PokeMorph Liberation Force: Kanto

[Scarlet Weather]

Travis smirked at Clove's greeting. "Actually, he didn't send me, I volunteered to head up the relief team you requested. Besides, I knew that you'd be needing my help at some point. You're getting into scrapes like this, yah?" he responded impudently, winking at his spiny colleague. After listening patiently to Clove rattle off information, presumably to preemptively fend off any questions Travis might ask, the Smeargle morph unzipped a second pocket on his jeans and removed his PLF phone. "Lesee... Oh gods, they put Omega on this mission? That guy's as much of a danger to himself as he is to the enemy! Then the commander was serious when he said that he was calling in the muscle. Yowza, they really broke the bank with this team. And you guys needed help? Either Brock's stronger than he looks, or you guys really do need my help for everything," he teased before watching Clove pull himself to his feet and begin staggering unsteadily towards the mansion. "Clove?"

A medic raced up beside Travis, panting heavily. "Sir, we've located the other members of the frontal assault team, and we'll begin treating them now. Any further orders?" she asked breathlessly.

Travis thought for a moment, then answered. "Patch everyone up and send them in. Don't get killed. If you need my help, I'll be inside helping Needle-boy here," he jabbed his finger at Clove, "Take care of a certain overgrown boulder. Heaven knows he needs the help." As the medic turned to walk away, Travis tapped her shoulder. "Hold up a moment." With a quick flick of his wrist the agile morph slipped a spray bottle full of orange liquid from the medic's pouch before tossing it to Clove. "Hey, needle-boy, use that," he ordered. "Won't do much for your fatigue, but at least you won't be hurting so bad. I don't want you collapsing on the middle of the floor and needing me to save your butt twice on one mission. Come on, let's go!" He started to run towards the gym before stopping suddenly. "Wait..." his voice trailed off as he returned his gaze to Clove. "You mind holding that pose a minute?" he asked, a strange tone in his voice, "Because with your face like that... and that position... your blank expression... the background and lighting are all perfect! I just have to sketch this!" At the word "sketch", the Smeargle tail shot up as if it had a mind of its own and began searching around for something to draw on.

"Er... sir.." the medic interrupted, a look of pure embarassment on her face, "We're in the middle of a mission right now..."

"Oh, right!" Travis exclaimed, blushing. "Sorry about that. But at least let me take a picture!" Before either of the others could protest, Traivs had already snapped the photo. "NOW we can go!" he announced, rushing towards the gym.

The medic staggered backward as bright circles played in front of her eyes. "Too.. much... light..." she gasped.

 

[Brad]

The other guards hurried off, saying something about another intruder.
"Brad, the Smeargle morph has arrived" said the radio. Brad smiled. He knew it was the medic. Brad had a bunch of bleeding spike holes, and his left arm and left clavicle were broken. A lot of his energy was used. He slowly got off of the wall, and walked slowly to Brock's cavern, where a lot of commotion had commenced. He saw one morph holding another- she was injured. Then Brad gazed at Brock. A long time had passed since he and his Golem were separated- when Brad and his Charizard trumped them. Too bad Brad was injured... he walked in, and Brock's jaw dropped.

"Hmm... so, you are a Pokemorph as well? With your accursed Charizard? That thing really hurt my Golem. But you are injured... I guess it's my time to beat you." Brock said cockily. Brad's face hardened, and he awaited Brock's moves. This battle would be hard. Brock ended Stealth Rock, and used a Rock Slide. Brad tried to move, but his clavicle ached, and the Rock Slide connected. Brad winced in pain- it took him a lot of energy to resist screaming. Brad fell on the floor. His right leg, at least part of the part above the knee, was fractured, and his right wing was fractured at the joint. Brad couldn't do crap, but an idea came to thought.

"Oh GOD!!! I… see a white light… and angels. And Arceus. He beckons. Oh, I am lost to the world." Brad wailed dramatically. Then, he faked collapse, and made the flame on his tail shrink to an invisible spark on the tip.. In his right hand, a Heat Wave slowly made a tunnel.

'Ha! Defeated! I finally beat you! Silly PLF. The gym trainers are superior in all regards," Brock boasted boomingly. Brock began laughing, and relaxed again. Brad then made his move. The tunnel was right under Brock, and was filled with molten rock. Brad charged up a beam of Heat Wave, Fire Blast, and Dragon Pulse in his right hand, and shot it through the tunnel. It burst into Brock, and was so bright it was blinding. Finally, Brock was stuck to the ceiling, surrounded by the now-hardened lava Brad's previous Heat Wave had created. Brad moved up his head, and began to speak.

"Haha! In victory, you are vanquished. I guess the merge got some rocks in your head. I may be injured, and out of energy, but at least you are trapped, Brock. I assume Clove, or someone else, will come to vanquish you. Perhaps the others, who had been hiding, can kill thee. Oh well. My ploy worked." Brad said. He wheezed as he spoke. Turns out some of his ribs were broken. He couldn't turn over. He picked up the radio, and radioed Clove.

"Commander Clove, this is Omega… (WHEEZE) Brock is trapped on the ceiling. Two others are here- Alice and Mandi, I think. COUGH! I am injured badly. My left clavicle, left arm, parts of my right leg, the joint of my right wing, and some of my ribs are fractured and broken. I can barely breath, let alone fight or move. I fought hard, sir. If you are still able to fight, come kill Brock. The rocky bond that traps him may break under his weight. Let me be the last healed. The others come first. Anyways (BLEGGH, coughing up blood), come quick. I am done for today." Brad said weakly. He had fought hard. He closed his eyes, and let the sleep try to dull the sharp pain that emanated through his body. His black body was battered and bruised, his clothes sullied, and dripping with blood in places. His left arm was limp, as was his right leg. His lying there was only supplemented by the holes in the wall, and by Brock's muffled screams. Brad's battle there was done.

 

[billie_lightning]

Off in the distance a Cacturne Morph was limping next to a new, unfamiliar, Smeargle Morph. Jade tilted her head curiously and realized it was her leader. Her feet began to run before she even thought about it and Jade hoped that Denx could keep up with her. Back up had been called; professionals were there for those who needed medical attention. Lucky for Denx, she thought, remembering his shoulder and various other injuries. The Tyranitar Morph just now realized that she managed to get out of this without so much as a scratch to prove it, only a massive headache that felt like jack hammers were trying to drill through her skull.

Huffing, clearly out of breath, she met up with Clove and the newcomer; not dancing for a couple months caused her to get exhausted much easier than before, although she was in better shape than most. "Sir, I mean, Clove!" she called. "Denx is hurt...." she paused, catching her breath and looked him right in the eyes, "What's the situation in the gym?"

 

[Kansas]

"Actually, he didn't send me, I volunteered to head up the relief team you requested. Besides, I knew that you'd be needing my help at some point. You're getting into scrapes like this, yah?" Travis said to Clove, much to his dismay.

"I should have figured you would come on your own..." He said exhausted before leaving. He could hear Travis up to his usual antics behind him. He came up to Clove, forcing a small potion into his possession. It would do for now in ignoring the pain but of course Travis was already up his usual antics trying to sketch him and the snap of a camera. Clove let out a deep heavy exhausted sigh. He pocketed the potion for later as he struggled to continue to the gym, only to be interrupted by a quick transmission.

"Commander Clove, this is Omega… (WHEEZE) Brock is trapped on the ceiling. Two others are here- Alice and Mandi, I think. COUGH! I am injured badly. My left clavicle, left arm, parts of my right leg, the joint of my right wing, and some of my ribs are fractured and broken. I can barely breath, let alone fight or move. I fought hard, sir. If you are still able to fight, come kill Brock. The rocky bond that traps him may break under his weight. Let me be the last healed. The others come first. Anyways (BLEGGH, coughing up blood), come quick. I am done for today."

Clove gave a look of agitation as he listened to the tired fighter speak. It was time to put on his leader costume again. He hated this part the most about the job and knew Travis would tease him about it.

"...Ome...Brad. This is Clove. You didn't have clearance to attack, nor did you request it. You endangered the rest of the team with your reckless actions and it will be dealt with promptly. Get your ass back to base. Now." He finished angrily, switching the channel on his phone over. "PLF Command? This is Clove. Mission Accomplished. I've chosen not to eliminate the main target and instead take him captive for interrogation. I'll need a type B recovery squad for Brock and emergency rations for the towns people. My team wont be staying in Pewter to help in its recovery. We will be proceeding to Vermillion City via the system of caves known as Diglett Cave. And with permission..." He looked towards Travis with a friendly look, "I'd like to request that agent Travis Varias join my strike force under my command.That is all."

He flipped the phone shut quickly and slipped it in his pocket, looking at Travis wearily. "Come on, lets help the rest of the team. I'll stay here with Denx, Jade, and Amy. Travis, head inside and check out the scene. We'll catch up after we're settled down, aye?" Clove's mood had lightened knowing the team was out of danger, despite his low and saddened tone of voice. Jade had also joined the two of them which was making rounding up everyone easier.

"This situation is fine now Jade, go retrieve Denx and lay him next to Amy so we can treat them. We've got a lot to talk about among the team about working together..." Clove said in a patronizing tone, giving her the clear signal that the debriefing following this mission wasn't going to be pleasant. Without waiting for her response he turned silently to Amy, taking a seat next to her. She had been very quiet the whole time. Clove sprayed the potion he had received over her wound. It would at least subside the pain. He called the medics over to begin helping her immediately.

Clove let out a huge sigh of relief, his first mission was over... not without a hitch...but its finally over. Only so many more to go...he sighed heavily again, laying down on the ground, ignoring the pain to the best o his ability.

 

[Brad]

Clove responded quite... angrily.
"...Ome...Brad. This is Clove. You didn't have clearance to attack, nor did you request it. You endangered the rest of the team with your reckless actions and it will be dealt with promptly. Get your ass back to base. Now" Brad was not surprised at Clove's answer, although Brad was a bit confused on how the team was endangered. Brad decided to call base- he needed treatment.
"Base, this is Brad. I am seriously injured in Pewter. I am requesting a chopper be sent. I think I should be out until Erica. That way I don't burn down the whole of Celadon by 'accident'. Anyways, please send a chopper. I am in no condition to move. Tell Travis and Clove I am out for a while." Brad said hurriedly and tiredly.
"Alright. But we're giving you the best possible. We want you back there as quick as possible, Omega." Base responded monotonously.
"WHAT! I didn't even want to be on this team! You guys told me I should go, and I went. Then there's the whole 'no attacking without' clearance crap! I don't mix well here! I may be powerful, but that is no fix for me not working well with them! They'd all be happier! They don't trust me, and you darn well know it! Besides, my injuries hurt like high hell. I can't even move. Let's face it- I'll need to be out as long as possible for optimum recovery." Brad angrily said. It drained him, but he was extremely annoyed with the whole situation.
"Don't worry- you'll get good medical. We want you out there in less than a week." Base responded, with tone rising.
"A WEEK!! You.. are nuts! I won't even be able to move, even then! One of each of my limbs- arms, legs, and wings, are immobilized and useless! You are delusional to even suggest that I recover that quickly! It'll take me months to recover!" Brad yelled back. His tone was weak.
"Wait. Travis is there, right? He'll heal you. No chopper will come. Bye." Base responded coyly.
"Those bastards..." Brad thought angrily. The ground around him was now saturated with his blood. He was aching all over, as if a million knives were stabbing him 6 times a second. He groaned faintly, and closed his eyes once more.

 

[Silhouette]

Denx was following Jade slowly. He heard Clove saying something to the Smeargle morph known as Victor. He sat down opposite of Clove, peeling off some dry, leftover String Shot. At least the first mission was complete.. for the most part.

"I hope the next few missions aren't going to be nearly as bad.." Denx voice trailed off. He rubbed his shoulder, which was damp with slowly drying blood. He had to rip off the layer of blood along with the string. That string had made a mess out of him.

Clove was issuing some medical attention from base. Denx lyed back, putting his hands behind his back to support him.

"I think I need a shower," he said to no one in particular, still peeling off the string.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Travis couldn't help giggling as Clove chewed Brad out over the phone. During his stint with the PLF Travis had encountered the rogue Charizard morph more than a few times, and every time he'd met him the oversized half-dragon had proceeded to complete every mission in his own particular style: namely, going berserk and taking out every opponent he could with him. Knowing Brad, the critical injuries were probably because he had decided to break straight through the remaining guards as opposed to circumventing them and going for Brock directly. And if Travis knew Brad at all, he could bet that any complaints Clove had about not following orders were falling on deaf ears. He thought about interrupting Clove to tell him to save his breath, but decided that it would be more fun to just let the situation resolve itself. With any luck, it would turn into another oppurtunity for Travis to tease Clove again.

It was only when Clove mentioned the next destination as "Vermillion" that Travis's bravado abruptly vanished. Just hearing the city's name caused his hands to clench into fists as treacherous tears threatened to form behind his eyelids as memories flowed through him. The laughter of an insane leader as his soldiers herded up the populace, parading them around like captives in the streets of Rome... the cold feeling of manacles on his wrists... shouting and explosions as he leaped from the top of a platform where he was to be executed along with the other members of the underground press society... the frenzied look in Surge's eyes as he spotted Travis in the crowd... and most poignantly, a massive bolt of electricity arcing through the air and striking a Smeargle, who dropped to the ground and began convulsing in pain as the attack's sheer amperage caused a cardiac arrest. As the memories dissipated, Travis looked down at his hands and grimaced. His nails, which were slightly longer than most though nowhere near claws, had dug into his palms and drawn blood. He quickly reached into his pocket, popping his last remaining Oran Berry before stuffing it into his mouth before Clove could notice, and marveled at the speed in which the wounds closed up. Not quite as fast as it would have been for a pure Pokemon, but still quite fast. It was then that Clove requested for Travis to join the strike force, before closing off communication.

Travis's face was grim as he listened to Clove's instructions. "Clove..." he began, before stopping suddenly to shake his head and starting again, "You do realize that if we encounter Surge in Vermillion, I have to kill him, right? It's the only way I'll ever be sure that Andre can rest in peace, and-" he stopped short. "Wait. I don't think I've told you this story yet, have I? Never mind, then. I'll tell you more about it on the way out. For now..." his grin slowly returned as he faced the building's window, "I guess I have a certain idiot Charizard I have to save. Knowing him, he probably thought he had to take out everyone in the building... he really doesn't understand the concept of 'less is more'. Now try not to get yourself critically injured, it won't look good if I keep having to save my commanding officer," he teased. "Now if you'll excuse me..." with that, Travis pounded towards the gym, taking aim at one of the windows. With a roar, he pounded one foot as hard as he could on the ground, propelling himself into the air, before streaking downward towards his target. "Eat Smeargle foot, Gym-boy!"

CRASH!

The window shattered and Travis, not encountering any form of resistance, went sailing through the room until he slammed face-first into the wall. "Gah- my nose..." he muttered, pulling himself off. After dusting himself off and making sure that he hadn't broken anything, the Smeargle morph walked over to the largest thing in the room besides the column of solidified lava that had pinioned Brock to the ceiling- an unconscious Charizard morph who looked like he had just gone three rounds in a cage with a few Rhyperiors. No doubt he had broken quite a few ribs, and one of his wings was hanging in a decidedly odd position. "Omega... you really can't help yourself, can you? Always needing me to come with a medic squad and patch you up. You really need to stop being so reckless, yah?" Travis chided the morph, oblivious to his state of consciousness. Surveying the rest of the room, he looked at the other remaining morphs. "And you guys are the rest of the team, right? Nice to see ya. Don't worry, medics are on their way. Just be glad that I happened to be free to head up the relief team, or you'd all be sittin' around here gaspin' about- kyaaaa!" Travis was cut off abruptly as a large chunk of Stealth Rock, finally alerted to his presence, came hurtling down towards him and obliterated the section of floor he'd been standing on only moments ago. Glaring at Brock, he pointed at him. "You, my rock-covered friend, need to take a chill pill. Relax. Don't get so... tense." As he spoke, orange dust fluttered from the end of his waving tail towards Brock. The Golem morph tried to speak, but accidently allowed some of the dust to enter his mouth and was forced to cough as hard as he could to expel it before it entered his lungs. Within moments, the Stun Spore had taken effect and Brock was immobilized. With one threat dealt with, Travis knelt before Omega before removing another diamond-shaped capsule from his belt and pouring it down his mouth. "I think you and I need to have a serious chat about getting yourself killed," Travis commented as two or three other medics entered the room and began seeing to the other downed morphs.

 

[Fuyuko the Rampant]

Mandi blinked as a certain Charizard came in, and somehow easily pinned Brock to the wall with a combinations of its attacks.

"...Well, that was easier then I thought." Shrugging her shoulders simply, she sat down next to Alice, waiting for the medic team to come and retrieve them.

"Perhaps, that battle was a bit too easy." Looking upwards, to where the attack had pushed Brock up into.

"Gragh, let me down from here! I swear, I will kill you all once I'm free!"

Rolling her eyes simply, she glared the Brock, sending a weak Focus Blast at his face.

"Hush up, or do you want to die here? The others may be asleep, but you're tied down right now, and I'm more then capable to kill you with a single charged up Focus Blast. Even a Rhyperior will sleep from a super effective attack aimed extremely close to its eyes."

Ignoring Brock after her speech, she turned her head towards the injured Charizard that had easily restrained Brock.

"He may be powerful, but he's reckless, which may lead to problems later."

Teleporting over to the Charizard, Mandi peered down at him, staring at the injuries stricken across his body.

"I'll go ahead and assume you're Omega. If you can hear me respond with a grunt, or something."

Mandi received no response. Shaking her head she returned back to Alice, placing a hand on her shoulder, and teleporting back to Omega.

"These two need medical help as soon as possible. Where are the others?"Her left eye twitched as she suddenly remembered about Victor and Reid.

"Those two, where are they? The battle's over, yet they haven't surfaced." Getting up quickly, walking towards the manhole, she looked down at it they went through minutes ago.

"...Hey! Are you two down there?! Get your bu-!"

CRASH!

The window shattered and a morph, came in through the now shattered window of the gym, accidently crashing into a wall."Gah- my nose..."

"Ahem, and hello to you too."Mandi was trying to keep in her laughter as the Smeargle-morph pulled himself from the wall. She started laughing nervously as the morph walked straight to Omega, making it seem like he had ignored Mandi for a moment.

"Omega... you really can't help yourself, can you? Always needing me to come with a medic squad and patch you up. You really need to stop being so reckless, yah? And you guys are the rest of the team, right? Nice to see ya. Don't worry, medics are on their way. Just be glad that I happened to be free to head up the relief team, or you'd all be sittin' around here gaspin' about- kyaaaa!" The morph was cut off short, as a remaining piece of Stealth Rock came in, nearly striking him down.

"You, my rock-covered friend, need to take a chill pill. Relax. Don't get so... tense."

Mandi practically sweat-dropped at the comment, for an odd reason, it made her feel uncomfortable. As medics came streaming in, one of them came rushing towards her, to treat her wounds.

"Focus on the other two first, their injuries need more attention." She said gently, looking towards Alice and Omega.

 

[Brad]

Brad suddenly awoke, and saw Travis.
"Hmm.. so you're here. Well, this time, I din't try to kill everyone. I just crashed in after being hit by some Flygons, got some spikes pumped into me, and then, after Brock nearly killed me with a Rock Slide, I grafted him to the ceiling. I didn't go all cataclysm, I actually saw the others, Travis. So don't even try to nag me about getting myself killed. Oh, and I thank you. If you hadn't come, I might have died. Yeah. Well, now that that is over, I'm going back to get yelled at by Clove. See ya. Attend to the others." Brad said calmly. He then flew away, and landed where Clove was. Brad was expecting an earful, but he din't care. He knew he had disobeyed, and unfortunately, his attempt to go back to Command failed.
"Hi, Clove. Well, I'm here for the angry rant. This time though, I didn't endanger anyone on the team. I was injured when I walked in, and he hit me with a Rock Slide. I tricked him and grafted him to the wall. So there. I din't cause a huge gigantic firestorm. Ya happy? No. I know you're not. So, what's the topic of today's rant, Clove?" Brad mocked bitingly. Brad was not one to talk often, and Clove hopefully knew that by then. That, Brad hoped, only added to the biting tone of his mockery.

 

[Kansas]

Clove lay on the ground, flipping through the multiple images on his phone which at closer inspection were different angles of Vermillion city, the team's next destination.

"Hm... so the perimeter is guarded by Magneton and Manetric morphs primarily... the zone morph and more powerful electrics are probably saved for his elite guard...After he hears of Brock's defeat he'll no doubt strengthen his defenses but it seems that the defense around Diglett Cave is weak because they can't clear them out efficiently. We'll have to move quickly to catch them off guard..." Clove said silently to himself as he flipped through the pictures over and over. He heard the footsteps of an approaching person. Giving a lazy glance from his phone he saw it was Brad, moving sluggishly towards him. Clove let out a low frustrated sigh as he lifted himself to his feet. The medics had tended to his injuries so he was feeling well. No 100%, but well. Before Clove could begin speaking, Brad immediately began his explanation.

"Hi, Clove. Well, I'm here for the angry rant. This time though, I didn't endanger anyone on the team. I was injured when I walked in, and he hit me with a Rock Slide. I tricked him and grafted him to the wall. So there. I din't cause a huge gigantic firestorm. Ya happy? No. I know you're not. So, what's the topic of today's rant, Clove?" He said, finishing with a patronizing tone.

Clove looked at him harshly. His eyes instantly narrowed in anger. Clove vanished without a hint of warning and appeared beside Brad with a long spike extended to his neck. There was an obvious height difference of at least 2 heads when they were this close. The long spike reflected the sun as the clouds parted and floated through the sky.

"Don't you dare talk down to me. I've worked too hard to be treated like dirt by some overgrown freak. I don't care what you do with the PLF, but as long as you're on this team you'll my commands. You're reckless and I wont have these missions compromised because of some rogue idiot, you understand me? And just let it be known...this isn't a bluff. You stray too far off the brick road, this spike will make sure you don't find you're way back. And yes, that IS a threat." Clove said harshly, retracting the green spike inside of his forearm. "I don't want to hear any back talk. The next mission is going to be the liberation of Vermillion. It wont be a cake walk. With your wings, the electric morphs that populate the area have an advantage over you. For your own well being and the overall success of this mission, go get yourself looked at by a medic while we have them here. I need you at your best, we'll be leaving in the morning through the caves."

Clove walked away without listening for a reply from Brad. He absolutely hated any actions that would endanger the mission and even moreso hated to reprimand people. But it was just in his nature to make sure that the entire team was doing well, even Brad. Although he knew that Brad wouldn't understand, maybe Travis would explain, since he was the only one who really knew Clove's personality out of the new recruits.

Assuming the rest of the team was finished with getting their injuries dealt with, he sent a message to the other members of the team with his phone.

Travis will be joining the team from now on. The next sortie will be explained tonight in person. You all have free time until 1800 hours sharp. We will meet in front of the cavern formerly known as Diglett Cave. From there you will be briefed on our next mission. Clove, out.

Clove gently tapped 'send' as he walked towards the cave. There was quite a bit of time before the estimated meeting time but he assumed that the team needed some time to themselves before the next mission started. He arrived at the cave, taking rest underneath a large tree and propping himself against it, letting a heavy sigh. The gentle rustle of the plant life around him was comforting as he waited until the evening for his team to arrive.

 

[billie_lightning]

Now that Denx was being taken care of, Jade found herself rather useless. The medics shoved her out of the way, looking surprised at the feel of her tough exterior, and she decided to find Clove. Surprisingly, she didn't need to look long.

"Don't you dare talk down to me. I've worked too hard to be treated like dirt by some overgrown freak. I don't care what you do with the PLF, but as long as you're on this team you'll my commands. You're reckless and I wont have these missions compromised because of some rogue idiot, you understand me? And just let it be known...this isn't a bluff. You stray too far off the brick road, this spike will make sure you don't find you're way back. And yes, that IS a threat" Clove said harshly, retracting the green spike inside of his forearm. "I don't want to hear any back talk. The next mission is going to be the liberation of Vermillion. It wont be a cake walk. With your wings, the electric morphs that populate the area have an advantage over you. For your own well being and the overall success of this mission, go get yourself looked at by a medic while we have them here. I need you at your best, we'll be leaving in the morning through the caves."

Vermillion? Jade couldn't help but smile at the mention of the town. Yeah, Pewter had been difficult; rock against rock was no walk in the park. But electric against rock? Her confident smirk made an appearance on her face.

Travis will be joining the team from now on. The next sortie will be explained tonight in person. You all have free time until 1800 hours sharp. We will meet in front of the cavern formerly known as Diglett Cave. From there you will be briefed on our next mission. Clove, out.

Jade looked up at the sun as the clouds let it show momentarily; she took this as a good omen. What would she do until the team met? The medics wouldn't let her anywhere near Denx, the closest to a friend she had made thus far, and she wasn't sure how to approach the others. Clove began to walk off towards Diglett Cave, Might as well make friends with the leader...

She made it to the tree he was leaned against and wasn't sure where to go from there. "Uh, may I join you? I'm socially retarded"

OOC: If anyone is offended by the word 'retarded' please tell me. I'll change me wording =)

 

[Brad]

Clove, as Brad had expected put a spike to his neck, and yelled at him. As Clove walked away, Brad had thoughts.
"Heh. Just what I expected to get. This is going great- commander pissed at me, team mistrusting of me. Before long, I'll get reassigned! Hurray! No more stupid team! I'll be alone, solo, in solitude, oh joy!" Brad gleefully thought.

He went over to the medics. They looked at his wounds, and gave him a few more potions and elixirs. By the end of it, Brad was at full strength again. He immediately went to the Pewter liquor store, and pilfered a few kegs, and bottles. Since he was a Charizard, he could make oil from his oil glands. When Brad was morphed, his outside remained mostly humanoid, but he gained more Charizard inside functions. He planned to make bombs to drop on Vermillion. When he first joined the PLF, he learned pyrotechnics. He then got out some gunpowder. After loading up his bomb wheels, made of kegs of flammable alcohol, oil, gunpowder, and shrapnel, he put wicks in them, and metal tops. He had about ten, and his massive muscles would prove their use in this. Combined with his top-notch speed, it would be a good offensive, and one the Vermilion fortress wouldn't expect. These would prove useful in defeating aerial enemies. He radioed Clove about his idea.

"Sir. I apologize for my earlier taunting, but that is not the full purpose of this call. I have a plan. I know that the fortress is surrounded by Magnezone. If I exploit their Steel type, I can take them out. I have also made bombs, crude yes, but also effective, to drop on Vermillion's bases of military operation. The explosions won't go into civilian sections- the blast radius is too small. Anyways, if I bomb the fortress before you and the others get there, it will be easier to break in. I'll even dispatch a few land guards. The fortress can't be that well-stocked. If I can take out as many guards without injury or use of attack as possible, then our break-in will be easier. I am asking clearance to fly ahead and do this about an hour before a main sortie leaves. You can say no- I won't be surprised or insulted. This is just an idea anyways, sir. I'm just saying, it would ease our break-in. They don't know I am on the team- their info is probably from when the Pewter guards saw your group. I came in later. An aerial attack may catch them off guard. Two, I could say I was a rogue Pokemorph- my personality does fit, as you said earlier, and when you arrived, they'd be caught off guard. You decide. Good day, sir. Brad, out." Brad messaged calmly and politely. He thought that if he went ahead, then the break-in would be easier.

He still would be pretty neutral against pure Electric types, but against Steel/Electric, he had a good advantage. Brad sat up in a tree and looked at the sky. It was a beatiful shade of red and orange that night. He retracted his wings and tail. He waited for the input on his idea. He expected the worst- his taunt earlier only worsened his social status, but it was a sacrifice Brad was very willing to make. He hoped he could just fly over the tunnel- Brad preferred flight.

 

[Trainer Kat]

Cecily had not felt well that morning. Well, that was the reason she was giving, at least. Truthfully, the blonde had overslept by twenty minutes. Not a substantial amount of time in an ordinary scenario, but for Cecily, twenty minutes was huge. In twenty minutes, Cecily could straighten her long hair. In twenty minutes, nails could be done. In twenty minutes…well…without that extra twenty minutes, one portion of Cecily's beauty routine would be ruined. Instead, she had opted to stay in bed. It was rather irresponsible of her; she would be the first to admit it. Not to mention she would most likely receive a tongue-lashing from the leader. The thought caused her to exhale deeply.

However, she was completely ready now. Without a second glance, she exited through the doors of the Pewter City Hotel, long Pachirisu tail flowing behind her. Yet another heavy sigh escaped her lips. She was not looking forward to the scolding she'd receive. Of course, she wasn't looking forward to finding them, either. Rather than go on a witch-hunt across Pewter for her soon-to-be comrades, Cecily made the decision, instead, to head to the outskirts of the city. After all, the group would be bound to head there, if they weren't there already. Within minutes, she could see a small gathering of people. Of course, she doubted they were the Liberation Force—two of them were bickering back and forth. The blonde rolled her eyes.

Great, she thought sarcastically. What wonderful teamwork we have here… It was painfully obvious that these were the people she was to be meeting up with. Of course, she had pretty much figured out that the Cacturne morph that had been one of the participants in the small spat was the leader. This was it…judgment day. She had to go introduce herself to him.

What do you say here, Cecily? "Hi there, sir, I'm the girl who skipped out on the first mission because of a bad hair day"? Bad idea. Unfortunately, she was no longer able to think. At this point, she was almost directly in front of the Cacturne. Time to put on a brave face… Barely noticing the other morphs around them, Cecily extended one hand out towards the morph before her.

"I'm Cecily. Cecily von Stiehl. I assume you would be the leader. As you can see, I'm a Pachirisu morph." At this, she lightly flicked her tail. "And, I was…ill this morning," she quickly added.

 

[Kansas]

Clove enjoyed his solitude more times than not, and the day was beautiful. His blissful state of consciousness was interrupted by the buzzing of his issued phone. The call was from Brad. Clove let out an annoyed sigh as he listened to Brad's proposed plan. After hearing it in its entirety, he responded with the usual mildly aggravated tone of voice. The Charizard clearly didn't understand the meaning of subtlety.

"Brad, dispose of those immediately. The whole point of traveling via cave is to retain the element of surprise. If we bomb an entire town then it will just alert the entire area to our presence. We don't need explosives compromising the mission." He finished looking up to see Jade had greeted him with a very straight forward and awkward approach, asking to sit with him.

"Sure..." he responded questionably "Have a seat...the others should be here shortly."

Before he could strike up a conversation, another morph appeared from the city's direction. She introduced herself and immediately began apologizing.

"I'm Cecily. Cecily von Stiehl. I assume you would be the leader. As you can see, I'm a Pachirisu morph...And, I was…ill this morning,"

He tipped the top of his hat up, looking at the Pachirisu morph through skeptical eyes.

"Miss Stiehl, I may be young but I'm not stupid. I've had a very long day, please don't insult my intelligence with such a bold lie. I need trust on my team and if you can't tell me the real reason for missing a mission then you should just go home right now. I'm sure the freedom of the world we live in would outweigh a little cold that you apparently got over in the course of one afternoon." He said with a very cold tone. He didn't really take kindly to excuses, especially poor ones.

"I'm going to scout part of the cave, take this time to introduce yourself to the other team members, theres one right here for you." He instructed the new arrival, pointing at Jade. With that, he stood up, leaving the two girls to do whatever they wished with the time he gave them. The presence of too many women was a bit much for Clove after having spent so much time in the Celadon Gym with the many female trainers it housed. "I'm going to scout the cave entrance...Please send Travis my way if you see him. I need to have a word with him about the next mission. Cecily, feel free to broadcast your arrival to the other squad members via your issued phone."

He then walked away through the trees heading towards the mouth of the cave, inspecting the area for any suspicious activities that could impede their morning attack.

 

[Fuyuko the Rampant]

Travis will be joining the team from now on. The next sortie will be explained tonight in person. You all have free time until 1800 hours sharp. We will meet in front of the cavern formerly known as Diglett Cave. From there you will be briefed on our next mission. Clove, out.

Sighing gently, as she saw Alice being carried off by four medics for treatment. "Travis...Travis? Could that be the Smeargle morph at first?" Shaking her head clear of any thoughts, she walked out of the gym towards a lone tree. Jumping up onto a branch, Mandi sat herself down.

"Are all the gym leaders going to be this tough? We didn't even beat Brock, all we could do was restrain him. Brock was only a taste of what was to come, he was the first gym leader for most trainers, which means he was most likely the easiest to defeat."

Groaning to herself as she stated the most obvious facts, she began to think more clearly.

"Gragh, what am I thinking! We have experienced morphs on our team. Alice, Travis and Clove, they each have their own abilities, they can lead us, we can do this, we can definitely do this!"

She began drifting off to sleep, having a terrible nightmare. Not exactly on her own, but rather by a devious little Pokemon hiding a distance away.

"Haun, haunter!" The ghost typed Pokemon chided joyously, eating the dreams of Mandi's, and replacing them with horrible dreams of her friend; Anise.

"Mandi, hurry up, you're going to be left behind!"

"Anise, Come on! You know you're faster then I am!"

As Mandi reached the clearing where Anise awaited, she saw something different, something horrific in her perspective. Her eyes widened, as her mouth hung agape, she quickly hid behind a tree, allowing one of her eyes to keep watching the scene before her. A group of Alakazam's had approached Anise, grabbing a hold of her arms, as another pulled out a vial of something purple. Forcing her mouth open, it corked open the vial, shoving the liquid down her throat. After Anise was knocked out, they used their psychic energies to teleport away.

Mandi opened her eyes quickly, sweat running down her forehead, for the fourth time today. She shook it off, and climbed down the tree, deciding to see the damage that had been done during their mission.

 

[Trainer Kat]

"Miss Stiehl, I may be young but I'm not stupid. I've had a very long day, please don't insult my intelligence with such a bold lie. I need trust on my team and if you can't tell me the real reason for missing a mission then you should just go home right now. I'm sure the freedom of the world we live in would outweigh a little cold that you apparently got over in the course of one afternoon."

This statement caused Cecily to cross her arms, a look of dissatisfaction painted across her face. The defiant look dissipated quickly. He was her leader, after all. And as much as she hated to be bossed around, if allowing him to do so brought her closer to Volkner, so be it. She had expected a reaction similar to this, anyway. A sigh escaped her lips. What was it, the third sigh within the hour? She had lost track.

"I slept in," she confessed. Surprise, surprise, Clove had dragged the truth out of her simply by showing her he wasn't about to put up with her crap. Something about the Cacturne morph intimidated Cecily, and she wasn't about to get on his bad side in exchange for perfect hair. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"I'm going to scout part of the cave, take this time to introduce yourself to the other team members, theres one right here for you." Cecily glanced behind Clove. A female morph had apparently been conversing with the team leader, whether because she was friendly or because she wanted a little bit of preferential treatment, the blonde hadn't a clue. All she knew for certain was that she was not gonna get chummy with a girl.

"I'm going to scout the cave entrance...Please send Travis my way if you see him. I need to have a word with him about the next mission. Cecily, feel free to broadcast your arrival to the other squad members via your issued phone." Cecily gave the Cacturne a sharp nod.

"Rightio, sir!" At this, she brought her hand up into a salute. As he walked away, she glanced at her hand, bringing it back down to her side. "Why did I just do that..." she mumbled to herself, shaking her head ever so slightly. What was it he had said about the phone? She should contact the others and inform them of her arrival? Bringing out the phone she had been issued, Cecily brought it up to her face.

"Liberation Force, this is Cecily von Stiehl, reporting my arrival. I will be joining you on the upcoming missions. Betcha can't wait to see what Pokémon I'm fused with! Cecily, out!

Before snapping the phone shut, the Pachirisu morph added a cute giggle to the end of her transmission. At that, she gave the female morph one final glance over her shoulder, as if rethinking her decision not to speak to the morph. Apparently, she held firm, as no words were uttered to the Tyranitar.

 

[Brad]

Clove responded. He said that it would ruin the element of surprise. Oh well. Brad just buried the bombs in the cave wall. Suddenly, a phone call rang out. He sat up in the tree.
"Liberation Force, this is Cecily von Stiehl, reporting my arrival. I will be joining you on the upcoming missions. Betcha can't wait to see what Pokémon I'm fused with! Cecily, out!"
Brad was annoyed. Normally Clove would announce it. He bet it was a cute Pokemon, due to the girly tone the new morph used. Like a Pachirisu...

Brad once again lay in the tree. Clouds had obstructed the sunset. A quick Heat Wave dissipated them. The tree felt comfortable- it was definitely old. Above him was a canopy of green leaves, and the trunk was white, and thick. He waited for the team to arrive, but he'd have to hide in the shadows before then.

 

[Naito]

Awakening from the blood loss, Amy had found herself in an infirmary. A bitter taste was in her mouth, most likely from whatever pill or medicine was used to heal her. She had sat up, looking at her surroundings. A medic was nearby, tending to her wounds, and there were others, tending to more serious damages of the other morphs that ended up harmed. Shortly afterwards, Amy cringed a bit.

"Um... You shouldn't get up so fast," the medic nearby told her. The wound on her chest hurt still, even after it has been patched up.

"Travis will be joining the team from now on. The next sortie will be explained tonight in person. You all have free time until 1800 hours sharp. We will meet in front of the cavern formerly known as Diglett Cave. From there you will be briefed on our next mission. Clove, out."

"Don't worry, I'll be alright." Amy told the medic, putting on a slight smile before getting up off of the floor. Apparently Brock had already been killed (at least she hoped), and this was the safest place to use as an infirmary. By the time she had gotten a few feet out of the gym, despite any protests the medic that tended to her had attempted, the mobile phone sent off another message.

"Liberation Force, this is Cecily von Stiehl, reporting my arrival. I will be joining you on the upcoming missions. Betcha can't wait to see what Pokémon I'm fused with! Cecily, out!"

"So there's two extra morphs... That's good to know. Besides, with the extra time Clove gave us, chances are we could get to know each other." Amy thought as she started to head towards where she thought Diglett Cave was. Actually, it's between Pewter and Viridian Forest, where she had been last. Thus, she didn't forget it's position so easily. Starting to change her pace into that of a jogger's, Amy began to proceed to the cavern's entrance.

 

[Silhouette]

The medics were treating Denx like a baby. They offered him food, water, and bandages, etc. He needed to get away from all the hustle and bustle. He decided to follow Clove after he was out of view. He got up when no medics were looking, stole a few bandages and snacks and stuffed them in his pocket, and swiftly walked to the meeting point of the Team. He then proceeded to open up a pack of mini-donuts, and stuffed them in his mouth.

He saw Clove standing there, huffing something to the gigantic Charizard morph. Denx saw the morph and started to choke. He wheezed, and it came out of his throat, finally. He planned on making a quiet approach, but had failed.. miserably. He walked up to Clove, and stared at Omega.

"Uh.. hey, Br--Omega.." he said, cautiously to Omega. He stuffed the last of the donuts in his mouth, and faced Clove.

"So, we head to Vermilion, huh? Are we skipping Cerulean, and going back later or something?" he questioned.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Travis glared at Brad as he left via the window, apparently forgetting about his remaining injuries. "Idiot! Even with a Max Revive, you're not going to be full operational for another week!" He yelled at his impulsive colleague. Really, that Charizard was way too impulsive. Not that Travis didn't have a similar problem with following orders if they conflicted with his overall goals, but this Brad guy seemed to be one who did it just for the sake of being his own boss. Still, Travis knew that somewhere in that oversized, scaly dragon head of his there had to be some sort of reason for acting all superior. In the meantime, it seemed as if he had some free time between this mission and the next. He considered what to do, before making his decision. He'd probably better talk to Clove first- after all, it had been a bit since the two had seen each other last, and he was anxious to catch up on what had been happening in his spiny friend's personal life. Besides, talking with Clove would probably help him with his ultimate goal. Without meaning to, Travis allowed his memories to whisk him back to a treasured moment. For five minutes he saw himself standing beside a river, flipping through a legal pad as his Smeargle sat beside him. This Travis was slightly different. He lacked the white fur that the current Travis had gone to such great lengths to disguise, and therefore felt comfortable walking around in a T-Shirt and shorts. His feet were completely bare, since they lacked the stubby claws and odd shape of Travis's current paws. Most strikingly, his long, paint-tipped tail was absent and his hair was no longer shockingly white, instead being a deep, rich brown. Beside him sat his partner, a Smeargle, who gazed with rapt attention at the river in front of them before turning to a canvas on the ground beside him every so often and dabbing it with the end of his tail, slowly recreating the scene in front of him. Travis smiled. They were good memories. But then came the scenes he didn't want to remember, the ones that made him wake up screaming at night. Bolts of thunder striking Andre... him convulsing on the ground... a scream, probably Travis, but he wasn't sure... and the laughter of a cruel tyrant. His eyes narrowed with rage, Travis kicked out as hard as he could, suceeding in damaging part of the wall.

"Kid."

It was a rocky voice, and Travis instantly knew who it was. He turned slowly to face Brock, who was still staring at him from the column of rock he was trapped in. "Stun spore wore off already? I'm impressed," Travis admitted.

"I'm resistant. I've been hit with it more times then I can count, and I think I've built up some immunity at this point," the Golem-morph admitted.

Travis grinned slightly, ready for the oppurtunity to begin conversation. "So, why aren't you trying to kill me then?"

"What would be the point?" Brock responded. "If I kill you, I won't be any less trapped."

"Clever," Travis conceded. "But someone like you... I'd think you would try for the kill anyway. One less enemy for your regime."

Brock shook his head, and then, to the utter surprise of Travis, continued. "You're wrong about why we did this. I can't speak for the others, but I joined this because I happened to be privy to some information about the government of our country. It was weakening. The bureaucrats were taking away land and money from the people, and the country was slowly but surely going to seed. People didn't realize it, but the taxes were gradually getting higher and higher. The economy was about to go bust. I realized that if I didn't do something, we would have had hysteria. A riot in the streets. In the worst-case scenario, the country could have been taken over completely. I didn't want to let that happen, so I decided to take power. By force if necessary. My goal was to create a utopia in which nobody would go hungry. Surely you can understand that? I only took this form to help people. It was necessary to use force to overcome all. Please, understand." Travis turned and started in surprise. Seeing this reaction, Brock continued. "You could help us, you know. You and your friends have power, talent. We need more people willing to help. I understand Whitney in Johto could use someone with your talents-"

"Shut up."

Brock stared. Travis had seemed like the type of kid who would play around before, but this face... it was like staring into the eyes of a wild beast. Travis spat on the floor in front of Brock's feet before continuing. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You say you wanted to create a 'utopia', right? Well, the word utopia means nowhere anyway. You've been trying to create something that cannot exist. As long as humanity remains, utopia is impossible. And as for saving people, you have no idea what you've done." The anger in Travis's voice continued to mount, and he fixed Brock with a frenzied stare as he continued. "In the name of this nowhere-land you're trying to create, my people were enslaved, my home was burnt, and my best friend was killed. In order to return things to the way they were, I've sacrificed humanity. Honestly, when everything is over do you think I'll even be accepted by the people I'm working to save? My dreams, my life..." he paused, and a tear rolled down his face, "The person who meant the most to me. You took them all. All I have left is the ability to fight. So I'll keep fighting you until the last drop of blood spills from my body. And when I can, I will kill you." He stopped abruptly, then finished. "It's no good wasting words on you. You've never watched your best friend die in front of you. You haven't held him to your chest as his life ebbed away. Never seen your world crumble into pieces. You say that you did this to save people. Well then, explain why the only thing you've given to me is heartache." He turned to leave via the window, when Brock's voice stopped him. "What?" he snapped.

"Kid," Brock was breathing heavily, "I'm not going to live much longer. From the moment that dragon-kid trapped me completely, I've been building power. I meant to take him out with me."

Travis stared at the trapped leader. "You mean..." he gasped.

"Bingo." Brock's voice was growing fainter. "I'm too far to cancel the attack now, but I can hold it off for another minute or two. Listen closely: There's a box in the back of the room. Take it, and give what's inside it to your leader. And kid?" his face paled, "Hurry."

Travis began to follow the leader's orders, then stopped. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you defeated a gym leader," Brock replied. "And as a leader, it's my duty to confer something on you. Now go!" He began hacking as a strange glow started to surround his body.

Travis wasted no time. He raced to the back of the room, grabbed the box, and ran to the window. "Everyone! Get the hell out! He's gonna blow!" he shouted. Then he was out the window.

Brock closed his eyes for the last time. "Good luck, kid..." he murmured. "You'll need it..."

For a moment, the gym leader of Pewter was himself again. The man that had been trusted by many, and respected by all. But that moment was cut short when...

Self-Destruct

There was a flash, rocks flew about, and Brock of Pewter City was no more.

Travis walked up to Clove slowly, holding a small, wooden box in his hand. "Brock's dead," he said flatly. "He committed suicide. Self-Destructed and blew away most of his internal organs." He opened the box, and tossed a small, grey object to the ground in front of Clove's feet. "He told me to give you this," he stated.

The object winked from the soil. The Pewter City boulderbadge.

Dusting himself off, Travis glanced around at the others. "There's a few more things in the box, papers and such, but they're all in code. We'll need to send them in to headquarters to see if they can crack it. In the meantime, looks like we've got another mission. So, what's the plan for Vermillion?"