Rocket-propelled Pokemon Tabletop

"What sort of Law-enforcement does this region have? Sergio wants emigration to go smoothly."

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SpoilerSense motive: 1d20 + WIS+3= 16. Gerald just doesn't have a hell of a lot of faith in you guys to usher in a new era of Rocket-owned-and-operated prosperity in the region. You also consider: If he's based in Aroa, why's he on a trans-regional ferry heading home? Dude's probably homesick or something.

"No central authority beyond the Elite, and they leave most of the actual work to the Leaders. Those trumped-up vigilantes stick to their own districts for the most part. I wouldn't know if any of them are turncoats as bad as you, Ranger," sniffs Gerald, "but I wouldn't count on it."

"Our main pain in the ass is a man called Aspen - you bookish types might've heard of him. The last bunch of recruits were some mid-ranking cocky little fucks who marched off the boat like they owned the place. Full uniforms and everything. Didn't even clear the hill road to Talasarch before he put a stop to that. If my walking you through this like you're a pack of nine-year olds offends you, go complain to them."

"Aspen's relaxed his vice grip on Charm in the months since, thank fuck, but we'll keep you lot off the registry of who's entering the region. Hence the midnight transfer onto the SS Who Are We Kidding, We're Lucky It's Motorised."

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SpoilerLucian has Heard About This Before (or a subtle variant thereof that will not count as his daily Free Action), This being "Aspen." Nariman succeeds a similar check against his WIS score, and both recognise the name of Professor Aspen, a well-published Pokemon researcher known for his studies on Pokemon intelligence.

A Nat20 additionally means Nariman knows Simon Aspen as the Chancellor of a university in the Aroa region.

Unrelatedly, the two of them would have identified Gerald's Pokemon as a Mawile.

"Is this mission purely factfinding, or is there an overarching goal we should be working towards? And since you mention other recruits, how much presence does the Team have here, other than us?"

"HQ would fire my ass for telling you lot this, but I'm the highest-ranking Rocket officer in the region, so whatever. The region's been a low priority since before Giovanni took over, mostly because no other organisations gave a shit about the place. There could be something valuable in the region, or outright powerful in Rocket's hands."

Gerald smirks. "You tell me what facts you should be finding. I do the coordinating, you lot get coordinated and try be useful or valuable. It's not Team Rocket's job to figure this out, we leave that to the Breeders or the Engineers or whoever before we capitalise on it. Remember, we'd rather a consistent buck than a quick one. Rearranging some hierarchies so we get properly compensated for overseeing the hydro stations' safe operation, rather than, fuck. Stealing the station's Pokemon? Point is, we prefer one over the other."

"Just remember, I'm not the one trying to impress my superiors here. You'll never climb in this organisation following orders, that's what Pokemon do."

Gerald thinks for a bit.

"Oh, right. If you do find any other interns, feel free to take their stuff. If I don't hear back from them within three months, I assume they're dead or living in some shack on the Rosten side of the hills hoping to god I never come looking for them. I'd chase those defecting little shits down myself, but I'm busy looking for an excuse that lets me pretend I'm busy in Charm instead. But, uh, other than that a few operatives can be found in other towns, canvassing the region. No, I'm not doing your job for you, the information they send me is classified."

"Just point me towards the nearest lab town and we'll be rolling in stolen pets in no time!"

The liaison rolls his eyes. "Good luck with that. Like I said, Aspen's city is a mere hour's walk and a lifetime's excommunication with the organisation if you get arrested this early in your internship."

"Course, there's the other research institute down south, in Fuligan. If you really insist on raiding a laboratory."

"So, we gonna get some uh, capital to work with?"

"Uh, right."

Gerald pulls a sheaf of notes out of his suitcase, thumbing off 2000 to each of the seven.

"You're looking after your own damn selves. Don't waste it. We reimburse you for Pokeballs or other equipment used to capture Pokemon, along with commissions to successful teams. Stick with shit worth catching, if you can - anything rare enough to sell to an interested party without too much scrutiny is Team Rocket's kind of acquisition."

"Transporting them overseas is another pain in the ass. The universities have the facilities, obviously, but you're better off eventually introducing yourselves to Agent Marsden, in Falchion. Between him and that lunatic Ford out at Molothrus, we can send your acquisitions back to HQ."

"Depending on how you want to go about this, Marsden would be worth speaking to. He runs the Aroa branch of Rocket's storage system."