|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:21 pm
Akemi wandered the unusually quiet hallways of the HQ, trying to think of something to keep her mind occupied until she gained new orders. She'd missed out on the raid just a few days back - but she doubted Seth would have wanted her there anyway after her humiliation in the Elite Agent's class earlier. Akemi still hadn't come up with replacement moves for Shinju's useless ones, and she had spent most of her free time trying to think of some.
Maybe a visit to the database room would be a good idea - the Grunt didn't have much access yet, but at least battle and move statistics and such information were available for every recruit regardless of rank. A listing of pokémon moves and their descriptions was probably just what she needed - she could weigh out pros and cons and check compatibility by species as well.
Her whole team could have used a little tweaking, she finally thought. Her newest pokémon, an Eevee, was still a blank sheet however. Akemi wished to evolve it into Espeon, but it required the 'vee to trust its trainer completely.. something Akemi hadn't managed to achieve just yet.
The Grunt ran her ID card through the reader, granting her access into the room where several computers sat neatly. She took a seat at the closest one, turning it on and finally logging into the system. The soft electronic humming seemed soothing to her, after a few nights of very little sleep.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:26 pm
It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. The elites' report following the raid had resulted in quite a few good things for Hayes, even if the overall outcome had been disaster and Seth was now spreading his foul mood around with a big shovel, it had really been.. quite good.
He just had to overlook the whole 'shot in the shoulder' bit.
That was hard, because he was running out of button-up shirts. With its pullover design, the standard uniform was out of the question right now, so the Rocket had opted for casual clothes, which he'd have worn in any case.
Not long after Akemi had settled herself in the room, there was a faint beep from the reader and the lock clicked back again. The handle rattled; too late, locked again, and someone made a muffled oath. Another beep, a click, and this time Hayes pushed the door open with his good shoulder stiffly, taking care not to jostle his right side. He blinked on seeing Akemi and offered a mild, though tired smile. "..oh, huh. Hi."
A green-eyed Pikachu trotted in after him, sticking almost close enough to trip the blond up, but not quite. It twitched its nose at the delicate-looking grunt, and then its cheeks sparked in irritation and it shot a look at an ice blue cat-like creature that slipped in around it. "P'ka." If it heard, the Glaceon gave no acknowledgment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:43 pm
"Ah!" Akemi gasped, accidentally hitting the wrong key and closing the file she had been browsing through. She'd been too concentrated on reading to even notice Hayes's first failed attempt at entering the room.
Blushing slightly out of embarrassment and frustration over her own jumpiness, Akemi leaned back to take a look at the blonde male who'd just entered. She'd most likely seen him around a few times before, but he was the type who didn't really stand out. He didn't look threatening, at least - Akemi didn't want to piss any more people off for her own good.
She gave Hayes a small smile in return. "Hi there", she said, noting the Pikachu and Glaceon entering the room with the man.
Turning her head back to the screen for just long enough to reopen the file she was browsing and get back to approximately the point she'd cut herself off at, she turned around in her computer chair. "I, uh, don't think we've been introduced yet?" she said in a somewhat polite tone. "My name's Akemi.. or Grunt Yumeno, though I prefer being addressed by first name", she said with an embarrassed chuckle.
She'd decided to leave her hair untouched today, and it was basically all over the place. If it wasn't for the Grunt cap she wore almost all the time it would've surely gotten in her face, as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:45 pm
That was a thorough introduction, and Hayes looked slightly taken aback by the tide of opening remarks that came forth from this tiny girl. The Pikachu stuck close to his feet, but the Glaceon drifted away towards the middle of the room, sniffing at the air in this unfamiliar place.
"..well okay," the blond laughed when she was done. It was a light, pleasant sound, and not done in an unkind manner. "Akemi it is, nice to meet you."
Hayes watched the Ice-type explore, poking into corners with a certain reserve, then looked to a door in the opposite wall as if expecting it to open. "Huh," he commented to himself when it didn't, and shut the one he'd just came through.
Unfortunately he forgot and used his bad arm, eliciting a wince and a grimace. "Pi pika," his Pokemon commented. Smart move, Hayes. "Feth," the blond muttered, fist clenching and good hand going to his shoulder, then cast a vaguely apologetic smile at Akemi. "Name's Hayes."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:59 pm
"Nice to meet you", the Grunt responded brightly, her eyes following the Glaceon before drifting back to the man.
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he winced in pain, getting up on her feet. "Hayes, huh? Is your shoulder injured?" she asked then, processing the situation in her head. Within seconds something clicked, and another question followed. "Were you on that raid, too?"
She'd heard it had pretty much ended up as a complete disaster. Cops all over the place, everyone ending up more or less hurt. Apparently most of the Rockets that had participated were currently recovering - maybe that was the reason why it was so quiet.
This guy Hayes seemed like an okay fellow - judging by first impressions at least. Akemi knew she was being nosy, but not having been there, she was interested in hearing at least some of the things that had been going on that night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:24 pm
Hayes certainly seemed to radiate a pleasant, calm demeanor unlike most members of Team Rocket, yet despite that seemed perfectly at home and comfortable in the base's halls. Albeit it was slightly strained at the moment due to the physical pain he was in.
Pikachu and Glaceon watched him, alert.
"That obvious, huh? Yeah, I was." The casually dressed blond looked at his shoulder as he spoke, then carefully drew his hand away as the discomfort subsided to the dull ache he'd been feeling for the past few days. "Caught a bullet on the way out." He smiled and made a one-shouldered shrug. "I was stupid." That seemed to be a sufficient explanation for him.
"You pretty new?" he asked as he pulled out a chair at a dormant terminal. "I can't remember seeing you much."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:37 pm
The small Grunt acknowledged his reply with a nod, keeping an eye on his shoulder. Must have been really painful, she thought. One couldn't help but wonder how badly she would've gotten hurt if she had been there..
"Ouch", was her immediate answer, accompanied by a sympathetic scowl. "I heard it went pretty badly, huh?" she said then, making the question sound rhetoric as to not seem imposing or nosy.
She sat back down on her computer chair, sitting at an angle so that she could still talk to Hayes without seeming awkward, and being able to continue her searching through the files she had waiting. "Well, uh.. not exactly new. I've been around for a while, but mostly been doing training and small, dirty jobs. You know, trying to accumulate experience as well as confidence in this job", she replied to his question. "I do hope to get promoted to Agent sometime in the near future, though.." she finished with a small chuckle. She still had a lot of work to do to achieve that, but at least she was making progress.
She knew she wasn't exactly the type who stood out, being so small and lacking memorable features. The girl figured Hayes probably thought she was younger, too, like a lot of people mistakenly did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:05 pm
"Well, my program worked," Hayes grinned, implying that was the important thing. Never mind the injured, never mind the snitch, never mind Seth rampaging around the base spreading terror and misery like a one-man apocalypse. After a moment he sobered and continued, "Yeah, it was kind of a bust; they're working on cleanup. Did get some Pokemon out of it, though, so not a total loss." He had a seat.
Switch had been waiting for this, and the moment Hayes sat the electric rodent leaped into his lap, eliciting an "Oof!" from the agent. "Hey, geez," he laughed. "Piiiika." Switch glared at the Glaceon, who was still exploring the room, unconcerned by the possessive Pikachu.
"It's usually like that at the bottom." Hayes hit the power button on the computer tower with his thumb and swiveled to face Akemi while the machine booted up. "Seth's been giving classes, though."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:19 pm
Ah, so he was a programmer, the girl noted, pushing a few strands of hair off her face. Then again, Hayes did kind of look like the techie type. Having grown up with one such sibling, Akemi had an eye for that kind of people. "Ah. Good thing it wasn't a complete waste then. I hope those pokémon will be of use", she said, letting out a chuckle as the Pikachu took over Hayes's lap. The yellow mouse seemed pretty fond of its Trainer. Always a good sign in Akemi's eyes.
The mention of Seth's name made Akemi cringe slightly. "Uhh.. yeah. I was in one of his classes some days back", she said, her voice losing its earlier peppy tone. "Let's just say.. I got scolded pretty bad.. and now I'm looking into giving my pokémon some better moves." She kept scrolling down the species-specific information file, checking what she had available for her Wartortle. The teaching method didn't matter - a move tutor was always available, as were various Technical Machines. It was just a matter of finding something to replace the moves Seth had dubbed "useless". She could look into the rest of her team while she was at it - balance everything out a bit more.
"I really... don't want to get chewed out like that again", she finally added.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 9:04 pm
Hayes nodded to himself at Akemi's reaction as if it was to be expected. He watched her scroll through the file, glancing away to check on the Glaceon every now and then. She was twining around the desk legs, sniffing at power cables and cocking an ear at the humming of computer towers, curious but with a certain reserve.
"Yeah, he comes down pretty hard on people." The agent gave the dejected grunt a sympathetic smile. "Sounds like he got you good." His good hand drifted to Switch's head and lightly kneaded between the Pikachu's ears; the electric mouse's green eyes half-closed. "I wouldn't take it personally; he's that way with everyone."
"He was probably right, though; guy knows his stuff. If you look past the insults he gives solid advice." The agent shifted his fingers away from the Pokemon's ears to unclip another Pokeball from his belt and set it beside him on the desk.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 4:15 pm
"Yeah.." Akemi said quietly, nodding slightly as she stopped her scrolling for a moment. "I know he has a point.. and that's why I'm actually doing what he told me to", she continued with a faint smile. It was true though. As hurt as she was by how Seth had been yelling at her the other day, it had been obvious something had to be done to improve. The fact that her Wartortle and Ivysaur would never fully evolve would have to be compensated for somehow.
The girl absentmindedly fingered the pokéballs at her waist, finally picking out one of them. In a flash of light, a pale coloured Eevee with deep red eyes emerged. It looked around curiously, but at the same time slightly wary about the new environment it was in. It stayed close to Akemi's feet, eyeing the other human and the two pokémon in the room as if trying to decide whether to greet them or just hide.
"I got this one just recently", Akemi told Hayes. "I think I'm gonna try to evolve her into Espeon, but she's still a bit of a scaredy-cat." She looked at Hayes' Glaceon for a while, and judging by the way it was wandering around the room the man had only got it recently, as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 6:50 pm
"That's good," the agent replied, and seemed to mean it. Akemi was further along than other grunts if she was taking the advice, despite her beaten-down attitude - others in her situation would have privately called Seth an idiot and disregarded him.
Those kinds of grunts didn't last long.
Hayes tilted his head slightly to the side and took a look at the Eevee when she was released. "Cute," he grinned. "I should get around to figuring out a move set for mine.." The blond trailed off as the Glaceon paused, ears perked, and began to move across the room towards them again. She twined briefly around Hayes' chair and ankles, then flowed toward the new Pokemon and stopped a few feet away, head cocked in silent invitation.
"Huh," Hayes blinked. "That's new." Switch muttered a sleepy "Chuu."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:39 pm
The girl's earlier smile slowly returned. She was happy to have met someone she got along with, and who seemed to understand her situation - at least somewhat. And as it seemed, she had figured out what she wanted. Now she would just have to pay a visit to the HQ battling unit and see the move tutor, as well as the Technical Machine supply person. After that, it would just be intensive training until new orders came in.
As the Glaceon came back closer and stopped to stare at Rei, Akemi looked at it for a moment and the back to Hayes. "That one's a new addition to your team, too?" she asked in a polite manner, genuinely interested. At heart, she was still a Trainer through and through, it was just her environment and way of acting it out that had changed with her joining Team Rocket.
The Eevee eyed the Glaceon for a moment, not moving at first. "...'vee..?" it finally said, taking a few steps towards the other pokémon. It would do the Eevee good to interact with others, Akemi had thought all along. This seemed like a good way to start.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 2:05 pm
"Nemerle?" Hayes asked, and the Glaceon perked her ears at the name. When nothing followed, she inclined her head to the Eevee. Good, that's right, the gesture seemed to say, and there was a hint of a smile on the Pokemon's muzzle as it waited patiently.
"Yeah, she's still learning her way around the place," the agent explained, watching the interaction with a faint smile, leaned back in his chair and by all appearances content to chat with this new acquaintance for a while. "Piiika," Switch muttered sulkily, neither pleased nor impressed by the scene. He flicked Hayes' wrist with his tail. Attention back on me, thanks.
The blond made an amused little sound and returned to gently kneading the base of the Pikachu's ears. "It was a stroke of luck she found me, really. Where's yours from?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:12 pm
Akemi smiled as she watched the two Pokémon on the floor, then chuckled as Switch demanded to have Hayes' attention once more.
"I see", she said, placing her hands on her knees, following Rei's actions. "And to be honest, I don't even know where Rei came from. I recently found her in a Pokéball on my bed.. and there's been no word of an Eevee going missing, so supposedly she was left there on purpose while I was training", the girl explained.
Rei swished its tail nervously for another moment, then took a few more steps in Nemerle's direction. Its expression gradually grew less nervous, and it started sniffing the air to identify everyone's scent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
