[video]

[epitaffio]

[Doppio has been at this training thing for a few days now. Nothing too complex, as he expected, but he does at least appreciate the tours of the city's back alleys and underground tunnels.

However, there are a few things that training isn't telling him even though he figures they may be handy to know if he wants to get anywhere in this place, and, well, he should really stick to Rocket communications for this first couple of weeks. From what he gathers, one of the Pokémon he's been given has already been trained a bit, so it might be suspicious to show up out of nowhere with THAT under his belt. Best to learn the ropes first, and then he can tell civilians he's been at it for a little while and just hasn't talked to anyone over the PokéGear yet.

So this is where he's turning to, with a Morpeko in his arms and a Magikarp in a tub full of water.]

Uh, hello? It's my first time doing this, so hopefully I got it right. I'm a new recruit - my name's Doppio, by the way - and I think the training is going okay, but... I have a few other questions? Like, what are Pokémon supposed to eat? This one [and he tips his head towards the Morpeko in his arms, whose ears twitch. Its fur is already darkening.] keeps stealing MY food, and the fish... might be sick? I don't think it can do much. Do they usually assign these to new people? Because that seems kind of unfair. ... Ah, are you getting hungry again? Already?

[The Morpeko shifts in his arms with an annoyed squeak. It hops free in no time at all, and an increasingly purple blur runs right across the feed.]

Cristina? Cristina, that's not MY food. Cristina!

[... He'll be right back.]

Comments

[insidescoop]

[....

Steven buddy she's sorry but there is no way a man can fake This.] Oh geeze, those guys are pretty gluttonous...

Hii? Believe it or not, the fish is actually fine! They just, ah. Look like that.

...They're not really that strong, but if you stick with them they will be..?

Carly Nagisa by the way. Ah...Beta rank, here.

[epitaffio]

[When Doppio comes back into view, he's trying to drag Cristina along. Cristina, meanwhile, is shoving bread (that apparently doesn't belong to Doppio) into its mouth.]

... Right! Pleased to meet you, Miss! Uh, what were you saying about the fish?

[insidescoop]

Carly's fine! Is your morpeko not staying in their ball though? I'd normally say that would work to keep them contained but... [Hmmm. Well.]

Oh! The Magikarp though. They're not really that strong, but if you really work with them to a point, they'll evolve into Gyarados- which is REALLY strong!

Mmmm, most of my Magikarp I just have for decoration though. Some of them have really nice scales...

[epitaffio]

Sure, but... Don't they need fresh air? Those balls look awfully cramped. [He just doesn't see a need to treat these little guys poorly even if they're in a criminal organization. Please understand.]

I guess I'll see what I can do when they stop training me. Am I supposed to make it swim a lot? How does this Pokémon training thing work?

[insidescoop]

Cram-

Oh! OH! Oh, right I can see where the confusion here is I guess...ahem.

They're not quite literally what it looks like- when you use the ball they're not getting compressed in there, they're more...being converted into a pocket space? So each pokemon has all the room it needs!

Pokemon training though ahhhh...well normally I'd say get in a few pokemon battles but with magikarp... ...maybe stick to doubles, let your morpeko carry the team for a bit.

[epitaffio]

Oh. ... Okay?

[He grabs a PokéBall from his belt - his Morpeko hasn't quite settled down yet, but it's still busy with the bread - and stares at it, as if just having a better look could grant him better insight. Maybe... these things work kind of like Coco Jumbo's room? That makes about as much sense as anything else so far.

... He might still let Cristina finish eating before calling it back, though.]

Yeah, I don't think Pesci - that's the, uh, Magikarp? - can do anything in a fight. Are you sure it's going to learn anything if Cristina does all the work?

[insidescoop]

Absolutely! Which is handy too- I'm going to bet the hamster is the stronger- so while she carries the fight in a bigger battle, the fish will be racking up experience! It's actually a common trick people use for raising up weaker pokemon.

[epitaffio]

Really? Does that mean Pokémon learn from watching, too?

[Because he's not sure how else this could possibly work.]

[insidescoop]

Well, provided they're in the thick of it yep. No idea if that's because of something more based in...'game mechanic' type stuff or what, but we can't deny it works at least.

It's pretty easy to figure out at least, so don't worry!

[epitaffio]

... Game mechanic?

[Look, it just seems like there is more and more he has to figure out here with each passing second.

(His Morpeko slips from his arms again, but it does seem calmer now.)]

[insidescoop]

....Hear that music in your head?

It's like video game music right? The fact is, this place runs on...a lot of 'PG-13 Videogame' logic. We don't even actually die here if anything happens, we just...wake up in one of the Pokemon Centers. There's plenty that works the way you'd expect, but at the end of the day? Stuff like the fights, who gets hurt...

Games.

[epitaffio]

[Music in his head?... Oh, right. The music. Somehow, Doppio has been tuning out most of it, but... Carly bringing it up means it's at the forefront of his mind again.

What the hell.]

... Wait, is that why the training's been really basic so far?

[insidescoop]

Yeahhhh...kind of a bummer but it's about how it goes.

[A sympathetic shrug...]

[LOCKED - it's probably a DM tbh but Doppio doesn't have an ic inbox yet]

[uber_marionettist]

Vinegar Doppio.

My name is Dirk Strider. You got a minute?

w-whoops i should take care of that at some point

[epitaffio]

[It takes a couple of minutes for a reply to come, and not just because Doppio's Pokémon are being rowdy. He isn't sure at first - maybe he did say his first name without realising it, or maybe it shows up somewhere in the UI when people see his video - but a quick call confirms the important part, regardless: he needs to keep his guard up.

Which Doppio would have known even without the call, of course, but the confirmation is nice. As is the praise for his observational skills.]

Uh sure?
I'm done with training for today, I think.

I'm guessing you're pretty high up in the ranks if you know my name!

[Yes. Good. Very subtle digging.]

[uber_marionettist]

You could say that. That has nothing to do with why I know your name, but you could definitely say it.

It's even a true statement.

I didn't hit you up to talk about your name, though.

Someone here thinks you're a mole.

I know the truth, but I haven't corrected him. And I won't unless you give me the word.

I know this is a lot to take in, especially all at once. I'm guessing you're feeling pretty overwhelmed right now. That's understandable. This is a hard position to be in, after all, so I'm sure that you have questions. Feel free to ask them. You've got time.

[epitaffio]

A mole??

[It's a good thing he has video turned off now, because he kind of goes on a face journey. Who is he supposed to be a mole FOR? Does anybody here know of Passione? And what exactly does this Dirk know? Something's... OFF.]

I have no idea what you're talking about!
Why DO you know my name?

[uber_marionettist]

Usually when people come to inform you of things happening behind your back, it's expected you don't know about them.

Don't worry so much about it.

I know a lot of things I'm not supposed to. Normally I keep that information to myself. But I'm in a position to help you, if you'll let me.

[epitaffio]

[The voice on the other end of the line (which is currently a rolled-up towel on Doppio's shoulder) reminds him to keep calm and act natural. Doppio should be able to handle this on his own, but if he can't... Well, there are advantages to communication via text.]

That's not the point
None of what you're saying makes any sense!!

Of course I'm not a mole so why wouldn't you just say that to this guy?
And seriously, how do you know my name??

[uber_marionettist]

I wouldn't tell him because he heard you talking to your 'Boss' on the phone.

If he doesn't believe you're a mole, then he'll start asking very different questions.

[epitaffio]

[SHIT.

Could it be... that guy who talked to him right after he woke up here...? What did he tell him at the time?]

That was OUR boss
The Team Rocket boss?
Giovanni??

[Risky move, but he might as well make an effort to keep his poor lie consistent.]

[uber_marionettist]

Bzzzzt. Wrong answer.

...although he might actually buy that one, so keep it in your back pocket.

[epitaffio]

But that's what I told him!!

[wait should he have phrased that differently or]

[uber_marionettist]

Lol.

Here's the thing about that. Giovanni's been missing for at least a decade. And by 'missing,' I mean 'neither the actual denizens of this world or people like you have found a single trace of him.' Not hide, hair, nor mysterious phone call.

Even if I didn't already know better, he's not a very convincing cover story. It's no big deal. You just need to add a little extra misdirection.

[epitaffio]

[SHIT.]

Who the hell do you think you are anyway??!
Stop talking down to me!