Back for Round 2 [Interior Warehouse]

[Morrigan]

Looking over Chugga a little bit more, she pulled her head back with a look of slight surprise as the Weezing seemed to have a second, talking head whose cry was much more bold. Smiling, it was nice to see both Chugga and Voltek in their final forms of evolution. Being a part of the stealthy rescue when the two had very first met, she atleast didn't have to wonder if she made the right decision in trusting him anymore. Hearing the sound of clanging, Sharada turned to see Joe setting up some strange arrangement of pans, his genuine words and soft expression catching her off guard. "C-Cute..." Her mind whimpered as her cheeks flushed a little. Most of the time Joe was a complete idiot but there were also the occasional responses which sent her heart a flutter. Particularly when he spoke with a more gentle tone, rather than his usual rash, hot headed responses. Listening to what he had to say, her eyes lingered on him intently, briefly learning how Joe had been feeling since they last met. Smiling softly as both Esmé and Biff went to his rescue to raise his confidence, she tilted her head to the side, "Sounds to me like you are getting a bit soft."

Moving to the side of the sofa opposite the one Joe had sat down on, she stood by the side with a hand resting on her hip. "I agree with both of them. Sometimes you are a really big dolt but at the same time, you always pull through." Her smile growing a bit larger, she gestured her hand forward, "I've been under the influence of Team Rocket for a while but as soon as you saw me, you didn't treat me any differently than usual. So I'm sure your Pokemon have grown and it's great that your gang is getting bigger but by sounds of it, you have changed a little too, Joe." Coming across more open than she was previously, now that she knew Joe didn't have feelings for some wild looking woman, it made her feel less like she was intruding. Before she could answer his question on how she, herself had been, the food he had prepared was finally finished. Joining Esmé and Biff, she accepted a portion handed to her and turned on the spot. Realising that the duo had taken up all the room on one sofa, she turned slowly and took her own seat next to Joe. "A-Ahh. I've never really eaten, erm, beans on their own before."

Being completely unlike her old self by not even questioning or scorning their thieving ways, she took a spoonful and ate it down. More focusing on the fact that Joey had been the one to prepare them, something what would have otherwise been relatively plain filled her with glee. Digging in some more, politely, she had never really eaten with a group of friends before, either. As Umaro sat down next to Voltek and started filling his face hungrily with the Pokechow, he waved a hand to the floating Chugga but was more enamoured by the taste of this food. After all, now that he had evolved he had a much bigger appetite. Not wanting to seem like she had side stepped his question, Sharada swallowed her next spoonful before turning her head towards Joe. "Your not still worried about that, are you? Come on Joe, I've been fine so far." Turning her body on the seat toward him so he could get a better look, she tilted her head from side to side, "See? No bruises or scratches or anything, right? And look, my nails are still totally manicured, as usual." Flashing the back of her hand at him, she was only trying to make him feel better, "And if it helps, my cover isn't going to get blown. If anything, I am settling in more. Just keep being patient and eventually, you'll get my okay to attack as many Rockets as you want. I promise." Turning back to her original position, she took another spoonful of beans, a radiant smile reappearing as she tasted Joe's once in a lifetime cooking. Looking at her, it was clear she had changed and still was.

"Ah, but... Right. You wanna know how I have been?" Resting the spoon on her lip, she raised her eyebrows as she glanced back to Joe, "I guess I have been... Okay. To be honest, so much stuff has happened that it is difficult to explain on the spot like this." Trailing off, there were certain things she didn't want to spill, such as her possible mentor being a Team Rocket luchador, "I have spent a little bit of time at base. I am the ambassador for inter-squad relations so--" Suddenly pausing, she turned to Joe with a more blank look and tone of voice, "I basically go to other squads on behalf of Royce and make sure we are getting our shipments." Nodding sternly, she figured simpler explanations would work better for Joe. "I haven't really seen your father much, lately. But I know I have a mission being processed, so no doubt I will have to file a report to him..." Sighing dramatically, it seemed that being in Team Rocket was starting to become the norm for the brunette, scarily enough, "He is so strict with them, too. Such a pain." Taking a much slower bite out of her food, she tried to change the subject to something else for the time being, knowing that the talk of Rockets would only wile him up.

"Ooh. But something odd did happen sort of recently." Briefly looking over to Umaro, she nodded a head to him, "You remember, right? It was just the two of us, after all." None of the others having a clue, she placed down the bowl of half eaten beans to her side and plucked out a Pokeball from her belongings. Taking a glance over it, she chose not to show what was inside just yet. "It was during this snow storm. Umaro ran off and lead me to this Machop attacking a Weavile. Only, it wasn't any Pokemon battle, this Machop was out for blood." Umaro finally twigging onto what she was talking about, his entire posture slumped, suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore. "Umaro. No matter what, don't blame yourself. I gave you the order and you followed it. Don't forget, without your actions, they both would've died." Her sudden input likely confusing the story, she slipped back in and continued to Joe, "Long story short, Umaro defeated the Machop but at a price. We didn't get to the Weavile fast enough and sadly, she passed away. The Machop was rendered immobile from Umaro's attack but there was one Pokemon left. The Weavile's baby, a Sneasel." Her grip tightening around the Pokeball, she still couldn't shake the feeling of guilt.

"If only we had been a little faster, we could've saved both of them. Sneasel begged for me to take her along but... I just can't use her. Not knowing that I let her mother die, there had to have been something more I could've done." Despite becoming so ingrained in Team Rocket, her saddened expression atleast proved she still held a strong passion and love for Pokemon. Finding it difficult, she decided to simply toss the Pokeball forward, releasing a rather skittish and shy Sneasel. Immediately cowering behind the leg of Sharada, it was odd for her but she didn't greet the Pokemon with any loving care but instead acted almost aloof with her tone. "You're safe here. Run around for a little while." Looking around nervously, it had been a while since the Sneasel had been able to stretch her legs. Sniffing her nose, she picked up on a curious scent and decided to go and investigate. "Lute. Keep an eye on her." Sharada whispered to the golden bird perched on her head whilst grabbing another spoon of beans. "How about you anyway? No more stolen Pokemon I hope." Trying to get a reaction out of him, she grinned, hoping he would tell her another crazy story like old times. Meanwhile, the Sneasel had slowly begun to approach the lurking source of the scent, turning the corner to look up at the tall figure of Calistra.

[The REAL Joey]

Listening to Sharada's words, flattering him in the process also, he removed the utensil from his mouth and had some tomato sauce smeared over the area around his lips. "Heh, you're just sayin' that. I'll always be the same dude. Wanting to mop up Team Rocket, become the people's champ and head on my way back home." Slurping another gulp of the food he had prepared, Joey grinned and pushed aside her idea that he had become soft. "Hahaha! Me? Soft? Get outta here. You must be confusin' me with someone else. I'm still regular ol' Joe. You can officially call me soft when I drop this whole biker get up and start wearin' cardigans and slippers or somethin'." Shaking his head, the thought wasn't something Joey was particularly keen on. As far as he wanted to see in the future it was leather jackets and purple bandannas all the way. The thief had one matter entirely that was of far more concern to him than how he would end up in the future. And that was Sharada's safety. Giving her a funny look as if to discern whether or not she was telling the truth, her dismissal of being in any sort of trouble didn't seem to stick. "Look right, it bugs me day and night I agreed to lettin' you sneak in with 'em like that. I'll admit, it's had it's uses and it means when the time is right we can screw them over completely but its not worth it if you get hurt." Taking another fork full of beans, he chewed away before listening to how she had been getting on.

It was only when she bought up his dad's name that he placed his pot down with something of a clang and hardened his gaze. He still wasn't used to his father's name being dropped around like that. The fact he was in the mix with Sharada at this Rocket base made Joey even more apprehensive about what Sharada had got into. Shaking his head to dismiss his inclusion, he spoke out. "Go on." Hearing about her being used as some sort of ambassador didn't sit too well wit him. "Damn, I bet that must be tough. From the sounds of the group you're in with, they're a bunch of psychos... Just be careful around the other lot." Trying to find some sort of positivity in the situation and reassure Sharada of her importance there, Joey shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly while flashing a cheeky grin. "Maybe even get the drop on some of the bastards poking about in that squad. Anyone of note? I'm still tryin'a get my head around the people you're with at the minute." Shaking his head, it only cemented the idea his father was a despicable fellow given the sort of company he kept.

Evidently picking up on Joey's chagrin of the Rockets, Sharada was thankfully tactful enough to switch tactics. Before the biker thief could open his mouth once more about Team Rocket, he paused and let her finish, watching Sharada bring Umaro into the conversation. Hearing throughout, both Biff and Esmé were silent as they listened intently. "Hellbent Machop? That sounds very odd. They're braggarts over their strength but... Hmmmmm! For it to be like that. That must be one mean son of a gun." Deliberated Esmé. "Maaaan... I just feel for the Sneasel y'know? Losin' your ma like that can't be no good. Glad that Machop got what was comin' to it." Seconding that thought, Joey stretched his arm out and met knuckles with Biff. "Amen to that. Forget eye for an eye. Two eyes for an eye. I get Pokemon are mostly just animals but actions like that are as bad as Team Rocket." Watching Sharada tighten her grip on the Pokeball, Joey sat a little closer and put a heavy handed grasp on her shoulder. "Stop it. Don't you get all silly, teary eyed on me. The fact you acted at all meant the kid was able to survive. If you hadn't, imagine it. That brute Machop would have done far worse. Sometimes you gotta ignore gettin' hung up over what you could've done and instead be content with what you did." Watching as the Pokemon was summoned forth, Joey observed carefully as he noticed how unsettled it look. "Hey little one. You ok?" Flashing her a beaming warm grin, he watched her off as Sharada made sure she was kept an eye on.

With the Pokemon out of ear shot, Joey leaned back in his section of the sofa, arms stretched along the back as his leg folder on top of the other casually. "Least that Machop isn't gonna be any more trouble, eh? I can't imagine it being what with the way Umaro strikes, hahahaha!" Perhaps not quite understanding the severity of what Umaro had done, Joey didn't really understand the matter truly to be joking it off in such a way. Shaking his head amusedly, he watched as Sharada threw the ball back into his court. "Me? Hah! Tons of stuff. Although..." Shaking his head with a roll of his eyes, he recalled the most recent of events. "Let's say a few of my not so co-operative Pokemon decided to go out on a little adventure of their own. I can't blame 'em. Being cooped up here ain't gonna be much fun and I 'spose its much my fault for neglecting them so bad but eh. They somehow managed to sneak out and causing a ruckus on route 37." Grinning, he shrugged at the matter. "You'll likely see the damages if you ever go passin' through." Obviously a bit on the fence with the matter, he sighed. "Don't get me wrong, i'm glad my Pokemon can think for themselves and got even stronger as a result. But part of me wonders if that sorta attitude will come to bite me when it counts." As if remembering something else that had resulted from the crazy affair, he laughed. "Oh yeah, they also went about catching tons of Pokemon. Put even me to shame." A hand finding its way to his stubbly chin, he scratched it in thought.

"Y'know what, perhaps I oughta off load some to ya. To be honest, i've got way too many here fillin' up the warehouse. I bet I could pick one or two which would suit ya as well." A scheming grin coursing over his expression, he stood up as if to go and grab some. "Hey Esmé. You put everyone away right? What with tubby here going on a rampage?" Looking up as she finished her grub, she nodded. "Uh huh Joe-Joe! Wanted to make sure everyone was safe." Nodding his head, he laughed. "I thought it was quiet and empty compared to what it usually is. Heh." As if ready to prove Joey wrong, a sudden stirring from the side of the sofa Joey had been sitting at, it seemed that the troublesome interloper that was the Munchlax had stirred. Opening its mouth in awe, it saw the pot full of beans Joey had left to the side. "WOAH! IT'S BACK!" Yelled Biff as he clambered up onto the sofa and tucked himself in protectively. Cocking an eyebrow, Joey turned around and looked at the troublemaker. Firing off a snort like smirk, he went to face the Munchlax and knelt down. "Right. I'm gonna lay some ground rules, kay? No more eating of everything in sight. That includes Pokemon and bikes. Get it?" Pointing a finger at the Pokemon's chest, it wobbled around slightly as it got the law of the land drilled into it. "And if you be good, we'll make sure you get some grub ok?" Grinning, Joey picked up his pot of remaining beans and handed it to the Munchlax. "Here. Enjoy." Standing up, he laughed as the Pokemon greedily scarfed down the grub. "He is one Ozzy little fella."

As if deciding on a nickname, Joey met his fingers together and crackled them as he pushed outright. "Hey Sharada. Follow me, we'll go get you some Pokemon. Like I said, I ain't got no space left and you'd be doin' me a favour." Heading off to a set of doors, he waited for her to follow. With Calistra haughtily looking off in the distance and what was going on, she folded her arms again and remained by the structural support she had been sulking about. Her eye viewing out of her peripheral vision, she became aware of a lurking Pokemon approaching her. Turning to view the Pokemon, it appeared to be none other than the Sneasel that Sharada had rescued from the brutish Machop. As antisocial and aloof as ever, Calistra spoke out in a tongue the Sneasel would be able to understand. "Leave me be. I have no desire for any company." Turning her nose, she would have hope that would be enough to discourage the infant weasel. Not sensing the Pokemon returning, Calistra turned to face her properly. Sizing up the fledgling, Calistra remained stern in her gaze. Keeping this haughty expression up, it would be surprising to see what the Zoroark was thinking on the inside. "Curses... I was glad to be shot of the runt. Having to protect and safeguard him all the time... I rued such a duty." Her eyes glaring, Calistra begrudged her inner most thoughts privately. "And yet why am I feeling as if I want to take this child under my wing...?! Do I miss the runt that much?" Her eyes closing and a smirk over her lips, she nodded before speaking out in the very same tongue she had done before. "Don't worry. I will look after you." Using the power of illusions to shift her appearance, Calistra turned herself into a Weavile. Opening her eyes again, she looked to the Sneasel and gestured her forward for a hug. Meeting Sharada again had reminded the Zoroark that although she said it was something loathed having to do, deep down she actually had an imbued sense of protecting her kin that she actually enjoyed.

[Morrigan]

As Joe, Esmé and Biff each responded with their thoughts over Sharada's story which had led her to encounter this mysterious Sneasel, she did begin to feel better thanks to their words. Remaining silent, she nodded her head slowly, eyes trailing off to the side as she watched the Sneasel cautiously sniff around, her nose seemingly picking up on something interesting. "I'm past the point of tears." Sharada corrected, wanting Joe to realise that she wasn't quite her old, crybaby self. "You're right though. No amount of crying or thinking of how I could've done things differently will not bring that Weavile back. I just get the feeling that I was Sneasel's last hope and that is why she followed me but... Is my path really the one I want to force her down? I get like this with all of my Pokemon but Sneasel is different. Just looking at her, I know we are not meant to be." Her mind torn in two over how she should handle the Sneasel, Sharada was clearly struggling trying to reason with herself. The Pokemon was still young and being brought up and trained around Team Rocket just screamed to her that it was a bad idea. "I just wanna know that she'll be safe. Leaving her trapped in a Pokeball isn't how I want her life to be." Pausing, she suddenly made a loud sigh, drooping her head forward slowly before sitting back up. Placing the Pokeball back onto her holster, she ran her hand back through her hair before lifting up her pot of beans and tucking in whilst Joe took his turn to speak.

Learning a bit more about the escapades of a few members of his team that had decided to try and escape, it wasn't long before a cheerful smile had crept back across her face. Lifting a hand to cover her smiling expression somewhat, she raised her eyebrows to Joe, "So you really weren't kidding? A group of your Pokemon really went off exploring by themselves?" Giggling once, she waved her hand which held a spoon from side to side in the air, trying to brush aside her laughter, "Something like that doesn't even sound strange coming from you! I can totally see it happening!" Chomping down another spoonful of beans, she shut her eyes cheerfully, "Pokemon catching Pokemon sounds even more obscure. As if they were trying to create their own team to over power you or something! I'm glad you managed to get them reigned back in though. I can just imagine the news of rampaging, strong Pokemon attracting the attention of a certain group, if you know what I am saying." Shrugging her shoulders, she didn't seem too bothered despite what she was hinting at, "Not that they would be able to capture any Pokemon of yours, if you were there or not!" Digging back into her bowl of beans, she was about to finish when Joe brought up the idea of handing her some Pokemon. A little apprehensive about accepting Pokemon from him despite being so set on trying to find a more loving home for Sneasel, she leant forward to respond, only for everyone's attention to be diverted to the side of the sofa.

Looking in the same direction as the others, Sharada quickly spotted the sight of the Munchlax, who seemed to be transfixed on something. Almost preparing herself mentally for a repeat of earlier, she moved to the edge of her seat, only to be left open mouthed with how calmly Joe handled the situation. Laying down his conditions, Joe was both firm and fair, ending his words with the gift of food to the Munchlax which almost acted as their agreement to the rules. Blinking slowly, Sharada couldn't help but stare up in awe at the standing Joe. He was always able to act so natural, welcoming this Pokemon who had wrecked a good portion of his Warehouse with open arms. He was like no other trainer, or even human, she had ever met. "I don't think... There is a word out there to describe you, Joe." Having finished her bowl of beans, she placed it down to the side, gently resting a hand against her forehead as she smiled in almost disbelief. "I worry about you all the time, too. You're so hot headed that I figured you are always in trouble but... I guess you can handle yourself just fine." Looking across to Ozzy once more, it was still surprising that Joe had managed to tame the wild Pokemon so quickly, with just an offering of food. Fair enough that food was a bit part of the Pokemon's species but still, it made Joe seem less dense than he would initially make himself out to be. "Yeah, you're just fine." Almost speaking to herself at that point, she lowered her hand and slowly began to stand up herself.

Standing beside Joe for a moment, their height differences weren't exactly fixed even with Sharada wearing boots. Needing to look up to the tall biker, she watched as he began to head off through a set of doors. Taking one last look around, she noticed that Lute had perched herself on top on Umaro, looking and listening out for the movements of Sneasel as she ventured around the beams of the Warehouse. Satisifyed that they would be okay, she lifted her hand in a gesture to both Biff and Esmé, nodding her head before trailing after Joe. Lute buried herself in her cotton like wings, sneakily looking over to the Sneasel who had become transfixed on something in the distance. Looking up with an open mouth, that something had turned out to be Calistra. Her snooty, aloof demeanour reminding the young Pokemon of her mother, similarly to why it had been attracted to Sharada, it seemed to now be completely focused on the disguised Zoroark. Blinking slowly, she listened to Calistra's words but refused to move from her spot. Convincing herself that this very Pokemon was too similar to her mother, the Sneasel only jumped when the human began to morph into the shape of a Pokemon. A Weavile! Tears almost beginning to form in the eyes of the Sneasel, it took a cautious step forward before flying towards Calistra. Accepting her hug and clinging onto the body of the Weavile illusion, the Sneasel sniffled madly, clearly trying hard to hold back a strong wave of tears as she knew her mother would've scolded her in the past.

As Sharada followed through the set of doors, she could feel her grip tighten as her eyes met with the back of Joe. When she was around him, she preferred to not talk about Team Rocket altogether but one or two things he had said previously had given her the urged to go back to the topic. Now that they were on their own, she felt a little more comfortable in doing so. Fighting with her emotions, since he was here, she decided to get them off of her chest rather than keeping her fears bottled. If she could say what she needed to, then maybe she could hurry and move on without the worry of how he felt towards her constantly plaguing her. Her footsteps growing louder behind Joe, she sped after him and hurriedly grabbed hold of his wrist, "Joe. Wait." Upon doing this, her heart took a massive leap as her grip around his wrist tightened, in hopes that he would stop walking. Becoming a little nervous at this point, she tried to fight through it, despite her occasional stuttering of words. "I just... Are you sure you wanna give these Pokemon to me? You do realise that undercover or not, I am still a Rocket now." Remaining behind him, she clenched her eyes shut and moved her torso forward, resting the top of her head against his back. "If we were to ever meet, I would do everything I could to win. To keep my cover, I need to carry on doing missions and for the safety of myself and my Pokemon, I plan on doing anything to succeed. You realise this, right? To save myself, it could even lead to getting you or your gang members hurt. L-Like Poliwrath..."

Her teeth clenching, she raised her other hand, gripping it onto the back of his t shirt, "I'm scared that I am going to do something that will make you hate me. I have already stolen from so many innocent trainers and the things I am going to be asked to do are only going to get worse from here." Her grip on both his t shirt and wrist loosening, she raised her head off from his back and took a cautious step backward. "But when you said that you still worry about me, it made me feel atleast a bit human again. I am glad that you still think about me." Knowing that he would probably turn around at this point, she put up a false smile and rubbed the back of her head, "Don't worry, it's as you said! At the end of all of this, you'll get to go back home! No matter what happens, I'll make sure that you get your name cleared, then you can go back home and look after your mum, okay? No matter what!" Her words almost sounding a bit ambiguous, there was a chance she was still hiding one or two Rocket secrets as her gaze diverted awkwardly to the ground.

[The REAL Joey]

Stopping on their way through the warehouse corridors, Joey remained still at Sharada's behest without so much a worry that what she would say would throw some unexpected spanner in the works. He had set his mind on gifting her some Pokemon and that was that. Deciding to listen to what she had to say, he paid careful attention to her words. As she continued on, a wry smile befitted his lips. "Undercover or not? Whaddya mean by that? Of course you're undercover. 'Sides, no matter how much you put on this act to try and get in with that lot, I know you're still you. You're Sharada. We've been through enough at this point for me able to put trust in that fact, y'know?" Feeling her rest on his back, it appeared that there matters still that plagued her mind and even his words from a moment ago were not enough to ease her mind. Realising she was willing to see through with the act to such a point, he eventually turned around to face her head on, his ocean blue eyes looking into Sharada's own. Given her fears, it was juxtaposing to see such a carefree expression being greeted with the potential fate they would have to face off against one another. "I bet you would. I know you were doing this originally for me 'n all but now there's so much more riding on this. The gang, the well bein' of trainers an' Pokemon alike... Just stopping their criminal activities. You've been around them long enough a crime group like that needs stoppin'. The police sure as hell ain't gonna do it. It needs a vigilante's justice."

Hearing her reasoning too, he nodded and remained steadfast in his expression, even with the sensitive issue of Looker's deceased Poliwrath. "Hey, hey... I sure as hell hope you ain't blamin' yerself for that one. That blame lies solely on my ***** old man's shoulders. The moment I get the chance to meet him, it ain't gonna be some family reunion. It's gonna be a bloodbath. I'm gonna give him some overdue payback. Looker feels the same as well. After coming to terms with losing his old friend, he went on a long journey by himself. He's in better spirits now." Not quite letting on just why he was in better spirits, Joey felt it best to wait and see the look of surprise on her face when she saw just what Looker had amounted to on his journey of reflection. Returning back to if they ever crossed paths, a cheeky grin spread over his face. No matter how tough the subject was or depressing the future seemed, he was so cavalier to laugh in the face of it and make fun out of the situation. "Alright. We meet again and i'll go all out. I gotta make sure me and the gang are fighting fit if we want to win this championship." Placing a supporting hand on her shoulder, he nodded his head. "And what with all the powerhouses you got, sparks will fly. But I won't be goin' easy on ya!" Shifting his head to gesture in the direction they were originally going on, Joey turned away and carried on. "Maybe some of the stuff i'll be givin' ya now will be in that destined showdown between us."

Stopping still as Sharada grasped onto the back of his shirt, he decided to stop in his tracks once more as he listened to what she had to say. "Hate you? What the hell is all this about? Me, you, all the gang. We knew there'd be sacrifices you'd have to do to keep cover. It's the only way to infiltrate in deeper and really hit 'em from the inside. We just gotta know we can still count on you when the time comes, right?" His faith in her unwavering, he knew she would. "And stuff like pinchin' from innocent trainers, you can just rely on us to help resolve it. Just the other day I made good of the info you gave me and helped that super model dude get his Pokemon back. That's the whole point of this. We use your knowledge of the inside to cripple 'em." Listening to her last few words, he turned around once more and shook his head. "You sure are silly sometimes." Patting her head reassuringly, he brandished his cocksure grin and laughed heartily. It appeared no matter what, he would always keep his trust in her and realise their goal together. She had done him so many favours up to this point and for her to take up his personal crusade, it meant he thought of her higher than anyone else he knew. "Always remember who you are ok? You may have been a meek little lass when we first met but even then, deep down, I knew you were a tough broad." Glad she had remembered what his long term goal was, he flashed her a thumbs up and indulged in the dream himself. He thought on it often but to hear someone else remind him of his aspirations gave him some inspiration to make good of it all. "Yeah... We can do this. Just remember you're comin' right with me back home to Kanto. I wanna show you my own region." His face smiling wryly again, he turned continuing on his path whilst looking over his shoulder. "Maybe even take you out to Cerulean Cape... Heh."

Making his way to a wall, he tapped on it with the back of his fist and amazingly, a portion of the wall reeled backwards revealing a stairwell leading upwards. "Come on. We'll go to my bedroom and log on to my PC. Gotta withdraw the Pokemon from there as they got stored away." Running up the circular winding stairway, he rushed on ahead. Obviously wanting her to follow, Sharada would have to make her way up before coming into a cosy bedroom. It was surprisingly neat for a character like Joey and was adorned with various bits of furniture and trinkets. Having put his feet up on the side of the desk, he had grabbed the keyboard and placed it on his lap as he began pulling up the Pokemon he wanted to gift her. "Any of these look good? Like I said, we got overcrowdin' issues and they need a good home. I get you were worried about that poor lil' Sneasel being in such an environment but I think these will be able to cope in helpin' ya. You don't wanna lose your way. You'll want some protection." His face focusing back on the screen, the images of the Pokemon were visible.

[Morrigan]

As Sharada spilled a bit of how she felt, her deepest feelings or fears mainly focused on what Joe truly felt about her. Although he had agreed to her proposition a while back, she still often worried that he held some sort of hatred for her, considering what she was doing. As he had turned to face her, the false smile spread across her cheeks had easily begun to waver, her head lowering wearily to hide her expression. His responses to what she had said were answers she had expected. After all, she wouldn't have been helping Joe in the first place if his personality and characteristics were any different. Taking his usual carefree mannerisms, his words reminded her that all the wrong she was doing and would continue to do, only led to the bigger picture of ultimately taking down Team Rocket and onto the more personal level of allowing him to travel back to Kanto once more. Pulling an uncomfortable expression as even she realised how stupid she must've sounded, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "I'm not... That silly." She finally mumbled shyly, closing her eyes tightly as she felt his heavy hand land on her head with a rough pat. Opening one eye, she glanced up to him with the other tightly shut as he spoke. Parting her lips, she wanted to speak but instead, she closed her mouth. Not needing to say a word, she merely nodded. She knew the end of this journey would end with her travelling back to Hoenn but it didn't mean the end. One day, she would travel Kanto as well and hopefully other regions, as long as Joe remained by her side.

Left a little bit speechless, she nervously curled a bit of hair behind her ear as he moved ahead to reveal a hidden passage way. Knowing that the Warehouse was full of hidden tricks and traps, it didn't come as much of a surprise. Stepping forward, she reached the base of the staircase, only to hear Joe charging on ahead with his pounding footsteps. Following slowly after him, she climbed each step individually, all until she reached the top and ended up in his bedroom. Remaining at the top of the stairs with a moment of hesitation, she eventually stepped into his room, looking around slowly. She had been in the room before after helping Rocko carry him after a bit of a drunken accident and even back then, his room had been neat. Deciding to not blatantly stare, she instead approached the casually sitting Joe, standing behind him but leaning over his shoulder as he pulled up a number of Pokemon he was offering her. "Sneasel is different. I just feel that I took her in unfairly." Looking at the screen, she blinked at the Pokemon, turning her head slightly to look at Joe. "Hey... Are you sure about this? I mean, look at what you are offering me here." Her nerves changing into something else, her body began to wriggle slightly with excitement, "Remoraid evolve into Octillery right? Like your Davy Jones, at the Unova Festival? And Seaking are beautiful, we have swarms of them in Hoenn! I bet Paras have a ton of spores that would do useful and you never know, if I evolve that Nidorino into a Nidoking, Bellatrix might just have a good enough sparring partner!" Focusing on the final offer, it seemed the cuteness had drawn her in the most, "And the last one... Is a Vulpix! It's probably not right to judge Pokemon by their looks but... It looks adorable!!"

Lifting herself back up, she couldn't quite keep the smile off of her face now. "I am sure all of them would be a huge help!... That is, as long as you don't mind. You know that I treat all of my Pokemon right, I don't care what Team Rocket think. I get the missions done, it shouldn't matter how I do it. Hm!" Nodding her head as if agreeing with herself, she knew that if she had said those words to her squad that they would all probably disagree. Team Rocket saw Pokemon as tools to exploit and nothing more. It was hard but even Sharada knew she had to show a bit more strictness when she was around the other members. Lifting a hand, she held it cautiously in the air before slowly placing it on the shoulder of Joe. Tensing her shoulders up slightly, she smiled softly, "Thanks Joey. You always look out for me." Laughing to herself, she shook her side from side to side slowly, "Some days are harder than others... I really miss you. A-Ahh!" Her relaxation allowing a few unneeded words to slip out, she hurriedly removed her hand from his shoulder and took a step back, "A-Anyway. Team Rocket really is going fine. I've had no problems. I usually tell Looker about any inside info but... I can tell you about this second squad, if you want. I probably haven't told you about the ones your father keeps around either." Realising that she may have saved Doopliss, she wasn't exactly fulfilling her other promise of keeping him up to date. When it came to information, she tried to avoid Joey as she knew he would get hot headed and dive straight in, unless it was a rescue mission for innocent trainers, such as Ashton. "S-Sorry Joey. If you have any questions, I can try to answer them for you. Even if it isn't Rocket related." Poking her index fingers together, she made a sweet smile, "You might've riled me up earlier but I'd help you however I can. I like you, after all."

[The REAL Joey]

Remaining seated on his chair, he twisted his head around to look up to Sharada over his shoulder and nodded his head as she went through each and every one of them. "Yup Remoraid's do evolve into a many armed marauder of the seas. Although that might just be my Davy. I ain't seen any other Octillery to really comment on what they like. He really buys into the whole pirate schtick, heh." His finger tapping to bring up each Pokemon's information screen up singularly, he then looked at the Goldeen with her. "Swarms in Hoenn eh? Well ain't this just perfect for ya. Personally, with stuff like the Remo and this Goldeen, the warehouse don't exactly have the facility for water Pokemon so it's been tough welcomin' them in." His finger tapping down once more as the next offering was mentioned, he went into a bit more information. "This was one of the ones my rogue band of Pokemon picked up. From the sounds of it, you know more about 'em than me but I can imagine knockin' stuff out for forty winks is damn useful. Maybe i'll keep that one." Giving her a cheeky wink, it was obvious he was jesting. Joey's style would have fitted in with it but he preferred the chaotic mess his Pokemon's smokescreen bought about to go about his business.

Flicking his finger down on the right arrow, it bought a Nidorino. A bit out of sequence but he may very well have double tapped. "Oh yeah, you know all about the Nido lot. This one was another of the ones bought in by the rogues. Far as I know he is WAY too aggressive. Haven't been able to keep him out on the basis he tries rammin' his horn into everything. Building and people alike." Shaking his head, it was ponderous as to if Joey had been stabbed on his rear with how disdainful he sounded. Hitting neck again, he noticed nothing else was coming up so he flicked back once and realised he had overskipped the Vulpix which Sharada commented on. "This one I caught myself personally. It was back when me and the gang were first entering Ecruteak and there was that massive storm. Trees were gettin' uprooted and all sorts of mayhem so me and Cali had to knock her out in order to take her with us. I get the feelin' she kinda resents our methods." Hearing her fawn over the Vulpix's cuteness, Joey laughed once before weaving in a gentle warning. "I'd be careful. In the time she's been in the warehouse she kept training to get stronger. Now, there seems to be bright glow about her, y'know? I'd be careful if you summon. She ain't no typical Vulpix."

As she asked a final time if it would be okay, Joey stood up and grinned. "Pft, if i'm offerin' it, you know it must be ok. I know it's a lot, a whole team worth almost but we just ain't got the space here. They're either just not suited, clash with the other personalities or just haven't adjusted here." Shrugging nonchalantly, he agreed with her statement. "And I know you take care of your Pokemon. You do. Hell, you wouldn't have so many Pokemon evolved to their very best. And 'sides, you goin' about all the time on all these jobs means they'll get a bit more use than gettin' dusty here. A lot of my Pokemon prefer it from actually fightin'. It's a sanctuary, a haven. They get on with peace in their lives. But I can imagine it ain't for everyone." Hearing her gratitude, Joey nodded his head smugly about how he looked out for her when even he was taken off guard a bit by her words. "Woah-hoah-hoah! Back up there a bit. You... Miss me?!" His tone taking on that of a teaser, he grinned goofily as he pinched her cheeks. "Awwww... Never thought i'd hear ya say that." Letting from the joke pinching, he laughed and smile with perhaps one of the most genuine smiles he had ever shown anyone. "I miss ya too. Sucks having to go our separate ways with everythin' goin' on. Maybe we need to abandon posts and just do things ourselves more often. Just don't wanna blow your cover. Rockets are everywhere."

As their conversation diverted off onto the subject of Team Rocket once more, an issue Sharada had initially wanted to distance from, it seemed Joey was all too intent on getting the upper hand on things. He may not have come across as particularly smart but he was hungry to know. "Heh, tell ya what." Pausing her for a moment with a finger raised, he went to the PC and selected the Pokemon he had offered to her and hit the withdraw function. Locking his PC before turning around again he nodded his head. "We'll need to go to the room which deals with the Pokemon transfers." Heading over to the exit, he turned around again and decided to fill their journey with some answers he wanted. "Alright, we'll head to this place and on the way you can answer me some questions." Snaking down the winding stairwell, he spoke out loud. "I kinda heard about some of the nutters in my ***** old man's team from Looker. But a little refresher ain't gonna go amiss." Getting to the end of the stairs, he remained by the side of the wall ready to seal it up once Sharada had caught up and continued on. "And tell me about this other lot. The more I know, the better. They all sound like a cut above yer average grunt." Looking down the corridor and back at her he nodded. "We gotta go to the other end of the warehouse but just follow along this corridor for now."

[Morrigan]

As a few words had unintentionally leaked from her lips, Sharada blushed profusely and glanced her eyes off to the side. Knowing that he would likely tease her, her face turned into a grumpy pout as Joey stood back up to his feet. Raising her shoulders shyly as he raised a joking tone, she felt his rough fingertips gently pinch at her cheeks. Her frown still strong, she didn't resist in the slightest and merely feigned irritation, "Gerroff, Jowy!" Her words of telling him to get off slurred as he pulled at her cheeks, once he had let go she immediately raised her own hands to cover them protectively. Feeling her chest pound as he shot her with a one of a kind smile, her frown finally lifted as she removed her hands from her cheeks. His words accompanying his expression perfectly only kept the blush across her face but she too, couldn't quite hide her smile. "Actually, I don't mind it this way." Brushing some loose strands of hair behind her ear, she gained enough courage to actually look him in the face. "I know that this is hard and maybe there is an easier way but... I know that once this is all over, we'll both have all the time in the world to properly get to know one another. So until then, it's okay if we only see each other a few times. It makes when we do meet feel that bit special. O-Or atleast for me anyway!" Embarrassment of her words slowly sinking in, there was no point taking them back now so instead, she pointed a finger angrily at Joey. "So you best not get into any trouble or hurt yourself! I know how reckless you can be. I'll never forgive you if something bad happens to you!" Her finger lowering, she put on a more gentle expression as her tone changed to something of concern, "I may be inside of Team Rocket, but, Joey. Please be careful."

Giving him a final stare, she was forced to a halt as he raised his finger, giving her a proposition of going to collect the Pokemon right now. Finishing his part on the PC before heading for the exit, she nodded her head in response, "Sure. We'll head there now." Reaching the top of the stairwell, she descended at a more cautious pace, listening as Joey called up to her whilst charging on ahead. Eventually reaching the base and reappearing back in the corridor, she stepped to one side as he covered the entrance back up. Listening on as he decided to take up her offer on learning more about the squads she did know, Sharada waited for Joe to move in the direction of the Pokemon transfer room. Allowing him to walk ahead, she closely followed behind him, trying to keep up with his long strides. "I'm glad that Looker updated you, it makes me feel a little less guilty... In a way, I am glad you are here. I know you said Looker went off on an adventure or whatever but I still can't help but feel that Poliwrath was my fault. I should've thought up a different plan instead of dragging in help... I'll know for the future. I don't want any of you to get hurt." Falling quiet for a moment, it was clear that whatever happened on that day was still eating away at her. If it wasn't for Joey's gang, rescuing Doopliss and the Zorua siblings would've been so much harder, yet the cost was the loss of a Pokemon. Wishing she wasn't so inexperienced or even more intelligent, seeing Looker again was a constant worry, what if he truly did blame her deep down? "...He is so hard to read that I can't tell how he feels."

Mumbling under her breath, she lifted her head back up to look across to Joe, "Ah. Information. Right!" Going from one painful subject to the next, she deeply thought about how to even start, "I must admit, it is kind of difficult for even me. I choose to stay out of HQ as often as possible, so I have only been with them a couple of times. Being around them makes me kinda nervous." Her words the truth, it was really no wonder. A perfectly innocent girl had been thrown into the heart of criminals and even though it was of her own free will, she was still coming to terms with their ways and trying to get used to them. Even becoming one herself in order to fit in, forcefully. "The similar theme in squads I have noticed is that they are made up of around seven members. I guess I'll go through them individually." Holding out a hand, she stretched out a finger to indicate one, "Obviously, the leader of our squad is Royce. I've dropped his name to various other Rockets and even most of them despise him and don't agree with his methods. The first time I met him, he stuck his cigar right in this other Grunt's head and used his right hand guy to kick him out! It was scary." Sighing to herself, she realised just how brave she had been up until this point. "He is known as The Scourge, or something along those lines. All I can say is that the higher ups go to him often. Most of the time he is in the office sorting out one thing or another."

Stretching out a second finger to indicate two, she decided to move on, "Then who I can only describe as his right hand man, is some obese guy named Porky. Apparently it was him who introduced Royce to Team Rocket in the first place. They met in some distant region I haven't even heard of before." Falling silent, she tried furiously to shake her brain to try and remember what it was called but nothing came back to her, "He... Told me he was known as Cannibal. From the amount he eats, it wouldn't surprise me if he was suggesting that he used to-- Erm. Well, that or it suggests his fighting style. In the squad, he works as our wall or atleast cleans up any attackers that get past the rest of us. Most of his Pokemon are really bulky, the types that take a while to whittle down. He has the cutest Grumpig, though! Too bad I can't save him." Remembering back when they first met and Porky's Grumpig had offered her some food, it made her smile but she soon moved onto the next, to which she held up two fingers. "Then the next two come in a pair as they are known as Cloak and Dagger or for me, Langley and Tyrone. I can get along fairly well with Porky but even I wouldn't spend much time with these two. They are masters of disguise, to the point of perfection. You should be extra careful. If I were to ever be found out, I can tell that one of them would come after you dressed as me. Make sure you are always careful!" Trailing off, she hurriedly waved her hands in the air, "A-Ahh! I am definitely Sharada!! You pinched me earlier, right? I promise I am real!" Laughing off her mistake, she stuck her tongue out in a carefree manner, "It's hard to get close to either of them. They would be most useful to get more information on but as it stands, it's impossible to track them down. They are constantly on missions too, I guess it is because they have useful skills as well as powerful Pokemon."

Wondering just what sort of Pokemon the team had, it was a question even she couldn't answer. She had only briefly seen Porky's entire team and even then, there was always the chance he had more than six. "And then there is... Schnell." His very name causing her to shiver slightly, she couldn't deny his creepy factor. "He is probably about my age but he is the scientist. The one that was holding onto and doing experiments on Doopliss, Calistra and Tenebrae. He is also working on a glove for your father, something about snagging other peoples Pokemon. It is still in the early prototype stages but it's what he used to... Take Poliwrath. It's something that needs to be taken care of before it reaches its finishing stages. I'm working on that though." Leaving her words hanging, she pulled a more serious expression as they both strode forward. Keeping her eye on the progress of the machine was something she had chosen to do herself. She hadn't been back to HQ for a while but if she could sneakily halt the process in any way, then she would try, "Schnell is smart and it's hard to drag him away from his work. It's a slow process but I'm trying to make him trust me some. If I can get into his lab more then I can take a look at more blueprints. Again, Porky is the easiest one to talk to and he often does the physical parts for Schnell, like welding his parts together. In the team, the two of them are my main focus. I'm being cautious but I need them on my side to some extent." Nodding her head in agreement for herself, she dropped her hands back down to her sides. "The final two in our squad are Cletus and myself. I guess you could say we are the lowest grunts, we just get simple field missions. I am slightly above Cletus in the fact that I act as the face of the squad by meeting up with different squads but other than that... Cletus is a bumbling idiot. Literally. I don't even know why they keep him around. Just for someone to laugh at, I guess."

Spouting out quite a lot, she looked to Joe with a more thoughtful expression. "Ah, that is probably a lot to take in." Wondering if he might've had some questions by this point, she smiled softly. No doubt there were some things she may have said which would've caused him to worry so before she moved on, she gave him the chance to speak. "If theres anything you don't get or want more information on, ask away. I'll promise you now that I know when I am out of my depth. I wouldn't do anything to risk me being caught. So please, don't worry." Thinking that it was easier said than done, she looked ahead, "Otherwise I can tell you about the next squad. Ahh. Just so you know, I am in Area 18 Section C. Each area has 3 sections and well, I'm sure you can understand just how big Team Rocket actually is, if I'm in Area 18."

[The REAL Joey]

Progressing along at a leisurely pace, it meant Joey could spare sometime to listen to what Sharada had to say. It was rare they got to be together, let alone together by themselves, he would make sure this was longed out. A coy grin flashing over his face, he knew the warehouse plans like the back of his own hands and because of this, would take the longest route possible to make it to the destination they sought. Maybe even retracting over their own steps once or twice. With their subject falling on Looker, Joey sighed. He had heard from a number of the gang how Sharada had kept punishing herself over it and it seemed as if time had not done any favours in closing that wound. Knowing if it came from him it might sink in, he spoke out, in a frank, matter of fact tone. "Shar, look. You can't keep blamin' yerself for what happened there. I've only heard snippets but this is how it works out. They went there to support you. On their own free will. Their own volition. They didn't like it, they could sat here on their lazy asses. But they wouldn't. Each and everyone of my gang hates Team Rocket. We've all got our own personal grudges and vendettas against 'em. Some more so than others but we're unified in that respect. And secondly, you weren't the one who crushed Poliwrath's ball. That was my ***** old man. That lies with him and him only. I tell ya, when I meet him i'm gonna do a lot more than play nice and do catch up." Gritting his teeth and sighing with exasperation, he hoped his words would rest with Sharada. "Look, you gotta remember this is it. This is no longer like when we were kids, potterin' around with our Pokemon with dreams of bein' champ. We're now facing cold hearted, vile, scum of the earth. We all know the risk."

Nodding his head, he looked over to her as she mumbled about finding Looker hard to read. It was something that annoyed Joey to a degree but he offered her some sage advice. "I get ya. But after a while you realise. There's nothing to read. He's an open book. If somethin' is on his mind, he'll let ya know. Bluntly. But he'll let ya know. If he ain't sayin' anything, it's 'cos he ain't got much to say." Thinking back to their younger days, Joey scratched the rough stubble on his chin. "It weren't always like that with him, y'know? He used to be the sauciest out of me and Rocko. But then he went into the woods one day and that was it. Bam. Personality devoid of all emotion. He's like a machine almost. Don't get me wrong, he's my best buddy and stuff but even we noticed a change with him. It's like something ripped away his emotions. Truth be told, he's had it rough. Whilst my dad is reigning hide and seek champ of the years, his parents mysteriously disappeared one day." Leaving it on bit of a dubious note, it seemed there was something going on there which was above the affairs of a simple rebellious biker gang. Having shared with her some back history on their lot, Joey's ears piqued excitedly at the chance to get the dirty on his arch foes. "Haha, about time. I'll be sure to be takin' notes. So, squads huh? I figured they were the type to bunch up. Safety in numbers an' all that. The amount of grunts i've cornered on their own. Hahahaha, bunch'a weaklings." Shaking his head, he wasn't sure of what Sharada would say next but he imagined them all to be the same. Cut them off from their cohorts, level the playing field and they'd fall to pieces.

Listening first to news and information on his own father, Joey's face wrinkled up a little bit as he tried to hide his own disdain. Not wanting to blow off on a tangent about how much he thought of his dear beloved dad, he merely responded to what she had said. "So he's not got much of a respected reputation within that lot? Hah. Funny. I figured his way o' things would be right at home." Taking in his supposed nickname, Joey mumbled it under his breath. "The Scourge... Hmph." Not thinking much of it, he vastly preferred the one he had been dubbed. "Not a spot on The Outlaw Thief, eh? Or at least, that's what all these wanted posters are callin' me these days." Sharada going onto his right hand man, Joey raised an incredulous eyebrow as he turned his head to face her whilst continuing with his cavalier pace. "Wow, sounds like a right fatso. What sorta name is Porky?! Got a lot to owe that fat piece of... Especially if he's the one that roped my pa into joinin' the Rockets. Hmmm... Then again, if it was some far off region, I wonder if that means i'd even have been born. From what I know, Team Rocket was born in Kanto. Which is where my ma lived. They must've crossed paths... I wonder how." Shaking his head, he sighed. It had become all too apparent he knew nothing of his parent's backstory. "I just can't see how my ma would fall in love with such a monster." Going back onto news of the one known as Porky, he shrugged off his whole gimmick. "Heh, like to see him block me off. That's a certified way of gettin' a knuckle sandwich. Cannibal or not, he ain't gettin' a bite of ol' Joe!" Thumbing himself, he had somewhat amusing notions of a fat man trying to chase his lithe self around.

As more dirt was dug up on the other Rocket members, Joey took an instant dislike to the next pair. The fat one may have been a powerhouse but it was exactly the stealthy and disguised type of offensive that he disliked most. If they were up in front of your face, you knew exactly what you were dealing with. "Cloak an' dagger, eh? Don't like the sound of them. At all." Warning him they were masters of disguise, Joey stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. A definite look of perplexity ruining his expression, it was apparent he was trying to get his head round this fact. Eventually opening his mouth, he raised his concerns. "Waittaminute... Hold up. One of 'em sounds like a guy, so I ain't gotta worry about him passing off as ya. But this other one... Langley? If you're sayin' she could come waltzin' in here ready to start somethin', we're gonna need some way of knowin' your the real deal. Same goes for you too! If they even smell a rat and find out you're connected with me, there's a chance they'll try and get you that way." Growling a little under his breath, he hurriedly came up with a way to verify one another's identity. Although, he failed at the first hurdle. "Errr... Nothin'. Any ideas?" Resuming his pace, he shrugged his arms and shook his head. "We'll need to. They sound the most dangerous. I know you're sayin' they're hard to pin down but i'd definitely try and get some more dirt on 'em." Narrowing his eyes, he wondered just how easy it would be for them to infiltrate here or to have got more of a drop on them than they had thought. Then there was the confrontation his gang, Sharada and this squad had. What if they had been overpowered and one of them slipped through the net and has been gathering intel on them?

Trying not to worry too much, he instead listened to what Sharada had to say about the next. Sadly, this Rocket being mentioned would make Joey's blood boil and his teeth grind. "Arrgh... A punk like him makes me mad. The day I get to exact revenge on him for what he did on Cali, Tene and Doop. I tell ya, there are some things we shouldn't cross the line over and he went far beyond. I'll experiment on his face with my g'damn fist!" Pounding a clenched fist into the open palm of his other hand, he seemed dubious about the other project he was working on. "A glove? Huh? That sounds... Weird. And if it's what snagged Looker's Poliwrath... Damn. Gotta be on guard. A weapon like that sounds like it could do some real damage. From what ya sayin', it doesn't sound like its mass produced and just prototypes. Some relief I guess." A cheeky glint appearing in his eye, he laughed. "Try and sabotage it." If it meant sticking it to his old man, all the better. As she mentioned about one last member of the squad, Joey rolled his eyes and blew the strands of hair falling from out of his bandanna. "Pffftahahaha. Cletus? Sounds like some sorta hillbilly. Bet he's grunt through and through. Eh, ain't got anythin' to worry there." As she concluded what she knew about the squad she was in and mentioned there was far more, Joey nodded. He may have been stupid in some areas but when it came to soaking up knowledge about stuff he cared about, he was near enough a savant. "Meh, we're still a ways off from this room. Fill me on the others. With all the Rocket beatin' I do, I bet i've come across some of these sorry saps."

[Morrigan]

Explaining what little knowledge she had gathered from being in part of Team Rocket so far, for Sharada, it was fairly easy for her to briefly summarise everything as truthfully, it was very rare that she would actually spend time with any of the squadron. Being a mere Grunt, most of the time she was expected to be out on the field, bringing back Pokemon in order to keep her position. She had been slacking, hence her vague descriptions. She simply didn't want to return to base with no results so until she found her footing, it was best for her to just keep a distance. She had been chosen to partake in a serious upcoming mission but for now, she was going to keep it to herself. There was no use in causing Joe to worry and deep down, she didn't want to think of how difficult kidnapping a child would be. Coughing softly, she turned her head to face Joe as they continued to walk, trying to respond to bits and pieces he had picked up on and noted earlier. "From the time I spoke to Porky, he mentioned that him and Royce go way back. Whatever region they were in before arriving in Kanto, it's atleast clear that your dad had been on the wrong path for a while." Pausing at the mention of his mother, Sharada looked silently ahead, resting a hand over her mouth nervously. "Who knows..." There was no doubt that he was a monster but if he was anything like Joe when he was younger, then Sharada could also see the attraction. The looks and smooth talk was enough for the wall around the brunette to shatter whenever the thief was around. Back then, if she was saved by a rampaging herd of Tauros, she could absolutely understand the type of surging feeling his mother likely had. After all, what sort of girl didn't like the bad boy type.

Joe's next worry seemed to focus on the information regarding Tyrone and Langley, the disguised couple. Lowering her hand back down to her side, she could pick up on the change to his tone, making it sound as if he had absorbed the idea that they were potentially the biggest threat. She couldn't help but worry herself. She was but a new grunt in their ranks, if she had said or done anything that was even remotely suspicious, how did she not know that they had been trailing even her this entire time. Their skills were nothing to laugh at either, making them a deadly couple. Sighing loudly, she sent Joe a look of uncertainty. "I'll try. I might be able to hold a conversation with Tyrone but Langley on the other hand..." Trailing off, she sighed once more and placed a weary hand on her forehead, "To be honest, I'm surprised she hasn't killed me already. Those looks she gives me really are like daggers." Folding her arms loosely under her chest, the next question was finding out how to know one of them was actually the real deal. "This is where it becomes tricky and the simple answer would be to cut off all ties here and now." Looking to Joe, she wasn't quite being serious but she also couldn't think of a way to prove who they were when the time would come. "There are objects like the necklace you gave me or that lucky Greatball. Maybe I could even constantly carry certain Pokemon such as Tenebrae. But from what I have gathered, they don't make mistakes. If they are going to do something, they'll get it down to the exact mole on your skin. Getting around them is going to be tough."

Knowing that part of the reason for saving the trio of trapped Pokemon was because Schnell was working on a special type of disguise fabric which included the cells of both Zorua and Ditto, she knew that they were a much deeper thorn in their sides. After saying everything out loud, she began to realise just how they worked, each of their abilities making them slip together like some sort of puzzle. Sharada herself didn't quite fit in any place which made her worry some more. Was this all simply luck or was Joe's very first instinct right. Did Royce know about everything that they were doing and picked her knowing full well what she was doing? Trying not to fall too silent for too long incase it began to worry Joe, she forced a grin at the mention of Cletus and nodded her head at the go ahead for the next group. "Alright! But for these guys, I really don't know an awful lot about them. I only met them all once and each introduction was brief." Not picking up on the fact that Joey was leading them the longest way around the Warehouse to the point that they may begin retracing their own steps, Sharada took a minute thinking about Section B and all the members inside. "They are a weird bunch, Royce said as much too. I just don't quite get them, like, each of them is their own person with their own goals which aren't exactly related to Team Rocket either. Where to start with this lot..." Her folded arms tightening, she looked down the hallway ahead, "Harman I guess." Going from the squad leader down she unfolded her arms to gesture her hands as she spoke.

"Harman is the squad leader but he is nothing like Royce. He told me that he had been in Team Rocket since the very beginning so I suppose that means he started out in whatever happened in Kanto. Ooh! Right! He told me the names of the Executives too, who are currently looking over Team Rocket. Lemme see..." Her line of sight trailing off to the ceiling, she fell deep in thought as she tried to recall the names, stretching out her fingers to indicate their numbers. "There was... Proton. Petrel? Arianna and... A-Archer. I think. I think those are the names." Figuring that she had atleast soaked up some Rocket information, she eventually smiled, "I also have no idea what words he was saying but when I told him I was with Royce, he seemed to get really angry. In fact, most of the squad really didn't like it when I told them who I was with." Shrugging her shoulders, she decided it was best to carry on. "There was another person with Harman, he had this massive chin. But his presence was hardly there and they way he spoke was almost as if he was a machine. I can't remember his name but I don't think he was a problem." The person she was implying being ROB, he was certainly one of the more quieter characters of the squad. "Who was next... Oh." Her expression suddenly dropping as she recalled a certain sleaze ball and his flirting attempts, she tilted her head to the side as she repeated his name for Joe, "Coyote." A hand raising to her head as she shook it slightly, as if disapprovingly, he was one that could possibly be drawn to drop information if she played her cards right. Or not. There was one thing that Coyote wanted and Sharada was not going to be the one to give it to him. "From what I gathered, he is nothing more than a thief. Well, a master thief, so he says. If he tamed down his flirting, he would be half decent to talk to." Shooting a quick glance to Joe, she lowered her eyebrows, "Don't worry. If you were to pass by him in a dress, he would flirt with you too."

About half way through the squad at this point, the few she had left to explain were the ones she partially knew better, apart from one. She didn't want to admit to Joe that she had been found out already by a psychic, making the next person to mention a little bit awkward. Trying to think of how to word it, she eventually chimed back in. "Ah, there are two females in this squad too. One is Lucretia, a real stern business woman. To be honest, she is scarier than Royce. Shot this guy right in front of me so I know that when I see her, I get to go in the opposite direction and stay clear!" Smiling awkwardly, she hoped that the fear factor of Lucretia would make the lack of information about the next easier to skip over and not question as much. "The other is Hypnotica. I didn't get to see her for too long, I was only told her name. When I arrived, Coyote was flirting all over her and she disappeared off somewhere so I don't know anything about her." Lying straight through her teeth in that Hypnotica actually forced her way into Sharada's mind to learn that she was a double agent, in return, Sharada also learnt that the gothic Rocket was a double agent too. Still not knowing if what she said was true or not, for Sharada, Hypnotica was both her best and worst ally. "Hmm... Who does that leave..." Now left with just two people, they were also both awkward ones where she didn't quite know how to word it. "Garcian." Stating his name abruptly, she was once again going to keep some information to herself. "He is a giant wall of muscle. In that squad, he has these pit matches. He literally defeated loads of Rockets in a wrestling match all by himself. I heard he isn't so great with Pokemon but Garcian himself is outrageously strong." Knowing that any word of warning would only do the opposite for Joe and make him want to meet this guy even more, it was a possible hindrance for the future, considering Sharada was going to be spending much more time with Garcian should he accept her as a student in his fighting art.

"And there is no point beating around the bush with this last one." Rubbing the side of her neck, for Joe, the last member was someone even he had met in the past. "Remember back to the Unova festival. You had a run in with someone and stole whatever it was that they purchased. Tall, white suit, an eyepatch. I remember you saying that he just had that look of a criminal and I told you that he was actually in Team Rocket." Looking over to the tall thief, she hoped that her clues were enough for him to piece together before she stated the obvious. "Turns out he is in the squad right next door. His name is Tobias Dillinger. We have met on a number of occasions, I guess he is at the same sort of level as me. But seriously Joe, this guy..." Opening her hands in front of her, she still couldn't quite believe what she had witnessed, "He had literally built a Pokemon. A... Porygon or something like that. It was, a hologram. But it had the intelligence of a normal Pokemon. I don't understand how he managed it. Right! He mentioned Silph Co. or something. I don't know what that is though." Uncertain as to whether Joe would know either, she shrugged with her shoulders, "Tobias is smart. He knows what he is doing and he is a strong trainer too. He told me that he wants the head of the thief who stole from him but funnily enough, he wants the thief's father as well." Laughing almost in disbelief, from her perspective, Tobias certainly had lofty goals. "I'm pretty sure his plan is to take over Team Rocket and kick people down a notch, like Harman and Royce. I would say just sit back and let him take care of it but I know you're not like that. You might have a bit of a race on your hands when it comes to getting rid of him, though."

Perhaps not quite being able to give him as much information as she wanted, due to her lack of or needing to be a bit much hush when it came to certain people, she hoped that it was atleast enough of an insight. "But I think that is about it. In their squad, they are much more independent, it'd be much harder to get valuable information out of any of them. Coyote would perhaps drop a hint or two but the price would probably be unthinkable." Stopping in her tracks, she turned to Joe and for a moment, simply looked him in the face. The biggest reason she was in this situation was because of him but since meeting Garcian, it had expanded into something else. But deep down, her heart still remained solely with Joe and his cause. "As I mentioned, I'll likely be passing through their squad often so I'll keep my ears open. Anything to make your part easier when the time comes." Smiling softly, she raised her eyebrows, "And what did you say about wanted posters? Here I hoped that you were being less trouble."

[The REAL Joey]

Clearing up the last few portions of his dad's Rocket group, Joey shook his head. He knew so little of his father but the more he learnt, the bigger the enigma he became. If anything it seemed to be you got one answer and like a hydra, a few more questions would then crop up in place. "A far off region, huh? I suspected as much. Sure i'm Kanto born and bred but a lot of people always commented I had this foreign vibe to me. Like I was always pretty damn tall. Some even likened me to that gym leader back in Kanto. Dunno if the name rings a bell, Lt. Surge. He's this crazy ass war vet. Nicknamed The Lightning American. Heh, I don't mind the comparisons but I guess it makes sense. Ma never really spoke much about my ***** old man but I guess it sort of fits from what she did mention. Wonder which region that is..." Puzzled, there were a number of regions this could be but all his limited knowledge could think of were the immediate well known regions. The shock he would have to learn it was from a roughneck place such as Orre. Thieves, rogues and ne'erdowells aplenty. Should the outlaw thief ever go travelling he'd no doubt feel right at home. Moving on, he at least gained a little bit more info on his mystery father. It was just a shame they didn't really have anything else for this Cloak & Dagger duo. "I'd say try and figure somethin' out. Go for the calmer of the two, this Tyrone dude. If Langley's some psycho-crazy then it's probably best to avoid. Maybe if I rile up enough feathers I can deal with her personally m'self. A master impersonator she may be but I tend to have an affect on bringin' out a certain aspect to the ladies." Giving her a flash wink, he grinned cheekily. Realistically, although he implied he would dominate Langley with suave charming, it actually would translate to him using his block headed stupidity to get her to break character.

Relaying to him what she knew about this other group, Joey fell unusually quiet from his typical loud mouthed self. It was obvious the biker was taking in every bit of detail she gave with absolute scrutiny. He may play the fool but he was a devious fighter so no doubt he was committing this all to memory. Amazingly, having remained silent for sometime he eventually interrupted before she went on to Garcian and Tobias. His response was a little cocky to say the least. "Hm, they sound like a buncha B-List rejects. My old man's group sound far worse. I doubt some old codger is gonna be much trouble. The silent dude you mentioned is bit of a dubious one but the other lot don't sound like much." Letting out a small laugh, he rolled his eyes. He could understand people would try to flirt with Sharada and was surprised it didn't happen more often. Softening his jealousy a little, he joked off the guy's attempts. "A master thief, eh? He ain't got nothin' on me. I'll give him the ol' once over and he'd be left standin' naked if I really want to fleece him blind. Pft, i'll make a mental note not to don the ol' Nurse Joey disguise. Did it once, never again." Shuddering somewhat, he then singled out the other two female operatives. "Hypnotica? Weird name but again, nothin' you mention worries me too much. And that Lucretia chick... Sheesh. Sounds like she just needs takin' down a peg or two. Someone got too big for their shoes." Hearing her mention two last potential areas of concern, he was quick to dismiss this Garcian fellow. "So a big ol' musclehead, eh? Pft. If he ain't no good with Pokemon, that's my key. Take him out and even if he wants to roid rage, I got plenty of Pokemon that can strike from afar. Hell, i'll go toe to toe with him myself 'cause I love a scrap so much. No point bein' the strongest if you can't hit a guy fast enough. A lil' sidestep here, a feint there... Run around him in circle, let the giant tire himself out and WHAM. Victory." No slouch himself when it came to the strength department, he had been trained growing up under a retired ninja. He certainly had litheness to spare in his movements.

The last Rocket mentioned however, that was the real bombshell out of all this information. He had gathered a shred more info on his father, learnt of a potentially deadly duo he would watch out for and even garnished a load of other intel on other miscellaneous grunts he may come across. But this was the absolute kicker. The fact she bought up the Unova Festival had him ponder curiously. "The Unova Fest? Sure, I remember. A lot happened but I ain't so stupid I forget stuff easy." Elaborating further, Joey's face became stern as she detailed a certain crook he came across. "You mean...!? That shady lookin' type I mugged actually is still knockin' about?! What the hell. I was sketchy about Royce takin' you on board but for him to be that close. Coincidence don't cut it." Stopping in his tracks beside a doorway they would enter, Joey decided to listen to the rest. Taking in his name, he repeated it. "Tobias Dillinger... Hm. Can't say I recognise the name otherwise but i'll be sure to keep it in mind. Always helps knowin' the enemy's name. Hell, who knows? Maybe i'll ambush him again if I ever see his shady mug about me." Hearing further about his exploits, he was surprised Sharada held him in such a fearful regard. "You make him out to be like some kinda criminal mastermind. I mean, heck, I subdued him easy enough. Element of surprise and all but... Guess things would be different head on. I still remember slammin' my knuckle into his face and feeling somethin' hard under that eyepatch. Still get shivers from how odd that felt." Hearing how he constructed his own Pokemon, Joey shrugged and blew a puff of air out of his mouth to flick at the strand of hair coming out of his bandanna. "Meh, big deal. I bet I could make my own Pokemon from all the abandoned scrap in this warehouse. Sounds to me like he piggybacked off of Silph Co. They're a big name back in Kanto. Hell, they even manufacture and have the copyright to these." Taking a Pokeball from out of his holster, he presented her the object. Placing it back away, he didn't seem too impressed.

"If you think he's smart though, I suppose I oughta keep my wits about me. Doesn't mean I won't try to beat the ever loving stuffin' out of him if we ever cross paths. Same goes for all of the rest you mentioned. I see 'em, they're goin' down!" Whirling around his arm before tensing his body up, it was clear he had bit of a one track mind. Although, he couldn't help but burst into laughter as he heard how badly this Tobias wanted his head served to him on a platter. "Hahahahaha! I bet he's still bitter over when I half inched Hood off of him. Seems like he had just come from that black market which I had been scopin' and I literally pilfered him unconscious. Hahahahahaha!" Gripping onto his sides, he doubled over with a smack of his leg before trying to regain composure. That would happen a lot easier however when it became apparent his father came into this as well somehow. "Tch, I never thought i'd share anythin' in common with that no good *****. He doesn't know i'm related at all does he? I guess you've not mentioned you know me either." Hearing more about Tobias' motives and why exactly this put him on a collision course with his father, it at least made some more sense. "Figures. I get the feelin' my old man has some grand aspirations so it'd only be natural for another ladder climber, go-getter to sense a rival there. I like the idea of all this in fighting but the problem is, if either of them achieve what they want, nobody decent wins. Gonna have to dispose of them at some point. Whether that's my no good father or this flashy criminal snob Tobias. Maybe the answer is to let them wear each other down and come in at full strength. Knock 'em out fierce like. As much as I loathe my old man, i'm not sidin' with some masterminded criminal to topple him and i'll never give my pa the satisfaction I want to team up with him to take out a rival of his so he can climb the ranks higher."

Starting to formulate a game plan, he knew it was far off. His ultimate goal was to achieve his diplomatic immunity by becoming the champion. After that, he could care less about the title. He'd forfeit at the very next challenger if needs be but he wanted to get home. To be able to clear his name. However along the way he vowed to kick up as much ruckus as possible in destroying Team Rocket. So in a way, these goals went hand in hand. Become champion, know you're at your apex and destroy the crime gang. Giving Sharada a raucous grin, it was clear Joey was grateful for all this. "Heh, don't worry yourself toots. You've done a lot for me there. Its risky business but its not like we're not gainin' anythin'. Just remember to keep safe. It gets too hot give me a buzz and i'll be there like a shot." Slamming a hand on the door, it opened up with a swing and he gestured his head in. "C'mon, this is Looker's office. Ever since that little escape with all my Pokemon goin' rogue he's made sure the PC equipment for transferrin' Pokemon is kept under secure quarters." Moving in, he logged himself in with his trainer ID and began to request all the Pokemon Sharada had decided upon. One by one, their Pokeball appeared as he grabbed them and handed the lot over to Sharada. As she bought up the mention of a wanted poster, Joey rolled his eyes and laughed sarcastically. "Oh gee, this is embarrassin'. Seems like for all my troubles they got a bounty on me. Hold on, I kept one as a souvenir." Shuffling around in his pocket, he pulled out a scrappy bit of paper that he unfolded and held up to the side of his face. "I don't think they got my good side, eh?"

Handing it over to her, he let out a small chuckle. "You can keep it. I ripped off all the ones I saw just to lessen the heat. Got quite a few to be honest." Looking around Looker's room, he shook his head over how sterile it was. "Looker really is a clean freak. Damn. Hey, let's head back to the main den. Bet Esme and Biff are at each other's throats, heheheh."

[Morrigan]

Hearing more on Joe's thoughts when it came to his father and even Joey's appearance himself, the brunette took a step back and looked at him from head to toe. "I haven't been to Kanto so I can't really compare but... I guess there aren't many people I have come across in my journey across Johto that even vaguely resemble you or your father." In Joe's case, his striking height was something that once intimidated her, as he very easily towered over Sharada. Barely standing at shoulder height due to being small in stature herself, she folded her arms loosely and finally looked away, her cheeks a little flushed after looking at him for so long, "Wherever he is from, it doesn't matter. You are your own person, you don't need to compare yourself to him." Shaking a hand in the air, she then placed it on her hip, using her second to try and hide her wry smile, "Even if the two of you are stupidly tall." Mumbling in amusement behind her hand, finding out the region where Royce originally reigned from wasn't going to be too much of a hassle, it would simply take time. If she remained in the group, sunk her roots and continued to return with promising results, then surely Porky would be more than happy to tell her more stories, perhaps even Royce himself. But that was a long way away and with things brewing like the glove that stole Pokemon, his region was the least of their worries. The news of the Cloak and Dagger duo still lingering on Joe's mind, Sharada couldn't exactly disagree with him as everything what he had noted was a potential threat. Sharada hadn't thought about it too deeply up until now and after seeing their costumes first hand and knowing of the disguise fabric Schnell was creating, it only made her worry grow. Still, she grumbled and became visibly annoyed at Joe's words in how he would handle the situation, taking his words the wrong way. "Hmph. Langley flirts with just about any male, I'm sure you wouldn't have to try too hard. But that is fine." Curling a bit of loose hair behind her ear, she glanced up at Joey before shooting him with a sweet smile, "I'll be sure to handle Tyrone, too. He is pretty charming himself." Sticking her tongue out teasingly with a wink of her own, she knew it was unlikely to get Tyrone and Langley to split up, let alone see them in base at all.

As talk turned to the second group, there wasn't an awful lot Sharada could say. Each meeting had been brief, apart from Garcian and Tobias, each she had met a couple of times. Since the two of them were the only ones she knew a little better, she focused back on the luchador hulk. Laughing out loud as Joe mentioned he would take him on in a fight, Sharada looked to him and gave him a playful push, "You? Fighting Garcian? HAH!" She hadn't truly seen Joe in action besides one or two chases in the past, so she couldn't comment on his fighting style. "I don't deny your fast but don't underestimate him. He might be big and bulky but he took on several other Rockets all at once." Remembering back to the wrestling ring, Sharada seemed to oddly perk up as she recalled the events. "Some guy threw a punch and Garcian literally grabbed it and crushed the guys arm! And then a different one tried to hit him from behind with some sort of pipe but Garcian was totally unphased and just punched in him the face! Then, then, he grabbed TWO Rockets with either hand and held them up in the air!" Her eyes widening, she suddenly stepped in front of Joe, "Ah! And he did this cool thing!" Suddenly wrapping her arms around his waist, she tried to grip him tightly, "He grabbed people like this and bent backwards and smashed them into the ground! Like a suplex!!" Halting immediately as she realised she how excitable her voice had become, she let go of his waist and stepped away, looking awkwardly over to Joe with a loose smile. "...L-Long story short, Garcian is seriously strong. I'm only looking out for you, I don't want you to get hurt." Poking her two index fingers together, she quickly tacked on an extra bit at the end, "And... He kinda reminds me of all that sailors back home. They aren't as gruesome as he is but I'm not scared of him." Smiling once more, she held her arm up in the air, "That and I am so small that he doesn't take any notice of me. But watching him made me wonder if I should learn to fight some. For self defence, you know? I'm not really Rocket material, after all."

Turning on her heel and possibly saying more than intended mixed with a white lie or two, the conversation quickly turned to Tobias. However, from everything she had said as warning, he didn't seem to take any of it to heart. Puffing up her cheeks akin to an angry Jigglypuff, Sharada wasn't impressed with how casual Joey had been in taking in all this information, basically saying that he could take on almost every single one of these Rockets with no problem. The only ones he had been uncertain about was Tyrone and Langley but even then he felt like he could topple them somehow. "I wouldn't underestimate Tobias, either. Maybe it is my situation but it's just this... Atmosphere when you are around him. He just feels dangerous." Rolling her eyes as Joe mentioned about building his own Pokemon, the brunette simply shook her head, "I really doubt that is possible, Joe. I don't know the ins and outs but I still wouldn't give this guy any chances. O-Oh!" Her eyes widening, she remembered an incredibly important key point. "Lateralus." Stating the word, she looked to him expectantly, "Lateralus is that name Looker found, right? From your hacked Pokemon? Well that is what Tobias named his custom built Porygon. Don't you find that odd?" Remembering back to the Unova Festival and just how badly Joe had managed to beat him, it was the one thing that caused Sharada to ponder. "He would rather have his Pokemon fight for him. I don't know if he is a hand to hand combat sort of guy. I know he has a gun but he told me he prefers to not get his hands dirty. But, I don't know..." From the people in Team Rocket she had met, she knew that Lucretia, Tobias and Royce were the most power hungry. When it came down to it, it would be these three who would likely sacrifice everything in order to come out on tops.

Rubbing a hand across her forehead, luckily for Sharada, they had both arrived at their destination. Watching as Joe pushed the door open, she stepped into Looker's office but didn't move around too much from how clean everything was. Standing to one side, she watched Joe from a distance as he fiddled with the computer, a soft smile forming on her face. "Then, save me now. We can both go back to Hoenn and forget about all of this. Live happily in the middle of nowhere, where no one could find us." Pausing for a few moments as if to let her words sink in, she couldn't hold her bout of laughter in for any longer before laughing off what she had just implied. "I'm just kidding. I'm doing fine, Joe. Put a bit more trust in me, okay?" Accepting the Pokeballs and attaching them to her holster, she noticed him searching around in his pockets before he eventually brought it out an held it by his face. It took a moment for the image to sink in but sure enough, it practically brought tears to her eyes. Leaning forward as she laughed hysterically, she placed a hand on her chest as she tried to calm herself down. "W-W-What is this?! H-Hahahahaha!" Gently taking it from him as he handed her the posture, Sharada looked over it and laughed once more, "I-I'm sorry Joe! But I gotta give you in for this amount of money!" Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, she grinned at the picture and proceeded to pocket it, "I'm totally going to put this on my wall back at home!" As the conversation turned to heading back, Sharada made a slight pause and halted Joe. "Ah... Wait." Finding it hard to talk in groups, there was still so much more she wanted to talk with him about but knew it would be difficult if she was also in front of Biff and Esme. She also knew that if she remained silent for too long, Joe would end up just walking off. Blushing in frustration, she decided to take a step forward and once again wrapped her arms around Joe but this time, in much more of a hug. "I'm only doing this now cause I'm not going to do it again, idiot." Squeezing his torso a little tighter for a moment, she wearily let go and turned on her heel, refusing to look him in the face with how red she, herself had become. "W-We'll head back now. Mhm." Taking a few steps forward, she left Looker's room first but wasn't able to go too far ahead as she relied on Joe for direction.

[The REAL Joey]

Pulling bit of a thoughtful look over his visage, Joey wondered if Sharada had ever seen what his mother looked like. "Y'know, you mention me and that old fart but you ever seen my ma? We've spent all this time talkin' so casually about her I guess I forgot to show you any photos of her. I got one stashed in my jacket. Me, ma and the pet Koffing we have. A noticeable lack of someone evidently present as you'll see." Rolling off the end of his sentence with something of a sarcastic remark, it was all too clear Joey was very much hung up over his father. It wasn't as if he longed for that father and son bond, if anything, he was long since past that desire. Now it was a burning hatred for a man who not only walked out on him and his mother but also did so for such nefarious, criminal deeds. With Sharada picking up their duologue and reminding him he shouldn't be too concerned with his past, Joey flashed his trademark daredevil grin. In a mere expression, it was almost as if he had ejected all of his baggage over the matter. "Guess yer right. I'm makin' enough of a name for myself as it is. Doubt my good fer nothin' old man didn't have a bounty of a million bucks on his head and a cool wanted alias like that at the age of twenty. Heh." Noticing she had got a little defensive over Joey deciding on how best to deal with Langley, Joey got a little crotchety himself when the subject of how charming this Tyrone chap came up. "Is that so? Maybe that's why they're paired off like that. Birds of a feather." He iterated, only bringing up the first part of the saying. "No matter though, they're Rocket gang. They can have all the skill and strength in the world but i'll smash 'em. You know how I roll. Ain't nothing that's gonna get me off road once i've made up my mind."

As if finally putting the threat of cloak and dagger to the back of his mind, Joey pulled a rather disbelieving look as Sharada bought up the subject of another looming threat. She had touched upon this Garcian already but he wasn't exactly sold on some musclehead steroid abuser. After all, this was the world of Pokemon. What good was strength of a trainer if a person had a Pokemon to defend them. "You are seriously sellin' this guy." Rolling his eyes, he made a rather nonchalant shrug before continuing. "I can take on a dozen Rockets and come out grinnin' like a madman. Don't mean squat." Hearing about how Garcian destroyed a man's arm, Joey raised a finger as if to interject but trailed off as he realised it probably wasn't worth making Sharada queasy with some of the stuff he had done. Realising just how much she was harping on, he pulled another raised eyebrow as he carefully approached the possibility. "You sound like his number one fan or summat. Meh, just wait till me and him get in the ring. I'll get you root for Team Joe." Giving her a cocky smirk, it was clear Joey, although clear headed in most cases, was a fair bit bias of his own chances. Having already brushed off this Garcon person, he was about to swat aside Tobias as well when she dropped a name that caused yet another bombshell. "LATERALUS?!" The name near enough engraved in his mind, it was the very same handle the hacker had used when looting his list of Pokemon. "DAMMIT! This runs deeper than I thought. I usually chalk things up to coincidence but the festival, the hacking, you bumping into him so close in that HQ... This really is makin' me uneasy."

Punching a fist into his hand brashly, it was obvious Joey had now realised just how personal this all was. "If he stole from me, i'm gonna rob him blind. He's gonna be needin' two eye patches by the time i'm through. I guess half inching back in the Unova Festival should be payback enough but I seem to remember him pilferin' a good dozen." His face becoming tense, it seemed as if Joey was ready to go all out if they ever crossed paths again. "All I gotta say is, i'm gonna body that sonofa... Gah. This stinks." So heated up over this shocker of a revelation, Sharada's next words would take the roguish thief off guard as she spoke quite frankly with him. His face flushing a little red, he failed to grasp his words momentarily before responding. "You what? Me and you... Hoenn? HEY!" Revealing she was messing around, Joey gave her a gentle, playful push as he realised he had been duped. "Pft, Hoenn's on the travel list anyhow. Where was it you came from? Dewmorn? Mewford? Meh, i'll come gate crashin' hah!" However, it didn't seem as if Sharada would be going anywhere with how immobilised she was over his rather amusing wanted poster. "Heh, it is pretty hilarious. I don't think I ever got this kinda treatment back in Kanto. Then again, Koga was always tryin' to reign us all in. And he was at least competent." Rolling up the poster and handing it to her, he laughed. "If you turned me in for that kinda dosh, i'd expect a break out once you cash it all in. Maybe we could retire to some tropical island paradise roundabouts Hoenn way." Musing over the thought, he was once again take off guard as Sharada neared with him and gave him a tight squeeze. Reciprocating, he put his arms around her and bought her in closer with a warm hug of his own. Letting his chin rest on her head, he smiled playfully. "What? You embarrassed to hug me or summat? Huh?" As they parted, Joey noticed a shadow disappear off by the door. "Swear I saw somethin'..."

With them parting out of the office and him locking it up behind him, he looked to Sharada. "I got the feelin' we were bein' watched. One sec." Dashing along the corridor and turning a bend, he stopped and pulled a rather disbelieving face. "Really? You never told me you had a Weavile as well?" Leaning forwards and disappearing around the bend, he stood back up as he lifted up both a Weavile and Sneasel. "Weren't this the Pokemon you rescued? Were you two rascals followin' us?" Taking another look at the Weavile, it appeared to be giving him the most bloodthirsty of stares sardonically boring into his own eyes. "Guhahhhhh!" Joey let out a small yell. There was only one Pokemon he knew who was capable of such a glare. "Dammit, is that you Cali?" Letting them down carefully, he shook his head and let out a small chuckle. "Heh, looks like they're playin' nice." Moving closer to Calistra, the Sneasel hugged onto her affectionately. "D'aww... Never saw you as a mummy, Cal." Receiving another death glare, she finally responded. "Enough with your quips, simpleton. Before you regret it." Looking back to the Sneasel, Calistra spoke out but this time in a tongue unfamiliar with Joey. Responding back, it appeared it was the language Sneasel and their kin spoke in. Looking over to Sharada for some support, he moved over and whispered. "Never in a million years did I expect Cali to do somethin' like that. I figured she was through after how iffy she was with lookin' after Tene." Leaning in closer, Joey very carefully shared a bit more information. "Between you and me, she's been a bit concerned over him lately. Guess she did care for the poor sod."

[Morrigan]

Retreating from the hug she initiated, Sharada stepped back out into the main corridor, a hand covering her mouth as her face flushed intensely. Thinking over some of the things he had said, she tried to take her mind off of her embarrassing action by replying to him. At the mention of his mother, her entire body froze. If she were to continue being such close friends with him, then would that mean she would meet her one day? Becoming all too self concious over the thought of not being able to impress his mother, for now, it was atleast something what'd happen in the far future. "I... Think you mentioned her but I haven't seen a picture." Immediately turning around as he ended on a dull note, she sighed heavily. A mixture of the conversation about his father as well as the fear of the Cloak and Dagger duo, Sharada soon wore a frown and pointed an angry finger toward him. "Don't make it sound like you are the only one wanting to smash in Team Rocket, Joey." Lowering her finger, she stretched her arm out to the side, "Just like Langley and Tyrone, we can make a good team too. Not just us but all of your gang. When the time comes and we all band together, none of Royce's squad will stand a chance." Pausing after her passionate tone of voice, she instinctively retreated back a step. Most of the time she would've disagreed with the amount of trouble Joey would get into but now, she was going as far as to side and support him. She wanted to change so desperately from her dull life on Hoenn that she had managed to get herself roped into this situation but she knew the outcome would make everything worth it.

Huffing and folding her arms at the mention of Garcian, she couldn't quite look Joe in the face. "Don't take it the wrong way. I just figured if I could get him on my side, other Rockets would back off some." Likely being unable to explain her attraction to the idea of strength without freaking Joey out, she followed his lead by moving on but not before adding one final note. In a much softer voice, she relaxed her arms, "If that happens... Just be careful." Still against the idea, she knew that if she continued to protest against it, it would only want to make him do it more. So, she turned to the final issue of Lateralus and Tobias. Grimacing at his reaction, she had hoped she had mixed up on the names. "Ah. So they are potentially related? Lateralus is such an unusual name. It is why I came here in the first place, so make sure you pass the information onto Looker, okay? Maybe he could do some digging and find out a bit more on Tobias." For Sharada, she desperately wanted to find out more about him. He had such an authoritative, powerful aura despite being even lower than a Grunt. He was terrifying but if she asked around the Rocket base, then surely he would find out she was snooping about him. Not wanting to get on his bad side, it was something she had to ask for help with for now. "Joey. Just be careful. I have the feeling there will be a few meetings between Tobias and Royce. I don't know if they will work together or not but I know they will want to get rid of one another eventually. They are too similar, all they want is power... I don't know if it would get to the point where Tobias could overpower Royce and finish him himself. Surely you wouldn't want that, right? You would want to handle him yourself?"

Concerned that Royce could be disposed of before Joey got the chance to face him, there was also the other possibility that Royce could get rid of Tobias too. Luckily for her, her light humour had managed to lighten the air some and his response was enough to bring another blush to her cheeks. Laughing softly, the brunette raised her head and sent him a beaming smile. "If you keep being mischievous, maybe you can raise the reward money. Then we could go to somewhere better than Hoenn." Bursting into laughter once again, she cheekily stuck her tongue out at him, "I would help you break out but you are the ultimate thief, right? Work hard to impress me, Joey!" Implying that she would want to watch him break out all by himself, she found the idea amusing and continued to laugh, until Joey started to dash off. Reaching the end of the corridor at an incredible speed, Sharada gently jogged after him, watching as he lifted both a Weavile and Sneasel up into his arms. "Huh? I didn't have a Weavile." Puzzled over this new addition, luckily Joe was able to figure out the true identity of this Pokemon and with a drop to the ground, the two Pokemon huggled together. Surprising even Sharada, she allowed Joe to lean in closer, to which she responded. "Ah? Is that true?" Her words hushed and brief out of fear of Calistra hearing, Sharada settled her eyes on the sight of her Sneasel clinging onto Calistra once more. She hadn't thought of placing Sneasel with a Pokemon that could transform, that and her only Pokemon capable of that would've been Tenebrae, who was clearly male. Adding this together with the urge to repay Joe for all the Pokemon he had just given her, it led an idea to Sharada.

Looking up slightly, she spoke out loud, loud enough for even Calistra to hear. "Then, would it be okay if I left Sneasel with you?" Looking down to Calistra initially as if firing the question at her, she then turned her head towards Joe to explain. "Sneasel found it difficult to interact with my other Pokemon, even the nicer ones such as Togekiss. But with Calistra's illusions, Sneasel atleast looks comfortable. And I know you would protect her." Curling a strand of hair behind her ear, she lightly bowed her head forward and closed her eyes, "I would be grateful if you would look after Sneasel in my place. Would you do that for me?" Keeping her head bowed politely, she hoped Joe would accept her request.

[The REAL Joey]

Grinning proudly, Joey nodded his head. He respected his mother above everyone else for everything she had to do in raising him. She made sure he was looked after and taught some necessary lessons all the while juggling the responsibilities of being a mother and a father to a lone son. That and the Safari Zone was no doubt a task in itself to look after. "I heard you sayin' I look like that no good old man o' mine. But I reckon you'll see some likeness with my ma." Falling a little quiet, all this talk of back home and his mother made Joey a little reserved. Eventually breaking the silence, he discussed what was weighing on his mind. "I wonder how my ma is doin'. I miss her y'know? I hope she is lookin' after herself." Shaking his head, he let out a half hearted laugh. "I miss Kanto too. It was where I grew up y'know? Feelings like this are what keeps me ridin' on towards that goal. It seems impossible. Hell, every one and their bleedin' mum had this dream when they were growin' up that they could become champ. Which means there's gonna be some fierce competition. But if I keep on doin' what i'm doin', I got a shot right? Hell, I don't even want to hold onto the title when I get it. I just wanna get my name put down in the Hall of Fame and get som' of that sweet, sweet diplomatic immunity." Going over his motivations to be sure, he quickly reverted back to the topic of taking down Team Rocket and its many agents. "We make a better team. They may never be seen without each other but the fact we can work so closely despite bein' miles apart means we got the upper hand." Suddenly sporting a wild grin, it was obvious Joey was thinking of something. "Maybe we'll have some badass face off against them. Double battle style. Heh."

Of course, two people in particular were the real problems to keep in mind. "Feh, don't worry about this Toby-Laterally schmuck. The fact we got a name to pin to the online handle, i'm sure Looker will be thorough in what dirt he digs up. He may have got the drop on us but when the tables are turned, he's gonna regret he ever stole from a thief." Shaking his head as he considered Tobias as a person himself, Joey thought out loud. "I wonder what sorta past that dude has. I don't really get those kinda criminals. They don't have any regard for anyone else and value power above all else." Shrugging, he couldn't really make any sort of conclusion on the matter. After all, his own father fit quite comfortably into that megalomaniac category. "Don't worry about them doing the other in. I'll get my revenge on my old man. And this Tobias suit. I'm sure they'll have a confrontation or two in the meantime and hell, let 'em. Getting them to weaken the other with in fighting only means it'll be easier for me to pick off the scraps. Haha. Bet they'll be too stupid to realise this war ain't just two sides." Thankfully, with all the troubling prospects on the horizon, it seemed the two were able to still share a light hearted moment together. Flashing her a cocky grin as he gave her a thumbs up passionately, Joey was sure to score an even higher reward. "Oh please. By the time I make it to Indigo Plateau, i'll be public enemy number one. Gettin' that immunity will be needed twice as much with both Kanto AND Johto tryin' to come down on my arse." Laughing out heartily, he picked up on a place better than Hoenn. "Huh? Hoenn seems so exotic though. Unless ya one try one of the regions in them festivals. Unova and... Err.. Kalos?"

As their conversation dwindled and fell to the issue of the discovered Weavile and Sneasel eavesdropping on them, Joey listened to Sharada's proposition. "Hmmm... An interesting idea you got there. In all honesty, how's a guy like me supposed to decline a dame like you?" Shrugging, he laughed off the idea of it being any sort of hassle. "It'll be fine. I've takin' in all sorts and to be honest, I think it might even do Cali some good. She has been pretty cut up lately 'bout the whole Tene thing." Leaning away from her having whispered about their idea, Joey interacted with the two. "Looks like you'll be joinin' our big ol' family, eh Sneasel?" Gripping closer to Calistra, the Pokemon looked a little daunted but thankfully, Calistra was able to coax a better response from her by discussing in their native tongue. Looking back up to Joey, Calistra spoke out in a language they understood. "She has a name." "Oh?" Looking back to the Sneasel, Calistra nodded again before looking back up. "It is Shantae." Gripping closer to Calistra's side, it appeared the Sneasel appeared bolstered by having a mother like figure affirm her name. Her eyes narrowing, Calistra she offered a rare bit of reasoning as to why. "It is a popular name in my tribe. She is worthy of it." Rubbing his stubbled chin, Joey nodded as he looked back over to Sharada. "Huh... Guess it works, eh? Huh?" Before he could go any further, it appeared as if Sharada was receiving an incoming transmission.

Amazingly, unlike most transmissions where she would have to accept, a rather familiar voice to her boomed out from her Poketch. "Now where in the hell are ya? C'mon Sharada. It's rare for one of our agent to fall off the grid. Don't make me all suspicious, y'hear? Might even begin to think you're some sorta double agent! Hahahaha!" Letting out a sleazy laugh, it was apparent at this point it belonged to none other than Royce. "High tail it back to base missy. We got business to be sortin' out." Hanging up without waiting for any sort of response, it felt almost as if the corridor had fallen quiet. Standing there, Joey gave her something of a taut expression. "Sooooo... What was that about?"

[Morrigan]

Finding it impossible to hide her warm smile, Sharada listened closely to Joe as he voiced his care of his mother. Even when they very first met, the rough biker had let slip his close bond with his mother but Sharada understood completely. Although mischievous and a bit of a rebel, Joe was still open minded when it came to people and in general, a nice guy. He cared for his Pokemon and would go to great lengths to protect them, this much was certain. When it came to the rare occasions of him speaking his honest feelings such a this, it often tugged at the brunette's heart. Raising a hand as he recited his dream of even attempting the League challenge in order to get a chance of going home, she placed her hand on the side of his arm, smiling up at him. "You have more than a shot, Joe. You are definitely going to become Champion!" Gripping onto his arm a little tighter, her hold slowly loosened as she brushed her fingertips down his forearm before gripping hold of his gloved hand. "I bet both your mother and the people in your home town miss you too. Don't worry, you'll get to go home soon. Me and the rest of the gang will keep you on track and before you know it, you'll be back in Kanto again." Her grip loosening at the idea of him returning to Kanto whilst she returned to Hoenn, that day was atleast far off now now. Forcing a laugh, she removed her hand from him and playfully flicked the air, "Besides. There is no way I would compare you with your mother. I am sure she is far too pretty to look like a scruff such as you." Her cheeks blushing softly, she turned her face away and scratched at her cheek, "But I guess you aren't too bad yourself."

Clearly playing with him, Sharada laughed off her words once again before tying up some last minute concerns when it came to both Royce and Tobias. She did, however, fall much quieter at the idea of why Tobias and Royce were like they were. What happened to make them act how they did? Similarly to Joe, it was something she couldn't comprehend or even begin to understand. There was a slight thrill participating in these missions but there was always a feeling of guilt when most of the time, the targets were completely innocent. "If you manage to find any information, pass it onto me too, okay? I'll try my best too, to learn more." Even if her emotions swayed from time to time, her sole loyalty always fell to Joe and his friends. They accepted Sharada into their family like gang and she wasn't about to throw away their kindness. "Easy for you to say. If they have a confrontation, then I'll likely be stuck in the middle. I don't wanna side with either of them but... I would rather keep your father safe until you were ready. It's one of the main reasons I am doing this, after all, so that you could finally get a few things off your chest to him. I'm not going to let Tobias have his way." Her lips suddenly pouting, the brunette burst into a genuine bout of laughter as their running joke of raising Joe's bounty continued. "Ahaha! D-Dont worry! No one could ever catch someone like you, anyway!" Holding onto her red cheeks to calm herself down, she did agree that Hoenn was exotic but for her, it was home. She wanted to go somewhere exciting and new, especially if it was with Joe. "I'll definitely travel to these other places too. Maybe even somewhere else, completely brand new!"

Lifting her head from her bow, Sharada knew that she would be able to count on Joe. Now, this trip felt much more fulfilling, now that her Sneasel finally had a more secure place to fit into. "Thanks... Joey!" Giggling some, she too looked over to Calistra and watched as the two Pokemon interacted. This way, Sneasel would finally be back with a mother like figure and with how wild Calistra could be, the brunette knew she would be brought up well. Her head tilting at the mention of a name, she exchanged glances with Joe but had no disagreements. "Shantae suits her for sure. From now on, I'll entrust her to you." Turning her torso, Sharada began to fiddle amongst her belongings in order to find the Sneasel's Pokeball, when a sudden eruption from her Poketch caused her to freeze on the spot. Goosebumps scattered her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as a familiar voice spoke out. But the words that he said spooked her even further. Feeling her chest tighten and sweat form on her forehead, whoever this character was had brought an expression of pure fear to her face. Even by the time he had finished, Sharada was still frozen on the spot, only reacting when Joe spoke out. "H-Huh?!" Lifting her head so that her eyes met his own, it was obvious that she was spooked by this sudden interference. "I!... I have to go!!" Scrambling on the spot, she turned to run off but had to turn back to Joe once more to hand him Shantae's Pokeball. Not wanting to say it was his father, her reaction was probably enough for him to work out just who it was.

About to dash off again, a part of her stopped herself from running, feeling that this was almost a repeat of what happened in the Unova festival before. Biting her lip in irritation, she didn't want to just leave Joe like this. Facing him head on, a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face but with a stern expression, she spoke out loudly. "I'm!-- I'm going to head back to Team Rocket! I suppose... There is a mission or something!" Falling silent for a moment, she cursed to herself knowing that it would eat away at him and so very swiftly stepped forward. With a bold air about her, she lifted both of her hands and grabbed at his shirt. Yanking him towards her sternly, she planted a kiss directly onto his lips. It may not have been the most elegant way about expressing her feelings but at that moment, she hoped it was enough for him to understand. Pulling away but keeping him at her eye level, she shot him and look and once again spoke at a volume much louder than necessary. "Wait for me, Joey! One day, we'll be together and you wont have to worry. Keep getting stronger, okay? We'll take down Team Rocket, I promise." Her fingertips loosening, she had no time to brush down his roughed up clothing asher attention was instead diverted to Calistra and Shantae. Her bright red face glowing in shame over her frantic action, she bellowed a simple, "Take care of him for me! G-GOODBYE!!" Before turning on her heel. The sound of her dashing heels echoed through the corridor, as Sharada began a mad sprint to escape the Warehouse. If she wasn't quick enough to return to base, she would be punished for sure.