wild (hopefully not an invasive species) was all he needed to get him out here. Even better if a few looked promising as specimens to collect and adore in his daily life. So, Grigori ventured on at a snail's pace and Poke balls at the ready.

---

3/3 Safari Balls left

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

1X Safari Ticket (50 PD)

TOTAL

do come again!

50 PD

What a peculiar situation indeed. So little of this made any sense, but it also made perfect sense in a way. Grigori pondered the peculiars of the situation whilst he glanced around the Tea Room. He could’ve sworn he saw howard slayte around the area, but they’d gotten split up. No matter. Probably for the best in a time like this.

Truth be told, the grunt was not up for the task of investigating. Even if the ‘order’ came from a different Declan Walsh. One that looked almost nothing alike the one he got up close and personal with in The Cave of Origins. But what else to do? That rainstorm and those awful Pokémon meant they couldn’t leave, and…

No, that was it. Oh well.

A few others had come here as well. A couple went for the odd noise underneath the table, but one examined the strange puddles on the floor. Tea wasn’t his thing, truth be told. A fact that one Kouji Matsubara didn’t seem to appreciate. No matter, there remained plenty to investigate.

In theory. Grigori resorted to the decorations. More of his attention lie in the pair near the table, but one eye admired the exquisite decor. This bookshelf held all sorts of literature he’d never even heard of. Not exactly hard to do, but it still caught his attention all the same. Or maybe the comfortable chairs held something important. The deceased probably sat in a chair in here, earlier. When she died. Or right before.

Peculiar indeed…

---

 - Grigori goes into the tea room despite not being a big fan of tea. Curious!
 - The decorations might provide insight. (1/2)

Did Grigori come in at a bad time? It didn’t take long for howard slayte to pull Shred close and press foreheads together. Once again, the context of the situation made it more awkward and cheesy than anything serious. Whatever ‘thing’ they had under wraps, surely it could wait until they figured out this situation?

You know, people kidnapped from their ‘search’ party and Nihilego all over the place with strange braids?

However, as soon as they broke apart, Shred handed him his phone. That red square stuck in the corner indicated Grigori’s worst fear: the man was trying to take advantage of the disastrous situation for profit. Well… not like he hid his intentions at any point or time. This should not have been a surprise even if he wanted to be nice.

But maybe, just this once, the grunt would ‘humor’ the pair. After all, that move looked rather effective if ‘fair’ with its targeting. Otherwise, known as ‘anyone in range’. “Alright Mr. Shred, alright…”

So, he recorded the attack, careful not to collect a few coins the hard way himself. How did Pumpkin fare?

---

Much better, in all honesty. She didn’t need Grigori’s permission to being her own assault. But not on the bear. An asleep target offered no challenge. These Nihilego? Probably not much better. Any of them that wandered close would taste her blade, and any Megalopolans would meet the same fate. Those coins thudded against her steel plate body, unable to do much damage.

“These underlings will know blood and death!” Pumpkin yelled out. “For the Iron Curtain covers all windows, normal or otherwise!”

… She’d come around on Ayer the Probopass. But she used his lessons in her own weird way. That’d just have to do for the timeless rock type as she attempted to distract and cut down all that bothered the humans.

---

Tl;dr
 - Grigori relents to Shred and Howard's silly idea, BUT JUST THIS ONCE
 - Basically stays out of the way of everyone and records the MURDER ROULETTE
 - Pumpkin the Kingambit actually does stuff and starts trying to fucking kill the Nihilego and Megalopolans that are harassing the kidnapees
 - Anyone is free to mention the Kingambit if you so desire

Pumpkin poked at a body right next to her, while Grigori stared at the bear. It sure did look fearsome, but… something put him off. Even as everyone launched their attacks at the creature, it did not seem too invested. Like something else was on its mind.

Fear? Panic? It wasn’t quite those, but it felt wrong to call the bear influenced by any outside factors.

Except for said outside factors. Grigori could only watch in sheer confusion as all the presumed ‘bodies’ rose to life. A couple went right for Pumpkin, and a few well hidden went straight for him. “What the–”

The second one came at him with outstretched arms, did Grigori know to punch first and ask questions later. So, his fist flew into the first attacker with a meaty crunch. The second one ate a similar meal, and both were incapacitated long enough for him to walk back over to the dock.

A third one scrambled onto the wooden planks. The grunt cut this attempt short as he raised his foot high and stamped hard on their head. It bounced off the wood and sent them backwards, back over into the water. By the time this all went down, Pumpkin managed to fight off her own attackers. Cold comfort as more clawed their way through the water towards them.

It wasn’t the bear that got his attention and changed his course of action. Rather, through all the commotion and madness, a sight fell before him. Howard, up to his waist in mud and dirt, who chased after the bear. Shred too followed the bear, but his phone was held out high and pointed straight at the Ursaluna.

Oh, how Shred would never change. A concern, but now wasn’t the time nor place. Instead, he hopped into the water eagerly. Best to regroup with those two, who went further into the center of the swamp. Grigori did the same, able to fend off any spare stragglers that tore and bit at him with unmatched ferocity.

Underwater? Sneaky. The perfect place to hide and plan out something like this, yet it hadn’t been proven that this was a perfectly coordinated assault. Tera crystals lit the way underneath the water, until he emerged from the waters into the cave. Shred and Howard were there, thank Arceus. So was the Ursaluna, tired and asleep on the floor.

“Pumpkin, help the hostages! Mr. Shred, Mr. Howard, do you two have ANY idea on what’s going on?!”

---

Tl;dr

 - Grigori can't put the thought to words, but doesn't think the bear is inherently hostile towards them as a whole

 - GAMERS RISE UP, but Grigori isn't a redditor so he beats them up. Pumpkin does the same.

 - Sees Shred and Howard and the Bear, so he follows them into the cave.

 - Once inside, Pumpkin is ordered to help the captured people and Greg asks the squad for deets on the sitch.

 Iy2Z|29x

Grigori desperately wanted to hug his Scizor, or pat its shoulder, or make just about any contact. However, the static electricity that danced across its carapace felt dangerous. Instead, he frowned at the insect. “Thank you for the save, Scizor. I’ll be sure to repay you in kind later.”

For now, he watched Shred. Howard’s odd phrase for motivation seemed to work at first. Grigori watched the man make an impressive lead on the hallway. As long as nothing dangerous happened, he’d be perfectly fine. He guarded the doorway, ready to catch the man as soon as he arrived.

But he didn’t. While Shred found out well after it was too late, Grigori saw the wires physically move underneath his legs. He did not hit the ground, as the black cables quickly caught and dangled the man upside down. There seriously wasn’t a fucking–

A spiked ball of a head emerged from the wall. His eyes opened wide. “Mr. Shred!”

“Mr. Howard, we’ve got to help him!” Grigori pointed at the beast. It did little to help, but it felt right in the moment. “Scizor, please help Shred! Howard and I will… think of something. Hurry!”

Scizor sighed but pulled itself up and past the other two. Electricity continued to arc off of it into the nearby environment as it rushed forward. As fast as its limited speed could go. It’s claws slashed in an x. X-Scissor would surely save Shred from the clutches of this thing.

On the trainer side, things were not nearly as cut and dry. “Mr. Howard, surely you have a ground type, right? That should do the trick, right? Right?”

For being a bodyguard, he sure didn’t feel like one. Every time they ran into these things, he felt powerless (no pun intended). Maybe he should invest into a Pokémon that could better handle these things.

---

Shred howard slayte  

“I will go first, Mr. Shred,” Grigori said. Both because he was the one who found it in the first place, and also because they didn’t know what lie ahead. If he wanted to protect Howard and Shred, then he should scout ahead and look for any potential dangers. Or a way to turn off this electrical current. Or both.

But… this looked harder than at first glance. The timing wasn’t hard to figure out after a few cycles, but the problem rather lay in the duration of the timing itself. Short hallway, but short downtime. Not only that, but the door was shut. That’d take another precious moment from the allotted time budget.

Regardless of what he did, Grigori would need a head start. So, he backed up as far as the cable and machines would let him. Then, he released his Scizor. It looked towards the electric trap with a curious gaze.

“Scizor, we need to cross that hallway between the shocks. Otherwise… best not think about it. Do you think you can get through fast enough to open the door at the end of the hallway?”

The Scizor nodded. It examined the current for a single cycle before it stanced up. A mental countdown played out, almost in perfect sync with the wild electric arcs. The red insect bolted forward, almost as fast as the electric itself. It entered the hallway just as the cycle ended.

One. Two.

It launched down the hallway. The easy part. The door didn’t immediately give way.

Three. Four.

So, a Close Combat was in order. A flurry of red claws reduced the door to little more than scrap metal.

Five. Six.

The bug motioned to the rest of them. A hero, a knight in shining armor. Here to clear the path and way for the rest of its squad. They should all get on their knees and worship–

Several beams of electricity erupted from the walls. Nearly all of them attracted to the metal bug. A thick, black smoke poured off the bug, stuck in place by the sheer force of the amps. “Scizor!”

Thankfully, it didn’t last long. As soon as it ended, Scizor finished its journey into the end of the hallway. Grigori, despite the danger, immediately ran towards his Pokémon. He also entered the hallway right as the cycle ended. But not like his own Pokémon, he didn’t stick around and wait for it to come back.

“Scizor, are you–woAH WOAH WOAH–”

A claw grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt moments before he flung himself off the edge of a cliff. Looked like they found a way down after all: this was a stairwell, alright. Yet all the guard rails had been removed. Or never existed. Hard to tell. “It’s safe to come across, but be careful! Someone removed all the railing from this stairwell!”

---

Shred howard slayte

Scizor is now paralyzed (A surprise tool that will help us later)

“I… I see,” Grigori said in response to DESIREE BLOOMS . No leader? And with a very dangerous Pokémon on the prowl? Then… who called for this search party? This was either the most poorly organized search and rescue effort in years, or something else was afoot. Not that he would know, nor would he find out tonight– he wasn’t here to play hero.

But based on some of the movement from his ‘party’ (Shred , why are you running towards it with barely disguised glee?!), his hopes were quickly dashed against the rocks. “Thanks, then I’ll go up ahead and see what’s going on.”

Across the bridge, through the trees, to the center of the swamp he jogged. His Druddigon had been returned as soon as he had seen Shred on his way across the murky waters, but something wedged in the back of his head thought it poorly decided. After all, he was in an unknown place on the hunt for a deadly force. Why retreat Brick when he could need him but not have him?

He kept away from the rest of the group, right up until he reached the second bridge. Grigori wasn’t the first to bear witness to this… massacre, but at least he didn’t feel as nauseous as some. The stench of death, (un)fortunately, had been repressed by the overall murk and filth. The rain helped plenty as well, the damp air and constant noise and distraction.

But it couldn’t distract from the massive… monster. Oh how he loathed the term, but the green skull and the way it barreled through the mud and water with the rain and moon above, how else to describe it? Much like a scene out of a fairy tale.

What to do, what to do? Some already went on the offensive. Some went for the bodies. And were those other people in the distance, on the opposite side of the open cesspit of death and decay?

“Arceus above, help us all,” Grigori muttered underneath the rain. Since he had just arrived and had little clue on how best to help everyone, he instead stood firm. Surrounded by constant movement, yet alone all the same. He released another Pokémon from his ball, a mighty Kingambit. The dark water came up to its upper chest, but it stood tall and proud.

“Pumpkin, if you see a body… move it off to the side. Please.”

Enough guts and gore exploded while the bear ran across the swamp. Perhaps one or two families could have a whole person to bury, instead of a mashed pile.

---

 - Doesn't like that there is not a dedicated leader for a search group.
 - Retreats his Druddigon, and goes off on his own ahead at a fast pace.
 - Reaches the second bridge right before the open area, and shrimply looks at all the horror.
 - Doesn't immediately do anything (Pretend I spent my entire turn moving idk), but releases a Kingambit into the water in preparation for anything.
 - Grigori does the eyes emoji and waits (Anyone nearby is free to interact, and if you don't I'll do it anyway!)
ecM1DEF8 

“I apologize, Mr. Shred, but I warned you to lift with your legs. Or let me help,” Grigori said. One day, that man's stubbornness would get him killed. Hopefully not while he was there. That’d be really tragic. His heart couldn’t take something like that again.

At least the drive was smooth. Howard knew how to handle a wheel, he had to admit. All the other Rockets had some fascination with speeding and running red lights, yet the archeologist had yet to do so. Maybe he should ask for driving lessons. He wasn’t getting any younger, yet the job demanded he travel further than ever before.

“Mr. Howard, I have a–”

Grigori flew backwards, right into the seat. A hard bit of plastic stabbed him in the back, right between the shoulder blades. One hand pressed harder into his burger, the other floundered for the handle next to his head. “What the–”

Scratch that. Never mind. Why couldn’t anyone accept a yellow light for what it was meant to be? This guy and June would get along really well… maybe too well. He’d have to carefully introduce them somehow.

“Mr. Howard, pardon my language, but what the frick is this all about?!” he shouted above the radio. “Yellow means slow down! Not speed up!”

The worst part? They didn’t even get into the intersection before the light changed to a bright red. Its awful, horrid color spilled into the car and painted them all in the worst light possible. If they hadn’t robbed a store earlier, he would’ve launched into a moral story about their position at Team Rocket didn’t mean they needed to always be committing crimes whenever possible.

Not that he couldn’t try regardless.

“Why? The police are on the lookout for any suspicious activity as is. Why give them an actual reason to pull us over?”

---

Shred howard slayte kyle lopez

“If I may wager a guess, Mr. Shred,” Grigori called over from his own position, “these wires likely came after the persons here ceased living.”

It was human nature to organize, even if some struggled to show it. Here wouldn’t have been any different had the people survived. Instead, they were greeted by the omnipresent cables and all the former residents in the general same state of disrepair: charred corpses.

He tried to stupidly move one out of the way of a particular machine, but it collapsed in on itself instead. Just how old were all of these people? That question would need to be answered by Howard and yet another machine to spit out the answer. One he likely didn’t have, because Team Rocket didn’t trust any of them with even a basic calculator. Maybe they were bait after all.

But the grunt would not let that happen. Again. He had no idea what to even begin looking at, or for, but any signs of danger would be noticed by him first. His left eye scanned the various gadgets and gizmos that were nearly as ‘wild’ as the cords and his right firmly on their surroundings. Every hint of movement or errant sound got his attention.

Eventually, though, he noticed a routine sound. Like a bug zapper, in the distance. Sort of near where Shred was. Slowly, he approached the location of said noise, which only grew louder. There was an interval to it, a metronome that kept a horrid tempo. “Mr. Shred, Mr. Howard, do you notice that sound?”

Grigori rounded the corner, right as it was time to ‘sound off’. As suddenly as the noise blared on, his heart skipped a beat. “Woah!”

The grunt jumped back despite the distance between him and the sudden surge of electricity. Cables flickered wildly, but none of them made any sort of contact with any other surface. Instead, they sent their electric payload from one wall to another. It formed an undergrowth of electricity. And after a bit of time, it ceased all activity. Maybe a malfunction in the infrastructure, but not a total break.

“I think I found a point of interest, but it was broken before any of us arrived.”

---

howard slayte Shred

Poor guy. Grigori hoped he wouldn’t be in the hospital for too long. At least he had survived if the way he twisted and groaned on the store floor was any indicator. Shred had handled the money; the man had a knack for the identification of pricey objects. And how to hope safes. And cash registers.

The car was hot. His face was hot. Felt like it was splattered in tar. Probably blood. However, Howard had been very explicit that he couldn’t make a mess in his new car. And he wasn’t about to wipe his face with his sleeve. That’d ruin another shirt. His vest was another story.

And to top off this terrible night, neither of the men in the front seat ordered him his desired double-large ice cream cone. Once again, too messy. So, he nibbled on his second Double-Decker-Deluxe and sipped from the large Coldy, filled to the brim with frothy ice cream slurry. “Take a right after the second stop sign from here, Mr. Howard.”

There was one place he knew how to navigate, and it was Slateport City exactly. Thank goodness. Otherwise, he’d be just as lost as their driver. “From there, it’ll be a few blocks up the street.”

The gentle hum of the motor was drowned out by the radio, which blared the Top 100s list for Hoenn. Somehow, a jazz song from Sinnoh had wormed its way onto the list. A saxophone solo droned on in his ears. “Can you turn down the radio please, Mr. Shred?”

---

Shred howard slayte kyle lopez

Grigori remained surprised, from when they had received their current assignment all the way to the ruins of this complex, that they’d been allowed to even return. Their ruined equipment had sealed the deal in his mind. Who’d let a trio like them back if they’d just break everything within twenty-four hours?

But yet again, this placement made much more sense the longer he considered it. The worst they could do is die for the cause and become a cautionary tale like the rest of those they found.

But ‘surprise’ and ‘placement’ went hand in hand as the Phione short-circuited the first door and the Turtonator melted the second. This place must’ve been incredibly important if it was deemed necessary to have three thick steel doors. How would he complete the task set ahead of him?

“Well,” He pulled out his own poke ball, the creature inside released in a bright flash, “Third time’s the charm.”

Out came a mighty warrior, clad from head to foot in steel. A single blade rose to the heavens from its brow, yet it remained stuck to the ground in a near-permanent bow. Pumpkin, once a lowly Pawniard, now stood short and proud as a mighty Kingambit would. But how would it break through the reinforced door?

“Alright Pumpkin, try out that one move you showed me earlier, please,” the grunt asked. Slowly, the impossibly sharp blade bent forward.

Then slashed with the force of a freight train. A Kowtow Cleave, straight up and down, from top to bottom. Nothing happened at first. Did it even touch the door in the first place? Carefully, the Kingambit rose and approached the door. A strong push, and each half slowly folded outward. The half not attached to the wall gave way under its own monstrous weight.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!

As Grigori first stepped into the area, yet another layer of surprise: this place was… what would be the proper word here?

“How peculiar indeed.”

It looked like the last power plant on steroids. Sparks flickered off the walls and numerous machines, nearly enough light to illuminate the area on their own. Flashes revealed a great area, filled to the brim with complex equipment and massive coils. And kilometers of black cables, but those just grew from the ground in this place. What did one need to grow a garden like this?

“Well, Mr. Howard, where to start?”

---

@shrezeppelin howard slayte