victory_road | How Team Rocket stole Christmas...

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How Team Rocket stole Christmas...

'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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Rattata may or may not take a small snip of hair in her mouth when thrown off - good news, just the beard, Rattata teeth are no joke - before she's sent flying. And as she goes soaring through the air thanks to manhandling and psychic powers...

She starts glowing from the launch, and starts growing mid-flight, and, by the time Dimitri manages to awkwardly catch her, she has become much bigger.

Without thinking too hard about it, Dimitri just adjusts her massive weight in his arms and snarls at the Rocket. "I'll gut you-"

But then he's gone, and there's not even a reason to spew threats. Dimitri just stands there in place, shaking violently both from adrenaline pumping in his veins and doing his best to not hold onto his newly evolved Knocker too tightly. She might have more fluff like this, although not as much as Cofgodas, but she's still a fragile rat. Once he's breathed in a couple of times, he jerks his head to stare down at Claude.

"Your wrist?" he asks, hoarse and breathless.

Well, the Rocket has disappeared - fortunately Claude's at least heard of Teleport, so he doesn't have to question how too deeply - but Claude isn't really concerned about that. He hadn't exactly been planning on capturing the guy; he'd mostly just wanted to drag Dimitri away as fast as possible. Now, it seems, he doesn't have to.

"No harm done, Dimitri. See?" Claude holds up his hand, rotating his wrist thoroughly to demonstrate. "Everything's fine. You bailed me out just in time." Again, he adds internally.

He touches Dimitri's arm, gently. He can see the way the man is shaking. "So it's okay." His voice is soft. "You can relax now. Nothing bad happened." He smiles down at Knocker in his arms. "In fact, something good did! Look how big this one's gotten! Which one of them is it? I can't really tell them apart yet..."

No strange twitches or jerks. No limply held hand. Claude moves his wrist smoothly and without any issue. He was in time. Dimitri lets out a shudder of a breath, barely feeling the way Gremlin is gently papping at his neck.

"Something good..." He looks back down at the Raticate he's holding, who's wiggled to face him a little bit better. Right. She evolved. That's... Dimitri breathes out again, because it feels as though all he can do is breathe. He's going to have to adjust to what changes she's had versus Cofgodas. He can already tell that at least Cofgodas is fluffier in comparison to...

"Knocker," he murmurs, voice still a little hoarse from where he'd yelled and snarled. "I caught her just before we left for this place... There used to be a patch of fur on her tail that didn't quite match up with the others..." He'll have to investigate her tail, to see if there was anything on the skin beneath it. Raticates aren't so all-over furry like their smaller Rattata kin.

"Knocker, huh?" Claude reaches out to gently scritch behind her ears. "Well, thanks, Knocker. You and Dimitri both had perfect timing." He smiles a little. "I wasn't exactly expecting you to come flying like that, but...well, I guess you're no worse for wear, huh?"

He looks up at Dimitri. "C'mon, let's get back to the Pokécenter. I need to get out of these clothes."

Okay, this is a completely logical thing to say under the circumstances, but when Dimitri's brain is already popping and fizzing, this might be the Salamentos in the Pepsilcoola.

Edited 2020-12-27 07:47 (UTC)

Knocker just makes a peculiar grinding nose with her teeth, which... doesn't seem negative, considering the relaxed posture she has while in Dimitri's arms, or the brightness in her eyes. Dimitri has learned that noise - amongst other equally strange things that are common in rats - means she's perfectly content.

Which is good, because Claude saying that makes Dimitri's brain bluescreen when it was already glitching, and he blinks at Claude. "Out of your clothes?" he echoes, confused.

Edited 2020-12-27 19:33 (UTC)

[It only took about a minute of letting Dimitri out of his sight for the prince to disappear. Fortunately, he towers above most of the crowd, so with Sylvain (taller) and the cats (who know Dimitri's scent), it doesn't take that long to find him again.

Especially since the murderous glower Felix aims at everyone, Rocket or otherwise, who even looks like they might get in his way, is pretty effective at getting them out of it. And especially since Sylvain can see rats flying through the air. Something is happening over there...

By the time he and Sylvain catch up, Dimitri's already found Claude and whatever was happening is over, and he's saying...that.]

Dimitri, what part of 'stick together' did you fail to understand? And you-- [He turns his glare on Claude--] Had better call off this idiotic scheme of yours before you get in trouble again and one of us doesn't show up to save your skin. And if you insist on propositioning Dimitri, wait until we're not in the middle of a battle. Or...whatever this is.

[He huffs, too annoyed at the moment to really parse that last thing much.]

Before Claude can explain himself, Felix is storming up - with Sylvain bring up the rear, Claude notes; maybe doing most of his travel on horseback has led to Sylvain's skipping leg day a little too often - and chastising him. Claude weathers it with, perhaps, a touch of sheepishness; he has needed rescuing twice in the span of an hour, and he can't easily defend a plan with those kinds of returns. Even if he counts the two pokémon he came away with as positive returns, that probably just cancels out the rescues and brings him to neutral.

But then Felix says that, and Claude lets out a disbelieving scoff. "Oh, come on, do I seriously seem like I'd proposition him in the middle of all of this?" ~~That leaves the door open that Claude would proposition him under better circumstances...which, really, Claude knows he can't entirely deny.~~ "I was saying I should go change out of this disguise, thank you - so I didn't exactly need you to tell me not to push my luck any further. One awkward encounter might just be me getting statistically unlucky, but two...I know when a plan isn't working out."

He pats his belt, where his pokémon are. "I don't have entirely nothing to show for it, though. Some low-level Rocket coordinator actually gave me two pokémon when I said my team was down for the count. Just a drop in the bucket, but it's still two fewer pokémon their foot soldiers have to use today."

Felix's arrival at least diverts Dimitri's attention from the absolute territory of Claude's legs - even if it's mostly just the idea of them, considering he's managing to be polite (and stunned) instead of staring. A flicker of shame hits his brain at disobeying Felix, but it's quickly overwritten by relief when Claude clarifies.

Of course. All he wanted to do was change into his actual clothes.

Cradling Knocker close to his chest, Dimitri turns to Felix and Sylvain properly. "Someone had grabbed Claude," he says quietly, voice still shaking slightly from adrenaline. "I did not want to be late..." There had been a genuine threat, after all, at least in his eye. And with that parting threat...

Dimitri curls his fingers more into Knocker's fluff.

Sylvain lags behind the others purely by necessity. His eyes trail over the alleys they pass by, turning as he moves and watching them for any movement. With Felix's eyes forward, he can trust that his back would be protected like this. The least he can do is offer the same.

And if he's just a little breathless from all this, it isn't his fault. It's certainly not because he hasn't been keeping up on his figure. It's just the adrenaline, thank you very much.

Even if his legs do ache a little.

"Whoa, wait -- Did I miss someone propositioning someone else? I mean, I can't blame them considering those legs, Claude, but come on. Let's keep it together until after the battle."

Felix rolls his eyes at this nonsense, despite having been the one to start it this time...sort of. And if he steadfastly ignores the comment about Claude's legs and actually makes eye contact for once when he turns back to Claude because, well, his eyes are up there, as they say...

"Glad you've come to your senses. Now hurry up and find somewhere to change before another bandit spots you."

"You showed up just in the nick of time, Dimitri," Claude says encouragingly, wanting to reassure him. He looks more shaken than Claude is right now, honestly. And he really doesn't know what might have happened if Dimitri had been any slower, so...he has to say he's fine with Dimitri running ahead, personally.

He winks at Sylvain. "First of all, Felix thought it was me propositioning someone else, and second of all, did you mean keep my legs together? Because I never expected hearing that from you of all people."

Claude and Sylvain are frequently shameless with each other, but they don't always do it around Dimitri and Felix as witnesses. This might be a little much for them, but...Claude's full of adrenaline right now, and lighthearted banter is a good thing to focus on while he tries to burn it off.

"But yeah, as for changing..." Claude looks to Dimitri. "Let's head back to that place I changed into this, okay? You've still got my stuff, I hope."

At least the constant talk of Claude's antics helps serve as a decent enough distraction. As Sylvain joins their group, and him and Claude banter, Dimitri watches the two of them and just... lets their words sink in.

...Have Sylvain and Claude had -

...He is going to stop thinking about that. He is going to stop thinking about that right now, especially because he knows his mind already drifts to inappropriate subjects simply thinking about Sylvain and Felix being together. It's none of his business, anyway.

For now, he blinks down at Claude and tries to reorient himself in the present. "I... Yes. I have been keeping watch on it. I made sure it would be safe..." His gaze drifts back over to Felix. "...I will not run off."

"I meant all of us should stop chomping at the bit to get into each other's pants," he quips back with a sharp smile, clearly unbothered by the direction of their conversation. If he's worried what the others will think, he keeps that to himself. "Or -- skirts, in the case of one of us."

He glances toward Felix, then Dimitri, then Claude, before shifting away from the group. He'll cover their backs, keep them safe while Claude starts to change. At least it'll help keep him from staring.

"Make it quick, alright? I don't know how long we can wait here for."

Felix bristles. It's one thing for Sylvain to make inappropriate jokes--he does that all the time. Claude making them doesn't surprise him much, either. But making them at each other...with the implications they carry...

They're jokes. He understands that. He understands that Sylvain doesn't mean three quarters of the things he says to other people. He has witnessed this song and dance a hundred times. But after watching Sylvain touch Dimitri in the same tender way he's touched Felix in private, this is a lot to handle. He doesn't want to have to handle it. He doesn't want to have to try to guess just how much Sylvain is joking and how much he isn't.

He meets Dimitri's eye and nods curtly. "Good." He wants to find an excuse to leave, to not have to look at any of them anymore for a while, but he literally just berated Dimitri for running off on his own; he can't very well do it himself. "Sylvain is right. Hurry it up, Riegan."

...oooh. Claude went too far, didn't he? It's been a little while since Felix called him 'Riegan'. He could just be - well, affecting disinterest like a cat in front of Sylvain and Dimitri as witnesses, but the timing makes Claude suspect otherwise.

Also, he's not sure even Sylvain was comfortable with that one, either. He turned Claude's statement into a safer, more blanket remark about the whole group - maybe not wanting to be singled out by Claude's remark, although that's pure speculation. But he and Felix have been working on their relationship, and Sylvain doing a lot of flirting has been an issue for it in the past, so...yeah, it makes sense that this could be a sensitive subject for Felix, and that it could be a subject Sylvain doesn't want Claude poking at because Sylvain knows that.

So while it's all varying degrees of guesswork, Claude can recognize there's a whole lot of possibility here that he just put his foot in his mouth. Time to damage control.

"Sorry, sorry," he says, smiling ruefully. "Bad joke. You don't have to humor me, Sylvain. It's just been a hell of a day, you know? And a lot of narrow escapes. I really underestimated how dangerous this plan of mine was..." He nods to Dimitri. "Lead the way back to that little alleyway, okay? You're a big guy, people will make way for you. We'll follow."

The sudden apologies is what gets Dimitri to focus a bit more, frowning slightly as he glances between his three friends. Did the air get more tense? He suspects it has... But they can handle that later. For now, a battlefield is no place to have a conversation like this. He nods at Claude. "We still remember where it is," he says, leaning over to gently let Knocker down to the ground.

She's not quite as large as Cofgodas is, but she's still a giant rat, and good enough for the situation. She leads the way forward with Dimitri close behind, his remaining three rats clinging to his shoulders as he starts to lead the group along. "Things have seemed to quieted down," he comments, looking back to make sure the other three are still with him.

Sylvain blinks. He hadn't realized that he'd taken it too far -- it hadn't felt any further than the rest of his casual comments. But he's willing to chalk it up to being nerves running high. It's been a long night, and that was on top of the long day of travel.

It can't possibly be anything more than that.

"Right, moving on then?"

Clearing his throat, he motions for Claude to move ahead, and then for Felix to do so as well. As the swordsman passes, he tries to catch his eyes, to ask with his face alone what seemed to be the problem.

Mostly, though, he's trying to take care of business. Once again, he's content taking up the back, protecting them from any any attacks from behind.

Felix can't tell whether Claude's apologies are sincere or just an attempt to placate, and he's not about to ask. The excuses he gives seem flimsy, given that the jokes had nothing at all to do with his asinine plan, but Felix meant it when he said Sylvain was right--Claude needs to get out of that uniform before someone else sees him and brings more trouble their way.

So he follows the others, steadfastly ignoring the fact that walking directly behind Claude makes it way too easy to watch the way his hips and backside sway in that stupid skirt. Fortunately, it's not that hard to ignore while he's on the lookout for enemies and incoming problems, and he pushes all of Claude's...whatever this is to the back of his mind.

Meeting Sylvain's eyes as he passes, he just shakes his head with an irritated look--'forget it,' the gesture says, or perhaps 'not now.'

"They definitely have," Claude agrees with a slightly strained smile to Dimitri. 'Quieted down' is right, but honestly, Claude isn't even referring to the market. Sylvain and Felix aren't saying much of anything as they move, and Claude's apology doesn't seem to have smoothed things over any - or, at least, not nearly enough. There's an uncomfortable tension in the air, and Claude desperately wants to break it.

Even if it opens himself up to some ~~likely deserved~~ getting yelled at.

"You know, Sylvain," he says brightly, once they reach the alley and slip into it; he finds the woman whose outfit he's borrowed is still there, tied up and covered, clearly undisturbed. Good. "I owe you a drink. That potion you gave me really saved my hide...although I don't think I used it quite the way you intended."

Something strange is going on... Dimitri understands the silence that comes with focus, especially on a battlefield. He understands it intimately, as a matter of fact. Ever since his childhood, he's had to get used to such a silence, even when it is not a true 'silence'.

Whatever is going on here... Isn't it. However, knowing that it's not what it seems can only help him so much. He doesn't truly understand what brought it about, after all. And if he doesn't know that, then how on earth can he help?

Dimitri just wields his walking stick and follows Knocker, although relief passes over his expression when Claude speaks up. Ah. A distraction.

...Wait-

"I knew I should never have left you out of my sight," Dimitri sighs. "What did you do with it?"

That isn't good. Even at some of Sylvain's worst moments, he has at least been able to charm at least a half smile out of Felix, or at least the verbal equivalent. The fact that he hasn't been called a fool, an idiot, or anything of that ilk was incredibly alarming.

He's a little distracted, staring holes into Felix's back and hoping he might be able to find answers there, so he doesn't respond to Claude right away. When he does, there's a look of confusion, before he finally seems to process what's being said.

"Dare I ask what you decided to do with it instead?"

[Of all of them, Felix is perhaps the most used to tense silences, mainly because he's usually the one causing them. So this isn't that strange to him, and he doesn't care to change it. What would he say, anyway? 'Gee, Claude, you seem awfully comfortable talking to Sylvain like you're casual lovers'? Felix would die first.

Claude's attempt at lightening the mood seems obvious to him, but he just ignores it. No doubt he's going to say he did something incredibly stupid with the potion that just happened to work out, because that seems to be Claude's MO for everything, and Sylvain will laugh and Dimitri will chide him and they'll all move on with the mission, and only Felix will be left to question in silence.

As usual.]

Edited 2021-01-09 08:52 (UTC)

"Well, this Rocket guy cornered me." Claude removes his hat, setting it down on a nearby box. "I tried to bluff my way out of it, thinking he was going to lose interest, but it just wasn't cutting it with him. I told him I wasn't fighting anyone because my team was all knocked out, so he told me to go steal some Revives...and when I told him I couldn't do that because my team was all knocked out, he actually escorted me to a shop himself. Said he'd cover me.

"So," Claude continues, even as he starts stripping out of the shirt, "I didn't want to actually commit a crime, or help him commit a crime. But I didn't have a good way to break away from him, either. And I really didn't want to get in a fight. But then I remembered I still had that Potion, so..." He emerges again as he pulls the shirt off, hair tousled even more than before, grinning sunnily in Sylvain's direction. "I sprayed it in his eyes and bolted. Gave me just enough of a head start to lose him in the crowds."

The night is winding down... Knocker hardly has to snap at any bandit running past her, which means it's really just using her newfound bulk to get everyone moving out of the way. As they settle into the alley, Dimitri shifts back to be more near the entrance, and listens as Claude starts to speak.

Somehow... He's not particularly surprised at the tale he weaves. Leaning against a wall, one of the Rattata perching on his head for an even better view while Knocker curls around his feet, he sighs. "He's going to recall your face now no matter what..." His gaze drifts through the crowds and over to Felix... Felix, still quiet and frowning. Dimitri frowns himself, and pushes away from his perch to lean a little more in his direction.

...This would be easier if he knew what to say again, honestly.

At least Sylvain has the decency to laugh at the story. Maybe he feels a little bad for having complicated things a bit more by forcing him to have steal revive, but it had panned out in the end it seemed.

He looks to the other men, waiting for one of them to join him in his mirth. When it fails, he... quiets down and tries to at least avoid frowning.

"So what if he does. We won't let him get near Claude anyway. We have to keep our Master Tactician safe."

How Team Rocket stole Christmas...

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