C-Box

Lance reclined back in a delicately carved wood chair. The small room filled quickly with a massive presence, though only one man occupied it. A large table in front of the chair was cluttered with ruffled research results, maps, and other such informative documents. Lance’s right arm dug into the arm of the chair, propping his head against its curled digits. The man closed his eyes and a smirk folded across his lips, forming the façade of someone in quiet amusement, and betraying his mind's inner workings. The trainer’s thoughts swirled around the new ideas he birthed for the eradication of the human race.

Something cool and smooth pressed against his face, sending out waves of love and affection. The emotions painted Lance's subconscious a nauseating mess of reds and pinks. He cracked open an eye in greeting. His dragonair, the female, coiled its body around his pseudo-throne, accentuating the powerful air that suffocated the room. The dragon master elevated his hand slowly, passing over her cheekbone in long, lazy strokes. Greetings, my lovely. The hues of color grew more saturated. You came at the perfect time. I was musing over our glorious new world to come.

Master is so kind and righteous! The serpentine dragon nuzzled him affectionately. He fights for pokémon and is so self-less. Will do anything for master.

Lance let out a hum of laughter. Dragonair lifted her graceful head from his hand and settled upon the left arm of the chair. Her tail curled over her master’s crooked arm and into his lap. His hand fell slowly from its height to rest upon the blue gems that adorned the dragonite’s tail. The man reclined back, sinking back into his pensive state. His thoughts wandered to the Deviants.

They were pesky whelps. Their small armies of do-gooders and paladins managed to thwart the small squadrons of test- morphilles he sent to determine the strength of the organization and the strength of the Elite Four’s research. The Deviants didn’t pose much of a threat to him, though. Lance chuckled again. He had a double agent within high rankings of the Deviants. Not to mention, the Elite kidnapped one of the Indigo League’s top scientists to aid their research.

“Hm mm speaking of which, I believe I have a meeting with that particular Deviant later this week.”

A swath of anger floated up from Dragonair. Lance stroked one of her small, white wings. Soon, my precious, soon… The clack of shuffling heels disturbed the silence. The man parted his eye lids in a condescending, harsh gaze. It was Lorelei, propped against the door frame and Bruno wedged behind her like the subservient human that he was.

The light from the room caught the woman's glasses at such an angle that Lance couldn't make out her expression, but it was obvious that she was in a foul mood. Her arms were folded under her supple bust and her foot tapped impatiently. The woman's brows were furrowed as well. A slight pang of jealousy jolted through Lance's arm from the Dragonair. She lifted her head from the arm of the chair and glowered at Lorelei from behind the throne.

"Well, Lorelei?" Lance's tone was deep and suave, "Have you and Agatha decided which morphilles we're sending to the campus?"

Lorelei was not in the best of moods. Her high heels had a distinctive clack on the floors of the Elite Four HQ that practically spelled out how infuriated she was.

She rolled up a few pieces of paper and put them in her brown belt.

Agatha hadn't been in good health lately, so not only was Lorelei at beck and call for the old scientist, she was doing double her work.

...Not to mention the next set of morphilles were due...

Heavy uncoordinated steps could be heard behind her. It had to be Bruno.

Lorelei quickened her pace until she reached the room in which Lance was going about his day, seemingly more relaxed that Lorelei...That made her mad even more.

She leaned against the open door, putting all of her weight on her shoulder as she irritably folded her arms.

Whilst she was doing double her work, he was sitting there playing with his Pokemon.

"Well, Lorelei?" Lance spoke in a voice that seemed to be bored with everyday things. That annoyed her more. "Have you and Agatha decided which morphilles we're sending to the campus?"

Lorelei held her breath for a full two seconds to regain some sort of control over her voice.

"Yes, Agatha and i have devised a trial round through the scenario computer." She hadn't forgotten to mention that Agatha was not feeling her best, saying so would have made her feel an annoying child who felt that they did all of the work, and therefore wanted more praise.

She took the roll of papers from her belt and tossed them in Lance's direction. She wasn't taking her anger out on him by aiming at him. She knew he would catch it.

"There you'll see four different scenarios, all of which have the same percentage of the probability of success. 84.35%. The percentages cannot go much higher than that until we have analyzed every thought and battle style of these Deviants."

She went on, her temper was slowly subsiding into determination.

"The first as you can see is an all out aerial force, consisting of a Pidgeot, Spearow, and a Fearow. The best battle plan for this scenario is for the Spearow to act as if it is wounded. And then when he has been moved in within the Deviant ranks, the other two as well as he will attack."

Lorelei adjusted her glasses.

"The second is a simple grass type mission. Victreebell, Vileplume, and Exeggcute will form near the Deviants until they feel they can attack the most. The Poison and Psychic affects will hinder the Deviants long enough to send a stronger team in."

"The third is a Ghost mission. Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar are already considered frightening Pokemon to the young Deviant, however, as morphilles, they will be merciless."

Lorelei took a big breath and let it out. She took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"The fourth and last is very simple. We have already proven that fighting types perform at their very best as morphilles, so a team of Primeape, Machamp, and Hitmonlee should do well. A brawn mission if you will"

Lorelei didn't even bother to look at Lance's reactions to everything. Her head hurt too much to stop putting pressure on it.

Lorelei's chest held for two seconds... then lowered with an angry huff. She was angry at him, for his "lazing about" and forcing her to do twice her share of work. Lance smirked and turned his head to the right just slightly. It was exceptionally amusing that even the other Elite Four members couldn't understand the delicate hierarchy he had set up.

"Yes, Agatha and I have devised a trial round through the scenario computer." The dragon trainer turned his head back to the alluring female. She grabbed a roll of papers - test results - and lobed them. He slid his hand out, and most akin to a seviper, caught the bundle. With a jerk, they unfurled for him.

"There you'll see four different scenarios, all of which have the same percentage of the probability of success. Eighty four point three eight percent. The percentages cannot go much higher than that until we have analyzed every thought and battle style of these Deviants."

Her voice eased. Lorelei was always his favorite. Although she boasted a ferocious temper at times - which could be a good thing - she was always over it just as fast.

"The first as you can see is an all out aerial force, consisting of a pidgeot, spearow, and a fearow. The best battle plan for this scenario is for the Spearow to act as if it is wounded. And then when he has been moved in within the Deviant ranks, the other two as well as he will attack." Highlights flashed from her glasses. "The second is a simple grass type mission. Victreebell, vileplume, and exeggcute will form near the Deviants until they feel they can attack the most. The poison and psychic affects will hinder the Deviants long enough to send a stronger team in."

"The third is a ghost mission. Gastly, haunter, and gengar are already considered frightening Pokemon to the young Deviant, however, as morphilles, they will be merciless."

Lorelei let out a sigh and removed her glasses. Her fingers traced circles against the bridge of her nose. Being this irritated will give you cancer, Lori.

"The fourth and last is very simple. We have already proven that fighting types perform at their very best as morphilles, so a team of primeape, machamp, and hitmonlee should do well. A
'brawn mission' if you will."

She didn't look up after her outrageously long monologue. Her fingers were now pressed rigidly against her nose and her other arm hugged her chest. Lance stood, raising to his full, majestic height, his cape pillowing behind him. In a quick, sleek movement, the dragon trainer was upon his female subordinate. He traced his fingers along the soft edge of her jaw. Lance stared down, searching behind her glasses.

"Poor, poor sweet. Do I have you working too hard? You know you can always ask for a little more..." He raised his eyebrows delicately, "fun in your workday."

"Sexual innuendos aside, I want a team of electric types in lue of the grass. I never liked grass types. Bruno, make yourself useful and round up some decent electric pokémon. And make sure Lori here doesn't work herself too hard."

Sometimes she just couldn't stand him. Lorelei knew he was the king in this hellish caste system called the Elite Four, but...'hmph, i will not be treated as a toy' she thought to herself. She screamed angrily inside.

'Damn you! Damn you to hell!' She began ranting in her mind as Bruno nodded almost ape-like at Lance's impossible request. She refused to have such 'fun'. This was a workplace and she needed to work her ass of to keep herself in check. Work helped with stress, in her line of work, there was ONE right answer, none of this 'hit and miss' crap that Bruno did, and none of this 'beat around the fricking bush' crap that Lance did.

One damned answer and so many ways to get to it. She didn't start with her favorite trial like Lance, who enjoyed playing with her, a cat batting its toy back and forth with potentially clawed paws. NO! She started with the most logical!

Lorelei brushed Bruno's massive hand off of her arm. "No thank you, i'll pass." She said to the seemingly cat eyed Lance and stormed off.

The floor seemed to protest as if to say 'dammit, not this lady again!' while her heels made a rather loud clacking sound.

That damned Lance was always so direct with Bruno, yet he played with her (she tended to speak in circles when ranting to herself). She almost wished she were Bruno...

...Almost.

She entered the lab and began working on the electric type senario that the bastard king wanted.