Victory Road!

<sub>[The press has been buzzing and it’s finally time: Indigo League Champion Lance is making his first public appearance since “Rocket Prom”. Wild rumors have been flying around, everything from “Lance is definitely DEAD” to “Well the Rockets replaced him with an evil robot/clone/Zoroark/Ditto/hologram and it’s being Kept From the public (™)”, but the haggard-looking man on the screen definitely LOOKS like a real live person who’s been hospitalized for two weeks. And, even with the big bandage on his head, still bears Lance’s quiet air of dignity. It’s the real deal, all right.]

[He offers a weary, if stressed, smile for the camera and lifts a hand to stop the audible clamor of the paparazzi just off-camera.]</sub>

Ah-hem. This is Champion Lance speaking. First of all… for those concerned, I am definitely not dead. Or a clone. I’ve been receiving the best medical care anyone could want and am well on the road to recovery. I’d like to personally thank the mobile staff of the Indigo Plateau and Viridian City Pokemon Centers for their hard work and immediate response to the emergency, both in administering aid to injured trainers as well as working to release the captive Pokemon back into their natural habitat.

So, with that out of the way....

Well, trainers, after the… events of last week, there are a few things that need to be said.

Firstly, we, the Elite Four, are all doing as well as can be expected, and will be open for challengers again in another week. It… goes without saying that none of us enjoy suffering defeat at the hands of wrongdoers, especially on such a public, visible scale. For those whose confidence in us has been shaken, rest assured that our fine police force is doing the best they can to track down those responsible for this and see that this kind of thing never happens again. If anything can be learned from this wicked act of greed and selfishness, it is that even the strong are not infallible, and that the criminals of Team Rocket are not to be underestimated. I urge us all to stay vigilant, train hard, and contact your local police station with any information that could lead to the prevention of further Rocket violence.

Secondly, on a less solemn note… we at the Indigo Pokemon League would like to extend a very special thanks to those brave trainers who fought their way through the Rockets’ base to rescue both us and the extraordinary Pokemon who was being held captive. In a time of crisis, you all showed your mettle and rose above and beyond all expectations. You all have our sincerest gratitude, and-- for your courage-- will shortly receive a token of our personal thanks via official Indigo League Dragonite mail.

[For a moment, it looks like he’s just about wrapped things up, but then, he hesitates before adding, with just as much dignity as before:]

And one last matter. There was one book which was not recovered after the attack, one that was more...personal. A photo book. If anyone has any information about it, I would appreciate if you would step forward.

That will be all for now. Thank you.

_{[He begins to step down, only for a large microphone to be shoved in his face.]}

Lance, what kind of token will the trainers from the incident? What do you mean by ‘personal’?

_{[Lance looks kind of pained, but smiles as he pushes the microphone away as politely as possible.]}

That’s classified.



~~~

So, OOCly, what does all this mean?

IT MEANS IT’S PRIZE TIME!! And not just from the Elite Four-- the newly-freed Nephilis is grateful too! The list of prizes for the event are as follows!

( PRIZES FOR EVERYONE! )

( PRIZES FOR PARTICIPANTS! )

( PRIZES FOR ROCKETS! )

As the clock nears 10 PM on Saturday, the manor (or the parts of it that people aren’t blocked off from, anyway) is completely abuzz with speculation and gossip. What could Lance possibly be planning to announce? And why haven’t any of the Elite Four even been around? They’re fairly reclusive, but it’s safe to say that everyone is at least a little curious, if not actively suspicious.

But it’s time for the big reveal, so manor staff are bustling around, reminding everybody to be in the ballroom in a few minutes for Lance’s important unveiling of… well, whatever it is he’s unveiling! The staff all seem pretty excited, so it must be big, right?

There’s been plenty of room to dance and move around in the Ballroom until now, but with everybody packed in there at once, the space is a little tighter. Especially with the small stage and podium set up in the middle. As the last (or seemingly last, assuming there aren’t any carefree stragglers who didn’t bother turning up on time) person is ushered in by staff, complete with whispers of "Psst! Hurry up, it’s almost time!", the door to the ballroom is shut and the lights dim slightly, sending a hush over the audience.

After some fumbling from whoever’s in charge of the lights (... wait, is that Captain Garfield and his Rattata up there? He’s a theater tech too?! That guy must REALLY be a jack of all trades!), a spotlight flips on and centers on the podium, where the head staffer (who might be recognized as the one with the terrible hipster mustache who’s been doing a PARTICULARLY egregious amount of schmoozing and sucking-up to trainers over the course of the party) is stepping up to the podium.

He clears his throat.

"Welcome, welcome, ladies and gentlemen! On behalf of the Elite Four, we’re all so happy you could join us! We hope you’ve all been having as good a time as we have, because I’ve got to say, I think this is our best party yet!"

He looks around at the assembled trainers eagerly, as though anticipating unanimous agreement.

When there’s an impatient buzz (and a shout of "Get on with it already!" from someone) instead, he laughs awkwardly.

"Oh, yes, well, we’re all here for one reason, right? To see what Lance has brought you all here for! Well, folks, as you can see, he’s not here with us right now… He’s had a bit of a-- how shall we say… an accident! So sad, I know! But fortunately, he’s graciously allowing us to make his announcement for him. Which is…"

On cue, the spotlight turns stark red. If anyone has the presence of mind to look, Captain Garfield's Rattata is holding a bit of red plastic filter in front of it.

But chances are, everyone’s attention is probably going to stay on the stage, because the guy at the podium literally just RIPPED HIS CLOTHING OFF DRAMATICALLY, revealing… yes… a very, very familiar black-and-red uniform underneath.

It’s followed immediately by more ripping sounds as other staff and even some partygoers scattered throughout the audience follow his lead, and the telltale noises and flashing of Pokemon being released from their balls. And many voices, all yelling at once...

"PREPARE FOR TROUBLE! AND MAKE IT DOUBLE!!"

The music shifts.

OOC Notes: The number of characters who must participate in the battle to call it a success is 37! In order to keep track, once you have made your first comment to this post (either a toplevel or a tag to someone else!), please bring it to the CHECK IN THREAD by 10 PM EST tomorrow! YOUR COMMENT MUST BE POSTED TO THIS THREAD IN ORDER FOR IT TO COUNT TOWARDS THE TOTAL.

GUESS WHAT GUYS?



( ENTER THE ROCKET BASE )