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
Normally, Estinien would close the gap with a leap akin to flying, landing in the middle of the group. But he can't do that now, and he spares only a moment to feel annoyed by that before he engages, darting forward and to the other side of the group.
It's not exactly akin to working with his fellow dragoons, but there are some things that are universal. He plants the butt of his makeshift lance solidly into the ground and whirls around it like a pinwheel, knocking two of them flat on their ass.
He's been practicing. This stave is not Gae Bolg, or Nidhogg, but he's familiar with its weight and balance and can do...most of the things he would do with a proper weapon.
Once he's solidly on his feet again, he gestures at Iceheart, who freezes their hands and feet to the ground with a thin, brittle layer of ice. Not enough to cause damage, or to even keep them down for very long, but long enough to keep them from retaliating.]
no subject
[At least he knows his own combat skills well enough. This might not be his favored weapon either, but Dimitri used to having to improvise on the fly - especially with the rate that he breaks weapons with his bare hands. This night has served as a fine way to warm up, too.]
[Lacking on his own, Dimitri trusts Iceheart to deal with the Rockets he's downed as well, and whirls on the final Rocket grunt who scrambles back in a frenzy. Hastily, they fumble with a Pokeball, and release a rather impressive Honchkrow-]
[Who barely has a chance to start flapping its wings before a swarm of rats charges forward with so much squeaking that it's kind of dizzying. One of the Rats, quick on his feet, manages to leap forward and latch onto one birdy leg.]
[That sure gets the bird up a little more in a hurry, but just not fast enough. Before it can get too high, one Rattata leaps off the back of another, and drags the bird down a little more by latching onto a wing. The last two members of the rat swarm join shortly after.]
[The Rocket looks vaguely horrified, and only more so as Dimitri advances with his stick at the ready... but that keeps their gaze off of Estinien.]
no subject
Rat swarm is just an embarrassing way to go down honestly.
Iceheart obligingly ices over the other two Rockets that Dmitri downed, keeping them grounded long enough for Estinien to take down the fifth man with a sweep and jamming the butt of his walking stick into his solar plexus to wind him. Not fatal, but extremely unpleasant. He then tosses a ball from his belt--the only one on his belt, in fact, the rest of his team being already out--to reveal his Bronzong, who uses Hypnosis on all of the grunts, putting them to sleep.]
no subject
[It's not a thought he dares to keep wondering about, and he turns his attention to Estinien.]
Your Pokemon are quite skilled... None of mine are at a level in which I felt they could fairly match up to this situation.
[Thus... Rat swarm.]
Would you mind if I fought alongside you a while longer?
no subject
Estinien turns back, with the lull in the fighting around them.]
Tis a matter of time and effort. As are all things.
[Basically: You'll get there. Estinien has like 9 months headstart. As to the question, he shakes his head. It's been a while since he had the opportunity to watch another fight with a lance--or a lance-like weapon at least--and never one from another world. He's already well aware of the limitations of the art in Ishgard, hyperfocused as it is, and any new techniques to add to his own would be worth it.
Probably not going to be throwing rats though.]
I do not.
no subject
[Dimitri almost... finds himself eager for this as well. It's a rather complicated set of feelings, really, with the idea of such a large battle like this being enough to put the hairs on the back of his neck on end. At the same time, there's something comfortably familiar with wielding a polearm around - even an unconventional one.]
[And the idea of being able to compare it to someone else, someone who isn't one of his friends that underwent the same training he did...]
[He might still throw rats tho.]
[With his rats in tow, all of them chittering rapid-fire, Dimitri looks off to the rest of the market.]
I suppose all we can do is continue moving forward until we find more of these wretches... It would be good if we had someone high above who could direct us to where they are organizing.
[In an open battlefield, that had been the advantage of pegasi and wyvern riders, so long as you could be assured that no archers were there to shoot them out of the sky, shoot out one's view of the battlefield. Dimitri can remember that now...]
no subject
[Estinien then puts his fingers to his mouth and lets out a shrill, carrying whistle. An answering call sounds from above, and the tarps and canopies shake in the backdraft of wings as his Flygon swoops by, hovering just ahead of them.]
Find a knot of them. Signal when you do.
[Convenient that he has a dragon on call isn't it?]
no subject
[One day.]
Have you been partnered with that one for long?