Ladder Of Ambition (Morri) [F]

[The REAL Joey]

What a night it had been. Crashing forcibly into a Pokemon Centre and then making off with some highly dubious canisters and that had been all that was needed to get within the ranks of Team Rocket. Remaining perfectly silent as he looked out the window of the passenger seat on the truck they had rammed in with, Tobias was secretly brimming with his own special brand of happiness. After all, he had finally got a step on his ladder to the top. People would say that was always the hardest part but in reality, the step on would be the easiest of all compared to what would lie in wait for the fugitive criminal from abroad. Reeling down his window as he let the combined smoke from both his and Bob's cigarette, it wasn't long before they made their way to the outskirts of Goldenrod where Team Rocket had been reborn anew. This is where it would all begin.

Saying his farewells to Bob in equally curt goodbyes, the two went their separate ways as soon as Tobias had been instructed on the signing process. Left in the main entrance foyer, the eye patched male would have to be left to his own devices in figuring out where to go next. "Hmph. It is fortunate I have initiative." He mumbled, glaring his only working eye around the impressively lavish foyer. If they were going for extravagant, they had certainly made a good start. Striding his way over to a lone figure sitting behind a large desk, Tobias eyed her as a possible receptionist. As they were an organised criminal group, it made sense there'd be visible examples of this 'organisation'. Clearing his throat as his cigarette dangled out the side of his mouth, he did little else to make conversation with her. Instead, the man's silently charismatic speaker in the form of Prometheus slinked off his shoulder and made his way onto the top of the receptionist's counter, idly fiddling with the potted plants and other miscellaneous items. It was only as his eye leered piercingly that Tobias began to make more of an effort.

Taking the cigarette out of his mouth, instead of voicing his needs he let out a massive amount of smoke in her direction. Finally, he spoke. "Tobias Dillinger. New recruit. The recruiter Bob told me that I report here in order to be stationed within the group."

[Morrigan]

Now that his job was done for yet another day, Bob drove his wrecked truck down into an underground parking lot of the Team Rocket lair, unloading the necessary cannisters the duo had stolen and grabbed himself a new vehicle. Driving through the darkness of the night and back to his post in Violet City, it was finally time for Tobias to walk into the open arms of Team Rocket. Wealth, violence and power; the group was known to be the most sickening in all of Kanto and had now spread into Johto. It wasn't a group any old simpleton could join. There was a certain bar the applicant needed to fill, a certain spark to their personality and a cold, hard criminal like Tobias fit the bill just right. Striding into the immaculate Head Quarters with the aide of Bob's identity card a little earlier on to grant him access inside, it was time for the eye patched male to be stationed into a group. Most of the time grunts worked solo regardless but having so many members, sometimes it was best to section off the more useful ones into certain squadrons.

Sitting behind a large desk with a single computer and plentiful files and filing drawers jammed with piles of important papers was a lone secretary. She appeared to be writing and highlighting a printed spreadsheet of numbers on the clean and immaculate work surface. Aware that someone had walked through the sliding doors entering into the foyer, she hadn't bothered looking up to see who it was. Instead she continued trying to figure out this list of mind boggling information set before her. Or atleast, until Prometheus appeared. Catching the monkey fiddling about with the leaf of one of her potted plants, she lifted a hand and gave the monkey a little slap on the wrists "Off." She blunted stated, sitting back in her spinning office chair whilst readjusting the thin rimmed glasses which sat on the bridge of her nose. About to look up and enquire what this mysterious person needed help with, she was instead taken aback by the sudden wave of smoke which hit her.

Unable to hold back, the woman slid her chair backward to try and escape the thick smoke, covering her mouth with her hand and coughing quietly once or twice. As it cleared away and Tobias explained his purpose for being there, the woman merely shot him a deathly stare. Not saying a word, she instead sighed to herself, placing the highlighters back in their colour coordinated places and the sheet of paper into it's designated folder. Finally taking another look at him as she realised he most likely wasn't going to disappear into thin air or even just walk away, she thought it would be best to just get this matter over with. Tapping the edge of her glasses, she nodded up to him from her chair, "Very well." Sliding across the floor ever so slightly, the secretary tapped the mouse connected to the computer, typing in a few words and clicking a number of windows before finally repeating his name, "Tobias... Dillinger..."

Tutting to herself as the computer filed his name and added him to the ranks of Team Rocket, now it was time for a bit of a waiting game as ran through possible spaces in squadrons for him. Tapping a finger on the table surface, her hidden eyes soon fell on a particular squad, one which well fairly known due to their... odd personalities. Looking up to Tobias from behind her desk and sizing him up some, she figured from first glance that he would fit right in, that or he would be drove insane. Smashing the enter key and standing up from her chair, the female smirked subtly, the sound of a printer running frantically in the background. "You have successfully been placed into a squadron, Mr. Dillinger. Area 18, Section B." Pulling the paper out from the printer, one would guess that it would be a map or some sort of proof to hand to his squad leader but yet again, it was something to go in her own personal files.

Clicking it into a spare sleeve, she finally looked up to give him the worst directions possible. "You must go and introduce yourself to your superior. To get there, please exit out of that door." Leaning over her desk and pointing to the right toward a pair of double doors, she then continued, "Follow the corridor until you reach the end, take the door to the left. Upon entering, take the elevator stationed on the right hand side and travel downward to Basement floor four. Exit the elevator and then turn right, follow the corridor until you find a flight of stairs and travel downward one flight. Take the second door to the right and then continue on until you reach the third door to your left. Enter it and then travel upward one flight of stairs which will be at the far end of the corridor, take the sixth door to your left and soon enough you will come across a pair of large, metallic doors, it is then that you have reached Area 18. There are clear signs which will lead you to Section B from there on." Her fast tone and unmemorable list of directions most likely falling flat on Tobias' ears, it didn't appear she would be much more use as she sat back down on her seat. "Ooh and welcome to the ranks of Team Rocket, Mr. Dillinger. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a lot of work to do and I simply don't have time to take you to your squadron personally." That and she didn't seem remotely interested in the first place. Her hand pulling out a familiar sheet of highlight numbers and with a lowering of her head, she was lost back in her work once more.

[The REAL Joey]

Letting out a raucous screech at being slapped so uncaring, Prometheus hopped back a few paces to be nearer to Tobias. Eyeing the secretary with absolute contempt, the monkey's spade like tail swished back and forth as it plotted on all sorts of mischief it could get up to involving her, a nice scorching fire and itself. Gratefully enough, Prometheus let out a sly series of chuckles as Tobias had managed to put the woman in some payback as the smoke assaulted her senses. Eyeing her ruefully as she tried to deal with the smoke, Prometheus made a small retreat back up to Tobias' shoulder and pulled a tongue out at her while stretching down one of its eyelids. Tobias on the other hand didn't seem all that bothered with the receptionist being aversive to the smoke, instead he was eagerly awaiting her instruction. Starting to become irate as she ignored him and continued with her unimportant paperwork, Tobias spoke up. "Well?" As he did, the clerk shot him a deathly glare and reiterated what he had just said. As she began to run through his name, he tilted his head back at how she must have had the most difficult job in the world.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, more so longer than Tobias' actual hunt to find leads on the infamous group, a sudden burst of success resounded. "Excellent." Going over the location name in his head, he repeated it for it to set in. "Area 18... Section B..." As he did, he had the strangest feeling he had heard something uncannily similar before. As to where, the male couldn't quite figure it out and instead chalked it up to a film or another he had watched ages ago. As his mind was elsewhere, the receptionist uncharacteristically spoke out with words that weren't monosyllabic. "An introduction? That sounds understandable." Deep down, Tobias hated the idea of having to introduce himself to a superior. Serving under someone else was going to take a lot of restraint. Perhaps he could somehow usurp the squadron leader but such thought of revolution would have to wait. Especially as what the secretary would say next. Entirely unprepared, Tobias' face turned to one of soured disbelief as her mouth endlessly flooded him with directions.

As she finished, Tobias was left with a speechless and completely overwhelmed look. It was only when the receptionist snapped at him with a rather sarcastic welcome that he pulled himself back into the thick of things. "Yes... You too... I have urgent business to take care of." Moving away from the front desk without giving her a moment's satisfaction longer, he soured his expression even further now he was no longer facing her. "Worthless excuse of a... Mental note: Remove said secretary upon achieving control of Team Rocket. Hmph." Disengaging his mental musings, Tobias proceeded through the door and was met with what can only be described as a labyrinth of large, sterile, empty corridors all leading off in different directions. "Pah, I have a feeling she messed that up on purpose. No matter." Shuffling up his sleeve, he focused down on his Poketch as he began to take matters into his own hand. "I am sure this organisation's security systems are subpar... Now... Hm. Heh. Ridiculous." Using his hacking bypass interface, it wasn't long before he made it inside the network and found a series of blueprints that laid out the location and route needed to get to his desired location. "And before I disconnect..." Identifying the secretary's work bench, Tobias gained access to her connected printer and with a quick few types, sent an endless printing request to get on her nerves.

Encouraging a snicker from Prometheus, Tobias sported a dark wry smile of his own. "I think i'll like it here."

Following the layout on his Poketch screen, it took Tobias a lengthy journey along the Rocket's most top secret of bases with a rather jazzy musac playing in the background but eventually he made it to the grand set of doors that housed his new base of operations. Looking up, placed his hand on the security scanner to the side and watched with utmost intrigue as the doors began to slowly side open. This was it.

Sometime much later...

"Where is that airheaded bimbo?! I know I picked the broad up for her looks but Arceus H. Christ, you'd think the dame would have SOME sense about her. Nobody screws with me. ME. My alias ain't The Scourge for nothing..." Pacing up and down the main foyer of the base, the leader of a certain squadron next door to the one Tobias had been enlisted in was awaiting one of his squadron members. "H'oink, h'oink, h'oink. Should just lemme handle it, boss. Dem freakshows in SB ain't ever given me any trouble. Dey know i'd SIT on 'em. Stupid freaks. *munch munch munch*" Stuffing his face with a huge 'great to share' bag, a rotund, porky fellow was sitting on a bench as he watched his boss pace up and down. "Forget it Porkers. We'll have Sharada be our little fetcher." Straightening out his cap, Royce looked down to his utility belt and prized out an overly large cigar. "Hah! If she don't show up, let's send that bumblecluck Cletus." Bursting out with laughter and crisps out of his mouth, Porky found this equally as amusing. "H'OINK! Cletus'd wet himself!"

[Morrigan]

The last time Sharada had made human contact, or with people she knew anyway, was a week or so ago in the Unova Festival. Since then she had secluded herself from contact in both Joe's gang and Team Rocket, training in different routes by herself. She had a lot to think about, after all. The farewell she had with Joe was a painful one, the way he acted coldly towards her for being a part of this organisation still hitting deep. If he were to find out the truth behind the rescue of Doopliss, would he still consider her a friend? She knew for a fact that Merton had been potentially injured and Looker lost a Pokemon of his own. Then there was Team Rocket itself. Acting was starting to become hard without them potentially realising she was a undercover spy for this gang of bikers. She hadn't participated in any missions as of late nor did she exactly possess any criminal qualities. In that case, she needed to buck up some. But if she merged in so deeply with Team Rocket in order to gain the information she required, who was to say she wouldn't end up trapping herself inside? Liking the way of life and 'befriending' the new people around her, it was a likely turn of events since her connection with Joe was fading now they couldn't be seen together. Besides, she was already feeling an odd bond forming with a particular recruit by the name of Tobias. They weren't on the best of terms but she didn't exactly not like his company either.

"This is all so confusing." Sharada grunted, falling backward into the short grass along the route below Goldenrod. Head propped up slightly, she was able to gaze across the stretch of sea before her. The wind was fierce and churned up the water's surface, rolling waves crashing into the sandy beach a safe distance from where she lay. Reaching into her bag she had brought along on the travel, she pulled out a smoking pipe and lit it up, breathing in the smoke before releasing it out into the open again. Atleast there was one thing in this world to keep her calm, even for a mere few moments. Yet all good things came to an end, even in this case as something in her bag rattled violently. Sitting up with a grunt, she pulled out her Poketch and tapped on a few buttons. What she saw almost made her pipe fall right out of her lips. Partly because of who had sent it but the other half was the time it was sent. "A message from Royce... hours ago... Ooh shit, I'm late!!" Biting down on the tip of her pipe, she smoked hurriedly as she staggered up to her feet. Grabbing the bag handle and throwing it over her shoulder, the female Rocket Grunt began her dash back to base. As quickly as possible.

Sprinting right through the hustle and bustle of the city, smoking as she went, the slender brunette eventually made her way to the center of the city. Taking a few side alley's, she appeared to be searching frantically around, "Tsk, I swear that secret entrance was around here.. It's been a while." Running her hand along the cold brick wall of a building, she soon spotted exactly what she was after. The elevator mechanism disguised as a circuit box remained built into the wall, though no doubt it was going to be changed very soon due to the recent infiltration they had received. With a push of a few buttons and a scan of her hand, the doorway opened, allowing her to step into a flashy interior of the squadron's lift. Beginning to descend, a feeling of anxiety slowly cloaked over her. Tips of fingers shaking nervously, she was preparing herself for a cold telling off and no doubt some form of punishment. Taking the final dreg of her pipe as the doors pinged and drew open, she stepped into the open, underground dome. All the damage had since been fixed, her eyes taking in the sights as she glanced from side to side.

It was the raucous laughter of Porky that soon drew in her attention as she walked into the center of the hub. Flinching at the sight of Porky and Royce talking to one another, she felt it was best not to keep him waiting much longer. Putting on a brave face, she took the smoking pipe from out of her mouth, her flat boots tapping against the smooth floor as she approached the duo. "Master Royce!" She called in a chirp of a tone. Sending a curt nod Porky's way, she then turned to their boss, a more apologetic expression spreading over her face, "I'm very sorry for the wait, Sir! I.. wasn't in the area." Looking away for a few moments, she paused before peering back up to him. "But is there something you require of me, sir?" Readjusting the strap on her shoulder, she smiled innocently and purred, "I'll fulfil any orders you ask of me~"

[The REAL Joey]

Huffing on his cigar, Royce continued his pacing up and down as he lifted a hand and aggressively brushed the air. "Yes, yes... Fine... Listen. I got an important fetching job for you which also doubles up as... Training. Yeah, that works." Turning to face her finally, it was then that Porky also came into view. Still stuffing his face with all sorts of food from his packet, he lifted up a hand to wave his chubby fingers and open his mouth with food spilling out causing most of it to be indecipherable. "H'oink, hello little lady, h'oink, h'oink, h'oink." Unable to proceed, Royce butted his way in to bring up why he had bought her here. "Those lousy fancy pants executives have issued an order for someone of our lot to retrieve an item from the freakshow next in Section B." Cracking his knuckles angrily, Royce blew out a volcanic like stream of ash from his cigar. "I'd ask someone else to do it but yer new and well... Everyone else is off doin' something. Why that Cletus schmucko just set off to plunder some punk." Shrugging it off, he dabbed his cigar forward out of his mouth. "Anyways, you're up. So go on over and do this whole inter-squad policy crap the big wigs are all about. 'Bout time we got a positive review."

Planting his cigar back in, he pointed back to the entrance with a sarcastic look and mumbled. "That's literally the door behind you and then the one adjacent. Chop chop." Turning around, he lifted his hand to wave her off as he returned to his office. "I got some other crap to be dealin' with than Mr.Hot Wheels. I'd break that guy's legs myself if they weren't already..." Disappearing through his automatic sliding doors, Sharada was left with the munch, crunch, gulp of Porky who had stood up and waddled over on his portly legs. "Mmm... Hey Shar. Loooooookin' reeeeeaaaal good there, h'oink!" Disappearing behind her, the male gave her a rather gluttonous look as he admired her rear end. "A word from da wise... H'oink. Those bozos are a real weird lot. All of dem are weird." Lifting up his packet, he aligned it so that gravity would proceed the rest of the contents into his mouth. Munching away, he shrugged. "Y'gotta pick up a hundred cell batteries. New lot they picked up, h'oink." Walking away, it was clear which direction this obese member of the group was heading in. "I'm off, gotta resupply myself, h'oink!" Disappearing off, Sharada was left in the empty main central dome.

Not too far away however was a similar interior to the one Sharada was in. The difference most obvious between the two comparatively was the fact this area was brimming with life. Leagues of nameless rank and file grunts were seen buzzing all over the place while a number of other Rocket members, most significantly different to the rest thanks to the very aura they exuded were all busily working away. One such person in particular was a man in a white suit, or had been. Sitting at a desk while typing away furiously at a computer with a number of odd materials to the side, was an eyepatched male who had removed his white jacket as the toil of work became apparent. With a black shirt, arms rolled up and a loosened white tie, the man looked very intense. Almost as if he was on the verge of attaining something marvellous. Ironically, this precarious cause for expression could just as easily turn the other way. Picking up on this, the majority of Rocket grunts had given him a wide berth. Not even the loud opening of the facility doors was enough to distract the man.

[Morrigan]

Standing with her spare hand resting on her hip whilst the other supported the strap to her bag, the brunette stared up at Royce with her wide, soft blue eyes, listening intently for his instructions. Luckily the words 'fetching job' didn't sound like it would be too much of a hassle, especially when it was revealed to be from the nearby squadron next door. Unable to make a proper greeting back to Porky as he acknowledged her, Sharada instead pulled a scornful look, her eyes still glued to her boss. "Section B? Yeah, I've heard a few times that they are meant to be a group of oddballs." Her eyebrows soon relaxing, she laughed a single time whilst glancing down to the floor for a moment. Shrugging her shoulders ever so slightly, she lifted her hand up before looking merrily back, "I get it, I get it. It's no trouble for me anyway, I guess I was waiting for a chance to see these so called freaks for myself." As he pointed behind over her shoulder towards the large metallic doors, she gave a quick nod understandably, "Understood, sir." Saluting just before he turned to walk off, she tilted her head in a slightly confused manner at his remark about breaking legs, hopefully all would make sense to her sooner rather than later.

Though before she could drop off her belongings back into her dormitory and head on over to this other group, a different member appeared to have a few words of advice for her. Smirking slyly as Porky waddled over towards her, the brunette glanced at him before turning her gaze the other way as if feigning shyness, "Porky. It's nice seeing you again." Moving her head to the side, the brunette narrowed her gaze as he took in her figure, allowing him to do so before suddenly spinning around on her heel to face him. "Weird? It's all I've ever heard about them. They must be pretty bad.." Pausing as he necked the remaining crumbs of his snacks, Sharada quickly took a step slightly closer to him, swaying on the spot innocent and changing her tone, as if she were a child trying to convince her parents to do something for her. "I'm not busy but you have a free moment too, riiight? If these guys are really that weird, then surely someone like you can protect me a little~" Unfortunately, Porky appeared to have other plans, his portly figure on the move, most likely to the near by cafeteria. "W-Well, seeya a little later then!" Raising her voice a bit as he departed, the brunette sighed to herself and moved towards her room to drop off her belongings before parting through the large metallic doors and swiftly approaching A18SB.

Scanning her hand to prove her alliance to Team Rocket, the large doors which opened up Section B began to part, Sharada being quite clearly surprised at the difference between the two groups. If all other squadrons were like this with random grunts walking all over the place, then Royce's group really was like a small, tight knit family. No matter his vile tongue and eyes which more than likely looked down upon her, she actually preferred the small, homely group to this chaos. Stepping inside the similar dome structure, Sharada stood to one side as to not get in the way of anyone. Eyes scanning from left to right, she wasn't particularly sure on where to start or who to turn to first. Taking a few steps forward and dodging some moving bodies, a more than familiar sight soon caught her eye. Sitting behind a desk looking rather busy was a white suited male wearing an eye patch, there was no other like him so it was impossible to mistake him. especially with the Pansear which was seemingly glued to his shoulder. Merging in with the sea of grunts, Sharada wore a rather mischievous grin across her face.

Sneaking right up behind the seated male, the brunette gave him another moment to try and pick up on her presence but it was useless. Instead, she leant in, trying to hold back a sudden jolt of laughter. Moving her pursed lips right up to his spare ear, she whispered his name, "Tobiiiiias". Straightening her back and giving the area around the base of his neck a firm rub, she couldn't help but laugh out loud to herself. Knowing he wasn't all that fond of contact, she instead scooped the warm Prometheus right off his shoulder, holding the monkey by her chest and taking a seat on top of a spare area of the desk he was working at. "Well, well, well~ I really am surprised to see you here, I almost thought you were pulling my leg back in the Unova festival." Leaning across the desk some to make sure she was distracting him from whatever he was doing, the girl smirked down at him. "You look busy, getting straight down to business, eh?" Diverting her gaze, the brunette gave a quick scout of her eyes around, noticing one or two grunts had caught her chatting to the working male. "Actually, perhaps you can help me. My boss sent me over here to collect some supplies but... You have a pretty big group compared to my little family." Looking downward, she made a quick fuss of Prometheus, rubbing under his chin and around the back of his ears, eyes occasionally glancing to Tobias as she awaited a response from him.

[The REAL Joey]

Given how Sharada knew Tobias wasn't at all fond of surprises nor the warmth of human contact, it was ponderous as to why she would throw such caution to the wind. What was even more troubling was the fact that he was on a very short fuse. As soon as she uttered his name and brushed against him, taking Prometheus off his shoulder, the male made a blindingly swift spin on his seat. As he did, his hand reached to his side, grabbing the pistol from his holster. Thrusting it to just under her jaw, Tobias single eye bored at her moodily. Reddened and bloodshot, his gaunt looking eyes made it look as if he hadn't slept for days. As he realised whom it was, he relinquished his aim of his gun at her throat and made a small grunt. "Oh. It's you." Placing the gun back in his holster, he watched as she sat down and laid siege. Shaking his head, he stretched out his arms with his fingers gripped together, causing them to click. Fluttering them out, he went back to staring at his computer screen, his social skills as cold and blunt as ever. Leaving the conversation stagnant for a few minutes, he eventually picked it up once more as his finger hit enter and a small array of text generated.

"I do not bluff. It won't be long now before I rise the ranks of this organisation." Leaning back in his chair as his face remained affixed to the screen, his eye scanning the text incessantly, he ignored her movement closer. "I am very busy. Enlisting in the mob has its benefits. I have been able to create a Pokemon of my own design." Finishing, he stood up off the chair and looked to the side of the computer. Next to it was a weird machine that housed a single, solitary Pokeball. "It is done." He said with a slight hesitation in his voice. Hitting the keys quickly, he input a series of undecipherable code before hitting enter once more. "Silph Co. believe themselves to be the only ones able to obtain this. Hmph, what arrogant fools." As he finished, the screen flashed with a peculiar image. As if moving around within the confines of the monitor was an avian like creature that had become seemingly alive. "And now for the ultimate test." Typing in a command line, the machine attached to the computer began to quake before the light on the Pokeball lit up in notification. "It is done." Taking the Pokeball from the machine's slot, he held it before his eye and had an uncharacteristic smile over his face.

"Given Team Rocket's funding, I have succeeded in building a Silph Co. Pokemon from scratch. Heh." Stretching out his arm at the space adjacent to them, he let the Pokemon come forward. As it did, the hologram like creature levitated in the air, its head bobbing every now and again. "With this, Team Rocket has acquired a new tool for the frontlines." Twitching again oddly, Tobias' lips curled angrily. "One or two quirks... I shall have to iron them out." His back turned to Sharada, he looked around as he heard about her task. "Hm?" Eyeing her, he would have normally said no but as the Porygon needed evaluating, he was in need of a stroll. "Fine. I guess this also explains why there so many grunts crowding up this place." Straightening up his tie, he made aware their plans. "We shall report to the leader first." Scrunching his face slightly, it was clear that he disliked referring to the man as such.

[Morrigan]

It wasn't something one would experience on a regular day, having a gun pointed right to their head, a single pull of the trigger potentially ending their lives. Yet there it was for Sharada, her teasing prank having gone a step too far in his eye. Her playful grin long since fading and cold eyes staring directly into the bloodshot one of Tobias, she was able to let out a sigh of relief as he slowly pulled it away. Eyeing him hesitantly before making herself truly comfortable on the desk surface, she slowly ushered Prometheus up onto her shoulder. Placing a lone hand by her side and leaning the same way, she forced a slight smile, "Now now, that clearly wasn't necessary. You should know by now I mean no harm, right Boss?" Resting her cheek against her shoulder, the brunette gazed at her surroundings, expression deep in boredom whilst Tobias went back to work. If this group was as freakish as Royce and Porky had warned her, surely this serious character would've commented on them by now. That or maybe he fit in with them like a missing piece to a puzzle.

Eventually, her ears perked up, eyes rolling in their sockets as his voice attracted her attention. Learning about what he was currently working on, she wasn't entirely sure if she could believe his words. "Huuuh? A Pokemon? You're building one?" To her, the screen he was frantically typing at and reading over was a load of nonsense. Raising her eyebrows, she gave the desk surface a tap or two with her finger nails, "Seems like you fit in alright though, getting right down to business straight away and all that. No one been giving you any trouble?" Before she could carry on with any enquiries, she sat up slightly as he stood to his feet, claiming that his little project was finished. Or near enough so. With a bit of extra coding and muttering to himself about how some Kanto company claimed to be the only one who could make such a thing, Sharada parted her lips as the Pokeball tinged. "A man-made Pokemon, huh.." Lifting a hand to give Prometheus a caring caress upon his warm head, she remained silent as the ball the male held in his fingertips was held forward, bursting open to reveal an odd, polygon creature.

Examining it to herself for a few moments, the girl slid off the desk and stood to her feet. Leaning forward to examine it's odd appearance closer, she didn't remain low for too long incase it tried blasting her face off. If it was made by Tobias, it was highly likely to detest anything other than it's master approaching it. Pursing her lips and releasing an impressed whistle, she smirked slightly as the holographic like creature flickered. "So all of this is just coding?.. Nah, I don't even want to try and understand it. Still, this is mighty impressive. Amazing, in fact." Feeling his eye finally pay some sort of attention to her, the brunette tilted her head upward in order to see him properly. Smiling as he agreed to show her to his superior, he was clearly uncomfortable about his current position. "I appreciate it." Taking a step in front of him, she was about to walk on ahead when something hit her.

Turning on her heel to face him again, she ran her hand along a little pouch attached to her Pokeball holster strapped to her leg. "Actually, I have a little something for you. A welcome, I suppose." Fidgeting about for a few moments, she pulled out two different items from her small bag of belongings. Holding them up with a beaming grin and spouting a "Tah-daaah~" Sharada hoped the two gifts would atleast warm him up some. In one hand was a warm, stone boasting fiery colours whilst the other was some sort of disc. "A Fire Stone and one of those technical machines... Pretty sure this one has the data for Ice Beam. Or something." Clearly unsure, she instead gave a glance to Prometheus who still hung over her shoulder, "That and I'm sure Pro uses this to evolve. Not that there is anything wrong with the way he is now, of course." Shrugging her shoulders, she held her hands forward and pushed the items into his. "Here.. Now, let's go, okay? My boss'll be really pissed if I take too long."

[The REAL Joey]

Looking at her, Tobias raised an eyebrow. Receiving gifts was not something he was above, if anything, he welcomed it. Being able to secure more dominance and power was always a bonus, moreover if it meant he had to do nothing in particular. However, the cynic within him couldn't help but feel that this woman had an ulterior motive altogether. As he stared her down before even looking at the gifts, he found himself made awkward as he couldn't really tell what she was after. Was this an attempt to get in his good graces for when he rises to the top? Nevertheless, he finally accepted them without so much a sign of gratitude. "Improving a Pokemon's functionality is always useful." Looking at the Fire Stone, a rather displeased look on the monkey's face made Tobias reconsider handing it to him at the minute. "For later." Pocketing it away, the gift of Ice Beam actually turned out to be something that made his bloodshot, weary eyes sparkle. "This is... Yes!" Ripping out the disk from the container, he stuffed it into his PC while taking back his Porygon and placing its Pokeball back into the device slot. "With this, Lateralus now has an improved arsenal, heh." Taking the Pokeball back out of the slot, he placed a hand down on two more odd discs at the desk. "I also have future software versions for the creature. However, I must first ensure it is without error."

Summoning forth Lateralus again, Tobias turned on his suave designer shoes and began moving. "Come." As they began moving their way to the first destination on their list, Tobias reflected back on what she had said earlier about the gun. "Hmph, i'm on edge. A lot of the grunts here believe they can pick on the new face. Not that i'd allow it." Having only revealed a half truth, Tobias had failed to mention that is what usually happened to those that bothered interfering when his mind was wandering elsewhere. The other half was spot on, some grunts had taken it upon themselves to pick on the new guy as a means of establishing themselves higher on the pecking order. As they passed two nameless grunts in particular, Tobias' eye slinking off to the large, bloody bruises on their faces seemed to exude his handiwork. The gun completely dry of ammo, he had to resort to slamming the butt of his pistol into this faces. Not wanting to bother what they had marked as an originally easy target, the two grunts shuffled out of the way and into the sea of other mobsters. Now that they had made their journey across the main dome, they finally approached the central control station.

Walking up a sloped raise, Tobias allowed Sharada to catch up before he addressed the elderly figure in the wheel chair. "Commander Harman. The inter-group contact from A18SC has arrived." His posture straight, Tobias said little anything else. "Very well Mr.Dillinger. Let us see..." Turning around in his chair, the elderly figure allowed the gangly, tall male to push him closer. The gangly male was devoid of all emotion and life, instead reacting as a perfect carer to the wheel chair bound male. "So you're the associate, child? Piacere." Looking up with his wrinkly face, it was clear this was a man who had seen a lot in his time. The big, red R on his chest was enough to clear up any uncertainty that he was anything else other than a Rocket. "I'm the capo of this crew." Leaning back in his chair, he had a wry smile on his face. "They call me Don Harman." Linking his hands together as he rested them, he was at least a bit more talkative than Tobias. "I've been with Team Rocket since the very beginning. The start of it all. From my early days as a cugine to what you see now, a crippled old button before you here today." A look of reminiscence in his eye, the elderly Harman continued. "Team Rocket thrived under the governance of Giovanni. People paid their tribute. It was the real hey day."

His fist clenching and slamming down on his arm rest, the man took a rather psychotic turn. "Then that strunz brat smashed this thing of ours." An angry expression swept over his face, he calmed down a little as he got his breaths in check. "Fortunately Team Rocket has very loyal administration. The executives stepped in and took over this outfit." Leaning forward closer to Sharada as far as his arms would let him balance out of his seat, he made very clear of something. "Proton, Petrel, Arianna and Archer. Stand up mobsters. You give them your tribute. And you will do well. I go by the old rules. And it served me well." Sitting down comfortably in his chair, the man smiled again. "They will bring back the Golden Age. Return the boss, Giovanni." Clearing his throat, Harman got down to business. "You are here from that pucchiacha Royce, capisce? Then the shipment we procured is readying for pick up." Mumbling as he began to look for something, he suddenly blurted out while ringing a bell on the edge of his arm rest. "ROB! ROB! ROB YOU GOOMBAH! Where is the tracking tablet?" "..." Finally garnering some reaction from the odd individual, Harman made a grumpy moan as ROB proceeded to pick up a device that was laying on the table. "...Here Master Harman." Causing the male's eyes to scrunch up, Harman burst out once more.

"It's DON HARMAN YA WISEGUY!" Trying to settle down, Harman adjusted the cloth covering his legs. "Ay, ay, ay... The shipment is currently located at the hold. Mr. Dillinger, escort the young bambina. Rapido, rapido, can't stand around all day ya chiacchierone." Ushering her away, ROB escorted the male around to look at a large screen he had been previously monitoring prior. As he did, Tobias began moving down the slope, Lateralus in tow, remaining as restrained and emotionless as possible. "Let's not waste time." In reality, the male was just wanting to get out of the way of the old coot but it didn't hurt to pretend he was a good follower of orders. "The store hold is just over this way." As the two disappeared into the sea of grunts who were busily working all over the place Harman, mused to himself whisperingly under his breath. "Che peccato... That Royce get a belladonna like that. "

[Morrigan]

"What is it?" Sharada questioned bluntly as Tobias decided to scrutinize her with an uncomfortable stare rather than accepting her gifts. Eyebrows contorting and once warm smile fading to a serious look, she couldn't quite understand his suspicion. The atmosphere being so thick between them, it felt most relieving as he accepted the items. No doubt if he would've rejected them she would be in a fit of upset hysteria right about now. "Jeez, stop being so fussy. This is just a little pay back from the money you gave me back at the festival. I didn't want to be indebted to you.." Head leaning to one side as she rubbed the back of her neck wearily, she felt the movements of Prometheus on her shoulder, immediately feeling guilty. Luckily Tobias didn't seem prepared for the monkey to evolve yet either and merely pocketed the item, giving the brunette a moment to reassure the fiery Pansage. "It's okay, Pro. There are other Pokemon out there too who need a Fire Stone to evolve. You are fine the way you are.. Besides, if you evolve, you might end up scorching Tobias' face whilst lighting his cigarettes and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want that, eh?" Sticking her tongue out playfully, she straightened up her back, almost stumbling backward as he learnt what was on the strange disc she had just handed to him. His total change of demeanour... Was he happy?

All expression lost in her face and large eyes fluttering slowly as he got back to work all of a sudden, it was in fact the name of this strange Porygon what brought her back to reality. "--Lateralus?!" Perhaps exclaimed a bit too loud, Sharada bit her tongue and took a step back. Where did she hear that word before? It was something familiar, a serious matter. Looking downward and rubbing her forehead as she tried her very best to remember, she was instead told to follow by Tobias, his footsteps walking straight towards the crowd of frantic grunts working away in the central dome. The base of her boots clicked hurriedly the floor as the small brunette attempted to keep up with the tall males long strides whilst also keeping out of the way of the people around them. The subtle hint of having a bit of trouble perked Sharada's head up, her feet speeding up slightly so that she was directly at his side. "I guess that and your workload explains why you are so tense. Hah... Well, if you have any more trouble, send them over to Section C. Our friendly scientist never says no to human test subjects." Avoiding a pair of rather bloodied and bruised grunts with a disgusted look spread across her face, the brunette followed her guide up a slight slant and into some sort of room.

Sharada's eyes taking a gander around this new location, they soon focused on the back of a wheelchair, a voice croaking out in reply to Tobias' report. As the male was spun around, the reason why Royce had called this man hot wheels finally hit her. Taking a few steps forward and past Tobias, Sharada approached this squadron leader with wide eyes. Usually she would just bow her head but in this case, she knelt down to her knees, right before his very feet. Understanding her place was far below this particular man, there was no point towering over him. Intending to be as respectful as possible, she remained on her knees and tilted her head back in order to see him. Stretching a warming smile across her face, she slowly bowed her head, "That's correct. My name is Sharada Sewell, representing Section C for this task. It's an honour, Sir." Listening carefully to the words of this male, her childish smile began turning into a look of intrigue and awe, almost looking like a child being told the most amazing story be their grandfather. Remaining silent throughout his speech, she atleast learned the names of all the Executives who were currently running the show and this male clearly held respect for them. Hoping she could consider returning to this man if she perhaps required more information on the four in the future at some point, her thoughts were cut off by the insistent calling of the name ROB.

Admiring the strange, lifeless like male and his protruding chin for quite some time, she was a bit surprised when it was already time to be shooed off. Swiftly pushing herself back to her feet, the female brushed down her knees gently, smiling down at Harman. "Thank you for your guidance Mast-- Don Harman." Cutting herself off from saying the word Master incase she was ran over or something, she forced another smile and bowed one last time to him. "Meeting you really was a pleasure, Sir. Please, if you ever need anything from our group at Section C, don't hesitate to ask..." Turning on her heel to follow after Tobias, she couldn't help but breath out heavily once they were out of earshot from Harman himself. Stretching her arms up above her head, Sharada followed after his footsteps, once against struggling to keep up with his step for step. "Phew.. Well that was far better than I expected." Dropping her arms back down to her side before circling her shoulders loosely, she closed a single eye and looked to Tobias with the other, "Harman seems atleast civil, in Rocket terms. Royce is just... Well, let's just say he doesn't exactly welcome everyone." Taking her eyes off him as they moved towards this storage room, she looked around to make sure no one was listening in on them. "Tobias... A word of warning. Royce Johnson is a monster, don't get on the wrong side of him. Him and the rest of the group are powerful, more so than I imagined when I was first stationed with them. When you start climbing to the top, just watch your back. I get the feeling he is after the role just as much."

[The REAL Joey]

As they walked along to their next route, Tobias mumbled over the subject of Harman. "Harman is weak. He is old." Making very clear his dislike for the man, he said very little else in the possibility that one of the many passing grunts may have picked up an inkling of usurpation. "He may be one of the old guard of this mob but that does not make him better than us. He's too stuck in the old ways. His time will come though." Looking over his shoulder, he shot a rather threatening line concerning Harman to Sharada. "Soon enough." Ironically enough, while on the subject of bosses, Tobias listened to Sharada's warning and dislike of her own boss. Considering it, he remained silent, the only noise being that of his shoes making contact with the floor below. Eventually, his mind came up with a response. "I had heard tales of such a man. Some of the grunts were babbling he is a demon in human flesh." His mind deliberating further, he paused, unsure. "If a man so powerful, backed with allies just as dangerous, is supposedly wanting to rise to the top... Why does he not just claim his right? Instead he bides away like a foul pestilent ghost haunting your every step, the edge of your shadow. A putrid scourge."

Ever the opportunist, he made a remark in a rather neutral tone. To him, it was the bread and butter of being ambitious. Forming small alliances to deal with other threats and then stabbing said partner in the back were something commonplace. "Perhaps I shall form a bridge. And once I have crossed half way I shall sever it in two so that he may meet his downfall." Thinking about what Harman had said, Tobias' face contorted. "Those executives are a pathetic excuse for leadership." Unable to go any further as to why he deemed them so useless, Tobias stopped as a scene was rather dramatically breaking out. Standing off from their centre was a male and female Rocket. Their clothing and presence pegged them just a little higher than the typical standard grunt fare. The man, sporting a greasy slicked back hair and a dark, gaunt face was doing his smoothest to try and win over the female of the two. This female on the other hand was an unusual sight to say the least. Her skin whiter than the moon's pale light was contrasted heavily by the gothic make up that adorned her features. Her midnight purple hair glimmered as she tilted her head while listening to the male's rather laughable advances.

"C'mon mamcita, y'know it no good to deny yourself some of wild Coyote. All the facilona want some of this." Grinning as he ran a hand through his sickly greased hair, he flashed a lecherously vile grin. "How about you and me find some shady corner... Pasarlo chido." Leaning in even closer, it looked almost as if the man was about to whisper something into her ear when she suddenly whipped up her hand into the air. By any normal stretch of the means, that would have been ineffectual but this female Rocket had incredible powers at her disposal. The very act of causing such a movement forced a Pokeball to come out of her holster and smack the latino flirter right underneath his jaw, causing him to crane his head up sharply. "Me duele mi mandíbula!" Swiftly turning, the gothic styled grunt moved into the crowd and out of sight. As she did, the male grunt rubbed the under of his chin while swearing in a foreign language excessively. It was only when the male's shifty eyes caught a look at Tobias' flashy clothing that the free spirited attitude of the man returned. Problematically, as he saw whom exactly was wearing such fine attire, the spark in his eyes fell but he was nonetheless happy to greet Tobias.

"Hey ese. ¿Qúe onda, cabrón?" Narrowing his eyes, Tobias gave his usual frosty greeting to just about everyone and anyone in existence. "Coyote." Looking over into the crowd, he turned back and bluntly bought up Coyote's failure. "I see Hypnotica eluded your charm." Grumbling under his breath, Coyote shook his head ruefully. "Pah, my skill at flirting not so good as my thieving, eh ese? Nothing is." Giving Tobias a nudge, it was only then that the male took in the sight of Sharada. Clapping his hands together raucously, he let out a noisy wolf whistle before shifting his less than palpable charms to Sharada. "Heeeey chavala. You is one spicy lookin' chica. Ah-whooooooooo-hahahah!" Slicking his hair back again, he straightened out his gloves as he introduced myself. "They call me the Coyote." Wriggling his eyebrows, he nudged Tobias again. "Hey cabrón, you holdin' out on me, ehh? Never told me you knew such fine bonita, hahahaha." Leaning back over to Sharada, Coyote let his curiosity wander. "Y'new? Let papi Coyote show you da ropes." Hoping to get a bit of action, Coyote stopped in his tracks as Lateralus began to scan him without order. "Qué demonios?! Hell is this?" Leaning forward, he began staring it just as intently as Lateralus was he.

[Morrigan]

Tobias' opinion on Harman and stern line of sight gave Sharada an uncomfortable feeling. She knew this man wanted to reach the top but then there was a case of how he would achieve the title and how low would he stoop to get it. Narrowed eyes looking at his back, the brunette appeared a little tense, mind immediately believing he was going to de-seat Harman in the worst possible way. "Y-Yeah, we'll see... Still, his ideals are odd to say the least. I don't really know much about the four Executives beside Proton being an utter arse wipe, though. I get mixed reviews, some finding them useless whilst others respecting em. Guess I need to decide by seeing their handiwork for myself or something. I dont really care for them either way." Trying not to think too hard of the group of four who had brought Team Rocket back and over to the region of Johto in the first place, she instead felt her face crease up as Tobias spoke of Royce. A hand covering her mouth to hide her beaming grin, atleast she was walking behind the tall male and avoiding contact with his lone eye. "His reason for holding back.. I'm not so sure. I don't have that level of trust with any of them yet to learn much more about him."

Removing her fingertips from her lips, she rolled her head from side to side, "If you want to do that just be sure he doesn't cut you off and leave you in the dust first. Out of everyone I have met so far, he is the main thing standing in your way. No one messes with him, no one would dare. Chances are he wont like you or maybe I could put in a good word or two." Shrugging her shoulders roughly, she knew fully well that Royce would probably never listen truthfully to anything she would say. Even if she were to drop all connection with Joe and pledge her entire life and adoration to the man, coming back successfully from every single quest, it would mean little to him. Once again, not wanting to think too hard, her attention was instead drawn to a small commotion going on up ahead. Poking her head around from the side of Tobias who had since stopped in his tracks, she blinked with wide eyes and look of intrigue at the two people he was watching. Standing out from the crowd with their slightly different uniforms, she knew that these two were probably apart of his actual squad. The male had an odd tongue, spouting out phrases she couldn't really understand but she could read the situation well enough. As he moved in closer only to be replied with a Pokeball smacking him right under the chin, the amused Sharada couldn't help but release a sudden giggle. Always finding it hilarious to watch sleazy men getting utterly rejected.

Her eyes trailing after the pale and pretty woman who moved away and into the crowd, Sharada looked expectantly up at Tobias, unsure as to why he still hadn't taken off. Then, she realised why. Approaching the white suited male in a friendly manner, Sharada instinctively took a step to the side, almost hiding behind him as the slick hair latino stepped forward. Peering around Tobias' arm like a shy child meeting a stranger, her blue eyes blinked as the two conversed. Learning the name of the man and of the gothic woman who had walked away a little earlier, the brunette felt herself freeze and hair stand up on the back of her neck as Coyote spotted her. Looking a little uncomfortable as the noise he made upon meeting eye contact with her, she wearily step out from behind Tobias to greet the male properly. Smiling upward and holding a hand outward to greet him with a handshake, Sharada was able to relax some as he came across as a bit of a harmless yet terrible flirt. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Coyote." Her hand faltering in the air before he could shake it, the brunette smiled wryly at his words. "New? Ooh, no. I've been in Section C for a little while now. I've just been sent here to collect a shipment."

Placing a finger on her bottom lip and smiling teasingly, she chirped up, "But there is nothing wrong with getting to know a fellow Rocket, mhmm?" Quickly roughing the air with a flick of her hand before luring him into false pretences, she was instead treated to a rather funny sight of the man leaning forward to examine the scanning Lateralus closer. As the Pokemon who was just as cold as Tobias and the flirtatious Coyote leant into a staring contest, Sharada put on the most genuine and fresh smile she had probably felt in the entire time being in this place. Hand loosely covering her mouth as she laughed sweetly, the sight before her was just too charming.

[The REAL Joey]

Pushing his hand through Lateralus, he was surprised that it yielded no contact whatsoever. "Some cool light trick, maaaan." Giving the Porygon a small nod of the head in gesture with a hint of telling it to back of, Coyote knew he had better prey to be stalking. Sadly, it appeared that she was going to be just as quick in her escape as all the previous women before. Scrunching his face up at the sound of the group, Coyote shook his head adamantly. "Así es la vida. You could'a been sorted with the real Equipo Rocket. Not with that schemer Royce. Bad egg, tu comprendes?" Shaking his head woefully, he was about to open his mouth once more with some other smarmy attempt at picking Sharada up went a loud speaker affixed to the overhead dome above boomed out with a familiar voice. "Ey, ey, Coyote you schmucks. Report to head office you babbo." Cutting off, Coyote had a particularly bummed out look over his visage. "Por el amor de Dios... Be seein' you. And cabrón, you keep lookin' sharp, eh ese? Hahahaha." Slicking his own hair back, the guy departed with incredible speed as he launched himself into the sea of grunts around them. "Annoying bedfellow." Murmured Tobias.

Clicking his fingers, he began moving on again but the action he pulled didn't appear to be aimed at Sharada. "Follow Lateralus. It appears you do have some untested bugs." Shaking his head, he began walking on towards one of the large connecting passageways that were adorned to the main dome itself. The only difference this time around was he was scribbling down a large amount of what appeared to be gibberish in a notepad he had pulled out. With communications between Sharada and Tobias stagnant, it would come as something of a surprise as a voice called out to Sharada. "I know what you are." Proclaimed the slightly floaty voice. It didn't quite sound like it was anyone talking to her in the vicinity but more accurately within the insides of her head. "Traitors to Team Rocket are punished with death once exposed." Enjoying the confusion it may have bought Sharada, the voice offered a bit of advice. "Do not speak out loud. They cannot hear you. Think your thoughts and I will hear you." Standing far away, a familiar female Rocket was concentrating her powerful psychic abilities at Sharada. It looked like her undercover stint as a double agent within Team Rocket was resting on a splinter's edge.

[Morrigan]

Sharada's beaming grin started to reduce as Coyote toyed a little with Lateralus. A lifted hand phasing straight through the body of the Porygon, Sharada tilted her head at the sight. Having only been used to Pokemon which are able to be physically touched, save one or two ghostly types, this computer generated creature was something else. What would it be like in battle? If this was just a first attempt which held glitches then perhaps it was still in a breakable stage. But knowing Tobias was as stubborn as a mule, there was no doubt he would probably work night after night on this thing to make it near enough invincible. Rubbing the side of her face whilst feeling irked about this posing as a possible threat later on down the line, her glacial shrouded eye's met the gaunt ones of Coyote. Meeting yet another who had low opinions of Royce, she merely tilted her head, "I've heard that one once or twice before. But it's okay. Royce is a challenge and I like that."

Placing a hand on her hip, her eyes flickered upward and shot around the ceiling as the voice of Harman blurted out of the speakers. Calling for the slick Coyote to return to the office, Sharada looked back down, almost a little disappointed. He was like a better spoken Cletus with a slightly handsome yet gaunt look to him. Perhaps even someone to have a few teasing jokes with. Waving a lone hand in the air as he grumbled and said his goodbyes, Sharada trailed her stare after him, "Seeya around, Coyote. Perhaps we can find that shady corner later, eh?" Sticking her tongue out childishly as he dashed off, her face turned only to see Tobias' raised hand, fingers clicking expectantly. Scrunching up her face and about to snarl some sort of sarcastic comment at him, she refrained as the gesture was aimed at Lateralus. Flinching as the Porygon floated past her side, the brunette began following his footsteps. Perhaps this time they would actually make it to this so called storage hold.

Thrown into complete silence besides their differentiating foot steps tapping against the floor, Sharada wrinkled her nose at the back of Tobias, he really was a cold being. From the times they had met and she had helped him out, she would've thought there would be a bit more to chat about. It wasn't all that often she mingled with people so when she had the chance and it was just silence, she felt incredibly let down. Clearly he was only interested in his own goals, what did she bloody expect? Eyes wandering on up ahead as she pondered on if they had arrived yet, something odd was about to hit her. Grinding to a sudden halt with one foot not yet touching the ground, her eyes opened a little more at the voice or more importantly, what was said. Glaring right over her shoulder to see if anyone was following them, her hair stood on end only to realise no one was there. Or, no one in close enough range to her anyway. A confused and unamused Sharada gave a panicked glance around, checking for cameras, rubbing at her ears in fear she was just hearing things but then it came back again. "Wha... What the hell?!"

Clearly flustered, she picked up her feet again to catch up with the walking Tobias, remaining completely silent and keeping her head low. "You'll... hear me? Like this?" Mind falling a blank, if someone really was getting in her head, it was a huge problem. "You really wont find anything interesting in there but confusion, you should probably get out and just meet me face to face." Checking up once more to make sure Tobias wasn't too far ahead, the initial shock had been replaced with fear and anxiety, her heart pumping manically. She hadn't expected anything like this to happen, a psychic giving away her identity whilst she was still so early in the game. "I don't know who the hell you are but what do you want?" Fists clenching, her mind repeated how all she wanted was a bit more time, face grimacing angrily. "Well? If you can clearly read my head then you know the only thing I'm after is Royce Johnson... O-Or am I honestly enjoying being a Rocket, surrounded by all you murderous freaks..." Hand clenching her forehead, she gave a subtle gasp of uncertainty, "I dont know anymore.." Her mind now pounding with contradictory thoughts, she knew one thing was for sure. Her run was over and most likely was the life of herself and her Pokemon.

[The REAL Joey]

Delicate laughter as the feminine voice took in the enjoyment of Sharada's confusion, it seemed that she really wasn't going crazy in the head. Regaining its composure, the voice further explained. "I am speaking to you through the wonders of telepathy." Trailing off, it seemed so utterly far fetched but given how nobody within the vicinity matched the sound of the voice nor was actually speaking to Sharada out loud, there was no other explanation. "If you recall, a certain sleaze bag of the canis variety was speaking with a woman in particular." Falling silent as if to delay for suspense, the voice finally concluded. "I am Hypnotica." Letting that sink in, the voice picked up again, as in response to what Sharada had questioned when the voice bought up her real objective within Team Rocket. "Darling, I am hardly confused by your mind. Compared to some, its a relative walk in the park. I see a beautiful past surrounded by exotic locales, I see a rather hunk of a specimen who you feel quite fond towards and I also know deep down that you secretly enjoy part of the thrills of working as a Rocket." Laughing inoffensively, the voice concluded. "Little confusing about that. No, if you want an exercise in confusion... No... Terror, then you will have to probe that man's mind that you are following. Venturing in there almost sent me into a catatonic state of fear for a week. You are in extremely dangerous company."

Falling silent, it was almost as if the voice had been distracted by something on her end of the telepathic wavelength. After a minute passed, the voice returned, apologetic. "Excuse me, I had something to attend to." Recalling what she had been discussing, Hypnotica's voice bought up the subject of her double agent status. "Do not fear about being exposed. As I probed your mind, I was intrigued to find out that there was yet another double agent within this organisation. I think you'll find you are in welcome company." Smiling with a small laugh, the voice drummed on still. Considering how quiet she was in their encounter in person, it was perhaps surprising the girl was so chatty within the confines of her mind. "I too am a double agent. Why am I telling you this? No reason. Am I scared you'll rat me out? Not at all. I've examined every aspect of your mind and personality, you wouldn't be the type to do so. However, this is where things become a little more bumpy for you. A potential exploit for me to take advantage of is almost too good to pass up on. So, with that in mind I want you to be aware of something." Her voice fading, she let her words register with Sharada. What she said next, might put her at unease. "If you value your identity not being exposed, then I should ask you that if the need arises and I call upon a favour, you will readily and happily agree to it, yes?" Laughing delicately, it appeared she was an opportunist.

"So, do you agree? Otherwise... I'm sure Mr.Johnson of A18SC will be thrilled to hear about this."

Laughing again, she made clear of something else. "I'm not a horrible person by any stretch of the means. Its just that having to infiltrate this organisation... I've had to take measures to ensure I remain undetected. I think you'll find we both harbour similar end goals." Hoping to have not made too bad an impression, Hypnotica concluded. "Pleased to meet you by the way. Hypnotica's my name. A code name but a name nonetheless."