[X] My Assistant

[Kamaitachi]

Flowers at the Fun Fair:

Agent Jordan Pontius sat at his desk, running a hand through his thick black hair. His cold blue eyes stared down at the paper in front of him, before rising to meet the equally icy grey eyes of Doctor Regan Chamuel.

"Doc."

He kept his eyes trained on her, even as she absently held the adorable Cleffa in her lap. The little puffball trilled happily as the Doctor absently pet her on the head. It wasn't making it easy on the Rebellion Officer.

"Doc, once again-"

"I know what you're going to say." Regan sighed. The noise of her exhale alone caused Pontius to clench his fists in a mixture that felt suspiciously like despair. He hated giving orders to Doctor Chamuel, if only because she had such a disapproving look, it made him second guess his every action. "You've run dangerously short on operatives, and you're going to need to send me and the young Miss Taisa on a dangerous mission well above our skill level, but failure is not an option. I understand. No pressure."

"Well, it's not that bad." Pontius folded his hands on the table, trying his best to at least appear professional. "You will be joined by one more agent-"

"Ms. Jiang Li?"
"No, Lady Grey is running an ambush on a Magma Convoy."
"Aya Ghalib?"
"Doomsday's on the same ambush."
"Nikolai Makalov?"
"Claymore? Same ambush. Get the point?"
"Olivia Prewitt, surely-"
"Shiva's out on assignment as well."


"So you couldn't wait for this ambush to end, then come get us?"

"No, the brass wants this base investigated while most of the Magma troops are occupied. Between looking for their boss, and the major operation underway, they're spread thin. You, Miss Taisa and Richie Palmer will be infiltrating a base hidden under Uncle Maxie's Fun Fair. The entrance to the base is in the house of mirrors. Locate Richie Palmer in the fair. Here's his dossier. He, with any luck, will have ascertained a password. You're the senior officer here, and make sure the two rookies have callsigns. The boss is oddly adamant about this."

"I understand, Mr. Pontius."

Still not quite having figured out how the kids managed to text with one hand, Regan placed her Cleffa on her shoulder for the moment, flipping out her Pokenav and sending a message to Sera Taisa.

We've received a mission. Kindly meet me in my Clinic and I'll debrief you before we depart.

Also, our boss wants you to pick a callsign or a codename. Find something suitable so that I can include it in our report today.

There was a dull thud as the Doctor accidentally stubbed her foot against the doorframe to Pontius' office. Glaring at the offending bit of architecture, she rounded the corner. While she couldn't exactly call it a newfound sense of respect, she had to wonder how all the young agents could text with one hand while not running into things. She had been an accomplished Internal Medicine Doctor, why could she not walk and operate a Pokenav simultaneously?

[rt117]

"Ryu, use Whirlpool! Spark, dodge with Substitute!"

The park was scarce today, a chill in the air keeping most of the would-be park dwellers, which meant that there would be fewer potential bystanders during a bit of battle practice. Waving her tail about, the Dratini summoned a gushing whirlpool, which appeared to originate from the Dragon Pokemon's tail. With a flick of the appendage, the roaring cyclone of water was thrown at the small electric mouse, who stood in the path of the attack. The Pichu flashed with a bright white light, and an exact duplicate of the smaller Pokemon dashed toward the Whirlpool, the original jumping back. The resulting collision between the two caused the Whirlpool to explode with a spray of water, covering everyone with water.

Sera shook her arms, trying to clear away some of the water that had splashed on her, looking over the temporary battlefield that the group used. With her recent decision to join the Rebellion, she and her team would have to be in top shape, which meant working harder during their training. Even she would need to begin more physical training, as it wouldn't be just her Pokemon doing the hard work.

"Now, both of you use your Thunder Wave!" she called, the two Pokemon proceeding to glow with electricity upon her command. The Pichu glowed a soft yellow, the Dratini a bright blue. The pair unleashed their attacks at one another, the twin attacks clashing in the middle. For a moment it looked as if the two were tied, until Ryu tipped the scales and overpowered the Pichu, shocking it with the Thunder Wave. This caused the younger Pokemon to roll back, before jumping up and shaking off the attack.

"That'll do. You're both getting stronger." Sera smiled, falling back onto the grass, waving her Pokemon over to relax for awhile before they got something to eat. While her Pichu was getting stronger, Sera couldn't help but worry about the younger Pokemon. He was still a baby after all, and until he evolved, the full strength of his power would be unobtainable.

Maybe she was just rushing things. Or expecting too much. There was a lot on her mind to deal with right now, new responsibilities placed upon her shoulders.

It was during this train of thought that she felt her Poketch vibrate on her arm. She glanced down, the display flashing that she had received a new message. Tapping on one of the buttons, she read through the text that displayed on the tiny screen, exhaling lightly.

"We've received a mission. Kindly meet me in my Clinic and I'll debrief you before we depart."


Apparently food would have to wait, as they just received an assignment.

"I wonder what it could be this time..." she questioned, before pulling out Ryu's Pokeball and returning her back to the red and white orb. Once more her device vibrated, a second text having been received. Upon reading it, the message stated:

"Also, our boss wants you to pick a callsign or a codename. Find something suitable so that I can include it in our report today."

"A callsign?"

She hadn't given it much thought before, but perhaps the walk to the Clinic would give her some time to think of what to call herself. She would have much preferred just using her own name that her parents gave her, but having some sort of code name would keep her safe outside of missions... to keep those she fought against from finding her too easily outside of her work.

"Well, we'd better not keep her waiting." Sera added, scooping up Spark in her left arm while pushing herself up with her right, proceeding to walk out from the park and towards their meeting place. Despite the possible danger they might face, the girl couldn't help but feel a bit giddy, at receiving her first mission. And better yet, with someone she knew.

[Protoman]

"It feels good to finally get a mission," Richie stated before kicking a can that was by his foot. "I just wish it wasn't here." After picking it up, he walked to the nearest trash can and tossed the aluminum can into it. Looking around, Richie immediately noticed that not a lot of Magmas were around to cause any problems anyway, which was a good thing. It was rather good to see more than just a sea of red outfits swarming the area this time. Still, he wondered about the mission he was given this time.

"Palmer," a man in his mid to late fifties called to Richie while the latter was walking by his office. "Could I have a word with you?" Other agents that were passing by began to "ooh" as if Richie was in trouble, which made Richie rather upset.

"Ah, get lost, ya buzzards," Richie blurted before stepping into the man's office and closing the door behind him. On his desk was his name on a gold plate that was propped upright. "Richard Paulsen," Richie read as he examined more of the man's desk. Mr. Paulsen looked as if he truly was more superior than several other members of the Rebellion, which made Richie worry quite a bit at this point. He hadn't been on missions in quite some time and he had lost track of both Violet and Sera. Punishment seemed imminent.

"Please Richie," Paulsen stated before extending his hand towards a cushioned chair, "have a seat." Richie, while still reluctant to do so, sat down nervously. "Do you know why I stopped you to call you in here?" With a cough, Richie looked at Paulsen, feeling slightly more comfortable than when he first came in.

"Hopefully not to dock my pay," Richie chuckled, but soon snapped back into attention, "sir." Richie wiped the sweat from his brow, forgetting that he might be talking to someone that is Elder Boscorelli's right hand man. Paulsen laughed at Richie's attempt to sound more respectful about his potential pay cut.

"You don't have to be so formal, Richie," he stated, "I'm not going to dock your pay either. I actually called you in here for two reasons." Richie, who relaxed a lot now, cracked a smile to show that he was now completely comfortable. "Firstly, I have a mission that I want you to do." Pulling out a manila folder, Paulsen placed it and all of its contents in front of Richie so that he could read up on the info. After opening up the folder, Richie thumbed through the pictures, seeing a woman about the age of 40.

"Who's this," Richie asked, "does she work for us?" Paulsen nodded as he sat back into his chair.

"Her name is Dr. Regan Chamuel," he answered, "and she's your superior on this assignment." Pulling out another folder, Paulsen handed it to Richie as well, this one showing snapshots of Uncle Maxie's Fun Fair. "I want you to infiltrate Uncle Maxie's Fun Fair and find their hidden base. The base is located within the House of Mirrors, which makes it that much more difficult to find. Your job is to rendezvous with Dr. Chamuel and her partner and use the password to gain access into the secret base."

"Sounds simple enough," Richie stated, "so what is the password?"

"That's where you come in," Paulsen stated, kicking his feet up on the end of his desk. "There are a few Magma members still at the Fun Fair. All you need to do is find one and get the information out of him." With a sigh, Richie nodded in response. Standing up to leave, Richie saluted Paulsen before turning around to leave. "Oh, and Richie," he called, making Richie turn around, "come up with a codename for yourself."

Feeling like he was suckered into this, Richie looked around to notice a couple of Magmas walking around, however, they looked like they were in some sort of a hurry. As they ran off, Richie sat down on the nearby bench and pulled out a notebook with words scribbled on it. Most of them had lines going through them, signifying callsigns that had failed in his eyes. Scratching his head, he wrote down "Sabrewulf", thinking to himself how it sounded. Underneath it, he wrote "Fulgore" in hopes that this one sounded more threatening. With a sigh, he dropped his notebook beside him and just waited for the next move.

[Kamaitachi]

"Miss Taisa, it's good to see you again."

Regan looked up from her desk, adjusting her glasses before rising from her paperwork. Her dyed-black hair was tied back into a ballerina bun, giving her a severe librarian look. She had not changed her wardrobe to match her new hair colour, so she still wore gentle pastels. Today, a white blouse with a pale pink shawl, and a flowing, light purple skirt.

"Have you eaten?" She indicated a plate of fruit, bread and cheese on her desk. "Please, help yourself, while I explain the mission."

"Minnnnn-cino!" Uri, Regan's faithful partner scampered out from under the clinic bed, approaching Sera playfully. She waggled her arms upward towards her new friend, chirruping happily.

"I will be the commanding officer for this endeavour, though, I'll admit up front that I know little of being in command of an operation.

We are to enter Uncle Maxie's Fun Fair, rendez-vous with a fellow agent. The three of us are to locate and enter the hidden base underneath. With any luck, our comrade will already have ascertained the password, so we should be good to enter.

From what I understand, the bulk of Magma's agents are out doing something big, so the place should be relatively unguarded for the time. However, we still need to be on our guard. That's where you come in."

Regan sighed as she crossed her arms across her chest, looking out towards the hallway, as if someone else were to enter.

"As you've no doubt figured out by now, I'm no good at battling. My codename reflects this: "Columbine". It is a flower that was often used as medicinal remedy in days long past. I hope you've also picked out an appropriate codename for yourself? If not, I have some suggestions."

She indicated a white board above the desk, where a few names had been written in for Sera.

Castor
Daphne
Dragoon
Isis
Ocelot
Sprite
Aura

"In any case, here is a pack with your equipment for the mission." She indicated an innocuous looking backpack located on the floor.

Canteen of Water
Fingerless gloves with metal plates
Lockpicking Set
Fingerprinting Set
Tazer
GPS Tracking Ledyba Pin
Notepad and Pen
Flaregun

Regan reached over, scooping up her Cleffa, Sari, who popped out of Regan's pack. The baby fairy Pokemon trilled happily at being hefted up, obviously still elated at being returned to her trainer. The Doctor looked sadly at the little Pokemon, quite tempted to leave her here at the base for the time being, in the off chance the mission went horribly wrong. The last thing she wanted was for the little darling to end up back in Magma's horrifying clutches.

"We'll depart when you're ready. It's getting a little chilly out, so please be sure to dress warm."

[rt117]

"Good to see you again as well." Sera replied as she was greeted by the Doctor upon arrival, along with her small Minccino companion, who seemed to beckon her for a greeting as well. She knelt down to pat the small Pokemon on the head, her own Pokemon Spark hopping from his perch on her shoulder to greet the fellow Pokemon with a small chirp. With that, she stood back up in attention, listening keenly to Regan's explanation on their mission, and Sera's first-ever assignment.

"That doesn't sound like it should be too hard... that is assuming that the stragglers we come across are unprepared for our arrival." she replied, trying not to seem too overconfident. While this supposed third group member would likely be quite helpful in their assignment, it wouldn't take much for things to take a turn for the worst if any of them became overconfident. And being in the middle of enemy territory wasn't necessarily the best place to get into trouble.

"Also, I'm sure the person that we're going to be completing this assignment with will be good at Pokemon battling as well, so you wont need to worry a bit about that." the girl added with a grin. However at the mention of a codename, the girl bit her lip. Her mind had admittedly been on other things at the time, and so she had been unable to decide on one that she figured would suit her.

Fortunately however, the good Doctor was prepared, revealing a list of options for code names for the girl to choose. After a couple of moments of thought, the girl finally decided on one of the ones listed on the white board, looking back over to Regan as she finally decided.

"I'll choose code name Aura." Sera finally decided as she was shown her supplies, remembering that she had yet to eat, along with her Pichu. Fortunately for her, the trainer's Pokemon had not forgotten, having decided to sit by the plate of various foods on Regan's desk, having polished off a few pieces of cheese and a couple of strawberries. He then grabbed a small half-loaf of bread with both paws, and carried it over to the edge of the desk, trying to offer it to Sera as she gathered her supplies.

"Thanks Spark, I can always count on you." she smiled, taking the small piece of bread from her companion, and patting him on the head. She placed her own bag down, pulling a sweater from within its contents and tossing it on, before picking up the bag of supplies, ripping off a piece of bread between her teeth.

"I'm all ready to go when you are."

[Protoman]

Grrrrrrrrooooooooo!!!

Richie's face turned a bright red as he looked around to see if anyone else heard his stomach rumble. Searching frantically for a place to get something to eat, he finally stumbled across a food kiosk selling burgers, hot dogs, pizza and funnel cakes. All of which were combined with a very large, red colored lemonade. Richie's mouth watered as he staggered to the front of the line, trying to stop his taste buds from sweating any further. The prices only made Richie's day get even better, seeing that each item was under $3, which made it that much more enticing.

"One cheeseburger, please," Richie said, wiping the drool from his mouth. The person running the kiosk, a rather mean looking man that looked like he just got out of a biker gang, stuck his ham sized hand out in front of him, signifying that Richie had to pay up first. Easily understanding this, Richie pulled out a $5 and handed it to him. In return, the man shoved the burger towards Richie, soon pushing his drink out as well. Richie, who took this as a sign of the man not wanting to be there, simply took his food and shook his head. Richie then waited for his change, which gained him a dark look from the man that was in there.

"What are you waiting for kid," the man asked, glaring at Richie as he stood there. "Christmas? Get outta the way! You're holding up the line!"

"What about my change," Richie asked immediately, not caring about how upset the man must have been.

"There was a $2.50 citizen's tax," the man stated, grinning smugly. Richie, who couldn't believe what he was hearing, simply walked away from the kiosk and went to sit down to enjoy his food.

"Citizen's tax my ass," Richie muttered to himself, "that guy just wants to keep all the money for himself." Richie took a bite out of his burger and calmed down quite a bit. Tasting the burger first hand, he didn't blame the guy for keeping his change. This burger had so many flavors that all blended together to form a harmony inside of his mouth. With each bite he took, Richie enjoyed it more and more, all the way down to the last crumb. Taking a large gulp of his lemonade (which was named Maxie Juice), Richie began to look around certain areas, going towards one of the game stalls that was around.

"Step right up for Ring Toss people," the game manager yelled as people approached the stand. "Get a ring on the Diglett, you win a prize. Get one on the Dugtrio, and you win the grand prize. You can't beat those chances people. It's rare that someone loses in this game anyway!" People looked to find out what exactly the grand prize was, but they couldn't see anything due to it not being shown to the public. "For one dollar, you get three chances to get the Diglett or the Dugtrio. Press your luck! The more money you spend, the more chances you'll get to win!"

"This should be good," Richie stated as he watched almost everyone scramble to be first in line to win that grand prize. "I wonder what that grand prize will be. If all I have to do is win to find out, I'll let everyone else go to learn the patterns of the Dugtrio. That's gonna make winning this thing a cinch." One man stepped forward, letting his girlfriend hold his jacket as he placed a dollar on the counter of the booth.

"I'm in," he stated, making the stand owner smile. Handing three medium sized rings to the man, The manager clapped his hands twice, making the Diglett and Dugtrio begin to move. Each Diglett would pop up for three seconds and then return to the ground. The two Dugtrio, however, popped out of the ground for only a brief second before returning to the earthy soil. Richie kept watching in anticipation as he waited on the man to make his decisions. Throwing one ring, the man almost caught a Diglett in it, but just barely missed him. His second ring was too far to the right of another Diglett. The third and final ring was aimed at a Dugtrio, but it missed right when it ducked down into the ground. The crowd all sympathized with the man, patting him on the back as he looked at the ground in disappointment.

"You were pretty close," the manager said, "better luck next time, right?" With a nod, the man and his girlfriend left, not exactly as happy as they came up. The manager looked around at everyone, holding up more rings. "So, who's next?" Numerous people began cheering and waving their money into the air just for a chance to press their luck for the grand prize.

[Kamaitachi]

"Agent Aura" Regan allowed herself a small smile. "It has a nice ring to it", she said a bit sadly. She had been lamenting the inclusion of young trainers into the war, and now here she had brought in one on her own. For a moment, she longed to bring back Noverus to the way it was before, without Magma and Aqua waging their horrid gang-war all over their city. She missed the time when she had to focus on healing, which to her was more important than any Magma, Aqua, or Rebellion ideology. She, like Sera, had been dragged into picking a side. Perhaps one day, Sera Taisa, Agent Aura, would in turn recruit a new rebel operative, and the cycle would continue.

But alas, Regan was powerless to break the cycle on her own.

"I've packed some energy bars and some Leppa berries, in case you get hungry on the way."

* * *

"If anyone asks, my name is Danielle Moonstar." The Doctor mentally rolled her eyes at the name. "And you're my daughter, Charity. Obviously your 'father' chose that name, because he clearly had hoped that you'd be an imaginary stripper one day." Even in make believe, Regan could not help but question the choice of fake names and IDs provided to them by her commanding officers.

They entered the grounds of the fun fair, noting that it appeared to be quite crowded, even despite the chilly weather.

"We're looking for a young man, 6'1, short black hair, black eyes. My commanding officer, despite his meticulousness and fondness for callsigns, did not give us any further information than that. I suppose the best we can do is talk about the House of Mirrors, which is where the entrance to the base is located. We'll have to use our discretion, as I wasn't given any cloak and dagger phrases with which to test every young, 6'1" black haired man we find." Regan sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes once more.

Regan paused for a moment.

"Oh, I suppose it would be helpful if you knew his name, wouldn't it?" She reached into her purse, pulling out one of her notes, wherein Richie's information had been neatly scribbled on one of her old perscription pads.

"Richie Demetrius Palmer."

[rt117]

"I'm assuming the same person that decided the names chose that scenario as well." Sera questioned, rubbing her temples as she tried to remember the names to heart. Perhaps with such ridiculous names, they would be easy to remember, but hopefully she wouldn't get called on the outlandishness of their names. Wearing her sweater, the girl rubbed her hands together feverishly in an attempt to keep them warm, her ears feeling the biting chill of the weather. Both her gloves and hat had been given to Spark to keep warm, who was now residing in her supplies bag, nesting warmly despite the cold outside.

Sera had been afraid of some Magma grunt recognizing her by her companion Spark. After all they were supposed to be undercover, and having such an easy telltale sign would ruin their cover. She had used her gloves for her Pokemon to rest on, which would separate him from the rest of her equipment, while her hat was worn by the small Pichu to hide his signature ears, and the almost blindingly bright yellow that covered the small Electric Pokemon.

"Seems like a lot of people are enjoying themselves." Sera noted, glancing around every now and then, from the families that strolled through the rows of attractions, to the rather shady characters operating some of the games. For the secret location of a Magma hideout, she wouldn't be surprised if these games were rigged. An easy way to bring in funds after all.

The name uttered by Regan however caused the girl's head to snap back around over to her companion, blinking a couple of times as if she had misheard the name. "Wait...Palmer?" she questioned, peering at the notes scribbled on the paper. Sure enough, the name that she had spoken was there.

"So he's a part of this too? I can't believe it... well..." In her train of thought, the girl remembered their trip to the mall a few months back: her Pichu almost getting stolen by some kids, and the encountered with the Magma grunts, and that big menacing guy that got away. "...okay... I guess it kinda makes sense..."

"I don't think we'll have to spend too much time looking for him. " Sera noted, the pair soon arriving toward the fun house where they were to rendezvous. It would be inevitable that upon seeing one another, the two would recognize each other. Though hopefully Richie would be accepting of having a friend join in on his secret life.

[Protoman]

Richie laughed as each person continued to try and fail to get their rings around even one Diglett at this time. He had seen this game once before and wasn't impressed by what he saw in the least bit. Laughing to himself, Richie just continued to watch as people failed and spent more money into trying to win that grand prize. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched carefully by two Magmas that were blending in with the crowd.

"What's that guy up to," one of them asked. He looked at his partner, who kept glaring at Richie.

"I don't know, Calvin," the second one stated, "but I don't like it one bit. Neither would High Commander Tyson if he was here."

"I know," Calvin responded, "how come we couldn't go looking for him too, Vince?"

"Who else would watch the entrance to the House of Mirrors, ya dumbass!" With that being said as loud as it was, Richie knew that it was time to make his move.

"I'd like to play," Richie stated, pulling out a $5 bill from his pocket. "I do have two questions, however." The stall manager smiled brightly at the new face trying to win the prize.

"What's that, my boy," the manager asked, still smiling.

"If we get more than one Diglett in our tries, do we get more than one prize as well?"

"Of course you do."

"Just making sure," he stated, his eyes now fixed on the manager's. "My other question is, what's the grand prize that you're offering?"

"I'm glad you asked," the manager responded. With a snap of his fingers, a Magma Grunt came outside with a Larvitar in his hands. “The winner of the grand prize gets this little fella right here.” Richie's eyes locked onto the Larvitar, who seemed to be a little bit scared of all the people that were staring at him. The man smiled and looked at Richie intensely. “So are you in or out, kid?” Richie placed the money on the counter and flashed a smile of confidence.

“I'm all in,” he replied, being given fifteen rings to attempt to win the grand prize. With two claps, the manager made the Diglett and Dugtrio move like before. Richie, who had studied their patterns, knew where the three he was aiming for were going next. He threw the first ring, watching it as it landed right around the Diglett that was near the back of the booth. Everyone looked in amazement at this accomplishment, including the manager and Richie himself. The two Magmas, who were watching him earlier, were also stuck without many words to say.

“How did he do that,” Vince asked, his face beginning to turn a bright red. “Those Diglett were supposed to able to avoid those rings within three seconds!”

“This guy's different,” Calvin replied, still stuck in shock as he watched Richie put a ring around another one. “He actually is doing pretty good.”

“That's the problem,” Vince responded, “he's supposed to lose like the rest of these morons.”

“Maybe it's just beginner's luck?”

“Beginner's luck my ass! This guy must've figured out something that these mooks didn't!” Now knowing he was being observed closely, Richie began to miss on purpose, trying to make his scent go cold. Vince started to calm down, while Calvin simply looked at Vince with a confident smile.

“See, like I said Vince,” Calvin stated while patting Vince on the back, “beginner's luck. The most he's gotten are two evolutionary stones of his choice. We can lose those easily.” Looking back at Richie, he had lost another five rings trying to “catch” the Dugtrio.

“Oh man,” Richie whispered to himself, “this isn't gonna work too well.” After saying that, Richie threw six more rings out, missing each one he threw. The booth manager, who was sweating bullets after Richie's first two successful ringers, finally smiled once more.

“Come on, kid,” the man said, looking at Richie in joy. “Show everyone how good you are. Show them that you can clutch a victory in this Ring Toss game!” Richie, who was looking intensely at the Dugtrio, looked back at the manager, and simply smiled. Not a half smile as if he was unsure of what would happen, but a seriously toothy grin that proclaimed his victory. The manager simply watched as Richie threw the last ring without even looking at the Dugtrio. As it landed right around the mole Pokemon, the manager's head dropped downward, signifying defeat. The entire crowd, minus Calvin and Vince, cheered for Richie's success.

“Looks like I win not only two prizes,” Richie gloated, “but the grand prize as well. What are the odds?” Extending his hand out to take his prizes, Richie continued to look at the manager of the booth, who gave him a Fire Stone and a Thunder Stone. He then snapped his fingers twice and motioned for the man to give the Larvitar to Richie, which he reluctantly did. Placing the two stones in his pocket, Richie picked up the Larvitar and smiled at him. “Welcome to the team, buddy.” As Richie left, several people were patting him on the back and telling him congratulations for his win. As he left the group, Richie noticed that Calvin and Vince were tailing him, making Richie stay on his toes.

Richie caught a Larvitar!

[Kamaitachi]

Regan raised an eyebrow at Sera's rather cryptic statement. Looking around, she saw no one even remotely resembling the description of their comrade. After a moment, she allowed herself a rather coy smile accompanied by a rather long, poignant side eye.

"I take it you know this young man, then?" A semi-perverted look briefly crossed her face as she clasped her hands together. "As your Mother, I cannot allow you to see him any further. He must have the suave graces of a super-spy, and I wouldn't dare call myself a Mother if I allowed him to hurt you. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. I absolutely forbid you to see him, but do point him out if you see him."

Fun. Regan realized for a moment that she was actually having fun. At a fun fair. By not playing games, but by doing work. Her smiles disappeared as she pressed her lips together into a thin line. Sera had been right; the people did look like they were having fun. Surprising of a Magma Operation. She imagined that the place would be more decrepit, more run down, and more like a torture chamber than a fun fair. But, the games, the bright lights, the balloons, the smell of carnival food? It seemed like Magma was actually putting money into keeping a happy place in Noverus. How they made their profits and the like was beyond them.

As they reached the House of Mirrors, the Doctor sat herself down calmly as she looked around. She tightened her scarf around her neck a little bit tighter and adjusted her coat in a prim fashion.

"Well. I suppose, Charity, you can point out your boyfriend when he arrives? I'm anxious to meet him; perhaps test him to see if he's worthy of my little darling."

[rt117]

It took a moment for Sera to realize that Regan was speaking in character, which stopped the girl from slapping her face with her hand. She began to wonder why the sudden jump into their temporary identities, when a second glance about their surroundings caught a flash of red. She tried not to look too obvious in her glance, seeing a Magma Grunt appear out from behind a Ring Toss game, handing a small green Pokemon to a boy. While he had been the first one in uniform she had seen, there was no telling who else here was a member of Team Magma, and who was just a hired hand.

Deciding to repay the favour, Sera suddenly let out an exasperated sigh, crossing her arms. "You never let me see anyone without going through your little tests." the girl groaned, glancing away once more in a look of displeasure. This would allow her to look again, the boy that had won the Ring Toss leaving a small crowd of admirers who had been cheering him on. Sure enough, as she looked closer she immediately recognized the winner of the game as Richie.

"Well at least that saves us some time." she thought to herself. As the crowd dispersed from the booth however, she could see that the two operators of the game had left their stall, walking in the same direction as her friend. She bit her lip, before turning back to Regan with a sigh.

"Well, if you really want to embarrass me again, he's over there." she replied, pointing her finger at her friend, the little green Pokemon a little more noticeable in his hands. She lowered her tone however, speaking in a hushed tone. "I think he's being followed though... check out the two booth operators."

[Protoman]

Pulling out one of his Ultra Balls from his pocket, Richie showed it to the Larvitar while they were heading towards the House of Mirrors. With a press of the button, the ball expanded, becoming just big enough to fit in his entire hand.

"This is your transportation," Richie told him as the Larvitar simply looked at the Ultra Ball in slight fear. After looking at the design, he soon realized that it was not a Poke Ball made by Team Magma, but just a regular everyday Ultra Ball. Smiling, the Pokemon tapped the button on his own, being encased in a bright light for a brief second, right before the ball jiggled lightly in Richie's hand. It wiggled only once more before clicking, signifying the capture of his newest teammate. "Great," Richie smiled as he made the ball shrink once more, placing it on his belt after he did so. "Now it's time to find the doctor and that password." As he continued his walk towards the House of Mirrors, he noticed Dr. Chamuel and a second person standing next to her. After a few more steps, Richie stopped dead in his tracks, causing the two thugs following him to stop as well.

"Why'd he stop," Vince asked impatiently, "what's the hold up from this guy?"

"I think he saw something he didn't like," Calvin proclaimed, "or stepped into some gum maybe?" Unfortunately for Richie, the former was indeed the case. Standing next to Dr. Chamuel was indeed his friend Sera Taisa.

Why the hell is Sera here, Richie thought to himself, did they hunt her down just because she knows who I am and what I look like? Well... Richie stopped himself from thinking negatively. Sera was the last person that Richie was in contact with outside of the Rebellion, so it would make sense that she would help Regan out. The two of them had never met each other, possibly because they have two different commanding officers. Nevertheless, Richie began to continue forward, almost completely forgetting about the two guys trailing him. Once more, Richie stopped, causing the Vince and Calvin to stop as well. Spinning towards them on his heels, Richie looked at both men and simply smiled.

"I get it," he proclaimed, making them both look confused. "You guys never saw someone win the grand prize at Ring Toss, so you wanted to give me a congratulatory hand shake!" Richie extended his hand, only to have it swatted away by Vince.

"Cut the crap, buddy," Vince responded, his voice rather raspy from the constant cold air on the fairgrounds. "We know you watched everyone else play so you could study the patterns of the Pokemon." Richie, now knowing he was busted, simply clapped his hands together.

"Guilty as charged," he said, "I didn't think anyone was watching my actions. I got careless apparently."

"It's okay," Calvin said, resulting in an elbow to the stomach from Vince. After regaining his composure, Vince smiled as well.

"Yeah," he replied, "it is okay...after you tell us the password." Richie, who could feel the blood free-falling from his cheeks, quickly tried thinking up something that a Magma would use as a password.

"Destroy all Rebel scum," he replied, mentally crossing his fingers in hopes that he got it right. Vince's smile grew even wider after hearing this.

"Very nice," he responded, making Richie smile as well. As Richie tried to walk past him, Vince grabbed Richie by his arm. "Too bad that's yesterday's password." Calvin, who was on the other side of Richie, began to crack his knuckles in anticipation.

"Hang on guys," Richie nervously interrupted, "can't we take this somewhere else? This is a family oriented place and I don't want my blood splattering on some poor kid's hot dog. Do you know where I'm coming from?" Both men looked at each other and simply nodded. All with Richie in tow, both men proceeded behind the House of Mirrors to issue out their punishment.

[Kamaitachi]

"Little tests?" Regan raised an eyebrow, quashing the encroaching smile. "I will not stand for such an aspersion. These tests are hardly 'little'. My magnificent tests exist to ensure that we find the perfect gentleman for my precious young daughter."

The Doctor fought hard to suppress the giggles she could feel bubbling up in her belly.

She turned her mirthful gaze to see their contact being led forcibly away by the two booth operators. Sera had said they were following him, but on all accounts, it looked like they were leading him away.

"Well, I never." Regan huffed as she stood. She turned to Sera, speaking in a hushed sotto voce. "This is distressing. I suppose it's time for us to step in. I'd have preferred this not come to violence, but we need to take them out or else our mission is compromised. Can Ryu or Spark use a Thunder Wave to paralyze one? Use the tazer on the other; we need one conscious if Mr. Palmer hasn't ascertained the password yet. I'll distract them while you get into position. Do hurry."

With that, Regan moved around the corner, after Richie and the two Magma Peons.

"ExCUSE me!" Her rising panic easily eliminated any fun from her voice, as she defaulted back to her usual, stern demeanor. "Would you ever so kindly tell me what it is you're doing to my son?" Despite the politeness of her words was marred by the acerbity in her voice. "Please, pray tell what my young man has done to deserve this rude treatment. If he's done something untoward, you'd do well to leave any disciplinary action to me." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared down Calvin and Vince. She crossed her arms in front of her, staring imperiously at the two men who could easily overpower her, both physically and in Pokemon battle. "Do not stand there like a pair of slackjawed oafs. When a lady asks a question, you should be inclined to answer promptly. Or, is proper etiquette lost from Noverus forever?"

What was she saying now? She managed to keep a hold of her tone, which had crossed into the realm of heiress, matriarch, or duchess, but her panic was causing her to ramble.

[Protoman]

If Richie had an arm to spare, he would have slapped his hand across his forehead at this very moment. He had a plan all figured out, but it seemed like he would have to improvise just like they had done. Between the two men, Calvin was the more patient, which was showing as he simply breathed deeply and looked at Regan.

"Calm down, ma'am," Calvin patiently responded, "we're simply going to ask your boy here a few questions in private, then we'll let him go. I promise, no harm will come to him as long as he cooperates."

"You don't have to answer to that hag," Vince shouted, clearly being the one with less temper control. "She's not your mother. Tell her to mind her own damn business!" Vince glared at Richie, becoming rather flustered at the new interruption. "Hey kid, tell your mom to apologize for calling us a pair of slackjaw oafs or she'll be joining in these festivities."

"How about," Richie began, "you leave my mother out of this." Richie detested the whole idea of her being his mother. She was rather young to be him mother anyway. He was twenty-one and the fact that these morons believed the ruse was fascinating in itself. Regardless, he continued to play along, hoping that his opening would come soon.

"Sorry, kid," Vince responded, "but your mom wanted this to happen to her anyway. So, she'll get what she was asking for." Releasing Richie, Vince pulled out a Poke Ball, tossing it into the air, releasing a Zubat. With his free hand, Richie pulled out his Ultra Ball that he just put his Larvitar inside of. With a flash, the Larvitar stood in front of Regan, staring right at the Zubat. In confusion, both Vince and Calvin looked to see where the Pokemon possibly could have come from before their eyes landed on Richie.

"I have to defend my mom," Richie responded, making Vince laugh.

"Whatever, this should be quick."

[rt117]

Sure enough, Sera's worries had been confirmed when the two men following Richie soon moved in, apparently intending to lead him off to somewhere in private. Before she could make the first move though, Regan quickly moved past the girl, raising her voice about how they were handling her son. A bit of a strange direction to go in, but now probably wasn't the time to be questioning things.

Moving in a hastened walk, she shook her backpack slightly to stir the sleeping Pichu from within, who poked his head out with a sleepy glance. The small Pokemon had zoned out while nestled in the bag, not having been aware that Richie was around. He spied the small crowd that had formed as a result of the outburst of the one operator, several people stopping to watch. They moved away however as the Zubat and Larvitar were released, a battle sure to ensue.

"We've got some trouble on our hands. I need the tazer out of there, and you as well." she whispered, moving into a run as she got closer to the scene that was quickly escalating. Feeling the small Pokemon rustle in her bag, he dropped the device into her hand, before slipping out of the bag into full view, perched on her shoulder. Sera quickly jammed the device into her sweater pocket in an attempt to make it less noticeable, before skidding to a halt outside of the ring of people. She elbowed her way through, before running over to Regan and Richie, positioning herself beside her friend to help protect her 'mother'.

"If you think you're going to lay a hand on her, you're going to have to go through me as well." Sera growled, Spark quick to jump onto the ground between herself and the Magma trainers, cheeks sparking with electricity. The Pichu was completely oblivious to the fact that his human friend was present, rather the fact that he was within the presence of Magma kept the small Pokemon on edge. Sera glanced down, seeing the anger in Spark, unable to help but frown slightly. She knew he wanted revenge on the people that took his trainer, but his rage would surely cloud his judgement.

[Protoman]

"Great, another one," Vince bellowed, "like we need more interruptions." Vince looked at Sera and her Pichu as they both glared at him. Noticing the cold stare, Vince immediately started to scowl. "I know who you are," he continued, tossing Richie to the side, "you're that little tramp from the mall. You got my older brother captured by those stupid Rebellion bastards! It's payback time!" Snapping his fingers, Vince pointed directly towards Spark, ordering an attack on the small electrical mouse. Richie, who was thankfully free now, didn't hesitate to sweep Vince's feet from underneath him.

"Quick, Larvitar," Richie shouted, "intercept that Zubat with Rock Slide!" With ease, the Larvitar stomped onto the ground, sending a large group of rocks into an arch, slamming them onto the attacking Zubat. With a breath of relaxation, Richie then got up and ran to Sera and Regan's side. Kneeling down, Richie looked at his Larvitar and began to pet him. "How do you like the name Stonewell," Richie asked, getting a nod from the Larvitar in agreement. With a thumbs up, Richie focused back on the Zubat and his trainer. He knew that it wasn't over yet. Vince got up to his feet and glared darkly at the trio of Rebels.

"Do you think this is a game," he asked with a fierce tone. "Do you think that Team Magma have time for these kind of distractions? I will stomp you into the ground here and now!" Richie, who noticed how angry Vince was getting, simply shook his head.

"He's gonna get super sloppy and make too many mistakes," Richie whispered among his comrades, "do either one of you want to take a try at him?" He looked at Calvin as well, who was keeping his calm throughout the whole ordeal. This made Richie concerned, seeing as how usually that meant that the calmer person was the stronger one. "I'll step in and help if need be, but I'm more so worried about the other guy."

"Alright girly," Vince hollered, pointing at Sera and Spark, "It's me and you, one on one. I'm not taking no for an answer. Get your scrawny ass over here and get it kicked!" His Zubat, now completely recovered from that last attack, flapped his wings to maintain altitude. "No one embarrasses me and my family and gets away with it!"

[Kamaitachi]

Regan stepped back as her "Children" sprang to her defense. Sweeping a hand through her hair, she stepped back and reached into her purse, dropping a pokeball on the ground by her side, in the offchance one of the attacks made it through.

Her Togetic appeared on the field with the usual fanfare, floating up protectively in front of Regan. She, at least, trusted Sera on her end of the fight, so she kept her eye firmly fixated on the back of Richie's head. The boy had summoned a Pokemon...and had just given it a nickname.

The nerve.

The boy had charged into the battle with a freshly caught pokemon, possibly without knowing the first thing about it. This wasn't a magical land where trainers frolicked about at sought to win shiny objects of accomplishment. This was a city torn apart by power-hungry maniacs.

But...she had to trust him at least a little. He'd made it into the Rebellion, which hopefully stood for something.

*Bing Bong*

Regan looked down, raising an eyebrow at her Pokenav. An incoming new message from Agent Pontius had just been received:

Agent Columbine,

We've detected a small contingent of Magma troops heading to your location. They should be unaware of your mission, so do continue to keep a low profile.

We are sending you backup. Her name is Violette. This is her first mission in the field.

If you're able, please do keep an eye on the three of them. I want a full report detailing their capabilities.

Godspeed.

As the battle was met, Regan let out a sigh, realizing that they'd already caused a little bit of a stir. Low profile, indeed. They were engaging the staff in battle. Luckily, they had moved to a fairly secluded area, and Pokemon battles like this were not uncommon. Now, yet another woman was joining them, and hopefully didn't have the kind of personality that stood out too much. The clandestine operation was hardly clandestine anymore, so hopefully Regan could continue to keep it under wraps.

"Sophie, on the defense. Do not enter the fray, but be ready to help."

[colourcodedchaos]

((I would like people to bear in mind that I did all this with Teleport, Ally Switch and Illusion. Lateral thinking: it's what's for dinner! [=))

Around five minutes before Regan received her message, a tall, model-beautiful woman was charming the bejeezus out of some security camera operators. She'd selected a muted outfit for her first mission - black dress with a slightly daring cut, low heels, fake Magma badge discreetly placed like a brooch, good cloche hat, faux-Ekans stole, small, achingly expensive designer handbag containing a brick; you know, the usual - and it was certainly having an effect on the rather lumpen, sweaty men who engaged in such operations. Their work was boring, their sex lives non-existent; a beautiful woman pouring on the charm and hanging on their every word was something they had to pinch themselves in order to believe it was happening to them.

While all that was happening, an Abra set off a fire alarm at the back of the hut. With a sigh, the cameramen filed out, though in the rush the woman's stole fell off. A keen observer might've noticed it disappear entirely, but they would've been too busy observing fire safety regulations. One would hope so, anyway. In any event, the Abra spotted the men clustered around the building taking a roll-call while they waited for site security to shut the alarm off. It promptly Teleported through the door and gave a little chirrup to the stole on the floor, which transformed into a tall, model-beautiful woman in a black dress and cloche hat, carrying a slightly larger, achingly expensive designer handbag. The Abra got into the bag and, by grabbing onto this new woman's hand, swapped her and the woman in the crowd, so that she was in the office while the Abra and the fake-beauty were outside. The Abra then Teleported again, now appearing at the left of the fake-woman, just outside the group. It thumbed its nose at the woman, blew a raspberry, and ran off into the fairground proper, the fake-woman taking off after it at speed.

Watching from the window, the real woman knew that she had precisely two minutes to act - and wouldn't this be so much easier if her Abra was telepathic - so she sat at the desk, flicked open her PokeGear, and scanned through the cameras, experience-honed eyes searching through the thousands of faces in the park to find the one she sought-

There she was. Agent Regan, with seconds to spare. The Abra appeared by her side and she told the little Pokemon their destination. It nodded, and they disappeared again, rematerialising in the, er, ladies' convenience next to the hall of mirrors. The fake-woman entered, dissolved, and became a small compact mirror which landed on the floor with a bump. The real woman waited for a few more seconds, left her stall, bent, picked it up, produced some lipstick from her bag, and carefully touched it up as she left the toilet block. She attracted a few envious glances from less well-dressed women, but nothing actively sinister. Everything was, for once, going to plan.

She palmed the compact and mimed putting it in her bag, a practiced motion. She then walked primly to a position behind the hall of mirrors, dropping her compact once she was out of sight. It dissolved, and then became a truly huge man, several hundred pounds of muscle shoved into a cheap suit common to Magma's hired thugs and wearing an expression that wasn't so much murderous as outright genocidal. She then trotted out, adjusting her hat slightly, and gave a small cough, the kind a noblewoman learns early in her life that can carry across a crowded ballroom more easily than cannon fire.

"Now, boys, what on Earth can be the source of all this unpleasantness? I'm sure the young man here is quite harmless, and we don't want a fuss to be made. It might draw all kinds of attention, and we couldn't have that, now, could we?" She walked towards the goons, the growling Neanderthal stomping ponderously behind her as if he was unsure how feet were supposed to work. As she did, the light caught her badge and it glittered almost mockingly. "If you must battle, battle, but afterwards return to your posts immediately. I shall ascertain the affiliation of your young charge, and I will deal with him. So will my good friend Gripper here, won't you, Gripper?" The ogre in the suit snarled and leered dangerously at Vinnie. "Hold on," she said, flipping out an expensive-looking PokeGear, "I have to take this. I'll be right with you..."

A few moments after receiving Agent Pontius' message, another came through almost immediately.

D'you like this hat, old stick? -- V xx

[Protoman]

Richie, who had now noticed the two new people, simply swallowed hard. As a few beads of sweat rolled down his face, he already believed that this mission was becoming a glorious fiasco. Still, the only thing he could do about it was go with it. Vince and Calvin directed their attention to the two new people, simply nodding in response.

"Understood," Calvin responded as he locked eyes with Richie once more. Richie, who was trying to avoid more conflict, made Stonewell return to his ball, placing the sphere on his belt afterwards. "I'll battle him, and you can dish out the punishment to him. It seems fair, right?" Richie, who honestly lost track of everything that was going on, simply nodded in despair. Looking at Dr. Regan, he simply sighed.

"Sorry for getting you dragged into this, mom," Richie stated, trying his hardest to sell the "mom" bit. He groaned to himself, signifying his distaste for referring to her as his mother when she was back in Johto worried sick about him. Regardless, it was for the mission, and he knew what he was supposed to do. "I just wanted to win something special. After I battle, I'll turn myself in to these two." Pointing to the woman with the shiny badge and her powerhouse bodyguard Gripper, Richie looked back at Calvin.

"I take it you're ready," Calvin responded, smiling as he reached for a Poke Ball immediately. Richie shook his head in response, however.

"I want to see your friend go against my fri-sister." Richie caught himself before he completely blew his cover. "I believe that this should be a good match up." With a laugh, Calvin brought his hand from behind his back.

"Agreed," he responded, folding his arms. "But after they're done, we're next."

[Kamaitachi]

I'm assuming that last text was to Regan also?

Regan's eyebrow shot up as another message beeped into existence on her little gadget. "Old Stick" caused her brow to wrinkle in irritation. The woman and the hulking grunt who'd appeared was most likely the backup that Agent Pontius had warned her about, though the speed of her arrival surprised her greatly. Her attitude, on the other, was even more confusing. Apparently, no one got any of their stories straight, which was something that Regan wanted to check in with her superiors about. How were they supposed to run an organization on such limited communication?

Sera and Richie had jumped in on the 'family' game, but here came their reinforcements, who'd disguised herself as a Magma Agent, and had somehow convinced some brute of her authenticity.

Lovely.

She could only hope that the brief message somehow managed to convey her irritation.

Nevertheless, the battle was going to be joined regardless of the newcomer's affect on the field.

"No one's dealing with anyone." Regan crossed her arms, eying Violet with a small smirk. "These are my children and my charges. As their parent and guardian, that would be my responsibility, miss." Not used to how these sorts of situations were supposed to work, Regan wasn't sure if she was to engage her own ally in battle. Would that add value to the 'authenticity' of their fake situation, or would it serve to attract more attention. Even if the battles happened, they needed to take out Vince and Calvin before they reported to any of their actual superiors. That was where Sophie would come in.

However, not wanting her 'children' to be bereft of their battles, especially since Pokemon trainers seemed so deadset on fighting through to the end, she would at least wait until the battles were over to incapacitate the two enemies.

"Children, do make this quick; we haven't all day, and there's still much more of the fair we've yet to see."