video

[epitaffio]

[It's practically impossible to tell what's going on. For one, the air is thick with mist. For two, there is some serious Shaky Cam (tm) going on, though with all the mist you can only sort of tell from the way the vague shape of Doppio is vibrating intensely, so the weather is really the main problem here.

When it comes to visibility, anyway. The weather is not Doppio's main concern right now.]

I-I need backup! I'm--

[Is that the cry of a wild Steelix? Why yes, it is. And it's pretty loud, so it must be close.]

I'm not out of supplies, b-but I dropped my bag! [He's out of breath. His voice wobbles with each vibration in the feed.] It... It had most of my Pokéballs, and my items, and all the... all the guys I caught! For the admins!

[The Steelix roars and launches itself forward. It's probably hard to tell from the video itself, though, because it appears Doppio has now dropped his Pokégear and it is bouncing and sliding downhill.]

I don't want to die!

[A few seconds pass. Doppio manages to grab his Gear again and adds, very urgently and quite close to the camera:]

If I show up in the Pokémon Center or down at the gate again without my ID, I'm fucked!

Comments

[divine_braid]

Dude... don't you have pockets? Why would you leave your ID in your bag when you can drop it?

1/2

[epitaffio]

I didn't ask for--!

[epitaffio]

Wait, who's this? [oh god he didn't make this public did he. HE'S SO SCREWED IF HE PUT THIS OUTSIDE THE ROCKET NETWORK]

voice;

[outofsynth]

[Oh no… he’d been doing so well at avoiding Rocket duties.]

Where are you?

voice

[epitaffio]

Mount Silver!

[He has to raise his voice a little to be heard over the Steelix.]

voice

[outofsynth]

Mount Silver?!

[Doppio, why are you even there?]

I don't know if I can help you, man. I'm not even in the same region.

[And this. Seems like a situation that needs a pretty prompt response. He leans in, like that will help him see the Steelix better.]

Do you still have any fire types? Or fighting?

[He said he'd dropped most of his Pokéballs, but not all of them.]

[epitaffio]

[Min-Gi may just barely be able to hear Doppio mumbling:] Do I even have any fighting types in the first place...?

[(He does. It's just easy to forget Heracross is part-Fighting.)]

Shit, I'm pretty sure Connie's in one of the balls I dropped!

[outofsynth]

[Hold on, hold on. He's frantically looking up the entry for Steelix specifically.]

Water? Ground? I don't think you should be turning back until it's weaker...

[epitaffio]

Aaaah, both Pesci and that frog have been in the box for ages...!

[Another cry from the Steelix, and another terrifyingly loud rumble. Doppio's yelp just barely makes itself heard.]

[outofsynth]

Well, you have to do something.

[Snapping probably isn't helpful, but he isn't sure what else he can do from over here. He doesn't want to watch Doppio get smushed on screen. Teleporting is... probably not an option all the way to Mount Silver.]

[epitaffio]

Do you think I don't know that?! I'm fucking trying!

[He has the video feed turned off right now, but there sure is an awful lot of rustling.]

... Scarabella!

[And that's the sound of an epiphany.]

[outofsynth]

Okay, okay...

[The tone is very "I'm just trying to help" in a way that might be even more aggravating if Doppio didn't have bigger fish to fry.

His revelation has Min pausing though.]

Scarabella?

[epitaffio]

My Heracross!

[More hustling. The sound of a Pokéball being thrown - and then, an elated...]

Scarabella!!!

[outofsynth]

Oh! Yeah. Heracross is good.

[Very good, in fact.]

You can do it, Scarabella!

[epitaffio]

[FIGHTING SOUNDS ENSUE. It doesn't actually take that long; the Pokémon in Mt. Silver are tough, but Scarabella is at level 100. Before long, Doppio breathes a sigh of relief - even though...]

Aw, man... I couldn't catch it...

[divine_braid]

Uh... Duo? [He hesitated.] I just arrived.

[epitaffio]

[Oh boy. That still doesn't quite answer his real question.]

... Arrived where?

[divine_braid]

In some like weird base type of place. Had to do some dumb training classes on like... how to pick locks and stuff... how to battle to steal people's pets. Then they told me how to connect to this like secret network and all that.

[epitaffio]

[... Oh! Phew!]

Okay! Why didn't you just say so sooner? I was kind of starting to freak out...

[divine_braid]

Why would I? Isn't the whole point of us having this secret network was to make sure we didn't have to broadcast who we are to the rest of the everyone else and possibly end up getting caught?

[Blink. Blink.]

[epitaffio]

B-- Wait, it's not like that! I just... I couldn't be sure if you were on the secret network or not, so I...

[A Steelix roars loudly in the background. Doppio shrieks.]

[divine_braid]

[Duo frowned a bit at the noise.]

Are you okay over there?

[epitaffio]

No!! I thought that was pretty freaking obvious!

[divine_braid]

Hey! You're the one that changed the topic here!

Where are you?

[epitaffio]

[GAAAAAAAHHHH IT'S A GOOD THING HE HAS MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN YELLING AT NEW RECRUITS]

Mt Silver! I'm on an assignment!

[divine_braid]

And what is that behind you?

[Duo was still a baby Rocket... he didn't exactly have a lot of Pokémon...]

[epitaffio]

You mean the Steelix?!

[He'd better, because if there's anything else--]

[divine_braid]

Is a Steelix a giant metal rock looking snake thing? Because, if so, then yes...

And it's getting closer.

[epitaffio]

Yes, that's what a fucking Steelix is!

[So sorry, Duo. Doppio can be rude when he's upset.]

[divine_braid]

OKAY... WELL, IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU AND YOU MIGHT WANT TO RUN BECAUSE IT LOOKS ANGRY!

[It's fine. Duo can get rude right back. He's got a tougher skin than most.]