Jason followed Madds with haste, whirling past the Regieleki's arm and following her into the world of circuitry and sparks. Navigating this new stretch of hell was made all the more perilous by the SANDSTORM that his companion's Pokemon kicked up, but hey, it at least made the thrashing arms of the Xurkitree around them miss the mark in their wild flailing, [break][break]

“Yonah, clear the way!” [break][break]

Jason tried not to scream again as the ground next to them shattered into glass, and as the Dragonair he rode upon swung a fierce DRAGON TAIL to sever some cable arms reaching for them. They were now well on their ways to the bowels of the ship, and Jason hoped they could find whatever stupid god damn trinket they needed to snag before this place devoured them whole.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Madeline McKenna [break]
29. clear the xurkitree wiring in the crashed spacecraft, though the party will find they are active, dangerous and "alive". doing so will allow the party to explore the ship and the unfortunate fate of its crew.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Yeah, this like OSHA's worst nightmare,” Jason called back, now content with the knowledge that Madds had not, in fact, been fried in that close call. [break][break]

But he was feeling far from content as he followed Madds' gaze up to the sky, alight with crackling, thunderous electricity. No, Jason was feeling more like a small, worthless bug as his eyes traced their way up the tendril-like arms and settled on the neatly arranged red eyes, and he felt an incomprehensible sense of horror when he realized that those eyes were staring right at them, [break][break]

“Oh no; oh hell fucking no!” he shrieked. Jason turned back to Madds, eyes wide with panic, “What the fuck is that?!” [break][break]

It was too late to turn back now, Jason thought with rising panic as he gripped the sky-blue scales of his favorite dragon. He prayed to gods that he didn't believe in for some assurance of safety, and for them to be able to complete their mission as quickly as possible.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Madeline McKenna [break]
27. involve a regieleki that has somehow found a way to dynamax due to a power spot (or something analogous to that).

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

As Madd's face temporarily disappeared behind a cloud of product, Jason grinned teasingly, [break][break]

“Careful, that stuff's practically industrial grade.” [break][break]

He deserved nothing less than the best, after all. [break][break]

But talk of cosmetics could wait; the low thrum of surging electricity soon took precedence as they began to cross the panel field. An alarm sounded, Yonah surged, and suddenly, a long panel beneath them began to come to life with crackling static, [break][break]

“Look out!” [break][break]

Jason and his Dragonair banked hard to the left as the panel below them exploded into a shower of sparks. He suddenly turned, peering through the smoke and static, to see how his partner had fared.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Madeline McKenna [break]
31. involve a segment where some or all of the party must swiftly or dexterously bypass an obstacle (animate or inanimate) that is electrified or unelectrified depending on the timing.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Shifty, dodgy, and now trying to flee. For all of his initial good intentions, Jason knew when it was time to cut his losses, [break][break]

“Sure, sure, I'll-” [break][break]

But before he could finish that train of thought, a Toxicroak sauntered up, leering and swaggering and itching for a fight. The Dunsparce seemed to have things covered, though, even as the toxic frog got in a nasty jab of its own, [break][break]

“Goodness, that can't be good.” [break][break]

The little worm wasn't eagar to give up, though, and before long the Toxicroack was captured and Lucia had fled. Jason looked down at his Popplio, who had watched the spectacle alongside her trainer, and the two frowned at each other, [break][break]

“Weird kid. Hope she makes it out of here okay.” [break][break]

The little seal bwarked in agreement. [break][break]

With nothing to keep him in this particular section of the Outskirts any longer, Jason departed as well, even as thoughts of that odd girl continued to plague him.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Lucia Aldrete

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Jason also watched the Pangoro, careful not to betray any concern as the bear punched the air nearby. Though the Dragonair moved silently through the tall grasses to return to her trainer's side, Jason was very cognizant of the fact that the Daunting Pokemon could pack a nasty punch if the conversation went south. Not that he suspected Cain harbored any malice, but it never hurt to check your exits and keep your head on a swivel, [break][break]

“Wyndon? I've never been. Is it nice?” [break][break]

He'd probably seen it in pictures or on television somewhere, but when Jason tried to recall what the city must have looked like, he found himself drawing a blank, [break][break]

“You got me pegged. I'm from Humilau, myself.” [break][break]

An easy enough lie to get away with, and one he'd rehearsed over and over since his flight from Alola. And besides, it wasn't that dissimilar to his actual home in Hau'oli. Jason had even visited the resort town in Unova a couple of times on “business trips” with his father, and found it to be similarly crowded by insufferable tourists, [break][break]

“I miss the beach. It's not quite the same out here.” [break][break]

And that wasn't a lie. Jason felt his shoulders begin to sag with a bit of unspoken grief in spite of himself.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Cain Toman [break]
skipping!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Maybe this would be a fun outing after all, Jason realized as sparks danced across the infinite abyss of black above them. Madds seemed playful, like someone who didn't take herself too seriously. It was a nice change of pace compared to dealing with others that Rocket had to offer, [break][break]

“Aye-aye, Captain,” he replied with faux seriousness and a mock salute of his own. [break][break]

With a flick of the wrist, a Dragonair appeared at his side, and Jason easily climbed aboard to follow behind Madds and her own ride of choice. They sailed alongside, floating a few feet from the ground to keep Jason's own dangling feet from catching on anything below them, [break][break]

“A computer panel, hm? Better be worth fighting our way through a horde of necromorphs for. Or aliens. Or whatever else we run into out here.” [break][break]

Satisfied that he'd appropriately covered all of his pop culture bases, Jason dug around through one of the many pockets of his jacket as he rode along and produced a travel-sized aerosol can, [break][break]

“Need something to keep the static out of your hair?” [break][break]

Because why wouldn't he have some product on hand in a dangerous place like this? You never knew when a little hair spray might come in handy.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Madeline McKenna [break]
14. tend to another's injuries or staticky hair.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

In the grand scheme of things, this was alarmingly close to an actual job interview, Jason realized as he listened to Neon. Questions about aspirations, the offer of contractual work; it was almost disarmingly mundane in how it was presented, [break][break]

“A reputation is nice, but it doesn't pay the bills,” he chuckled coyly, watching the steam rise from the bite in Neon's pork bun, “But discretion is something I can handle.” [break][break]

He grinned when he spotted the next dish that was brought out and eagerly grabbed a slice of meat with his chopsticks the moment the waiter stepped away, [break][break]

“And trouble is something else I'm more than equipped to deal with. I should hope that my 'resume' would speak for itself in that regard.” [break][break]

The smile didn't fade as he finally look a bite of the spiced meat coated in fragrant sauce. Maybe Neon already knew all of the gritty details of his prior life in Alola, of his time spent poaching Pokemon en masse and coordinating deals with his father for buyers overseas. Maybe he even knew of his father's brief foray into extortion, and of the day Jason learned how to break each knuckle in a man's hand, one at a time, until the poor bastard screamed himself hoarse. [break][break]

Or maybe not. Maybe he'd get the chance to show Neon what he was truly capable of, [break][break]

“I think I can handle whatever you've got lined up for me.”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
mission

Where the Seviper had fallen, a Mareanie began to creep up; Jaina, valiant as a foolhardy creature like her could be, fired off another MOONBLAST to knock it out, too. After all, she couldn't let it possibly hurt the two trainers, especially when the littler of the two was in such distress. [break][break]

Jason, meanwhile, just narrowed his eyes as he appraised Lucia. Lies upon lies; she must really be trying to hide something, [break][break]

“That's all, huh?” [break][break]

He looked down at her with concerned scrutiny. She was too young to be scared for her damn life, and while he wasn't one to stick his neck out for just anybody, it was all too suspicious to ignore, [break][break]

“Are you sure you're doing alright?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Lucia Aldrete [break]
catching mareanie!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Oh, you flatter me,” Jason practically purred. [break][break]

But it was funny just how wrong this Cain's assumption was. Beyond the demands of his professional life - which, by design, were rather all-consuming - Jason was often completely alone. Maybe his cohorts could smell that desperation on him to please. Maybe, for all of his efforts to tailor himself to the tastes of others, people could tell how artificial all that fake sugary sweetness was. Maybe that's why, after contracts were filled and the work day was done, none lingered in Jason's presence. [break][break]

Cain didn't need to know that, though. Why spoil such comfortable pleasantries with something so dour? [break][break]

“Sometimes you've got to get away from the crowds to enjoy the little things. Scenery, I find, is one of them.” [break][break]

Which wasn't a lie, even if there were no particular crowds for Jason to evade, [break][break]

“There's something nostalgic about the smell of ocean air, isn't there?” [break][break]

His eyes carefully followed the movement of the parchment being stowed away. It was probably nothing, Jason thought, but you didn't get by as long as he had without paying attention to the little things.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Cain Toman [break]
skipping!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“Hmm, I suppose that depends on your spice tolerance,” Jason replied with a teasing lilt to his voice, “Spring rolls are always a safe bet as far as starters go, but the fuqi feipian looks absolutely mouthwatering.” [break][break]

Though that was coming from a man that put chili oil on most of the food he ate. Jason wasn't sure how well Neon could tolerate that numbing heat, but personally, it was something he couldn't get enough of. For the time being, though, the pork buns were more than satisfying enough as the waiter delivered them along with their drinks, [break][break]

“Just Jason is fine for now,” he offered a little cautiously, waiting for Neon to take his first bite of food before following suit. Such established habits of deference were hard to deviate from, “It's a common enough name, and truth be told, I'm pretty much a nobody in these parts.” [break][break]

He frowned a little at that; it was a bitter reminder of what he'd rather recently lost, but he couldn't help but chuckle lightly at Neon's followup. 'Nice' was certainly not anything Jason had been expecting or prepared for when he had agreed to this meeting. He waved his chopsticks dismissively as he continued, [break][break]

“Think nothing of it. 'Skittish' is probably an accurate way to put it, given my circumstances. And besides, I certainly can't fault you for being thorough.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mint frost [break]
mission

When Jason had been presented with the opportunity to join one of these strange expeditions, he had jumped at it. While not an out-and-out member of Rocket yet, he was eager for any opportunity to prove himself as an asset. Did someone need a handful of stolen Pokemon held until the heat died down? Jason was there. Was a less than scrupulous scientist in need of new test subjects? Jason was there, too. Hell, at this point, he was somewhat surprised that he hadn't stooped to the level of scrubbing toilets with how ready he was to make himself useful. [break][break]

So that's how he found himself here, in some sort of extra-dimensional hellscape of lightning and cables, met by a brunette that seemed to recognize him in a way that he couldn't reciprocate, [break][break]

“Oh, maybe so,” he purred with an easy grin, recalling his less than stellar performance with Zev Harcourt on their recent outing, “But I'm mostly just here to help. And sorry, I didn't catch your name- you're...?”
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Madeline McKenna

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Kids were always terrible at lying. Jason's brow quirked with questioning curiosity at Lucia's little slip-up, but he held back the line of inquiry waiting at the tip of his tongue. Bad liars were always much better at telling on themselves, he'd found, and were more liable to shut down under more intense scrutiny. [break][break]

So he just nodded, watching as she chased after her next target, but already approaching quickly when the child had the gall to actually try and touch the thing, [break][break]

“Lucia, you probably shouldn't- Lucia!” [break][break]

She screamed like she'd been burned, and Jason's brisk walk turned into a full-on sprint as he dashed to her side. He didn't think he had a paternal bone in his body, but who could turn away from the scream of a child? [break][break]

“Are you hurt? Are you okay?” [break][break]

Nearby, a Seviper slunk low behind a toppled trashcan, sizing up the Popplio that stared it down with uncharacteristic animosity. Jaina struck the creature with a fearsome MOONBLAST, sending the snake reeling. Once Lucia had been attended to, Jason would snag the Pokemon for his own collection, but only after he was sure that Lucia wasn't in any immediate peril.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"]Lucia Aldrete [break]
catching seviper!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]