whitehairedprettyboy | 01 $$ [video/action for Rocket base]

Excuse me!

[ A man with a long white ponytail and an immaculately tailored (though unusually green) suit graces your PokéGear screen this morning. He appears rather put out, for some reason. ]

I demand to know who is in charge here! I ask that you kindly return me to where I came from! I'm a very busy man, and I don't appreciate being... kidnapped, or whatever it is you've done to me!

[ He pauses, takes a breath, and smooths down the front of his suit. ]

Whoever you are, it is in your best interest to release me before my employees get here. [ His lip curls. ] And if you were going to go so far as to provide me with clothes, you might at least have made them a bit more fashionable. How you expected me to wear those rags...

[ Having said his piece, he reaches for the Gear, presumably to turn it off, when a long green snout comes abruptly into view, sniffing inquisitively. His Snivy's curious about the lighty box, it seems. ]

Ah, yes - and if someone could elucidate me as to what exactly these... creatures are, it would be most appreciated. At least this one seems to have good sense, for the most part - stop smelling that!

[ The Snivy straightens up, trying to look dignified. This is the sort of Snivy who would never think of sticking his face all over a PokéGear. What would make you think that? ]

[ The man, for his part, turns back to the camera. ] If you can provide me with some answers as to what's going on in this place, I will see to it that you are handsomely rewarded. The sooner, the better.

[ And the feed shuts off. ]

-----

[ Any Rockets hanging around the base, feel free to bug Valmont if you run into him in the hallway! You'll recognize him. He's the one in very non-regulation green and a foul mood. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Y...es.]

Basically, yes. You can also capture more, which is generally a good idea because they can have up to two of seventeen different elemental affinities...

[...he pauses.]

...possibly eighteen, actually, depending on what were supposed to take from recent discoveries... but yes. Though, if you put it like that, now you've got me curious.

Seventeen elements? I had been under the impression that there were only eight. Fire, wind, water, that sort of thing. [ He could name all the elements he knows, but he doesn't want to. Unpleasant memories. ]

You're curious about the sort of things I've had to do, hmm? [ Time to whine about his life. The best kind of time. ] Well, for starters, there was when my employees and I had to retrieve twelve talismans that were scattered around the globe. [ Mostly the employees, but. ] You have no idea the sort of drain that takes on your resources.

Well, they're called types here, but that's the easiest way to describe them. There are ones that resemble the classical elements, like Fire, Water, Ground, and Flying for wind --- but there are some that are a bit odd, like Bug and Dragon. ...eight is a bit of a strange number on my end, though, as five is the number I'm more familiar with.

Actually... I have some idea, but it was really just two priceless relics in my case. ...it would've been one if someone hadn't stolen the first one.

I used to think there were only four, myself. But - how familiar are you with demons? Because apparently there's one demon for each element, and I've gotten up close and personal with exactly eight of them. Far too close and personal with one, but that's another matter. [ He shudders at the mention of Dragon type. No more dragons. Please. ]

[ His face brightens a bit, though, upon hearing that Kayneth knows that feel. ] Really! Then you understand exactly what I've gone through! Just about all of the ones I was looking for ended up being stolen, too. Was an archaeologist involved in your case, by any chance?

Hm... well, I'm vaguely familiar, but I suspect demons where you're from are a bit different than demons when I'm from. They... usually are.

[everything is stranger in Nasu]

No... a student of mine with a chip on his shoulder, actually. Former student, to be more accurate...

[...said with a great deal more venom than everything else...]

More than one world has to deal with demons? You have my sympathies. [ He means it, too, which is unusual. But demons are something he wouldn't wish on anyone, not after what he's been through. ]

Hmm, it sounds like we both have to deal with some rather vexing people. Did you at least end up retrieving your artifacts from this student of yours?

Well, it's not like the ones in my world are terribly difficult to deal with, if you know what you're doing... but it really does depend on the demon, I'm sure.

And no, but I really didn't expect to get it back, given what it was being used for. I did make do with another one I could use for the same purpose, but it didn't... work out as well as I had hoped.

Clearly, our demons are different, then. Those in my world were rather... troublesome. [ Let's put it that way. ]

[ Hmm. ] What exactly were you using these artifacts for? [ Do they have magical powers, perhaps? Magic artifacts are very, very relevant to his interests. ]

Oh, I can imagine. They seem to be rather different across worlds, so I wouldn't be too surprised if there were vast differences in power between them.

And they were for summoning the souls of ancient heroes that had some sort of connection to them... well, hopefully. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some mix ups at some points.

[SAID... NONCHALANTLY]

Indeed. They can't have very much in common apart from the name. [ He hopes. ] Thank goodness for small favors.

Summoning souls? [ This is intriguing. ] Sounds like rather a nice change; all we ever summoned were demons and more demons. What does one do with a summoned soul, correct hero or not?

Well, I wouldn't know. I'd probably have to experience them personally to really explain the difference, and from the way you've been putting it I'd rather not...

Anyway, you have them fight other heroes for a chance at the Holy Grail. So far, nobody's actually won it, but that's the intent, anyway.

01 $$ [video/action for Rocket base]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]

[video]