garbagechild | 001. [Video/Action for Goldenrod Rocket HQ]

[Video]

_{[Victims of motion sickness beware, because there's about to be a good two minutes of jerky, dizzying footage of the floor, the ceiling, an upside-down bed, and what appears to be the foot of a small child. The telltale sounds of hands grappling with a PokeGear are what dominate the audio feed, but murmuring in the background are what sound like deep, rumbling growls and a youthful, high-pitched voice-- probably belonging to the owner of that foot.]

[And then all at once the camera stops and gives everybody a great view of a pair of nostrils and, somewhere above them, a slightly more pleasant-to-behold pair of bright blue eyes.]}

--ink... I think it's a toy.

But not the kind you chase.

The other kind.

Um.

A puzzle.

_{[The screen jitters again-- now it's mostly tangled black hair on the screen, and a bony shoulder poking out a shirt that's way too big for it. Behind it is an expanse of leathery-looking flesh probably belonging to whatever's doing all that growling.]}

Ahuh... yeah, it's definitely a puzzle. I can tell 'cause it's got a lot of buttons.

_{[A chorus of deafening beeps sound as the kid promptly sets about trying to solve the puzzle by PRESSING EVERYTHING until the PokeGear is gently removed from his grasp by a set of bulky, blunt-clawed hands. And then, at a proper angle for the first time in this entire broadcast, a Kangaskhan's face appears in front of the screen, rumbling softly in greeting. She knows what a PokeGear is for! ... But then almost immediately a pair of pale little hands pop over the Pokemon's shoulder and try to grab the camera back.]}

No, no, I wanna solve it! I wanna solve the puzzle! Please? Please! Pl-- whoa!

_{[Standing all the way up, the Kangaskhan holds the camera in front of her and starts to plod across the small, undecorated dormlike room they're in, presumably towards the door, and presumably with her pint-sized trainer dangling from the 'puzzle'. Aaaand after some jostling, the feed cuts.]}

[Action for Rockets]

_{[In a building full of sneaky people, another sneaky person doesn't really stand out unless they're particularly bad at sneaking.]

[It just so happens that Wrath is not exactly the best at this.]

[Give him trees or bushes and sure, he can creep around like a good little let's-not-run-into-this-thing-in-the-dark. But all these winding hallways are slightly more alien territory, and there's only so many ways you can hide behind a corner without getting spotted. Especially when your GIANT KANGASKHAN STARTER KEEPS ON MARCHING STRAIGHT DOWN THE HALL LIKE SHE DOESN'T EVEN CARE IF THEY'RE SPOTTED.]}

Mama!

_{[This flustered hiss comes from behind an open door, where Wrath had ducked upon seeing a couple of much-taller Rocket Grunts go strolling past. Now he's peeking out, expression somewhere between frustrated and oh my god WHAT ARE YOU DOING AAAA]}

Don't do that, they'll see you!

_{[HE DOESN'T KNOW WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE. Only that they're humans, and they're wearing uniforms. Uniforms that are drastically different from the ones he's used to seeing, of course, but he's had precisely one (1) significant experience with dudes in uniforms, and it was a really bad one. MIGHT AS WELL NOT TAKE CHANCES.]

[The Kangaskhan, however, has other plans. She's marching towards the Mess Hall and seems a little exasperated that her trainer isn't following her. :I HUMANS.]}

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[There's someone in a uniform, and he spots the kid easily. He's got a Vulpix and an Absol trailing him, and the Vulpix stops to say hello.]

Hi! New person? Hello!

[Micchy sighs, and tugs his hat down a bit.]

... Stop that. And you - you don't need to sneak around here.

_{[Um, excuse YOU, stranger, he obviously needs to sneak.]

[The short, indistinct figure behind the door shrinks further back from the Vulpix and its trainer, mistrustfully.]}

Are you a state alchemist?

_{[The Kangaskhan's sides swell and fall in a deep Poke-sigh, as she shakes her head. SHE'S REALLY SORRY ABOUT THIS, her trainer is obviously a little confused.]}

I have no idea what that is, so I'm going to say no.

[Oh. The Vulpix sits. It's okay, her trainer was confused at first, too!]

_{[... Well DARN. Everything is adding up to the younger Elric brother and Lust having been telling the truth. It's easy enough to dismiss them as liars, but random strangers, not so much. What reason could they have to want to trick him?]

[He glances between Micchy and the Vulpix uneasily. He's not in his Rocket uniform yet-- just a plain black T-shirt and baggy shorts. And no shoes. He left the uniform back in the room, not even having seen it.]}

... Where am I?

_{[Unlike before, when he'd demanded an answer to that question from Al and Lust, he doesn't sound angry when he says it. Just kind of worried.]}

This city is called Goldenrod City, in the Johto region. The building -

[He glances at the Kangaskhan - yeah, okay. It's fine to tell him.]

- Is one of the headquarters for Team Rocket. It looks like you're a new recruit. And if you don't remember signing up that's... normal. I don't remember, either. A lot of people get brought here from other worlds.

_{[The Kangaskhan sniffs, almost a little haughtily. What kind of faithful Rocket Pokemon do you take her for? Her pint-sized partner may not be Grunt of the year yet, but she'll have him trained up in no time!]

[Wrath on the other hand still looks unsettles as hell.]

Team Rocket?

_[Wat.]}

[He's just checking.]

Yes. It's an organization here... other people would be better at explaining it. But there's rules, and if you don't follow them, you get punished. Do you understand that?

[He's. Not totally sure what he's working with here.]

_{[Bizarrely enough, that's the first thing anyone's said to him here that makes any sense, and he sobers up instantly.]

[He understands rules, and he understands punishment. He understands those concepts very well.]}

... I'm good at following rules. Master says I'm a good boy, so-- so I can follow rules!

_{[Mama nods proudly, gesturing to Wrath as if to say 'See?']}

Good. You can't let anyone who's not in the team know you're in the team, or they'll take you away. You're also going to get training soon so you know how to get in and out of this place. And you're going to have to learn how to catch creatures like the one you have, both to make your team stronger and to give to the team if you're not on a mission.

Am I making myself clear?

_{[Wrath listens in utter silence, wide-eyed.]

[It's not identical to the lecture he received upon joining the other Homunculi in serving their Master... but it's similar enough, in letter and spirit.]

[If he were a bit older, or had been with the rest of them longer, he might have scoffed and sneered, said something about already belonging somewhere and that if they wanted him, they could just kill him right now instead because fat chance.]

[But he's small and pretty damn scared and his entire existence has been spent being tossed from one group to another, so even though the Master still has his loyalty, this new 'team' is already taking root in his brain.]

[He doesn't want to be punished.]

[He nods, fervently.]}

Good. You can sleep and eat here for free, but not in other places. There's a cafeteria down the hall where you can get food.

... What's your name? I'm Mitsuzane.

_{[He's on the very verge of saying that he doesn't need to eat, that he's above such human needs-- but then he remembers his own vows of secrecy. That he not reveal himself unless absolutely necessary. So he just nods.]}

M-... my name's Wrath.

[... You know what, he's not going to ask. At least it doesn't sound like an Overlord name.]

... All right. Do you need help finding anything?

[He's sort of concerned about how young this kid seems, but if he can handle himself, all the better. It's not his place to take care of wayward children.]

_{[The Kangaskhan rumbles-- she was in the process of showing him around, before he apparently decided to play Hide and Sneak. Something she'd normally encourage, if he were on a mission! But they're not at that stage yet!]}

I...

_{[He'd been looking for a way OUT, so that he could get his bearings, and get back to his Master...]

[But this guy's information changed the situation quite a bit.]

[Maybe it'd be better not to admit he was looking for an escape route.]}

I-- I guess!

What was it? Maybe I can help find it.

[He would not blame Wrath, honestly.]

--Uhhh...

_{[Wrath isn't good at lying at all.]

[But fortunately for him, Mama interrupts then, planting a big clawed hand on his shoulder and starting to nudge him towards the cafeteria down the hall.]

[SHE WAS TRYING TO SHOW HIM THE PLACE WHERE THE FOOD COMES FROM BEFORE HE DECIDED TO START HIDING FROM EVERYBODY...]}

I see. Should I leave you two to it, then?

_{[Before Wrath can reply, his Pokemon pretty much answers before him, scooping the boy up to tuck under her arm (so that he won't go running off anymore) and nodding to Micchy.]

[THANKS SIR, SHE'LL TAKE IT FROM HERE.]}

001. [Video/Action for Goldenrod Rocket HQ]

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