AND NOW, AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM LANCE...

[indigo_league]

<sub>[The press has been buzzing and it’s finally time: Indigo League Champion Lance is making his first public appearance since “Rocket Prom”. Wild rumors have been flying around, everything from “Lance is definitely DEAD” to “Well the Rockets replaced him with an evil robot/clone/Zoroark/Ditto/hologram and it’s being Kept From the public (™)”, but the haggard-looking man on the screen definitely LOOKS like a real live person who’s been hospitalized for two weeks. And, even with the big bandage on his head, still bears Lance’s quiet air of dignity. It’s the real deal, all right.]

[He offers a weary, if stressed, smile for the camera and lifts a hand to stop the audible clamor of the paparazzi just off-camera.]</sub>

Ah-hem. This is Champion Lance speaking. First of all… for those concerned, I am definitely not dead. Or a clone. I’ve been receiving the best medical care anyone could want and am well on the road to recovery. I’d like to personally thank the mobile staff of the Indigo Plateau and Viridian City Pokemon Centers for their hard work and immediate response to the emergency, both in administering aid to injured trainers as well as working to release the captive Pokemon back into their natural habitat.

So, with that out of the way....

Well, trainers, after the… events of last week, there are a few things that need to be said.

Firstly, we, the Elite Four, are all doing as well as can be expected, and will be open for challengers again in another week. It… goes without saying that none of us enjoy suffering defeat at the hands of wrongdoers, especially on such a public, visible scale. For those whose confidence in us has been shaken, rest assured that our fine police force is doing the best they can to track down those responsible for this and see that this kind of thing never happens again. If anything can be learned from this wicked act of greed and selfishness, it is that even the strong are not infallible, and that the criminals of Team Rocket are not to be underestimated. I urge us all to stay vigilant, train hard, and contact your local police station with any information that could lead to the prevention of further Rocket violence.

Secondly, on a less solemn note… we at the Indigo Pokemon League would like to extend a very special thanks to those brave trainers who fought their way through the Rockets’ base to rescue both us and the extraordinary Pokemon who was being held captive. In a time of crisis, you all showed your mettle and rose above and beyond all expectations. You all have our sincerest gratitude, and-- for your courage-- will shortly receive a token of our personal thanks via official Indigo League Dragonite mail.

[For a moment, it looks like he’s just about wrapped things up, but then, he hesitates before adding, with just as much dignity as before:]

And one last matter. There was one book which was not recovered after the attack, one that was more...personal. A photo book. If anyone has any information about it, I would appreciate if you would step forward.

That will be all for now. Thank you.

_{[He begins to step down, only for a large microphone to be shoved in his face.]}

Lance, what kind of token will the trainers from the incident? What do you mean by ‘personal’?

_{[Lance looks kind of pained, but smiles as he pushes the microphone away as politely as possible.]}

That’s classified.



~~~

So, OOCly, what does all this mean?

IT MEANS IT’S PRIZE TIME!! And not just from the Elite Four-- the newly-freed Nephilis is grateful too! The list of prizes for the event are as follows!

EVERYONE IN THE GAME will get:

A very special upcoming Chrismalenteaster Holiday Bonanza, courtesy of the newly freed Nephilis, who is scrambling to make up for all those months spent in captivity, unable to make the holidays extra special like they should be!
On April 26th, all characters in the game will awake to find themselves surrounded by tinsel, heart shaped confetti, and candy-- kind of scattered around awkwardly like someone tossed it around in a hurry before moving on. BUT AMONG ALL THE DECORATIONS, MORE EXCITINGLY:

One multi-use TM of the player’s choice.
One very special chocolate candy (labeled FOR YOUR DEAREST POKEMON) with the power to permanently change the Ability of whichever (SINGLE, no splitting it up!) Pokemon it’s given to to their Hidden Ability.
One Pokemon egg of the player’s choice, containing a Shiny Pokemon.

CHARACTERS WHO SIGNED UP FOR THE PLOT (whether or not you tagged in, although your name must have been on the sign up list! This includes Rockets IF they stayed in the mansion after the battle and pretended… well, NOT to be Rockets) will get:

One THANK YOU GIFT BASKET containing the following items:

An assortment of Pokeblocks, Poffins, and Pokepuffs.
From Will, a Calm Mind TM. Buff up those special stats to battle smarter!
From Koga, a Venoshock TM. Go out and poison your enemies (‘s Pokemon in battle), kids.
From Karen, a Hone Claws TM. Stay sharp and never let your guard down!
From Bruno, a ...Protein drink for Pokemon and a pack of assorted jerky because trainers need protein too. No, he didn’t misunderstand the gifting theme. Protein is just important.
From Lance, a Dragon Tail TM and a Soothe Bell, because everyone could probably use some soothing after all that.
The mental image of the Elite Four actually having to sit down and pack said gift basket (you know Will got real prissy about the decorations).
AND….. One (1) MEGA RING/BRACELET AND MEGA STONE of your choice, along with a small, handwritten letter from Lance explaining the significance as well as limitations (see below) of this very special tool.

HOLY CANNOLIS, ARE YOU FOR REAL?!

WE TOTALLY ARE! BUT! With a new mechanic comes new rules, so keep in mind:

In order to use your mega stone, the Pokemon in question must be level 100. It takes time, effort, and a strong bond with your Pokemon in order to use something like this! If your character doesn’t have a level 100 Pokemon yet, they can still have a stone, they just won’t be able to use it until the Pokemon in question gets to Level 100.
In Indigo League gym battles, Mega Evolution may only be used against the Elite Teams, not the regular ones! For the Aurora League gyms, it’s up to the leaders of those gyms to decide whether it will be allowed or not! Between players and standard NPC trainers on the routes, it is up to player discretion. If you want to have a wild showstopper battle between Megas, go for it! BE SAFE KIDS.
Mega Evolutions, as in the games, will last the entire battle, but will not last beyond the end of the battle.
Mega Evolution can only be used once per day-- it’s very tiring for the Pokemon!
Each Mega Stone received will be the stone for a Pokemon (or the evolution of a Pokemon) that your character already owns. How did the E4 know what to send, you ask? Let’s just say Professors Oak and Elm are more than willing to let the most famous and authoritative figures in the entire two regions take a peek through peoples’ Pokedex records to see what kinds of Pokemon they’re packing-- it pays to be elite! If your character only has species without Mega Evolutions, you can pick any Mega Stone and have your character obtain the corresponding Pokemon later!
When we say one mega stone we do mean only one! Characters will not ever be able to have more than one at a time. There will be opportunities in the future for new people to obtain them, and for those who already have one to switch to a different one if they choose, but your character will NOT be able to obtain MULTIPLE Mega Stones so CHOOSE WISELY!

AAAAAAND ROCKETS WILL GET:

Wow...wow you guys. The Rockets lost this whole thing pretty hard...losing the mansion base, Elite Four, and the Legendary Pokemon? Wow.

In fact, this loss was such a big one that Team Rocket is bringing in two brand new admin NPCs to supervise everyone and whip this team back into proper villainous shape! These admins will be introduced in a post as soon as we’ve had the chance to review your promotion/punishment submissions.

Each Rocket will also be given a new Pokemon: a Game Corner Pokemon of the player’s choice! Meaning an Abra, Dratini, or Porygon at level 30, with a TM move of choice! Now, this isn’t as much of a reward as you’d think...each one of these Pokemon has been microchipped in the same way as a Rocket Starter is. They are loyal to the TEAM over the trainer, and will encourage said trainer to do their job! Clearly you all could use the extra muscle...and the extra incentive.

That said, it’s not all ‘bad’. Team Rocket DID manage to make off with a lot of loot from the Elite Four’s manor, and the admins will be damned if they’re not gonna show it off! Whether or not they personally made the team proud during the caper, Rockets will find that the HQ and various places of operation are much more nicely-furnished than before. Lots of the priceless art and antiques are now proudly displayed wherever they fit, no matter how… out of place they look. The break rooms are plastered in exquisite but uncomfortably-realistic paintings of Mr. Mimes and there’s a whole chandelier hanging in the cafeteria now, twinkling fancily over the basins of gloopy stew and limp green beans. How’s that for cognitive dissonance? Likewise, the bountiful plunder also means that future mission rewards will be extra nice. The Elite Four kept a lot of rare and expensive items in that mansion.

Now, on the subject of promotions and punishments for Rockets’ behavior during the event…please comment HERE to submit what your Rocket did during the event!

Promotions are going to require actual threaded participation...no handwaving! Link us your threads and show us how your Rocket went above and beyond!
Punishments do not require threads, you are free to handwave that your Rocket did something that would get them in trouble with the admins. Comment below with what all that was and we will tell you what your Rocket’s punishment will be!

Got questions? Ask them HERE.

Comments

[sunnysidewalkstreet]

but what if a trainer DID try and eat the candy.

Okay, but serious question - can Mega Rings/Bracelets (aka Key Stone accessories) be based on any in-game design? As in, can they be necklaces, tiara, gloves, and so on - or are they bracelets-only? (And if it's the latter, can they later be put into different objects? Fashion is important.)

[indigo_league]

It would taste nasty, nothing would happen, and then they wouldn't be able to use it on their Pokemon. :(

AND YES, while it will arrive as a bracelet or ring, trainers can absolutely repurpose or attach the mechanism to another type of accessory just as long as they don't break the mechanism itself.