[Video]
[This whole technology thing is actually kind of interesting! And Speedwagon, luckily, is very adaptable and it's not terribly difficult to figure out this nonsense. Despite his best efforts to tune out the majority of this training nonsense thus far. But when he gets the video going, he's got salandit plopped in his lap and a mareep curled up next to him. On one of the damn beds in the dorms, obviously.
At least he probably doesn't look too weird in a dress shirt that has the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up and simple slacks. The weirdest might just be the black and white checkered top hat. Don't ask. Don't do it.]
Well! Other than this whole nonsense about "training" when this lot couldn't find their own hand in front of their face in a well lit street, there's some rather fascinating things. Mostly the whole [he gestures at everything around him at the moment, that's not exactly telling] majority of this. Street lamps had only been around a couple of years, so lighting as plentiful as this is quite a feat, I must say. [Someone stop him, he's being sincere and it's awful.]
But from what I gather, everyone here is supposed to be some sort of... criminal, then? Because I could have guessed otherwise if these are the types that are in charge of training, I've seen street urchins that are better trained and more versed than these fools are. [Says the man who grew up in the worst alley in all of London, but that's details.] So do tell, friends, did anyone actually need this training or is it simply the locals being this inept?
At least he probably doesn't look too weird in a dress shirt that has the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up and simple slacks. The weirdest might just be the black and white checkered top hat. Don't ask. Don't do it.]
Well! Other than this whole nonsense about "training" when this lot couldn't find their own hand in front of their face in a well lit street, there's some rather fascinating things. Mostly the whole [he gestures at everything around him at the moment, that's not exactly telling] majority of this. Street lamps had only been around a couple of years, so lighting as plentiful as this is quite a feat, I must say. [Someone stop him, he's being sincere and it's awful.]
But from what I gather, everyone here is supposed to be some sort of... criminal, then? Because I could have guessed otherwise if these are the types that are in charge of training, I've seen street urchins that are better trained and more versed than these fools are. [Says the man who grew up in the worst alley in all of London, but that's details.] So do tell, friends, did anyone actually need this training or is it simply the locals being this inept?

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[What was that Carly?
She's dressed for the resort- complete with little drink as she settles in for the night, actually. But hey.] Hehhhhh, so you came from a gang to this place then..?
I'll be honest I didn't use a lot of what I got out of training here. Mostly I just adjusted my old skillset...
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Hmm? I didn't quite catch that. [He wasn't quite listening. Though this is... odd, certainly. But he's not going to question it entirely, it's far better to make friends than anything else. Or so he thinks.]
Used to, thought I'd left that life behind a good while ago but here we are. Again. Though I didn't get much of a choice this time, I suppose. [Not that he had much of a choice the first time, but he didn't get literally kidnapped into it.]
I doubt anyone would get much out of such a training, all a bunch of absolute basic rubbish that is basic common sense. [NOT EVERYONE WAS A CRIMINAL LIKE YOU, SPEEDWAGON.]
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Well, it's a rough awakening, but better than most honestly? I mean...food housing and healthcare, I didn't even get that when I was a reporter! Or well, not for free at least. The pay isn't that great mind you, but when they're covering all of your basic needs...
[..........] You should probably keep in mind that they're used to grabbing kids that just left home for this though. Like, voluntarily left home for adventure.
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With all these advances, please do tell me we've since learned how the human body actually works instead of just taking guesses. And leaving those without money to just figure it out on their own after kicking them out, god knows we hardly need more of that... [Ignore his muttering, it's probably fine.]
Wait. Children just... leaving home is a normal thing, here? [Right back to the muttering, he's really just talking to himself.] Is it out of necessity and the economical situation here is just that dire or is it the opposite and there's so little to worry about that they aren't needed to support families... [Sorry, Carly.]
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It's really watered down? Like uh...I guess like if the world was a bowl of sugar, no bugs or anything in it? [She's trying her best.] My point is, things are a lot nicer here- stealing and cheating is genuinely the worst Team Rocket seems to even be CAPABLE of, and for good reason, you can't so much as pick up a butter knife with the intent to hurt someone with it!
...That said yes, we have trained doctors who aren't making guesses if they can help it, and Team Rocket pays for us to see one if we need. And that's for the 'if we NEED' part. General stuff, you can just go to a walk-in, no troubles at all!
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So you can't even... [He trails off for a second with a small frown, perhaps it's for the better he long since ditched his sawblade hat, after all. It'd be absolutely useless in a place like this, obviously. A pity.]
Then how do they go about stealing things, if they cannot use some sort of force behind it? If that is the case, I assume these creatures are not capable of harming anyone, either? [The salandit in his lap yawns loudly before shifting around to nuzzle her face into his chest. Of course she would.] Seems rather strange to me, since otherwise you would need to resort to something akin to pickpocketing and that's a rather piss poor method of doing it and the lowest of the low on the ladder of stealing. [HE HAS THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS!!!]
General... stuff? [What does that mean! No one goes to a doctor unless they're sick!!!!] Well, at least it's good to hear that they've learned something proper in this time. Hard to trust them when their methods are just "oh, we don't know, but maybe try this and perhaps you won't die or get worse. But if you do, we'll just... try something else and pray it does something."
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You just kind of wake up in the Pokemon Center. It's...weird? But I mean we have music in the back of our head...
Pickpocketting is the start of the ladder, but the bigger heists all use pokemon. And honestly I think it'd be more effective that way as it is! No one dies, you can cover a really large area with sleeping powder, or even just restrain everyone all at once...
...Uh.
So what year was it for you again? Because hoo! That uh. That sounds impressive. Impressively bad! [She turns to shout something at someone, but it's hard to tell what it is, as at that moment something snuffles at the screen, blocking the speaker.
Get away, fool.]
Uh, anyway definitely don't have to worry about that!
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So one has to get creative with their methods, sounds about right. Learn to adapt to the situation and work from there, I'm... certain that these two would be useful for something at some point, even if I'm not quite sure what they are. Other than one is obviously a sheep of some description. [Mareep, the easiest pokemon to equate to a real life animal.]
Mmm. That would be 1889?
Well, yes, bad is certainly a word to describe it. There's reasons not many trust them.
i thought this sent :[
And if you train them up, they'll learn more~! ...I don't think there's too many 'sheep' pokemon though...maybe you have mareep..?
[She trails off, and the year hits her.] Aha- HAHAHA- Oh!
Uh! Well! ...I...Interesting news! That's almost a hundred and thirty years back~! W...Wowee! [ISN'T THIS LITERALLY A YEAR OFF OF JOLYNE'S-
She has to hiss something back at that, and this time it's volume that keeps her from being heard.] Y...You know, I don't think this is the first time that's happened!
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That said, the locals are fairly inept. There's a joke that we're the only crew that ever gets things done consistently among Team Rocket. Honestly, I'd say it's pretty true.
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It might just be better to have people who aren't from here training newer people, if it's a necessary thing. Or specifics to this place in particular. But I'm new, so clearly I have no idea what I'm doing. Of course not. [He does, in fact, sound super salty about this whole situation.]
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And, ah, I was. One of those people. Who'd never done criminal activity before... well. Outside of your basic media piracy and, uh, certain sex acts. [Oh god, that's awkward to say.]
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... Media piracy? [Though, oh god, he's biting back a laugh at that last part. Excuse him while he regains what little composure he has.] Oh come now, it's not terribly difficult to do something that's considered immortal and unjust if going by where and whence I'm from. Honestly, damn near everything is some sort of sin or illegal act.
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[If anything, the awkwardness increases.]
And yes, I'm familiar with some of those laws, at least in the abstract. They're what they jailed Oscar Wilde over, after all.
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Because this other subject is one he's far more familiar with.]
Mm. Oscar Wilde was... certainly one of the more public trials in regards to buggery, as it were. Just got out of a hard labour prison about two years ago, last I had heard. But such is life when you decide to become entangled with the aristocracy that still have their folks kicking about. [He shrugs, briefly, glancing off from the screen for a moment.]
Truly, two years of hard labour is a lot better than what used to happen about thirty-odd years ago. But you hardly ever hear about the fates of those who do not come out of those places, word being that they decided to deal out their own punishment than live with the public and private stigma that came with that sort of thing.
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California decriminalized such things a few years before I was born... but there's a lot of states, still, that have those kinds of laws on the books.
[He shakes his head.]
It's perfectly legal here, though. Accepted, too. This world had some... quirks that can make thing difficult to deal with, but there's good parts too. Like Carly mentioned, the fact that everyone in this world gets health care... I had my first full physical in well over five years here.
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[California. States. Must... be after his time, then. America's a strange place last he heard and he barely knows the names of the states within it to begin with. No point, other than to file that away.]
I can't say I'm surprised, it was only a matter of time before such things began to happen. A lot longer than most would hope, it would seem, but still. [Better than nothing?
For the longest time he remains silent, which in itself is jarring. Just... turning that information over in his head. And promptly shoving it to the side, he'd rather not right now.]
Damn near anything is better than how it was, so I will... certainly have to look into some things. [He's near certain he's as healthy as he can really get, but you never know. And purposefully glossing over that whole first part. Sorry, Steven, old habits die hard.]
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Anyway. Yeah. If you like the electric lights, you'll be amazed at all the other kinds of technology here.
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In hindsight, some of it seems to be more... advanced versions of things I was already used to. Merely improving upon an existing design, though at least I'm very curious about all of it. [Says the man who went to different continents to learn about ridiculous shit.]
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[Steven suspects he and Speedwagon might have something in common--but also, that the man is just as closeted as he once was, if not more.]
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video
[This kid... looks like she does NOT belong in Team Rocket. At all.]