Grigori stole a jar from one of the shelves. Pickled slowpoke tail? Gross. Despite the preservation tactic, it looked positively foul. It would also have to do the trick. He had come with the clothes on his back and two pokemon, so there wasn't anywhere else to store it. Maybe if he jammed it hard enough into his pocket--

"REGI-REGI-- [UN UN UN]"

Hairs stood up on end. That gut feeling kicked in hard. Just as they all stepped outside, a massive THING emerged from seemingly out of nowhere. For Himself and Howard, as Shred proclaimed earlier to its existence. And before they could even act, it started to charge. Electricity stolen from the air. Condensed into a singular point.

Grigori dropped both the poke balls from his belt. A red-metallic insect dashed forward and grabbed Howard by the scruff of his shirt. The Druddigon from earlier, Brick, shoved Shred as hard as it could (without murdering him) out of the way. His landing would not feel as nice as Howard's. Grigori simply ran to the side as fast as he could--

The world went white.

If only for a few moments, reality did not exist. A Hyper Beam of monstrous proportions shot down into the earth where they had been seconds ago. A harsh ringing echoed in their ears as color returned. Gone was the solid earth, now replaced with a near perfect hole. Grigori tried to angle his head to see just when it started to curve back in on itself.

It didn't.

Grigori clawed his way upright, jar still intact. He ran to Howard and shoved it inside his backpack. "We need to leave NOW! You two run for the exit, I'll buy us time!"

The grunt grit his teeth and ran away from the other two, parallel to the cliffside that held the rope and accompanied by his Scizor. Brick stayed with the other two, ready to do whatever necessary to ensure their safety.

He looked to the Regieleki, which currently towered over the area. It looked less active than before, but still thrummed with enough electricity to power the world a dozen times over. Maybe he'd get lucky, be able to escape as well.

But this day had been coming. If Arceus deemed it atonement for his past sins, then... so be it. "Over Here, you big ball! Come get me!"

---

Shred howard slayte

The danger turned out to be gravity, thankfully. Grigori oofed onto the top of the pile, and was quick to roll off the top. He flopped hard on his back, his head a victim as well. He could feel the headache form within seconds. "I eat them in strict moderation, Mr. Howard. I can't do my work if I gain fifty pounds."

Wonderful. They were 'trapped' inside a bunker, with more power cables and various jars, and no lights outside Howard's measly torch. "Mr. Shred, may I suggest a different philosophy? At least, when others well-beings are affected by your decisions?"

While the one that got them in this situation went to go fix it, Grigori followed Howard. These people either had this location as a back up in case things went south, or as a storage location of some sort. What else would explain the jars of...

"Lots of mixed goods here. Unless I'm mistaken, these are preserved foodstuffs and various types of chemicals or reagents. Or everything in between," Grigori reached over to grab a particular can that caught his eye. Its dyes and pigments had long since faded due to time (how long had it been here?), but a few faded words remained: OIL-BASED LUBRICANT.

The demand for greased hinges must've been quite high. "Mr. Howard, as the team's historical expert, what do you make of all this? Makes me wonder if all this is the remnants of a world destroyed by outside forces, or a snapshot of some other expedition attempt. Destroyed, frozen in time, then preserved perfectly for the next sorry fools to stumble upon."

The grunt returned the dusty can, "And fall into the same hole."

Maybe he read too far into it. Too philosophical. But if Howard saw history, he saw warning signs. Things happened for a reason.

---

Shred howard slayte

 

Was Shred... okay? To talk to one's own Pokémon was an effort in trying to bridge the gap. Understand what couldn't be understood. They spoke their own language, couldn't speak the common humans did, but perhaps tried anyway. Bonds did that to anyone if they were strong enough.

Instead, it sounded like they all hated each other. Or at least, that's what it sounded like? Either way, Grigori sighed deep and resolved to try and have a heart-to-heart with the man. He might need it. 

"Mr. Shred, do you have any idea where this leads? Or are you exploring for the sake of it?" This did not stop the grunt from letting Howard get in first, and then following along. The metal felt cold, surprisingly. At least, as cold as it could be given the circumstances. A good counterbalance to the sudden jump in temperature.

And so, they crawled. Boring as could be, given his best view was the bottom of Howard's shoes. Gross. "So, any idea on where we'll end up, Mr. Shred? I'm not terribly excited with the idea of falling directly into danger."

Even worse, he'd be the third to fall into danger and die a horrible death. But that was the quiet part. 

---

howard slayte Shred


 

That was odd. Did ominous shadows also come with an A/C unit? Grigori straightened up. He knew the answer, but all but willed it to be false. Had he brought this upon himself with his initial thoughts, or did he get caught up in the crossfire again?

Another gust. He raised his arms in front of his body, his Scizor in the same position. Whatever it was, the feeling erupted all over his body in the form of bumps. Like thousands of painless needles pricked into his skin. Then, they were both swept up in another gust. Extremely violent, and powerful enough to bring them both inside the Cave of Origin.

As they tumbled to the ground like sacks of potatoes, the first thing they felt was the cold. Then, the painful grudges of the past. Still fresh, but even stronger now. While he tried to get up and decide which of these fuckers he felt the most pissed at, he realized that his hatred extended to... just about everyone in the damned room.

Perhaps most unfortunate, these feelings weren't even out of nowhere. Instead, it felt like his past self had come back to haunt him. And in what state of mind was he in to say no to these thoughts?

However, there was a slightly larger problem than his personal grudges and pissy feelings: that... Pokémon? Grigori had never seen the likes of it before. And the way everyone else commanded their own to attack it felt misguided. Instincts said that a thing like this wouldn't pick a fight with people like this unless...

Grigori placed a shaking hand on his Scizor, who felt similar feelings. It looked ready to assault just about everyone in this room without even a moment's notice. It looked back at its trainer, confused and absolutely furious. "Scizor... Swords Dance first."

The red insect smiled. Grigori did not pause and wait for his Pokémon to finish its little jig. Overwhelming rage coursed through his veins, a feeling he hasn't felt since...

The grunt charged into the fray, eager to act upon these violent impulses. A quiet voice in his head opposed the idea wholeheartedly, but in turn he ignored it. That one right there, Elisabeth Fiorelli , looked the most vulnerable. Almost oblivious to the world, and the nearest to her own mythical Pokémon. 

"ggrrrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--" Grigori dived right for her, despite the growing and persistent thought that his actions would have dire consequences if he went any further than this. 

---

Tl;Dr: 
 - Grigori gets whisked into the fray and all the NEGATIVE VIBES caused by the Chien Pao.
 - His Scizor sets up a Swords dance to ohko Chien Pao what do you MEAN this isn't Pokemon Showdown?
 - His Hatred and Grudge against Team Rocket surface, and he goes to tackle Elisabeth Fiorelli despite a small voice screaming that it is very stupid and dumb and not smart.
 - Live Wo-Chien Reaction

---

While Grigori watched the outside, he turned his head just enough that one eye peered at Howard. "Rapid extinction? How do you propose that? From my limited knowledge and perspective, these people look like they had a run in with some nasty voltage. Or a fire. But the interior here doesn't look like a fire happened."

There was also the third, more mysterious and terrifying option: that beast Shred had attacked was responsible for the deaths of everyone in here. Gotten upset with their actions and fried them with enough volts to power a city. If that theory was correct, then they had inadvertently done the one thing most likely to get them all killed within seconds. 

The grunt shuddered. Best not to dwell on that reality. "I propose if we see another being made of cables, we leave it the hell alone."

As much as it pained Grigori to speak it even mentally, Shred appeared to lack any sense of self-preservation. In a way, rather. Once the gears got to turning, he could probably keep himself alive. If only they turned sooner. 

"Stay put, Mr. Shred. I'll see what Mr. Howard has on hand," He called out. Sounded like the man wanted to do some exploring of his own. Fine then. Better than getting himself electrocuted again. Grigori left the doorway and approached Howard. A Y-head screwdriver? Never even heard of that.

The grunt searched in Howard's stuff. There were certainly tools to be had, but none quite fit the bill of a screwdriver with the elusive Y-shaped head. Maybe this flathead screwdriver would have to do.

He took it from its place and slowly navigated over to where he last heard Shred. It took a bit longer than he wanted, but the last thing Grigori wanted to do was bump into the other guy. Especially after his grievances with how the other two had handled his own poor decision. "Mr. Shred, I found a flathead screwdriver, but no Y-head. I hope you can make it work."

---

howard slayte Shred


 

Grigori still wasn't sure how to exactly respond. Moments before the Shadow Ball had been swatted from the air, that terrible gut feeling had come up. A sign that something was about to happen. Before he could even get his hand back on the poke ball to rerelease Brick, the thing had gotten up on its wire legs and simply...

Walked out?

No attempts at violence. Not even a spared glance for the group. The entire event concerned the man, but since the beast didn't even attempt to hurt any of them, it felt unnecessary to give chase. Not when more of those things could be in here. Actually violent.

Which meant the lights were pretty important to have. The grunt searched for the light switch, hopeful it would be where most light switches were: next to the front door. Sure enough, there were a couple. He gave each one their own test run.

Not even a flash. Damn it. Meant he needed to find where the switches got their power from. He followed the wall all the way around the perimeter, careful not to step on any more blackened piles of ash. Reminders that this place was entirely unsafe. Maybe that thing that left on a whim had been the cause?

Ah, there it was! Main power source. At least, Grigori hoped so. It was a massive switch on the side of the wall that had the label 'MAIN POWER' right beside it. Rusted hinges squealed as he pulled the difficult lever down.

Power flickered on. Bright bulbs above cast their vicious glow to the entire room. Yep, this was a power plant of some sort. Probably provided the electricity to the nearby buildings. Also, there were quite the number of ash piles all over. Just what had happened here?

Unfortunately, the light did not last. Perhaps overcharged, or that wired creature had been the power source. Either way, the slight hum of machinery whirred back down and the room turned black once more. "That was the main power for the building, so I apologize that I will not be able to get the power back on. Unless... you want me to go ask that thing to come back here and let us use it for electricity."

At least it didn't look like there was a second one of those in here while there WAS light available. "Regardless, I will keep watch by the front door. Mr. Shred, cover Mr. Howard on the inside."

PROMPT COMPLETE: Experience a temporary, but devastating mass blackout.

---

Shred howard slayte

"I'm flattered, Mr. Shred, but I do not think my insights would go much further than word choice and grammar. The actual information inside it might be above my skill set," Grigori commented. It'd be nice for Howard to teach him the intricacies of whatever would be on said report, but at that point he wouldn't be proofreading. He'd be studying.

And at least he'd be interested in spending more time with the man. Shred on the other hand... "Mr. Shred, please do not kick me ever. Just because we are expected to use hammers for all the 'nails' out there does not mean we are limited to said hammers."

Would Shred get the metaphor and reference? Hopefully. 

It also wasn't important. Howard said they needed to get inside one of the buildings. Grigori pressed his lips tight. Not the answer he wanted, but probably the one he should've expected. The grunt slowly approached the door. Shred had been unsuccessful, and Howard would need his own pokemon to break it open.

He pulled a poke ball from his side belt and let the Druddigon inside loose. "Brick, please open the door for us. And don't bring the building down in the process."

As the pokemon materialized, it would nod to its trainer and shoulder Shred out of the way. It felt the rough exterior of the door, tilted its head to get a different perspective, then knocked on it. Not impossible to make something happen. 

It pulled back a thick tree trunk of an arm and slammed it into the door. The material shattered into a small storm of splinters and debris. One Superpower and they were in safely. Grigori retreated the pokemon and quickly stepped inside. It looked... somehow worse than the outside.

Or what little he could see. Whatever ambient light trickled into the exterior was the best he got. That and the sparks that popped from the spools upon spools of cables. Was this a power plant or something? "No immediate signs of danger. As long as we don't follow in Mr. Shred's footsteps, we should be alright."

---

Shred howard slayte

 

How had this fucker not died yet?! Pumpkin groaned as Celpho brushed off her assault and instead launched one back. As the distance closed between them, the Bisharp made no attempt to move out of the way. No, if anything, it wanted to attack the beast head on. Once more, Pumpkin charged up an Iron Head.

"Alright you dumb fuck, if you wanna eat me so bad, then eat cold hard steel!"

The two collided. Pumpkin caught the claws with its left arm. Pain shot through its body; every neuron lit up in agony. She'd feel that one for a while. Even if her own attack bounced off, her move blocked access to the rest of her body as she kept the claws right where they had sunk into steel.

And she smiled. "Oh ho, looks like you're in a bind! Urgh... go to hell you oversized mite!"

Her free hand came back and charged up dark energy. Night Slash, point-blank, and wherever Pumpkin thought its weak spot was. She would see how much this fucker liked it when--

"That's enough!"

Pumpkin turned around, but it was too late. Grigori had returned with poke ball in hand. She tried to move out of the way, but the ball successfully turned her into a formless mass of energy, which got sucked into the red and white sphere. For a few brief moments, there was calm.

Until Grigori turned from the hole in the wall, approached the head daycare person, and bowed his upper body a full ninety-degrees.

I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE FOR ALL THE DAMAGES AND COMMOTION MY POKÉMON HAS CAUSED. PLEASE FORWARD ME THE BILL FOR REPAIRS AND I WILL PAY THEM IN FULL! PLEASE FORGIVE MY FOOLISHNESS!"

They had his information on tab, which meant he didn't need to give it. More importantly, it meant he was free to rush to a pokemon center and get his Pumpkin healed. He rushed from the building, only slowed down by the person that ran into him earlier. One Howard Slayte.

"Excuse me, sir, but I am in a hurry!"

He did not stop to apologize any further.

---

howard slayte

Grigori Sokolov

Team Rocket Grunt, 'Better than before'

---

Motivations (Relevant History)

Things are how they are because...

 - Grigori did not grow up in a 'good' place. A rough household with an even rougher father pushed him into a direction of crime almost by default. Before he knew it, he was a Team Rocket Grunt with a shitload of anger and plenty of opportunity to take it out on people. Even if he deeply regrets the path he's taken in life, he's still a part of the organization. Despite his newfound dislike of his job, he will still perform it to the best of his abilities. After all, deserters do not always get what they desire...

 - Doesn't mean he can't try to change who he is. Grigori is rather proud of the strides he's made into becoming a better person. No longer as violent, no longer as cruel, and even a better appreciation for the finer things in life. Cuisine, philosophy, personality, and the interests of others. A few of those might be promises to those he's slain, but progress is progress. If he can not be a man of honor, then at least he will be a man of his word.

 - Redemption. Those who do bad things end up in terrible positions, and so far Grigori is waiting for the second shoe to drop. It will come, that much is certain. Perhaps he can make its impact less harsh if he tries to make up for all the stuff he's done. Not that it'll ever be possible to truly fix all the wrongs, but maybe at least leave the world roughly the same way as it had been when he was born. That sort of thing. Just needs Team Rocket to keep their attention at all the young aspiring recruits and firmly away from him and his miles long track record.

---

Activities (Potential Threads)

Have to get some things done...

 - Grigori still has a job to do, even if he doesn't like it anymore. People still need 'talking' to, territory still needs to be expanded, and the organization still wants to dominate Hoenn. This includes the standard grunt stuff: intimidation, escorts, guarding, the works. Potential threads would be any of the standard Rocket Missions or just about anything one could think of that needs a big, strong mane like himself to accomplish.

 - However, Grigori absolutely loves to do all the stuff that is quite unbefitting man of his status and looks. Go to all the cafes and order the sweetest drinks possible, engage in thoughtful discussion about any topic at all, or even try to learn fun, new things. That or just go out and help people truly in need of it (in a way that doesn't go against his organization). Potential threads include a variety of Slice of Life activities, missions based around helping others, or deep discussion threads that help one another gain a better understanding of a field or situation.

 -  He fucked up. Arceus above, he fucked up bad. So bad he had to break one of his harshest rules and biggest promises. Now he needs to... what the hell does he do? How does one get help for a problem like this? Threads for this 'prompt' would need someone rather close to the man, but involve helping him out to fulfill the latest promise he made: help someone get over a death. Given the situation, it's quite a conundrum on how to best do it...

---

Friends, Colleagues, Or Anything In between

Those who keep popping up in life are...

 - Shred : Perfect man for the job of Beast, that's for certain. He tries his best to care about the man, but he makes it very hard sometimes. Especially when on the job.

 - howard slayte : Better for the position of admin than he would've predicted. At a bit of a rough patch with the man, but Grigori knows he means well. Unfortunately, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

 - jayden cross : Strange, peculiar man. Tries to avoid him like the plague, but they're interests align so well its hard to forget the man is under the command of Chien-Pao and has a track record arguably viler than his. That and the somehow considers him a friend, despite their lack of knowledge of one another. Maybe... one day, he can confide in the man. But not now, and not soon.

 - Elisabeth Fiorelli : One of the few to scare him in a way he doesn't understand. He wants to feel bad for her, as she is clearly not doing well mentally, but her continued warpath leaves a trail of pain and agony in her wake. In a strange way, though, he wants to know how'd she be without the influence of her Avatarships. And with therapy. Lots and lots of therapy.

 - Cillian Quinn : Scares him, but in an entirely predictable and understandable way. Different from Elisabeth in that his frustration and anger comes from a very well-founded place, but they'll both still kill him without a moment of hesitation. Best to avoid seeing him again at all costs.

 - BARNABY FINCH : Hard to get a read on the man. He's heard things, but he treats Grigori well enough. Maybe that's all an act too. Best not drop his guard, no matter how nice he may seem at times.

 - Lulu Flint : Only met her once, but his first impression was... okay. Needs a long nights rest and a week off, and maybe then he'd like to try another conversation. Shred is infatuated with her, which is something. He's actually trying and that's all that matters.

 - june sleigh : The closer he gets, the more it hurts. Who knew a concious would make outside relationships hard? But he must stay strong. He must fulfill his promise. After that, then...

Well, Shred certainly had the fortitude that was befitting a man of his status. How he was able to not only survive that, but still find the strength to zip line across that gap was certainly a surprise. A nice, welcome one, given the sheer negligence it took to get electrocuted quite that bad.

Speaking of, now it was Grigoris turn to get across the gap. He mimicked the motions the previous two did and soon found himself suspended in the air by a single thick rope and the hook attached to it. What a neat, nifty mode of transportation in an environment like this. The grunt imagined himself as a single amp in its own black cable, as it travelled through the tube. Would he end up in Shred's neurons and muscle system?

Hopefully not.

The landing wasn't too bad, and he wasted no time in undoing his hook and dusting himself off. "Mr. Howard, please call me Grigori. I know it's a mouth full, but I prefer it. And as for you, Mr. Shred, I was just about to try and save you when you got free of the cables of your own accord. Not only that, but everyone knows that a person in the middle of electrocution is capable of being a prime candidate for transferal of the charge to another human."

In layman's terms: Grigori was not dumb enough to let what happened to Shred happen to him as well. 

"Now let's remember what just happened and keep it in mind as we carry on. Who knows what other kinds of dangers lay in store," he said. And so far, nothing seemed terribly out of the ordinary. Bunches of wires, rocks, and buildings. Despite the eerie, hollow feeling that crawled up his spine, he didn't feel that tingling sensation of danger. The one that came to moments before the first shoe dropped.


"Mr. Howard, what do you suggest as the one of us who is adept in these sorts of situations? Investigate a building from the inside, or simply admire from a safe distance?"

---

howard slayte Shred

Ah fuck. Pumpkin's eyes grew wide and caught the attack head on. Even with its greater typing, it still struggled under the sheer weight of the now evolved Celpho. Were they allowed to... kill each other? Was this the end of her life?

No! "Eat shit and live, you stupid bug!"

What a... unique threat. However, another blinding glow filled the area. For the second time today, and within thirty seconds of the last time, a pokemon evolved in the nursery. Pumpkin grew significantly in size. Taller, to be exact. That overwhelming weight that pressed on her whole body didn't change, but the force available to her grew. And the best part?

Pumpkin grabbed onto Celpho. Even is she lacked fingers, clamps were infinitely better for latching onto things than knives. Suddenly, the tables turned. Celpho's new arms were lifted high up into the air as Pumpkin charged up another attack. An Iron Head, straight into the Armaldo's chest!

And right into the nursery wall!

---

howard slayte

"Certainly not my first thought when I was asked to accompany the both of you, Mr. Howard," Grigori said.

Ultra Space, so far, seemed rather unfun and unsafe. What, with all the wires everywhere, the things that crept across the distant horizon, and the general uncertainty of it all. They were not in Hoenn anymore, that was certain. Grigori could personally do less of the TV static that permeated the air, for lack of a better term. Felt bad for them.

And if this was the pair he had to protect from the bad things, then he did not like the odds. Howard was an obvious one: as far as he knew, the archeologist had never been in any serious danger unrelated to his line of work. More suited for desolate wastelands and empty caverns than places filled to the brim with current and active dangers. Not inherently a terrible person like the two he had to rely on, though. Someone he'd take a pokemon attack for. 

Shred? Well, he would be fine physically. Looked fit enough, proven to be somewhat intelligent when it came to threat recognition (their scuffle at the pizza place proved so). Yet everytime he had asked about the man afterword, the responses were less than polite. Surely the man wasn't as bad or 'stupid' as people claimed, right? 

At least, he thought that right up until he noticed Shred approach a pool of black cables. 

Grigori stepped forward, hand extended, "Mr. Shred, wait--"

Too late. The man got lit up like a battery, and probably had the voltage of one coursing through his body as well. Grigori sighed. "Mr. Howard, as much as I'd love your input on where we should traverse next, I instead ask if you have anything non-metallic with some reach for our companion here? I think it'd suit our interests to keep him alive without being electrocuted alongside him."

It felt hard to muster up any more care for the man than that. Just... how? A dark part of him was tempted to even call the fellow grunt a 'total waste of oxygen', but he pushed that down. He was better than that. Meanwhile, he started to undo his own necktie. In case Howard had nothing, it would have to do.

---

Shred howard slayte

"And you're a... a, uh-- you're stupid!"

Insults were not Pumpkin's strong suit. However, she was made of a strong suit: steel. These stupid rocks, even if they were really big and getting closer and oh arceus what the fuck oh man oh fuck--

She leaned her head back, then flung it forward just as the cosmic rocks were about to bulldoze her. Iron Head made quick work of the objects, but it left her in mental shambles. The world vibrated, rocked, and twisted all around her. But in her daze, she locked onto a creature that scurried close to the ground.

And it was heading right towards the sandbox!

"Oh no... you don't!" Pumpkin cried out. She leaned her head back and charged vaguely at where she last saw Celpho. Another Iron Head charged up, but this time at the little bug. Had that blade on her forehead always been there?

---

howard slayte