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.
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That would ruin the fact that he'd already helped the owner put everything back together! He couldn't just leave the poor guy to have the same thing happen all over again.
"Or trash anything else, really."
Slowly, Kazuki's other two max-level Pokemon come to attention. His Primarina stops lying around and gets in front of him, and his Altaria flies over. His Kricketune is also watching carefully. The Ribombee and Chimecho are at much lower levels, so they hide behind Kazuki instead.
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Look. He's the bad guy here, and Steve has no illusions otherwise, but he's also not going to get anything out of destroying a perfectly delicious chocolate stand.
Other stalls, though... those are more useful to him. There's no limit to rare and powerful items at this year's Christmas market and he's had most of the day to eye them up already.
He eyes up the Pokémon that are now on the offense, trying to gauge which of his team is best where now. He wants to get in his orders first, but he's not always the best at thinking on his feet. The Primarina in particular is worrying. It might have looked lazy before, but his only Pokémon with an electric move is also ground type.
Maybe ganging up is his best bet. Getting their best fighter out of the game before it can cause too much damage. "Mud Bomb! Bulldoze!" he shouts at the Swampert and Donphan respectively, pointing directly at the electric typed sheep. Deal with the easy part first, worry about the rest of them later.
"And uh... Curse?" He points the Haunter at Primarina. That might have been a mistake, but the water type moves worry him.
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Kazuki himself fumbles for a very tangible moment as he tries to bring up battle information in his memory. He technically has six Pokemon on the field, and he doesn't know all of their moves by heart, just the ones he uses the most. Okay, Aria (Altaria) is strong enough to fight too, but what are her moves again? And what about the rest?
"Aria, try Fly on... That one!" He points at the Swampert, and Aria obeys, flying up high to wind into her attack. "Xylo (Kricketune), use more of that Sticky Web! And Tintin (Chimecho), use Heal Bell!"
Kazuki doesn't know if Heal Bell effects being Cursed at all, but it was worth a shot. Xylo does his best at getting the Sticky Web to land, but he has close to no real battle experience, it might not work perfectly.
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"Hey!"
Steve clearly isn't impressed by this clear defiance, but Haunter just looks smug. If he can't stay in the game, at least he can take away some of their opponent's ability to heal.
The Sticky Web does hit, and Steve is floundering a little now that his best moves have been rendered helpless. Strategy on the fly is not his strongest point, though he at least knows most of his team's offensive moves pretty well. After some hesitation that might help Kazuki gather his thoughts, he barks out his next orders.
"Donphan! Use Fire Fang on that Kriketune. Swampert... Toxic on Ampharos."
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Cotton continues to focus on the Swampert with Dragon Pulse (he wishes he could still Mega Evolve, but Kazuki doesn't have the right credentials) and Xylo retaliates being chomped on by slashing out with X-Scissor. After they're all done exchanging blows, Aria drops out of the sky to land on Swampert, and may linger for a second to give him a smothering squeeze with her cloudy feathers.
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He reaches for the ball of his Tyrantrum (which is actually a slightly lower level 81 at this point despite what the roster says), releasing him onto the battlefield. This place is too cramped for him really. It's hard for him to move, but at least he cuts an imposing figure. Even if that Sticky Web does slow him down... Steve growls in frustration, though it pales in comparison to the Tyrantrum's snarl at finding himself in this situation.
His Donphan flinches at the impact of the attack directed at her, but doesn't back down. Swampert, meanwhile, manages to avoid the Dragon Pulse only to find himself assaulted by the deceptively harmless looking dragon. He swipes at her as she lingers, shaking his head to stop those cloudy feathers obscuring his view.
"Donphan! Fire Fang again. Swampert, Hammer Arm." He lets them stick to their original targets, hoping at the very least the bug type Pokémon is getting weak now.
Finally, it's time for his newest Pokémon on the field to show what he can do.
"Dragon Claw that Altaria!" he orders the hulking dinosaur, wanting to take some of the heat off Swampert's back.
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Aria still has a big advantage over the Tyrantrum in both speed and range. She easily launches in the air and out of reach of the Dragon Claw attack, and looks back to Kazuki briefly for guidance.
"Dragon Breath!" he calls to her, hoping that the chance to paralyze will happen. If that big unwieldy thing gets paralyzed on top of being cramped up and stuck in the web, it'll be practically helpless, right? The Altaria obeys and shoots bright purple flame at the Tyrantrum.
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This causes clear annoyance from the Swampert who also appears to have wanted that honor. He glares at her, talking to her in a tone that's clearly scolding.
"H-hey! Quit arguing and take down that dumb bird already. Use Rock Slide!" Steve bite back at him. The Swampert huffs, but tries to obey, but it looks as though that signal beam confused him. In the end the only Pokémon he winds up hurting is himself.
Tyrantrum, meanwhile, didn't get paralyzed, but in such a cramped environment he isn't much better off than if he were. And it was still a super effective move.
"Dragon Claw! C'mon. One of you's got to be able to hit it."
He targets Altaria as best he can.
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Kazuki actually predicts an attack this time, and shouts to Aria to use Cotton Guard. She surrounds herself in a veil of clouds and severely weakens both attacks aimed at her. It also makes her look a lot bigger than she actually is, so the the majority of the confused Rock Slide misses, only grazing her.
While all of the Pokemon on the field are focused on attacking Aria, Tonks sees an opportunity to possibly snag the crown, and attacks once again with Sparkling Aria, aiming at the Tyrantrum. A Dragon/Rock type has a big disadvantage against a Water/Fairy type, so he also felt safe against any possible counterattack. Of course the diva of the group would scheme so...
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With a sigh, he returns the weakened Tyrantrum to his ball. Steve's a jerk, but he does care about his Pokémon. He's not about to let him get taken out by a foe he stands no chance against when he has other players on the field.
Granted, those same players are also in pretty precarious positions. Maybe he made a mistake here...
"Swampert! Use Ice Beam," he orders, pointing to Kazuki's Altaria. "Donphan, Rollout that Altaria."
It's probably for the best he got them both to focus on Aria since Swampert's confusion strikes again. The once intimidating looking Pokémon is visibly weak now, thanks to his own failed attacks and the hits he'd taken earlier on in the battle. It's all onto Donphan to see if she can land her attack.
no subject
"Keep at it with Cotton Guard!" he shouted at Aria, and she obeyed, strengthening her defenses further. She took the attack admirably for being weak to it! An Altaria was a pretty bulky Pokemon, despite its looks. "Tonks, finish the Swampert with Moonblast!"
Honky Tonk took an actual command for the first time this battle, and happily threw a blast of Fairy energy at the Swampert. Look at that! That's the third Pokemon he's taken down! He's an expert both on and off the stage!