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[video]
[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.]
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.]
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He's an alright guy overall?
Just kind of gets on your nerves?
That doesn't seem so bad for a criminal organization.
You can get some really nasty types sometimes.
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He's got some hangups about that, and he'll probably deny being a 'good' guy if you say it to him but...well. I trust him.
And not just in a 'I trust him to do X' way!
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Got it
Thanks for that, he was kind of creeping me out!
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Anyway. This is where I'd offer some more advice, but I gotta ask, what made you swap to text? We can do private video feeds to you know! [Not to mention the fact that the swap was before they moved to private...]
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[... The Boss told him to turn off the video feed.]
Well Dirk sent me a text message so...
I guess I just kept going in text?
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Well, if you don't mind, I want to use video again- I kinda need my hands free to cook right now.
[There is a half truth here. But hey.]
Yeesh he must have really given you the creeps if you swapped that fast though. Then again if he used your whole name And referred you to me in one go...in private...
Yep that would do it.
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[B-BUT HE'S STILL ON THE PHONE...]
Sure, give me a second
[... Everything seems relatively normal when he turns the video feed back on; he's even recalled Cristina back into its Pokéball, although the Magikarp is still hanging out in the tub. He does glance nervously at something just off-camera, though...]
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I probably won't be looking but trust me, I am listening~
[And from there, she visibly goes to handle some kind of frying pan. If she's watching the screen, she's doing a great job hiding that fact.] Now then-
You're new here, we got that part out of the way...so questions time! Ask away, and I'll tell you what I know. There's a lot more to this place than just Team Rocket after all- I should know, I'm making plans for a Gym here!
[She flips something in the pan, and glances back.] Not like, an exercise one either. 'Gyms' are a huge deal here, pokemon arena sort of thing.
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Right, I've heard about that. It's a kind of... sports challenge?
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They also really, really like battling. Never goes to anything brutal to watch, just until one passes out for a little bit, but that's pokemon battles. And gyms are normally where you get to do that! Though I do wonder if I have to have battles at mine...
Mnnh, anyway, most people coming here get classified as a Trainer or a Breeder- people coming in as Rockets is...well they know it's Possible but for obvious reasons who has isn't known to the other imports. And it's probably best it stays that way!
On that note, I tend to refer to myself as being a Breeder- we might not get all the perks, but some of the ones we have overlap with them, so it's pretty easy to fake!
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[Weird world. Then again, if nobody really gets hurt...]
So... Say I wanted people to think I'm a Trainer. Should I act like I'm doing the gym thing?
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Breeders and trainers can do the gym challenge. It's why I get to design my own~ I climbed all the way to the top hehee~
But the reason I recommend using the Breeder title on any forms you fill is because as much as we still need HMs to do anything, Trainers have an automatic store discount in place- the minute you go to buy anything, it wouldn't take effect, and you'd be busted..! At least to anyone who you told you were a Trainer.
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And Breeders don't have any tells like that?
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Not really as obvious as a card charge.
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[A SNAP TURN TO THE SCREEN! WHAT DOES SHE SEE-]
An HM- short for 'Hidden Machine'! So to explain this...first, look at your pokeball. If you tap the button on it, just tap it, it'll shrink to the size it normally is when going on a belt. This is important...because an HM looks like...now, hang on...
[She disappears offscreen a moment, digging around audibly for something. Eventually she pulls out a palm-sized cube.] Tadaaaaah. TMs- Technical Machines- and HMs, are techniques you can teach a pokemon. Other than certain exceptions, TMs are only something you can use once. But an HM, you can use plenty of times! Now this cube here is actually one of my HMs! You can fit a pokeball in the middle there, and the information is downloaded right in...
Weird, I know.
HMs though, they're the moves that are key for travel- Fly, for Flight. Cut, Rock Smash, Strength...Surf and Waterfall for the water...some pokemon learn these moves naturally, but an HM is what you use to teach it faster.
The important thing though is that even though you could order a pokemon to use it in battle, they can't use that skill out of one, unless you have the right badge. Just doesn't work. Kinda like the no-weapons thing.
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Oh, he IS sitting by a rolled-up towel, for whatever reason. It's probably nothing.]
... So the badges work kind of like a license? If... you physically couldn't drive until you had a license, I mean. Uh, something like that.
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[That towel is weird but, hey, whatever, it's a towel.] I have a feeling before any of that comes up you might have a shot at getting a badge though...training helps get you to speed pretty quick here, and we're not that far from where the first gym is- and that one's the one you need to use Fly!
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Flying does sound pretty handy. It sounds like I still need to work on my Pokémon, but...
[... Speaking of keeping up, though, he's reading something on his PokéGear again, and his face hardens. He turns his face away, mostly obscuring another blink-and-you'll-miss-it flash of green - and then he swallows and he looks at Carly again, not entirely at ease.]
Oh yeah, uh... Dirk says you're an investigative journalist? That sounds interesting!
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Oooh trust me it is! It's pretty much the fastest way to get anywhere, after teleports...and well. You can only do that one so many times before needing to lay down, hihh.
[.... Hmm.
She caught that. The advantages of actually paying attention to the screen again.] Mmmm, sort of? It wasn't my primary field, but I like to think I was pretty good~! Mostly I did entertainment though. [It's just, also, the best articles always took a bit of investigation.
Even if they were about bike races.
And well, that led to more investigative stuff... ...Anyway.] I thought about going back into it here, but honestly I think I'm good where I am..! I just don't have the world-experience here that I had at home...
Hopefully you're not as thrown out-of-experience as I am, honestly. It's kind of rough to have no idea what to do careerwise again.
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Uh. Uhhh.
(Doppio glances back at the towel one more time, but it cannot help him now. Diavolo sighs internally and hopes Doppio doesn't fumble this too badly, not questioning even for a second why he keeps up the phone farce when being honest about their situation would make it far easier to deal with scenarios like this, because he is an absurd man.)]
O-Oh, I didn't do anything special back home, so... I guess things haven't changed much on that front?
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[Hm.]
Or I guess here it'd be politoed.
Well, maybe your chance is here then~ You'd be surprised at the ways career windows show up!
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... Doppio spaces out for a moment. It's probably nothing, but maybe he should start cutting this conversation short... This Dirk has him busy enough already, anyway.]
You think so? I don't know if I'll find my calling in a gang [not in THIS one, that's for sure], but I guess I'll do my best either way.
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Well.] That's the spirit~! And remember, if you need help, or even just someone to talk to, I'm a call away!
[Why does it feel like she's staring right through him-.]
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A more paranoid man might be... unsure, but wary.]
Thanks. Bye for now!
[And now, to focus on Dirk.]