[Game] Lord Windos' PokeRole Adventure: Celadon City Vandel

[Dragonstrike]

"Whew...okay, that's a lot better...finally able to sit up...thanks, Wigglytuff.  Good morning, Mew.  Sorry about last night...but thank you as well.  You can continue to rest for the time being.  You've more than earned it.  Now then...I'm surprised you've forgotten about this already, Emily.  I would have thought it would have been one of the first things on your mind since I told you about it already."  Another sly smile from him as he takes out Porygon's pokeball and hands it to her.

"Well, go on.  Gotta meet your new friend for the first time at some point, right?"

[Lord Windos]

"Whew...okay, that's a lot better...finally able to sit up...thanks, Wigglytuff.  Good morning, Mew.  Sorry about last night...but thank you as well.  You can continue to rest for the time being.  You've more than earned it.  Now then...I'm surprised you've forgotten about this already, Emily.  I would have thought it would have been one of the first things on your mind since I told you about it already."  Another sly smile from him as he takes out Porygon's pokeball and hands it to her.

"Well, go on.  Gotta meet your new friend for the first time at some point, right?"

It took Emily a moment for the cogs in her to make a full revolution, but when it clicked, an estatic expression blossomed on their face, and they suddenly rushed over to you and picked you up in a great big hug! Lucky for you, she was restraining the crushing power of her chuckles, but they still managed to twirl you around as they spun on the floor in happiness.  Mew had a bemused look on their face at the spectacle of a grown man being manhandled by a little girl, and let out a giggle before they closed their eyes and dozed off for a bit. She sends you a sublimental message that basically says they are able to keep watch and alert him like this, but she isn't quite ready to actively engage in a vigorous battle unless REALLY pressed.

Noticing you starting to turn green, they quickly put you down and regain you balanced, looking appropreitly bashful for almost causing you to lose last night's supper. "Hehehe....sorry about that too. I just got so happy, I had to share it with you! At least I didn't hurt you this time, mister!" she said, before they pressed their index fingers together as they thought of something else to ask you. " ....Mind if I have a couple of you rations, mister? I...don't want to leave the room right now, since I want to keep Mew company while they get better, and spend some time with Porgyon too. And...a can of that meat as well? I saw that you had some in the bag, and its making me hungry just thinking about it... is that a part of my changes too, mister?"

[Dragonstrike]

Well, now he was slightly dizzy...he shakes it off though.  No time for that!

"Yeah, at least you didn't hurt me this time...ahem...anyways...alright, if you'd rather stay in here, that's fine.  If you need anything from me, you can just let Mew know, and she'll tell me right away with her telepathy.  She'll be monitoring the area just in case."

What an odd question about food, though...

"It might be...it seems you've got the instincts of a Doduo on top of the physical traits and attributes.  I'm not sure if you'll like the meat, though...that's for Weavile and Arbok primarily.  But who am I talk?  I certainly don't know what it's like to be part pokemon all of a sudden.  If you want to try it, I won't stop you.  Just be careful with it, and please don't make a mess of the room if you can avoid it.  That stuff is pretty messy."

He also hands her a can of that meat along with some rations (not like he badly needed rations right now anyways)...hopefully that didn't end badly for either of them...

"Now then, one more thing before I take off for the time being...you might want to wear these..."

And then he also pulls out a pair of really tough looking gloves and one of his spare pairs of sunglasses.

"...to hide your hands and eyes if you need to leave the room.  Fairly obvious, but they're better than nothing.  I was hoping to ask Lilith if she had anything more subtle last night, but she took off after handing me Porygon and my new jacket before I could say a word to her about it.  I can always ask her later, though."

[Lord Windos]

Emily was unusuaully eager to take the food items off your hands, and you could see her salvating at the thought of eating that meat. Just as see was about to rip open the can and gobble down the content (Without making a mess, as you requested), your timely gift of gloves and glasses distracted her, startling her out of that hungry trace. "Oh! Thank you again, mister! I was getting weird look from some people yesterday when I got up to get a midnight snack at the cafeteria, but these will help out. Well, at least people won't be staring at my eyes and hands, but that is alright! I'll just tell them I have sensitive eyes and hand if they ask!" they said, before giving you one last quick hug (That didn't hurt!) and went over the bed to sit down with Mew. When she started to get that ravonous look in their eyes and saw their hands twitching towards the can, though, you quickly took that as your cue to vacate the premises. No need to stick around and learn how a little girl takes to raw meat and fish....yeech.

[Dragonstrike]

Welp, out into the morning air he goes!  He hoped Emily would be alright...what was he thinking?  Of course she would be.  He'd still check on her later, but with Mew, Poygon, and Wigglytuff, she was hardly alone, and in no way undefended.

Wait a second...uh oh...there's someone he knows...shoot...Lindworm...what the heck was he doing so far from Blackthorn?  

And he's walking straight towards Reiner now...great...

[Lord Windos]

Welp, out into the morning air he goes!  He hoped Emily would be alright...what was he thinking?  Of course she would be.  He'd still check on her later, but with Mew, Poygon, and Wigglytuff, she was hardly alone, and in no way undefended.

Wait a second...uh oh...there's someone he knows...shoot...Lindworm...what the heck was he doing so far from Blackthorn?  

And he's walking straight towards Reiner now...great...

With the same dramatic flair that accompanied all the Dragon Acollates from Blackthorn City (One of the myriad things that pissed you off about the Traditionalists), Lindworm marched right up to you and looked the same as ever: aloof, but every so slightly....worried? "Reiner Arendse," he said, his tone fairly neutral despite the look over he was giving to you. "It has been...ages since we last meet, since the Elder expelled you from our city," they said, looking fairly uncomfortable mention that black mark on your history; strange, since the other Masters would have jumped on the chance to lord it over you. He noticed the glare you were giving him, and he just let out a saddened sigh, before nodding his head to themselves.

"I....know I am one of the last people you want to see right now, but I would not seek you out like this unless the information I had was important. To be direct, it concerns your...recent years of activity, Reiner. You are to be kept in the dark about this until its too late for you to react, but I refuse to allow you to be abused by the Dragon Elder Concul again for your transactions. Please Reiner, hear me out...." Lindworm looks fairly worried now, as he slowly got wound up by what they wanted to tell you...with your permission, of course. What the heck is this all about?

[Dragonstrike]

With the same dramatic flair that accompanied all the Dragon Acollates from Blackthorn City (One of the myriad things that pissed you off about the Traditionalists), Lindworm marched right up to you and looked the same as ever: aloof, but every so slightly....worried? "Reiner Arendse," he said, his tone fairly neutral despite the look over he was giving to you. "It has been...ages since we last meet, since the Elder expelled you from our city," they said, looking fairly uncomfortable mention that black mark on your history; strange, since the other Masters would have jumped on the chance to lord it over you. He noticed the glare you were giving him, and he just let out a saddened sigh, before nodding his head to themselves.

"I....know I am one of the last people you want to see right now, but I would not seek you out like this unless the information I had was important. To be direct, it concerns your...recent years of activity, Reiner. You are to be kept in the dark about this until its too late for you to react, but I refuse to allow you to be abused by the Dragon Elder Concul again for your transactions. Please Reiner, hear me out...." Lindworm looks fairly worried now, as he slowly got wound up by what they wanted to tell you...with your permission, of course. What the heck is this all about?

Straight and to the point attitude at first.  Reiner doesn't exactly want to deal with him right now.  "Lindworm.  Can't say I expected to see you here."

Wait...what? Okay, now he was slightly more interested in what Lindworm had to say...why the heck was Lindworm of all people seeking out little old him?  And against the Blackthorn elders' wishes as well?  Something seemed off...

"Keep talking..."

[Lord Windos]

Straight and to the point attitude at first.  Reiner doesn't exactly want to deal with him right now.  "Lindworm.  Can't say I expected to see you here."

Wait...what? Okay, now he was slightly more interested in what Lindworm had to say...why the heck was Lindworm of all people seeking out little old him?  And against the Blackthorn elders' wishes as well?  Something seemed off...

"Keep talking..."

Lindworm let out a thankful sigh of relief, looking surprisingly happy that you accepting his plea. Looking around furitively for a bit, he leads you over to a quieter part of the festival, a quiet café tucked away from everyone else. He ordered a couple of coffee and a crossant for himself, before they reschooled their expression once more. No one else was around, so anything said would be completely private and between the two of you.

"I will be straight and to the point with you, Reiner, since I don't want to hinder you in...whatever you are currently trying to accomplish. The fact that you have every reason to hate me and everyone else in Blackthorn will make what I say hard to believe, but please keep an open mind and try not to overeact...much. *Sigh* The Dragon Elder Concul want to bring you back to our home city...and charge you with Treasonous behavior and violating the sacred code of the Dragon Masters. Ever since you were expelled, you were added to the list of the Disgraced Dragon Trainers, people not permitted to be allowed within Blackthorn or partake in their services, as you are painfully well aware. The thing is...that never fully disqualified you from becoming a Dragon Master, it only barred you from the city. The Elders have been keeping close watch over your activities since you left, observing your development and growth as a Pokémon Trainer. While the city scorns your past thievery, and the Elders were furious at you evolving Kingdra without permission, they DID see the potential within you to become a Dragon Master, instead of a waste of space punk," he said, rubbing his forehead as they took a chug of their coffee, wetting his throat. Lindworm was not the talkative type, so the fact they were saying this much and MORE to you speaks volumes.

"...So instead of stripping you of your Pokémon and throwing you in jail/house arrest for the next fifteen years or so, they came up with this cruel test of their: Take away all the support you had ever known, make you persona non grata in Blackthorn, then throw you out and see how you fair in the world by yourself. They saw that you had potential, but they still had to punish you for breaching the ancient laws, so they compromised and decided to do this. If you survived and gained control over your Kingdra within 5 years, then one of the Acollates would escort you back to the city, where you would be made a Dragon Master for time served and achieved. This was all decided in secret with me and the rest of the Gym acting as the senate. I objected to this action, as it was plainly too extreme for a young adult to suffer for just trying to follow in our footsteps, but everyone else overruled me, and the decision was cast. I never got the chance to find you and apologize before you disappeared, but I want to say that I'm sorry. Sorry that this whole mess occurred in the first place...." he said, before facepalming in distress of the whole ordel. Wait....what the heck did he just say. He wasn't finished, unfortunately, as Lindworm continued to speak through his hands, not looking directly at you.

"However, that plan was derail when Team Rocket recruited you, and started employing your talent to commit burglary and Pokémon theft. As they say you go against all their expectation, tarnishing the name of Blackthorn and its ancestors...they want to launch an assault to immediantly get you back and punish you severely. However, they decided to wait a couple of years and give you a chance to abidict from them, being lenient since you were improving as a Dragon Master under their tutelage, no matter how vile it seemed to them. When you didn't, though...they called a Wild Hunt on you. Every Dragon Master in Kanto and Jhoto, including me technically, has been called upon to challenge you and bring you in for your trail in Blackthorn. In recongnition of your power and strenght, the first person the sent to apprehend you...is your cousin Clair. She's expected to arrive in Celadon City by Friday, and she won't leave until she has found you. She is too fierce and determined to give up on such a task, especially when it handed straight to her from the Elders and concerning you, the black sheep of your family. I...refuse to participate in this event, as I fully understand why you went to Team Rocket and took up their cause: they were the only people that ever acknowledge you talent and nutured them. I find their goals objectable...but I find the Elder's descisions even more so. I came here to warn you about this, so you have the chance to react how you like, Reiner. What will you do, my fellow Dragon Master?"

[Dragonstrike]

Reiner can hardly believe what he's just heard.

They'd been testing him?  

Watching him for the past 4 years without him knowing?

And now that they'd deemed he'd failed the test, they were on a manhunt for him?

And the first one who would have the honor of challenging and humiliating him...would be his cousin, Clair?

Lindworm was lucky Reiner was now an empath and knew he wasn't lying.  At all.  About anything he'd just said.

"You have got to be kidding me...ugh...ya know, this is some really terrible timing on their part..."

He looks really serious (and a little ticked off) now.  He looks around, making sure nobody besides Lindworm, and I mean nobody, can hear what he's about to say next.  Not even the Rocket Grunt that's so obviously shadowing him to report to Proton.

"I'm going to level with you since I know for a fact you're being completely honest with me.  Don't ask how.  

"I don't really care too much for Team Rocket's goals either.  But if the elders think they can get away with what they did to me, they're going to find out they've bit off more than they can chew.  Clair can come after me all she likes.  I'm going to laugh at her when my Kingdra shows her the might of the one move she so desperately wants to teach her own Kingdra.  Show her that I've achieved something even she can't.  I didn't spend the past 4 years just wallowing in self pity.  I'll show them how strong we've become.  How tightly bonded we are.

"I don't avoid advertising myself as a Blackthorn City Dragon Tamer for no reason.  Dragon Tamer, yes.  Blackthorn City, no.  And I certainly don't advertise myself as a member of Team Rocket on top of that.  I have no desire to shame any of the actually decent Dragon Tamers out there, much less draw even more attention than usual.  I don't care what the elders think of that.  I don't need their approval to know I'm strong, not any more.  Not after they abandoned me to the world.  Not after other entities recognized me for what I desired to achieve.  The elders are two years to late to do much of anything about that now.  Lance himself could come after me, and I still wouldn't back down if I thought I could take him.  I'm done with trying to please them, and they're only going to receive the full extent of my ire when it's finally time for it.

Back to looking a little less ticked, though still talking very quietly.

"I appreciate the warning.  And the sincerity.  I've got a trick or two up my sleeve that's going to make Clair think twice about challenging me.  And the elders from continuing this foolhardy approach of theirs.  And even if they somehow do get me, Team Rocket's not going to let me go now.  The boss would make sure they'd pay for trying."

[Lord Windos]

Lindworm let out a weary sigh, and your empathy more or less picks up that he was expecting just such a response, before he reached into his clock and withdrew a Pokeball, and rolled it over to you. You brought up the holographic display, and it turns out its a Dragonair , one with Extreme Speed at that! You gave an astonished look to the normally tacturn man, and he brings his hands together in response, looking you dead in the eyes. "I know. You truly have the will of a Dragon, and are nearly as wrathful when someone has committed a great wrong against you. Nothing I say will stop your quest for righteous vengeance and, quite frankly, I don't want to do a damn thing. The Elders and the rest of the current Gym are far too arrogant, prideful, and stubborn as they are, and that is factoring in our deep cultural heritage to our patron type. The fact that they consider Exile and Parahship a reasonable foundation for a test , and not reserved for the highest punishment, says something about how severe Blackthorn has become over the centuries of hidebound traditionalism. The city needs to change, and it needed to for a long time. I would try to champion it, make Blackthorn a mecca not just for serious Dragon Trainers or strict traditionalist, but a place to foster talent of all kinds. To expand, grow, and improve upon our traditional teaching and develop new techniques and arts to elevate the power of Dragon types to magnificent heights! Bring in an age of prosperity that could make Blackthorn a true rival to Safforn City and Goldenrod, not just some inclusive town of Dragon fanatics and cultist! Most of all, I want a future for my home, and not have it being relegated as a relic, obselite to all but the select few interest."

The Dragon trainer let out a dishearting sigh, though, and took another chug of his coffee, trying to calm his nerves after such a bold, treasonous speech. He looked downwards, and just shook his head to himself, feeling most displeased. "I can't, though. I don't have the power to take on the Elders and Gym in Blackthorn, the resources to help rebuild and modernize Blackthorn into a city the likes of Goldenrod, a network of allies and power people to back me up as to revolutionize the city, and keep discrimination and disidents in check. I don't have any of that....but you do, Reiner. I despise Team Rocket's greedy, power hungry goal to take over Kanto, Jhoto, and perhaps even the world if they could manage such a feat. I hate that they traffic stolen Pokémon, openly endorse Gambling and Thuggish behavior, sell and promot the use of drugs and illicit material in battles. What they do is terrible, and we both know that. However, in the decade since they have been active, almost all other crime has drop drastically, as Team Rocket crowds out and locks down on smaller crime organizations. You group isn't a cabal of murders, rapists, slave trafficers, or Serial Killers, but professional, trained, and efficient mob style criminals, solely motivated by the gain of wealth and power. Even with the bad things I've said, that same behavior has resulted in the areas they control having a sustaintal boost in the local economy, and has brought with it modernization and actual progress in an efficient, effective manner. Team Rocket even has an actual hierarchy, Code of Condut, and rule/laws that each and every member must follow, or face swift punishment. For all the bad they have caused, their is no denying they have brought greatness with them as well."

He shook his head and took a bite of his pastry, both as a break in his conversation and to help fill his stomach. He hadn't had breakfast before he found you, and its part of the reason why they lead you to this private café in the first place! "As a high ranking member of this organization, you have everything necessary to transform Blackthorn into a far better place than it is, even if the cost of the action means it becomes a den of crime and treachery. Too me and you, its worth it all if Blackthorn changes into something even remotely better than its current state. After all, and I can't stress this enough, exile just for wanting to be a Dragon Master is wrong. I have no desire to join your organization, to help further their goals, but I do want to support you, Reiner. You've experienced the worst the city has to offer, and have grown and learned far more from the outside world than if you just remained clostered up at home. That burning desire for revenge, that passion for change, the willpower to commit to a task and achieve it. You have everything within you needed to raze the old order to the ground...and erract a new one that can bring great for Dragon Trainer for ages to come. When the time comes for you and your compartriots and allies to march upon Blackthorn....you can count me among your number." He says, before reaching into his pocket and handing you a card with just his number on it, and getting up from his seat (Taking his coffee and crossant in hand).

"I'll be in the Celadon until the Flower Festival ends, my friend. If you need my support for anything not directly related to Team Rocket....just give me a call. I need to get going now, before any other Dragon Trainer or one of Erika's Gym Acollates becomes suspicious. If you have anything else to say, speak now."