Rocket's Downfall

[Raven]

"Probably," Amy agreed. "Let's go." She led the way back to the pokemon center. Riley still looked uncomfortable there, but as before, she was welcomed, with only a short comment about her pokeball type.

[Gifted]

"So you guys want to go back down to the water or look around?" Erica asked after all their Pokémon were healed.

[Raven]

"Yeah, let's have a go again," Riley agreed. "It can't be a bad thing to try to catch more pokemon." She smiled and headed back towards the ocean, though she didn't stray far.

[Gifted]

Erica grinned and followed Riley agreeably, glad to see her adjusting quickly.

[Raven]

"It's a lot easier training when you can heal your pokemon for free," Riley said. "I used to have to rely on berries, and lots of rest."



Meanwhile, Elijah was back to training with Cy. "You're making good progress," Eli said, his tone more flat than it normally would be. "Let's go again."
Watching from an observation deck, Bartholomew gave no indication of his impression of their project. Nikolai was leaning against the railing, his own expression dark, though Elijah knew there was no guarantee that Nikolai was actually displeased about anything.

[Gifted]

Cy simply nodded, and activated his psychic abilities at Elijah's command. That was all he really was there for.

"That's sounds insane." Erica said. "It's definitely easier here. We try to keep our pokemon in top shape whenever we can."

[Raven]

Elijah ran him through the drills, commanding him almost in place of a second pokemon. As they finished the sequence, Eli looked up at his father, but the leader of Team Rocket provided no reaction. "I think that's enough for today," Nikolai said. Elijah's jaw clenched, and he directed Cy back to his quarters - which probably had more in common with a cage.


Riley nodded. "I understand why," she agreed. "Do all girls wear trousers these days?" She'd noticed a few odd looks from people in town.

[Gifted]

"Not all." Erica said. "There are still dresses, but they don't look like that."

"Yes sir." Cy nodded and headed back to his quarters, not wanting to face the punishment for refusal. Especially not with the big boss in the room.

[Raven]

Riley glanced down at her dress. "What do they look like?" she asked.


Elijah breathed, but turned to face them. "Cy is showing rapid improvement with his skills," he reported, feeling the need to defend him.
"When will he be field ready?" Bartholomew asked.
Elijah responded uncomfortably, "It's hard to say, he's still new at this. I'd give it a month or two, but I can't say for certain, there are a lot of matters to cover."
Though he'd waited for his son to finish, Bartholomew clearly hadn't listened to a word he was saying. "I wasn't asking you."
Nikolai looked at his little brother. "A week and a half," he answered. "In plenty of time."
Bartholomew nodded. "Be sure of it." He left the room, leaving Elijah staring at his brother.

[Gifted]

"Um... there's a lot of different styles, I'm not really sure how to answer that." Erica said. "Yours is just super old-fashioned looking."

[Raven]

"It's way too long," Caleb said.
"What?" Riley asked, appalled.

[Gifted]

"I just find the sleeves weird." Erica admitted.

[Raven]

"And isn't the collar a little tight around your neck?" Amy asked, concerned.
Riley shook her head. "I don't really notice." None of them had touched on the odd floral pattern, or the fact that it had been visibly patched at least once. "I imagined the future being much different than it is. A lot has changed, of course, but a lot seems very similar."

[Gifted]

"I mean, styles might change and technology might get better, but people are still people." Erica pointed out.

[Raven]

"Yeah," Riley agreed, nodding. "I still can't believe that Team Rocket took over Goldenrod, though."