determinator | ♕ TENTH COMMAND

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♕ TENTH COMMAND | VIDEO

[The video opens to two badge cases, each with all eight Johto Gym Badges arranged neatly. The camera turns to focus on Archer then; he's smirking even more than usual, if that's even possible.]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the previous record for earning all the Gym Badges was eleven months?

[It's not really a question. He remembers exactly what Mustang said.]

Kimblee and I have done it in eight.

[He'll give you all a moment to absorb that knowledge. Yes, yes, they're amazing, he knows~]

We're both seeking challenges from others who have gathered the Gym Badges. We both have teams at level 100, though we also have lowered-leveled Pokémon, if you're interested in challenging either of us. We would be interested in double battling as well, if any of you are interested.

[...Well, he would, at least. Sorry, Kimblee, you have no choice~]

We look forward to it.

[OOC: This is a double post! You'll receive replies from either Kimblee or Archer!]

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[...well.

Normally Kimblee would be perfectly content to ignore the hell out of Armstrong for the time being (he really doesn't have much to say to him at the moment, after all) but something stops him; the memory is annoyingly vague, hitting him in flashes rather than anything coherent, odd projectiles and walls and bursts of energy, some sort of battle that involved alchemy but certainly wasn't back in Amestris -

"...left you speechless, Kimblee?"

He pauses for a moment, then turns on the feed; his expression is placid, as usual.]

I'm afraid that Archer isn't available at the moment, but I'll be sure to give him the message.

[[Oh ugh; Armstrong was hoping that Kimblee wouldn't have to come into the picture. Maybe he shouldn't have bothered-

-and there's a brief flash in front of his eyes, Kimblee looking stunned as he grips his wrists tightly, the feeling of victory flooding through his system-

....what?]]

How kind of you, Kimblee.

...it happens once in a while.

[Those memories really are irritatingly vague; dreams, perhaps? He doesn't usually dream about strange things, though - his dreams are usually a combination of strangely detailed and incredibly literal. He dreams of Ishval often, frequently enough to no longer classify those dreams as pleasant or unpleasant regardless of content; they're simply something that happens for him. But those are memories, and he knows it; prison had blurred the lines between dreams and memories, to be sure, but the former almost always draws from the latter.

Johto had changed that once in December; it's happening again, after that three-day loss in May. He doesn't like thinking of the implications of that at all, in any direction -

...he knows he should just end the conversation, but he finds that he doesn't want to.]

You seem well, Major.

I'll take your word for it.

[[Armstrong has been experiencing strange dreams for a little while, now; ever since he woke up with three days missing from both the calender and his memory. For the first week or so, he feared sleep, due to the vivid nature of the flashbacks he endured whenever he slipped into slumber. Ishval. He hadn't dreamed of it in weeks, but the nightmares had started back in full force, intertwined with visions of the Kimblee he knew from the genocide wandering through Johto, smiling at him.

Fortunately, those ones had faded after a time, but the ones that came to replace them were no more welcome due to the extremely puzzling nature of their content. Kimblee and him, both with their alchemical powers restored, duking it out on the Route outside Goldenrod. The competition was fierce, but there was something odd about it; there was no real ill will or hatred coming from either side. It was merely a battle of skill and strength.

In all of the dreams, he won. It was satisfying, if very odd. But anything was preferable to the nightmares about Ishval, and dreaming about a battle in which he came out the victor against Kimblee wasn't the worst thing he could experience.

That didn't make the whole experience any less bizarre in its realism, though.]]

I am.

[[Polite, but restrained. That was the best way to talk to Kimblee, he found.]]

I suppose congratulations are in order. It's a fine achievement.

[Polite but restrained is how Kimblee tends to operate nowadays, at least when dealing with most people; he's settled quite a bit over the years, no longer the hyperaggressive child from Ishval, determined to assert himself by any means possible. Prison broke him in some ways; if nothing else, it's taught him at least some degree of temperance.]

Ah, appreciated - are you intending to take this challenge yourself, or...?

I have started, but it's not my current priority. I prefer to focus on my Pokemon's growth.

[[Before, Armstrong would have been tempted by the glory that would come with completion of the badge challenge, but now....he drew far more satisfaction from watching his Pokemon develop into fierce, noble fighters. They were tantamount to his children, at this point.]]

Your Pokemon must be very strong.

They are, yes; I find that I quite enjoy them, for lack of a better term.

[He pauses for a moment, the silence strangely hesitant, though there's no awkwardness in his voice when he speaks.]

Perhaps I would like to see how you battle sometime, Major.

[It's not an idle statement or a demand, but rather an offer.]

Once your Pokémon have reached the level threshold, of course; no trickery, no unfair advantages. Just a bit of competition.

Would you be interested?

A bit of....competition.

[[Armstrong frowns slightly, obviously thinking. Well, what better way to test the strength of his team than battling Kimblee? He's clearly quite the trainer, if those badges are anything to go by.]]

I think I would like that, Kimblee. The youngest of my team will be at maximum strength in a few weeks; perhaps I'll seek you out, after that happens.

[[Got to fight fairly, after all!]]

I do hope you'll do better against me in battle this....time....

[[Oh god, he let his thoughts run away with him; a dream, Armstrong, it was just a dream!]]

Ah.....my apologies, Kimblee; I've had a few sleepless nights and my thoughts are all over the place.

[...ah.]

...odd dreams keeping you awake, by any chance?

[[Sighing, Armstrong places his arms behind his back and nods.]]

For the past week or two, yes. I do tend to dream often but not....quite that vividly. Again, my apologies for speaking out of turn.

[[Because even though they aren't exactly friends, his momma raised a gentleman.]]

[...that was almost London-levels of quaint, Armstrong, what the hell.

Either way, however, Kimblee does listen to what's said, cocking his head to the side before he seems to realize what he's doing and corrects the behavior.]

No, no, it's quite all right. I imagine it coincides with that...odd period at the end of May - there's a span of three days that most, perhaps all, of us seem to be missing, memory-wise. Is that about right?

....that's right, yes.

[[Well, that's comforting, at least; good to know he definitely wasn't the only one who experienced that odd event.]]

I take it you know something about it?

Ah, that's right - you weren't here for the last time this happened. We lost three days in December as well; from what I've heard, that wasn't the first time, either. Apparently it's something that happens here, though I can't say how or why; a few theories have been formed, but nothing I can verify one way or another.

These dreams of yours...they involved alchemy, didn't they.

[It's not a question; somehow, he simply knows.]

There was a field along one of the routes - we were battling there, but it wasn't a fight, exactly. Competition, but an honorable one; there wasn't any anger involved.

There was a wall at one point; I don't recall how, exactly, but you pinned me to the ground.

[His hands can be seen just at the bottom of the frame, the fingers on one hand linking loosely around the opposing wrist while he thinks; he isn't putting it into words, but it's fairly obvious what he's thinking about.]

Does any of this sound familiar at all?

A-Ah, yes, that's it! That's exactly how it happened in my dream! How did you....?!

[[Eyes widening in shock, Armstrong tries to comprehend what Kimblee is telling him.]]

I...does that mean we have some sort of...I don't know, psychic connection due to the Pokemon, or did we...really fight in those three days we missed?

The latter is certainly something that I've come to suspect, yes...and I'm sure you understand why I might find that thought far preferable to the former, no offense meant.

[Armstrong

pls...]

No no of course, I feel the same, I just....

[[Good lord, this is ridiculous. To fight like that and then lose the days in which it happened? How bizarre....]]

.....well, I.....suppose I should say I enjoyed the fight, then.

["Bizarre" is one way of putting it.]

...likewise, Major, at least from what I remember; it was quite the pleasure, actually, as I've respected your strength of will for a while now - it was nice to see it in action.

It was-

[[.....wait wait wait what did you just-]]

...I'm sorry?

[Ah...]

Is there some sort of issue?

W-Well, I just....

[[....was completely unprepared for that comment, um]]

....I'm flattered you think so.

[...ah.]

You had no idea, then, I take it.

.....not at all, no.

[[God, this is weird. This is really really weird.]]

I don't see why you would.

Is that so?

[Kimblee pauses a bit at that reaction, though if he thinks about it a bit, it makes sense; he hadn't exactly known the man well enough to have explained this sort of thing to him in the past, and what with the guilt the man insists on carrying in regards to Ishval...well.]

I do find what you did in Ishval to be commendable, you know. It's rare to find people who are willing to stand up for their convictions, in any way, when faced with pressure like you were facing there - much less to the point of defying direct orders in such close proximity to the rest of one's peers.

I couldn't allow it, nor did I agree with it, but that doesn't change the strength of will shown in carrying out the action in the first place.

[[Armstrong blinks slightly, almost unwilling to believe what Kimblee is saying. Really, there's no 'almost' about it.]]

I.....suppose, I....well. Thank you for the compliment.

[[It's clear he's still uncomfortable with the subject matter, and he coughs awkwardly, trying to diffuse the....well, the awkwardness.]]

....you're a strange man, Kimblee.

[video]

explosivecombat - 2012-06-19 13:42 (UTC) - Expand

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