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

[explosivecombat]

[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!]

Comments

[explosivecombat]

And what situations would those be?

[While he still isn't sounding directly angry, his tone is incredibly cold; he still isn't looking at Archer, either - while he's obviously not ignoring him, that's the air he's giving off. Like he has more important things to think about.]

[determinator]

Situations like these. Situations where you won't listen to me.

[He pauses for a moment there, evaluates what he's said, and decides to amend that.]

I'm not saying I know what's best for you. But you weren't listening to me at all, Kimblee. You were... different. It was like nothing I said got through to you.

[explosivecombat]

[Thank you for amending that from "I'll lock you up if you disagree too strongly with me," which was the original implication there, Archer.]

...it's happened before.

[That's all he really offers by way of response; there's still no eye contact, nor is there much tone to what he's saying.

Just a fact.

It's happened before.]

[determinator]

When? How the hell has this happened before? You've never been this bad here!

[Unless... unless it was back home? Archer doesn't like the implications there. He thought he knew the majority of what had happened to Kimblee in Amestris.]

[explosivecombat]

No, not here.

[He smirks a bit at that, actually, finally glancing back at Archer, though the expression is humorless.]

I may be different to your friend back home, but I served a rather lengthy prison term as well, mind you.

[determinator]

...Because you killed your superior officers.

[He really doesn't like where this is going.]

Did something like this happen? You... lost control and killed them? Is that what it was?

[explosivecombat]

I wouldn't say I lost control, per se. I remember making the decision to do it, and I remember acting on that decision. No, what I was doing was perfectly clear, just like what I was doing tonight was perfectly clear.

[Despite his words, his expression is still perfectly serene.]

Ah, you don't seem to understand; perhaps I haven't explained it very well in the past. The problem isn't that I lose control of myself; I know exactly what I'm doing at times like that.

It just becomes rather impossible for others to control me.

[He tips his head a little; he still doesn't seem too bothered by any of this, his expression dissonantly calm.]

I know that I should obey orders. I know perfectly well what I should be doing at times like that. I just don't happen to care.

Is that better?

[determinator]

[Normally Archer has no issues with Kimblee. Sure, Kimblee can be annoying sometimes, and he tends to press issues Archer would rather not deal with, but that's something he can deal with. He can't deal with just how creepy this is. It's odd, he's never really noticed how creepy Kimblee can be. Either this is a side-effect of the Psychic powers and he's capable of sensing something from Kimblee (or nothing, in this case, he's not sensing anything from him) or he's finally realized just how crazy Kimblee is.]

[Neither option is a good one.]

Yes, I suppose it is. Why though? You follow orders unquestioningly most of the time. What makes instances like these so different?

[explosivecombat]

I follow orders only as long as they don't conflict with anything I'm doing. Usually that's acting in my own best interest, and swearing loyalty to someone I happen to agree with is a way of doing that; I understand that obeying most, if not all, orders given by someone I've promised loyalty to is probably the best way to ensure that I have protection and will be given something to do. It ensures my survival by placing it mostly in the hands of someone else; complicated, maybe, but it's worked rather well for me so far.

However, that doesn't mean that I completely ignore what I want to do, either. Simply because I choose to follow orders doesn't mean that I'm a complete blank slate. I look out for myself first and foremost, as I've said; sometimes, "looking out for myself" involves taking what I want by force.

[determinator]

I don't see what you were gaining in either instance. I suppose you could argue that today you were testing your powers and you were gaining control. Alright, I suppose I can understand that. But what about back home? What could you possibly have gained from killing your superior officers?

1/3

[explosivecombat]

[Kimblee just smirks silently at that; after the briefest moment of consideration, however, he does shift position a bit, resting his hand against his abdomen lightly and there is suddenly the most repulsive noise coming from his throat - ]

[explosivecombat]

[...and when he smiles, there's something locked firmly between his teeth, blood-red and shimmering in the low light of the room.]

[explosivecombat]

[He ensures Archer's seen it before drawing it back into his mouth with his tongue, swallowing it easily before he speaks.]

There's something to be said for following orders, really; after a while, they trust you with some very confidential assignments.

[determinator]

[That is disgusting and he will never get used to it. Ugh. What the hell was the point of that even--]

...Your superior officers gave you the Philosopher's Stone.

[Oh.]

[...Oh.]

They tried to take it away from you, so you killed them. Is that right?

[Oh god. That's... both horrifying and hilarious, actually. Archer can't really seem to decide what to do with his expression there; it's certainly a dreadful way to go - being killed by the very stone they trusted Kimblee with in the first place, but Archer can certainly appreciate the irony there.]

[explosivecombat]

Yes, exactly. They expected me to hand it back; I wasn't terribly inclined to follow that particular order.

[determinator]

I can understand that.

[The Philosopher's Stone is one thing, but this situation is entirely different. At least Kimblee didn't kill him. He supposes he should be thankful for that, at least.]

We shouldn't have any other problems like this here, then. You'll get used to using your powers and we won't have to worry about this sort of thing. I won't try to control you, Kimblee.

[Look at how well that turned out last time...]

...But please try to be more careful in the future.

[explosivecombat]

This is why I say it's in your best interests to not interfere with me. It's not exactly an idle threat.

[...that...expression...]

[determinator]

[...okay so are you joking now or what...]

...Of course, Kimblee.

[...fuck that kittyface, man, it's way too confusing.]

[explosivecombat]

[Not at all, actually.]

I did mean what I said, you know. I don't want you trying to cage me up for the sake of "keeping me safe," and I don't want your protection.

[determinator]

I know you meant it, and I know you can defend yourself. As I said, that doesn't change things any. If you're going to keep acting like this, I am going to interfere. You need to be careful, Kimblee. Just because there's no permanent death here doesn't mean you can put yourself on the line. If you're outed as a member of Team Rocket, you'll have the entirety of that anti-Rocket group after you. All I'm asking is for you to think before you try something like this again.

[explosivecombat]

I'm not concerned about them, Archer.

Back in Amestris, my purpose is to salvage situations that appear impossible. Not everything needs to proceed according to plan, Archer. I can improvise well enough.

[determinator]

But we can get so much more done if you're not outed, Kimblee. You've said you work alone back home, but things are different here. We've been working quite well together for the most part. Why change that if we don't have to?

[explosivecombat]

[Kimblee pauses for a moment, staring a bit - he's not doing the wide-eyed, my-whole-brain-is-crying sort of staring, but he's still rather fixated - before he relaxes, seeming almost amused.]

It's been quite some time since we've had to have this discussion, hasn't it?

[determinator]

What?

[...He knows exactly what Kimblee is talking about though, and the response is more tsun than anything else. Kimblee said he wasn't leaving. Yes, he implied he would leave if Archer tried to lock him up, but he isn't leaving.]

[...yet.]

Yes, I suppose it's been awhile...

[explosivecombat]

[...oh, what was that for.]

What is it?