explosivecombat | 014. [Anonymous Text/Video/Action for Goldenrod City]

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014. [Anonymous Text/Video/Action for Goldenrod City] - ROCKET PLOT

[ANONYMOUS TEXT]

[Unlike the other anonymous messages that this particular 'Gear tends to send out, there are no images attached to this one. Nor are there any particularly threatening messages - in fact, the message attached isn't threatening at all! Really, unless you're keeping very close track of who's sending what, you wouldn't think it was coming from the same source.]

i understand that there are a lot of you who were disappointed last week - something about how there were no fireworks on the fourth??? and there was something else called tanabata that not everyone may have heard of. i'm glad that people are spreading the word about things like that - celebrating culture is important!

and because it's important, a few of my friends and i have arranged a surprise for you! most people seem to be in goldenrod city, so we'll do it there - meet us in the square in front of the department store at sundown tonight. we want to make johto a special place for you, and to make you feel welcome here - i hope the later date isn't too disappointing!

if you can't be there, don't worry! i'll broadcast the fun for you over the network; it'll be great!

[Well. Uh. While it's completely anonymous and therefore less embarrassing than it could have been...Kimblee is typing like a hyperactive teenager. This can't possibly bode well. At all.]

[ACTION/VIDEO - GOLDENROD DEPT. STORE, SUNDOWN]

[And just as promised, after the sun goes down and there are a fair few people in the square - some NPCs, some not - there will be fireworks.

They aren't exactly high-grade, so the display isn't too impressive at first - a few pretty colors, maybe, but nothing terribly elaborate. Clearly whatever hyperactive teenager sent the message to the network will get a YOU TRIED........ Award, but it's nothing to write home about.

...and then other displays begin enhancing the explosions.

It's a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly where they're coming from, as there seems to be at least three Pokémon contributing to them - and the bolts of electricity must be coming from a Pokémon, they're unmistakably attacks like Spark - but the electricity seems timed to enhance the blasts put out by the fireworks, causing far larger explosions, shocks of electrical energy dancing between the trails of embers raining down from the sky.

Rather pretty, all things considered - it's gone from the work of an amateur into something far more advanced. Probably someone who knows what they're doing.

And while everyone's attention is trained skyward, that's when things start to go wrong.

It's a very planned-out sort of wrong; a calculated sort of wrong. A "something is firing Zap Cannon directly into the crowd" sort of wrong.

Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be aimed properly; Lock-On is clearly not being used. However, it's difficult to say what on earth is being aimed at in the first place; those who are quick enough to not get fried (easier than it sounds, given the lack of aim here) and analytical enough to notice patterns will realize shortly that there is none, though the attacks do seem to be coming from one particular direction - the assailant is situated on the rooftop of the Goldenrod Department Store. Certainly, making your way up there will ensure that you find one of your attackers.

However, there are secondary attacks that seem to be following the Zap Cannons - smaller attacks, Spark and occasionally Thunderbolt, though that latter one seems to be a bit more infrequent - and those seem far more directly-aimed, trying to take out individual targets rather than shooting into the crowd at random. These are coming from another rooftop a short distance away - one of the nondescript, privately-run shops that aren't directly affiliated with the Department Store itself. Entering that shop will find the shopkeepers knocked out, so it's clearly neither of them doing anything - so who else is up there?

Should you be in Goldenrod City and wanting to investigate the electrically-based mayhem, pick your path - either the Department Store, where you'll find the individual with the ridiculously powerful attacks and no sense of aim, or the nondescript shop, with the weaker attacks but some sort of strategy.

And for those not in Goldenrod City? The fireworks were definitely filmed for you. And after a sudden burst of jittercam veering off into the crowd? So was the attack on the civilians, until the feed suddenly snaps off mid-attack. Should you try to respond to this particular signal, responses will come a couple of hours later.

Enjoy.]

[OOC]

[HELLO, ROUTE. Kimblee is one of the Rockets that submitted himself as a human guinea pig for the sake of gaining stupid amounts of elemental powers! Of course, there's no way he's doing this entirely on his own - he has some...help, shall we say - but even so, he's having himself a pretty good time tonight.

Should you choose [action], regardless of which path is taken - the larger threat overall or the one that's actually strategizing - I'll be engaging you; feel free to mingle among yourselves as well, if you see fit to do so!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Kimblee hasn't been too sane lately.

He isn't on the roof of the Department Store, unfortunately - while that would give him the best vantage point, it's also far more accessible than the place he ended up selecting for himself, and he had suspected that his control might go once the party really got started tonight. He had been right in that regard; for a good moment, he doesn't recognize her.

After a moment of study, however...

...oh, this will be interesting. She can have a second attack fired her way; not the Zap Cannon from before, but something a bit weaker - although that isn't saying too much, given that aimed at humans, Thunderbolt can do a good amount of damage.]

[[Since all of Emmy's attention is focused on the assailant on top of the Department store, she's lucky that her Alakazam is actually keeping an eye on the surroundings; the Thunderbolt misses her by less than a second.]]

What on earth is going on here?!

[[Abbie has shifted herself and her trainer well out of range of the attacks (with any luck), and is scanning the rooftops, eventually pointing in the direction the second attack came from.]]

So that's it, is it. Right! Abbie, take Bug and Teppi and go after the first one; Machi, Nida and I will go for the second!

[[In the blink of an eye, her three Pokemon have disappeared, leaving her with her Machamp, who is flexing angrily, and her Nidoqueen, who looks pensive. The weaker attacks were coming from the second direction, so she feels more confident sending her three towards the first, and having her two go with her. She can send orders to Abbie, anyway.

Especially with the help of...]]

Let's go, AJ.

[[And in a flash, she's on top of the roof, the wind whistling through her hair. Machi and Nida flank her, while AJ the Kadabra stands at the back, ready to activate Teleport at a moment's notice.

At the sight of the man standing before her, Emmy feels a cold shiver running down her spine.]]

You're....

[[She's not sure if her mind is playing tricks on her, but...it's him. The man from Ecruteak.

It has to be.]]

[Kimblee turns at the sound of her arrival; she's behind him, but Archer (of the Gardevoir variety, anyway) is more than aware of who this one is. He hasn't met her in person, but he's seen pictures of her; his trainer looked at them sometimes, giving out mental waves that were alarming in intensity, at least when compared to the usual muted static that he usually read off of Kimblee.

There's nothing but static now.

There are no defining features to work off of when he turns around; Kimblee's hair is hidden beneath the dark hood and mask he has on, the thick fabric also concealing his face entirely. He can see through it, but he's more than aware that she can't do the same unless one of them pulls the mask up.

He shifts position a bit as he turns, clasping his hands lightly behind his back as he faces her; he doesn't speak, though he does tip his head a bit in acknowledgement.

They both know what she's thinking; she isn't incorrect.]

[[So she was right, then. Not an overly fun puzzle to solve, but the answer is...well, it's not pleasing, but it is satisfying.]]

I've finally...found you then.

[[She's breathing heavily, as if she'd just climbed the side of the building to get to the top. It must be the wind. Surely...surely the situation wouldn't be....no! She's fine!]]

Do you have anything to say, or shall we get straight to it?

[[The presence of the Gardevoir is unfortunate; both her Pokemon are weak to that type. Dammit. Oh well, she can always get Abby to bring over Bug if she's overwhelmed. Regardless, two against one shouldn't be that much of a problem.

So why is she so nervous?]]

[There's dead silence in response to the question, though he does shift his head just enough to imply that he's looking toward that Gardevoir; a moment later, Emmy should be receiving something telepathically.

It isn't a "voice," per se - there's no tone or pitch separate from her own. But just the same, the thought is broadcast and made plain.

That depends on what you want to ask.]

[[The feeling of the 'voice' flowing into her head is uncomfortable and makes her gasp slightly; it wasn't what she expected. But then again, she would have been surprised if he'd whipped out his gear and started texting her.

Frowning slightly, looking towards AJ (who is...looking oddly panicked, what on earth), Emmy replies.]]

I....

[[There are plenty of questions flooding through her head, but it's almost hard to get one out. She eventually manages, her hands clenching into fists.]]

What on earth do you think you're doing? You could...you could kill someone with this sort of reckless behaviour!

[[She's trying to stay calm but her emotions get the better of her, and she stamps her foot angrily to punctuate her words.]]

[I know.

He pauses for a moment; she can't see his eyes, perhaps, but he's definitely looking at her.

What do you think I'm doing, Emmy? It's what I've always done.]

....well you shouldn't!

[[It's not the most logical reply, perhaps, but this...this man is starting to drive her bonkers.]]

Someone down there isn't going to be as lucky as I was to avoid that! You're going to...!!

[[Before either Machi or Nida has a chance to grab her, Emmy has surged forward. She's not thinking about any real sort of strategy, and she doesn't have a plan; all she knows is that she has to stop this monster before he has a chance to seriously injure an innocent person.

Before she even realises it, her hand is going for his mask. She needs to see his face, to connect a person with the shadowy, faceless figure. She's almost afraid of what she'll find.

Behind her, AJ covers her eyes, trembling with fear.]]

[He doesn't seem fazed by her approach; he crosses his arms in front of his chest as though to block her from doing...something, but it soon becomes very obvious from the crackling yellow energy forming at the junction where his arms are crossed in front of his body that he isn't blocking at all.

The energy leaves his body quickly, a burst of electricity radiating out from him in all directions, quickly, unable to be avoided.

This is a human. Using Shock Wave. In very close proximity to you.

...yep.]

[[It all happens in an instant.

There's that bright yellow light again, just like the attack from before, except this time she can see the source. It's...no, it's not possible, but...it's coming from him!

As her brain processes that first fact, she's stuck wondering how on earth she ended up beneath Abbie, lying on the roof of a building with the Alakazam groaning in pain, forcing herself to her feet.]]

What...what just happened, I...

[[It's then that she realises Abbie appears to have thrown herself in front of the attack, managing to get there just as the energy would have struck her trainer. As such, she didn't have time to stand her ground and take the attack properly, so she's barrelled into Emmy and knocked her to the floor. It's unfortunate, but at least she got the attack, and not her human friend. Who knows what sort of damage it would have done to her fragile body!

As such, said trainer groggily gets to her feet, straightening her clothes.]]

I owe you a serious amount of berries for today, Abbie-

[[Her head starts spinning right at that instant, and Machi runs over, picking her up and pointing at her face, wringing her second set of hands.]]

Machi put me down, I'm fine-

[[She's not, and that becomes quite obvious when she touches her head and her fingers come away bloody. Abbie also starts to panic.]]

Look, both of you, just...don't worry about me, we've got to worry about him; Nida!

[[Her Nidoqueen, having seen that the injury wasn't too severe, hasn't run over to her trainer in a panic; instead, she's waiting for orders, knowing that Emmy will call on her to take care of any Electric attacks.

The Pokemon is quite correct; even though her vision is slightly blurry and her head is aching, Emmy calls an attack, pointing....well. She thinks it's at the Pokemon, but in the end, she isn't sure if she's pointing at the Gardevoir or that horrible masked man.]]

Bite!

[Kimblee doesn't flinch at that; Emmy isn't pointing at him.

The thing about Nidoqueen, unforunately, is the Poison-dual typing; that and the Ground-typing making it horribly slow...well. Even if that Bite does connect, it's playing against type - Gardevoirs are kind of horribly squishy when it comes to physical attacks, but hopefully he can withstand it. If not...well.

Kimblee has something resembling a backup plan, anyway.

But for now? Psychic. So much Psychic.]

[[For each Psychic attack that barrels through her head, Nida's jaws tighten on the Gardevoir's arm, where she's managed to latch herself. They're stuck in a rather horrid stalemate, as the Nidoqueen can feel the attacks intensifying, but her Adamant nature means she is not giving up goddammit.

On the other side of the field, Emmy can feel the blood trickling down the side of her face, and she wipes it away angrily. Head injuries tend to bleed quite a bit, even if they're not all that serious; that's correct, right? Because she can feel a bad scrape, but....if only the sky would stop spinning around, she'd be able to...]]

What are you planning?!

[[It's then that she notices her breathing is getting heavier again, but with each breath comes a sharp stab of pain. Wincing, she feels at her ribs-could some of them be broken? Abbie did land on her rather heavily, but...s-surely...]]

I don't...understand what you want...

[He knows Emmy is likely not going to be awake for too much longer; just the same, however...

Call your Nidoqueen off and we'll talk. The battlefield is no place for conversation - we can talk or we can fight. I won't engage you in both.]

[[Emmy's choice takes an instant.]]

Nida, come back!

[[Her head is continuing to spin, but as her Nidoqueen staggers back towards her, Emmy walks forward, her steps slow and measured. She stops about ten feet from the masked man, her gaze cold and focused. Determined.]]

Give me an answer.

[[As she waits, the blood from her injury trickles its way down to her collar, staining the material red. However!]]

...please.

[[A lady always remembers her manners, after all, even if her conversation partner is a total cad.]]

[Kimblee makes his way over to that Gardevoir, though he keeps his head turned just enough to keep an eye on Nida; he checks him over briefly, pulling one of the healing items out of his pocket in order to deal with the injuries. The gesture is quick, but not completely cold.

What do I want...?

The telepathy is still strong, however, even as he's in the process of healing that Gardevoir.

There isn't much that I really want from this world. Even back in my own world, my wants were simple.

I want to see how the world will change.

There is nothing more beautiful to me than the sounds of will clashing against will. Life against life. I want to hear the sounds of battle rising up from the darkness - to feel the rush of blood through my system, carrying with it the pulse of the battlefield and the fear and excitement of war.

Mankind no longer has to struggle for survival; we defy the natural way of the world. There is no chaos to disrupt our order; I'm here to provide the darkness by which light makes itself known - to restore the balance of the world to what it should be. I've turned my back on humanity before; I'm not afraid to do it again.

If there is nothing that can oppose mankind, I will.

He paused for a moment, turning to face her; his right hand shot out then, indicating the scene on the street below, the destruction he had caused, a slight flicker of electricity dancing along his gloved fingertips as he did so.

What do I want?

This. This is what I want. Do you understand?]

[[Emmy forces herself to listen as the masked man delivers his speech, her head getting heavier and heavier with every word. And why shouldn't it? These....these things he's saying, they're...they're ridiculous!]]

You...you can't, that's not...that's terrible, I...of course I don't-!

[[It's then that her head suddenly feels far too heavy for her neck, and Emmy finds herself falling forward, eyes slipping closed. She's unconscious before she hits the ground, her Pokemon surging forward in a panic as she lays in a heap before Kimblee.

Machi is there first, gathering her up and leaping straight off the building without pause, while Nida follows, falling more than leaping. Abbie turns to go too, but not without having to drag AJ, who's staring at Kimblee and his Gardevoir with an expression of horror on her face.

All in all, it's a quick, if not all that dignified, exit, the Alakazam ensuring no-one gets hurt as Emmy's team make their way to the ground. One thing is for sure, though.

Their trainer won't forget this for a while.]]

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014. [Anonymous Text/Video/Action for Goldenrod City] - ROCKET PLOT

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