The Indigo League (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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victory_road2020-12-20 03:54 am
indigo_league) wrote in victory_road2020-12-20 03:54 am
How Team Rocket stole Christmas...
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.
… 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?
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.
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.
no subject
He's got three options, as he sees it, and none of them are good. The first is to keep his cover and play along, and actually commit to the bit enough to go commit a crime. And on some small level, that's tempting, because he actually does want a Revive to heal Sturm up. Not needs it, necessarily, he could just go without and get to a Pokécenter, but anything that gets his buddy back on his feet faster feels at least a bit appealing. But he doesn't really want to participate in any robbery, or help the Rockets in any concrete way...not to mention that if this guy decides to keep an eye on him afterwards, he'll still be in a bad spot. He can't exactly be dragged back to the Rockets' base with them!
After all, as tempting as the possibility of finding out where Rocket HQ is...the odds are he wouldn't even make it near their base before being exposed. And even assuming he did manage to make it all the way to their headquarters, he'd definitely be caught there, and then good luck to him getting out again.
Second option: drop the ruse right here, accepting his bluff has been properly called, and fight. Claude doesn't like that, either. Entirely aside from the fact that he prefers to eliminate all other options before moving to any form of violence or combat...he's not sure of his chances against this guy, and he's a pokémon down already. And he doesn't want to see any of them get hurt further...not while he has a single other option on the table.
And he does still have one left: play along for now, and look for the first opportunity to cut and run he can find. In the chaos of the mall...he might be able to just slip away while they're moving through the crowds.
Worth a shot!
He rubs the back of his neck. "I'd appreciate that, sir...I'm pretty disoriented right now, though, what with running around looking for an open path to an exit. Which way is it from here to the nearest item shop?"
Melting away into the hubbub will be especially easy if he can get this guy to lead the way...
no subject
"Um... In that case, that'd be just about..." He halts, and suddenly, a noise comes out of his mouth: "Ringalingalingaling!"
Oh fuck. Is the Boss watching this? Is he going to confirm that he has in fact, been wasting his time?
"Uh, one sec...!"
So Doppio fishes his PokéGear out of his back pocket and answers it. The fact that the ringing did not come from it, or that he neglected to press any buttons whatsoever, does not seem to register for him.
"Yes!... No, no, of course." Even though he's turned to the side in the process of answering the call, he is still looking at the Grunt with his one visible wide brown eye. "... Oh! Thank goodness. I thought so too, sir. ... Yes, I got it. I won't let you down."
Back in the pocket it goes, and now Doppio has two instructions to keep in mind: Don't let him out of your sight, and Don't hang up; I'll stay on the line. Alright. If the Boss thought something was off too, then Doppio HAD to be on the right track.
"Sorry about that. Shall we get going?" he asks, turning back to the Grunt at last.
... He is still there, right? Doppio hasn't failed step one?
no subject
He really should have run while the guy is distracted, he knows. It had certainly occurred to him, first thing. But if Claude has one defining feature, one overpowering strength and weakness...it's curiosity. He has no idea what that little performance was about - it certainly doesn't seem to have been for his benefit - but now he desperately wants to find out. He may not be able to, but...he can't bring himself to just cut and run without even a chance to investigate.
"You never said which way, sir," he says, trying for meek and grateful. He legitimately doesn't know the way to the nearest shop(and he's hoping it's some distance), this being his first time in Goldenrod and its mall. "Also, who were you talking to just now?"
no subject
The question, however, gives him pause.
On his very first day here, Steven thought it was strange that he'd been talking to the Boss, because as it turns out, the actual boss of Team Rocket has been missing for some time and Doppio went with precisely the wrong lie. Dirk had to bail him out, with an arrangement he's still not entirely fond of but still prefers to the alternative (which would involve, well, ruining everything the Boss is trying to accomplish).
However, despite the arrangement, he may not want to namedrop Dirk here, either. If he's talking to a phony now... He can't risk ratting out a fellow Rocket.
... Well, maybe it won't be so hard to work around this. If the guy asks too many questions... won't that be kind of suspicious, in and of itself?
"My superior. Don't worry, you're not in trouble." Yet.
no subject
For the moment, however, he lets himself be led. An opportunity to slip away might present itself yet...and unless the guy leads him to a significantly more dangerous and compromising place than this one, if he does have to resort to fighting as a last resort, one place is as good as any other. If they start getting really into the thick of Rocket-held areas, though...Claude may have to try to break away preemptively, no matter the cost. He can't afford to let himself be ganged up on by a bunch of Rockets who aren't distracted.
Claude decides to press his curiosity, in the meantime. Why should that be suspicious here? He thinks anyone, Rocket or otherwise, would question the weirdness of that phone call.
"It seemed like...kind of a strange way to communicate," he says, hoping he still sounds like an awkward newbie afraid to offend a superior. "I've never seen a Gear used quite that way before..."
no subject
"Oh, that wasn't a PokéGear, that was my phone! Easy mistake though. They do look really similar."
It's no big deal. But it does make him wonder... is he talking to a local Grunt from some real backwater place, or an offworlder from the past?
no subject
"It just, uh...had a different ring than I would've expected?" Like, a ring you made with your mouth, Doppio.
no subject
"Huh? Well, I guess phones can sound kind of strange if you're not used to them..."
He has no idea what this guy means.
In brighter news, though, the nearest store is now in sight, and Doppio grabs one of his PokéBalls with a confident smile.
"Alright, let's go in together. Just take what you need and I'll cover you."
no subject
Luckily, a thought's occurred to him on the walk. He'd left his supplies back with Dimitri, but Sylvain did give him one thing after their mock battle - a single Potion. It had been pretty useless at the time; it couldn't revive Sturm, who was the only pokémon in his party who was injured. So he's simply held onto it until now.
It's a lucky thing he did, because he might get some use out of it after all.
"All right," he agrees aloud, reaching down to his belt. "I'll just - oh, wait, sir, look!" His voice is bright, the kind of tone one might get if one found an unexpected P1000 in their pocket - or maybe a forgotten Revive.
When Doppio turns to look at him, Claude sprays the potion directly into his eyes.
Then he drops it, turns, and runs like hell.
It's a healing item, even if it's meant for pokémon; Claude really doubts it's going to do any damage. He doesn't think items for pokémon do much of anything on humans. But he does expect it to make the guy, understandably, very angry.
no subject
"GAAAH! What the hell?!"
Even it's just a Potion, it's still enough to irritate the eyeballs and consequently stun Doppio for a critical second or three... but no longer.
"You piece of shit! I'm going to shove that Potion down your goddamn throat!"
As it turns out, the Boss didn't even need to stay on the line - the one giving chase right now and screaming bloody murder is Doppio. He doesn't need instructions when the situation - his failure - is this clear. But the Boss is still there, of course; waiting, just in case he needs to step in.
... Which definitely won't happen if Doppio doesn't catch up to the imposter, and as it happens, the imposter has a significant lead on him.
no subject
Somewhere else, Claude might not have managed to pull off his escape unless he'd turned out to just inherently be faster than Doppio, or had more stamina than him. (Although Claude is very good at running away, thanks to a childhood of xenophobic harassment and bullies. He'd learned to bolt, to duck and weave, to hide, from the school of hard knocks - specifically, from Escaping Beatings 101, a curriculum where learning is its own reward. There's almost something vaguely nostalgic about this for him. So, perhaps, even if it had come down to that, he might have managed it.)
But, as it happens...they're in the Goldenrod holiday market, full of trainers and Rockets and pokémon and decorations and displays and who knows what else. Plenty of ways to break line of sight, plenty of visual confusion(especially for someone who's just taken some stinging spray to the eyes), plenty of places to hide.
Doppio will be able to pursue Claude some distance down a straightaway of the shopping center, but then Claude cuts across the open floor in the middle, where the people (and vendors' booths) are thickest. He dodges, weaves, disappears for a few moments, reappears again, vanishes again...but this time, he doesn't reappear.
Has Claude given Doppio the slip?
no subject
"FUCK!" He grips the Pokégear in his pocket with enough force to make his knuckles go white, raises it above his head--
"Doppio."
Oh shit he forgot the Boss was still on the line. "Boss! I'm so sorry, I completely lost him--!"
"Don't worry about that for now, my Doppio. You still have work to do here."
"... Yes, sir. Of course. I'll get right back to it."
"Still... If by any chance that little charlatan has compromised the operation, or our role in it... Remember his face, Doppio. I certainly will."
Claude has gotten away... for now, at least.
no subject
He takes off his Rocket cap before peeking over the counter, scanning for pink hair very carefully before emerging from his hiding place again. Fortunately, if Doppio was still around, he'd be easy to spot.
And with that...he settles himself, exhaling out the events of the past ten minutes or so and the adrenaline spike, before he decides to begin his search again. He still doesn't have too much to show for his plan, after all, and the more trouble he gets into, the more he wants to make it pay off. (Which he recognizes as a dangerous sunk cost fallacy, but...to be fair, it's not just for his own sake that he's doing this.)
He just...makes the executive decision that he's probably not going to find anything in the direction he last saw that guy in. So off he trots, to get into further mischief with other Rockets instead.
(Later, he'll recognize this as the moment he should've quit while he was ahead.)]