(ELITE) The MAHOGANY Team

It isn't long before they find out what is coming after them. Two Houndoom and a woman with blazing red hair soon enter their vision, and Max orders, "Spidey, pull back." The Ariados is worried, but he knows that he can't win this fight. One of his... friends had been a Houndoom. Spidey backs up towards Max and Misty, but he still keeps his body between them and the strange woman. The houndoom soon circle them, and it doesn't escape Max and Spidey's attention that one of them looks like it's itching for a fight.

The red headed lady finally speaks, and she has a smug smile and a gun pointed at them. "Well, well, well! Lookie what we have here-- more fucking prisoners!" Prisoners? what the fu--- oh. Max finally notices the bright red R on the uniform, and her heart drops. Oh god no. Her face somewhat drains of color, but she holds herself still. She has to stay strong for Spidey and Misty; if she panics noticeably, they will and that could spell death for them. Especially since the woman looks as trigger happy as the houndoom that is snapping at them. "Put that down before you hurt yourself, sweetie, or I start shooting," the woman oh so sweetly requested as she gestured towards the ground with her own weapon.

If the request wasn't bad enough, a really tall man comes and circles behind Max  and Misty, and it isn't hard to miss the glint of a gun in his hands. Shit, shit, shit... Oh god, what do they want? What does he want?... Calm down. Breath. There is nothing she can do right now; she can only deal with guns if she is much closer. Misty is still woozy and can only pick up on Max's emotions for the situation, and she can't afford for the small fire horse to panic and attempt bolting. Spidey cannot take on two humans in the open with Houndoom nearby. She slowly removes one hand from the bat and drops the weapon where the Rocket pointed and clearly keep both hands up where they can see them.

"Max, No! What? Why?" Spidey is shocked that she gave in so easily. She is usually much more defiant in the face of adversity.

"Max? What... What's happening?" Misty's voice is tainted with fear. She nudges her trainer's leg in an attempt to gain comfort from any sort of contact.

In a level voice she answers while never taking her eyes off the woman, "We're being taken prisoner. Stand down Spidey." She plans on talking to Spidey later about how they have no choice currently; any attempts at retalliation would lead to someone dying, and Max isn't willing to take that risk. The Ariados looks at her again, but he lets the Sucker Punch dissipate and stops the aggressive posturing. Misty, on the other hand is solely holding onto Max's calm to keep her emotions in check. She isn't thinking clearly and desperately needs her trainer for her peace.

Archer dashed out of the room, the strange blonde's laughter chasing him out. Tyranny tilted her head slightly at her trainer's words and the prisoner's strange reaction as a grin crept across her face. Looked like this would be no simple guard duty. Thank the gods. Her little Sylveon -strange pick for a fire Leader, but whatever- didn't seem to think well on her or Justice staring them down. His froofy ribbons uncurled themselves from his trainer, getting himself into more of an attack stance. While Justice snorted and scored the floor with his hoof, Tyranny merely stretched and watched playfully. This guy was so adorable. "No funny business also means no attacking without provocation. Back off," he snapped, only managing to further the cat's grin. She knew all it took from Justice was a single Iron Head to the face, and that'd be it. Still, all the bravery was cute as hell.

"Relax Flynn," chuckled the blonde, dismissing her Sylveon's defensiveness almost immediately. Tyranny perked, her bright eyes taking in all the details they could from the human. "These two belong to the competent trainer. They wouldn't make a move without his say so." The two pokemon watched as she made her way to the counter, where she hopped up to sit. Justice followed her every move with his own, slowly turning with her to make sure his horns were always facing her. Tyranny, on the other hand, simply roamed the other side of the small store, keeping watch from afar. The Persian appreciated the compliment to her human, but wasn't sure whether or not it was a strange attempt at flattery. "But that doesn't mean they wouldn't be justified in attacking us if we attacked first. So chill out and come sit down with me. Unless you just feel like staring at the pretty Persian all day." The Sylveon's grin broke out into a full-on smile, snickering as the Sylveon prisoner blushed a bright red and started clearing his throat, but the damage was already done. Once she held his gaze, Tyranny gave him a little wink and butt wiggle for show. "So. Who wants to play a game?"

Justice, of course, snorted his disapproval as he held his position of blocking the door. Tyranny couldn't help an eyeroll as she slinked closer to the two, but kept a respectful distance, quietly preparing a Nasty Plot as she sat daintily on the filthy hardwood. She flashed a grin at the two, eyes flicking to both of them before speaking. "I would," she began, her voice a silky purr. "Don't count on him, though--" she gave a quick tilt of her head to indicate Justice, "--he's as big a stick in the mud as the Big Guy."

"Boss won't like you fraternizing with the enemy," Justice warned, snorting again and tossing his horns a little. Tyranny only gave him a flick of an ear in his direction, her eyes focused on their new prisoners. Her tail twitched and flicked as she watched them, an indication of quiet anticipation. "It's not fraternization," was her cool reply, her eyes trailing down to the flustered Sylveon, leading to her wide grin returning. "We're all stuck here until he gets back. So what's the harm? Looks like our prisoners aren't stupid enough to try anything anyway." Justice, of course, sounded his disapproval, but did nothing to otherwise stop her.

"Well? What did you have in mind?"

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There's no mistaking the violent, gleeful, mad grin Ariana sports as their new acquisition slowly obliged, dropping the bat she held and holding her hands up in the universal sign for surrender. The bloodthirsty Rocket thirstily drank in the fear, the paled face, the quiet alarm her new toy exuded. It was delicious. Her Ariados, alarmed by the sudden surrender of its master, tried to talk the latter out of it. "Max, No! What? Why?" The sudden outburst, unfortunately, earned Garmr's attention and the crazed mutt lurched forward at the spider, snapping viciously, though not actually attacking.

"Max? What... What's happening?" the dazed Ponyta mumbled, causing Sin to pause in his circle around the group, growling softly as the horse came back to her senses. Ariana stepped closer, watching in utter delight as the poor trainer held herself together, their eye contact never breaking. It was defiant, yet submissive. What a beautiful array of emotions, all pushed to bubble just beneath the surface of that calm facade. Ariana wanted to break it. "We're being taken prisoner. Stand down Spidey."

"Smart girl," Ariana cooed, her gun still pointed straight at the prisoner's torso. She strode forward still, kicking the bat away once she reached it, and stopped a few feet from the hostage. "Now, this is what's going to happen. You return your pokemon back into their balls, where they'll stay unless I say so. And I..." She closed the gap between them, the barrel of her gun lightly resting on the other's stomach. Her free hand reached out, gently tapping the poor girl's nose once, obviously playing with her new toy. Archer obviously disapproved at such recklessness, but once again, it didn't matter. "... will take one of them, for safekeeping, of course. So go on. Return them. Or else my partner behind you will make it unnecessary for you to do so."

[[PM me if I need to change anything]]

Fenix smiled as Flynn got flustered even further by the Classy Cat's wink, quickly turning his head away to pretend like he didn't see it. The cream colored feline gave her a wide grin as she sat down and happily agreed to play. "I would. Don't count on him, though--" her head nodded towards the brutish Tauros who had nearly tripped over himself to keep his horns pointed at Fenix as she walked around him, "--he's as big a stick in the mud as the Big Guy." The blonde chuckled happily as her mind plastered Archers face on top of the Tauros's body, the same flat frown shared by both pokemon and trainer becoming all too entertaining. "I'll bet!"

"Boss won't like you fraternizing with the enemy," Flynn nudged Fenix harshly with his head at the bull's comment, staring her down as he mentally agreed. "I'm not exactly fond of it myself," he judged harshly only to have Fenix roll her eyes at him. "It's not fraternization," the Persian chastised, eyes still locked onto Flynn who appeared ready to jump behind the counter to avoid the purposeful gaze. "We're all stuck here until he gets back. So what's the harm? Looks like our prisoners aren't stupid enough to try anything anyway." Flynn immediately thought of Fenix doing exactly that during this entire proceeding, and still worried that at any moment they were both going to have to fight for their lives. Humans were naturally unpredictable but the fire trainer was a whole other level. "Well? What did you have in mind?"

The Sylveon flinched at the grin that stretched across his companion's face, gulping audibly when her eyes drifted to him for a moment with the sinister sparkle that was usually reserved for some kind of malicious prank. Oh no....what was she going to do? "Have you ever played-" she began, eyes still boring into Flynn's until her pause, then slowly drifting them to the Persian, "-would you rather?" The fairy type's ears fell back a little as he looked at the human in confusion, never having heard of this game before and immensely unhappy that he hadn't because that look a moment ago was not a good one. "It's quite simple. You think of two things that could be either awful or fantastic and you as the person which they would rather choose. For example, if I asked Flynn would he rather lounge on beach for a week or participate in a pokemon battle royal for a day, both things he likes, he would then have to decide which he would like more. See? Easy."

"And since you are our hosts I'll even let you go first." Flynn missed the small wink Fenix passed the Persian, but he didn't miss the smirk. A feeling of dread for this 'game' was beginning to grow in the pit of his stomach.

One of the hounds is far too happy with the idea of potentially fighting, and Max is slowly getting the idea that that one probably belongs to the woman who is enjoying the power far too much. Ugh... this is exactly the kind of person that disgusts me. "Smart girl," the woman mockingly lauds her as she kicks Max's bat away. She moves closer to Max and lightly touches the end of the gun into Max's stomach, and the closeness to an unknown and obviously unfriendly person causes her to tense. Don't touch me.She can't move away, however, or twitch or otherwise prevent it, and the discomfort is almost overriding her fear of the far too close weapon. The woman appears to be loving this. "Now, this is what's going to happen. You return your pokemon back into their balls, where they'll stay unless I say so. And I..." She takes her free hand and taps Max on the nose, causing the smaller woman to clench her teeth, but she manages to prevent herself from moving. "... will take one of them, for safekeeping, of course. So go on. Return them. Or else my partner behind you will make it unnecessary for you to do so."

"That won't be necessary," Max states flatly. Better not react too much, panicking is bad. Her face takes an almost emotionless expression as her feelings are crammed into the back of her mind and fade. "Though I need to tell you that my Pokeballs are in this hoodie's pocket along with a flashlight and some batteries," she continues as she nods her head to indicate her stomach area. As a short explanation she adds, "I'm not gonna reach for the gun, and I don't wanna get shot because of a misunderstanding" She waits for a few seconds so that her words hopefully stick before slowly reaching her hands down and into her pocket. Thankfully, the balls are easy to find and pull out, and Max pulls two out with her right and three with her left. Picking out Spidey and Misty's balls, she recalls them without a word.

Spidey can only look on in horror as this woman invades Max's space and seeing how Max just takes it really brings it home that they are utterly stuck. Though something about the face Max is making tickles at a memory... but he cannot think on it long as he and Misty are returned.

Just giving any of her trusted companions away sat wrong with Max, but fighting would cause someone to die, and if it was her, then these Rockets would probably keep her Pokemon. That would be inexcusable. At least this way, she could find a way to get them back, and hopefully escape alive. Pokeballs still in hand, she says, "It is done."

Tyranny eyed the human as a mischievous, almost malicious grin spread across her face. Seems she'd found a kindred spirit.  "Have you ever played-" the woman began, her eyes stuck on her Sylveon before slowly making their way to Tyranny. The cat's own eyes widened with excitement, her pupils dilating in anticipation. "-would you rather?" Though her companion seemed to not know the game, Tyranny knew it well. Ears perked, her tail twitching up and up, she patiently waited for the hostage to explain it to the other, less knowledgeable pokemon in the room. "It's quite simple. You think of two things that could be either awful or fantastic and you as the person which they would rather choose. For example, if I asked Flynn would he rather lounge on beach for a week or participate in a pokemon battle royal for a day, both things he likes, he would then have to decide which he would like more. See? Easy. And since you are our hosts I'll even let you go first."

Tyranny gave the Prisoner a small bow, silently showing her thanks. "You're too kind. Let's see..." She looked the woman over a bit before continuing. "We should start out small, so the boys can catch on. I don't think poor Justice has ever played a game in his life." To reiterate her point, she glanced over to the adamant bull, who simply snorted his ever-present disapproval in lieu of actually replying. "So. Would you rather.... be able to eat rotten food for the rest of your life and never get sick -but you still taste how bad it is- or be surrounded by all your favorite foods, but they all go bad in a single day, leaving you to starve afterward?" She tilted her head a little, her gaze going to the blushing Sylveon. "Practicality... or comfort? Is living even worth having to torture yourself for every meal?"


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The girl before her barely contained her wrath and fear beneath the smooth façade of her face. Ariana couldn't help the vicious grin that resulted as the girl replied. "That won't be necessary. Though I need to tell you that my Pokeballs are in this hoodie's pocket along with a flashlight and some batteries." The girl nodded downward, indicating the long pocket striped along her torso. Pleased at the upfront honesty, Ariana allowed her to continue.  "I'm not gonna reach for the gun, and I don't wanna get shot because of a misunderstanding." Ariana nodded, pulling the gun away only an inch so her new prisoner could better fetch the buffet from her hoodie.

The look on her recalled pokemon here priceless, frozen in horror as the red light called them back into the pokeballs. It didn't take long for the compliant trainer to present all her pokeballs, laid out in her tiny pale hands in offering. "It is done."

"It sure is, sweetie," Ariana cooed, her delicate hands hovering over the display of balls before snatching one in particular that felt right. She held it in her hand a moment before putting it away. "And this is mine until we part ways. You've done very well so far, honey, but we've got a little bit more to go. You see, we're going... exploring, and we need bodies. Particularly ones that can hold flashlights and stave off sneak attacks from Undead. So first, my partner, Archer, behind you," she nodded to him and, to her delight, he immediately came forward, standing inches behind the new prisoner. "...needs to pat you down. I don't like surprises."

Of course. A hand went out to the shoulder straps, gun still on the girl as he stripped off her backpack, flinging it to the side. Putting his gun away, Archer heaved a sigh before turning the girl around and beginning the routine, his mental checklist going off in his mind with each point. He found a Swiss Army Knife in her pocket, tossing it casually aside before resuming. The only other item was hair ties and bobby pins. Not really dangerous, but he removed them anyway, just in case. It wasn't worth getting yelled at. But after the drums of needles on the blonde, it was odd to not find anything else. He then turned his attention to the backpack as Ariana resumed holding the girl still with the unforgiving glare of her gun's barrel. Even there, there was little to really note. Rations of berries, seeds, a deck of playing cards, small first aid kit, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Things no survivor would really be without, but nothing that could really be utilized as weapons. Once finished, he stood and picked up the knife and hair things, handing them to Ariana. "That's it. Food rations are really the only things worth of note. Everything else looks to be sentimental or practical travel items."

Ariana seemed a little disappointed as well, or at least she'd been expecting more. "Huh. Well, maybe not everyone's as heavily armed as our blonde little princess," Ariana commented before tossing the knife and some of the food rations where the stolen pokeballs resided. Once she pocketed some of the girl's likely hard-earned food, Ariana tossed the backpack back to Max's feet. Ariana scoffed off her own sentence, waving it away like an annoying fly. "Doesn't matter. We'd better get back, then. There's an entire Hideout to scour, after all." She grinned again at their new acquisition, shifting her weight to the other side of her hips. "Your pokemon called you 'Max', I think. Cute. I'm Ariana and, well, you've met Archer. From the look on your face, I'm guessing you're familiar with Team Rocket?"

With the Persian's jovial response Fenix realized she was actually going to like this cat, smile never faltering as she took her turn insulting her own companion's personality once again. The irritated snort that came from the bull had the blonde sucking in and biting on her lower lip to keep from laughing herself off of the counter top. Flynn, on the other hand, was all too happy to ignore this little 'game' of hers until the Persian decided to address her first question at him. "So. Would you rather.... be able to eat rotten food for the rest of your life and never get sick -but you still taste how bad it is- or be surrounded by all your favorite foods, but they all go bad in a single day, leaving you to starve afterward?" The Sylveon frowned at the morbid question, ears lowering in displeasure as he contemplated simply not even answering her. "Practicality... or comfort? Is living even worth having to torture yourself for every meal?"

Fenix noticed Flynn's hesitation and elbowed him in the ribs sharply, the fox letting out a hiss and glaring at his friend even as she nodded towards the Persian. She wanted him to play? Fine. But he was not going to subject himself to this humiliation without some sort of retribution in the future. Fenix had better watch her back. "Practicality," he replied flatly, glaring eyes not breaking from the blonde's until after the word escaped him. Turning back to the other female in the room he kept his voice firm and even, responding the only way he knew how. "I'd rather live off of refuse for the rest of my life if it meant still having the strength to do what was necessary. Simple pleasure is for the weak, especially when you know it is fleeting." Fenix's eyebrows rose slightly at the answer, a little surprised by the conviction of her friend.

"Damn, Pinkie," she said after a low whistle, the eeveelution grimacing at the nickname. "Way to bum everyone out." Flynn simply shrugged and ignored the blonde, leaving her to continue their so called game. "Alright then, I'll go you spoil-sport. Hey Kebab," she called out to the Tauros, giving him a little wink and a smirk. "Since I'm sure you got the demo this one's for you. Would you rather mentally or physically never age?" She was curious about the stoic beast with the personality of a rock. A big part of predicting an enemy was knowing how they functioned, what was important to them. This behemoth had to have some tells somewhere.

The woman's sickly sweet tone rubs more salt in the wound, "It sure is, sweetie." Taking her sweet time, her hand hovers over the five Pokeballs in Max's hands. Max wants to close her hands over the balls and clutch them closely to her chest, but such a show of defiance would only lead to more trouble than it is worth. The redhead finally plucks one and holds it up for a few seconds, and Max is able to recognize the Pokeball that contains Grigori. Something feels so wrong, seeing someone taking him.  I promise I will not leave you. Just hold on... she internally promises to the Aggron. She hopes that he is blissfully unaware of the change in hands.

The woman catches her attention again as she explains, "And this is mine until we part ways. You've done very well so far, honey, but we've got a little bit more to go. You see, we're going... exploring, and we need bodies. Particularly ones that can hold flashlights and stave off sneak attacks from Undead. So first, my partner, Archer, behind you," here she nods to the man standing behind Max. Max can feel his presence close to her, and her body tenses until her muscles start to ache. Everything is screaming at her to lash out; the man has no business being this close to her. She takes to biting the inside of her cheek to try releasing the tension. It's this or die. The next words out of the other woman's mouth only makes her feel worse. "...needs to pat you down. I don't like surprises."

Max is a logical woman, and she knows that it only makes sense. However, the fact that the man is the one doing the pat down feels wrong. Why wouldn't the woman do it? Is she trying to help her male friend with opportunities? Max can't tell exactly what the relationship between these two is other than the lady is apparently the one in charge. First thing that she feels is a tug on the shoulder straps of the camouflage backpack, and she has to allow him to remove the bag. She can hear him toss it to the ground, and then there are hands on her shoulders. If she hadn't been expecting it, she would have instinctively elbowed him, but luckily for her, she is able to resist that reaction. He turns her around to face him, and she can't help but notice just how tall he is. She lifts her arms in the position they need to be, and her hands clench so tightly that she knows that if she looks at her palms later, there will be four crescent marks on each palm. She can't bring herself to look in the man's eyes as he begins the patdown, but the clenched teeth and suspicious glare are still directed towards him. As he runs his hands down her body, she can only thank the powers that be that she wears such baggy clothing and that she isn't forced to remove her hoodie. Every second feels much longer than it should, and the fact that she is allowing this to happen is humiliating. He finds the Swiss army knife in her pocket, and tosses it to the side. She rarely uses the thing as a weapon, but a knife is a knife. The blue haired man also finds the bobby pins and hair ties, and takes them as well.

Soon, he is finished, and moves onto her backpack with almost mechanical precision. As he digs through her bag, she has a moment of realization that his hands didn't linger, despite having a perfect opportunity for doing so. That... is a relief, but that still doesn't mean she's off the hook yet. It's entirely possible that doing something in the open would be too foolish, or his partner would notice and get offended. Regardless, at least for now she doesn't have to deal with someone getting too handsy. After he finishes looking around in her bag, he speaks up for the first time as he hands over the knife, hair ties, and bobby pins to his partner, and he almost sounds disappointed, "That's it. Food rations are really the only things worth of note. Everything else looks to be sentimental or practical travel items."

"Huh. Well, maybe not everyone's as heavily armed as our blonde little princess," the redhead comments. Blonde princess? Probably another captive... shit. If they are confident enough in their abilities to take more than one prisoner, then they must have some powerful Pokemon. Max quickly glances back over the two hounds, and she has a sinking feeling that she is probably right. The woman then takes some of her food and throws it into their bag with the stolen weapons and pokeball. Max hates the idea of someone just walking away with her and her pokemon's food, but, once again, she has to bite her tongue. The redhead waves off her last sentence and says, "Doesn't matter. We'd better get back, then. There's an entire Hideout to scour, after all." She then smiles at Max, the look far too predatory than is comfortable, Your pokemon called you 'Max', I think. Cute. I'm Ariana and, well, you've met Archer. From the look on your face, I'm guessing you're familiar with Team Rocket?"

Oh dear god, I hit the fucking motherload. Of course she runs into some of the head admins of Team fucking Rocket. The names ring a bell as she recalls the various news sources that wouldn't shut up for months about the Radio Tower take over and the... Hideout in Mahogany... Goddammit. She can't stay silent, for Ariana is obviously waiting for a response. "Maximum Snow," she informs and addresses the names, "Maximum, Max, Maxie, Snow, Snowy; I'll respond to whatever." Now time to answer the question, "Kinda hard not to hear about Team Rocket. The news went on for months about you guys after the Radio Tower takeover." However, something is bugging her about what they were talking about earlier with the hideout, and she asks "Why are you guys bothering with that old hideout? I'm pretty sure lots of people have already scoured it. Unless..." Then she remembers something vaguely discussed when she passed through the town after the whole fiasco. "It was still trapped."

"Practicality," was the Sylveon's flat, irate reply. Tyranny quirked her head to the side, intrigued by his choice. Though either option had its perks and flaws, it was still interesting to see someone actually choose a life of torture over one last fond experience before keeling over. "I'd rather live off of refuse for the rest of my life if it meant still having the strength to do what was necessary. Simple pleasure is for the weak, especially when you know it is fleeting." The Persian's gaze narrowed as her smile grew wider. Such a militant mind-- he and her human were almost kin. What is so important that you keep going, little man...?

The Prisoner gave a long, low whistle, apparently surprised by her own pokemon's choice as well. "Damn, Pinkie," she commented, the Sylveon obviously not ecstatic over his nickname. "Way to bum everyone out." Though it was an opening to further explain himself, he refused, merely shrugging off his trainer's comments and left the game in her hands without further comment. Still, Tyranny's grin didn't fade as she eyed him a little longer. Grouch. In a beat, the Prisoner continued, eager to start the next round. "Alright then, I'll go, you spoil-sport. Hey Kebab," she called, addressing Justice. Instead of turning to see her companion's reaction -which was likely just another snort once he realized she was talking to him- she watched the Sylveon, unwilling to allow him a window of opportunity. They were, after all, still hostages. "Since I'm sure you got the demo this one's for you. Would you rather mentally or physically never age?"

There was the snort. Justice scored the ground, angry gaze locked on the trainer. "No," he stated simply, which came to no surprise to the watchful Persian. She heaved a sigh and flicked an ear to him, yet kept her eyes on the Sylveon.

"It's not a 'yes or no' question, Sweetheart," she commented almost tiredly; he was so boring. Why did Archer have to have such boring pokemon? Excluding herself, of course.

"Not my orders."

A thought came to mind as Tyranny rolled her eyes at the Tauros' stubbornness, a new challenge presenting itself. "'Not your orders'," she repeated, her tone doubtful. She flicked her gaze to the Prisoner, her expression mischievous. "And what were those again? I forget."

"To keep the hostages here until Boss comes back."

She finally stood, stretching a little as she slowly strolled over to Justice, her tail high in the air as he kept a dutiful eye on the two prisoners. "That's right, I remember now," she cooed, playful. She rubbed her side on the bull, her back going under his jaw, followed by her trailing, lingering tail. "And dearie, don't you think occupying the hostages with a game to keep them complicit would be in those orders? We don't want to be bad hosts and let them get bored, now." She glanced to the trainer hostage, giving her a little wink. "When not playing a game, they could be strategizing on how to get out. It's just a few silly questions, anyway. No harm, no foul." She sauntered back to her spot, sitting once more before casting the Tauros a knowing glance. "You really want to risk upsetting Boss like that? He trusted you."

Flinching, Justice seemed at a loss for a moment before snorting angrily and goring his horns at the air. Tyranny didn't flinch away or was alarmed in the least-- she knew this was essentially the only way the bull could vent his frustration. "So, which is it-- never age mentally or physically?"

As Justice took a moment to awkwardly consider his options, Tyranny whispered playfully, "That's mind and body--"

"I know what it means!" the bull snapped, earning a small snicker from the classy cat. "Fine. Physically. So I can be strong forever."

Tyranny rolled her eyes. "Of course. Not surprising, since I doubt you've aged mentally since you were a calf; you probably don't remember what it feels like." The Tauros snorted angrily again, but the cat waved it off with a chuckle. "Oh, calm down, you know I'm kidding." She looked to the two Prisoners soon after, however, and vigorously shook her head.

Quickly recovering from the small little domestic bout, Tyranny quirked her head to the side, watching her prisoners. "So my turn again. Would you rather... be a 'Pokémon Master' and everything that encompasses it, but your Pokémon all hate you or be a Pokémon yourself?"

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The girl spoke quickly, much to Archer's relief. Looked like she was as ready to end this awful situation as he was. Then again, she was being taken hostage. "Maximum Snow," she began, "Maximum, Max, Maxie, Snow, Snowy; I'll respond to whatever." Uh-Oh. She gave Ariana nickname options. Hope you like those names, Max, because Ariana is going to do her damndest to make you feel otherwise. But Max was eager to end the conversation, quickly jumping to Ariana's other question. "Kinda hard not to hear about Team Rocket. The news went on for months about you guys after the Radio Tower takeover." Girl had a fair point. The Radio Tower plan was... not a subtle one.

But as the Rockets considered her reply, she continued to think aloud. "Why are you guys bothering with that old hideout? I'm pretty sure lots of people have already scoured it. Unless..." Ariana watched her carefully, her expression dangerously neutral. Archer hated that look-- he never knew which way she'd react, except that it was almost always bad. "It was still trapped."

"Aren't you just a clever little shit?" Ariana cooed, pressing her gun back against Max. "Our business in that Hideout doesn't really involve you, Maxie," she snapped, her voice still that light, airy tone. "But I'll tell you some tidbits to satiate that curiosity. When we evacuated, there were some things left behind. We're going to go see if they're still there, unless the Power Rangers up at Indigo Plateau took it all. With disposable resources such as yourself and the other hostages, why not take a little looksee, hmm? Not like we have anything better to do."

She turned and began to lead the way back, Garmr at her side. At the cue, Archer gently pushed Max forward, handing her backpack back. "Walk. Running is a bad idea-- Garmr is itching to tear his fangs into something," Archer warned in a low voice, retrieving his gun from its holster. Once she began to move, he followed quietly behind her, Sin taking up a position at her side. Finally, they were on the way back to the Hideout.

Flynn wasn't sure if he should feel amused or terrified as the two holding them at guard began to banter like an old married couple. The Persian was slick in her movements as well as her speech, purring for effect and languidly stepping around her companion as she all but forced him to answer Fenix's strange riddle game. The way she pushed herself against him and dragged her body down his side was damn near indecent, even for a cat, and made Flynn's cheeks burn in embarrassment to have even witnessed such a display. The only thing that assured the Sylveon it was all a game to her was when she casually walked back to her original spot and sat down again, acting like nothing ever happened.

"You really want to risk upsetting Boss like that? He trusted you. So, which is it-- never age mentally or physically?" The Tauros seemed just as upset and uncomfortable about the whole situation as he did and it left Flynn feeling a little sorry for his fellow battler. "That's mind and body--" "I know what it means!" Honestly it was like dealing with a privileged princess with this Persian, the way she delighted in tormenting others to get her way. "Fine. Physically. So I can be strong forever." At his response Fenix merely raised an eyebrow.

Physically, huh? She actually wasn't going to guess that for the bull. While he was obviously proud of his power and could surely use it to full effect, she thought he surely wouldn't want to deteriorate mentally. Maybe he was dumber than she thought? "Interesting-," Fenix pondered aloud, eyeing the Tauros. "So basically you would rather be strong forever, letting your mind waste away until you were nothing more than a drooling puppet incapable of doing anything without being told rather than keeping total clarity and staying free despite losing a bit of power. How curious." She folded her arms and tapped her finger on her chin a few times, gazing up at the ceiling before dramatically shrugging and letting her arms drop. "Oh well, to each his own. How about you have a go then? While you still have all your mental faculties." Flynn sighed heavily again, convinced Fenix's antics were going to be the death of them this time.

The Persian, it seemed, had other ideas. She looked at the duo sitting on the counter before her gaze settled on Fenix, a coy grin lighting up her face. "So my turn again. Would you rather... be a 'Pokémon Master' and everything that encompasses it, but your Pokémon all hate you or be a Pokémon yourself?" The tall blonde laughed, the question not quite one she was expecting to hear but entertaining none the less. "Easy. A Pokemon," she said confidently, surprising the Sylveon next to her. "Fuck humans, they're useless creatures anyway. I'd have given anything to have run as a Ninetales with my first Pokemon. She was my best friend in the whole world..." She trailed off for a moment as her mind seemed to wander, Flynn searching her expression to try and decipher this new information about his companion, but the reverie was quickly broken with a chuckle and a snort.

"A 'Pokemon Master', pffft. Yeah right. Pokemon don't have masters. Idiots."

"Aren't you just a clever little shit?" Ariana says, and the carefully level tone warns Max that she crossed a line as the gun presses against her abdomen. Max sharply inhales at the weapon being pointed so closely at her, and she doesn't release the breath as the redhead speaks, "Our business in that Hideout doesn't really involve you, Maxie." Despite her fear, she cannot help but notice how the other woman appears to try making the name almost derogatory. You're gonna have to try harder than that to make me feel bad over those nicknames. Of course, the thought is left unvoiced, and her silence is rewarded with a little bit of information, "But I'll tell you some tidbits to satiate that curiosity. When we evacuated, there were some things left behind. We're going to go see if they're still there, unless the Power Rangers up at Indigo Plateau took it all. With disposable resources such as yourself and the other hostages, why not take a little looksee, hmm? Not like we have anything better to do." After her spiel, Ariana stops pointing her weapon at Max and turns away from her to walk presumably towards the hideout.

Finally exhaling the breath she has been holding, she feels Archer push her forward while handing her the camouflage backpack. He quietly warns her, "Walk. Running is a bad idea-- Garmr is itching to tear his fangs into something." She assumes that Gramr is the Houndoom that almost lunged at Spidey earlier, and nods as she places her remaining Pokeballs back in the pocket along her abdomen. Despite still feeling nervous around the tall man, Max finds that he isn't as... grating.

She quietly responds, "Yes, sir," almost automatically as she follows Ariana. Old habits die hard, and apparently even four years of no human company couldn't kill that taught behaviour. As she walks, she calms her racing heart enough to grab the scraps of information she has just been given. There aren't many, but it is better than nothing. What is so important that they are going to risk their lives and the lives of anyone they happen to come across? Must be something big, and apparently easy to hide if the people up at the Indigo Plateau hadn't found it. Really important if the original plan was to go in solo before taking in however many hostages to throw at anything. Ariana never actually addresses her implied question about the traps, but given how badly she and Archer want meatshields, it wouldn't be a far guess that Undead or Infected are not the only concerns. They have powerful enough Pokemon that she wouldn't think the mindless creatures would be too much of a threat. A passing thought about the Tomb of Horrors enters her mind, and she shoves it away before letting it fester.

The walk back to the old Souvenir shop is short, and soon, the party of three humans and two Pokemon are standing outside the door. During the walk, Max has been gathering the courage to ask a hopefully simple request. There is always the possibility that talking would only piss her captors off more, but if she is going to have to play bodyguard, she needs to check that all of her tools are functioning. She hates having to use that line of thought, for her Pokemon were friends and allies, but all that matters to these two is her usefulness. "Um..." Great start "Before we go too far... May I perform a quick check-up on my Ponyta? If she has a concussion or something... it would be better to know now rather than later..." The explanation is valid, but she is concerned about potentially making Ariana even more angry.

Mahogany Town.

It was leagues away from her destination, yet closer than she'd been before. Kanto itself, let alone Pallet Town, felt as if it was on the other side of the planet, drawing away from her the more she traveled. But stubbornness ran in the Oak family, perhaps even more so with the girls, and for Daisy giving up meant leaving behind everything she'd ever known. So she was here, in Mahogany, where Team Rocket had hidden away back in the days where they'd refused to let go of their fading power, like an ancient moth struggling to reach a dying flame. It was odd to think of how there was once a hideout for a famous criminal organization tucked away in this tiny, unassuming town. At least they knew better than to try and take power back in Kanto. Even though it'd been years since Rocket had been here, Daisy wondered how the people who lived here had dealt with their presence. Had they stayed in their homes out of fear? Had some of them helped Rocket with their goals? Had others simply gone on with their everyday lives, unbothered by what was going on?

As much as Daisy wished she could know how they felt, the people of Mahogany were long gone, and she had to stay focused in the present. The house near the edge of the town was ransacked, the furniture torn up and tossed aside, the shelves and cabinets in the kitchen empty. The only thing left were dusty glass knickknacks and a bookcase with entire novels dedicated to Ice Pokemon. There was a lack of any bodies or blood, fortunately, but that did not stop Daisy from having a strange feeling towards the place. Perhaps it was only her paranoia that flared up, but still...better to be safe than careless, she'd decided. It would be best if they left.
"I think this house is a no-go, Valjean," Daisy said to her Blastoise companion, who'd helped reach the tallest of the shelves. He could have carried more than her other Pokemon were capable of, had there been anything here to take along.
"Yeah. You're right." Valjean didn't look too happy about the prospect of having to stretch out supplies, but they wouldn't have much of a choice if the rest of the town was equally picked clean. Daisy looked up at the Blastoise and gave him a hopeful smile; there had to be at least something of use left over still.
"Come on, don't frown. We've still got other places to check," Daisy encouraged, and set down her bag on the nearby kitchen table. She had to take count of what supplies they already had, and what they needed to find.

As Daisy rummaged through the bag, she noticed in the peripheral of her vision how Valjean suddenly tensed. It was then that there was the unmistakeable stench of death and rot, something that hadn't been there before-and that meant only one thing. Daisy's heart began to pound faster as she heard scratches on the windowsill, and saw a purple-splotched Weavile clawing its way inside the house.
"Daisy!" Valjean shouted, and in the span of only a few seconds, he moved with a speed she'd rarely seen from a Blastoise. The degenerated Weavile's warbled screech mixed with Val's own voice as it lunged, only to be stopped by the Water-type knocking it aside. Before Daisy could reach for her handgun, Valjean crushed the undead's skull with a single heavy stomp, instantly killing the creature. Despite being well-accustomed to the sight of gore and blood, Daisy still turned her gaze, just in time to see the shelf of knickknacks topple over from the force of Valjean's weight shaking the floor.

The sound of the shelf crashing against the wooden floor was nothing compared to the glass figurines shattering once after another, loud enough to have potentially alerted any other body that lurked in the town, especially those with more sensitive ears like Weavile. This was not good. It got even worse when the bookcase followed the shelf's fall, scattering its contents over the floor as well. In a quiet town like Mahogany, that wouldn't go unnoticed.
"Are you okay?" Valjean fretted, now returned to Daisy's side. The Weavile itself had been quickly forgotten, but Daisy wished she'd had the time to properly thank her brother's Blastoise. There would always be later, however-now, they had to get away from here before they were caught by other undead at the source of the noise.
"I'm fine, nothing hit me. But we have to leave, now."

(fyi: she's in the house opposite of the souvenir shop. Sorry for the wait)

"Easy. A Pokemon," Prisoner #1 replied almost immediately, surprising not only Tyranny but her cute little DILF Sylveon. The Persian tilted her head, curious to hear the explanation for that one. "Fuck humans, they're useless creatures anyway. I'd have given anything to have run as a Ninetales with my first Pokemon. She was my best friend in the whole world..." She seemed to reminisce about something, which Tyranny was less than interested in, but at least it didn't last long. The prisoner punctuated the small silence between them with a chuckle and snort.

"A 'Pokemon Master', pffft. Yeah right. Pokemon don't have masters. Idiots."

"Sweet of you," Tyranny cooed, but Justice snorted his distaste. The Persian let out a scoff of her own and turned to the bull, irate. "What's your problem now?"

"Sounds like a bunch of shit to me," he growled, eyeing Prisoner #1 and her pup. "No trainer, a Gym Leader for that matter, would slander her own species so casually."

"Maybe you should leave the critical thinking to the adults here, Justice," she casually dismissed. As the bull was about to speak, however, she perked, her ears twitching. She stood and grinned as she watched the door. "Ooo... they're back."



The walk back to the Hideout was thankfully silent. This hostage, Max, was smart enough to keep her mouth shut and any sass that might be rolling around in her head behind sealed lips. Archer was grateful for the momentary quiet, even as Garmr panted and paced at the front of the group. Damn dog. They were drawing near when the prisoner finally spoke, her voice soft.

"Um..." Archer only acknowledged her with a quick glance down as he walked behind her, waiting for her to finish her statement. "Before we go too far... May I perform a quick check-up on my Ponyta? If she has a concussion or something... it would be better to know now rather than later..."

"You can check on her inside," was his unenthusiastic reply as they drew nearer to the building. His Tauros perked at the sound of his voice and stood at attention, moving out of the way once Archer gave a loud snap of his fingers. Archer shoved Max inside, about to enter himself when Garmr barked and Sin stood on point. Archer and Ariana shared an incredulous look at each other; was there really someone else here? Ariana gestured with her head to investigate as she strode into the doorway to look at her lovely captives.

"Well, well, well!" she began with a wide grin. "It's just been a busy fuckin' day today, hasn't it? Luck has it that there's some other poor bastard that wants to help us spelunk through some dangerous old ruins so you all just sit tight and don't fuckin' move. All right?" She quickly pulled out a pokeball, releasing two more pokemon to stay with Tyranny and Justice. With another hostage, they'd need more backup. A Nidoqueen stood vigilant outside and a Vileplume materialized within the shop, lurking in the corner. "Be good!" she called and ran to catch up with Archer.

In the meantime, Archer was quick on his feet as he followed the baying dogs to another house which really should have been empty, finding a woman with a... very powerful-looking Blastoise. Flinching and drawing his gun, the two dogs helped surround the two as he aimed at the Blastoise. "Withdraw your pokemon and drop your weapons," he ordered in a steady, clear voice. Ariana soon showed as well, poking her torso through a smashed window, aiming at the two as well. "Yoo-hoo~!" she sang, wiggling her butt a little as she leaned on the empty windowsill. "You people are just showing up in droves, aren't you? Listen, Sweetie, I'd rather not have to blow your pretty little brains out when you could be so much more useful than paint. Do what my partner asked."

Fenix grinned at her 'guard' as she pandered to her answer, however the other guy was much less receptive, letting out a loud huff as though the human's answer was somehow offensive. "What's your problem now?" "Yeah," the blonde agreed, leaning forward on her perch. "I thought you weren't playing, big boy." The Tauros practically growled at the pair of females, putting Flynn on the defensive as he stood up beside Fenix on the counter. "Sounds like a bunch of shit to me." Fenix's eyes narrowed. "You wanna try that again?" she warned, voice getting low. "No trainer, a Gym Leader for that matter, would slander her own species so casually."

Fenix narrowed her eyes and Flynn could feel the anger beginning to radiate off of the human, stepping to the side and sitting on the opposite side of the counter in case she exploded. A volatile Fenix was not something to be trifled with. "I'm a Gym Leader because I adore fire types, not because I like people. I was raised by a fruit cake of a Grandpa and a bunch of fire pokemon, I didn't get out much bub. So I couldn't give a shit about other humans unless they are hot enough to fuck, and even then I won't ask them to stay. I'm just classy that way." Flynn stared at her in shock for the rather brash remark, shirking away a little more and once again scolding himself for being surprised at anything she had to say by this point.

The Persian seemed unfazed by either of them as she simply dismissed the conversation, reprimanding the bull much to Fenix's delight. It looked like her friend was about to retort when suddenly the cat was alert and on her feet, ears twitching as she smiled. "Ooo... they're back." Flynn moved quickly back towards his human and wrapped one ribbon around her arm, standing up on the counter ready to leap to her defense if it became necessary, but what neither of them expected was the new face unceremoniously shoved inside. "Aww, you shouldn't have," Fenix cooed, crossing her legs in front of her and winking at Archer. "And here I didn't get you anything."

She had no idea why the pair was suddenly running around collecting humans but when the Houndoom started barking again it was all too clear they would be running off to find another one. And her suspicions proved right when Ariana released another two Pokemon to watch them as she and Archer disappeared. Flynn looked around and pulled Fenix's arm closer to him, but she shrugged him off and clapped her hands as she looked back to her Persian friend. "So looks like our party got a little bigger. Does this call for a new game?" Flynn sighed and flopped down on the counter, surrendering finally to the blonde's whims. "You don't ever stop, do you?" he asked incredulously. "Nope. Not even when I'm dying. Ask my Lucario when we find him."

Max breaths a sigh of relief when Archer simply responds, "You can check on her inside." Ariana either didn't hear the question or care, and didn't react at all. Good, I didn't piss them off with that. Assuming that as long as she has one's explicit permission and the other didn't say no, then she'd be able to do what she needed.  Archer snaps his fingers before opening the door and shoves her in. She stumbles but fortunately keeps herself upright, and then she sees the giant bull that had been guarding the doorway. Oh shit. Please don't be in a bad mood. Please don't be in a bad mood.

Her attention is then drawn to the other human in the room as she flirtingly says, Aww, you shouldn't have. And here I didn't get you anything." Wait what? She stares in confusion at the woman with the long blond hair. Is this the "blonde princess" they mentioned earlier? Was my assumption wrong about them having more than one hostage? Wait, miss redhead said more hostages earlier... Then why was she flirting with him? That's just asking for trouble... Pink ribbons also catch her eye, and she glances over the eeveelution. The big doe eyes that all Eevee share still give her a pang of sadness. Newton...

She hears a bark from the outside, and Archer and the pair Houndoom take off. Ariana stands in the doorway, and, with a huge, predatory smile, says, "Well, well, well! It's just been a busy fuckin' day today, hasn't it? Luck has it that there's some other poor bastard that wants to help us spelunk through some dangerous old ruins so you all just sit tight and don't fuckin' move. All right?" Max squirms uncomfortably at the thought of another person getting dragged into this shitty situation, and once again, she can't help but wonder just how strong they must be if they feel they can just keep multiple people hostage. At this rate they were gonna be outnumbered. There are three pokemon in the room, and the Sylveon looked like they were with the blonde woman. That probably meant the others belonged to their captors... Ariana pulls out two more pokeballs and lets out a Vielplume that lurks in the corner and a Nidoqueen... Of course.... To guard the door. In a mocking tone, she calls out, Be good!"

Everything feels like it is moving so quickly... Now she's more or less alone with this new person and actually might have to make conversation. Despite the huge bull, she would have felt more comfortable with just the Pokemon than being left with a strange human. I would've never guessed I could be more awkward than I was before the Epidemic. Guess years of no human contact really does that to ya. Max moves further inside, but keeps close to the wall opposite of the other woman. Her arms are wrapped around herself as she focuses on controlling her breathing. Everything was catching up to her, and the added pressure of being around people and in such a hostile environment wasn't helping. She places her back against the wall and slides down to a sitting position. The other woman apparently ignores her as she talks to the Persian, "So looks like our party got a little bigger. Does this call for a new game?"

Remembering her request while she was outside, she far too quietly tries to interrupt, "Um..." Public speaker right here.

The playfulness and nonchalance made Max wonder if her earlier guess about who the Persian belonged to was wrong, but then the Sylveon looks at the blonde woman in exasperation. "You don't ever stop, do you?" He then flops down on the counter as if to emphasize his level of doneness. Something about the jibe brought a faint smile to her face. Someone that a Pokemon feels comfortable making smart remarks to couldn't be all bad. She wished she could have Melody out, the large owl's presence and snark always gave her a confidence boost. Oh well... Misty would still do the trick if she could just...

"Nope. Not even when I'm dying. Ask my Lucario when we find him," the blonde woman cheekily responds. Max's thoughts derail for a moment at one of the implications there, but she figures that maybe the blonde had survived a near death experience. There is also a major pang of empathy; she is looking for her Pokemon. Alex, Sara-Anne, Omar, Thorn, Integra, The names strenghten her resolve and help her slow her breathing. She had to get out of this alive. She had to. And panicking might make that impossible.

She closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath to steel herself for the question she needed to ask the guards. Two of them for sure belong to the crazy redhead, and those are the ones she is worried about. She also isn't sure what to make of the other woman; she hasn't said or done anything aggressive to Max herself, but she seems way too comfortable to be a hostage. "Hey... Uh..." she starts quietly. Come on, you have to do this. You know exactly how to argue this. Her voice still comes out shakey, but it's louder and her higher pitched voice carries, "Mr... uh... Archer said I could make sure my Ponyta was okay... She sorta... crashed headfirst into something... Need to make sure she doesn't have a concussion... you know?" Her hands are tightly clasped to each other, and her eyes aren't looking at anyone in particular. She's already practically curled into a sitting ball on the floor, but she keeps her head up.

The first warning given to Daisy was the barking of dogs. We're too late. Her quickly-numbing fingers scrambled to snatch up the bag left on the table; it contained everything, all of her supplies and mementos, the cherished picture of her family...Can't leave it behind. In what felt like mere moments, barely more than the blink of an eye, Daisy and Valjean are surrounded. The Blastoise stood between her and the Houndooms, but their master, the tall, uniformed man...Oh God. There was no mistaking that red symbol emblazoned upon the uniform's chest, nor the intent of the gun pointed right at her brother's starter. Rocket. It's Rocket, they're still here. It's as if the world froze over; a cold sweat beaded onto Daisy's brow, and she fights to keep an even expression. There was nowhere to run, and though Valjean throws challenging glares at the two hounds, she cannot let him fight. A gunshot wound to the skull at this range? The impact would kill him, or at least leave him beyond her ability to save. Daisy won't let that happen. She cannot let that happen.

"Withdraw your pokemon and drop your weapons," the Rocket member commanded; he was soon joined by another one of his revolting "team," this one a red-haired woman in a nearly identical uniform. What were they doing back in Mahogany? Of all the things in the world, why had Rocket-or at least, an tiny part of it-survived through the past years, even after so many setbacks and defeats? The end of the world must have favored criminals.
"Yoo-hoo~! You people are just showing up in droves, aren't you?" "You people"? There were others, then, others unfortunate enough to be ganged up on by these two and their Pokemon. Just like me. But that didn't tell Daisy whether they'd been murdered or simply robbed, then tossed aside. Rocket wasn't above either killing or theft, that she knew fully well. "Listen, Sweetie, I'd rather not have to blow your pretty little brains out when you could be so much more useful than paint. Do what my partner asked."
Surrounded and with two guns pointed at them, Daisy cannot fool herself into believing there was any chance of getting out of this. She's not putting her brother's Pokemon nor her own life in jeopardy to try and entertain the now-foolish notion of escape. With an obedient nod, one that feels wrong and disgusting, Daisy removed Valjean's Pokeball from her coat pocket. I don't have a choice.

"Daisy, don't-" Valjean began to protest, but was cut short as Daisy recalled him back to the ball. I can't let you or any of the others get hurt. I'm sorry. Acting quickly, so as to not piss off the two Rockets, Daisy took her handgun and placed it on the ground, as she'd been told. Her bag goes along with it; Daisy's not taking a single chance with these two. No doubt they would search for weapons and supplies, and she couldn't let them suspect she was hiding a weapon. That was just asking to be shot. Zippy. Snowy. Maggie. I will protect all of you.
"The rest of my Pokemon are in there, and our supplies as well." Playing along with people like these forms an ugly pit in her stomach, but there was point in trying to hide anything now.

Tyranny and Justice both visibly flinched and froze as Ariana greeted them, sending out two of her own pokemon to help chaperone, their faces both fixed in a stern loathing. Though Tyranny appreciated and even enjoyed the playful banter the blonde human provided before her human's departure, her eyes were fixed on the disgusting Vileplume now lurking smugly in the corner. Man, she hated that bitch. Justice eyed his own foil, the Nidoqueen stationed just to his right and for a moment, a tense silence reigned in the small, dilapidated cabin.

Prisoner #1 chose to break it, much to the approval of Tyranny's sanity. "So looks like our party got a little bigger. Does this call for a new game?" DILF Sylveon could only sigh at his trainer's antics and Tyranny really did want to enjoy Prisoner's coyness. But not with her there. They continued, likely ignorant of the new tension that was falling over the group.

"You don't ever stop, do you?"

"Nope. Not even when I'm dying. Ask my Lucario when we find him."

Belladonna, the wicked leech skulking in the dark, giggled at the exchange and Tyranny's tail lashed with fury. Spotting the angry body language, the plant merely gave Tyranny an innocent head tilt, mock concern filling her expression as well as filling Tyranny's soul with nothing but rage. How the Persian wished she could rip those batting eyelids off and pop out the eyes beneath like squishy marbles.

"Hey... Uh..." All eyes in the room go to the new prisoner, which Tyranny had barely noticed. She looked more like an actual hostage, which was a... good thing? Maybe? Probably was less fun, though. "Mr... uh... Archer said I could make sure my Ponyta was okay... She sorta... crashed headfirst into something... Need to make sure she doesn't have a concussion... you know?"

Belladonna giggled again and Tyranny's hackles raised at the grating, horrible sound. It was like Satan's ass exploding in vomit and diarrhea. The plant, fully aware of the effect she had on not just the Persian, but all of Archer's pokemon, strode forward playfully, brushing her large petals against Tyranny's side. "That's so sweet of you to care so much about your little pony," she cooed, clasping her little hands in front of her, smile shining up at the new hostage. "But my trainer didn't say you could, so no one here gives a shit." She giggled again and put a hand on her mouth. "And if you do bring her or any other pokemon out, I'll stuff your throat with so much poison, you'll be dead before you hit the ground~!"

Tyranny twitched at her voice and then rose to her feet, tail high in the air. As much as she wanted to tear into the bitch, she had to restrain herself. But the urge for simple insubordination was just too strong. "Now Belladonna," she purred, trying to keep her rage contained to the smirk on her face. "Is really that any way to treat our new hostage? Poor baby's scared enough as it is. All she wants to do is check on her little horsey." She rubbed against the new hostage's legs, tail gently resting on the girl's side as she stared straight at the Vileplume ahead of her.

Smirk still adorned, she strode over to Belladonna, head lowering. "Besides, honey..." She leaned in close, her mouth mere inches from the Vileplume's ear. Her voice was little more than a murmur, barely audible to the others outside the conversation. "If my trainer said she could, she fucking can. And if you disagree, all it takes is one Zen Headbutt from my buddy Justice over there to gore those pretty insides of yours right out of the gross leather sack you call a body."

Belladonna let out a wicked snicker, eyes flashing with delight at the power play. "You really want to start this, you mewling little runt?" she whispered back, causing Tyranny's grin to widen, the expression audible in her words.

"I've been waiting to rip that face off of you for a long time, sweetie. You really want to give me an opportunity?"

Belladonna's expression only grew more crazed, but she kept her voice down. It was part of the game, after all. "Queen and Garmr would just slaughter you, and then your precious mannequin of a trainer would cry again. You wanna make him cry?"

"Oh, Bella, your death would be worth it."

The two females leaned away from each other, studying the other's strengths and weaknesses as the tension came to a head before dissolving with Belladonna's laughter. She snatched the Persian's throat, bringing her close as Justice lowered his head to charge. But the Vileplume didn't seem to mind, as she caressed the cat's face with her free numb hand. "I'll let Ariana know Archer owes her, then." She patted the furry cheek and then turned back to the new prisoner, smile never wavering. "Fine, sweetie, you can let her out and nurse her. If you try to escape, the darling Nidoqueen outside'll snap your and your cute little pony's spines and leave you as decoration. But I'm sure you knew that." She gave another little giggle to accompany her farewell wave and almost skipped back to her dark corner of the room.

Tyranny felt bile come up, but tried to not let it show. After all... Ariana was just going to do it again anyway... She couldn't blame herself for her wonderful human getting hurt again. Archer himself stated that it was another way for Ariana to control them, and to fight against it no matter what. It wasn't their fault. "It's never your fault..." She took in a quick breath and raised her head again, facade once more in place as she sat down in front of the newbie, regarding her fondly a moment before speaking. "Let's see your hurt little pony, then. After, we can resume our game of 'Would You Rather?'"

____________________

Archer was grateful that the woman obeyed so quickly. "Daisy, don't-" the Blastoise objected, but his cry was cut short as he was recalled back into his ball. She almost mechanically obliged the other orders, placing her gun on the floor, as well as her... giant bag of supplies. "The rest of my Pokemon are in there, and our supplies as well." Her voice didn't waver and neither did her eye contact. Archer could respect the sturdiness of the woman before him; he hadn't missed the flash of recognition on her face and yet here she was, calm and collected. It was odd coming across three strong female strangers in a single day. A glance to Ariana told him that, once again, he'd be the one patting her down. Because of course he was.

He placed his gun back in its holster, approaching the woman slowly. "Arms out; I'm going to frisk you." Ariana chuckled patiently as she watched the show from her window, gun still pointed straight at the woman's head. Once the new hostage complied, Archer began his frisk and Ariana saw fit to start the introductions.

"Well, it's certainly nice to find so many new people. New friends, really. I'm Ariana and that man there groping you so tenderly is Archer. I have to say, I couldn't help but notice you recognize us? Oh, it's so wonderful to find more Johto or Kanto kin. With the world gone to shit, everyone just, you know, scattered." She whistled, Garmr snatching the heavy bag with his jaws at the noise. It was a little heavier than he expected, however, and it took a moment of his slipping claws to find traction. Eventually, he dragged the bag out to his trainer, then retrieved the gun and Blastoise ensnared in its ball. She gently nudged some of the contents with a foot, glancing at it curiously before returning her attention to the woman. "You've been busy."

"Hey... Uh..." When the wallflower finally spoke Fenix's gaze drew to her and immediately began to assess the other female. She had been too busy annoying Archer to get a good look at the frumpy, huddled mass in the corner, but now that she had the blonde could see the girl was practically coming apart at the seams. The kid practically radiated nervousness, though granted it was for good reason, which in this kind of group would get her targeted very quickly. "Mr... uh... Archer said I could make sure my Ponyta was okay... She sorta... crashed headfirst into something... Need to make sure she doesn't have a concussion... you know?" So would asking a stupid question like that.

Unfortunately for the little brunette, one of the new Pokemon already caught on. "That's so sweet of you to care so much about your little pony," her voice grated on Fenix's ears like hagraven claws on a chalkboard, each note more sour than the previous. "But my trainer didn't say you could, so no one here gives a shit." She giggled again and put a hand on her mouth. "And if you do bring her or any other pokemon out, I'll stuff your throat with so much poison, you'll be dead before you hit the ground~!" Fenix was off the counter and on her feet in an instant, ready to put herself between the disgusting grass type and the new girl, but Tyranny was equally as quick to engage the aptly named 'vile'plume. She cooed and purred like any Classy Cat, but the venom under her words was obvious. She hated this creature, and Fenix's mind was chanting in agreement although hers had a bit more fire involved.

She watched as the feline teased her companion and brushed up against the new captive affectionately, eyes glaringly daring the petal monster to touch her toy, and Fenix had to feel a little sorry for the already terrified kid. When the two drew close and began to whisper the tall female took the opportunity to slip by and make her way to the new girl's side, a reassuring grin on her face as she leaned up against the wall next to her and gave her a gentle nudge with her elbow. "You have the worst timing, kid," she teased lightly, nodding towards their jailers. "Course, since I'm in the same boat I guess I can't say much now can I?" Fenix raised up her arms and stretched languidly, bringing her arms back down to cross behind her head as a pillow as she leaned back against the wall to observe the interaction of the cat and her nip. It seemed like a rather interesting argument, one Fenix would have liked to participate in given the expressions playing across faces of the two females, but eventually it looked like things broke off and the Persian came back. "Let's see your hurt little pony, then. After, we can resume our game of 'Would You Rather?'"

"Oh that's right!" Fenix cried out cheerfully, pushing off of the wall excitedly and practically leering over the girl. "You said you had a Ponyta, right? Let me see it!" It was at this time Flynn, who had been trying to stay out of the escalating mood ever since it started, finally had enough. "Give the girl some space, Fenix!" he barked, standing up on the counter and walking towards the closest edge to his fiery companion. "Just because someone has a fire type doesn't mean you get to suddenly be in their business, even if you are an expert. It's her Pokemon." Fenix leaned back and pouted, crossing her arms before childishly sticking her tongue out at the Sylveon who simply rolled his eyes. His nerves were already on edge from the present company and the blonde was digging them into a deeper and deeper hole with her antics. While he had confidence that he knew what she was doing he was not comfortable with the fact that he wasn't privy to the plan, if there even was one. So for now he was going to do his best to remain a buffer between Fenix and the pokemon that wanted to kill her. "Play your games, but let the child be. We have other matters that are much more pressing than you gawking at a fire horse."

The human kept up her indifference towards the older pokemon's warnings, instead returning to her position on the wall and bracing herself with one curled leg. She still wanted to see the Ponyta, so she kept herself uncomfortably close to the other female as she waited for it to be released, but she eyed the Vileplume to make sure it didn't try anything. She wanted to kill it. With fire. Or magma. Something hot. Hell if a flaming meteor dropped out of the sky and onto the plant that would be okay too. But that disgusting smile needed to be burned off somehow. Fuck she hated grass types.

Once the request is out, all Max can do is wait for an answer. The Vileplume giggles at her request, and she has the feeling she already knows what the answer is going to be. Well, it was worth a shot. Hope she's gonna be okay later. The sickly sweet response is grating, and the grass type just keeps going. She looks in the Vileplume's direction, careful to keep a more neutral expression. "That's so sweet of you to care so much about your little pony," she starts, and the word choice doesn't escape Max's attention. The Vileplume is talking to her like she's a child. Given the stellar personality, she isn't sure if that was the Vileplume's normal speaking tone, or if she was getting special treatment. Joy. Then the actual answer to her question is, "But my trainer didn't say you could, so no one here gives a shit." At this point, the answer isn't suprising, and Max isn't going to push the issue. If need be, she just wouldn't pull Misty out unless very specific circumstances demanded it. As if to throw her power in this painfully onesided situation around, the Vileplume threatens, "And if you do bring her or any other pokemon out, I'll stuff your throat with so much poison, you'll be dead before you hit the ground~!"  If Lynn is going to be completely honest, it is about what she expected, but goddamn, does this Vileplume think she is stupid? She might be scared. She might want to get the fuck out of there. But like hell she is going to pull a prison break when she is outnumbered, probably overpowered, and the oh so lovely redhead has her claws on Grigori.

What she does not expect is the Persian getting to their paws and walking over to her.  The cat rubs against her legs in an almost affectionate manner as she purrs, "Now Belladonna." Appropriate name. "Is really that any way to treat our new hostage? Poor baby's scared enough as it is. All she wants to do is check on her little horsey." Despite the lovely description of her, she couldn't help but internally wonder, Do... Do I really look that young? Even though Max isn't the best at picking up the mood, she did notice how this cat that is supposed to be one of the guards is standing between her and the creepy ass Vileplume and fighting for her request. Something about the atmosphere feels... thick. The Persian soon walks closer to the grass type, and they start speaking incredibly quietly. Max tries to listen in, but then the other human in the room slips past the two Pokemon.

The other smiles down at her and teases,"You have the worst timing, kid," At least she seems to be friendly... And she thinks I'm a kid too. Damn, I must look young. Shrinking against the floor probably isn't helping, but you know what, fuck it. The blonde then nods towards the still conversing cat and plant Pokemon before adding, "Course, since I'm in the same boat I guess I can't say much now can I?" The other female seems much more relaxed about the situation, and Max decides to try feeding off that. Unfortunately, she still has social anxiety that would take more than that to relax her.

Max lets out a nervous laugh, "Guess not." She falls silent afterwards as she waits for the verdict to be handed down. Talking really isn't her strong suit, and she is distracted by the hushed conversation. She had expected this to be a simple yes or no matter, but it seems that all is not quiet on the western front. She swears she sees Belladonna grab the Persian, but the matter is soon settled.

The Vileplume turns to look at her again, and she still has that damn smile,"Fine, sweetie, you can let her out and nurse her. If you try to escape, the darling Nidoqueen outside'll snap your and your cute little pony's spines and leave you as decoration. But I'm sure you knew that." Again, she's not sure if the threat is supposed to be a threat or another insult to her intelligence.

Max has to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she nods and very quietly responds, "Yes Ma'am." Yet another confirmation that that habit never died... and it probably doesn't help the fact that they think she's young. Oops.

The Persian then comes back over to her, sits down, and look at her for a few seconds. Max turns her head in confusion and raises an eyebrow at the lookover, but she otherwise remains quiet. The cat then said, "Let's see your hurt little pony, then. After, we can resume our game of 'Would You Rather?'" Oh that game... Infamous icebreaker lots of people use to make the quiet people talk. Unfortunately, it either backfires horribly, or in her case, she almost always somehow made it not fun. Another oops. She can't really deny the request though. This cat did just stick her neck out for her, and she is still a guard. Do what your captors want, and you might get off easy.

She nods in response to the cat, and reaches into her hoodie pocket to pull out  Misty's Pokeball. The other woman then said excitedly, "Oh that's right! You said you had a Ponyta, right? Let me see it!" She leans over Max's hunched position, and she can't help almost shrinking into the ground more. While she isn't particularly afraid of the blonde, she is uncomfortably close, and Max's skin starts crawling in response to the unfamiliar human being so close. Pokemon being in her space? Fine. Humans? EEGHH. It really depends on context and the person involved that determines how badly she reacts to touch. At least this one is a female, but that still doesn't help right at this moment.

As if sensing her distress, the Sylveon speaks up, "Give the girl some space, Fenix!" Fenix? Another appropriate name. Wait. That name rings a bell... The Eeveelution continues his beratement of the other woman, and Max listens intently. "Just because someone has a fire type doesn't mean you get to suddenly be in their business, even if you are an expert. It's her Pokemon." Fire types? "Play your games, but let the child be. We have other matters that are much more pressing than you gawking at a fire horse." She is grateful for the Sylveon's input, and it does seem to make Fenix back off some. Then the last part of what he said hit her. Oh goddammit, he thinks I'm a kid too. Fuck it. Accept your eternal youth, Lynn. If bars ever come back, you will be forever carded.

She properly pulls out the Pokeball containing Misty, and she forces herself to calm down. Misty could pick up on emotions like nobody's buisness, and the Ponyta is already spooked. No need for her to think her trainer is as well, or that would cause her to potentially freak out more. And God forbid that would make her bolt. She isn't going to lose another one because of her stupid mistakes. Putting on her clinical face and pushing herself into a kneeling position, she says, "Alright, just need some room." She presses the button on the ball to release Misty, and soon the Ponyta materializes in front of her. The pony is still in her lying down position, but she the scents of so many unfamiliar pokemon and humans makes her stagger to a standing position. "Woah there, take it slow."

As if unhearing, the small horse's blue eyes dart around in fear, "M-Max? What's going on? Where are we?" She then fully sees the others in the room, "Who are they?"

Speaking quickly to make sure the Vileplume doesn''t say something to freak Misty out more, Max says, "Uh, did you hear any of what I said to Spidey? If not, well, we got caught."

The Ponyta's voice almost cracks in fear, "Oh god!"

As if watching someone else panic calms her, Max's voice holds strong, "We'll be fine, Misty. They just want us to help them look around."

She challenged, "Then why this? How do you know?"

Max answers, "Well, we're not dead yet, and that has to count for something." Then leaning closer to the scared fire horse, she cups her hands around Misty's face and starts rubbing the horse behind the ears. The action has the intended effect as Misty relaxes a little. Max learned this trick with Misty not too long after she joined their group, and it was a miracle worker for helping the former therapy Pokemon calm down. Oh the irony there.

In a hushed whisper, Misty mutters, "I'm sorry..." As far as she is concerned, this whole debacle is her fault. Her crash had caught the attention of their captors, and now they are stuck doing someone else's bidding.

Leaning closer to Misty's ears, Max murmurs, "Don't worry about that, okay? We'll be fine." After feeling the horse nod her head in acknowledgement, Max pulls away and leans back. "Now I need to make sure you're okay, our guards have graciously allowed me to check while we wait." She nods towards the Persian and the others. "Biggest concern being a concussion. You're obviously speaking and understanding fine, but I need to do some other things..."  

"Flashlight test?"

"You got it," She affirms as she reaches back down into her hoodie pocket. She pulls out the black flashlight, clicks to turn it on, and points the lit end towards the Ponyta's face. Both pupils contract simultaneously and to the same size. She smiles at Misty, "You're good on that front." She then begins inspecting the Ponyta's limbs and chest intently to look for scrapes, and also found none, thankfully. To the others in the room, especially to the guards, she says "She seems fine, but to be completely certain about the concussion, it would be better if I could keep her out for a bit longer. Make sure she's actually able to hold onto memories and stuff. But," her eyes wander over the guards again, "I don't want to push my or her welcome."

Daisy's heart pounds as the man approaches. As crude as the thought is, there are people who would love nothing more than to use others for their own gain...and some of those gains more repulsive than others. The command she is given is logical for them, but a slight relief for her. "Arms out; I'm going to frisk you." So long as he doesn't try anything unsavoury, this should be painless. If nothing else, the thought of her Pokemon trapped by these two Rocket members should give her the strength to not try anything yet-Daisy can't risk anything happening to them, even at risk to her own wellbeing. She obeys the order, keeping her expression as even as possible and her body still throughout the frisk. While the man seems composed enough, and thankfully not unnecessarily touchy, the red-haired woman is something else entirely. From the way she was talking only minutes ago, Daisy can tell that this one is not a person to cross, unless she wants to become a chew toy for those Houndooms. One of them certainly looks more vicious than the other. I have to be careful. So long as the Rocket members have both the advantage of numbers and firearms, then Daisy is stuck with whatever unpleasant situation they throw her into. That is, if they didn't just shoot her outright and deal with the problem then and there.

"Well, it's certainly nice to find so many new people. New friends, really. I'm Ariana and that man there groping you so tenderly is Archer." "Groping"-what a vulgar term to use. Really, though, what else should Daisy have expected? All basic decency had flown out of the window when the world ended, nevermind the people who lacked it in the times before. She's going to have to get used to it, and with these sort of people, maybe being the nice girl wasn't the smartest thing to do. What was that old saying..."When in Kalos, do as Kalosians do?" To have to go against who she was is a sickening thought indeed, but perhaps better than the alternative; she might have to resort to worse if she wants to get out of this alive. "I have to say, I couldn't help but notice you recognize us? Oh, it's so wonderful to find more Johto or Kanto kin. With the world gone to shit, everyone just, you know, scattered." I wonder how they'd react at the name Oak. Surely they know Granddad, but would the name even matter? Or would it get me killed even faster? As Ariana's Houndoom retrieves the bag, or at least struggles to, Daisy decides that it might be best to keep her last name to herself for now. It isn't worth the risk, on the off-chance Rocket wasn't too fond of Granddad or Blue. "You've been busy." Ah. The supplies. Well, at least this one wouldn't be too difficult to answer-no matter who you were, the importance of medical knowhow and supplies can't be ignored. "I don't want to be a doctor with nothing to work with," Daisy begins to explain, hoping her composure wouldn't end up falling apart. "Most of the supplies I had at the beginning are gone now, but people left behind more than they realized." It wasn't a lie, far from it-Daisy really had been fortunate in her search for anything medical-related. How someone had missed what she'd found before was mind-boggling, but she isn't about to start complaining.

"Oh that's right! You said you had a Ponyta, right? Let me see it!" Prisoner #1 exclaimed, nearly smothering the newest addition with her large frame and excitement. Though the woman's enthusiasm was entertaining enough, Tyranny kept her focus trained on the dark red splotch in her peripherals.

"Give the girl some space, Fenix!" DILF cried, causing his trainer's spark to dim a little. "Just because someone has a fire type doesn't mean you get to suddenly be in their business, even if you are an expert. It's her Pokemon. Play your games, but let the child be. We have other matters that are much more pressing than you gawking at a fire horse."

The blonde acquiesced, albeit regretfully, and the new trainer seemed to put on a game face. Maybe she was just trying to collect herself to better keep her pokemon calm? It was likely. Tyranny knew that the world wasn't completely brimming with people capable of staying so calm in the face of danger, like their first prisoner or her human or, as much as she was loathe to admit, Ariana. "Alright, just need some room." Tyranny obliged, scooting a little further away while keeping her eyes on the new hostage. It wasn't long until the ponyta materialized, all the unfamiliar faces and scents likely causing her to rise in a panic. "Woah there, take it slow."

It took a moment for the trainer to calm her horse, but Tyranny was mildly impressed with how quickly she managed to accomplish it. They huddled close for a short while, which piqued the doorman's interest. Justice gave a pointed stare to Tyranny, as if quietly asking, Aren't you going to do something about that?" but the Persian gave him a small shake of her head. They were likely only discussing amongst themselves of the situation they were in; that ponyta wasn't in any sort of shape to take all four of them on at once. And if the trainer made a move to bring out any other pokemon, Tyranny already had all three Nasty Plot boosts set up. She could destroy a fucking town at this point. "Now I need to make sure you're okay, our guards have graciously allowed me to check while we wait." She nodded toward Tyranny and in turn, she gave a smile that emanated warmth, yet condescending superiority. "Biggest concern being a concussion. You're obviously speaking and understanding fine, but I need to do some other things..."  

"Flashlight test?"

"You got it," Prisoner #2 stated, flashing the light into the horse's eyes. Tyranny blinked as she watched the almost routine ease the trainer had; was it possible she was medically trained? If so, that would be... exceedingly helpful. Her human was  slightly aware of certain options for certain medical emergencies, but having a real, medically trained human could be beneficial... and likely very dangerous. "You're good on that front." The human took a another few minutes to inspect the tiny horse for something else before apparently becoming satisfied with her findings. She turned to Tyranny then, her voice much more solid and calm. "She seems fine, but to be completely certain about the concussion, it would be better if I could keep her out for a bit longer. Make sure she's actually able to hold onto memories and stuff. But," she paused as she eyed Tyranny's comrades in the room, "I don't want to push my or her welcome."

"Where we're going will be fairly dark, so actually, keeping her out will probably be a good idea," the Classy Cat replied in a smooth, silky voice.

"Don't you dare try anything," Justice gruffed from the door. Tyranny rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I think we were already pretty clear on that, thanks, Justice." Giving Belladonna one final glance, she moved to the center of the room and smiled. "So let's start our game back up. Prisoner #1, wasn't it your turn?"

---

"I don't want to be a doctor with nothing to work with," the woman cooly explained. Archer and Ariana's brows both inclined at the mention of her profession. Doctor? Well wasn't that a handy-fucking thing to have? "Most of the supplies I had at the beginning are gone now, but people left behind more than they realized."

"Lucky for you and for us, then," Ariana purred, her gun still trained on the woman as Archer backed away from her and the door. "Finding so many volunteers and a doctor on top of that. But Doctor, I don't think you gave us your name? That's pretty rude of you, after we offered you ours and everything."

Fenix watched carefully as the new girl brought out her Ponyta, the blonde's eyes lighting up with concern as she saw the horse curled on the ground as she was released. Prone was not a good way to come out. Her relaxed posture broke as her hand came down to her side and her foot came off of the wall, taking a tentative step closer to watch as the tiny brunette began to soothe her timid creature. Watching over her shoulder was easy for the tall fire trainer and she was pleased to see how well cared for the Ponyta actually was. The kid seemed to do pretty much everything right and Fenix was relieved to hear that the young horse was going to be fine, and was impressed by the girl's almost routine expertise in the matter.

"She seems fine, but to be completely certain about the concussion, it would be better if I could keep her out for a bit longer. Make sure she's actually able to hold onto memories and stuff. But, I don't want to push my or her welcome." Another cautious one in the room, how boring. Though Fenix couldn't really blame the girl for her feelings when there were four powerful pokemon watching her every move like she was going to suddenly turn Incredible Hulk. But once again the Persian was to the rescue, lending her own logic to keeping the pony out though it was probably just to spite the shitty plant in the corner. "Where we're going will be fairly dark, so actually, keeping her out will probably be a good idea."

Flynn's ears perked a bit at the subject of moving, eying the hole Fenix had uncovered earlier and realizing that the two psychos in charge meant to march all of them down there as meat shields to any lingering traps. They were expendable. Nervous about the idea of letting them be cast into the unknown without a care for their safety Flynn decided to start secretly boosting his Calm Mind while they were distracted. "Don't you dare try anything," he heard the Tauros grumble, for a moment wondering if the bull might have discovered his plan before he even tried it. Thankfully he was looking towards the new female and not him, so he probably meant the Ponyta. Thank goodness. "Yeah, I think we were already pretty clear on that, thanks, Justice."

The Sylveon couldn't help but scoff to himself, picking up on the irony of the name. Justice, belonging to a man whose entire life was dedicated to crime. Seemed almost poetic given the circumstances. Fenix heard his quiet gesture and made her way back over to him, gently rubbing Flynn's head to try and soothe his nerves. Flynn took the chance to slide his eyes closed and made it appear that he was relishing in the attention, when underneath he began charging his first Calm Mind in case he was needed. "So let's start our game back up. Prisoner #1, wasn't it your turn?" Fenix chuckled and kept scratching the grateful Eeveelutions head, putting more pressure down when he leaned into the caress, and thought carefully. "Let me see..."

"I think I'll give Newbie a go. So kid, would you rather be alone in a perfect world or be the most important person in a bad world?"

Thankfully, it was the Persian who answered her implied question, "Where we're going will be fairly dark, so actually, keeping her out will probably be a good idea." Max wasn't sure where the Nidoqueen, Tauros, or Persian stood on the crazy or outright cruel scale, but at least the Persian wasn't being a complete dick about it. She smiled faintly towards the cat and nodded in thanks before sitting back on the ground and leaning back. Misty moved from her position in front of Max and took a spot next to her human. She didn't feel safe enough to lie down like she wanted and bury her face into Max's clothes, and besides, she was the Pokemon and should be protecting her human. Not the other way around. Though Max apparently disagreed with that notion and had long... rants over it.

The Tauros spoke up, "Don't you dare try anything," Misty shrunk into Max's side at the gruff tone, and she started shaking again. The human gently put her hand on the horse's side and gently petted her. How strange to be on the recieving end of care like this... I should be doing this for her... But she seem's to be okay all things considered... Since Max had absolutely no intention of starting shit, she lazily looked over to the Tauros, and she was mildly peeved that he felt the need to say that and further scare Misty. Nothing she could say or do about that, unfortunately, other than pick up the pieces and make sure Misty was okay.

The Persian apparently agreed with her, and sarcastically commented, "Yeah, I think we were already pretty clear on that, thanks, Justice." That name... was certainly strange given the trainer's occupation.  After that, the Persian glanced presumably to the grass type in the corner before taking center stage and smiling. "So let's start our game back up. Prisoner #1, wasn't it your turn?" Oh right... The game... She turned her eyes back to the blonde woman who had gone back to her Sylveon, and she waited on the question. She really hoped that she wasn't going to be first up; to quell her returning social nervousness, she reached towards Misty's ears again and began rubbing them. Just doing something with her hands and the reminder that Misty was in the room gave her a smidgen of peace.

Fenix paused for a moment and scratched the Sylveon behind the ears as she considered the next question, "Let me see... I think I'll give Newbie a go." Of course. The gods hate me. "So kid, would you rather be alone in a perfect world or be the most important person in a bad world?" That was a very deep and potentially philosophical question that Max hadn't quite expected.

The small woman's hand on Misty stopped moving as she considered the question, and she switched her legs to a cross-legged position akin to the style most school children are told to sit when on the ground. She mused aloud, "Well... I guess it all depends on you or I define as perfect and bad." She brought her hands in front of her and touched the fingertips together as she continued, "What I might consider a Utopia, another might call a Dystopia. As for what a bad world is... Well... If you listen to the religious nuts, we're already there for that, but, eh, I guess I don't find myself believing them all the time."

Apparently her rambling had bothered Misty, as the Ponyta nudged her and stage whispered, "You're avoiding the question, just answer!"

Deciding to take the chance to lighten the horse's mood, she mocked offense, "No, I'm not! These are very important considerations." The unamused glance that was barely hiding a smile was all Max needed to see that Misty was apparently calming down at least a little. "Okay, fine. Probably alone in a perfect world. Being alone would suck, but I'm more or less used to it, and being an MVP would probably suck more." She didn't say it aloud, but she also knew that if it meant her Pokemon, Sara-Anne, and Alex could be happy, she'd be happy even if she could never speak to them again.

Misty was mildly surprised at the I'm used to it comment, for Melody was a known constant in Max's life. She never could imagine the human without the Noctowl or vice versa. The two had told many stories of their lives before the Epidemic, and Melody had been mentioned in every story of Max's. The idea that Max had been alone for anything... seemed odd.

With every second that passes, Daisy swears she can feel her heart quickening; a common, possibly universal universal, symptom of fear, one she's much too familiar with. What are these people planning to do? Take her hostage, leave her with no supplies, shoot her, something slower and far worse than that? Daisy has no idea; she'd been told she could be useful, but that isn't a guarantee of anything. She can only hope that her calm demeanor doesn't crack into pieces in front of them, lest the Rocket duo find a way to take advantage of perceived weakness. Surely that wasn't something beyond their...skill sets, being big-name criminals and all. She can't begin to imagine what they are doing here, or what could possibly remain in that old hideout of theirs. There's no way an organization like Rocket would return to Johto without a very good reason-this whole region is a veritable hotspot for the turned. Which only leaves the glaring question of what-or who-they came back for. That is, assuming they even still are an "organization." The thoughts do nothing to soothe her fraying nerves, but at least it's a lot better than flat-out panicking. Something tells her these two wouldn't like panicking...or maybe just Arianna wouldn't. Archer is almost impossible to read.
"Lucky for you and for us, then. Finding so many volunteers and a doctor on top of that." Arianna says, her tone reminiscent of a cat creeping up towards cornered prey. Despite that, the woman's inclusion of the word 'you' is a cause for relief; she was right to include that her profession, then. A tingling of dread tugs at her brain, however-what if they use her abilities in order to keep the other hostages alive? Daisy can't deny that it is a little far-fetched, but still entirely possible. She knows for a fact that they've caught other people, and it isn't unreasonable to assume that not all of them were as quick to go along with their demands as she was. If some were wounded, it would make sense to have the newly-discovered doctor patch them up. Assuming this duo is the type to keep command through brute force, then Daisy might have some rather sickening work ahead of her. She hadn't chosen her profession in order to aid criminals. Slow down, Daisy. You're making a lot of assumptions with no proof. Just wait and see what happens; you can't do much else as is.

"But Doctor, I don't think you gave us your name? That's pretty rude of you, after we offered you ours and everything." Damn it. As sour as the phrase tastes, it's far too accurate to simply not use. Already, Daisy has made a misstep in assuming they would've already gotten her name from Valjean's shout. She couldn't let something like that happen again. Okay, salvage this. "It's Daisy," she responds apologetically, hoping they wouldn't feel the need to know more than just a first name. Good. Haven't lost my cool yet. Keep it up, Dais.

"Let me see... I think I'll give Newbie a go." The blonde mused, bringing the morale slowly back up after Belladonna fucked everything up. Tyranny was glad to see things settle back down. Even Justice seemed to allow his guard to fall a little as things went back to "normal". "So kid, would you rather be alone in a perfect world or be the most important person in a bad world?"

The newcomer's hands stopped moving over her Ponyta as she seemed honestly surprised with the question. "Well... I guess it all depends on you or I define as perfect and bad." Tyranny's brow raised as the girl steepled her fingers, contemplating her answer aloud. "What I might consider a Utopia, another might call a Dystopia. As for what a bad world is... Well... If you listen to the religious nuts, we're already there for that, but, eh, I guess I don't find myself believing them all the time."

Though the Persian could tell that this girl was simply stalling for time, the Ponyta called her out on it. "You're avoiding the question, just answer!"

"No, I'm not! These are very important considerations." Tyranny couldn't help but allow her grin to widen as the gentle banter between trainer and Pokemon unfolded before her. See, this was nice. She liked hostages like this. Nervous, scared, sure, but still able to function. And in turn, she didn't mind being more lax around them. Handling a docile creature was always easier than a scared one. "Okay, fine. Probably alone in a perfect world. Being alone would suck, but I'm more or less used to it, and being an MVP would probably suck more."

"Well, now that you've answered, it's your turn, Girlie. Ask someone a question."

---

"It's Daisy," the woman answered in a clear voice. Ariana's cruel grin spread further as she motioned the woman forward with her gun.

"What a sweet, pretty name," she purred as Archer got in position behind Daisy and gently pushed her forward. Ariana picked up the bag, grunting a little bit from effort, and waited while her new prisoner and partner came back around the outside of the building to join her. She was eager to get back to the others and start their progress, but all these people kept fucking popping up. "Well, let's get going, Doctor Daisy."

She led them back to the building with a brisk pace, Garmr panting wildly from his many excursions of the day. Archer noted that even Sin was panting as well, the rush of finding and guarding three separate hostages a bit much. Hopefully, this would be the last one and they could finally get what they came here for. But finding so many people was beginning to stir an idea Archer had held for a long time now, ever since Ariana had captured him in her company. With the numbers bolstering, perhaps they'd be able to band together and be able to finally overthrow her... He closed his eyes a moment to settle the foreign sensation of hope back down into the icy depths of his soul. Too soon, Archer... Too soon. You have to wait.

They arrived soon enough, Ariana pulling Daisy in by the arm and nearly tossing her into the building, plopping her heavy bag next to Queen. "Any trouble, Bella?" she asked, the vileplume almost skipping out from her corner, her hand up to her mouth like a toddler. Tyranny and Justice both felt nauseated at the obvious pandering, but apparently Ariana loved it.

"The shit-eating cat cost Mr. Archer a favor," she giggled, causing both Rocket Admins' eyes to widen. Tyranny flinched at the bluntness of Bella's words, as well as the fact that she just blurted it out to everyone else there, and she couldn't help the apologetic look she shot to her trainer. Archer shook his head, the motion undetectable to those that weren't looking, as if to say, 'Don't fight it. It's not the time for that.' But though he accepted it, the Persian couldn't keep her trainer's eyes; she was too ashamed. He was acting too calmly to the obvious threat, to the punishment that was awaiting him. Something he didn't deserve. That he never deserved. But it still kept happening and none of them could do anything about it. It sickened her. "But other than that, we've been playing games."

"And what game is that?" Ariana cooed, looking to the others in turn. "I love games."

"Well... I guess it all depends on you or I define as perfect and bad."

Crap. Fenix could already tell that this was the wrong kid to ask that kind of question to. "What I might consider a Utopia, another might call a Dystopia. As for what a bad world is... Well... If you listen to the religious nuts, we're already there for that, but, eh, I guess I don't find myself believing them all the time." The blonde had to force herself to keep paying attention as the girl rambled on, her focus constantly drifting as she found herself now completely uninterested in the answer. She knew all she needed to know about this kid just by the way she dodged actually answering. Flynn just chuckled at her situation, amused because it was her own fault she was in it.

"You're avoiding the question, just answer!" No shit pony, but at least the fire horse wasn't afraid to call out her trainer on the obvious. Good. "No, I'm not! These are very important considerations." Aaaaaand back to bored. Fenix rolled her head back against the wall, letting her arms drop down to cross under her bosom, and waited for the kid to finally finish. "Okay, fine. Probably alone in a perfect world. Being alone would suck, but I'm more or less used to it, and being an MVP would probably suck more." Huh. Wouldn't have pegged her for that type. Fenix tilted her head back down and eyed the hoodie wearing carefully, giving her a small smile. "Well, now that you've answered, it's your turn, Girlie. Ask someone a question." Her smile got wider at the Persian's instruction.

But it didn't seem they would get their next round as the She-Beast and Archer came back, the red head making a loud enough ruckus as she shoved the newest addition to their entourage into the building. "Seems like you guys are putting together quite the harem," Fenix teased, not even bothering to take herself away from her comfy, relaxed position on the wall. They didn't deserve her tension. "Any trouble, Bella?" Ugh, the shitty plant, of course she would ask the weed. "The shit-eating cat cost Mr. Archer a favor," Fenix's attention was immediately drawn to that statement, though she didn't let it show in her face or her posture. She saw how Tyranny flinched and her eyes wandered over to Archer who only shook his head at the feline. It was definitely something she was going to have to look into.

"But other than that, we've been playing games." "And what game is that? I love games." Fenix saw her opportunity and wasn't going to let it pass her up. "Well we were playing 'Would You Rather,' ever heard of it?" Flynn's nerves frazzled when he heard the slippery tone of Fenix's voice, quickly raising another Calm Mind as he watched the affair. "I'm sure we could tag you in if you want to play." The Sylveon's power up snapped in quickly and he jumped off of the counter to settle in by his human companion, nudging her leg with his forehead. He didn't want her playing games with such dangerous people, but it seemed as if his silent warning either went unheard or flat out ignored because she just kept going. "So, do you wanna play a game?"