[Gashnaw] The Orange Islands [Vanity]

[Vanity]

“The Orange Islands?” replied a voice, both tough and feminine. She wasn't so much confused as she was surprised, just double checking that she had heard her orders right. She stood leaning on her right leg, a hand on her hip and her brow raised.

The figure stood in a crisp but well-worn uniform of black cloth for her jacket and short skirt and grey boots and gloves. A scarlet R marked her jacket's chest and a beanie hat topped her head, covering her short hair, all of which was dyed a dark pink. It suited her, she thought, and had been a style she had stuck with through the years. It had made her stand out among the others, even if just physically, and while it wasn't the most conspicuous hairstyle, it appealed to her none the less. The woman's name was Brooklyn, although it was far more common to see her refer to herself as Brooke or something to a similar effect.

Jack stared back at the man in front of her, waiting for a response. “It's a simple enough mission, I think. I can handle it. But why the Orange Islands? I don't know anyone who's been sent there, and I certainly haven't before.” She scratched her chin, waiting for a response, but still she got none. “The boss has never really been one to branch out too far from home, now is he? This must be quite important if he intends on sending little ole' me off to a scary new region.” Obvious sarcasm flooded her voice, which finally managed to gain a reaction from the man standing in front of her.

“I don't make your orders, Brooklyn, as much as I'd like to. You know that.” His voice was stern and serious, unlike Brooke's naturally playful tones. His name was Cal, apparently, although she knew that it was but a codename. Few of the higher ranking operatives used their real names. “I just give them to you.”

He passed her a red folder containing a brief but adequate dossier. It was the one that Brooke had been told to investigate. His Pokémon were to be “liberated” to further Team Rocket's goals. A simple task, even if he proved to be a skilled battler. Brooke wasn't uneducated in the ways of Pokémon battling, that was for sure. She flicked over it briefly, although paid little attention to the actual details. They could be dealt with later. Brooklyn flicked it closed again and slid it into her bag.

“I'll see you again in a week,” Brooke replied, a devious smile on her lips which a chuckle escaped from. She turned and left, heading down the corridor and back to her quarters to pack. She'd be off to the Orange Islands in a few hours. How interesting.

 

[Gashnaw]

Bryan had now been living on Orange Islands for three years. He originally resided in the Hoenn region on a mission to become the greatest trainer in the world. However that mission was cancelled when he found a true passion in surfing. Then after one surf competition and placing first he was invited to participate in the Orange Islands Championship, and although he had not won in four years, with competition being so much tougher than Hoenn, he always had fun trying to win. That was also another region he took up permanent residence upon Orange Islands. Unlike Hoenn, the Orange Islands had nice surfing weather year round.

"Another Amazing stunt from Hoenn's Homeboy" A booming voice form a speaker on the beach echoes. It was the name Bryan And used when he first arrived at the Orange Islands, feeling like he alone was representing the raw Talent form Hoenn, these days however, he wished to change his name to Just Plain old Bryan, Luckily many people were calling him that these days.
"Oh and a wipeout from Kyle, last years champion. Obviously his knee injury will be holding him back this year."

Bryan And Kyle had been bitter rivals since he first showed up. Although Kyle had been winning championships before Bryan's invitation, Kyle was like Bryan originating form another region, and although Bryan had heard a lot form the Jhoto region, he just never got around to visiting.

"Come on out Ali" Bryan Said Releasing Vaporeon form her pokeball. Ali was short For Alizee, which was what Bryan had nicknamed his Eevee when he first got her, and although he never planned to evolve her, Eevee somehow managed to find a water stone and purposely evolve so she could swim with Bryan as he took on the waves. Her purple skin was one thing that really made Ali stand out form others though ,as most knew Vaporeon to have blue skin, making Ali a Truly rare find indeed. But Bryan didn't love Ali because of her rarity but instead the connection the two shared.

 

[Vanity]

The boat trip had been a long one, and while Brooklyn had stayed in moderate comfort thanks to the comfy seats and beds, it had still taken a few hours to arrive, and wasn't overly pleasurable. Few types of travel were, Brooke thought, as she trekked on foot across the warm sandy beach, sand seeping in between her toes and onto the tops of her feet. This was a bit more like it. Nice and relaxing.

She now stood along one of the many sandy coasts which sat between the sea and one of the various islands in the Orange Islands. The ocean waves curled against the sand and a brisk but pleasant wind pulled at Brooke's clothes and hair. Unlike a few hours previous, Brooke was no longer dressed in her previous warm and noticeable Rocket uniform, but had changed into something more suitable for the warm Orange summers, and more importantly something without the large Rocket logo printed on it. Instead, a white bikini top had replaced her shirt and jacket and a pair of short jeans had replaced her shorts. While she was currently walking bear-footed, she held a pair of sandals in her right hand. While she was here on business, it helped to look the part, and there was no reason why she couldn't treat this like a short holiday.

Taking slow steps, Brooklyn made her way to the very large crowd that had formed further down along the beach, melding into the groups. They were all here for the surfing contest, which was why Brooke was here. Sort of. Her target was participating today, and it would be the perfect excuse to talk to him after the contest. Bryan his name was, if Brooklyn remembered correctly. Bryan something or other. Native to Hoenn although moved down here several years back, he had become something of a local favourite.

Brooke watched from the sidelines of the crowd, catching the faintest glimpse of purple and pink in the oceans beside the surfer. A Vaporeon, and Brooklyn's target, the damned thing. Bizarrely coloured Pokémon always fetched a pretty penny more than the regulars, and Team Rocket was focused on the profits, as any corporation would be. Waiting from the sides, tapping her right foot against the soft sand, Brooke waited patiently for the contest to be over and for Bryan to return to shore. A few conversations between the other viewers gave her a little insight into the situation, although it was mostly about who they thought was going to win, which was of little help to her.

 

[Gashnaw]

It was seeming to be another year that Bryan would not win. He didn't mind though. He knew the competition was always going to be tough. That was why he moved. He needed to be constantly challenged, Hoenn would not have done that for him.
"It's Alright Ali, all i can do is keep trying right?" He laughed as Vaporeon nuzzled him happily.Truthfully Bryan was getting a little irritated from all the constant defeats but he would be damned it that let him down. He was always happy to surf, and even when the competition was over, nothing truly beat the ability to let his Pokemon out and surf or swim with them.

"This year's winner is Mathew Shines" The voice Echoes and Bryan Laughed. He actually found the name quite funny He never actually called Mathew by that though, instea he always referred to him and Singapore, mainly due to the drink he almost always saw him with."

"Hey man, Nice work." Bryan said congratulating Matt.
"I have been waiting a long time to hear my name called" Matt said holding the Trophy Tightly. "How is Vaporeon doing?"
"Alizee" Cryan said Quickly
"What?" Matt asked.
"Her Name is Alizee, I mean I don't call you Caucasian, i call you Matt"
"Actually you call me Singapore" Matt Corrected with a laugh. "But how is Alizee Doing? I still think we should pair her up With my Jolteon."
"Last time I checked, she hated your Jolteon. Typical Male just trying to mate with her. As Far as I'm concerned, she can remain pure as long as she wants. Besides I don't think her breeding will immediately get another rare colored Eevee. I Mean Professor Ivy has no clue what causes it and even Professor Oak from Kanto has no idea why that happens. It's just a rare thing indeed." Bryan explained calmly.
"Kinda wish I had one though. When I'm cruising the Sevii Islands it would be col to have a shiny Jolteon to show off. Then I would have all the chicks."

Rolling his Eyes Bryan decided to leave Matt to his daydream and grab a soda and grabbing some food For Ali. It had been a long hot day and the sun setting on eh coast was just proving that the warm days were going to continue. Maybe a day of relaxing would be nice before he would grab his board and tackle some more waves.

"Wanna battle?" Another surfer asked. That was another thing that Ali often was the cause of. So many people wanted to battle Bryan because of Alizee's rare color.
"Nah not today. Just gonna relax you know. Maybe another time." Bryan responded tossing his soda can in the trash. "Although Matt thinks he can take on the world right now. Why not give him a wake up call."

 

[Vanity]

The surfing contest took another few minutes to end, and thankfully, for Brooklyn at least, she had arrived following its end. That meant less time to wait, and she had never been particularly comfortable waiting for long periods of time. The surfers came to the shore, their performances having finished and the judges ready to evaluate their skills on the water. Bryan, Brooke's target, did not win the competition, instead being beaten by a man named Matthew Shines. This was a good thing however, Brooklyn felt, as it meant that a celebration crowd wouldn't be following him for the next hour or so, congratulating him on his recent win. Getting him alone would be simpler indeed, and so one of her many plans could unfold.

Although the crowds vanished, Brooklyn stayed behind, watching as Bryan conversed with a few people (who she assumed to be his friends) and tended to his oddly coloured Vaporeon. The Rocket Executive attempted to make herself seem less suspicious and sat herself down for a moment, finding a comfortable position in the warm sand. She glanced off towards the ocean. The sun would set soon. An hour and a half before it was dark, Brooke guessed, but despite it nearly being evening it felt as hot as midday. No wonder most of the Orange Islands were covered in tropics.

As Bryan began to trail away from the beach, Brooke scrambled into action, up onto her feet, dusting off the sand that clung to her legs and slipping on her sandals. She was almost jogging in his direction, making sure that she closed the distance. She slowed herself down within a few metres of him, but still kept a strong pace.

“Bryan!” she called. The announcer had mentioned his name during the contest, so it shouldn't have seemed odd that Brooklyn knew his name. She moved up to face him. A shy smile was upon Brooke's face, completely uncharacteristically of her. “Bryan? Umm, hi. I just wanted to say that you were really good out there. I think you should have won.” Brooke was trying to be as friendly as possible. Try to gain his trust, after all.

 

[Gashnaw]

Alizee snapped around to face Brook at the sound of her voice and began growling, Bryan turned to face the woman who spoke and then pet Ali's head.
"Ali be nice." He said calmly coming his hand through his hair. "Thanks for the compliment but if I didn't win it was because i was outdone, not because i was cheated out of it. I a use to tough competition and its nice to know that you can always be better, if you are the best, whats the point of continuing to thrive to be better. ALI"
Alizee had just headbutted Brook which Bryan quickly pulled out his pokeball returning Ali.
"Sorry she usually doesn't do that. She is usually really good with strangers."

Looking over her clothing Bryan smirked. Although many people dressed the same in the usual areas, Bryan had become quite keen on telling the tourists from the locals, Brook's posture clued him in pretty quickly.
"So where are ya from, Jhoto, Sinnoh?" He asked casually as he continued to walk towards town. "Were you here for the surf competition or was that just a bonus for visiting this time of year?"

Bryan clued into many details quickly such as Brook's obvious appearance proving she was from out of town, Matt who had given him a snarky look leaving with an attractive female even though he didn't win and brook's interest in him but not for being a great surfer or attractive, She had an interest in his processions but he wasn't sure which one it was yet.
"I guess Business is pretty brutal." he said calmly "I mean you're here on bussiness right, no time for vacationing? Want some dinner?"" He change the subject at the end as he had arrived at a burger joint, not really the best food in the world but Bryan wasn't really much of a cook, for him it was usually fast food, microwave dinners or whatever his backpack had in it at the time. He wasn't always proud of what he ate but his surfing usually balanced it out,

((I just realized something. If people in the pokemon eat meat, what are they eating? Same with eggs... In the cartoon ash was eating eggs... in the real world we don't think about it...))

 

[Vanity]

The Vaporeon, its scales shining in brilliant shades of pink and purple, growled and hissed at Brooke's arrival. Despite its attempts at fending off Brooke, clearly feeling that something was wrong with her, the woman hardly flinched. She had been threatened by more than a swimming rat before, and certainly would be again. The Vaporeon's attempts with less than threatening. She feigned a nervous expression soon after though, acting startled by the water-types reaction to her. All part of the act, of course. Brooke was rather surprised to see the thing actively attack her, although it was not a violent attack. It was a warning charge. Bryan quickly recalled the Vaporeon before it could do any further harm, however. Luckily for it, however, as any more and Brooklyn would have strangled the damned thing.

Brooke smiled at Bryan's question, wondering where she had come from. He had a keen eye, he'd give her that. “Johto,” she lied, improvising. She had intended on saying that she made her home on one of the other islands, but Johto would do. “Blackthorne, specifically. It's not the warmest place in the world, so I'm just enjoying the sun here for a while. And the surfing contest was a bonus. Just so happened to walk in as you started surfing.[/b]”

The two walked slowly off of the beach and towards one of the main towns. Brooklyn had slipped her shoes back on her feet, finding the stone and concrete roads uncomfortable to walk across for too long, and was comfortably matching Bryan's walking speed. Bryan assumed that Brooke was here on business. She was, as he would find out in due time, but she said she was not. “No, actually. I've had some family living here for a while and I thought it high time I visited them for once. Haven't seen them in years, now that I think about it.” They stopped outside a fast food restaurant selling burgers and other fried foods. It wasn't classy, but it certainly was delicious. “Of course. I'm hungry.”

“Oh, and I almost forgot.” Brooklyn recomposed herself, standing up straight and smiling once again. “My name's Alice,” she lied again. It'd take some effort to keep up with all of them. “Your name was Bryan, wasn't it? I'm sure that's what the announcer said”.