From: Bandraptor (bandraptor@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] Fade to Grey Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2003-10-01 01:35:52 PST OOC: Hello, AGNPers! Long time no see. As I seem to have a habit of leaving this newsgroup for months on end, I guess I should introduce myself before proceeding with this post. I'm Beth, aka Bandraptor. In PokeWars! context, I'm the author for Nori, Blizzard, and Cappie. I've been debating whether or not I should return to the PokeWars! for a while now. On the one hand, I felt pretty bad about having to drop out of the Whirl Cup storyline last year, and since my schedule for this semester is just as hectic, I've worried that upon rejoining, I might be forced to do something like that again. On the other hand, though, Ruby/Sapphire and the Advance Generation episodes seem to have cracked through the mile-high writer's block that I've been carrying for the past ten months; and it seems silly to avoid PW! entirely, out of the fear that something *might* happen. Since I'm here posting this, my decision on the matter should be apparent. As this is my first post here since the R/S integration, I've decided to create a new character, who will be traveling through Hoenn. A Writer's Guide will be posted along with the second story. [PW!] Fade to Grey "I can't believe how much time's been invested in this Pokemon Genome Project." A Rocket Executive named Grey leans back in his chair, as he gazes proudly at the screen of his laptop computer. It displays a huge list of numbers, seemingly random figures that would appear meaningless to the untrained eye. "What's it been? Ten years? Twenty?" He stops to think for a moment, then folds his arms behind his head, and smirks, "It's a good thing we were able to swipe this data from the lab at Cinnabar Island. We might've had a lot of work to do." "Hou." Grey's Houndoom, a breeding female named Raksha, walks up beside him, and places her head on the desk so that she can view the screen. The dog Pokemon squints her eyes slightly, as if trying to make sense of the figures that are laid out before her. "Interested, are you?" Grey lifts an eyebrow. "I suppose you should be, since this data is going to affect your offspring." Grey gestures towards the screen, and explains: "This is a map of the Pokemon genetic code. Human DNA is composed of only 4 bases, but Pokemon DNA is made up of 32. We call those bases 'hex codes'. The patterns of hex codes from Pokemon to Pokemon are remarkably similar, with only a few differences between individuals..." Grey points at one spot on the screen, "See, that's the hex code that determines species, and *that's* the hex code that determines Strength. By manipulating these crucial hex codes at an embryonic stage, we can, theoretically, create a Perfect Pokemon." Grey points at yet another spot on the screen. "Of course, you can't have a Perfect Pokemon without a perfect set of moves...and the hex codes that determine techniques are right here. But, we don't know enough about the individual techniques to manipulate those hex codes. The Movedex Project was supposed to supply us with that information," Grey rolls his eyes, "but nobody's heard from Nori in months, and since she has the only copy of Movedex, that means the project is pretty much dead." Raksha nuzzles Grey's arm sympathetically, then stretches her hind limbs, and curls up at his feet. "Oh well." The head of the slightly defunct Pokemon Genome Project gives his Houndoom a pat, then shrugs, stretches, and stifles a yawn, "Better get back to work." Grey loops a rubber band around his index finger, and shoots it into the wastebasket at the other end of the room. "GREY!" The door to Grey's office swings open, and a large, intimidating looking figure storms in. Grey is unfazed. "Hey, Giovanni." He says, picking up another rubber band and taking aim, "To what do I owe this honor?" Giovanni glares at the sardonic looking Grey, draped lazily across his chair. "Get up. I have a job for you." Grey looks pained, "I'm pretty busy with the Genome Project. I suppose that I can take this job on in addition to my current workload, but you're going to have to pay me triple my normal salary." With a scowl, Giovanni pulls a wallet out from his pocket, and flings it in Grey's direction. Grey's Arcanine, who had been lying on the floor like a gigantic lion skin rug, leaps to his feet, and snatches the wallet out of the air. He skulks over to where Grey is sitting, and drops the item in his trainer's lap. "Thank you Gurion." Grey says, quite pleased with his negotiating abilities. "I should've tried asking for a raise a long time ago..." He opens Giovanni's wallet, preparing to extract the money, "...all this time I've been mooching petty cash off of Pokemon with Payday..." He stops as his eyes fall on the Trainer ID card inside the wallet. "Hey, Giovanni! This picture doesn't look anything like you! This guy is young. And cool. And handsome--" Giovanni booms, "IT'S YOUR PICTURE, YOU IDIOT!!!!" Grey examines the ID card from all angles, a triumphant grin on his face. "Well, NOW it makes sense. Except, the lighting's all weird here...see, my hair isn't really blue..." "If you'll quit your senseless prattling for a moment, " Giovanni growls, "then I will explain to you the nature of this mission." Giovanni produces a rounded, white version of the PokeGear unit, and places it on Grey's desk. The device buzzes softly, and then a holographic map projects up from it. Giovanni motions to the map. "I am worried about our neighbors across the sea, in the country of Hoenn. As you probably know, Hoenn is controlled by two rival groups, the Magma and Aqua organizations. Petty street gangs," he adds, through clenched teeth. "Lousy thugs." Grey agrees. Giovanni continues, "I have tried many times to establish operations in Hoenn, but the Magma and Aqua organizations have always stood in my way. The degree of competition spawned by their presence is preventing me from getting a proper stranglehold on the country." Giovanni pounds his fist on the table, causing the PokeGear to bounce, and the map to disappear. "They must be eliminated! We will make examples these upstarts, and then the whole world will know what it means to fear Team Rocket!" "One question." Grey drawls, unmoved by Giovanni's speech, "Aren't Jess and Jim already on the Hoenn assignment?" Giovanni grits his teeth. "Those imbeciles are in Hoenn, yes. But this particular mission requires the hand of someone competent." Giovanni gestures to the wallet. "As for the photo, you will be disguising yourself as a common Pokemon Trainer for the purpose of infiltrating the Magma and Aqua organizations. Your Trainer ID has already been forged, and the PokeNav on your desk has been programed with the fraudulent ID." Grey picks up the misshapen PokeGear unit, and begins to press buttons at random. Frustrated that Grey isn't giving him his full attention, Giovanni snatches the device away. "The PokeNav lacks the telephone function of the original PokeGear, but in your case, it doesn't matter. Once you arrive in Hoenn, there is to be no contact between you and the rest of Team Rocket. Not under any circumstances." Giovanni glowers at Grey, who, with the loss of his new toy, has returned to flinging rubber bands at the trash can. "Are you listening?!?" Grey's eyes remain fixed on the wall. "Sure. Got it. The new PokeGear's trash." He sulks, "What's the point of owning the latest gadget, if you can't even use it to call chicks over so you can show it off?" Grey shakes his head, clearly very disappointed in the electronics industry as a whole. "Understand this," Giovanni booms, slapping both palms down against Grey's desk, "The intelligence that we stand to gain from this operation is worth more than your life. Once you arrive in Hoenn, you will not be able to contact Team Rocket Headquarters for any reason. It is imperative that you maintain your cover throughout the course of this mission, even in a life or death situation--" "Giovanni." Grey says, suddenly becoming very serious. He fixes the Rocket Boss with his ash colored eyes, "I know. If the foreign organizations catch wind that Team Rocket is seeking to undermine them, it'll result in war. I also understand that, if a situation arises where I stand the risk of compromising the mission, that my only option is suicide. And, I am going to assume that you will have somebody tailing me, in the event that my sense of self-preservation kicks in at that crucial moment." He lowers his eyebrows slightly at that last thought. "I've worked both sides of the equation before, so I know how these things are done. I'm still willing to take the mission." Giovanni smiles genuinely, pleased by Grey's more businesslike tone. "It's good to know that there's still one person in this organization that I can depend on. With so many traitors and spies about, I was beginning to lose faith." Grey waves him off, his features softening once again, "Aaaanyway, I don't think that I'll have anything to worry about, not with Raksha and Gurion protecting me--" "Out of the question." Giovanni growls. "Houndoom and Arcanine are not native to Hoenn, and you will be playing the role of a rookie trainer. If you use either of your current Pokemon in battle, you are bound to arouse suspicion." Grey facefaults, "So, you want me to charge into the enemy bases without any kind of a weapon?" "I didn't say that," Giovanni replies. "We will be supplying you with a Hoenn Pokemon." "Well, now you're talking!" Grey rubs his hands together eagerly, excited about the prospect of getting a Hoenn Pokemon, since he's seen several of them around the base, and they've all looked very powerful. "Some of the lab techs have been working on a Salamence, captured from a Hoenn trainer...maybe I can borrow that! Oh, or how about the Aggron? Or the Exploud? He's a bit freakish looking, but I think that'll work *for* me..." Giovanni smiles again, but this time, it's a rather nasty smile. "All of those Pokemon will be remaining here, for research purposes. You should be thankful, though, because we've managed to arrange for a liaison who will provide you with a suitable partner." "Oh?" Giovanni nods, "Your first duty upon arriving in Hoenn, will be to obtain a Starter Pokemon from Professor Birch." "WHAT?" Grey's jaw drops. "You expect me to take on Team Magma AND Team Aqua with nothing but a level-five Starter?" Giovanni sticks his hands in his pockets, as if to infer that he will have no further hand in the matter. "I'm sure that you'll find a way to deal with the situation." He then withdraws one hand, and tosses a roll of green bills onto Grey's desk. "That should cover the cost of your mission. Plus your salary. The normal amount." He turns around and walks out of the room. Gurion the Arcanine snarls after the retreating figure. Who is that man to tell him where he can and cannot go?! He informs Grey that he wishes to know about the strengths and wisdoms of all humans, including the ones who live across the sea; and that he refuses to stay behind when there is knowledge to be gained in Hoenn. Raksha the Houndoom is also dismayed by the prospect of letting her master journey to an unfamiliar country without her protection, but unlike Gurion, she does not voice her opinion. She hushes her overly loud mate, and waits for Grey to explain himself. "Don't worry, guys," Grey reassures them, pulling two crystalline Pokeballs from his pocket, "Giovanni said that you couldn't fight. He never said that I couldn't bring you. Learn to read between the lines." He recalls the large guard dogs into the balls, but instead of clipping them to his belt, he cautiously slips them into his pocket, suggesting that there is, in fact, a bit of deceptiveness behind what he's doing. "I know you're not crazy about being confined," he whispers, "but as long as you're in these Reson Balls, you'll still be able to see and hear everything that's going on around you." He strokes his chin, "Assuming they work, anyway. They are experimental, after all--maybe they'll just crush your bones!" The two dogs bark angrily from inside his pocket. "Just kidding, just kidding!" "Mr. Grey?" Grey's head jerks towards the door, as a teenage girl in a Rocket Grunt uniform walks into the room. "We've finished making the arrangements for your journey. You'll be traveling to Hoenn by way of a Dragonite." Seeing Grey's quizzical expression, she hastens to add, "We've discussed the risks of sending you with a Johto Pokemon, and unfortunately, Dragonite is one of the few Pokemon capable of transcontinental flight. It's been instructed to use stealth upon reaching the mainland, so hopefully, no one will notice it." "Great," Grey mutters, not sure that he can trust a 400 pound dragon to be stealthy. He follows the Rocket girl as she walks him out to a makeshift hangar, and does a double take when he catches sight of the Dragonite that's waiting for them. "Make that an 800 pound dragon..." "An 800 pound dragon who's sensitive about his weight," The Rocket girl scolds, as the Dragonite huffs a huge breath of flames in their direction. "I'm sorry, Mr. Grey," the girl explains, as the two of them move cautiously towards the irate Pokemon, "all of our best Pokemon are currently in use. You'll have to make do with what's available." "Right, got it, today's my day to be stepped on." Grey reaches the Dragonite, and gives it a pat on the belly. "Sorry about what I said earlier, big guy. You're not fat. You're just horribly out of shape, and I don't trust you to last out the trip." The dragon responds with another blast of fire, one which connects. Grey coughs gingerly, "But hey, the way my day's been going, falling into the ocean is probably the best thing that can happen to me." The Rocket girl hands Grey a knapsack. It has a single strap, and looks like it should be slung across the back. "This bag contains your clothing. I suggest that you change while you're en route, and throw your Rocket uniform into the ocean." Grey eyeballs the brightly colored garments in distaste. "Are you sure I can't keep the uniform?" "No." The girl responds, a note of annoyance creeping into her voice. "And try to be a little more appreciative. Team Rocket invested a lot of money in your wardrobe for this mission. It's crucial that you blend in with the locals, and that style of clothing is very popular in Hoenn." "I'm not saying that it isn't." Grey protests, "I'm just saying that Hoennians are a bunch of skater wannabes with no fashion sense." The girl puts her hands on her hips. "I'm from Hoenn, you know." "Ah. Hehe," Grey chuckles nervously. "In that case, um, the clothes are very nice. I'm sure you'd look good in them. Would you like to model for me?" "Never mind." The girl snaps. "Look, I'm assuming that Giovanni went over the finer points of the mission with you?" She waves a clipboard in front of his face. "Well, here's a copy of your mission objectives, in case you want to review anything. You won't be able to access any of this information once you arrive in Hoenn, so you'd better take a good look at it now." She holds the board steady, so Grey can read it. "Do you have any questions?" "Yeah." Grey smiles winningly, "How about a kiss for good luck?" The girl punches him in the jaw. "Just leave, will you?" She pushes both Grey and the Dragonite out of the hangar, slamming the door behind them. Well," Grey voices, rubbing his jaw, and blinking in the sudden sunlight, "you heard the lady, Dragonite. Let's get this ball rolling. I want to get to Hoenn before your fat ass keels over from heart disease, or something." He climbs up onto the Dragonite's fleshy back. "Fly, Dragonite, Fly! Fly, like a Crobat out of hell!" The Dragonite stretches its proportionately tiny wings out to their full size, and starts flapping them rapidly. After about five minutes, when it becomes clear that they're never going to attain lift, it gives up, and starts walking towards Hoenn at a slow pace. TBC... --Sigless Beth