0??. [Action / Fourth Wall event]

[explosivecombat]

[It's been seven and a half months since Kimblee has arrived in Johto; seven and a half months since he's felt whatever restrictions that are on his alchemy here loosen and fall away, leaving him with sheer destructive power flowing through his body.

But today, he can feel it. Oh, can he feel it.

Today he's out on one of the routes, training. That isn't anything new.

What is new is the way the route has been ripped up, large swaths cut through it; Kimblee is standing somewhere among all of the destruction, his breathing jagged. Those 'fortunate' enough to see what he's doing will get a glimpse of dark red energy flickering between his palms, sharp and crackling like some sort of demonic lightning storm in miniature, before he drops down and forces the energy from his body, chaining together a series of explosive reactions that detonate somewhere deep within the ground, ripping up fiery trails of destruction that rip through the earth, destroying everything in its path. The explosion chains doesn't seem to be hindered at all by obstacles in their path; rather, they seem only to be spurred on, ripping up anything in its path as fuel for another detonation.

The sound is immense, as are the shockwaves in the trail of those explosions; they don't carry on forever, but they're certainly not caused by any sort of natural phenomena.

Needless to say, Kimblee isn't training his Pokemon today...

Though he's certainly in one piece after the explosions stop, Kimblee doesn't seem to be all right, exactly; he seems to be having huge amounts of difficulty controlling himself, shrieking and shaking with laughter, to the point that he looks damn near about to fall over. If one didn't know any better, they'd likely think he was intoxicated; however...]

This sound...the power...! It's truly been too long!

[Another burst of laughter rips out of him.]

After all this time...I still...

[...oh boy.]

I love this!

[...Kimblee, please...]

Comments

[sculpted]

[[On the other side of that wall, Armstrong is silently following the sound of Kimblee's footsteps as he paces, gauntlets at the ready, light on his feet. His experiences in Ishval made him very sensitive to that sort of thing; he still can't forget some of the sounds the people trapped behind his wall made as they died. He shudders involuntarily.

When the footsteps pause he crouches, shielding his face as he waits, and his wait is soon rewarded; Kimblee's attack crashes into the wall, kicking up a cloud of dust and blasting a large hole through the rock. This is his chance.

Catlike, Armstrong pounces through the hole, taking advantage of the dust cloud obscuring Kimblee's vision to close in on him. Just as he thought; he's standing right in front of the hole, completely oblivious. He won't even see him coming.

Putting on a burst of speed, Armstrong yells triumphantly as he materializes out of the dust to barrel into Kimblee, knocking him over and catching his arms as he goes. The result is....well. Kimblee has now found himself with a half-naked Armstrong straddling him (well not quite, Armstrong is on his knees; that would simply be far too awkward...), gripping his wrists tightly so that he can't perform his alchemy.]]

Your lack of creativity lets you down, Kimblee! I have you now!!

1/7

[explosivecombat]

[Well! For a moment he pauses; he hadn't expected the wall to come down, but at the same time, the dust is really inconvenient, and - ]

[explosivecombat]

[You know how once in a while, you do something and you just know somehow that whatever you just did, the results are gonna suck?]

[explosivecombat]

[Right after that shockwave detonates, that's...about when that feeling kicks in. It's subtle at first. Just a vague sense of "Oh."]

[explosivecombat]

[You know what, this is probably going to suck, isn't it.]

[explosivecombat]

[Is that...Armstrong over th- ]

[explosivecombat]

[OH GOD, YEP. YEP, THAT IS DEFINITELY ARMSTRONG AND THIS IS DEFINITELY SUCKING]

[explosivecombat]

[...and once he's on the ground, commence some very awkward struggling in which he tries not to focus on the position they are currently in!]

Oh, for the love of - !

[sculpted]

[[......omg

could this be....victory?]]

Is that the best you can do, Kimblee? I think I've won this bout!

[explosivecombat]

[He's fighting quite a bit against Armstrong's grip; as such, it takes a moment for Armstrong's words to sink in. Is he...claiming victory...?

That doesn't make sense right away; really, if Armstrong were trying to prove anything, wouldn't it involve killing him? But that doesn't seem to be the case; Armstrong seems content to subdue him and declare it over.

Kimblee hesitates once it hits him, looking at Armstrong with an expression that's somewhere between wary and almost scared; surely this can't be genuine, there has to be something more to it...

...but no, he isn't sensing any sort of intent to kill here.]]

[explosivecombat]

[And after a long pause in which he simply stares, he laughs a bit.]

As humiliating as I find it, I believe you may be right, Major.

[sculpted]

[[Armstrong blinks for a moment. Is that....Kimblee has conceded the victory?

....

He's conceded the victory!]]

I believe I might be, Kimblee!

[[He's about to leap up and do all sorts of victory poses, when he realises he's....kind of still got you there, doesn't he.]]

I take it it's safe for me to release you?

[explosivecombat]

Ah...yes, of course.

[Kimblee allows some of the tension in his body to relex a bit; it's at least a vague implication that he won't immediately try to spear-punch Armstrong in the face or something as soon as his wrists are released.]

[sculpted]

[[Armstrong releases his arms, before lifting himself back to his full height and moving so you can stand up, Kimblee.

And contary to his usual (or expected...) behaviour, Armstrong doesn't furiously rip off any clothing or shout and yell and strike poses; he just bows slightly.]]

Thank you for the fight; I enjoyed it.