Sixteenth Move

[king_of_flames]

[Video]

[The video feed comes on and shows one thing:]



[The holder is one Roy Mustang. A close look at the background will show that he's currently in Goldenrod City.]

Well, that's it. I've got all eight badges of Johto. All done in under a year, too. Who's willing to bet that that's a record? I know I'm willing to bet it is.

So, now it looks like I either get to just hang around until the Pokémon League begins accepting challengers, or go for the badges of Kanto. I suppose I have some time to think about it.

[Video; Filtered to Hughes]

Hey, Hughes! How about joining me for a drink to celebrate my achievement? My treat!

Comments

video;

[comeatmibro]

[ This guy again. ]

Under a year, huh? How long'd it take you, old man?

Re: video;

[king_of_flames]

Do you really expect an answer when you address me that way?

video;

[comeatmibro]

Sorry. How long'd it take you, Mister Old Man?

[ Now with a cheeky grin. ]

video;

[king_of_flames]

Nope. That's still not going to work with me. Oh, but I can wait all day for you to get it right.

video;

[derpsaboutfamily]

A drink? How does that work, exactly? Should I toast at this screen?

[ Oh wait... leaning in closer. The background looks familiar, actually. ]

video;

[king_of_flames]

Of course not. I'm back in Goldenrod City!

video;

[derpsaboutfamily]

So it seems! I wouldn't expect anything less from the Flame Alchemist.

Who am I to turn down a free drink? Where at?

[VIDEO]

[determinator]

[It would be stupid not to keep tabs on Roy's quest for the Gym Badges. He's been quite fond of showing them off. Archer hasn't responded to any of the posts lately, but this one does catch his attention. That's eight, isn't it? He hasn't returned home - the first solid proof Archer has that obtaining the eight Gym Badges doesn't do anything. It's a bit disappointing.]

[The video opens to Archer smirking; he doesn't exactly have a normal smile.]

Congratulations are in order, then.

[That's actually not sarcastic. At the same time, Archer's obviously going somewhere with this.]

It is unfortunate that the Elite Four aren't accepting challengers yet. You're in Goldenrod, correct? How about we have a rematch, then?

[He hasn't forgotten that humiliating defeat on the train. He's been training non-stop with Kimblee since then (minus a couple of weeks where they separated for... reasons); he's positive he can defeat Roy now.]

[VIDEO]

[king_of_flames]

A rematch, you say? Let me guess, you want to see how you measure up to someone who has claimed all eight badges in a single region?

[Roy's brain is working through this, too. He's pretty sure that Archer wants to see how strong they've both gotten for future reference.]

[VOICE]

[glaciates]

All eight already? Wow.

[He's impressed, obviously.]

The Pokémon League isn't accepting challengers? Why not?

[This is the first he's heard of it.]

[VOICE]

[king_of_flames]

Wish I knew. They were officially helping out with recovery from Team Rocket's last big plot, but that was months ago now.

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

[Well, Envy's noticed the background of this video. Ugh, another person here he actually has to keep an eye out for when he's thieving. Not to mention how he's been tricking Hughes...]

All eight? Maybe I should congratulate you.

[video]

[king_of_flames]

I'd think you should be more afraid of what this means if you ever go up against me in a battle.

[video]

[exeggutorhead]

That's something I'm not afraid of at all.

[video]

[sculpted]

Congratulations, Colonel!

[[SO CLOSE TO RIPPING OFF HIS SHIRT

SO CLOSE]]

Ah, I see you are in Goldenrod City! Would I be able to ask a favour of you? I require someone I trust to assist me with something.

[video]

[king_of_flames]

I've got some astute observers today. Fine, what is it you need my help with?

[video]

[sculpted]

This is Bentheim, Colonel.

[[Say hello to his cheerful Graveler!]]

He's been with me the longest, but is still yet to evolve to his final form. After some research we discovered that he needs to evolve through a method calling 'trading'.

Colonel Mustang sir, I would be honoured if you would agree to trade with me!

[dreamsofahero]

Well, how long does it usually take people to get them all?

[king_of_flames]

Hard to say, but there are people who've been here for over a year and still don't have all eight, so I'd say a year is the benchmark.

[dreamsofahero]

How long did you take, exactly, then?

[video]

[failures]

Jeez... [Larry is seriously impressed, if not a little jealous.]

Guess you don't give in to distractions, huh?

[video]

[king_of_flames]

Oh, I got sidetracked a few times. I probably could have shaved two or three months off my time if not for those little detours.

[video]

[failures]

Hey, that's better than me. By that logic I shoulda finished like a year ago.

[video]

[notcrackers]

[Ritz is grinning down at the Gear.] Congratulations.

Now you have me wondering if I can beat that record. [Ritz is looking over her shoulder at her assembled team and getting more than a few vocalizations of agreement from her team of hot-headed louts.]

[video]

[king_of_flames]

I'd say that depends. In my case, there were a few external factors that slowed my progress, so I suppose it's possible if you don't deal with anything like what I had to.