Egondra 12-1 Klaus route

[19:42:13] <Klaus> Klaus is napping at home, though his silly wired pokemon will be out and about since they don't need sleep, using the pokebots to monitor the town and be ready to alert Klaus wirelessly if anything's up. He's left a note for his family in the kitchen letting them know he's back and what the situation is.
[20:00:36] : Klaus groans as he stumbles out of bed, still confused about what the Criterion could be up to. He stumbles downstairs and sloppily sets the coffee machine up before going off to shower and run through his morning routine. A few minutes and a few cups of coffee later, he goes to check if any of his family's awoken yet.
[20:01:56] * RioCadaro When you go for your last cup of coffee and come out, you stumble into Mia. Rubbing her eyes lazily, she stumbles in her step. "K-Klaus! You're home! Thank goodness!" She hustles up to you and puts her arms around you in a hug. She does this carefully, as to not spill your coffee.
[20:04:50] <Klaus> "Oof," Klaus swings his coffee mug off to the side to avoid spilling it, splashing a bit onto the ground in the process. "Huhwh- oh! Mia! Shit, it is good to see you again." He slumps forward in a groggy hug.
[20:09:00] * RioCadaro "Mom's been worried about you, obviously. I try to tell her you're doing okay but...you know our folks. Once they get an idea, they won't rest until they're absolutely sure about something," Mia rolls her eyes. "I'll go wake them up....I'm surprised you didn't when you came in. Rough journey?"
[20:12:32] : Klaus yawns deeply as he stumbles back and finds a paper towel to wipe up the spilled coffee. "I uh...traveled through the night. Thought there'd be an attack on the city. Turns out we caught some of the culprits on the way here but not all of 'em." He sips his coffee and looks around to see if Babbage and Laplace are back. "Oy, she still worried? I survived the apocalypse. What could be worse?"
[20:13:03] <Klaus> "but yeah..." Klaus shakes his head a bit. "I know how mom and pop get..."
[20:13:52] * RioCadaro Mia perks up. "So you're saying they might be in town? W-well we need to get up and look for them!"
[20:15:43] <Klaus> "S'what I did first thing when I got back. Make a clean sweep of all the likely spots. Not a fucking clue where they've gone." Klaus sips his coffee again and smiles. "But hey, maybe it means they've got bigger fish to fry than us. I mean, we've got supplies, but nothing as far as advanced military tech goes..."
[20:16:27] <Klaus> "You'll have to catch me up, it's been far too long, and I've got a few new friends to show you." He gestures at his pokeballs on the table. "I...picked up a few more than I intended."
[20:41:04] * RioCadaro Mia: Don't worry...we have plenty of catching up to do...be right back! *With that being said, Mia goes off to awaken your parents. Your mother is the first one out, darting towards you. "Klaus! You're okay! You had me worried sick! You couldn't have come home any sooner?" Your father walks in with Mia, rubbing some of the drowsiness off of his eyes before giving you a smile.
[20:41:04] * RioCadaro He is going to let his wife finish smothering you with her love and worries first.
[20:43:35] <@Klaus> "Mom!" Klaus catches her in a hug, finally a bit more awake now that there's excitement about. "Oy...I mean, it's been half a week since...the incident at  Ramtaban. And I'm not that far out of college yet either! Can't let your little boy get a taste of the real world 'fore running home?" He grins.
[20:44:43] <RioCadaro> Mom: Of course not. I can't think of many mothers who do! It's a wonder your father pulled me away from Mia and you before you went out into that world. But with Ramtaban being attacked...oh! I'm just glad to see you're well, Klaus.
[20:45:19] <RioCadaro> Pop: Son...good to have you back home. I tried to keep her worries down but...you know your mother. *He too rolls his eyes, approaching you and giving you a hug, patting you on the back softly.
[20:46:49] <@Klaus> "And you too, I rushed here through the night because I thought Mirasol would be next after Clodberg...y'know, it's been following a pattern, almost like the attacks have been traveling one step ahead of me since I left Ramtaban." He turns toward his dad and hugs him too. "It's good to see you too!"
[20:47:47] : @Klaus steps back a bit. "So...where to start? I've been back a while, so there's a lot of catching up to do, and then there's this whole damn mess with the Criterion." He fumbles with his hat and sets it on the counter, running his hand through his hair.
[20:48:32] <RioCadaro> Pop: Come sit down on the couch, son. I think we'd all like to hear what all's going on. Mia's told us what you've sent her in her emails but...what exactly IS going on?
[20:51:27] : @Klaus sighs and refills his coffee before slumping down on the couch. "Well, I was hoping we'd do the catching up bit first, but you're right, this is important. First things first, I've got Babbage and Lapla- oh right, you haven't met my new companions...anyway, I've got them scouting the city for signs of impending attack. Should be back soon with the all clear...I hope."
[20:51:46] : @Klaus leans back and ruffles his hair a bit more. "I guess... the easiest way to start this is...just what do you know so far?"
[20:53:00] <RioCadaro> Mia: I've kept them up to date with your emails, the ones you've been sending from each town you've been in. They know about Ramtaban, what happens in Jabota, and your most recent email. Besides that...like the big picture, we only have the theories we've heard online and through other mediums besides your own info.
[20:53:11] * RioCadaro Your parents both nod lightly to Mia's statement.
[20:55:25] : @Klaus laughs darkly. "Well, all I've got are my own theories, though I 'spose I have a bit more to work with." He leans forward and takes a deep breath before continuing. "Criterion's big now. Military tech access and resources to match. You know 'bout the Ronin? Seems they're split off from them, and it's a whole fucking mess with the military. Government won't help the Ronins or us fight this now.
[20:55:30] <@Klaus> (continuing)
[20:56:51] <@Klaus> In fact, seems they want to cover it up. I've got the video over there though." He gestures to his laptop, still set up on the dinner table. "Uploaded it to the network drive already."
[20:58:35] <@Klaus> "Anyway..." Klaus shakes his head a few times and blinks, still fighting off sleep. "...Sorry for dragging you all in this. Right after the attack, I was panicked and all. Thought the first thing I'd do is go and dump this onto Mia. Guess I haven't really grown up much at all in the past few years, huh?"
[20:58:56] <@Klaus> "Still counting on big sis to fight my fights."
[21:00:40] <RioCadaro> Mia: Don't put it like that, Klaus. You've been thrusted into something bigger than you...bigger than all of us! You need to get people to back you up in this. Whether we like it or not, you being there put us in the middle of it regardless. You couldn't help that.
[21:01:36] <RioCadaro> Pop: She's right. You're not dumping it on anyone. You're being smart, just like an Ehrlich natrually should be.
[21:01:50] * RioCadaro He tries his best to brighten the mood a little.
[21:02:09] : @Klaus shrugs. "It...didn't need to be our fight. If we're making it so...Sorry, if I'm making it mine...well," He pauses a second, biting his lip with a sharp glare aimed at the floor. "Well, we're just fighting for a piece of shit government that doesn't even care for its own people."
[21:02:40] <@Klaus> "They covered it up. They lied to the families of those who lost so many in the attack. I just can't fathom..."
[21:09:22] <@Klaus> (was done typing, sorry if that wasn't clear)
[21:09:54] <RioCadaro> (Nope, it was clear...just...jumping about)
[21:10:04] <@Klaus> ('kay)
[21:10:08] <RioCadaro> (friend just got back from a funeral viewing that I was unaware about...a little torn up)
[21:10:08] <RioCadaro> @_@
[21:10:18] <@Klaus> (oh geez...)
[21:19:13] <RioCadaro> Mom: I think you should look at it different than that, dear. *she shakes her head* You're not fighting for the government. You're fighting for whoever you are wanting to fight for. Whichever people you deem worthy.
[21:19:46] <RioCadaro> Mia: The government just tries to keep everyone together. If you don't support them, and I certainly wouldn't with how they're acting like children, then Mom's right.
[21:22:38] : @Klaus nods slowly. "I...suppose that's not so bad. I don't know what to think though. When I went looking for Clodberg's gym leader, I found her surrounded by dead bodies. In our military's uniform. She'd been fighting them." he gives it a moment to sink in, then continues. "Now," he starts again slowly, "the logical explanation is that Criterion stole the uniforms from Ramtaban when they attacked. But the whole city was just about obliterated. So..." he trails off.
[21:33:46] <RioCadaro> (Your text cut off at 'but the whole city was just ab')
[21:34:07] <@Klaus> But the whole city was just about obliterated. So..." he trails off.
[21:34:10] <@Klaus> (sorry)
[21:38:30] <RioCadaro> (Ah....better...people can do things and play with themselves...)
[21:38:35] <RioCadaro> (I mean..um...back to you!)
[21:38:38] <@Klaus> (heh)
[21:39:11] <RioCadaro> Mia: Well, that's what the media is telling us. Are you sure the entire city got destroyed?
[21:39:36] <RioCadaro> Pop: And with previous attacks as...developed, as you say they were, they could've prepared for this in advance just as they did Ramtaban.
[21:39:50] * RioCadaro Your father strokes his chin as he ponders other theories.
[21:40:53] : @Klaus opens his mouth to answer then pauses, closes it, and walks over to his laptop. "Either way, you should probably watch this." He pulls up the footage Babbage took of the attack as it happened. "Can I get this on the TV?"
[21:48:03] * RioCadaro Babbage: Gon!
[21:48:40] * RioCadaro Babbage moves himself into the television and begins playing the footage. You see a mixture of reactions as the different scenes play. Your father is probably the least emotional, having more of an analytical look upon his face.
[21:50:42] : @Klaus sits back and only half pays attention, having gone through this same footage himself at least a dozen times by now. "...I've got a copy stored on the network drive too, to review while I'm out. It was a huge stroke of luck Babbage was able to capture all this. Speaking of which, things have gotten pretty messy, and I'm worried about his safety. I'm thinking he'll need an Up-Grade soon.
[21:50:47] <@Klaus> Just to be cautious."
[21:56:42] <RioCadaro> Pop: You're absolutely right. We wouldn't want any hackers to get into Babbage's memory, now would we? I'll be sure to bring one home from the main production line today. Either that or I can look into doing it myself. If you still trust this old man, that is.
[21:56:51] * RioCadaro He laughs a bit under his breath, giving you a smile.
[21:58:05] : @Klaus smiles "I was gonna do it myself while I was in Clodberg, but...I'm unsure about the government's stance in this fight, so I wanna do everything by the books so they've got no excuse to try to take Babbage away."
[21:58:53] * RioCadaro He nods. "Yes...I guess I didn't take that into consideration. I'll be sure to pick one up and bring it to you tonight. You...will be staying here for at least one day won't you?"
[22:00:50] <@Klaus> "Of course, I've gotta watch for an impending attack! Maybe I'm being too paranoid." Klaus gives a dry, hollow laugh. "Seems I'll need to train my pokemon more too. Can you believe two days ago was the first time I sat down to train my pokemon? Hell, all I had was Babbage til the attack. Now I've got a roster of five..." (cont'd)
[22:01:45] <@Klaus> "Maybe I'll pay a visit to Jeremiah..." He turns to Mia. "He still training at your gym? A friendly battle, maybe time to pick up some pointers. I think that'd help, and you're probably too busy to manage gym affairs at the moment I imagine."
[22:05:25] * RioCadaro Mia nods. "Of course Jeremiah is there. I'd be surprised if he ever left. Sadly...you're right. I've managed to get a hold of quite a few of the Gym Leaders here in Egondra, and I'm trying to contact our business partners, see if they've noticed anything amuck in their side of the waters."
[22:09:48] <@Klaus> "Good man, he is. I hope he's doing well." Klaus smiles and nods, removing his Pidove pokebot from his bag. "I've got Laplace, he's a Rotom I met in Clodberg, out scanning the city. Figured an unfamiliar soul might find passageways and vulnerabilities the locals might overlook. The exact type that would be used in an attack. Without a cell phone though, this radio's the best I have for (cont'd)
[22:11:25] <@Klaus> contacting him." He pats the Pidovebot and takes a deep breath. "So...that's all the business side of things out of the way until Revas and the others arrive - other survivors, you see. And some of the Ronin I spoke of." He nods to himself in silence for a few seconds. "...Yep, that should be the important stuff. So what's new since I left for college? Everything seems just as it was,
[22:11:37] <@Klaus> all the way down to the bitter cold this time of year." He gives a wry smile.
[22:13:25] <RioCadaro> Mom: Well you know your father and I have our routine of getting up, making our way down to the production lines. Really...it's been rather peaceful this year, hasn't it? We haven't gotten terrible snowstorms yet like we usually do around this time of year.
[22:14:02] <RioCadaro> Pop: We're keeping this well-oiled machine up to our usual standards! We've had a few new developments from our engineering department, but overall SSDD.
[22:16:15] <RioCadaro> Mia: The occassional outside challenger comes in to battle, but unfortunately none of them have beat me yet. One has come close though! It was a little disappointing to see him not walk away with a Badge but...hey, you have to earn it.
[22:18:28] <@Klaus> "And lucky too it's not been too bad, else you might've had to dig me out of the snow again. 'Course, I took the caves up this time, not the forest." Klaus sips some more coffee and rubs his eyes again. They are still clearly a bit bleary and red from having stayed up most of the night. "As expected with the gym too!" He chuckles. "Though don't you worry you may be taking it too tough on them then?
[22:19:12] <@Klaus> You're not supposed to fight at your full strength, right? I've got a few buddies who are looking into gym challenges..." he shakes his head "Barely a few days out of the hellfire and they're already at it. Everyone's got their way of coping I 'spose."
[22:20:42] <RioCadaro> Mia: Well of course I'm not putting all of my power behind it, but you have to remember most of these Trainers consider me the last of the Gym Leaders. I have to be ready for a well-rounded bunch of Pokemon and stronger ones. Now with Ramtaban not avaiable as a Gym...we still have to figure out what to do about Montague's Gym and how he'll be handling battles...
[22:20:58] * RioCadaro The thoguht didn't exactly cross her mind until now, it seems. Then again, there's been more important things to worry about.
[22:23:48] : @Klaus freezes at the mention, mind racing to remember if Mia had mentioned Montague before and if his seeming death would be particularly touchy. He hadn't really considered the notion of his family having friends in the city before it was attacked until now, since he'd just freshly arrived from graduating from the university in Jambale. Hadn't made friends yet in Ramtaban, luckily he guesses.
[22:24:05] <@Klaus> "...Right, there is that..." he manages slowly, gauging her reaction.
[22:26:11] * RioCadaro Your mother looks worried as she looks to Mia. Mia finally looks to you. "Well just have to operate on seven Leaders until this is all sorted out...."
[22:30:08] : @Klaus nods. "I'm sorry," he says quietly, with a morose tone. He settles back into the couch, looking unsure and glancing between his family members. "...We'll make it through. We will, and I'll fucking make sure of it."
[22:30:41] <RioCadaro> Mia: We'll all make sure of it. It's just going to take time to figure out what they're doing and what their next move is.
[22:31:53] : @Klaus mutters "Well, I thought it was here, but...I must've missed something, a complexity to their schemes that's been absent up til now. Ramtaban and Clodberg were flashy affairs, lacking in all subtlety, so why..." He shakes his head. "No, there really isn't much point to thinking on this without more intel."
[22:42:50] <RioCadaro> Pop: Agreed. Let's put together what we've got and think about it when it's all together. You said there were Ronin with you? I'd imagine they would have more information on the matter...
[22:44:53] : @Klaus folds his hands and nods. "And they know how to reach me if they need to, though I really ought to pick up my cell phone sometime today to make things easier on everyone. For now though, I say we relax." He walks over to the table and picks up his pokeballs, opening them all in turn until everyone but Laplace has been gathered. "My new friends and I all could use a chance to just rest and not
[22:45:55] <@Klaus> have to think about the attack right now. And I'm sure you were curious that I suddenly more than quadrupled the size of my roster in a few days! Unlike me, isn't it? I don't really know how it happened, but one thing led to another, and it was useful to have them around."
[22:48:57] <RioCadaro> Mia: It is a bit surprising...but you've always been one to be careful when it comes to most any situation, save one. You know that things are going to get rough, so you bolstered your defenses with a larger roster. As long as your personal moral isn't getting in the way of things...I'd say you're doing a great job.
[22:49:42] <RioCadaro> Mom: And I second your notion to relax for once! Klaus Ehrlich, you're about as stubborn with your mindset as your father is with your workaholic-like tendancies! You could barely get yourself to send us a message from college to tell us you were doing okay!
[22:51:10] : @Klaus puts his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll uh...enjoy another cup of coffee while I'm here with my buddies then." He gestures toward his pokemon. "It's a...responsibility thing. Y'know, the other survivors, most of them were younger than me, so...well, it's much the same as I've always felt with pokemon. If I couldn't take care of myself, how can I take care of them?
[22:52:26] <@Klaus> What if you hadn't found me in the snow before something found Babbage? Or what if Babbage had to get help for me but ran into something back then? I...think I feel better about this kind of responsibility now, but..." he thinks for a second but doesn't seem to come up with a way to finish the sentence and just shrugs. "I'll just have my coffee for now, and I'd like to hear more about the new
[22:52:31] <@Klaus> inventions you mentioned!"
[22:53:42] <RioCadaro> (/scene for now until next time?)
[22:53:48] <@Klaus> (sure thing)