How Team Rocket stole Christmas...

[indigo_league]

'Twas six days before Christmas and all through their base
All the Rockets were working, putting their plans into place...







Just because there has been an absence of huge heists and explosions, doesn't mean Team Rocket has taken some time off from crime for the holidays. Everything but, in fact!

Under the eye of Jennies and gym leaders everywhere, Team Rocket has been putting their new dastardly plans into action by replacing every mall Santa and Elf (and boy, are there a lot of mall Santas and Elves this time of year!) with their own grunts and privates. Their goal? To scope out all the malls, shopping districts, and shopping centers in the two regions in preparation for the Saturday before Christmas, which just so happens to be the biggest shopping day of the year. No other day in the year has stores just so absolutely glutted with cash and valuables, registers and store safes overflowing with money. Plus there is all that yet unsold merchandise. Really, it just begs for someone to come and steal it.

Doing so would be the heist of the year, the talk of the season and who else but Team Rocket would be able to pull it off?

Of course, being that this is Team Rocket, they cannot help but want both the fortune and the fame. (Or is that infamy?) When you go big, you gotta go loud, and that is exactly what Team Rocket plans to do right at the biggest, busiest, most valuable market of them all: The Goldenrod City Christmas Market.

(Plus if everybody's attention is drawn to Goldenrod City where they've stationed their best and brightest, all the other Rocket members across the two regions will certainly be able to get away with their far more silent dastardly deeds with that much more ease)

Even among Christmas Markets, The Goldenrod City Christmas Markets is something special. There is no market more festive or more beautifully decorated. Winding through a part of town (having outgrown its old stadium home), the various stalls and shops sell valuables that cannot be bought anywhere else; valuable TMs, precious held items, even items like fossils and gems, Goldenrod has it all.

And soon. Team Rocket will have it all.

If a series of people in balaclava masks, heavy coats, and warm hats begin to filter into the Christmas Market as the evening wears on… well, it is the biggest shopping day of the year. And with the December chill nipping at everybody's noses and ears, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be warm while you shop… right?

---


Towards the end of the evening, as shoppers slowly start leaving for home, their wallets a lot lighter than when they arrived, the various intercoms that have been playing non-stop Christmas music for the last few weeks suddenly cut out with a strangle crackle. The bright and merry Christmas lights suddenly cut out, leaving the market flooded in darkness.

What's happening? A power outage? Did someone forget to pay the power bill?

But no, it's worse. Much worse.


“Prepare for trouble…
… and make it double...
You better watch out
We’re making you cry
Don’t make us shout
We’re telling you why
Team Rocket is coming to town!”


Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of warmly dressed market-goers suddenly throw off their coats, balaclavas and hats, revealing their Team Rocket uniforms underneath! The lights come back on again, but unlike the cheery twinkling of before, they are all a harsh red now.

Red like the Rocket R that has suddenly appeared everywhere. Even as many of the Rockets are swooping in to steal every TM, battle item, and cashbox that isn’t nailed down, other Rockets are putting Team Rocket’s mark on their surroundings: banners with the Rocket R (which had been hidden very cleverly within other decorations) are suddenly unfurled while the speakers blare something that is definitely not Christmas music. Even the large Christmas Tree at the centre of the market is a target, as a few grunts use their Psychic pokemon to tear the delicate beautiful ornaments of the tree, replacing them with the Rocket symbol.

And while there are always some guards and Jennies at the market, they are quickly surrounded by Rocket privates who deal with them with almost terrifying precision. It's as if they knew exactly what pokemon these Jennies were going to bring and made sure to tailor their teams to that.

With the Jennies dealt with, the chaos is complete. Who can help us now?


Who can save (the Saturday before) Christmas?


---





And as Goldenrod descends into Rocket chaos, all those who remained at home or who are out on the road will be treated to a very unusual visitor.

His arrival is heralded by the sound of sleigh bells, growing ever closer until suddenly you can spot it: a sleigh. And not just any sleigh. It’s the same sleigh you must have seen over and over in the past few weeks, gracing every advertisement, window display and Christmas decoration. It’s pulled by a singular Stantler which dashes through the air, its hooves skimming the clouds as it guides the sleigh lower and lower until it touches down onto the ground in front of your character (or, should you be inside, onto the roof). The single occupant of the sleigh rises, a massive red-clad man with an equally massive beard, and it is him, the OG (Original Gift-maker).

Santa’s jolly face is uncharacteristically serious as he extends a thickly gloved hand, his voice lacking its normal grandfatherly cheer.


“Trainer with your poke-might
Won’t you help me fight tonight?”


---








Event FAQ


What if my character does not want to help Santa?

Santa will understand. He'll look a little sad, but he will understand. He will depart, though he will give characters a candy cane before he goes.


Wait, is Santa giving us a lift to Goldenrod, then?

Yep! He can do that for everyone at the same time, because Santa is magic like that.


My character wants to help Santa, but they are not a fighter!

Not to worry! Even if your character is not a fighter, Santa can really use their help. You see, today Santa isn't just carting around gifts in his sleigh -- a quick reach into his sack will reveal First Aid kits and potion packs.

For anyone who wants to help out, but who aren't good at fighting, Santa would really appreciate it if they would be willing to help support others who are doing the fighting, and help heal any of the pokemon or people who may have gotten hurt by Team Rocket's shenanigans.


My character wants to help Santa and is willing to fight, but they don’t have any high level pokemon!

Worry not! Santa will provide! For everyone who wants to fight, but only has low-level pokemon, Santa will lend out two (2) of his little helpers: a Jynx in a fur-lined red dress and a Shiny Galar Zigzagoon (adorably candy-striped in red and white.) Both Pokemon are Level 60. Sadly, these are just on loan and Santa will need them back when the fight is over, but they will pose for selfies with you on request.


What about the non-Goldenrod locations? Is Santa sending anyone to fight off the Rocket operatives there?

They’re being taken care of by the Pokemon League, Gym Leaders, and all kinds of trainers from this world. Which doesn’t mean Team Rocket won’t steal some of what they’re aiming for anyway. It just means the other locations won’t be completely defenseless.


I have a Rocket character. Where are they supposed to be during this?

At the Christmas Market, of course! They’re one of the ‘best and the brightest.’


Wait, so when Team Rocket says they’re ‘stealing Christmas’ what they actually mean is that they’re robbing a bunch of places at once on the biggest shopping day of the year and taking over the Christmas Market?

Well, yeah. Did you think they were gonna go the Full Grinch? Nah. Raiding the cashboxes is way more profitable.


So, uh, how are we getting home again?

Time to walk-- No, no. Santa wouldn't do that to people. After everything has been dealt with, he'll give people a lift back to where he picked them up. Unless they'd much rather remain in Goldenrod City, in which case, that is fine too.

Comments

[vrdantwind]

Claude rolls his eyes. The exasperation may be fond, but it's exasperation nonetheless. "It's a disguise, Sylvain. I'm trying to get behind enemy lines to do a little reconnaissance here!"

A thought occurs, and he grins. "Hey, want to help me look properly nefarious? We could have a little pokémon sparring. A noble knight taking on a dastardly villain..."

[gautsome]

"Oh." Sylvain's gaze drops again, studying Claude's legs and those damn boots again. He probably should be a little more subtle but... what about this situation had ever implied he knew what subtlety was? "Did you have to wear the skirt, though?"

He leaves that question hanging as he considers Claude's own. Now that he knew what was going on, he can relax a bit. Tactically, he can even appreciate what he's doing. And knowing that a battle might help.

"Sure. Okay. But I'm going to use the ones that Sanda guy gave us. You would wipe the floor with me otherwise." Though, now that he's thinking about it... "Unless you think that would look better?"

[vrdantwind]

"What, you don't like it?" Claude teases, noting that Sylvain is staring and already wondering if the exact opposite of the case. "Anyway, the clothes of the guy we restrained were too big for me. You wouldn't want me to wear an unfashionable disguise, would you?"

He pulls out a Pokéball, looking speculative. "I mean, I should probably use Sturm, since I think Team Rocket's got a theme for dark and poison type pokémon and he's the only one I've got that fits the bill. But if your loaners are as strong as mine, then I'm probably the one who's going to end up getting roughed up here...Sturm's not that strong yet." He gives Sylvain a wink. "I could lose, and excuse my running off...or you could go easy on me. I think I can swing it either way to suit my Rocket narrative."

[gautsome]

"Go easy on you?" The scoff is almost sharp enough to hurt his throat. He shakes his head, smirking even as he does. This all might be to give Claude a solid alibi, but he still doubts that he'll live a loss down.

He reaches tosses out a ball, the Zigzagoon leaping free. It runs around in a quick circle, before looking toward Sylvain. The man tips his chin up, staring forward at Claude and waiting.

This will be his only chance to catch up to Claude for awhile. Might as well take advantage of it.

"Ready when you are." At least he'll be nice and let Claude have the first strike.

[vrdantwind]

"Don't think I didn't notice you ducking the question of my outfit," Claude chides with a smirk, even as he calls out Sturm. "Sorry, buddy, I think this is gonna be a tough one, but do your best!"

Sturm the Toxtricity emerges from his Pokéball, shaking himself off and surveying the surroundings before his eyes land on the Obstagoon. Then he strums his hands over his poison glands, either in excitement or in preparation for perhaps using them.

Well, if Sylvain's going to give him the first strike...Claude's not going to waste the opportunity. He gestures toward the Obstagoon, with a quiet inner apology to both it and Santa. "Use Poison Jab, Sturm!"

Sturm complies immediately, swinging a hand at Obstagoon that, even in the short period of time in the wind-up, is practically dripping with poison when it hits. And thanks to a dice roll Obstagoon will find itself no longer feeling quite so perky.

[gautsome]

Sylvain notes the effect on the creature almost immediately. Its head sags toward the ground, and he can almost see it shuddering with each move it makes. He isn't about to keep it out in the fray, so he quickly recalls the creature.

One down already. He makes a face.

"Lucky shot, Riegan." He tosses the Jynx out now, determined to not make the same mistake twice. He'd barely had time to do much research on what the creature had to offer, so he picks blindly. Luckily for him, one of the moves seemed particularly volatile.

"Perish song, now!"

On instinct, Sylvain covers his ears. Just in case.

[vrdantwind]

Claude, reflexively, does the same. Sturm isn't so lucky, shuddering as though he can feel the grip of doom on him. Claude grimaces; it's almost as bad as a status effect, although at least he can push his luck a little further before recalling Sturm. He's not going to let his buddy faint out there - not even for an alibi.

"You really aren't gonna make it easy, huh?" he says rhetorically, once the song is over and he's cautiously uncovered his ears. There's a more businesslike look in his eyes now. "Sturm - Nuzzle."

This...seems like a weird choice, all told. And indeed, Sturm runs up to Jynx and rubs his face against hers; if it wasn't for the crackling of electricity around him, it'd barely even resemble an attack. But this is a move Claude and Sturm have been using since their very first battle, and Claude has a satisfied look in his eye when Sturm withdraws to a more respectable distance again.

The reason for this is obvious, as the Jynx's movements are already visibly jerky and slow. Nuzzle may hardly do a lick of damage, but it never fails to paralyze a target.

[gautsome]

Leave it to Claude to pull out all of the stops. Sylvain should have known from the beginning that he'd be drawn to status effects. That he didn't come prepared for that was on Sylvain, impromptu battle or no.

Slow as she is, it's going to be difficult to get many more hits off. Nevertheless, Sylvain knows he's going to have to go for the neck. Especially when the Perish song is tick-ticking down with each passing turn.

"Alright, let's cool this off, sweetheart. Use Blizzard!" The Jynx rears back. Her hands move as she summons the torrent of snow --

then freezes completely. A small spark jumps from her frame, paralysis rendering her useless.

To hell with Claude von Riegan.

[vrdantwind]

Claude can't resist a grin when that Blizzard doesn't go off. That was, after all, the entire point! Granted, he knows pokémon can shrug off paralysis enough to get attacks off sometimes, but...he figures this levels the playing field a little. Sturm's significantly lower leveled than the Jynx, so he doesn't think Sylvain's got any room to complain about Claude trying to even the odds!

And if he wins this battle, not only does he get to look like an unexpectedly competent Rocket, but Sturm will get that much stronger and more experienced for it. He's got some decent incentive to put on a good show.

(That, and he and Sylvain haven't actually battled before, come to think of it. He doesn't want to put on a poor showing.)

"Great job, Sturm!" he says cheerfully. "Hit her with a Poison Jab!"

Sturm makes a proud, buzzing sound before lashing out again with a poison-soaked arm - any sweetness from that Nuzzle is definitely over. At least Sylvain doesn't have to worry about poison on top of the paralysis, though.

[gautsome]

The poison jab isn't a heavy hit, nor is it of a type that is particularly to Jynx, but he can tell she's still flagging all the same. It makes Sylvain grind his teeth together. He won't let her take much more of it. For better or for worse, this will be his last stand.

"Come on, sweetheart, you've got this -- " He takes a step forward, hand extending in order to point directly at the Toxtricity. "Show that overgrown lizard -- and his pokemon what we're made of. Blizzard, now!"

Jynx's movements are still jerky. But he can see the blizzard take shape in her palms, more substantial then before. She thrusts her little hand forward, blast of arctic air and snow aimed at Sturm.

[vrdantwind]

Claude has been gambling here, obviously. He'd been looking for anything to give him an edge - status effects, the extra strength of moves that a pokémon is suited to using, type effectiveness(not that he had anything useful in that area here), move accuracy, whatever he could find. Sturm had paralyzed the Jynx, meaning she might not be able to move; Sylvain's using Blizzard, which Claude knows - through looking through his own loaner Jynx's utility - isn't the most accurate move. He'd hoped to play those odds and win.

But gambles aren't gambles if the possibility of losing them doesn't exist.

The Blizzard hits Sturm dead on, and Claude flinches like he was the one who took the blow. He takes half a step forward as the Toxtricity lets out a weak cry and sags to the ground, but then the red light flashes as Sturm returns to his Pokéball, and there's nothing for him to even move towards anymore.

He knows it's temporary, and that pokémon get knocked out all the time. He knows he'll be able to heal Sturm up as good as new at a Pokécenter, once he gets back to one. He doubts Sturm will be overly upset or blame him for this; Sturm might even feel bad for letting Claude down.

But Claude also knows that Sturm hates the cold. He knows the feel of the Toxel Sturm used to be snuggled up in his coat against the chill. He knows he asked too much of him when he didn't really have to. He knows he's the one who made the calls, who his pokémon trust to look after them and make the best decisions for them, and that he's never gotten any of them knocked out before, and that Sturm likely trusted him to not let that happen here either.

He knows he made a gamble, and that it's not him who's paying for it.

And for a very long, anguished moment, Claude feels a positively painful spike of guilt. This wasn't a gamble he should have taken. He shouldn't have let this happen.

He pushes it back, because he's had to function through worse mistakes and greater losses than this, but it's hard. It feels different from the troops he'd commanded in combat - many of whom hadn't even come back alive from the battles he'd led them in. Those had been men and women with more autonomy and less direct reliance on him, who hadn't even necessarily believed in him so much as their group cause. But his pokémon are in his direct, personal care, and trust him as implicitly as his horse or his wyvern back home do. Letting harm befall them is so much more of a personal failing, somehow.

There's no resentment for Sylvain or Jynx. Claude had known the stakes they were playing for, and how the odds lay, and it had been his decision to make an ill-advised and ill-fated attempt despite everything. They'd simply fought their best battle, against every obstacle Claude could throw in their path, and won. Claude shouldn't have agreed to the battle at all if he wasn't ready to accept this outcome. So...it's not fair to make them feel bad over their victory, which means he can't wear a face like his pet just died.

So he does his best to school his expression...although perhaps even Claude is having difficulty with that, because he reaches up to his Rocket hat and pulls it down a bit lower over his face. "We didn't stand a chance after all, I guess," he says, with a ghost of a smile. "That was a bad call on my part."

[gautsome]

Sylvain is still. He watches Sturm fall, and even he feels a pang of guilt. It's a vicious hit, one that he doesn't yet comprehend the depth of, and he can see the pain of it. While the Jynx seems unfazed -- this is battle and what she's here for -- Sylvain is slackjawed.

"Claude -- " He catches himself. He doesn't know if anyone's watching, but this whole affair had been a cover up. If he shows mercy now, anything more than smug satisfaction over what looked like low blow to a weak area, the whole thing falls apart.

He hates it. And worse, he hates that he can see just how upset Claude is over it. There's enough distance to provide Claude something of a mask for his feelings, but Sylvain can read between the lines. He wouldn't pull down his hat for no reason, of that Sylvain is certain.

He makes a note to ask after Claude later. To check on Sturm once they've made it back to safety. For now, they both have work to do, and Sylvain begins racing forward, past the man and his fallen Pokemon. All the same, he veers dangerously close to Claude as he moves.

To a bystander, it might look like a ruthless shoulder check, injury to an insulting win. For Sylvain, it's a front. It's easier to press his hand against Claude's, squeeze it tight, and make sure the spare potion he had on hand is given over to him. He doesn't know if it'll do nearly enough to bring Sturm back from his dazed state. He doesn't know if the hand squeeze -- unnecessary for the action itself -- will give Claude any comfort.

And he doesn't have time to think about either option, anyway. He's already moving past Claude, racing down the street.