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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So, unfortunately, Claude is not dissuaded. (Very much not so, in fact, since he'll in fact run into Steven later.) But at least he seems more concerned with breaking things up here than, say, capturing any ranking agents. He doesn't even seem unwilling to let them go, so long as they do in fact leave.
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Thace does step back, because he can see that he's not going to talk this man out of it. He'll have to manage the fallout, if the worst happens.
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It's all adding up now. Sure, it's possible Thace is just a highly conscientious man who's fussing over people caught in a bad position he doesn't have any personal connection with, and there's no ulterior motives at play here...but that's really not how Claude reads this. Thace talks about Team Rocket like a man in the know. If he himself isn't one - and, if he was one, why wouldn't he have a uniform that fits? - then he clearly has insider information from someone who is. And that lends a whole new context to his being so concerned about their circumstances and well-being in general - there's someone whose circumstances and well-being concern him very specifically. (Or, possibly, multiple someones. Claude can't rule that out.)
"Well, I can tell you right now that I've never been interested in endangering anyone's lives, here or anywhere else," he says, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "As for identities...listen, I'm only interested in putting a stop to all this nonsense and letting people go back to enjoy a peaceful holiday. I'll do a lot to make that happen...especially for my friends, who absolutely need and deserve a nice, peaceful holiday. But I'm not interested in doing any more than necessary to make that happen, you know? I'm fine with just driving Team Rocket off, if that's all that's needed to resolve this. Fair enough?"
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Not like this, at any rate. Maybe as the Black Persian, he'll be able to do something if he's nearby, but Thace won't bet on it with the widespread chaos.
"I'll leave you to your attempt, then." Thace bows slightly, and turns to go.
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"Before you go, what's your name? We might be able to chat again under...well, more favorable circumstances. I'm Claude."
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Thace doesn't doubt his ability to find this man and/or his 'gear number later if he wants to. More concerning is that there's little he could do to dissuade the assumption (which is true, anyway) and he won't do anything that puts Steven at risk.
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"Besides, it's like you said - if people got forced into Team Rocket and they have to play along with them, those aren't the kinds of people I'm after. The ringleaders at the very top putting people in those awkward positions, maybe, but nobody who's just making the best of a bad situation they never asked to be in is on my radar. They're not responsible for orchestrating this situation, and going after the little guys won't prevent future situations like this either, so why would I? So I don't see why we should be enemies. We're thinking the same way, and I don't think our priorities are out of sync with each other."
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He closes his eyes and is silent for a moment when he opens his eyes again they're narrowed at first. "You make a decent argument, and you're either being truthful or very overconfident. I will tell you, but first, understand that I don't take information leaks lightly. Information was in fact my specialty, and I monitor things here closely. I'm trusting you with my name, so please consider carefully what you tell others about me and this meeting. Plugging information leaks was the most distasteful part of my job, but that doesn't mean I'll hesitate if I must do it here."
After saying that he relaxes visibly and the tenseness in his face and eyes is gone. He could leave an alias, but perhaps finding so many people he's been able to trust has made him soft. "I'm Thace."
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He listens to Thace's warning with due seriousness, although oddly he's smiling by the end of it. "Honestly, that makes me doubly glad we talked," he says with a chuckle. "Truth be told, I'm pretty much the same. I mean, I'm more known for clever schemes and plans than intelligence-gathering, but that's just because people don't appreciate how vital the latter is to be able to come up with the former. I'm also known for being a pretty secretive guy who doesn't just hand information out lightly - and that goes for yours as much as my own."
He cocks an eyebrow, a small smile still on his lips even as his eyes take a more serious look to them. "And despite the impression I know I give off, I'm a commander fresh from a pretty rough civil war, so I can recognize that code for 'killing spies and silencing loose lips'. And I appreciate the grim necessity of that kind of work. So I want you to know that I hear you, and I think we understand each other."
Then his smile becomes warmer, and he extends a hand. "That said...another thing I'm known for is preferring diplomacy over fighting. So I've got no interest in being your enemy, or doing anything that'd make you mine. It's nice to meet you, Thace."
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Thace doesn't hesitate to take the handshake, although it's quick and professional. "It has been an interesting meeting," is all he says back, although there's a slight quirk at one corner of his mouth.
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He pauses for a moment on his way out. It's only fair to give warning that he won't be easy to find with the 'gears. "Most likely in person. I don't use the 'gear often and keep as much information about myself off of public spaces as possible."
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And with that, off he trots.