OOC: Nara: Well, how many of them are you going after, exactly? Cuz you could succeed in getting one and then decide that it's not worth the effort to go after the others.
IC - Kyle Eston/TL Courier - The Alamo: Kyle hadn't realized just how... disgusting his jacket had become over the course of his stay in Unova. There truly was no other word for it, unfortunately. The white material was stained in spots with red--blood, obviously--and had, in general, absorbed quite a bit of dust, tainting its pure, snowy color with a slight yellowish-brown tint. Topped with the numerous tears and rips in the garment... Kyle sighed, rolling it up and tossing it across his room, into the garbage bin. He hated to admit it, but that was yet another thing that he wouldn't be able to save. A shame, too--that had been one of his favorite jackets...
He leaned back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, resting his head on his hands. Trying to find something--anything--to do around the Alamo had proven futile, though he failed to understand why. Hadn't he spent... well, quite a bit of time over in Unova wishing he could come back here? There had to be some reason for it, one that, for the life of him, Kyle could not remember. Everything just seemed so... dull... He closed his eyes. Kyle remembered a time not so long ago when things had been more exciting... more fun... Even as dangerous as life had been there had always at least been something to occupy his time. What had changed...?
Kyle jumped in surprise as a knock sounded at his door. "Mr. Eston?" someone called from the other side. "Are you in?"
Confused, the Liberty agent slid off the bed and onto his feet, walking over to the door. He was greeted by the sight of a tall man in a suit, with a long, serious face and brown eyes shielded by a pair of rectangular glasses. Kyle had barely taken this in when the man bowed slightly, confusing him even further.
"Um... Can I help... you...?" Kyle asked, glancing down either end of the dorm hallway. No one else was around, though he did notice a large briefcase at the man's feet.
"Other way around, actually," the man said, straightening up. Kyle raised an eyebrow, completely lost. The man smiled. "My apologies--allow me to introduce myself. My name is Koichi Tetsuro. I'm one of Executive Vert's assistant researchers in Project Harmony--the science wing's latest series of experiments. You know her, I presume?"
Project Harmony? "Kind of, I guess," Kyle said, still not entirely sure what was going on. "I saw her at the promotion ceremony, but I've never actually talked to her."
"Well, regardless, she sends her regards," Mr. Tetsuro said. "Do you mind if I step inside for a few moments?"
"I, uh..." Kyle looked back into the dorm room, noting that while it was not a downright pigsty, it wasn't exactly well-kept, either. He relented, letting his curiosity get the best of him. "I... Sure, come in." He stepped aside, letting the researcher enter. Closing the door, Kyle took a seat. "So... What's this visit about, exactly?"
"A couple of things," Tetsuro said. "I'm here to deliver a... gift, of sorts, from Executive Vert. I'm guessing you haven't yet been contacted by the Darkrai strike team leaders, from the looks of you."
"Er... no...? I don't think I have," Kyle confirmed uncomfortably. "I wasn't aware that I was being assigned to that kind of a job..."
"Well, I won't comment on that--you'll find out more about it soon, I'm sure," Tetsuro said. "Regardless, Executive Vert has a proposal for you. You see, we've been developing a series of battle armor, essentially, which would grant the user--a human--the ability to command elemental power of a caliber very similar to that of a Legendary Pokémon. Thus far we have three sets--one containing the power of Ice, from Articuno; another containing Electricity, from Zapdos; and the third utilizing Fire, from Heatran. This is what we've created from our experiments in Project Harmony."
"I see..." Kyle said. "And it has... what, exactly, to do with me and the Darkrai?" He felt he already knew the answer.
"I would think that would be rather obvious, Mr. Eston," Tetsuro said, smiling slightly. "We'd like a field test, to put it simply. And we believe that this opportunity is possibly the best that we will receive in the near future. From what Executive Vert gathered from the planning meeting, the team fighting directly against the Darkrai will, assuming you all accept, consist of yourself, Ryan Sanders, a Rocket Agent named Ray Hakuda, the Gym Leaders Fantina, Byron, and Volkner, and the three Heroes of Sinnoh." Kyle's mind jumped slightly at this. "I'm afraid I don't know the specific details on those last three. Nevertheless, you, Sanders, and Hakuda will require something to put you on more even footing with the rest of the group. Executive Vert and I believe that Project Harmony will give you that boost. What do you think?"
Kyle thumped his fingers against his cast, thinking, staring off at the wall. How is Evan still alive after everything that happened? he wondered. And Seth... I'm astounded his mind is still intact, given the rage he and Palkia seemed to be in before... He blinked. This Project Harmony thing, though... It sounds useful, I guess--it would definitely change the dynamics of battle... I could be more useful than I have been... but... Kyle turned his head slightly, looking at the bag on his desk, where Suicune's egg was still hidden. I'm not sure why, but something feels... off... about this whole thing... and I'm not the only one who knows it... He sighed, looking back at Mr. Tetsuro. "How long do I have to decide?"
"Not long, unfortunately," he replied. "From the sounds of it, the attack is going to begin fairly soon--right now it's simply a matter of getting our resources together."
"I thought so," Kyle said quietly. "Alright... I guess it wouldn't hurt to take it along, just in case..." He rested his chin on his hands, thinking. The Liberty Agent looked up as Tetsuro nodded, getting to his feet.
"Very well," he said brightly, ecstatic at Kyle's answer. He set the briefcase down on the bed. "Everything you'll need is in here, with instructions on how to utilize it and a specialized comm set designed to allow us to monitor the suit's activity. Now, given your team's make up, we've already opted to give you the electricity suit--it should help to balance out the weaknesses that many of your Pokémon possess."
"Er... thanks," Kyle said, bristling slightly at the probably-innocent comment. He wasn't particularly fond of others telling him about his team being imbalanced, whether directly or indirectly, being well aware of that fact already. Still, he said nothing else as Tetsuro explained the basics of how to use the equipment.
When he had finished and left, Kyle stayed in place, staring at the door for several moments. An odd feeling was welling up in his chest and stomach--relief from the bored delirium he had begun to slip into; apprehension toward Tetsuro and Vert's intentions--why were they opting to help him and the others out of the blue, when they had not done anything of the sort, to his knowledge, before? There was curiosity about the contents of the briefcase, and, lingering, a resounding sadness toward everything that had transpired in the past day.
What was most prominent, however, was fear. Fear born from the knowledge that, soon enough, he would be at the forefront of the battle against foes that not even Goldhawk and Blackskull had been able to slow down--not even a single one, and here he was, about to face nine.
He shivered at the thought. It was almost too much to handle, though he had little choice. The only comfort was that he would have friends right beside him if things turned sour. But, just in case... He shook his head, slowly standing to his feet. The Liberty agent grabbed another jacket from his closet--this one black in coloration, of the same design as his other one--and pulled it on. Quickly, Kyle grabbed his bag, slinging it across his chest and heading out...
