2024-01-03: Decision

• Log: Decision
• Cast: Damian Tamaoka, Anne Aomori
• Where: Viridian City - Emerald Way
• Date: January 03, 2024
• Summary: A few days after his encounter with Lanval, Damian returns to Anne's lab to explain about his ability. There, he's given an unexpected choice to make.

---

=======================<* Viridian City - Emerald Way *>========================

Viridian City is a city of many importances; it is the major commerce and logistics hub within the Emerald Cape province, providing primary access to the western reaches of the Kanto region. It's of no surprise, then, that it sports an expansive and well-developed commercial district, with Market Way providing a wide variety of shops and goods for all walks of life. Lush and adorned with nature, Viridian's residents enjoy a spacious and relaxed environment, with most living in medium-density apartment blocks three to four stories high. The market is most recently memorably featured in the hit single by sensational Nedean-pop band 2BA, "I'm on the Road to Viridian City."

BGM: Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee & Pikachu! - Pewter City - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGrGjO5F6ZM

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

It had been a few days since the (one-sidedly) harrowing encounter with Damian's first Seraphim, Lanval. After parting ways Damian had muttered some kind of excuse about having something to see to and taken off on his own again, to an evening that involved lots of petting and brushing Purrloin's fur to try and soothe his rattled nerves.

There was a part of him that was pretty sure Lanval wasn't dangerous. But there was a lot more of him that just couldn't help but... react to how Lanval had felt to his senses. It was, in some ways, familiar and yet not. It was strange.

Maybe that's just how Offworld Ghosts feel.

Not a ghost, Damian told himself for the thousandth time, a spirit of some kind. He said he wasn't dead.

Of course, some ghosts believed they weren't dead sometimes, but... Doctor Aomori had seen him too, and she seemed to believe him.

... He really owed Doctor Aomori an explanation, didn't he? She had seemed nice, and taken an interest in him, and he had just... been weird, and then run off, and maybe if he explained, he could keep raising the egg...

Damian still looks tired--or probably sad--as he shows back up to the lab again, but at least this time he looks better rested, despite that. (It's amazing what having your friends nearby can do for a good night's sleep, even if the accommodations, the Rocket Youths' secret hideout, are a bit cramped.) He worked his way through an awkward, fumbling explanation with the receptionist, and then followed their directions to find Anne.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

The simple truth is that Anne has no intention of taking the Egg back. ...But if thinking that is enough to get him to come and tell her what's going on, then so be it. She's at work again today, in the meantime--back at the lab. She's just finished with reading a report on the findings of the one of the other researchers when Damian comes along, and she sets the tablet down to give him a welcomeing smile "Hello, Damian."

He does look tired, and sad. At least he seems rested.

"Come on in." She gestures to a seat in the large room, over nearer her desk.

"What's on your mind?"

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

There is a brief, awkward smile given to match Anne's welcoming one. "G-good afternoon, Doctor. I hope I'm not interrupting..."

He walks in, gingerly taking the backpack off and setting it down carefully on the floor, then sits. Purrloin, of course, is riding on his shoulder, and hops down as soon as there's lap space available for her.

Damian looks down at Purrloin as he tries to gether his thoughts, putting along her back and sides. There is a soft, soothing purr from his pokemon, which seems to do a lot of good to soothe Damian's nervousness. "S-so, um.... I wanted to explain. About the other day. Um..."

There is a pause, and the young boy doesn't quite find it in himself to look up to Anne as he starts explaining. "I was born with this... ability. I guess it shows up in my family sometimes, but. W-we call it Spirit Sight, and, w-well... it means that I can s-see ghosts. E-even when they're trying to hide their presence. And..."

A long, troubled sigh. "... I can talk to them, too," he admits, quietly. There is a brief glance up to Anne, perhaps to see how she's taking it, and there's a moment, when Damian's eyes aren't obscured behind the glasses, where it might be strikingly obvious for a moment just how pale those eyes are. But it only lasts for a moment before he looks down and away.

"... I hate it," he admits in a quiet, trembling voice. "My parents were thrilled, our family has ties to the Pokemon Tower--" Ahh, so those Tamaokas. "--and they keep saying h-how I'll become a prestigious medium, and make our family proud, but..." He lets that thought trail off, but he did already admit to not liking it.

There's more he could say, about how Purrloin is a Dark type and meant to protect him, but Anne saw how she reacted to Damian's distress and moved to protect him. And that was the word that Damian used, too. 'She's not scared. She's protecting me.' About how much pressure his parents put on him, but speaking directly against his parents is a harder thing to do.

Damian picks up Purrloin briefly to draw his legs up under him, resettling her in his lap over crossed legs. He's making himself a bit smaller, curling up just a bit around Purrloin for comfort. Finally, he finishes with a, "A-and th-that's why... I was... so weird, around that spirit. ... If you don't think I can take care of the egg after that, I understand."

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Doctor Aomori is already sitting. She looks to Purrloin with an additional acknowledgement, waits for him to finish setting his thigns down and start to explain.

She watches him, even if he can't quite look up at her. When he does look t her, her expression is as before; calm, attentive. Paying attention, but not reacting much. She does see how pale his eyes are.

"...No," Anne says at length when Damian finishes. "There's no needd for that."

"I see that you're under a great deal of pressure... And frankly, it's normal to react with fear or nerves in the face of something strange and unknown. Your reaction isn't a problem."

"I understand now why you wanted me to keep it quiet--and I will. And you'll remember how I said that this journey is a chance to find your own place in the world. I still believe that, prestigious family or not."

"...Really, though. I think it's impressive that you came here. You were afraid I'd take the Egg from you, your symbol of going your own way, the thing for which you wanted to care--and yet, you still came to me, to explain what you thought was a 'weird' reaction."

"I'm not sure you'd have done that when I first met you, even though it's only been a few days now. Something's changed, since you committed to that Egg."

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

Damian is, paradoxically, withdrawing into himself a bit more by curling up around Purrloin even as he's opening up more about himself.

He looks surprised when Anne says there's no need to give the egg back, and a moment later look simmensely relieved. "Th-thanks..."

It's normal to be afraid or nervous of the unknown. Damian nods quietly. "I-I'm used to... to seeing g-ghosts, but... Lanval was d-different, b-but s-still..." He stops, and forces himself to take a breath. "... I-I knew I wasn't seeing him with regular sight," he finishes.

Damian nods. He remembers her saying that too. Even if he still has no idea what he actually wants. Beyond simple, immediately obvious things like his friends.

But then Anne calls his actions impressive, and he looks up sharply, surprised. "I-I... y-you really... you really think so...?" He fidgets a little, trying to work through that thought and accept it for what it is. "I just... I just wanted what was best for the egg..." he says, by way of explanation.

Which means he thought that he might not be what was best for the egg.

Has something changed? Damian looks down to Purrloin, who meows softly back up at him, as he considers that.

Well, he did find his friends, but... that doesn't feel like it's it. And he's been taking care of the egg, but he wanted to do that before, too.

He slowly looks up to Anne again. "You... you really think so...?" There is a shy, timid smile at that thought. "I-I don't... feel different, but... thank you."

He wants to believe it's true, anyway. Maybe that's enough.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Mm, yes. Living in Lavender with such an ability, you must be." She remembers where he's from, of course; he told her! "So you can tell the difference. That's an important skill, too."

Damian's surprise gets another encouraging smile from Anne. "I do," she says. "That you thought of what was best for the Egg is even better; it shows you're thinking in the right terms."

"I do," Anne says. "Our journey is a series of steps. When you chose for yourself, not just what you were running away from, but what you were running to--That made a difference in your journey. And that journey is making a difference in who you are, accordingly. It may be small now, but it'll be big later."

Then, she considers, studying him for a few moments. "But you have another choice ahead of you," she says. "Your friends are in your life again. And you have to decide whether you want to do what they're doing, to be with them, or to go a different direction. And there's not a wrong answer to that question, in my view."

"But it is a question that needs an answer. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

"Team Rocket. I'm aware of their affiliation. And I'm aware that you are, too."

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

He can tell the difference. Damian blinks and nods. "I-I g-guess I can... I don't know if... if it's like that for others who've had my ability..."

That encouraging smile is returned with a grateful one, and this one seems a bit more steady. Or at least, it lingers a bit longer this time. He was thinking of what was best for the egg. "W-well, of course... the pokemon in th-there... d-deserves the best chance to hatch and be happy, you know...?"

He nods thoughtfully as Anne explains he wasn't just running from something, but making a decision to move towards something he wanted. "I guess it is a step... I just wish I knew where it was going..."

But there's another choice. Damian looks up from where he was watching Purrloin, blinking softly. "What's that?" More confused blinking as Anne mentions his friends being in his life again. "Alice and Nami...? B-but... I d-didn't mention them..."

The petting stops as the implications start to make themselves clear to Damian. "Wh-what... wh-what are you..."

Purrloin has stopped purring and is standing now, turning to face Anne with narrowed eyes.

And then she says it.

Team Rocket.

She knows.

Damian starts to hyperventilate a little. "D-doctor, p-please , don't... d-don't turn them in... I-I'll do... whatever you w-want, but I can't... I can't lose... n-not again..."

Purrloin is hissing suspiciously at Anne now, but the sound of Damian's distress draws her attention back to her trainer. She stands up and place her forepaws on his chest, then makes a loud meow. "Loin!"

He tries to take a deep breath and fails, but with Purrloin's assistance he tries again, slowly getting his breathing under control.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

"Maybe," she says. "Each person who's had it is a person, after all. Maybe some found it easy to serve the family; maybe some didn't. Your feelings are normal, in any case."

The Pokemon deserves... "That's a kind impulse. It's good."

He doesn't really know where he's going--and she can't decide that for him any more than she's about to... and more than she needs to.

Anne lifts a hand to forestall his panic, and looks to Purrloin. "I'm not here to hurt him," she tells the protector first, and then turns her eyes back to Damian, "Or them."

"I'm sorry to have distressed you. That wasn't my intention--I just need to tackle this one step at a time, with you. And the first step was telling you that I had some knowledge that's relevant."

"You might wonder how I know this, because you didn't mention them. I know it because your friend Alice told me; because I know her, too."

"I have old friends in Team Rocket," she explains without fully explaining yet. "It's a dangerous game they're playing, telling you about their involvement despite you not being involved. So, because of that..."

"I think you need to consider a major life choice. Whether or not to join them in Team Rocket yourself. If you do, that has certain consequences. If you don't... That has certain risks."

"Ultimately the choice is yours. I'd like it to be an informed decision, though. The Rockets can shield you from having to go home; at the same time, you'll have to do what's best for the Rockets, not for all individuals outside them. ...On the other hand, if you don't join, you risk the police trying to use you to get to your friends, if they realize the connection."

"But it depends on what you want. What you think you should do. I'm not going to judge your choice... but I do need you to make it."

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

His feelings are valid, and he has a kind impulse. Damian has a smile for those words, and a quiet "Thanks."

The panic is, sadly, not entirely forstalled. But Purrloin seems to take Anne at her word, for the moment--or perhaps it's just that calming Damian down is a more important priority for her. But the reassurance does help, and Damian slowly gets his breathing under control. Once he does, he picks up Purrloin to hug her, though the feline pokemon is still watching Anne suspiciously.

She didn't meant distress him. Damian nods numbly, looking down. "O-okay. ... S-sorry for..." Well, for panicking.

But Alice told her. Damian blinks, trying to process this new information. "... she did...? B-but why..." What purpose could that have served?

"Th-they didn't... th-they didn't exactly tell me, I-I kind of... figured it out. Um... I saw them. On the news." Should he be saying that? Maybe not, but it feels important to try and protect his friends. (Then again, it was their choice to meet him, and then to shelter him.)

"J-join... join Team Rocket?" Damian is, perhaps understandably, a bit taken aback by that. He'd sort of made piece with the idea of his friends being in it, and even just crashing at their secret hideout for an indefinite period of time... but what could he possibly hae to offer a group like that?

Being shielded from going home... There is a sharp intake of breath as he raelizes that. It's so tempting, all on its own. he'd have to do what's best for the Rockets, too, which he isn't exactly thrilled about, but then again... neither are Peace and Joy. He lets Purrloin go and curls up in his lap to look up at him. Damian scritches behind her ears as he considers.

"It'd give us a place to go," he muses out loud, talking to Purrloin. "... we could be wit Alice and Nami... help them out..." a weak half-smile. "... remind Alice to eat, help get Nami out of her lab every so often..." Damian sighs. "... would you be okay with that, Purrloin?"

If there is anybody on Nede who knows Damian inside and out, it's his Purrloin. She doesn't even seem to hesitate as she lifts her head into those ear scritches with a soft purr and an quiet, understated, "Purrloin."

Another brief smile. "Thanks..."

He looks up to Anne again. "I-I... w-would..." Another deep breath to calm himself. "... if I joined... c-could you still help me with the egg...? I-I understand, if it puts you in a difficult position, but..."

Damian likes Anne. She's been positive and encouraging, and that's a hard thing to lose.

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Anne has dealt with panic before. She keeps a calm voice, a reassuring steadiness in her tone. Purrloin may be watching her suspiciously, but that doesn't make Anne nervous.

Instead, "It's fine," she says of panicking, and listens to what he's saying. "I see. Yes, that would make sense."

Damian is surprised, sure--but Anne continues to be calm, her bluegreen eyes on him, through her glasses. he muses out loud, and...

"That's true," she says. "You could do those things. And yes, I would help you with the Egg regardless. Join or refuse, that doesn't change. I will support you while you're in the area either way."

She pauses, then, and seems to take a moment to think. ...In reality she's already thought about what she needs to say, though.

"You may not have to do all the things Team Rocket does for yourself. You may instead be able to support them through your Pokemon-handling talents, either as a Trainer or a caretaker, or in other ways. But while they can help you about your parents, you'll have to at the least be willing to look the other way while your comrades steal and accumulate power. Even if you don't do anything illegal yourself, you'll need to keep quiet about your comrades and friends who do."

"...I think you could do well there. You have a lot to offer, and they could give you a place to belong."

"But if you're not comfortable with all of that, if you want to choose your own path separately from your friends... Then all you have to do is keep quiet about what you've seen and what you've learned. It has risks, but it's an option."

"So take a moment, take a breath, and decide with Purrloin what you're going to do."

<Pose Tracker> Damian Tamaoka has posed.

Anne's presence, despite the initial surprise, is definitely helping Damian to get back to being calm again.

There is a sigh of relief as Anne confirms she'll help with the egg either way. That's one less worry among... well, an entire sea of worries. "O-okay, th-thanks..."

But the idea that he might actually have something to offer Team Rocket seems to surprise him. He doesn't stop to consider why Anne might be making these suggestions though. "I g-guess I could..." He'd still need to look the other way, though, regarding their more illicit activities. He nods, contemplating that. "I-I guess... I was okay with... with doing that for Alice and Nami..."

Once you've made that small decision, is it really such a leap to take taht logic another step further, to overlook it for other people?

Anne's statement that she thinks he could do well there, however, makes him blink in surprise. "R-really...?" He and Purrloin share a glance about that. That feels like such a weird thing to say, but...

He could have something to offer. He could belong.

He could be with his friends.

It's really the only thing he wants.

He keeps petting Purrloin as they both sit and think it through together. "I-I should really ask them... s-see what they think..." he mutters quietly, more thinking out loud than addressing anyone in particular.

"... b-but it's not like... they told me, first, wh-when they joined..."

Damian looks up to Anne after a time. "Th-this... i-is... um... kind of awkward, but.." Deep breath. "D-do you know... h-how...?" It's way too weird to ask this nice, supportive, and upstanding pokemon expert 'Do you know how to join Team Rocket?'

<Pose Tracker> Anne Aomori has posed.

Anne is good at de-escalating. It's been her job in many contexts for a long time. Calm is something she can do.

"You're welcome."

Anne doesn't specify what he could offer, instead swiftly offering the dichotomy of choice between the two.

And if he starts by looking the other way...

She waits for him to sort it out for himself, and then nods, when he realizes a good reason not to ask them beforehand. So, by the time he asks her how, she reaches up and adjusts her glasses, and listens.

"You just did," Anne says. "I'll handle the rest from here. You're already at the safehouse, so you can get anything you need there."

"I support Team Rocket with my research," she explains. "I believe that, despite the fact that they have to operate outside the law, that they are the best chance of change for Nede. And Nede does need to change."

"I don't publicize my affiliation. It's more useful for all involved if I don't. But I'll be able to support you more, now."

"There are things you'll need to learn, and do. But we can get to that later."

"For now..."

"Welcome to Team Rocket."