IC Contact/Voicemail

[ardent]

[VOICE/TEXT/VIDEO; OPEN TO ALL]

"You've reached Kiyotaka Ishimaru; I seem to have missed you! My sincerest apologies for that - but if you leave your name and state your business, firmly and concisely, I'll return your contact as soon as I can!

Until then, I look forward to speaking to you; do what you can to make your day pleasant and productive, and be sure to keep your head up!"

[Please state in the subject line if OOC planning is preferred and we can handwave like the wind, but otherwise IC will be assumed!]

Comments

[freshprints]

Ishimaru-kun.

[ardent]

Kirigiri-kun...? Is everything all right?

[freshprints]

I'd like to ask you a question in private, if possible.

[ardent]

Of course, anything.

[freshprints]

This is a secure line?

[private, here on]

[ardent]

[...right. Let him just...there.]

It should be now.

What is it?

[freshprints]

Last month someone robbed a museum and stole several fossils. It's believed the culprits were members of Team Rocket.

[ardent]

And you think I know something about it.

[freshprints]

I think that you're someone who would be likely to, assuming that belief is true.

[ardent]

What are you asking me, exactly?

[freshprints]

Two questions. Was it a Team Rocket action, and if so, do you know what motivated the theft.

I understand why elaboration might not be possible, assuming the former is true.

[ardent]

It was. As for elaboration...I can't answer that, but it's not because I've been told to stay quiet, it's because I don't know.

What I do know is that there was a massive upsurge of previously-fossilized Pokémon right before the theft happened. They were all revived due to a mistake on the part of one of the natives, from what I understood; afterwards, there were a handful of incidents all of a sudden.

The museum in Pewter City was robbed.

An archaeological site in Viridian City was infiltrated and looted.

The Pokémon Center in Goldenrod City was damaged badly, and one of the machines that can be used to revive fossilized Pokémon was stolen.

Obviously, all of the attacks revolved around fossilization in some way or another, but I don't understand why, since there were large numbers of fossilized Pokémon more or less everywhere anyway. If I had to take a guess, I'd say they were looking for something else - different, but related. Something ancient, but not necessarily something that could be revived through the usual means; something that would require the machine that was taken to be altered, maybe. I've never seen them myself, but I think Team Rocket has laboratories in their bases, and some of the members do independent research on different types of Pokémon anyway.

1/2

[freshprints]

But there was no activity around the Ruins of Alph? It seems as though that would be another likely target, given the theme.

[freshprints]

...

If you were involved in one of the incidents, I won't pursue further investigation.

[ardent]

What would you do with the information you uncovered?

[freshprints]

[Enjoy this pause of like ten minutes while she starts and deletes a handful of messages before finally setting on this one.]

Conceal it, if that were necessary to protect a classmate.

[ardent]

And if that classmate plans to deal sufficient damage to the organization in question?

[freshprints]

...

So that's how it is. I'd wondered about that.

[ardent]

...Please tell me you didn't genuinely think otherwise.

[freshprints]

The other possible option was that you were complying to avoid drawing attention to yourself. With Oowada-kun and the others to think of, that course of action might have been a necessary evil for the sake of keeping the organization's attention away from them.

[ardent]

Oowada-kun is part of the organization as well.

The fact that he's my brother is one reason why I didn't want you watching him; that much goes without saying. But I also didn't need it to look like anyone was keeping some sort of eye on him; that would draw attention onto both of you.

[freshprints]

...

You could've just said so.

[ardent]

Not really, no! It didn't feel like it was my place to tell you that about him, for one thing.

For another, I still don't know you very well. Not when it comes down to it. I had no way to know what you would do with that information once you were told.

[freshprints]

That's true. I should've anticipated you'd have reason to mistrust someone who so frequently showed up late for breakfast.

[ardent]

Well, that too, I guess.

[...GOD AND HE WAS DOING SO WELL TOO]