It's been a while.

[artfuldestruction]

Who: Dr Kato (artfuldestruction), Luke (bellyshirt) and YOU!
Where: Olivine City and the feed!
When: Now~
Summary: Dr Kato proves how well-adjusted he is by tricking a teenager into blowing up a lighthouse. For science. Or something.
Rating: PG-13 at most. Warning for a bit of sadism on Kato's part, including thoughts about murder.
Log:


[VIDEO]

[[The video appearing on the Gear is dark, and grainy. Whomever is filming it has the zoom amped up to maximum, their hand trembling slightly. But what can be made out is the entrance to the Olivine Lighthouse, and a red-headed figure making his way inside, a strange device underneath his arm.

For those who know him, Luke fon Fabre probably looks as he always does. Really, nothing seems to be all that out of the ordinary apart from the questionable quality of the feed. Once Luke exits the Lighthouse, the person filming zooms out, so the entire structure can be seen. Everything is as it should be.

That is, until the Lighthouse explodes.

The blast produces a prelude of brilliant flashes of light, almost as if someone had powered it up exponentially. A brief glimmer of hope. But then the entire top of it is disintegrated as a furious ball of fire erupts from inside it, sending debris crashing into the nearby houses and all around the general vicinity of what used to be Olivine Lighthouse.

It's now that someone can be heard on the Gear; violent, ecstatic laughter, and the feed is suddenly at a sharp angle, as if the person filming had dropped it.]]

Witness how powerful I am, Johto!! See a true sample of art most pure, most majestic!

[[The laughter continues as the Lighthouse crumples, leaving a smoking, burning stump where it once stood so proudly. Whoever is responsible for that laughter is obviously having quite a conniption, as the camera of the Gear is soon covered with sand.

However, the deranged cackling continues, before the feed is finally, mercifully, shut off.]]


[ACTION]

It's a fairly quiet night in Olivine City. Beautiful, really. For Kato, it's the perfect canvas.

He's chosen a good vantage point and he knows it; the beach offers an ideal view of his target. Unobscured. He doesn't want to miss a second of the action.

And what action there will be.

It was a wise choice, really, having Luke be the one to plant the bomb in the Lighthouse. That red hair stood out a mile away, even in the night. He made such an adorable figure on the Pokeger, entering the Lighthouse with the bomb under his arm. Oh, the poor thing......how guilty this made him look. For a moment, Kato thinks back to that message the boy gave out to his friends.

He hopes some are tuning in.

Kato waited until he saw the boy exiting the way he came, ensuring every second was filmed on his Gear. It wouldn't do to kill Luke now; he'd gone too far to miss seeing the look of pain on his face as he realised just what he had been responsible for, that biting moment of realisation, and the way the colour would fade from his skin.

He'd done it to someone before. The way Katari had pleaded with him to be spared from his explosive fate....oh, it had been the perfect finishing flair for his masterpiece! He often wondered how the man's final moments had been, knowing what was going to happen to him. Really, he should have been honoured to be a part of one of his most magnificent pieces of art! Was there no greater way to exit this world?

Luke would experience that one day. But for now, Kato had more games to play.

Raising the detonator into the sky, he closed his eyes, a tranquil smile making its way onto his face as the wind caressed his hair and clothes, making them flutter. Now for the ideal moment....

...as Kato's finger delicately slid over the button on top of the detonator, a brilliant flash lit up the sky as the bomb powered up.

And then....then....!!

Oh, how magnificent! How perfect, how beautiful, the way the building shattered and splayed outward with the force of the explosion, the debris crashing down to the ground....!!

Kato dropped the detonator into the sand, not even noticing his grip on the little device had failed; his glasses soon followed it down, his fingers buried deep into his hair as he started to laugh hysterically, eyes wide with glee.

"Witness how powerful I am, Johto!! See a true sample of art most pure, most majestic!"

Any words after that are lost in the loud, overjoyed mess of laughter that explodes from Kato's mouth after that, the remaining half of the Lighthouse lighting up the sky with the flames smouldering on its jagged edges.

He drops to his knees on the sand, clawing at the beach and accidently covering the camera of his Gear. Not that he notices; the rush of adrenaline flooding through his body is rendering him half-mad, and it's only when his Lunatone interferes that he finally remembers to switch off the feed.



[[Tags will be a bit slow on my end but I will backtag forever!]

Comments

AFTERMATH (LOCKED TO KATO AND LUKE)

[artfuldestruction]

[[Kato could see the boy approaching him. His lips curled into a smirk, and he got to his feet.]]

Very well done, Luke.

[[He's only just keeping himself under control, but this part is important. He can't mess it up now. Behind him, his Lunatone appears.]]

Exactly what I wanted, really.

[bellyshirt]

[His ears are still ringing. He feels disoriented, he doesn't even have it in him to be angry right then, because his mind hasn't processed the betrayal.]

You...wanted...?

[He's confused. It didn't work the way Kato wanted it to work. Why is he happy? Why is this good?]

But it didn't...

THE CITY

[artfuldestruction]

[[OOC: If you're in Olivine, this is where your reactions go!]]

[nasa_dreams]

Danny had just finished replacing Minnie's couch with one of close enough color he could find, (and feeding the remains of the original to Jaws so there would be no evidence...) when the explosion lit up the night sky.

"Holy-!" was all that escaped his mouth before he and his Pokèmon team were sprinting to the lighthouse. He hoped against hope that nobody was hurt, this was no package bomb.

[bellyshirt]

[He'd been so proud, too. Kato had explained the battery, here, look, just put it like this. A real simple set-up, just plug and go. It'll make things so much easier for our ships. The Team will reward you. What a good boy.

And it had been easy. Bruiser to take out the security guard, Shadow to take his appearance, a sharp breath of salt air for luck and they'd gone in. Even the mascot ampharos had been out, on an idle Thursday evening. It was so peaceful here; a part of him had quietly liked that about Olivine. It felt homey. The cobblestone streets, the long docks, the ocean that he could see clearly, not fogged up by debris like in Goldenrod. The salt filled his lungs, made the world sharp.

When they'd come out, the wind had whipped his hair into a red cloud and he'd gotten a long look at the last of the sunset, and he was halfway down the beach before the world kind of tilted.

The sound ripped through him, too far for the blast to knock him off his feet but loud enough to deafen him. He turned, and it felt difficult, like his body weighed more than usual. The concrete of the structure, and part of the promontory it stood on, fell and were swallowed by the sea. He couldn't move. Couldn't think. He forgot to breathe.

What had just...happened?]


[[ooc: wanna chase Luke down or beat him up? go for it!]]

THE FEED

[artfuldestruction]

[[Want to engage Pinky and/or the Brain, here? Please specify if your message is directed at Kato or Luke in the subject line!]]

video; Kato

[impulsives]

...

[...there's quite an amount of things that can cause Shinn to flip out, and this?

This is definitely one of them. Sorry Luke, but he's too angry to even focus on you right now.]

Art my ass! That's just wanton destruction, dammit!

video; | either? both? Albert isn't picky.

[worktodo]

What the hell—?

video. either or both!

[bewilding]

I can't say I approve of your choice of art.

[ rather even, almost sharp sounding tone. ]

[her_mouse_jesty]

[... Guys has it even been a full week since she left Olivine. THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE CITIES.]

No! Oh, no! Is anyone there? Is anyone hurt?!

AUDIO; KATO

[glaciates]

[A man who finds explosives some form of beautiful art? Hmm, now why does this sound familiar...?]

[It isn't Kimblee, that much is obvious. Even if Kimblee could potentially make a bomb, get over to Olivine in such a limited amount of time, and get someone else to detonate it, that voice isn't his. Of course, the last point is the one Isaac is stuck on - Kimblee is the sort of person to want to do everything himself. Getting someone else involved just doesn't seem to be his style.]

[Of course, he wouldn't actually do anything like this here, would he? ...No, of course not. He said he was working with Team Rocket to get information. He doesn't have his alchemy. He can't do anything like this. It's not even a matter of wouldn't, because Isaac can't say for sure whether or not Kimblee would.]

[That troubles him greatly, but now isn't the time to focus on that.]

I wouldn't call that art.

[He replies only with audio; there's no need to attach his face to this. He told Emmy he'd be careful, after all.]

Is this Team Rocket's work or are you taking all the credit yourself?

[It's entirely possible that this has nothing to do with Team Rocket, but surprisingly Isaac still has some faith left in humanity. No one outside of that organization would be horrible enough to do something like this.]

[...Or maybe he's just naive, take your pick.]

video | either or both | breaking hiatus for a sec

[saxsongs]

[There's a disapproving person here... though that's probably nothing new right now.

What a really special mission indeed it was.]

I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand this art piece. Is it because I'm not crazy?

[Even if it's directed to Kato, he's hoping to see how Luke's doing. Worried? Maybe a bit... he had been so excited about this, after all.]

VIDEO - LOCKED; KATO

[greatestcool]

[Ryuunosuke is in the middle of laughing when the video turns on.]

That was so cool! And here I thought you were lame!

[Give him a moment to cackle a bit more. He is so overstimulated right now, hold on.]

Where are you attacking next? Who are you attacking next? How can I help? I want to get in on this! This is... so... so cool!

[And just to round it out, even more laughter!!]

Video | Either or both | and kinda like a placeholder, while my inbox is screaming at me

[meikyuubutterfly]

[She refuses to show any signs of shock or disapproval. No, no no no no, she'll leave those reactions to everyone else and use some of her acting skills instead. That was nothing. Yup, nothing.

So, have a devilish smirk instead.]

I wouldn't really call it that when a lighthouse is all that went down.

[Video] Either or both!

[cobraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Congratulations! That was a ssspectacular display! Absolutely spectacular! Kato, I believe you have more than ssssucceeded at, how did you put it? Oh yessss! Illuminating Johto!

[Of course, he's laughing. This is too wonderful not to cackle at.]

video;

[stellar_loussier]

[ Stellar was getting used to the peace in Johto. She didn't have to fight ... she can just make friends with many, many Pokemon.

But watching this was bringing back a lot of bad memories. ]

Die ...

Will everyone die?!

reaction; 1/2

[thewhite_symphony]

[ Again, Lacus could only watch. The explosions were not art to her ... but it was reminding her of the time, she had watched the sky with Kira as a battle in space commenced.

As much as she wanted to react, she also knew that such people fed on their anger. ]

[video] either/both/COME AT ME BROS

[darkenedgales]

[Things like that aren't supposed to happen. They shouldn't happen. There's literally no reason for them to.

And yet, he's staring at the ruins of the Olivine Lighthouse.

When he replies, Crow doesn't sound angry -- it hasn't quite hit him what all of this means yet, you see -- but rather... plain shocked.]

... Are you outta your mind?!

[audio]

[friendyousohard]

[She wants to open her mouth and rant endlessly at the man who just spoke, to demand to know what he was thinking doing something like this, but there's two things stopping her.

First, she knows full well that he won't listen. The man is clearly insane if he thinks something like this is anything but horrible, and expecting him to listen to reason is laughable.

Second, there's someone with her that would overhear the conversation, someone who really shouldn't be shown what's just happened if it can be avoided. Ever.

So after stealing and hiding Fluttershy's gear for until this message is pushed off by other, less horrible ones, she clicks on her own in audio setting and sends a message to Olivine as a whole, desperately trying to keep her voice level and not horribly panicked.]

What's happening out there? Is anyone hurt?

[Video, either]

[tearsofademon]

...Really?

[video] both or either is fine~

[soggypastry]

[...oh, you have got to be joking. That's just...no warning. No theatrics. Just destruction. Clearly, Team Rocket isn't to be taken lightly anymore.]

What the hell do you think you're doing?

locked/private video; Kato

[explosivecombat]

[Kimblee appears mostly composed when the video feed flickers on; the room is dim and nondescript, the same style of nondescript as is usually found in the Rocket base in Goldenrod, but if anything the place appears even more stripped-down. Kimblee seems to have found his way into the base in Mahogany Town again - not a difficult task, given that this is where he woke up all those months ago; deserted as the old base is, it's one of the few places that he's guaranteed to find privacy, what with the people who have been coming and going recently here.

He seems calm enough, seated at one of the desks with the 'Gear propped up in front of him; it's evident even in the darkness that his eyes are bright and incredibly alive, and his hands are twisted a bit too tightly around each other.

That smirk isn't looking entirely sane either, especially not when paired with the look in his eyes.]

Very, very well done.

[His voice is shaking a bit when he speaks, words running thick with excitement.]

You were rather right when you said I wouldn't be disappointed.

video; directed mostly at Kato

[fonic_sight]

[The longest, LONGEST moment of pause before Jade just sighs.]

He's just as defective as usual, I see.

[Video] For Kato

[tickleironysjudgment]

[Agnus watched the show very carefully, actually. Not terribly much else he could do stuck in the medical bay, really. Something bothered him, though. Something rather important. Terrorism was all well and one thing, but...showmanship was absent, he felt. Once it was all over and done with, he fixed the gear up to send a broadcast to Dr. Kato and voice his...critique.]

An interesting piece of performing art, Doctor. And indeed, quite a way to show off your work.

...But, and forgive me for being presumptuous, where is the impact? Certainly, certainly collateral damage is nothing to belittle. This will be a very pretty sum for reconstruction, and it was quite the spectacle. But what of lives lost, Doctor Kato? Did you plan as well to cause a toll of death to punctuate this event?

[video]

[artfuldestruction]

Ah, Agnus; I believe you're misunderstanding my intentions. My work encompasses everything involved with this explosion, from the planting of the bomb, to the pathetic remains of what used to be this Lighthouse.

As for the impact? You should tune into the feed.

[[And with that he chuckles, the sound dark and not-quite-sane.]]

Listen to the panic. The fear.

They fear us, Agnus. They fear me.

video

[licentious]

[ Oh hey, a lighthouse blew up. ]

Well, I guess loose fingertips [ Lust slips on her coat while dramatically looking at the fiery ruins of the lighthouse. ] sink ships.

[ Out of nowhere, just as she says that, the lights briefly flash behind her and a very loud yell is audible. Lust darts her head back as the noise and the sudden light dies down.

Rocket houses: they're notoriously faulty. ]

video

[artfuldestruction]

[[Ohohoho, his favourite Rocket~

....well one of his favourites, anyway]]

I know it's not quite on the scale of a library, but are you impressed?