Topic: Aloha AOHA! ALPHA OMEGA HOENN ADVENTURE!

[Dr. Wily II]

"Man... Hardly anything happens around here. Work, work and more work."

"You seriously want something to happen? Our work is dangerous stuff!"

"That's not what I meant... I just want something out of monotony..."

"You better not say that out loud next time, our benefactor would not like it. Not one bit."

"Meh... Still... Is it shall a good idea to use those? They were really made with great workmanship. To think these were made by..."

"SHHHHHH! The others don't need to know what we do!"

"... Fine... Fine..."

[Quickman]

Prof. Hypno raised an eyebrow.  He couldn't quite determine a context, but whatever it was, it was apparently sensitive information.  Deciding that he shouldn't linger and eavesdrop any longer, he turned around quickly to make his way back to the elevator.

Only, he turned too quickly, his crutch hit a slick spot on the floor, and he lost his balance.  He hit the floor with a bang, his right crutch clattering across the floor as he threw it while attempting to regain his balance.  His left crutch slipped out from under him and thudded its end against the door as he fell.

Now you've gone and done it...

Prof. Hypno chewed on his bottom lip and started preparing an excuse in case anyone were to investigate the noise.

[Dr. Wily II]

The 2 lab assistants that were conversing suddenly jumped in their seats.

"... Look what you did. You managed it wish for something to happen."

"Awesome! Maybe I can strike the Lottery next time!"

"... Riiiight. Let's just get this over and done with."

The two made their way to the door, and with caution, opened it slowly. Noting the walkway was clear, they stepped out... Only to see a sprawled out... Hypno?

"Is... That...?"

"... I'm as shocked as you are."

[Quickman]

Prof. Hypno struggled to raise himself, managing only up on his right elbow as his left arm was still strapped in the crutch.  He rolled onto his right side and looked up at the two lab assistants.

"I... got lost and... fell.  I'm try-ing to... get ba-ack to my... lab, but... I don't... re-mem-ber wha-at floor..."

There.  That explanation should suffice.  He didn't need to include anything about trying to go outside, or the Malamar, or the fact that he was listening in on private comversations.

[Dr. Wily II]

The two assistants stared at the Hypno.

"... Did..."

"... That..."

"... Hypno..."

"... Just..."

*in unison* "SPOKE!?"

The 2 rushed to the aid of Prof. Hypno, slowly helping him up.

"NO W-WORRIES!"

"W-WE CAN H-HELP!"

[Sapphire Knight]

Meanwhile, back in Devon Corp, a man wearing a surgical mask and thick glasses with slicked-back, platinum blond hair, and a name tag that read 'Riley' pinned to his lab coat approached the trio of Goh, Gai, and Illana. "I'm sorry it's taking so long for Mr. Stone to come see you, he's in the middle of a meeting right now and will be down as soon as he can." The man said, his voice muffled by the surgical mask.

[Quickman]

Scizor moved behind Illana, not liking the man's surgical mask.  Zubat looked at Scizor, to Riley, and then to Illana, muttering under his breath.

"'Parently Steven's op'ratin' onna fossils..."

Illana nodded and shushed him, focusing on keeping Scizor calm.

The two assistants stared at the Hypno.

"... Did..."

"... That..."

"... Hypno..."

"... Just..."

*in unison* "SPOKE!?"

The 2 rushed to the aid of Prof. Hypno, slowly helping him up.

"NO W-WORRIES!"

"W-WE CAN H-HELP!"

Hauled to his feet, Prof. Hypno gestured to his other crutch, which was lying on the floor some distance away.  Once it was given to him, he slipped his arm into it and looked to the lab assistants.  Perhaps they would know which floor he belonged, as he'd rather not find it by trial and error and risk overhearing other things.

"Do y-you kno-ow... which floor... R-and-D is on?"

As far as he knew, that was what his department was called.  He only knew the room number, and that he was pretty much confined to one hallway.  This was his first time actually exploring other floors, and while he wanted to know which one he belonged on, he wasn't quite finished with exploring the building.  He had the day off, and as far as he could tell, the Malamar was off doing its own thing.

He just hoped that Mr. P didn't suddenly have need for him, as he left his PDA in his room.

[Sapphire Knight]

Goh tapped her foot. "I see. Did he send you here to tell us, or are you waiting on him too?" She asked, crossing her arms as the scientist scratched his head.

"A little of both, actually." Riley said, coughing a little. "More waiting for my meeting with him, though." He explained, pausing. "Actually, I was wondering if any of you would be willing to assist me in the next phase of my project once it's approved?"

[Dr. Wily II]

Goh tapped her foot. "I see. Did he send you here to tell us, or are you waiting on him too?" She asked, crossing her arms as the scientist scratched his head.

"A little of both, actually." Riley said, coughing a little. "More waiting for my meeting with him, though." He explained, pausing. "Actually, I was wondering if any of you would be willing to assist me in the next phase of my project once it's approved?"

Gai just stared at the man, and snapped out at the mention of helping out?

"What kind of help?"

[Dr. Wily II]

Hauled to his feet, Prof. Hypno gestured to his other crutch, which was lying on the floor some distance away.  Once it was given to him, he slipped his arm into it and looked to the lab assistants.  Perhaps they would know which floor he belonged, as he'd rather not find it by trial and error and risk overhearing other things.

"Do y-you kno-ow... which floor... R-and-D is on?"

As far as he knew, that was what his department was called.  He only knew the room number, and that he was pretty much confined to one hallway.  This was his first time actually exploring other floors, and while he wanted to know which one he belonged on, he wasn't quite finished with exploring the building.  He had the day off, and as far as he could tell, the Malamar was off doing its own thing.

He just hoped that Mr. P didn't suddenly have need for him, as he left his PDA in his room.

"R & D?"

"... You're in R & D?"

The 2 assistants looked at each other, then to Prof. Hypno, then to each other again. To think that a Pokemon is in R & D!

"Well... That's at a lower level..."

"Yea, here's just the recreation area, to rest and stuff. R & D is 10 levels down."

"... So... If you don't mind us asking... What are you doing with R & D?"

[Quickman]

Goh tapped her foot. "I see. Did he send you here to tell us, or are you waiting on him too?" She asked, crossing her arms as the scientist scratched his head.

"A little of both, actually." Riley said, coughing a little. "More waiting for my meeting with him, though." He explained, pausing. "Actually, I was wondering if any of you would be willing to assist me in the next phase of my project once it's approved?"

Illana also glanced up as Scizor hid behind her. "Sure, I guess."

She decided it best to keep their Team Fauna involvement on the down-low.  Behind her, Scizor ducked his head and glared out at Riley, shivering.

"That man in white.  Skee-zor no like nice man in white.  They're not nice to Skee-zor..."

"Yer gettin' a clue, lass..." Zubat whispered in Illana's ear.  "'E dinnae like 'at mask.  Reminds 'im of some bad gits."

Illana nodded and gestured toward Riley's mask. "I really don't want to offend you or anything, but... your mask is scaring my Scizor.  He has a bad history, you know?  I think it reminds him of something that happened to him..."

"R & D?"

"... You're in R & D?"

The 2 assistants looked at each other, then to Prof. Hypno, then to each other again. To think that a Pokemon is in R & D!

"Well... That's at a lower level..."

"Yea, here's just the recreation area, to rest and stuff. R & D is 10 levels down."

"... So... If you don't mind us asking... What are you doing with R & D?"

Recreation level?  Well, he was off for the rest of the day, so he may as well stay on that level and relax!

Prof. Hypno considered his response carefully, but decided that his projects weren't really anything classified.  He designed assistive devices for disabled Pokemon.  Nothing classified about that.

"I ma-ake... as-sist-ive de-vi-ces for... dis-a-bled Pok-é-mon.  E-quip-ment tha-at... works for them.  Fits the-em."

He indicated his left crutch and the adjustable arm rest that his forearm was strapped into.

"Li-ike this.  My... arm ca-an't ex-tend... the whole way.  I ca-an't use... stan-dard crut-ches.  This one... ad-justs.  It fits and I... can use it... bet-ter than a reg-u-lar... hu-man crutch."

He took a moment to catch his breath, cursing the fact that he left his PDA in his room. 

[Dr. Wily II]

The more jovial assistant, Jake, stared at the crutch in awe, while the other more serious one, Sam, just stared. Assistive devices for Pokemon? Like those that they are mass-producing? This Hypno is the creator!?

Sam nudged at Jake, causing him to regain composure.

Jake - "Sorry about that, can be a bit distracted sometimes."

Sam - "... Yea. Well, how about we head to the lounge for some beverages? I'm Sam by the way, and he's Jake."

[Sapphire Knight]

"I apologize, I've got a bad scar on my face that I'm more than a little self-conscious about." Riley admitted, hesitantly removing his mask to reveal the slashes on the lower half of his face before putting the mask back on.

"Seems like something a scientist would have trouble being taken seriously with." Goh pointed out, earning a nod from Riley.

"Correct. Though, if you would come with me, I can show you what I would be needing your help with."

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to have a lab coat that's not white, would you?" Goh asked.

"Ah, that is probably not helping with my scaring the scizor, is it? Very well, I have a blue one to change into."

[He's going to show his take on BURST to them. And I'm thinking to have Riley have some connection to Goh's family as an excuse for why he's leading them to something that is most likely classified.]

[Quickman]

Illana started to follow, all the while trying to calm Scizor, who just glared out at Riley.  The Pokemon seemed very apprehensive, and while he followed Illana, he gave a low growl to warn Riley, should the unfamiliar masked man try to touch him.

The more jovial assistant, Jake, stared at the crutch in awe, while the other more serious one, Sam, just stared. Assistive devices for Pokemon? Like those that they are mass-producing? This Hypno is the creator!?

Sam nudged at Jake, causing him to regain composure.

Jake - "Sorry about that, can be a bit distracted sometimes."

Sam - "... Yea. Well, how about we head to the lounge for some beverages? I'm Sam by the way, and he's Jake."

Prof. Hypno nodded to the two.  After wandering about, getting sick, and then falling, he was getting tired and could use a rest. "The-ey call... me the... Pro-fes-sor."

His lack of an actual name was starting to seem weird to him, due to his constant work around other humans.  It was fine when he was working with Mulberry, but having to introduce himself to others and not actually having a name was getting awkward.

He was beginning to understand why humans named themselves and trainers sometimes named their Pokemon.

(And with that, I'm going to bed.)

[Dr. Wily II]

Jack - "Professor huh... I'll call you Prof!"

Sam - "... Don't go around shortening names."

Jack - "Aww... But he's so special!"

The group finally made it to the lounge, which is just a short distance away from where Prof. Hypno tripped. Jake helped Prof. Hypno over to a massage chair.

"Wanna try it?"

Sam went behind to the juice bar, and looked at today's selection.

"Any special orders?"

[Quickman]

Prof. Hypno just raised an eyebrow.  He didn't know what the menu was, as all he had drank usually came from the vending machine outside his lab, same with what he ate.  His diet was not real good, and oftentimes he forgot to eat, due to being caught up in his work.  He probably looked like hell; sunken eyes with dark circles that accentuated his pallor, and his lean figure becoming even leaner from lack of a proper diet, on the occasion that he did eat.

He gave a shrug. "Sur-prise me."

As he considered how terrible he no doubt looked, he realized that he had not eaten since yesterday.  If he ate at all yesterday.  He could barely remember yesterday, thus he probably didn't eat then.  So, he hadn't eaten in two days.

[Sapphire Knight]

Illana started to follow, all the while trying to calm Scizor, who just glared out at Riley.  The Pokemon seemed very apprehensive, and while he followed Illana, he gave a low growl to warn Riley, should the unfamiliar masked man try to touch him.

Riley led the group to his lab and, after pressing several buttons on a keypad, opened the door. The inside of the lab wasn't the typical, super-clean-looking white, but rather a pale blue color on the walls with a dully-colored green floor. "Welcome to my personal lab." He said, going over to a coat rack and removing the white coat he was wearing, better-revealing the brown vest and khakis he was wearing, as well as the scars on his arms that resembled the ones under his surgical mask.

This is when Goh decided to ask the obvious question. "So, why exactly are you showing us something that is most likely confidential?" She asked, Riley undoubtedly smirking under his surgical mask.

"Well, it's because I'm an old friend of your mother's, Miss Graves." He answered, looking directly at Goh.

Goh blinked, either processing what the scientist just said or trying to remember her mother's descriptions of her friends.

[Quickman]

Scizor followed closely behind Illana, but stopped at the doorway and refused to go any farther.  When Illana turned around and motioned for him to come to her side, he shook his head. "This where nice men in white put Skee-zor in the crib."

Illana stood there, mouth agape as one mother of a bombshell was dropped right into her lap.

[Sapphire Knight]

[So, what implications are we going for with what Scizor just said?]

[Quickman]

(That something happened to him in possibly an institution setting.)

[Sapphire Knight]

Goh, Meatball, and Dr. Riley turned to stare at Scizor, Meatball reverting back to a ditto as Goh turned to glare at the scientist.

"Well... That's quite the bombshell..." He said, clearing his throat. "Did you, perchance, get that scizor in a trade, young lady?" Dr. Riley asked, cautiously approaching, but stopping at a safe distance so the pokemon wouldn't freak out.

Goh was still puzzling over who this scientist was. He definitely had plenty of battle scars, and he could talk to pokemon, so it was fairly likely he was telling the truth there. There was only one way to be sure, though, but she'd wait until scizor was calmed down.

[Quickman]

Illana glanced over her shoulder and nodded. "I got him at a trade fair.  He was abused, but we don't know how or by who."

She walked over to Scizor and managed to lure him just inside the door.  The Pokemon wrapped his arms around Illana's waist and hooked his pincers.  On Illana's shoulder, Zubat was speechless for once, as he usually had at least something snarky to say.  This time, he just gaped his mouth, and then closed it, shaking his head.

[Sapphire Knight]

"I see... Judging by his reaction, he was probably experimented on." Dr. Riley said, sighing. "It's a shame how people can use science as an excuse to abuse pokemon..."

[Quickman]

This time, Zubat had something to say. "I cannae believe it!  Y'mean t' tell us 'at some gits used 'im fer science?!  Th' bloody nerve!  Tis bullocks is what it tis!  If I ever find out who did it, 'ey're gonna find 'emselves in a right scrap, 'ey are!"

"Easy, easy," Illana soothed while very slowly getting Scizor to follow her into the room. "Getting angry isn't gonna help anyone, you know?  We don't know who did it, so you're getting all worked up for nothing."

"Well, we shouldn't jus' sit 'ere and do sod all!  We've got a clue an' we should use it!" Zubat made did a few shadow punches with his wings.

[Dr. Wily II]

Prof. Hypno just raised an eyebrow.  He didn't know what the menu was, as all he had drank usually came from the vending machine outside his lab, same with what he ate.  His diet was not real good, and oftentimes he forgot to eat, due to being caught up in his work.  He probably looked like hell; sunken eyes with dark circles that accentuated his pallor, and his lean figure becoming even leaner from lack of a proper diet, on the occasion that he did eat.

He gave a shrug. "Sur-prise me."

As he considered how terrible he no doubt looked, he realized that he had not eaten since yesterday.  If he ate at all yesterday.  He could barely remember yesterday, thus he probably didn't eat then.  So, he hadn't eaten in two days.

Sam shrugged and rummaged through the bar fridge, and grabbed a can of Oran Juice, a can of Pecha Tea, and a can of Gracidea Tea. Closing the fridge door, Sam made his way back to the pair, and noticed Jake trying to get Prof. Hypno into a lounge chair.

Sam - "You do know he'll have difficulty in getting out of that chair right?"

Jake - "But it's so comfy!!"

Gai gasped at the relevation too. To think that the Scizor was experimented. He recalled Fenice mentioning such things, but hearing it from the Scizor's mouth was an thing entirely. Gai just had to ask Riley.

"... You had no part in this, right?"