she doesn't get very far before her parasol is pulled roughly away by a pair of grasping talons. the talonflame soars into the air, carrying the now-useless parasol off. maki starts off after it, running, houndoom loping easily at her side. sure, she might not be afraid of anything, but being annoyed is definitely not off the table.

she has to think fast. she doesn't need to recover her stolen possession, but it's more a matter of pride than anything. she commands her houndoom to use flamethrower, and the flames leap out of its throat and heads straight for the bird pokemon. the parasol catches on fire, and though talonflame is a fire type itself, it still takes enough damage from the attack to make it slow down considerably. it's focusing its energy on fleeing now; the parasol is melted plastic and cinders, singeing its feet.

its big mistake is in landing in a tree, using roost to recover some of its health. it likely expects to make a quick getaway after that, but it doesn't count on how high maki's houndoom can jump. "use thunder fang," she says. her houndoom takes a running start and launches itself at the bird, its jaws crackling with electricity. the talonflame lets out a shriek, and then is silent.

maki throws a pokeball. i could have some use for this one.

PURCHASING/REDEEMING

welcome to the poké mart!

5X poke ball (20 PD)

TOTAL

do come again!

100 PD

maki nods; starting with ballet positions is what she was planning anyway. "do what i do, then." she backs up into the bar, placing both hands on it while still facing forward. it's mostly the position of her legs that changes at first; she goes through first position, second position, all the way to fourth position, making sure momo is keeping pace with her. it's not like these are particularly difficult, so she ramps it up just a bit by using her arms now as well, to demonstrate the full position.

as she does so, with the focus she's giving the exercise, her tiny smile fades away and her eyes set in a more neutral, even cold, look. it's not that she's unhappy; she's just too busy trying to remember what she learned as a child to put her mask on right now.

"there's various mimes, too," maki says after a while of silence. "for example, this--" and she spreads her hands above her head, gesturing by twirling them around each other briefly. "-- is an invitation to dance, essentially."

[ Momo Sakai ]

maki's back on the prowl, this time in a warmer area. ash from the nearby volcano falls constantly, so she's brought an umbrella with her to keep it off her clothes. her houndoom is following at her side once again, because the rest of her pokemon aren't very good against fire types. and fire types are what she's here to find today. they're incredibly useful for hiding evidence, and she already has what she needs to care for them thanks to having her houndoom.

the ash collects on her parasol. she shakes it off and continues to walk, leaving tracks in the soot. if anyone wants to follow her, let them come. she's not afraid of anything.

it's some time before they encounter another pokemon. maki's houndoom hears it first, ears perking up as it stares off into the distance. maki steps behind a chunk of ice, still containing a frozen, deceased pokemon, and waits there. she hears it before she sees it; something flopping and sliding on the ground, using its body rather than legs to gain momentum and keep moving.

it's a dewgong, coming up to them, seeming awfully out of place considering there isn't really any water here. maki pulls houndoom back into its ball, and sends out aurorus instead. the massive fossil pokemon startles the dewgong, and maki orders it to use freeze dry. the aurorus breathes out a mist so cold that it does double damage to the water/ice type, and the dewgong is left floundering. panicking, it hits aurorus with an aurora beam, but the attack isn't very effective. next, aurorus uses stone edge, a massive piece of rock jutting out of the ground from beneath the dewgong sending it flying into the air.

maki throws a pokeball next. it wiggles and then settles in. even if this isn't a pokemon she'll use, she's sure someone can find some use for it. it's better to not leave this place empty handed.

as usual, momo's own lack of defenses batters away at the many walls maki has built up over the course of her life. while momo fixes her hair, maki stands at the edge of the wall, near the railing. her mind is far away for the moment, thinking about the day she was told she'd have to give up ballet and learn something more practical instead.

momo's question brings her out of her head. maki nods. "yes, we need to do some stretches," she says. "just do what i do." she has no doubt momo knows well enough how to stretch before exercise, but maki wants to specifically tackle the muscles they'll be using today. as she demonstrates, her form is flawless; underneath those expensive clothes, maki's body has been honed to its peak. she's much stronger and more athletic than she looks, and she's flexible as well, easily able to touch her toes whether standing or seated. she is the yukimura family's concealed weapon, after all.

when they're done, maki stands up straight again. she stretches her arms out in front of her, fingers interlocked, and cracks her neck. "most of the dances i know are for two people," she explains. "but it's possible to adapt them for a human and a pokemon, potentially. we can also go over some basic ballet moves."

[ Momo Sakai ]

the next pokemon that appears is an errant probopass. it's wandering the area, as if searching for something. it doesn't appear aggressive, but seeing the chance to give shieldon some battle experience, maki doesn't hesitate to challenge it. though it's another steel type, the rock type added to it will make it more vulnerable to steel type attacks.

she orders shieldon to use iron defense. it hardens its body, preparing itself for the probopass's attack. the enemy uses rock throw, which thuds off shieldon's armor, barely even scratching it. the probopass stares, surprised. maki's next command is to use iron head, and the shieldon charges forward, head lowered like a battering ram. the much larger and heavier pokemon is unable to avoid it, though the attack doesn't seem to do a lot of damage.

gathering itself again, the probopass launches an electric attack at shieldon. the attack bypasses shieldon's iron defense by virtue of being a special attack type, and shieldon's body courses with painful electricity. maki's next command is to use metal sound, so shieldon lets out a painful shriek that is fueled by its pain. the probopass shudders, falling back, looking more haggard... but does not fall. maki isn't sure shieldon can take another zap cannon, so she swaps it out with houndoom.

the next zap cannon hits houndoom, but it shakes it off and releases a powerful flamethrower that ends the battle. maki returns the pokemon to its ball and continues onward, leaving the probopass behind.

they continue to wander. at one point, maki's shieldon slips on a patch of ice and goes skating forward, falling on its face. thanks to its heavily armored head, though, it doesn't hurt itself, and gets back up immediately after. maki flicks some snow off its brow before their trek is resumed.

all is silent. and then there's a metallic clang, in the distance but approaching rapidly. it sounds like something big is coming their way, so maki hastily hides behind a snowdrift, pulling the shieldon alongside her. after a few breaths that crystallize in the air, a metang appears. it looks around, noticing the footprints maki didn't have the time to cover up. thankfully, it seems uninterested, and continues moving. she waits until it's gone to come out.

if it had been a better type matchup, she might have fought it. but shieldon doesn't have any attacks that will do much damage against another steel type, and the metang was bigger and stronger.

they'll have to seek easier prey. onward they go!

it's been a very long time since maki engaged in any hobbies outside of her training for team rocket. combat exercises, battle strategy, type advantages and disadvantages, how to handle various weapons... that's what her life has been since she was nine, when it was determined that none of the other children in her family were an appropriate fit for the responsibility she now bears on her shoulders. maki was her family's sacrifice to team rocket's cause, bearing a crown of thorns upon her head since she was chosen.

even so, she's been taught how to blend in with high society. when she was just a child, dancing had been something she enjoyed. ballet in particular had fascinated her, with its beauty and precision. now dance is a simple necessity, one she's always thought little of. it was something that had to be done, like pruning traitors from the ranks. it was something she felt nothing for and yet participated in anyway. it was something she even regarded as foolish.

now, though, for some reason... in a conversation with momo, as they discussed contests, maki had offered to help momo learn some dances in order to give her appeals more variety. i'll blend in better if i make... companions, she tells herself. she denies that she's enjoyed her interactions with momo, because such an admittance would be against her better judgment. weakness, she thinks. and weakness is to be discarded, not indulged in.

[ Momo Sakai ]

outfit ref!

maki's returned once again to the silent icelands. something about this place draws her to it, in a way she can't really explain... maybe it's her natural affinity for ice types, or maybe it's because the cold doesn't bother her anyway (sorry). she's bundled up and traipsing through the snow, scarf obscuring her mouth as she sets her eyes dead ahead. her shieldon is with her this time, in the hopes she can give it some practice with battling.

the tracks they leave behind are soon filled with snow. she wonders, briefly, if shieldon isn't a little too cold, but looking it over it seems to be just fine. it's following her with a determined expression on its face. maybe it's just trying to impress her... she ought to buy the little guy a sweater some time, if she's going to keep coming here.

well, no matter. if they keep moving they should stay warm enough anyway.

subduing the man she grabbed isn't difficult. most people will bow when there's a blade at their throat, and this man is no exception. he allows maki to bind his hands behind his back, and she leads him back to the others. there, she ties his ankles, much like dorian is doing to the unconscious woman. if one doesn't know maki, they might mistake her careful gestures for gentleness, or the vacant smile on her face for sympathy.

now that they're all seated, maki crouches down. "very well." her eyes scan the four captives, ready for any sign of rebellion. dorian and his incineroar seem to have them cowed, for now. "it's my understanding that you have been involved with attempts to create a network of traitors." a barely noticeable twitch in their eyes confirms maki's suspicions. they'll try to hide it, but she's right on the money here.

"i have no idea what you're talking about," the man that maki caught grumbles. maki looks at dorian and gives a small shake of her head, indicating that he's lying. she'll allow him to make the next move. if it's necessary, they can play good cop bad cop.

[ dorian westcliff ]

there have been reports of gardevoir gathering near rustboro city. the purpose of these gatherings is unknown, but people have been advised to steer clear; gardevoir are known for their powerful psychic attacks, and may not be so forgiving of trespassers. 'better safe than sorry,' city officials say. they probably don't realize the information they put out is being used for slightly more nefarious purposes than just avoiding as dangerous wild pokemon encounter.

maki stands at the ready with her froslass, prepared to use its type advantage. she and jayden have been traipsing through this route for the past half an hour, heading for higher ground so they can get a better vantage point of the area. now that they're here, maki can see the clearing where the gardevoir are said to gather... without the wild pokemon seeing them.

one gardevoir appears. "it looks like the reports were right," she says. another wanders into view. "if there are too many, we'll have to figure out a way to split them up."

[ jayden cross luke hyacinth ]

it's gardevoir season... MISSION START!

taking with maki and jayden cross (rocket side) and luke hyacinth on the league side !