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 Posted: Sat May 28, 2011 8:39 am
Today's mission was a bit different from the usual. Rather than infiltrate some well-guarded facility or retrieve some sensitive information, Aila's current task was the pursuit of the legendary pokemon Articuno. If pressed, she would have to admit that she was vaguely nervous about the whole thing after her last encounter with a legendary bird, but it was at least a small comfort that she wasn't on her own - Asch was a skilled agent, and his presence was an assurance. She had no illusions of relying on him, though, or at least had no desire to do so. Self-sufficiency was of an importance rivaled only by dedication; being accompanied by a partner was insurance against something going wrong.
The mountains loomed ahead, the highest peaks vanishing into the mist of the atmosphere. Articuno had been sighted there in the past, and another more recent sighting was too much to overlook. Though Team Rocket had already acquired a DNA sample of the ice bird, knowing that Galactic was assembling the legendary pokemon meant it was too great a risk to ignore the matter. If only to prevent the rival team from acquiring the legend, the circumstances called for an investigation.
"How would you like to proceed?" Aila asked of her partner, studying the mountain curiously. Much of the visible rock face, though in places sheer, didn't look impossible to climb, but she recalled that the mountain interior was mottled with caverns; it was possible there was an easier means of ascent from within. Not that she was in any hurry to ever venture into those mountains again. Three cave-ins in a single mission... Her memories of the mines remained distinctly unpleasant. Maybe if they circled far enough around they could find a scenic trail.
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 8:56 am
Wearing a backpack with needed supplies, Asch was looking at information on the arctic bird on his Rocketdex when Aila posed the question. This sort of mission was something he was use to. He had done some that were similar before arriving in Kodo, and that was probably why him and Aila had been selected to do this scouting trip. Naturally they likely couldn't take on Articuno themselves, but at least locating the bird would certainly be helpful in forming and organizing a raid.
Green eyes lifted to look at his partner, before turning to the mountain beyond. He then punched up the information on Skypeak Mountains and known caverns.
"Articuno is probably living in some of the caves and cliffs near the peaks where its coldest. We should use the cavern network to get us as high as we can and then climb from there if we need to." This said with utmost seriousness as Asch then started to walk. They had to hike up to the foot of Skypeak's highest mountain, where that feather had been discovered. There were cavern entrances there.
Asch was aware of the dangerous and unstable parts of the caverns. He'd heard about that attack from Galactic and the cave ins that the team had experienced while roaming the interior of the mountain. They would have to exercise caution as they proceeded. A glance was given to Aila. If she had any objections, now was the time.
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 11:44 am
"Very well," she replied briefly, following as he began to walk and voicing no objections against the suggestion. Simply disliking the idea of being in the caverns again was hardly enough to warrant taking a more difficult, and possibly less fruitful, path. A mission was a mission, regardless of how much or how little she liked it. Her only objection was if they strayed too close to the depths of the mines - the ghost-types that made their home there seemed to have a fondness for tricks and mind games that Aila had no wish to indulge a second time.
It wouldn't be terribly long before the pair's progress found a parting in the mountain stone, a narrow entrance allowing the natural light to illuminate only the nearest reachest of the cavern beyond. The formations within indicated a gradual widening of the maw as well as an upward slope of the ground; all in all, it seemed a promising means of proceeding. Aila peered into the opening, internalizing all these details before turning to Asch, "This looks as good a point of entry as any." She took a step away from it to allow the other agent to investigate it similarly and make his call.
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 7:22 pm
A beam of light suddenly pierced the darkness of the cavern within as Asch pulled out his flashlight and flicked it on. He shone it back and forth across the visible portions of the cavern. It didn't seem to end immediately, so Aila's suggestion looked sound. With that, the agent nodded and proceeded into the cavern. The distant screech of Zubat could be heard farther within. Undoubtably that's probably encounter some wild Pokemon here and there, but that was of little consequence.
In another flash of light, Asch then released one his Pokemon that would do well to see in the dark. Tyke appeared at his master's side, green eyes widening a little as he looked back and forth. "Zoooor..." he murmured in awe as the ventured deeper into the cave, having to watch their step with the unevenness of the terrain. Tyke at least was small enough to squeeze through small spaces if needed. Saber was considerable bigger, even larger than the two humans, thus his presence was impractical at the moment.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:44 am
Aila regarded Tyke momentarily with interest; it wasn't the first time she had seen the little dark-type, but its species continued to intrigue her. To complement the Zorua's small size and keen vision, the agent released her Golbat. The cave-dwelling pokemon wasn't as maneuverable as Tyke, but his masterful use of echolocation would allow him to inform the Rocket pair if they were headed towards a dead end. Having been briefed on his task in advance, Noire proceeded alongside the small group, fulfilling his role diligently. It had been a while since he had last seen the interior of a cavern, but the setting certainly left the bat pokemon feeling quite at home.
Uneven though it was, the ground seemed largely stable, and careful footing guided by the agents' flashlights and pokemon allowed for safe progress. This progress was eventually and suddenly interrupted by a sharp cry from Noire, drawing Aila's attention. The Golbat lingered slightly behind his companions, regarding the passage warily.
"We probably shouldn't proceed any further in this direction," his trainer concluded. The most likely translation of Noire's warning was that the path would end in a wall or a pit, but his obvious apprehension suggested the possibility of something more dangerous.
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:56 am
As they continued on, Tyke carefully trotted around the rocky floor of the cavern while Asch had to carefully maintain his footing. One wrong step could mean a fall that could be injurious or even fatal in some places. However, the screech from the Golbat brought the small procession to a stop. Shining his light in that direction, this caused Asch to frown deeply. They hadn't gotten very far and already they had to find an alternate route?
"Then we'll have to find another way," he said as he shown his light around the immediate area. Unfortunately, he wasn't seeing any obvious alternate routes, the cave around them mostly ending in walls except for the passage that the Golbat had warned them against.
The red head then turned to Aila after his brief survey that ended with nothing. "Let's keep going. There's no other way." They would just have to be careful. And with that, his trek continued onward. Tyke's ears folded back warily, but he continued to follow his trainer inside.
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