Ring, ring! You've got mail! (Joey)

[The REAL Joey]

Joey pondered the possibility that his dad might know he's here. "It's hard to say. If I make a big enough splash here, it'll definitely grab his attention I am sure." He exhaled slightly and carried on nonchalantly. "All I know is, there's a power vacuum with Team Rocket at the minute. There old leader, Giovanni, got served by some hotshot trainer and he exiled himself. Knowing my pa I wouldn't put it passed him he'd try and secure some more power for himself." As Sharada continued to speak of Hoenn and it being a nice getaway he let out a small laugh. "You know, your family sounds nice. Your dad too, mine's a real douche but least your dad has some honest work. I'm sure my ma would love to come over and visit. Plus if the Hoenn police don't know of me..." He shifted uneasily and let out a uncomfortable chuckle. "...Well, that's just a huge bonus.

The uneasiness Joe was finding himself in continued as their talk of the Sevii Islands incident continued. "Aww c'mon... Don't try and pin it all on me. Like I said, me and Looker were goofing on on the beach." he let out a sigh and commented in retrospect on the situation. "Guess that was the nail in the coffin for the Fed. Police thought we were too outta control and swatted us like flies." He let out a small laugh and thought contemplatively. "Y'know... I'd love to set up my own biker gang. Of course it wouldn't be anywhere near as outlandish as the KBF but... I kinda miss having that pack mentality and being in a group with others y'know? Sure I can play the lone wolf role well as I am now but I dunno... Having my own gang'd be cool. It's not like i'd be short of recruits. I mean I got Looker, Eightball, Rocko and Harley as a starters." He fell silent for a moment but eventually concluded. "Just need a hideout."

As conversation turned to the subject of Joey's newly obtained Exeggcute he remained adamant it could talk. "IT TALKS! Seriously!! I'm not going crazy off of the years i've spent inhalin' Koffing's fumes, it really does TALK!" He looked to the Exeggcute and poked it, making it wobble on the spot. "Can't you at least say something to her somehow?" The Exeggcute grinned mischievously and spoke telepathically. "No can do boss. I can't afford to shell out my Psychic powers like that with everyone. I got enough trouble keeping us working together as a whole. Maybe I can talk with a few of your Pokes but that's it." This small point seemed to ignite a blaze of ideas in Joey's minds. "Hey Shar... Turns out it can only develop a Psychic bond like this with me as its trainer but... It just told me it can talk to my other Pokemon as well and act as a kind of... Hivemind." He licked his lips with fervent anticipation at the thought of implementing his ideas. "You have any IDEA what I could do with this? Stealing for me just got a whole lot easier. If I keep Exeggcute somewhere safe or stuffed in my bag, he can act as a liaison between all my Pokemon when we're on a job."

Before Joey could continue on detailing his thoughts he realised that his best friend Looker had also sent him an attached Pokeball. "Oh and it looks like Looker's sent a Pokemon too... THIS will be interesting." Joey cautiously manoeuvred his mouse over the Pokeball attachment icon and double clicked it. Instantaneously, a Pokeball flew out of the depository chute and Joey picked it up. He was about to open it before his Exeggcute butted in. "What'cha eggpectin' boss?" Joey shot a look at Eggbert. "You won't stop with them puns. Will you?" He shook his head and opened the Pokeball. As he opened it, Joey was once again knocked backwards as a devilish looking dog pounced out of it and landed on Joey's chest.

Joey gazed up at the dark hound that was on top of him and was unsure of what it was going to do next. Cheerfully, despite the Houndour's menacing look, it happily began licking Joey's face. Joey reeled his head back and tried to stop it. "Okay okay okay! Calm down, i'm sure you're glad you're free as well after such a long time." He stood up and the pup began circling around his feet while barking at Joey. He cleaned his face and walked over to Looker's email. It would seem he had sent the Houndour, nicknamed Hades, as a gift to help him out on his journey. Looker had been training it himself as a lookout Pokemon. Joey rolled his eyes and laughed. "Figures." He looked to his Poketch and grinned. "Say Shar? I got a Houndour from Looker. It's..." He looked down at it and saw it was rubbing its head against his legs. "...Pretty affectionate."

[Morrigan]

(Sorry its short and crappy, people hanging over my shoulder. -__-)

Sharada listened intently as Joe continued to spill some more information about Team Rocket. She didn't really know much about them, where she was from she had a completely different type of evil organization. She breathed softly as he mentioned that their leader exhiled himself, "Giovanni, was it? Hm. Well, for Team Rocket to return, someone really strong must've taken over. I wonder who it could be?" As she pondered for a moment, her thoughts were soon drawn back to Hoenn. It seemed her little idea had interested Joe, which she was somewhat happy about. "Yeah, I guess I am pretty lucky, hm? But you never know, if my parents and your mother get on well, she would be more than welcome to visit as often as she likes! She must be pretty lonely too, ya know?" As Joe mentioned something being a huge bonus, Sharada began to twitch an eyebrow angrily, "...And if you were to visit, dont you dare steal anything. I'll be keeping a close eye on you, mister..."

Their conversation about the Sevii Islands wasn't exactly turning out too well. Though he was trying to make out that some of them weren't too bad, her view was completely different. With a shrug of her shoulders, she let out a heavy sigh, "Well, it's in the past I guess. Me nor my father was hurt, so perhaps we should just leave it as that." The conversation then turned to Joe having his own biker gang, which sent a feeling of dread straight down her spine. Even if it wouldn't be as big, a gang is still a gang and large groups of scary-looking people really didn't work for her. "R-Right... And if that happens, I'll eerr, be back at Hoenn?"

Sharada paused for a moment to let Joe check his other email. She gazed back to her own PC screen and had still recieved nothing herself. She flicked her eyes towards the nearest window, looking towards the dark sky, "I hope you are okay..." she whispered under her breath, possibly loud enough for Joe to hear. Her thoughts about home were quickly cut off by the sound of another crash over at Joe's end. Hearing another cry, Sharada soon put two and two together to come up with the idea that Joe had recieved another Pokemon. It was a little while longer than before for Joe to speak up, infact, she could hear an odd slurrping noise from his end. "A Houndour, hm? You sure are lucky! You have recieved two amazing Pokemon in the space of an hour!" Her eyes glanced down to the Pokeball on the table, "...And remember, you still have one more on the way."

[The REAL Joey]

Joe's mood became serious as he thought about his dad possibly being in a position of power, even to the point of running Team Rocket. "I don't like that thought at all. I'm still not too sure if he'd be the Leader though. If he were in control he'd likely reflect the Team's policies on his own cruel twisted principles. Maybe its a consortium of Rocket admins." He rested the side of his head on his palm and blew a puff of air. "If I get any leads on 'em, i'm definitely gonna follow. I heard something about some rumblings in Azalea Town but i'll find out soon enough." The holiday in Hoenn sounded incredibly good but Joey just realised there was one possible hitch in the plan. "Ahh... I forgot to ask. How much does it cost to travel to Hoenn? I'm not exactly rich myself and neither is my ma... Infact, I spent most of my money getting the ferry to Johto from Kanto."

Feeling talk of gangs was getting a bit too serious for Sharada he decided to drop it entirely. Joey was never one to put someone through needless torture. Unless of course, they were deserving of it. Joey instead beamed to himself and replied back to Sharada. "Yeah, guess Lady Luck's smilin' down on me for the time being. After being attacked by that Tentacruel, chased by the entire division of Cherrygrove police force AND having some rich snob try and intimidate me, it's nice that SOMETHING's going my way." He finished looking at his mail and laughed. "Right, time for us to make our trade, huh? Okay lemme check my PC box... I think I know where that is. I'll go and grab your special Pokemon." He looked up at the screen and quite surprisingly grabbed the pokemon with agile speed. He withdrew it from the digital storage and the Pokemon fell out of the depository chute. He held it in his hand and smiled. "Right, now all we have to do is link up our PCs and get a tradin'."

He slotted the Pokemon into the trading device on the Pokeball machine and looked at his PC. Up the screen gave him the option to select who he wished to trade with. "Oh yeah! Y'need my email address right? Otherwise we can't go through with it." He looked up at his screen and remembered his address as. "Oh yeah, my email's: [e-mail]" He paused realising she may have found the email address amusing. "Hey! No laughing, I made that when I was like 10 or something. Even then I had firm career aspirations in mind." He laughed and relaxed back in his chair. His Eggbert and Hades were looking at each other suspiciously. It seemed that both of them were as wary of one another as the other. Eggbert swirled around on the spot and spoke to Joey. "Say boss, not meanin' to eggsagerate but I think that pooch ain't too fond of me-" Hades suddenly pounced up and swiftly licked Eggbert. Eggbert span around on the spot confusedly. "Waaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Joey looked at his new Pokemon and had a small smile on his face. "Interesting bunch."

[Morrigan]

A shocked expression spread across Sharada's face as Joe mentioned that he would follow any leads to Team Rocket. The thought of Joe rushing in there seemed like a bad idea to Sharada, causing her to shake her head, "Now now... Slow down there, Mr. Rapidash!" He then mentioned Azalea, which would most likely be Joe's next destination, "If you are going to rush in by yourself, just be careful, alright?" She looked somewhat worried all of a sudden, "I'm not saying you are weak, but there are a lot of them and one of you, power in numbers as they say." She paused for a moment before continuing, "Well... Just trying to say that I have got your back if you need it. Heh, I may not be a biker gang, but I can help you get the job done that little bit quicker."

As he then went back to the conversation about Hoenn, Sharada rolled her eyes, "You honestly believe that I would make you and your mother pay to come and visit? Perhaps I should ellaborate further about myself, hm?" She made a small smile, starting to feel somewhat proud of herself, "My daddy is a fisherman... Thats what I said right? Well, he is a Captain of a small fleet, therefore, we totally have our own boat! Thats how I got here. Daddy would be more than happy to go to Kanto to pick you guys up, its quite spaceous, has a lower deck with four bedrooms and everything." With a nod of her head, Sharada remembered some of the place her father had visited, "He has mentioned Kanto once or twice. I think he has travelled to a place called Cin bar? I can't remember the full name. He said it was an island, but I have a feeling it was a bar or something... He likes a bit of drink to make him all jolly."

Joe then started talking about his adventures so far. His little journey sounded really interesting, but strange at the same time. A few thoughts had past her mind, wondering how living life as a thief must be like. Though it would never ever happen, she was too much of a goody-two-shoes. But then again, their little events together were somewhat rebellious, infact, she had basically helped to steal Pokemon. With a gentle slap, her hand collided with her forehead, sighing to herself and completely missing everything he had just said to her.

After her little moment, she slowly raised her head to hear the mentioning of a trade. "Well, FINALLY." she spoke, clicking on the trading option on the computer screen. The error popped up, saying that she needed the email address of the person she is trading with. As he spoke his out, Sharada scrunched up her face. "Pffffffffffffffftht" was the only noise from her end, which was her hand across her mouth, trying not to laugh. "Okay! Just entering it now-pahaaha" she spoke, her voice a bit more high pitch and a little laugh escaping at the end. After typing it in, she smiled and nodded, "Alrighty, my little Outlaw Star. Mine is... [e-mail]" She made a little laugh at her own email, shaking her head from side to side, "D'aww... We were so young, eh?"

[The REAL Joey]

Joey shrugged at the idea of being careful. "I'm careful when needs be in an operation but when it comes to taking 'em head on? I'm one of the most reckless sods you'll ever meet." He smoothed down his bandanna and looked at the poketch. "Just who I am. Subtlety isn't my strong point in the battle. Best defence is offence. I think I can take them Rockets though. They're all pretty ratty when you single 'em out. I just need to Smokescreen with my Pokes and then go a clobbering." He laughed at the idea of several Rockets running around in a confused state as he went around decking them left, right and centre. "But hey, I wouldn't say no to a little help. Just be sure to look after yourself okay?" He slapped his forehead and sighed. "Duh, of course you would. I mean, i've seen your Pokes in actions."

Sharada mentioning that the trip to Hoenn would be free made him almost stand up and grin manically in happiness. "Your pa would do that?! SERIOUSLY?!" He pumped a fist up in the air but slowly calmed down as he realised he was making a scene again. Sitting back in his seat, he coughed a little and carried on about the Hoenn idea. "Well, if he'd be okay with picking me and my ma up i'm sure we'd both love to go. I'll have to write that in my ma's email so that she won't feel bad about having to pay for something. Kanto's nice an' all but Hoenn will make for a nice change o' pace." He thought to how incredible the experience would be and decided that he would definitely like to embark on a journey there. "I mean, I gotta go and see Johto after spending all this money and trying to find my pa but... I'd love to go Hoenn." As Shar mentioned a possible place called Cin Bar he laughed at the the misspelt version of it. "Oh yeah, that's Cinnebar. It's a pretty fiery place. I went there once on a little holiday."

The revelation of Joey finding out what Sharada's email address was made him raise an eyebrow. "Cherrim Blossom?" He tried to refrain from laughing, it was pretty cutesy for Sharada despite how tough she came across with all the preaching about his thieving. "Not bad, I got ya registered so..." He paused, interrupted by a prompt on the screen. He could see Shar's name. "Okay, I see ya. Lemme just..." With a flurry of clicks, he visited Sharada's profile and initiated the trading option. "Okay, you just need to confirm so we can start this. I hope you like this Pokemon. I found it while hiding from the cops in Mt. Silver. Just DOESN'T fit my style y'know?" He popped the Pokeball into the trading machine and watched it get suck up.

[Morrigan]

Sharada sat back deeply into her chair as Joe spoke about his actions just being a part of his overall character. She began to fiddle with her gloves slightly, knowing that if they were in person she probably would've given him a slap or two right now, "Urgh... Do you always charge in head first without thinking of a plan? Having Koffing and his smokescreen is good an' all, but one day they will just figure out a way of blowing it away. Then you are pretty screwed, right?" With a gentle shrug of her shoulders, she continued, "You will most likely be bumping into them several times. Especially if your dad is involved. Your pokemon will obviously grow, but they'll start to memorize your movements if you become a regular face." She began to laugh at the thought of meeting Team Rocket. They sounded even more lowly than Joe's stealing, though teaming up with him to stop them sounded like one fun plan.

The trip to Hoenn really seemed to have been a big hit and she would happily talk to Joe about it for hours. But knowing that it would eventually become boring, Sharada tried to round it off, "It's all fine! Seriously, I wouldn't even dream about asking for a single poke dollar from your mother or even yourself. Its all a free little trip!... Though you guys would be in for a wait. It does unfortunatly take a day or so to get there, so I hope neither of you are seasick." The thought of the open sea seemed to bring a smile to Sharada's face. One final snipette of information wouldn't exactly kill her, "I'd love to have my own ship! Sailing from land to land, never staying in one place for too long... Heh, the world would be at my wheel!... Yeah. I dont want to be the champion, I just want to travel and meet new pokemon, everywhere." Joe then rephrased the place that her father had most likely been to, "Cinnebar? O-Oh!" her face flushed red with embarrassement, she was close but far at the same time, "I-I'm glad to hear that it is an actual island!"

After clicking around on the computer for a few moments, Sharada successfully connected with Joe. She too, noticed his profile and clicked it, making the machine next to the computer screen light up. Lifting the Pokeball into her hand one final time, she looked at it with a smile and placed it inside of the trading machine. Though she didn't regret her decision, pressing the button she watched as the Pokeball faded into thin air, "Goodbye Boogers..." she mumbled to herself.

[The REAL Joey]

Joey growled slightly at Sharada poking a hole in his strategy of smoking them out with a Smokescreen. He retorted with a hotheaded comeback. "Pft, they'll get rid of the Smokescreen and then they'll just get what to see hit 'em up. Which either by one of my other Pokemon or me." He stared down at the poketch and realised she did have a point. "Hmmm... Well, it's not like I can stop using it. It's my calling card after all. Anyways, I got some other things planned out." A maniacal grin spread over Joey's face as he looked at his two new Pokemon. Eggbert was part Psychic ergo meaning he must have SOME control in persuading people in what to do. Hades on the other hand had a pretty hellish look going, certainly more than enough to scare off some of the lesser grunts. "Still, maybe it'd work out if I did keep using this tactic. If I use it enough it might irritate my old man into action."

The talk of being seasick made Joey's stomach rumble uncomfortably. He had been out at sea once or twice but the rapid line ferry he sailed on to get to Johto made him realise that he might not be so suited to sailing all the time. Then again, the ferry itself wasn't exactly rapid so maybe the fact it took a good while to get there had something to do with it. "Oh...Erm... Yeah, as long as we can get there pretty pronto. Don't like hangin' around. It's not um..." He paused and tried to make it look natural he wasn't worried. "...Not my style." The idea of Sharada owning her own boat and setting sail all over the world was another amusing thought. Before he could refrain himself he chimed in. "Hahaha, you mean like Shar the Pirate Cap'n?!" Joe's head was now suddenly filled with pictures of Sharada going on swashbuckling adventures and wearing a rather outlandish pirate outfit, eyepatch and captain's hat included. As they spoke of Cinnebar he sighed. "Yeah, it's a lovely place but I hear its got some volcanic problems lately. Hope they're alright. Volcanic ash and humans do NOT mix." Despite the content matter, a wry smile crept over Joe's face knowingly.

As Joey's recently caught Luvdisc popped into the machine on its way to Sharada, Joey smiled to himself. "I hope Shar treats you well, Valentina." Valentina was a nickname he had thought up during their conversation and had changed promptly. Joey had never really been one for nicknames but thinking up that one gave him a new lease on doing so. He eyed some of his other Pokemon, thinking of possible nicknames for them. "My Pokemon is on its way! I hope it..." He fell immediately silent as Sharada mentioned the nickname. "BOOGERS?!" He stuttered and cocked his eyebrow curiously. "What kinda name's that?!" He paused but couldn't hold back his laughter. "Fwahahaha! I like it!"

[Morrigan]

Sharada let out another laugh as Joe tried to retaliate about his smokescreen plan. Though he was right to some degree, having a smokescreen up for even a moment would give him more than enough time to run over and smack the hell out of people. With a nod of her head, Sharada smiled at Joe's thieving plans, "Indeed! When there is a smokescreen, there is a Joey about." Also thinking about Joe's newest additions, Sharada perked up, "Hey, you could always send your Houndour in there. I heard most of Team Rockets use Zubats... I'm sure a single roar from your little hellhound would send them scurrying!"

Sharada cocked her head slightly as Joe mentioned that he would prefer getting to Hoenn as fast as he could, "Sailing takes time Joey. It would really take one or two days to get to Hoenn. Of course, I'm sure we could stop off on a deserted island or something." Though she probably would've slapped Joe for his thoughts about her being a pirate, to some degree he would be right. With the whole travelling around and hunting for treasure, hell, she would be more than happy to push Joe into the middle of the sea. Suddenly laughing out loud at her thoughts, she continued, "But of course, we'll travel as fast as we can. Just for you~"

A burst of laughter was soon heard from Sharada's end as Joe sounded surprised about it's nickname, "Ooh! I forgot to mention!" Remembering back on the time when she caught the Slugma, she continued to speak, "I called the little guy Boogers for a laugh and now thats the only name he reacts to! Heh, take care of him for me." The machine next to her began to light up and a pokeball slowly materialized in front of her. Quickly picking it up, Sharada examined the new pokeball, grinning happily, "So, what have you given me? I never would've thought that I would recieve something from you, Joe~"

[The REAL Joey]

The talk of exploiting potential flaws in Team Rocket's abilities was starting to hook Joey's attention more and more by the minute. "Y'know... I'm liking the sound of this. Guess it was pretty darned reckless of me to just go in guns a blazin' when they might have reflective barriers set up. Cheers, toots. I owe ya big. If there's any fancy jewllery or anything that catches yer fancy..." He amusedly teased, knowing full well that Sharada had a staunch dislike for his shadier talents. "Too bad you're all THIEVING is bad on me. I don't really buy into all that fancy schmancy stuff but for you..." He paused before continuing on. "I'd steal the ocean's pearls from the depths of the sea just f'you." His ambiguously serious tone soon came to an abrupt end as he let out a small laugh. "Ha, sorry. Not used to that kinda spiel comin' outta my mouth."

Sharada's plan of a tour round Hoenn was definitely something Joey wished to enact out on. However, another possibility became tangible within his mind. "Say... Y'know your dad's sailing off here, there and everywhere... You must have been to a fair few places right? Ever been to that place. Whatsitcalled... Shinnon? Shino?" Feeling as if he had got a grasp on the name he continued on until he got it. "SINNOH! That's it. I hear that place has some crazy legends about it." He let out a dreamy sigh and shook his head. "The life of a gentlemanly thief, going from region to region, robbing untold treasures from treacherous ruins and unravelling ancients old legend after legend. Sometimes I wouldn't mind following that route." He began laughing at such a thought and shrugged it off. "Nah, what am I saying. he simple thief I am is more than enough for me to be dealin' with." He toyed with the idea in his mind despite brushing it off. "WOULD be nice visiting there though."

As the Pokeball shoot out of the trading chute, Joey haphazardly grabbed it from flying off into some poor unsuspecting trainer's face. "Why the hell do those things have so much gusto, anyway?!" He looked at the ball and eyed it curiously. "So far, so good... No unordered bursting outs of the ball..." He decided to check out the Slugma and released it next to him. A brilliantly coloured silver Slugma sluggishly, remained on the spot before eventually focusing its attention to Joe. "Hey, Boggers. I'm your new owner-" He looked at the Slugma and thought back to his first encounter with one. More specifically, him burning his hand thoroughly from handling Nada's one. "Please don't burn, please don't bur-" Before he had a chance to respond, the Fire type Pokemon sneezed loudly, spewing an excessive amount of snot out at Joey's face.

Landing squarely in the centre, Joey looked with shock at what had just happened. He then began to flinch, fearing that the snot would be molten and began clawing the magma goo off his face. "OH GREAT!" He looked to his Pokegear and yelled. "I see why ya called him Boogers! REAL FUNNY!" He sighed tiredly and looked to where Boogers was sitting only to find... He wasn't. Joey looked around frantically for it. There was no way he could have got far being as fast as a slug. No matter how hard he looked he couldn't seem to find him. Deciding to play down any possible mishap his end he answered Sharada's question. "Yeah, yeah, it suits ya perfectly. I thought of ya when I got it..." He finished rather absent mindedly as he began looking around once more.

[Morrigan]

A slight smirk appeared on Sharada's face as Joe continued to talk about his plans of disrupting Team Rocket. Though it seemed as if she had hit something as he mentioned that he would act recklessly. With a nod, she let out a slight laugh, "Well, I'm glad that I made you think about it. The last thing you want is to be ambushed and completely destroyed. You need to think of the little things, then you'll be fine~" As Joe began to thank her and mentioned fancy jewellry, her eyebrow twitched, knowing where he was going, "...You know I would never accept anything of value from you. You would steal it, hand it to me, then if I'm found with it, it would be ME getting the blame... No thank you." Though she knew that he was sending her pokemon, that in itself was valuble, but even if it was stolen she would hold onto it tightly. She soon cough and spluttered slightly as Joe mentioned diving to get the oceans pearls, just for her. She wasn't too sure weither to take him seriously or not and just forced a laugh, "You would do what? Heh, where has this suddenly come from?"

Joe began to speak about another region which soon caught her attention. The name sounded familiar, but she had never travelled that far out with her father before. Her limit was Johto and the edges of Kanto and a few of the Sevii Islands. "Sinnoh? No... Dad never takes me there because it is so far away. He doesnt usually go there anyway, it means he has to stay out for a few weeks which makes Mum sad." Though visiting a new region did sound exciting to her know and she would probably fancy going there someday, "But hey, as I say. If I were to get my own ship one day, I would happily ferry you over there... Though we most likely wont know eachother when that time comes." She shrugged her shoulders gently to herself. After the Kanto trip and his little holiday to Hoenn, she couldn't really think of much reason to keep meeting with him. Besides, the trip was more of an offer for his mother anyway.

Sharada was still holding the Pokeball in her hands, waiting to hear Joe's reaction after meeting Boggers. The little fire slug was messy, but she knew it wouldn't burn him, it was far too gentle and dopey for that. Though it seemed as if Joe was being somewhat cautious on his end, "Just letting you know, he wont hurt you." A second later, the familiar sound of Boggers sneezing caused Sharada to burst into laughter. It seemed as if Joe jumped at it, but she was pretty much used to it. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she tried to stop herself from laughing, "Haha... I'm sorry! I should've warned-hahahah- you. He likes to, pppfffttt, sneeze- BWHAHAHA!" She really couldnt help herself from laughing, picturing Joe's face covering in silver snot in her mind. "Haha.. You'll learn to dodge it!"

Sharada paused, her eyes blinking once or twice as Joe said that the pokemon reminded him of her, "I-Is that so?" She looked down to the pokeball once more, gulping before popping it open. After the bright light died down, Sharada's heart almost skipped a beat as she saw the pokemon sitting in her hands. Her face flushed a bright red and her throat began to feel dry. Since Joe was from Kanto, he wouldn't of been aware of the little tradition what resided in Hoenn, "I-I-I... I dont know what to say... I mean, he cant think of me like this, n-no way. Oh Arceus..." she stuttered, her words probably not making much sense to him. She continued to stare at the shiny Luvdisc in her hands. Guys usually only gave Luvdisc's away to the girls they loved, or thats what she had grown up knowing and now she had recieved a Luvdisc from a thief? The little golden fish stared cutely at Sharada, giving a smile and a chirp to her new owner, "Luv luv luuuuv!

[The REAL Joey]

The dismissal of any valuable gifts from Joe made him roll his eyes and sigh to himself. "Aww c'mon? Not even some sparkly diamond necklace or anything?" Her reasons for not wanting to made Joey laugh slightly. "Huh. So you're not one to like a bit of danger?" He remembered the Pokemon in her team and decided to point out a small little fact. "Meh, i'm not sayin' you need to do any grand getaways like I do with all the smoke and confusion, just teach that gold Swablu of your's Fly or something and just swoosh away at any sign of danger." Speaking of her golden Swablu, he chuckled to himself thinking she'd have yet another golden addition to hear team. As she needled him about what he just said, he clammed up and began trying to divert the conversation. Unsuccessfully. "Hey... Well... Umm... That's just it. You know? Oh maybe I was."

Upon a slim chance they could travel out to Sinnoh, Joey eventually seized his chance at averting the uncomfortably close situation. "Man, Sinnoh would be so cool. I'm not bad at climbing either, so all those mountainous rocky places would have to deal with me climbing up 'em! No treasure of Pokemon is safe!" He grinned at the thought of climbing up to the top of Mt.Coronet, snagging himself an entire nest of rare Pokemon. On the subject of regions, he decided to ask about that really far off place. "Ever heard of... Isshu or whatever it is?" He slowed down, deep in thought and shrugged thinking about it. "Hear it's like some vast nation. Real far out though. Doubt we'd get there by sailing." He paused but slammed a fist down on his table enthusiastically. "Ahhh! I just wanna see all sorts of new Pokemon y'know? We live in such a vast world it just seems a shame not to see all it has t'offer."

Realising his own apparent cautiousness about the new magma slug Pokemon, he perked up and mentioned why. "OH! Don't worry. When I was facing that Tentracruel, I had to scoop up this Slugma..." He looked down at his hand, still fairly burnt from the encounter. "...Kinda burnt my hands. Heh." As he realised that no such burns had been received from handling it OR the snot that had been nicely lathered over his face he began pondering how Fire type Pokemon worked. "I guess for Fire Pokemon... The owner of them is exempt from the fiery burns and all that? Heh! Pokemon sure are odd." Now he had been forewarned to Boogers' inclincation to sneeze, while also experiencing it first hand, he had an inkling he'd have to take extra precautions around this one. Which was all very well in theory but he still had to find the slug. "C'mon... Where the hell are you...? Slugs aren't THAT fast to have sneaked off somewhere."

Distracted by Boogers being missing, he didn't quite catch Sharada's disbelief about the significance about Luvdiscs. To him, that Luvdisc was just some Pokemon that was too girly for his tastes. Although rare he just thought of it as a much better fit for Sharada. Having realised how silent he had become himself while he had been frantically searching for Boogers, he chimed in to his Poketch and asked her reaction. "Didn't quite get'cha reaction! So whaddya think? Is she a welcome addition or what?" He smiled to himself warmly. "Oh and no worries. This one won't snot on ya. I can guarantee that f'sure." As he listened out for her replies from the Poketch he shed a little info on the Golden Luvdisc. "I nicknamed her Valentina. Kinda fitting don'tcha think? Either way, I hope you like it. She suits you WAAAAAAAAY more than I do." Having said that, he erred to himself slightly before apologising. "Heh sorry. Guess you're kinda used to seein' them all the time, what with being from Hoenn. Bet'cha ain't seen a golden one before though?" He put on a laugh as his head began desperately looking around for the Slugma. Surely it'd have left a fiery trail in its wake? Or even a slippery silver ooze behind it?

[Morrigan]

Sharada rolled her eyes once more as Joe continued his offer of giving her some jewelry, "Seriously, you should be glad that I'm not asking for anything. Most other girls would beg for shiny things, but that isn't the way to win me over, I'm afraid." She waved her hand in the air from side to side, "You should go find yourself a fellow thief-loving girlfriend or someone who would actually be tempted with your... unique talent and it's offerings." But the thought of teaching her Swablu how to fly caused her to absent-mindedly shake her head from side to side. Picturing the poor little bird dragging Sharada through the sky almost sent shivers down her spine, "Blagh... I'm more of a sea girl, flying totally isn't my thing." Having the urge to pressure him more about the little comment he blurted out earlier, Sharada gave a sly smile to her Poketch, "Well, okay... I wouldn't accept a diamond necklace, but ocean pearls are a beautiful and tempting thing... Though you wouldn't be able to hold your breath or dive deep enough for anything what would make me go 'wow'... Hah, too bad, eh?"

Sharada forced a smile as she listened to how enthusiastic Joe was about traveling across the lands to find new pokemon. If he was a mere trainer or traveller, then she would probably follow him around the clock, but his little thief trait was so annoying to her that she had to hold back half the things she would usually want to say. "HAH! You, climbing?! I'd like to see you attempt to climb Mt. Mortar before even thinking of stopping over at Sinnoh." A new region had soon crept into the conversation, making Sharada think for a moment, "Erm, Isshu? Are you starting to make these places up now or something? Nah, never heard of it." As Joe's fist connected with the table on his end, the loud thump echoed through her Poketch, causing her to jump, "W-Woah! Easy there! You have a long time to explore wherever you want!... Besides, money wouldn't be an issue if you taught your own pokemon fly or surf, right?"

Another tale of woe soon entered Sharada's ears as Joe began to mention his battle with the Tentacruel again. She was imagining a picture of the colossal Tentacruel, furiously whipping its tentacles at Joe and his pokemon whilst out on the fearsome waves of the sea... Though she had a feeling he was completely exaggerating about the whole thing. But her ears perked as he mentioned picking up a Slugma and in return, ending up burning his hands, "You were burnt?! Ouch... You have gotten that looked at right?... Ooh wait!" Realising the fact that Joe was being tracked down by the police meant that he probably couldn't even spend to long around a Nurse Joy, "Because you steal, no one would want to help you! Psch, I think I need to contact your mother about your behaviour..."

Sharada soon remembered the little Luvdisc which was still sitting in her hands. She was trying to ignore it almost. The fact the Luvdisc were given as a sign of love aswell as Luvdisc being one of her favourite pokemon made her really confused knowing that she had just recieved one from, Joe of all people. [[OMG I know you are reading this Art! Do you want some fanservice or something?! o.o hereitcomesjk]] Though whilst still staring at the little fish, Joe's voice soon blurted out again. For once, his voice sounded somewhat melodic, causing her to make a dreamy-like sigh. He also mentioned it being golden, indeed, she was mesmerized with it's golden glow, it truely was special. But as quickly as she let it slip, she just as quickly realised what she had done. Lifting the pokeball once more, she recalled the pokemon back into it's pokemon, gasping in a somewhat paniced way, "Y-yeah! YEAH! I love Luvdisc, you know? They are just so cute and adorable and its totally a sign of love right?" Her hand quickly collided with her forehead as she realised she was suddenly splurting out any of thing, "W-Well, it was nice and everything, I'll take good care of Valentina, so like, yeah... Bye?!"

[The REAL Joey]

Dejected at Sharada's stubbornness, Joey slumped in his chair and rested the side of his face on his hand. "D'awww... Well, if you wanna be like that i'm sure I can steal a load o' treasures and just shower them on those who do care." His little tease was sure to provoke some sort of reaction. If Sharada was going to play hard to get then Joe himself wasn't exactly going to ease up. After all, he was a hot commodity. Those wanted posters around town were starting to become a slight nuisance to the young thief. They didn't even catch his good side! The sheer cheek of these law enforcer types was unbelievable. "A sea girl, eh? Guess your pa being a sailor and all that must have had some influence. Me? I prefer my feet stuck on the floor, thank you very much." Sharada's direct challenge to Joey roused a great fire in him. He wasn't exactly one to back down from things and with his temperament, usually charged head first into things. "So you want some huge mother of all pearls huh? Hahaha you're on. I can do that." He thought back to his swimming ability and grimaced slightly but snapped his hands together when he realised he could just get a Pokemon to do it for him. "Gimme a while okay? First thing's first. Them Rockets are going down. I can't pass up on something like that. Besides..." He paused, grinning to himself mischievously before continuing. "...I never rush in focusing my efforts to please the ladies."

Joey cocked an eyebrow at Sharada's disbelief of his climbing abilities. "Pffffffft! Mt.Mortar? Isn't that some volcano?" He sat back in his chair, arms crossed and shrugged. "I could climb that heap in no time at all." He thought back to his thieving escapades and smirked. "Gotta be a good climber to get over them high fences and stuff." As the conversation changed, he blew a puff of air up at his face. "No, serious. This is some new region or something. I dunno, they find these places all the time. Like that... Orre place or something. I wouldn't really like to go there. Sounds like the pits what with all the sand and desert. Although I hear the rogues and outlaws community there is pretty big..." Her mention of saving up money made Joe think about his own fortunes. "Ehhh... I don't really bother saving up for stuff. I steal what I need in the present like food and stuff and don't really bother with the dubloons. O' course, if I need the money for a cause or something I can start caring. Otherwise, i'm all about the goods baby! Feels good cutting out the middle man like that."

Thinking again of that colossal Tentacruel, he smoothed over his stubbled chin and went over it in his mind. "I ain't ever seen anything like it. You get tales of huge krakens living out in the high seas but... This was bleedin' Cherrygrove of all places. Their shoreline is like, knee deep. Plus it's so unheard of." His eyes focused on the one thing that could possibly cause such a freak anomaly. "The Rockets... I bet them stinkin' pieces of trash worked out some science gizmo that mutated Pokemon growth. Hmph, best go back there and give the place a one over. Then again, pressing forward's my main objective now." He pulled back his gloves absent mindedly and hinted an idea at Sharada. "Say, you hurry up dawdling and you and me can check out that report about Rockets in Azalea." The threat of phoning his mum made Joey burst out with laughter. "Haha! Oh, wow! You ain't serious are ya? She'd just shrug and tsk. She knows full well what I got up to. Then again, she ain't exactly a saint. I mean, I didn't just get my talents from my pa's side of the family." The glove covering his burn wound grabbed Joey's attention as he spoke. "Naw... My hand'll be okay. What's a journey without some long lasting memories scarred into ya?"

The lack of Boogers had really got to Joey by now. He had been sitting in the chair hoping it had wandered off somewhere nonchalantly and was on its way back but it had been a fair while now and still no sign of the silvery slug. Sharada's words didn't exactly help his search either. "W-W-Wait?! A sign of love?! You mean...?!" Realising the truth symbolism behind a Luvdisc, a cocky grin spread over his face faster than a Munchlax devouring a meal. "Ohohoho, pretty fair trade, huh? I send ya lovehearts and you send me... Molten snot." He got up and quickly logged off on the PC. outlawstar's status: Offline. He picked up his Poketch, strapped it to his wrist and quickly grabbed his belongings, shoving them unceremoniously into his worn bag. "Erm... Say Shar. Y'know that Slugma you handed me... It's not like... It's some super fast breed or something is it...?" He said apprehensively, worried he'd let too much on that he had lost its location.Not to mention sounding so incompetent for letting a Slugma of all Pokemon out of his sight. He marched out of the Pokemon Centre and slinked behind the building's alleyway, his Poketch pressed close to his mouth. "I was also kinda wonderin' a favour if ya'd be so kind..." He asked meekly, somewhat surprising for a character of his demeanour.

[Morrigan]

Sharada seem to recoil at Joe's comeback, her facial expression forming into a frown. For some reason, his little comment about giving treasures to others rather than her almost hurt, "F-Fine! See if I care! I like to get things fair and square rather than steal it. Psch, you're a disgrace..." Though she was frowning, her eyes had a sad glint to them. It was such a shame the guy was a thief, she could actually imagine herself and her friends back at home being friends with him if it wasn't for that. He then poked back at her sea girl comment, making her grit her teeth together, "Pah! You'll never understand the beauty of the sea. It's got more treasure and depths to explore than land." She tried to relax her features, thinking that Joe might be somewhat scared, "Heh, unless you are spooked by the things which lurk under the waters surface." A small snicker soon escaped from her lips as Joe seemed to accept her challenge. She wasn't exactly hoping for him to actually dive into the sea to find her one, she knew he would somehow cheat to get one anyway. The thought was a bit of fun for her mind, but she soon shook her head, "Seriously, you would loose your breath due to diving so deep. Besides, carrying one all the way back to the surface would be killer for you... I don't want to see a drowned Joe on the news all because of me." Sharada quickly pulled an hurt expression as it seemed Team Rocket were placed on the top of his list, "Ooh, Team Rocket are more important? How unfortunate for me. And heh, a mere pearl would be a huge effort, but it'll take more than one to impress me. "

Her sly smile allowed a little giggle to escape as Joe sounded somewhat surprised about Mt. Mortar. It was indeed just a old volcano, but it was also somewhat a path from Ecruteak to Mahogany. "I was just implying that you wouldn't be able to climb that 'heap'. Seems like I have set you a second challenge~" Though the thought of him struggling up such a simple volcano was hilarious, she knew that he wouldn't have much trouble. His physique wasn't all that bad and would easily be able to climb over a few measly rocks. Then yet another region was mentioned, though it struck Sharada, "Ooh, Orre? Yeah, who hasn't heard of that place... I would never travel there. Ooh, but hey! It sounds like the perfect place for you! I've heard loads of thieves and such live there. You would fit right in." She tried to speak with a jokey tone, she would never wish anyone to go to that place really. There were way too many bad stories on the news about it. "And as for 'cutting out the middle man' no. People work hard to make this stuff, which is why normal people buy the stuff. "

Mentioning the Tentacruel again, Sharada turned her head to look over towards the TV. Again, there were no signs of this 'colossal' creature and she was still in Cherrygrove herself. There was no police around, no photographs, nothing, "Heck, I must be blind. You sure you're not making this up? I'm still in Cherrygrove so how have I missed all of this?! Was I sleeping or something?... Well, I guess I have been training in the nearby routes.... Damn it! I miss everything!" The little prod about making her move over to Azalea faster made her cringe, "Stop moaning at me, I'm moving at my own pace, alright? It's not my fault you are rushing ahead. Besides, why don't you wait for me? Ooh, of course, waiting for girls probably isn't your 'style'." She put a lot of emphasis on her last word, sticking her tongue out playfully afterwards to her Poketch. Joe's comeback about his mother was something she should've thought up herself. It was true, where else could he have learnt it from. Gulping slightly, she slammed her hand down in front of her, "W-Well then I will just sort you out myself! YA GOT THAT?!"

Retrieving her hand back from the desk, it took a little way to realise that she really shouldn't have done it. She shook it in the air, trying to relieve herself from the slight pain but not making too much of a big deal incase Joe heard and made a joke about it. The comment Joe said, however, soon took her mind off the pain. Without warning she burst into a fit of laughter, wrapping her arms tightly around her stomach. Joe giving her a loveheart and Sharada giving him snot, that was basically their relationship and view of eachother symbolised in two pokemon, "HAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!" Through her watery vision, Sharada noticed that Joe had logged off from the computer. Still fitting with laughter, she tried her best to do the same. Her giggles slowly but surely began to calm down as she focused on packing her things back into her bag and lifting her poketch into her finger tips. She moved from her spot at the computer to a rather comfy looking sofa. Ditching her bag onto the floor she sat on it before kicking her shoes off and flinging her legs across so that she was laying on it, "Boogers? Fast? You trying to make me laugh again? Nah, he is as slow as a 'bro. Why? Is he trying to run or something? How is he doing?" It seemed that Joe was moving at his end because she could suddenly heard a bit of movement aswell as the automatic doors of the pokemon center. She felt somewhat sad that he had to spend his nights on the move. A surprised look suddenly morphed onto her face, however, "Me? Do a favour for you?" She sat back comfortably into the sofa, pulling a mischievious grin, "Depends what it is, but fire away~"

[The REAL Joey]

His words seem to have struck a little nerve with the little lady. "Haha, i'm a disgrace...? Yeah, you keep saying that. I didn't see anyone else saving that Koffing and Elekid as well as the other countless abused Pokemon being tormented. Sure what I do ain't legal but i'll be damned if you think i'm a disgrace." Thinking about where some pearls would be found nearby, he scrunched up his face in concentration before sighing. "Well... I can't get any from around here. The water is all too shallow for that." At that instant, a small idea popped in his head. "Say, when you treat me and my ma to a tour round round Hoenn how's about I go grab you one then?" Smiling to himself, he realised that would be the perfect opportunity. "After all, the depth of sea out there in your home region is pretty deep, huh? I could grab you all the pearls you could want. Oh but my bad... That's stealin' from the ocean's depths. Can't be doing that now can we?" A wry smile appeared on his face, if she was going to force her disapproval of stealing upon him, then definitely wasn't going to let her back out of it.

Thinking of the Orre region and the comments Sharada made of the place, he thought back to some of the extensive news coverage that was given a year or two back concerning incidents within the area. "Didja ever hear about that contraption that was found over there? I heard it could literally snag your Pokemon away from ya... Then again, reports of the device kinda disappeared after awhile. Maybe it was all urban legends... Still, a guy could do with that kinda machine. It'd make snagging Pokemon from people a whole lot easier on me, if not a lil' brazen." Another point about the place also put Joe off the idea of visiting Orre. "Ahaha, oh yeah, they don't have any wild Pokemon either, do they? Must SUCK having to import all your Pokemon." Realising she had mistaken what he said about the middleman, he went on to correct her. "No, no, bo. You got me all wrong. By middle man, I mean money as the middle man. Then again... Maybe by whole definition of money is pretty warped right now after bumping into some rich snob." He mumbled off into a little rant as he remembered his encounter.

Her disbelief about the Tentracruel made Joey shrug. "Well, I ain't lying, that's all i'm saying. Some huge kraken attacked me and this other person and we barely made it out alive. My Pokemon took one helluva beating. You must've been really busy training in that route. Either way, i'm just glad that's the last of it for now... This Pokemon dabbed it pretty hard over the horizon." Sharada mentioning how it wasn't his style made him burst out with a short bit of laughter. "D'aww, taking yer time? Well that's all nice and dandy but these Rockets, as incompetent as they seem, ain't a bunch of dillydallers. I'm just eager to thwart 'em... Then again, not quite sure WHAT they've got staked out with Azalea but... Eh. I'll go wherever the rumour mill takes me." As she threatened to tell him off personally he shrugged and retorted bluntly. "Girl, you can try all you want but me and my habits are ingrained. We're one and the same." He though back to his mother's past and grinned warmly. "I never really asked her too much but she seems pretty agile with her fingers. Maybe she was some famous jewel thief or something."

Feeling uncomfortable Sharada was so willing to help him AND that she had quite bluntly shot down the fact that Boogers was about as slow as any other Slugma; a small gulp formed in Joey's throat. "Okay... Well... There's bit of a problem. When I was wiping off that molten snot from my face, I looked back to see where Boogers was and... Nothing." He paused, allowing the severity of what he had said to sink in. "So erm... I'm kinda lost how exactly does a Slugma get away so fast? I mean... I'm totally not liking this. You sure you didn't trade me some Ghost Pokemon masquerading as one?" He let out a sigh and tilted his head onto the side of the building, before jumping back in shock. "Yikes! Them wanted posters of me... There's some even here!" He looked at it, noticing they were trying to make him look as incriminating as possible. With a swift tear, he took it down from the side. "Oh and one more favour... Tear down any wanted posters y'see of me, okay? I just saw the ones here in Violet and they ain't pretty!"