explosivecombat | 0??. [Action / Fourth Wall event]

0??. [Action / Fourth Wall event]

[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...]

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[[....Kimblee pls is a good way to sum it up, yes.

Armstrong has found himself on Kimblee's route after wandering for a while, trying to get his thoughts together. He allowed his Arcanine to walk with him for a bit, but once he heard those explosions he recalled her immediately. Bentheim, his Golem, knows Explosion. That isn't the sound of a Pokemon attack.

After Ishval, he'll never forget that sound. It's subtle, but...he knows who it is. His fists tighten, metal gauntlets clinking together softly.

He was a fool to think only he would get his alchemy back.]]

Kimblee.

[[Kimblee's back is turned, so he won't attack. He wants to win this fight with honour.

He needs to.]]

[Kimblee is still shaking, the laughter ripping its way through his body in waves; his head is bowed a bit, his hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides. For the time being, the shrieking has stopped; just the same, he still doesn't seem to be able to control himself. Perhaps he isn't trying.

However much his control may be suffering right now, however...somehow, miraculously, his hearing is not. He doesn't turn around at the sound of that voice behind him, though he does straighten up a bit; from what he's been able to work out about the man behind him, Armstrong is the sort that will at least do him the courtesy of stabbing him in the front.]

...Major Armstrong.

[His voice is shaking almost as badly as he is.]

To what do I owe the pleasure?

I'm going to have to ask you to stop that.

[[He knows how hypocritical this sounds, and he sighs softly to himself. After his encounter with Kimblee's younger version, he'd done his best to set the Route right when he realised that many Pokemon inhabited it. His outburst shamed him badly, but when he left things were almost back to normal. He even removed a few dead trees that were causing some problems.

Destruction...creation....two sides of the same coin. But for some reason, the thought of destroying the habitats of the Pokemon, those innocent creatures....it burned at him.]]

You're disturbing the wildlife of this area.

[[It's a pathetic excuse for a fight. Armstrong knows it's a pathetic excuse for a fight, and he's sure Kimblee does too.

But he finds that he doesn't care. He's itching to test himself against Kimblee....properly]]

[So this must be the best timing ever to see MR. VERY NICE GENTLEMAN again, huh? Yes, except the girl knows things better this time. She saw Ed's jacket in Johto months ago, and hey, the man almost tried to blow things up when Scar "kidnapped" the girl. Sorry, you're not a good guy anymore. At least she knows that you didn't kill Ed in Briggs...

And it's not like Winry wanted to be here, wherever here is this time, but this weird weekend seems to be having fun with her. ...And was she supposed to say something? Probably. He loved those explosions and everything about them? Oh. Well that's just sick.

Okay, so time to look less shocked and more annoyed.]

So that's what you were about to do when someone kidnapped a girl, huh?

[Not impressed, not at all.]

And you're scaring all the pokemon who can hear that -- and not just the pokemon. You should stop that.

[...What do people usually say in situations like this anyway?]

[He breathes deeply at that, closing his eyes; when he laughs again, the sound is much softer. Calmer, in some ways. But when he finally does turn around to make eye contact, that wild look still hasn't left his eyes.]

They're more resilient than you give them credit for.

[His voice is still trembling quite a bit; he's smirking deeply.]

But...that creature I've seen you with before, the rock-type. If you've raised it at all, you should know exactly what they're capable of withstanding. You know it's a moot point.

[He folds one of his arms across his chest and braces the elbow of the other against his wrist, resting his hand against his face.]

So do us both a favor and be direct with me. What is it you really want?

I know what Bentheim is capable of.

[[That terrible Explosion attack...despite his Pokemon's enthusiasm for it, Armstrong cannot stand it. It's so....cruel, and such a damn cop-out. It's not the way he likes to win his battles, but Ben loves it so, despite the fact it knocks him unconscious. But that's just how he is, really.

When Kimblee demands honesty, Armstrong pauses, thinking. He's always been an honest man, and now is no exception.]]

Very well.

[[And the alchemical symbols on the backs of his gauntlets begin to glow.]]

...I have something to prove to you.

[[I'll make you respect my ability. I'm not that trembling, naive boy any more.

But those are the words he can't bring himself to say. Not yet.]]

[Oh, he recognizes her, even through the odd sense of distance in his gaze; casual observers might think that he's reached a point that he isn't seeing anything at all, but that assumption is far from true.]

I see that you've returned.

[He knows he should likely be apologetic for what he almost did to her; if he were a decent person at all, he should be ashamed for what he'd done, or at least horrified by his own recklessness.

Should.

Should.

He knows.]

I'll have to ask that you not take what happened in Baschool so personally, Miss Rockbell.

[And yet...he isn't.]

I'm aware of what it looked like, but I had been tasked with the elimination of the fugitive at all costs.

[His voice is still shaking with a sort of manic energy; he doesn't seem able to keep still very well, though he's putting in an effort - the result is clenching and unclenching his fists over and over again at his sides.]

It really is good to see you again.

[Kimblee's attention is immediately drawn away from Armstrong's face; he hasn't missed those glowing sigils out of the edges of his gaze, and for a moment his focus lingers there, the look in his eyes intense.

However, that odd, manic smirking hasn't quite left him, either.]

...is that so.

[And even as the words leave him he's shifting position, bringing his hand away from his face, keeping both down around waist-level so that he can activate his arrays quickly if he needs to; somehow, he doesn't doubt that he'll need to.

He has the Stones, of course - two of them in his possession, a gift from Johto last December. He keeps one of them in an inside pocket of his clothes; he'd need to be able to get to it, to establish physical contact with it should he want to actually use it. The other, however...he's keeping that one far closer.

He doesn't bring it up just yet; there's no sense in displaying his trump cards so early. There's a chance Armstrong had seen him using his alchemy, and so he already knows - but if he doesn't...]

And what are you intending to prove, if I may?

[[The arrays start glowing brightly, blue electricity crackling around Armstrong's hands as he closes his eyes, breathing deeply. From what he had seen earlier, Kimblee's power is considerable.

He should be a worthy challenge.]]

Something I also need to prove to myself.

[[After that, Armstrong refuses to elaborate; he's a very emotional man, but this sort of thing....he prefers not to talk about it. There will be no tears today. At least, not from him.]]

Are you interested?

I see.

[And at least on some level, he does. While normally he would continue to press, bothered by not having a full understanding of the situation, he doesn't ask for any further elaboration; somehow, he finds that Armstrong has said enough - he doesn't need anything more.

He claps sharply, those arrays coming alive with a sudden burst of blue energy flaring up around his hands; he doesn't move to strike just yet, however.]

I won't deny you the opportunity, then, though I won't guarantee you'll manage to prove anything to either of us.

That is the beautiful part of battle, Kimblee. Nothing is guaranteed, so you must fight for it!

[[And with a furious yell, Armstrong pounds the ground near his feet. Hope you're ready, Kimblee; the earth you're standing on is about to lift up and fling you off.]]

[There's a very good reason he's been training his Steelix while standing on top of it; it keeps his physical conditioning up - outside of personal preference toward doing so, it's certainly going to be useful in the event of a trainer actually doing the reasonably smart thing and leveling attacks at him rather than the creatures he's controlling.

It'll serve him just as well here. The sudden shifting of the ground is jarring, but it's nothing he can't handle; he maintains his balance, using the force to spring off and put some distance between Armstrong and himself, the motion agile. He lands hard, but his arrays are still activated; he doesn't think, he simply does, pressing his hands to the ground as soon as he connects with it and forcing another massive chain of explosions in the other alchemist's direction.]

[[Armstrong's first instinct is to throw himself out of harms way, but he fights it down, instead choosing to slam both fists into the ground. He jumps back before he does it, timing his attack perfectly to create a massive wall between him and Kimblee's explosive alchemy. As it begins to crack and shatter with the force of Kimblee's attack, his fists become a blur, pounding against the flying fragments heading his way and turning them into missiles, firing back in Kimblee's direction.]]

Prepare yourself for my artistic alchemy, Kimblee!!

[[If the other alchemist has a chance to get a good look at one, he'll see that it's a perfect replica of Armstrong's head. Hey, just because it's a battle, there's no need to throw style and beauty out the window!]]

[Kimblee knows an onslaught when he sees one; he isn't about to try to dodge that. His agility has always been terrible and he knows it; he brings his hands together again as soon as he's clear of the start of the barrage, but instead of finding the ground or another solid surface, the energy arcs out of his body straightfowardly, whipping through the air and detonating the projectiles in a massive burst of rock, the fragments raining down hard but leaving him unharmed.

He glances down at one of those missiles that had been launched at him toward the start - is...that...]

[OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE]

I suppose you earn points for creativity.

[[WAIT FOR IT

WAIT FOR IT

AND

POSE]]

Have my artfully sculpted missiles left you speechless, Kimblee?!

[WHAT ARE YOU DOING]

That's certainly one way of wording it, yes.

GOOD!

[[....yep, there it goes

we are now shirtless]]

Then prepare yourself FOR THIS!

[[His fists hit the ground again, which causes a massive replica of his fist to explode out from under Kimblee's feet again, spiked gauntlets and all.

....as the rest of the fist appears, however...it's....

....

....yes. It's a bust.]]

[OH MY GOD ARMSTRONG WHAT THE SHIT HAS THIS BATTLE EVEN BECOME

NO SERIOUSLY HE'S GLAD WE'RE GETTING BACK TO THE FIGHTING BUT REALLY

REALLY?!]

[Either way, as soon as the ground starts to shift upward again Kimblee's brought his hands together and slamming them down hard; that...thing Armstrong has created holds together, rather than exploding - but then, Kimblee isn't trying to destroy it.

He's gathering energy.

Those sharp bolts of blue travel down the form of the structure, cracking it deeply down the center, before they shoot out along the ground; the increased momentum without interference and the force of the energy gathered will make for a hell of a blast when it finally detonates in your general vicinity, Armstrong, hopefully you're prepared for it.]

[[Armstrong knows he doesn't have time to do anything about the blast other than move to avoid it, hurling himself to the side and touching the ground with his fist, lightly. It's enough, however, to encase him in a rocky shell as he rides out the explosion, grimacing as the force causes cracks to spread throughout the structure. He needs to find a way to defend against those explosions, and fast...

When he senses the attack is finished, it's the work of a moment for him to shatter that shell, sending the pieces flying haphazardly. Standing up and shaking himself off, he crouches down into a ready position once more, breath light.]]

You're a bit of a one trick pony, Kimblee.

[[And once again, his fist connects with the ground, causing a massive wall to rise up between the two of them.

Then, silence falls.]]

[Once that wall goes up, Kimblee takes a moment to calm himself down, to catch his breath; he paces for a moment, clenching his fists at his sides before releasing them, knowing that if he doesn't then his muscles will start to lock up on him a bit - he doesn't need his body resisting movement any more than necessary.

It would be easy for him to take that wall down; the Stone within his body makes that more than possible, and he'd be capable of creating a path of destruction wide enough to take Armstrong out regardless of where he is on the other side of it. It would be so simple; he's used to how the Stone feels, how to draw upon it fully.

At the same time, he doesn't want to. The Stone generally only comes into play in individual battles when he doesn't feel like fighting, either through disrespect for his opponent or having something more pressing to do than wasting time on upstarts; he isn't inclined to disrespect Armstrong in that way.

No, this is going to be a fair fight.

The options, then, require some weighing; the most efficient way to deal with that wall is through direct contact, but putting his hands on it runs the risk of putting himself entirely too close to Armstrong on the other side of it - furthermore, it's giving him projectiles, and he would really prefer to not take an Armstrong-shaped bust to the face, as that would be a rather humiliating way to go out.

He could always attempt to take out the foundations of it through the ground, but that would slow his reaction time...

He brings his hands together then, quickly, sending out another of those whips of energy through the air, a strong explosive shockwave that would detonate on impact. It's still going to give Armstrong potential projectiles, but his reaction time won't suffer nearly as much and he'll be able to move in order to avoid what's thrown at him before he can get another of those blasts off.]

[[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!!

[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 - ]

[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?]

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0??. [Action / Fourth Wall event]

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[ACTION - because I can.]

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...oh my god, I love you. Best timing, Winry, best timing.

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