[ video ]

[fordola]

[ Oh hey, a new Rocket Message. And there's a newcomer - a young-looking woman, clearly still a teenager.

The voice on the other end is very... plain, any sign of any accent or anything buried. Practiced. And the person sat plainly, focused. There was no trace of anything on her face - no anger nor fear at being taken. ]

My name is Fordola rem Lupis. [ with emphasis on the rem... yet, no change in her tone of voice, no feelings to read from it. ] I'm a new recruit to Team Rocket. [ A little flicker of something. Gods, what a stupid name, she's thinking. But there's no point pissing off her new bosses. ]

If there's any work that I may help with - or any other tasks that need to be done - I would be willing to assist, once my training has finished.

[ And the video flicks off. She's in the Goldenrod Base, doin' that training. While on duty, in the training? She is clearly very focused, and... quite skilled. ]

Comments

[orangesmith]

It's mostly just pokémon theft. As long as you can give them something you stole every couple weeks, they won't care much. [The speaker is another teen, with somewhat of an amused look on his face.]

Anyway, welcome to Team Rocket and good luck with the training! [Is he trying to make the training sound worse than it is? Maybe.]

[fordola]

[ She is trying to relax a little. But there is clearly that tenseness, that trying to look good. ] I don't need luck. Not like they'd kill their latest recruit.

[Voice]

[liedtoyou]

[It is very difficult for Machi to decide how best to respond to this video. Does he use video himself? That comes packaged with the assumption of certain abilities he'd rather not implicate, at least not yet. Or he could just go find her in person... but that also has some risks. And text.... the matter of his spelling aside, he knows speech to text exists, but that's hardly different from audio. It will have to be audio.

In contrast to her own, strictly plain voice, Machi's is strangely accented. 'Strangely' as in both 'it's strange that he has an accent' and 'the accent itself is extremely strange.']

You also new? Fordola. I am Machi Tobaye.

[His message is not saying anything especially interesting, and that's on purpose.]

[Voice]

[fordola]

[ There is little that Fordola can discern from the accent - it's not one she's heard before, or can catalogue as one that she knows. She's even more on guard as she replies.

But she's beginning to walk. To listen out, to see if she can pinpoint where this other is. ] Machi, huh. [ A little pause. A few more steps. ] Arrived today as well? We'll likely be in the same training classes.

[orangesmith]

Heh, they won't do that. Even if you do die, you'll just wake up back at the Pokémon Center.

[At least, that's what he heard happens. Never happened to him personally.]

[fordola]

[ A little roll of her eyes. Attitude finally coming out. ] And they still took away my sword? Cowards.

Anything else you think they won't bother to teach me?

[orangesmith]

Everyone loses their weapons and powers when they come here, not just us. Wish I could have my switchblade back...

[Yes, Narancia is still bitter about having his switchblades and Stand taken away from him, over a year since his own arrival, if that muttering didn't make it obvious.

But what won't they tell her in training? Well.]

Well, they're kinda shitty criminals. The only thing they really do is steal. Also you can just catch pokémon and hand those in instead of stealing, but if you keep doing it they might notice.

[He shrugs, apparently not caring too much about who might hear this.]

voice

[epitaffio]

Hey there. Feels like's been a while since we've had a new recruit!

[With the exception of any other semi-recent recruits Doppio may or may not have realised are in Team Rocket yet--]

Oh, uh, what name do you like better? Fordola or Remlupis?

[Usually he doesn't bother asking, but since she seems so serious...]

voice

[fordola]

Fordola. [ Said firmly, once again. Seems most of these people use voice. She's noting that. ] Lupis is my last name - rem was my rank back home. Second-highest I could get.

[fordola]

That is bullshit. [ It just. Slips out. But any respect she had for Team Rocket is slipping easily. But she knows how to play her part, so. ] The weapon thing, I mean. Aren't we meant to be intimidating?

[ Thankfully, she knows she can be intimidating without weapons. But still: bullshit. But then, she snorts. ] You know, if somebody heard you say things like that, you might be punished. Better to keep thoughts like that to yourself.

voice

[epitaffio]

[It's just a habit for him - many, many of his conversations back home were over the phone.]

Oh, sorry. Uh... Your "rank" in what?

[liedtoyou]

[Fordola out here using her brain cells, Ace Attorney style. Machi is, thankfully, staying put in his assigned room, seated on his bottom-level bunk with his back against the wall and his knees drawn up. The relative anonymity of a multi-grunt barrack is equal parts reassuring and uncomfortable.

Below his bed, his skunk hides. But he is not letting that awful bird out again.]

Yes. Today.

So meeting you, maybe then.

[Short. Cryptic.]

[orangesmith]

I think our Pokémon are supposed to help us intimidate.

[Narancia huffs.]

And I'm not gonna hide they're shitty criminals. I won't badmouth 'em to their faces or try to leave or anything, but it's true.

[Narancia was in a gang in his own world before this, he's seen serious criminals before.]

[fordola]

These things? [ Fordola picks up her Cubone by its' neck. ] Half th'beasts I fight daily would devour them whole. They're pathetic.

> action

[fordola]

[ She is smart! Observant. And watching every movement around her, as she opens the door. Towering. Glaring. ]

Or you'll be meetin' me now.

[fordola]

[ She bets she'll need to explain this a lot, but she's also. Sounding slightly proud? ] Right, they're not here. The Garlean Empire. It sort of means... I'm a commander?

[epitaffio]

Oh, okay, so it’s a military rank! [Even from the sound of his voice, it’s apparent he feels a lot less confused, just like that.] I bet this training stuff feels way too basic for you, then.

[orangesmith]

They get stronger if you train them.

[Actually give him a second to get out Torta.]

Torta here doesn't look scary, but she can shoot off energy blasts and stuff. [It helps that she's also decently high level.]

[fordola]

So they've got some sort of magic. Urgh. Guess I've gotta get 'em stronger. That's almost worse then this whole forced kidnapping thing. If they were people, at least they'd be good partners.