02X - Reintro. [Text/Locked Audio to the Rocket Frequency]

[explosivecombat]

[TEXT]

[Well! Those of you on the network today will be greeted by a bit of audio late this morning, from a device ID that's been bouncing back all attempts at contact for the last several weeks.]

...Oh, that's cute.

[...well, if that wasn't the most triumphant return ever, I don't know what is.

At the very least, however, he seems to get over whatever he's almost audibly linefacing at long enough to realize that the device is recording something; he promptly switches the thing over to text - he's never really liked talking at the machine when he's addressing all of Johto.]

My, it seems this place does still have its sense of humor, doesn't it? And here I thought that perhaps I'd only lost three days at worst - it was a bit of a surprise to find out otherwise.

Ah, but that's neither here nor there, is it?

[Kimblee, hon.]

There's not much to report from home, unfortunately; however, it'll be a pleasure getting in contact with all of you again - hopefully you've all been at least reasonably well.

[Oh, well. At least he doesn't seem too off-put by the whole disappearing-for-a-month-and-a-half thing?]


[PRIVATE AUDIO - TEAM ROCKET FREQUENCY]

[...At least, not until the audio message that goes out over the private Rocket network a few minutes later; Kimblee's voice is cold and clipped, and the amiable "tone" from the text earlier is completely absent.

He has no idea if he still holds his rank or not; he suspects he doesn't. Like hell if he won't throw it around anyway. He's a bit displeased at his life basically being a .gif from Community, and he's going to figure out what in the good hell is going on if it kills him.]

This is Team Rocket Beta Solf J Kimblee, reporting back in for duty; to my superiors, I admit that I don't know what happened, but I assure you that it won't happen again.

To the rest of you - check in with me immediately, particularly if you're one of my subordinates. I'm receiving a lot of "ID Not Found" nonsense, and I need to know who's still present; given that and various things that I've had to hear about secondhand, I expect a full report regarding what happened here from someone, I'm not feeling particularly choosy right now.

New members to the organization - welcome to it, and you have my personal apologies for the disarray. For now, you're welcome to introduce yourselves; it'll serve you well to know that I'm good to those who are good to me. Again, prove yourself useful and you'll be rewarded.

None of this is a request. Allow me to make that much clear.

[...oh dear. Well. At least he's not in much position to actually do anything at the moment - this is Team Rocket we're talking about, and if somebody's on the network very vocally overstating their importance and/or competence, that means it's pretty much a day ending in Y.]

Comments

[explosivecombat]

Hopefully that day will never come, then - after all, some never find theirs, no matter how far they venture.

Of course, I've never been one of those myself, but I admire those who are.

[jikogisei]

I see. That is unfortunate.

Should you need anything, you can count on my assistance.

[doitrockapella]

People change. And this is a different world.

Who's to say your limits might not have changed with it?

[explosivecombat]

Always a good thing to know; consider it noted and appreciated, Mr. Uchiha.

Might I ask what particular skillsets you possess? What you do, if you will.

[explosivecombat]

I know myself well enough to know for a fact that they have.

Don't misunderstand me, Locke, I'm not brooding over it, nor do I find it a regrettable thing. If anything, it's a trait inherent to my status as both soldier and weapon - I am what I'm required to be at the time, and I don't mind that at all. I don't expect you to really understand that sort of stance - few do - but believe me, I'm not suffering for it, nor am I self-pitying. Things are what they are.

private text -- forever maybe!

[usedwrench]

[...Oh, Mr. Kimblee is back. Winry can't say she missed him at all, nor can she say that she's happy about his return or anything.

Bad luck with new arrivals, huh? She'd be so glad to welcome someone, who is actually nice and not some explosion maniac because she hasn't seen any of those in almost a year by now. Except Mister Armstrong, but he's gone too.

Well, she can't do anything about how random this place can be with who return and who don't.

But Winry finds herself from trying to come up with a reply to this post anyways. She does have two of his Pokémon, after all, and he mentioned home and he's from the same Amestris as she is, so... She'll lock this for reasons, takes a deep breath and starts writing.]


Welcome back. [It's just a polite thing to say.] Time is still a weird thing here, yes. Not that I'd know, much, because so much happened back home too while I was away from here. [Her new, one year anniversary is coming up this month, huh? Time sure flies.]

May I ask you something about Amestris?

[itsjustdust]

I can keep trying?

But yeah, so I have one of your pokemon, I'm pretty sure.

[explosivecombat]

No, this is tolerable, or at least less blinding.

And may I ask which one?

[itsjustdust]

Her name is Lizaveta. I'm kind of sad I haven't really gotten to use how you trained her though.

of course - consider that returned

[explosivecombat]

[Kimblee pauses for a moment; he's not entirely surprised to hear from Miss Rockbell at all, because she's always been a bit too nice for her own good, but that last question...hm. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that; he's also noting the private feed, and...really, either she doesn't want to be seen talking to him (understandable) or she has something to ask that she doesn't want the rest of the network to see (also understandable, given the utter clusterfuck that the situation in Amestris ended up being). He'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume the latter for now, and he'll respect the lock enough to return it.]

It's a pleasure to be back, and as always, a pleasure to see you as well, Miss Rockbell.

As for whatever question you have about Amestris, it depends on the subject matter - I've gotten enough questions about whatever happened there that I know I can't guarantee you a complete answer. There are certainly some things I don't know, and other things that I otherwise still can't answer for various reasons, but you're more than welcome to ask. Go on, then.

[doitrockapella]

I can hardly fault someone so conscious of the ancient mandate to "know thyself". It's complacency that I'm arguing against; I'd be doing a disservice to my side if I didn't, after all.

[explosivecombat]

"How I trained her"...?

[...oh good lord, hopefully she has not been trying to help you pickpocket the natives.]

[jikogisei]

I'm a shinobi, sir. While I may have lost my unique abilities, I can still be useful. I'm skilled with various sorts of weapons and in hand-to-hand combat. We are trained to do any and everything from finding lost pets to gathering information to stealthy assassinations.

There is no job that I won't do.

[explosivecombat]

I see your point, I suppose - though is it really complacency if one strives to perfection within their limits? As that's something I've always been rather partial to doing.

And besides, I never said they were narrow limits, either. Simply that I know they're there.

[explosivecombat]

Excellent - that's the sort of work I did myself, back in my own world. So I'm familiar with your sort.

Do you prefer more planned work, or do you improvise? I understand a familiarity with both is necessary, but in terms of preference, ideally speaking.

[itsjustdust]

You totally trained her as an ambush lure right? I gotta say it's pretty spectacular, even if none of mine really have the right attitude for it.

[doitrockapella]

It confines you to a finite number of possible achievements, doesn't it? What if, for the sake of argument, you did manage to achieve perfection in them all? You might end up terribly bored.

Maybe I just find it liberating to believe that there's always another horizon waiting that I haven't reached toward yet.

[jikogisei]

I can work with either equally. One must be flexible or they trap themselves by their own limitations.

[explosivecombat]

[...OBITO WHY]

...Well, it's something like that, I suppose.

[explosivecombat]

And if one sees preferences as limitations, I have to question how well they can genuinely improvise.

[itsjustdust]

[He's a NINJA, this is the kind of things he notices and admires.]

Did you give all your pokemon this kind of specialized training? I can't even imagine how careful you had to be to get them diversified if you did.

[explosivecombat]

Just as I find it liberating to know that perfection is unattainable.

Part of what I find so disappointing about humans, really, is the fact that so many will be faced with that knowledge - that true perfection, in any form, is something that humans are not meant to have - and fall into despair; they'll stop progressing, they'll give up. They don't understand that the imperfection of humanity is what challenges them, and what ultimately leads them to change the world.

Perfection isn't the goal or some standard to be held to, it's motivation. Achieving it would be to condemn ourselves to that complacency you're arguing against.

[explosivecombat]

[WELL YES BUT GOOD LORD JUST TELL HIM HOW YOU REALLY FEEL WHILE YOU'RE AT IT]

I've done a good amount of specialized training with all of them, some more than others; they have different strengths that they play to, and I see no need to not utilize that.

[jikogisei]

That is incorrect, sir. If one prefers to plan then they will attempt to stick to the plan, even when it has failed. If one prefers to improvise then they will be more unwilling to follow a plan.

Thus preferences can be a limitation.

[exeggutorhead]

I'll be sure to do so.

I'm in Blackthorn. There was one hell of a party while you were gone, and afterwards there were free rides to any city.