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[THREAD] Team Skull Recruitment Mafia (5th Anniversary Mafia)

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Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
After responding to that strange radio broadcast you heard, you find yourself in front of "the Shady House" that you were instructed to meet at. And, well...it looks the part.

Despite it's gargantuan size (clearly whoever had initially built it had the scharole to piss away on the square-footage), it doesn't exactly look like the place anybody would want to live in. The once ornate shutters that served to protect the arched windows from the Alolan storm winds now hung by single screws, some having fallen off altogether. Many of the glass panes were cracked, if not completely shattered, and whether it was from mere age or from something being thrown through them was hard to tell. The walls had been degraded in a few places, and there were traces of claw and even burn marks along the facade. Likely from Pokemon getting a little too rowdy?

The thick, giant mahogany doors, clearly imported from some expensive-ass region, were the only things that seemed to have kept their intended aesthetic. Despite a few dings, scratches, and chips in the carved design, they still stood as strong as they had they day they were built. But were they as welcoming? That was up to whoever approached them.

Despite the somewhat frightening appearance of the front of the dilapidated mansion, the inside managed to hold a bit more of a cozier feel. It was just as big as it looked, and it was evident that the inhabitants--Team Skull themselves--had worked quite hard to make do with their living arrangements.

The broken windows had been fortified from the inside with four-by-fours, all decorated with absurd yet oddly humorous neon graffiti art. Whoever had painted on the boards had gotten a little rambunctious with the paint, however, because there were splatters on the nearby walls and even the tile floor. Posters of assorted Pokemon and Champions and fandoms adorned the peeling wallpaper, and an eagle-eyed observer might catch sight of the wooden "Days Since Guzma Punched a Hole In Something" sign, which ironically, had a giant hole right where the number would have likely been scribbled.

Whatever furniture that had been left behind by the previous owner was patched up and refurbished, as indicated by the shoddy patches in the couch cushions and the overall mismatched setup of the apparent main sitting room. The floor, while dark with age and abandonment, was swept and mopped clean, and the rug that was situated under the sitting area--while torn in several places--also otherwise looked clean-ish.

A grand staircase of thick dark wood and dingy carpet led up to the second floor, and hallways stretched in every direction from the entrance. But what would likely catch your eye was the large and poorly-drawn "WELCOME NEW RECRUITS" banner that hung over the table of refreshments. Juice boxes, assorted berries, a bowl of Doritos, and a large plate of the most delectable-smelling brownies your nose might have ever had the pleasure of inhaling sat scattered on the old folding table.

It was...something.




@Flyg0n @HelloYellow17 @FauxFox @Dragonfree @tomatorade @ShiniGojira @Chibi Pika @unrepentantAuthor

[[Due to my own stupidity, I accidentally posted the incorrect cutoff date for signups. I intended them to end April 29th at midnight EST 🤡 That said, we will be getting started with Day 0 but signups will be open until then, after which you will receive your roles the game will officially start. Have fun you crazy kids!]]
 

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
Anubis didn't remember exactly how he got here, after answering the call but he wasn't worried. No, what annoyed him far more as he loitered inside the dilapidated house was his body.

Every step he took made him feel like he was about to topple over. How did bipeds stand that? Where was the certainty of standing on your own four paws? Not to mention how weird having skin felt, feeling clothes against it. And his pathetic senses. How on earth did humans cope? So fragile. No wonder they formed gangs...

A gang he was here to infiltrate, and bring down. The change should be temporary, as he understood it, so he'd just have to win this game, get into the gang, and then report them to the local authorities. And then go home. Simple.

Still annoyed, he stalked awkwardly over to the refreshments table, eyeing it uneasily before finally picking at the chips and berries.
 

tomatorade

The great speckled bird
Location
A town at the bottom of the ocean
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. quilava
  2. buizel
Isaac needed money. Some things never changed. Unfortunately, he was a little too old to be a naive young upstart asking for odd jobs around town, so that led him here. Not the worst house he'd ever loitered around in, but he'd also like to believe he was beyond that, too.

Still, he entered with a smile. Shrugged and smiled wider at the only other person here. Dude with horns. Cool. He'd be sure to stay out of headbutting range.

"Nice day out, eh? Hope this is quick, I'd like the chance to go for an Alolan swim," he laughed.

There weren't any other people. No cameras as far as he could tell. Nothing to do but wait. He zoned in on a comfy-looking chair right in the middle of everything and slumped back into it with a relieved huff.

Hey, at least they got snacks.
 

FauxFox

Wandering Fool
Location
Somewhere, surely.
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. zorua
"This place is wicked!" Spencer strolled through the door with his skateboard under his arm as he looked around, clearly excited.

Spencer made note of the others in the room as he approached the snack table.

"Hey guys," Spencer said as he grabbed a brownie from the table.

"Or I guess they say "Alola" as a greeting here. I'm Spencer, what are your names? Also, these brownies are the bomb, you guys should try 'em," He added as he sat down on a couch.
 

ShiniGojira

Multiversal Extraordinaire
Location
Stranded In The Gaps between Multiverses
Pronouns
He/him/they/her
Partners
  1. froslass
  2. zorua-gojira
  3. salandit-shiny
Y'know, it wasn't the first time Cygnus had questioned himself after already making his decision. In hindsight, running away from home and hitchhiking a plane to an unknown land was probably not a great idea. But in his defense, he wasn't quite there when he made all those decisions. and... he just had to get away from home for a while.

Glancing at his surroundings, he wondered just what he was thinking when the first thing he did in Alola was to join a gang of all things. But oh well, since he was already here, might as well just try it out.

It's not like anything I do matters anyway–
He mentally swung a sledgehammer at the thought before making his way over to the snack table and taking something to drink. "Ah, much better~" He let out a delighted sigh as he turned to look at the others around him. "Yo! Nice ta meet 'cha. Name's Cygnus! If you're looking for a battle, please refrain from challenging me! I only have a mon with a day of fighting experience so I'm totally a newb!"
 

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
"Anubis," he said with a nod. After a moment, he waved, remembering that was how humans did it. So much for a nice wag of the tail.

He surveyed the crowd carefully. "What brings you all here?"
 

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
"Oh shit the nooblets are here!"

"We were supposed to be at the door to welcome 'em in!"

"Shit, the boss is gonna kill us."

The distant voices soon gave way to a stampede of rapidly approaching footsteps, accompanied by the occasional grunt or curse. It wasn't long before a couple of grunts--three of them--rushed out from one of the nearby open doors and approached the incoming group with a mixture of bumbling haste and frantic unease.

"H-hey there!" said the first grunt, pulling the bandana down from around his round chin to speak. He was shorter than the other two, but was wider than the both of them combined. "Sorry, time got away from us! I'm Tupp, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"We were just getting ready for y'all! You're right on time!" said the second one, the lone girl in the trio. Her hair was as pink as the payapa berries on the snack table. "The name's Rapp."

"And I'm Zipp! Welcome to the 'fficial Team Skull HQ!" declared the last one; a taller, skinner boy with hair so blue it was practically blinding. The three of them gestured outward in a triumphant fashion, as if presenting the space to the group of potential recruits.

"We're gonna be your sherpas up this mountain of awesomeness you decided to climb today," Tupp said excitedly, ignoring as the other two scowled at him.

"Bro, nobody knows what a fuckin' sherpa is," Zipp snapped. "And this isn't fuckin' Lanakila."

"Would it kill ya to be concise for once in your life?" Rapp added.

As the three grunts began to devolve into a pointless argument, a shrill whistle sounded from the mezzanine, bouncing off the peeling walls and causing the trio to flinch into silence.

"Alright, knock it off you pissheads. I'll take it from here."

The new recruits would recognize his voice from the radio broadcast. He now stood up on that mezzanine overlooking the foyer and sitting area, leaning against the railing with his hands clasped and his posture oozing the type of confidence only a boss of a gang of misfits would have.

"Pleasure to see all your sexy ass faces on this fine ass day!" he greeted, a wicked grin curling up his cheeks. "The name's Guzma; charmed as shit, I'm sure."
 

tomatorade

The great speckled bird
Location
A town at the bottom of the ocean
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. quilava
  2. buizel
Isaac had heard of Guzma, but he never got to meet the man in person. Wild was a good word for him--wild hair, wild personality, wild dress sense. Not that he had any right to judge. The dude was definitely someone to keep an eye on, though, and for more than just being his potential boss.

"I'm Isaac," he offered, and to all the newcomers that had trickled in while he waited. "Awesome to meet everyone, grateful for the chance. I'm just trying to stay afloat and get ahead and y'know-- maybe find the meaning of life along the way, who can say?"

He shrugged. Tried to stay a little casual.

"Good thing I came, though. Looks like Team Skull attracts all the top talent. Team Plasma would never."
 

Dragonfree

Moderator
Staff
Location
Iceland
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Partners
  1. butterfree
  2. mightyena
  3. charizard
  4. scyther-mia
  5. vulpix
  6. slugma
The radio broadcast was weird as hell, but Jack was always a fan of a good game of Mafia, and this one had some kind of narrative element too, this whole thing about Team Skull trying to recruit, taking place at this dilapidated manor? With free refreshments?

It was too bad Gabriel hadn't wanted to come -- bit too self-conscious about camping out with a bunch of strangers, and yeah, Jack could get that. But Gabriel'd still encouraged him to go and have fun, if he wanted to. And yeah. Jack was used to giving people the tour. Blue skin, antennae light up, get used to it. If he acted like he belonged, most people would go along with it.

He arrived at the mansion -- wow, they'd really gone all out with the set decoration! -- just around the time some staff in costumes came out to introduce themselves. He casually grabbed a brownie off the table and grinned up at the mezzanine as the voice from the broadcast finally came out. Guzma! Man, the actor they'd gotten was nailing it. This was going to be great.
 

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Staff
Location
somewhere in spacetime
Pronouns
they/them
Partners
  1. pikachu-chibi
  2. lugia
  3. palkia
  4. lucario-shiny
  5. incineroar-starr
Stracion leaned back in a chair and kicked her boots up, dunking a hand into the bowl of Doritos. With shit going south in Kanto, she'd been looking for a change of pace, and then wouldn't you know it--golden opportunity right here in Alola. She couldn't lie--Team Skull seemed pretty much entirely right up her alley. And she wasn't one to turn down free food, wherever it came from.

"Just looking to have some fun," she replied with an innocent grin in response to the dog-man. (Dog-man? Yeah, a dog-man. Some kinda genetic experiment maybe? Not to mention the chicken-man and the fish-kid. Man, someone had gotten up to some crazy-ass experiments.)
 

HelloYellow17

Gym Leader
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. suicune
  2. umbreon
  3. mew
  4. lycanroc-wes
  5. leafeon-rui
Honestly, in Rui’s opinion, this whole “Team Skull” thing didn’t seem nearly as sinister as she’d been led to believe.

Reports from locals had been alarming, so naturally Wes had wanted to scope it out and ensure there was no chance this could be tied to any further underground “Cipher bullshit,” as he’d called it. He’d been quite confident in his ability to slip in and masquerade as one of their own to do a thorough investigation, and, well…

While it was true that he was by far the most qualified to look and act the part of a gang member, that’s about where his advantage started and ended. Wes wasn’t exactly…subtle. Or good with people. Or a good actor, especially under pressure. He also had a bit of a knack for pissing people off—usually all the wrong people.

So, Rui had pushed him and his Pokémon into attending a local festival (which included a battle tournament that would certainly keep them all occupied for a good while), stayed back at the hotel feigning illness, and then set out for the mansion on her own, shady invite in hand.

Wes was going to be pissed once he found out.

If, she reminded herself stubbornly. Only if he finds out. She’d show up, play the silly game, and then be back at the suite before Wes returned. Easy peasy.

She kept telling herself that even as the name “Mafia” left her stomach in knots. But, well, come on. That game had all been a dream. Or…something. It hadn’t been real. She hadn’t actually hurt anyone that time. Probably. Most likely. Maybe.

She huffed and straightened up before marching inside with the others, keeping an eager smile on her face. Whatever. At least this time, it really was just a game. So even if she turned out to be a “bad guy” again, it was all in good, harmless fun…provided they didn’t do something horribly sadistic to the game’s losers. Oh, gods, this was a bad idea—no! Keep it together, Rui!

She smiled and greeted the three grunts—were they just kids?—who ushered them in, but when she looked up and saw their host, she felt her heart fall right into her stomach. She recognized that man. Recognized him from her previous mafia game.

Oh, Wes was so going to kill her, provided this guy didn’t do it first.

Do I say something? No, you’ll look crazy. Just smile and wave. So she did just that.

“Heya! Name’s Rui. Thanks for having me!”
 
Day 1 New

Sinderella

Angy Tumbleweed
Staff
Location
In Guzma's Closet
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. sylveon-shiny
  2. gothitelle
  3. froslass
  4. chandelure
  5. mimikyu
Guzma clapped his hands together. The sound reverberated through the house, deepening the silence that had fallen over everything.

"So here's how this is gonna go," he announced from his spot atop the staircase. He began to slowly descend as he spoke.

"Y'all should have received your roles by now. Each phase, y'all are gonna be tasked with figuring out who from the group to eliminate. You'll only have until the sun goes down to do so, after which you'll head back to your rooms for the night phase. Winning team gets immediate induction into the gang, no further questions asked."

By now, he made it to the bottom and regarded each of the potential recruits with a tempered scowl, as if he were staring down some obnoxious young children. "And before anybody has the opp to ask the stupid question, nobody's actually fucking dying here, not if I can help it. In the event you are eliminated or taken out in the night phase, you'll just be sent to the Dunce Room. That's where we send the grunts who do dumb shit so they have a quiet place to contemplate why they did their dumb shit. You'll hang there until the game ends. Don't need any sticky fingers fucking up the game for everyone else, ya feel?"

He rubbed his hands together before throwing himself into an aged recliner sitting along the shoddy armchairs and loveseats.

"And with that, commence your game, recruits." He saluted. "Good luck."


List of Players:
  1. EonDuoLatios: Victoria Liu Xinlong (F)
  2. Panoramic_Vacuum: Phoebe Hawea (F)
  3. FauxFox: Spencer Roberts (M)
  4. Dragonfree: Jack Ray (M)
  5. ShiniGojira: Cygnus Plein (M)
  6. HelloYellow17: Rui Everlin (F)
  7. Chibi Pika: Stracion Decora (F)
  8. unrepentantAuthor: Sriracha (M)
  9. Starlight Aurate: Derek Cummings (M)
  10. Flyg0n: Anubis (M)
  11. tomatorade: Isaac (M)

DAY 1 HAS BEGUN!
COUNTDOWN TO NIGHT 1
 

Starlight Aurate

Ad Jesum per Mariam | pfp by kintsugi
Location
Route 123
Partners
  1. mightyena
  2. psyduck
Derek grimaced. He'd come to this Team Skull recruitment event hoping it would give him something to do after what happened with Team Magma. Yet, in spite of wanting to be away from Team Magma, he expected that being hired for Team Skull would have the same process as for Team Magma: show up on time, have an interview, go over your credentials and expectations, get a tour of the place, and meet future coworkers.

Instead, they were being pitted against each other.

"Ugh, this is like Greek life in undergrad."

He wished his Pokemon were with him. They always bailed him out when he needed it.

He eyed the refreshments table eagerly and scooped up a brownie. As he nibbled the chocolatey goodness, he eyed the other members. What were some of them? There seemed to be a chicken-man and a fish-man--like a human tried evolving into a Pokemon but got stuck halfway. He averted his eyes, trying not to stare, but so curious as to how their bodies functioned. Did they respond well to human medicine? Or did they take Pokemon battle potions?

Looking over at Guzma, Derek's stomach twisted with regret. He missed Maxie.
 

Flyg0n

Flygon connoisseur
Pronouns
She/her
Partners
  1. flygon
  2. swampert
  3. ho-oh
  4. crobat
  5. orbeetle
  6. joltik
  7. salandit
  8. tyrantrum
"Sounds like this will be a fun game then!" Anubis declared, clapping his hands(?) together. "I look forward to playing with you all."
It was good Skull wasn't a murderous gang at least. For now he needed to focus on winning this game. He would need to try and get to know his fellow players better then...

Some of the applicants were surprisingly young looking humans. Others were like him, pokemon-like in some way, yet partially human. Interesting.

He vaguely recalled a few of his pack back home mentioning these kinds of games, but they had never made sense. Guessing guilt felt like an odd approach.

[[Just a quick Lil morning post. I really need to try and focus on work at work today lol so this is just me checking in and in about 8 hours I'm gonna try to pop back in]]
 

FauxFox

Wandering Fool
Location
Somewhere, surely.
Pronouns
He/Him
Partners
  1. zorua
"This sounds hype, I can't wait until the game starts!" Spencer smiled.

He leaned forward to grab a handful of Doritos from the table, listening as he quietly munched on them before continuing to speak.

"Good luck to everyone, win or lose I know I'll have fun," Spencer added after finishing his handful of Doritos.
 

HelloYellow17

Gym Leader
Pronouns
She/Her
Partners
  1. suicune
  2. umbreon
  3. mew
  4. lycanroc-wes
  5. leafeon-rui
Rui allowed herself a little sigh of relief upon hearing about the “Dunce room.” Okay, this really was just a game. She didn’t need to worry. And Guzma didn’t seem to remember or recognize her from their previous “game,” so that had all definitely just been a weirdly vivid nightmare. Good. Great!

She straightened with a smile. Now that she didn’t have to worry about actually dying or getting injured, she was going to have fun. “Well, let’s get to know each other, shall we?”

She clasped her hands behind her back and spun to face the others with a cheerful grin—and had to stop herself from doing a double take at several of them. Were they…Pokémon cosplayers? Or something? Huh. She didn’t really understand it, but hey, these guys’ costumes were really good. She respected the heck out of that.

“I know I just said it, but my name’s Rui. Rui Everlin. I’m not from here, but a region called Orre. Which is slightly different from Alola.” She chuckled and brought her hands up in a soft clap. “Anyway, I’m excited to meet you all! Let’s make this fun!”
 

Dragonfree

Moderator
Staff
Location
Iceland
Pronouns
she/her/hers
Partners
  1. butterfree
  2. mightyena
  3. charizard
  4. scyther-mia
  5. vulpix
  6. slugma
Well, there were definitely people giving him weird looks. Jack took a breath and gave an open wave. "Hey, everybody. I'm Jack Ray, Chinchou Pokémorph. Yes, this is my real skin. Yes, these glow in the dark." He pulled one of his bulbs down a little and let go of it so it bobbed up and down. "I don't bite. Just here to have a good time. Has everyone played Mafia before, or does anyone need a crash course?"

There was an otherwise normal-looking guy with horns over there - some sort of cosplay? And... wait, was that a guy in a full Blaziken mask? For a moment he stared; he could almost have sworn it looked real. Like a ninth Pokémorph, just casually hanging out at this mafia game.
 

Panoramic_Vacuum

Hoenn around
Partners
  1. aggron
  2. lairon
An airy voice floated in from the nearby hallway in an almost singsong fashion. "~Sure is noisy for being an abandoned house...~"

The light patter of bare feet sounded on the floorboards, and then a tropical flower peeked around the doorframe followed by a girl's face adorned with look of surprise. "Oh!" she said with a giggle, "I guess it wasn't abandoned after all!"

Gracefully, she stepped fully into view and glanced around the room, her flower sarong swishing about her ankles. So many interesting people, and here she was almost disappointed to find out the place wasn't haunted. She waved to the group.

"I'm Phoebe, nice to meet everyone! From the outside, I thought there might be some ghosts living inside, but turns out there's people living here, and they're hosting a game. So I figured I'd join in the fun!"

Then she waved to Guzma, too. "Thanks for having us, mister!"
 

Starlight Aurate

Ad Jesum per Mariam | pfp by kintsugi
Location
Route 123
Partners
  1. mightyena
  2. psyduck
Derek's heart leapt to his throat at the sight of Phoebe. Of everyone showing up to a Team Skull recruitment event, why was a member of the Hoenn Elite Four there? He hoped she didn't ask him about his life. He hated lying and he wasn't good at it. Just stay quiet and avoid talking--that's the best way to keep secrets.

He surveyed the room of humans and not-quite-humans before him. How was he to know who was on his side? Nothing had happened. Everyone was just making introductions and idle chit-chat.

Think, Derek. What would Claydol do in a situation like this?

That was easy--he would read everyone's minds.

Hmm... what would Breloom do in this situation?

He instantly envisioned Breloom decking people in the face, grabbing them, and demanding to know which team they were on.

Uh... what about Golbat?

Doing his best to channel his inner Golbat, he straightened up, licked the last of the brownie crumbs off his fingers, and announced to the room at large.

"We have a decision to make. Nothing has happened so far. So, do we wait for something to happen, and one person is thrown into the..." He checked the sign. "Dunce Room?" What was this place, a kindergarten? He was quickly regretting attending this event. "Or do we pick somebody to throw in there today? We currently have nothing to go off of, but I'm not a fan of waiting for others to attack before fighting back."
 

unrepentantAuthor

A cat that writes stories.
Location
UK
Pronouns
they/she
Partners
  1. purrloin-salem
  2. sneasel-dusk
  3. luz-companion
  4. brisa-companion
  5. meowth-laura
  6. delphox-jesse
  7. mewtwo
  8. zeraora
"Hey, everybody. I'm Jack Ray, Chinchou Pokémorph. Yes, this is my real skin. Yes, these glow in the dark." He pulled one of his bulbs down a little and let go of it so it bobbed up and down. "I don't bite. Just here to have a good time. Has everyone played Mafia before, or does anyone need a crash course?"

There was an otherwise normal-looking guy with horns over there - some sort of cosplay? And... wait, was that a guy in a full Blaziken mask? For a moment he stared; he could almost have sworn it looked real. Like a ninth Pokémorph, just casually hanging out at this mafia game.

Sriracha's crest perked up hard at the sound of 'Chinchou Pokémorph' and looked up from the buffet snacks he was gorging on to swivel round and gawk at Jack.

"Oh, there's morphs here?" he crowed. "Alright! Nice! Give me high fives, new friend!"

He made a beeline for the boy, intent on cameraderie.
 
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