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When night fell on Camphoreon it lit up like a jewel.

A small jewel, dwarfed by others in the diadem of coastal cities, but perhaps all the more effort went into polishing it for that fact, and it was the most technological, industrial place in Kodo. It was also the most sophisticated, a favorite destination of the idle rich for its tropical weather and many amenities.

Tonight the first floor of the grand hotel blazed with light and bustled with activity, the site of the eighteenth annual Poke Ball. Hosted by the local Pokemon Fanciers Association, it was a place to see and be seen, populated by women in elegant gowns, men in crisp suits, sleekly-dressed waiters - and of course, Pokemon, at least one for every human. Several were dolled up just like their owners, in ribbons or bows or just groomed to perfection. It wasn't all vanity; deals would be sealed tonight and alliances made, some under the heady buzz of too much champagne. The odd bodyguard here and there bespoke the presence of more than one important personage.

The main ballroom had been decorated with streamers in festive cream and gold, with sprigs of greenery accenting strategic places. Most of the floor had been cleared away for dancing, but along the edges people and Pokemon mingled, dining at round tables attended by hotel staff or clustered in small knots. A live band played in the background. It was a vast room, alive with music and conversation.

This sort of setting was bound to attract attention, not all of it good.

All Rockets had received instruction beforehand - quite a bit of it, actually. But at heart it was a simple three-stage plan. Enter and infiltrate by mingling - become part of the crowd, scope out the best targets. At the signal - a distraction large enough to draw all attention - they would strike, then escape and scatter in the confusion.

(The raid begins! Get in, get settled, eat some hor d'ouerves and light up the dance floor; tonight is for you guys to have fun, advance character relationships and show off before the real action begins. But it's not all fun and games - you'll also be on the lookout for targets. Each of you will approach - or be approached - by an NPC played by staff, which you may target in pairs or alone. Not all Pokemon at this event are star quality, so you may have to do some searching before you find a target you decide to keep. Think of it a bit like a Pokemon stealing ORP.. except here, you can't just ambush them from the bushes and hit them on the head. Social skills are a must!

But first.. you need a Pokemon with you to get in and an appropriately fancy getup. Got what it takes? No molting Pidgeys or t-shirts here!

Any questions about the setting or mission, ask in the main thread.

Feel free to RP non-target NPCs (wait staff, etc.) to add to the feel but just be aware you won't be able to steal from them.)

Dancing, divas and the use of a dictionary to find another D word to describe the ​holly little shindig known as the Poke Ball floated through Sorano's mind.

No matter how utterly punny or funny the ​event's name was, it hardly made Sorano break out into snicker. In reality, he drifted along the tempest sea (of his own sweat!) in a deep, deep agony. He was quite used to these fancy galas due to his membership at the Magical Ballroom Dancing Society (TM). Being amongst these kind of suave people hardly made him break bounds but suddenly, for some reason or another, he was sweating pails upon upon pails of human perspiration. Sorano blamed it to be condensation. Whinny, however, knew this to be much exaggeration. Her dainty pink paws waved wind to his face in sheer vexation, much to Sorano's own agitation.​

He almost forgot his true duty for being there, the brightness of the rich and radiance of ladies in form-fitting duds ​blinding him. The scared jitters of his Wigglytuff brought him back to the dimension of reality. Bending down, Sorano gave a light pat to the whipped fluff of his Wigglytuff's head​.​

"Come down, Whinns." he breathed when the Wiggly looked to him. "These peeps ain't gonna 'urt ya. Say mean things 'bout ya, maybe, but not 'urt ya."

Whinny continued to fidget however. Offering her a smile of rapture, Sorano attempted to calm her with other methods.

"Okay, Whinns, deep breathes." he said and inhaled.

She inhaled with him but suddenly began to float-sink into the air. Blanching, Sorano breathed out quickly and his Wigglytuff followed -- jitter-bugging still. A sigh escaped the seams of his lips as he stood. Elvis would have been a better choice to use tonight.

His first plan of action was to jingle and mingle with the other folk and find what was worth stealing and what was worth being used as lab prey. ​​No one seemed to mind the squint eyed man though, skimming passed him to claim a party appetizer or ​converse with someone much more meaningful. The night was going to be long.​

It had been a while since he'd been in such company. In some ways he had missed it, while in others, was glad to be away from it. The glitz and glamor of the event brought back memories, most of them rather unpleasant, as the tall man stepped through the door. Blue eyes lifted to observe the crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling and bathed the room in a warm ambiance.

He was dressed in a navy blue, single breasted tuxedo. A black bow tie secured around the collar of his pristine white shirt. Silver and sapphire Dragonair cufflinks adorned his sleeves, and his black shoes were neatly polished. Due to the formal manner of the occasion, his hair was also slicked back, save for a few unruly strands that hung over his eyes.

He stood there near the entrance for several moments, seemingly to get lost in the atmosphere as he surveyed it. The music in the background, the clinking of fine dinnerware, the light chatter, it was almost euphoric and yet dreadful at the same time. Were it not for the fact that they were here for a mission, Seth would be tempted to turn around and go right back out again.

At his side was Raion. The shiny Luxray, must to his chagrin, was adorned with a rhinestone studded collar rather than the usual spiked one. However, he was a good sport and endured it well. Still, the Pokemon sensed his master's emotions and turned his red eyes up towards Seth as he growled a low, "Raaaay." As if reminding him to focus.

The beauty of the lighted city after the sun had set was, unfortunately, entirely lost on the nervous grunt. She was much too busy re-re-re-re-re-checking her mental list of things to prepare for before they'd left, just in case she could have forgotten something. Too bad that, even if she had, it was much too late to go back now.

Thankfully, she felt mostly prepared. Her strapless gown wrapped snugly around her torso before filling out at her hips at a slight angle instead of directly across, and was moderately full. The outer layer of the bottom portion went uniformly down to above her knees before it stopped short on the left side, but continued diagonally down her right side until several inches from the bottom. The smooth silk was a deep, dark purple that faded to black near the bottom, while the inner layer, mostly visible on the left due to the style of the outer layer, was a slightly lighter, muted version of the fading color scheme. Her normally black hair with lilac streaks had been thoroughly dyed into a rich, luscious brown with highlights, several thick strands of loose curls framed her face while the rest was pulled into an elegant sort of bun, with a cascade of tighter curls flowing from the bottom of it. A pair of hazel contacts was the finishing touch, masking her normally violet eyes. At least then, if anyone would remember Odette (and she certainly was worth remembering, unfortunately), they wouldn't know what her owner truly looked like.

Speaking of Odette, the bird behind her looked like she was positively glowing. Claire had made sure to give her a bath beforehand, grooming and a general all-around pampering in preparation for tonight's events. If they were to have a pokemon to show off, what better pokemon would do the job? Nevermind she only had two pokemon to speak of, and her chubby pikachu was currently in his pokeball, hidden in a secret pocket in the inner folds of the skirt of her dress.

No one ever said that could only bring one pokemon with them.

With a deep breath, Claire let go of the small pendant that hung from a delicate silver chain around her neck, the only jewelry - aside from a simple pair of silver teardrop earrings - she had decided to wear for the occasion, and stepped into the main room that everyone seemed to be mingling into. Upon exhaling said deep breath, she reached up to push a lock of unfamiliar curly hair out of her face, a smile playing upon her painted lips as all the nervous feelings and misgivings washed away, as she immersed herself into what she called her 'character'. It was better to think of this as a sort of play, a performance of some sort, instead of a mission. It made it seem infinitely less imposing.

Odette, on the other hand, was positively at home in such an atmosphere. She had no need to act or pretend to be anything besides what she was - an incorrigible show-off and attention-hog. She gave herself a quick shake before lifting her beak into the air in a condescending fashion, delicately strutting after Claire and being sure to turn in all the right ways so the lights would play dazzlingly off her golden feathers. She was, after all, the most gorgeous pokemon there, obviously. Everyone there just had yet to learn that fact, but she would make it exceedingly apparent for them repeatedly throughout the entire night. Ohh yes, yes she would.

Never in her life had Nicole Wattson ever spent so long to get dressed for anything. Hours had been spent on her hair alone, not to mention her make up, but the fruits of her labor had been well worth it.

While Miss Nadja refused to allow her to purchase her first choice of dress- A fluffy pink thing with ruffles, bows, and a huge skirt- she had finally decided on a gown with an intricate peacock design, and billowing, but manageable, skirt. The dress was nearly strapless, a feature which was aided in accentuating the area just below her neck. It would be likely that many people would not recognize the scientist, especially considering that her hair was now adhering to the laws of gravity and curling delicately to frame her face.

Following close behind was a golden furred humanoid, towering a full foot over the woman, with a bowtie around its thick neck. It seemed that at some point between getting dressed and arriving at the party, Nyx had come upon a shiny electivire. The beast looked absolutely amazed with everything going on around it, and had to hold its trainer's hand to keep from stopping in the middle of the floor and staring.

This was a party like none she had ever been, but they were not there to experience the finer things in life, they were there to work, and Nyx would make Miss Nadja proud. But first, she had to wait for her partner in crime for the night to catch up to her. Until he found her, she would wander the edge of the room, admiring the various pokemon.

For Liam and Aila:

"Why, aren't you two just darling!" A rich, fulsome voice rose and cracked on a high note audible only to dogs and small children as a plump woman bustled over, dripping pearls from her updo and rather expansive bosom. Her dress was dark and conservative, her face lined beneath the foundation and mascara. A fluted champagne glass balanced between her manicured fingers. "Is this your first time, dears?"

"Ho ho ho!" Came a jolly shout from one side of the room. No it wasn't Santa Claus, although the owner of the voice sounded and looked much like him. It came from an old man who wore an elegant tuxedo along with a hat and sunglasses with both hands holding a gentlemanly cane. He also had a full white beard and mustache.

"Oh ho, would you like to hear about my marvelous Pokemon?" He asked of a few party goers that were near him.

Glancing at his hand, that was now in his pocket, she just smiled, looking back up a him, speaking quietly so that only he could hear her, but appearance wise, just looked as if she was having a nice polite conversation with him.
With the appearance that he was her date for the evening, she had no problems with reaching one of her arms out to hook it around his, just enough though to make it inconspicuous that she was pulling his hand out of his pocket, that being the real reason she linked her arm with his.
“No worries Sir” she continued, “one can wander and enjoy the evening”

The loud “Ho Ho Hoing” of a large man, drawing attention to himself, speaking boldly to the people around him, ready to show off his pokemon.
“Hum” she eyed him from across the room where she stood with Sorano.
Already he was approached by someone she recognized, Rocket was already investigating him.

Umbreon just blinked once back at the Wigglytuff he asked, stiffly.