[Accidental Video] [Backdated to September 26th]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[The video comes on and immediately begins spinning around wildly, eventually coming to rest slightly crooked with a thin root visible in the corner of the image. The first clear thing that can be seen is Apollo, apparently having jumped down from somewhere, punching Cobra Commander in the face as part of his landing, after which this music starts to play.

(Click for the complete log of what can be seen.)

A Machoke joins Cobra's Skarmory next to him, a Fearow dives in and uses Heat Wave on the Skarmory, and a much larger than average Golurk pops out of a pokéball next to Cobra. The Skarmory is recalled after being hit by Heat Wave, Cobra releases a Scolipede and an Abomasnow, and a Sawsbuck, a Combee, and a Vespiquen enter from Apollo's side. Apollo himself goes after Cobra, only to be blocked by Cobra's Pawniard. The Pokémon battle in earnest, Fearow knocking out the Abomasnow with multiple Heat Waves but being downed by its final Blizzard and crashing somewhere behind the camera. If you pay close attention you'll see two blades of grass glow green and tie themselves into a knot in front of Cobra's foot.

The battle really takes off when Combee drops out of the sky in front of Cobra and regurgitates unfinished honey in Cobra's face, causing him to stagger forward and trip over the well-placed Grass Knot, faceplanting. Apollo darts around the Pawniard while it's occupied by Combee and Sawsbuck and goes after Cobra again. Cobra manages to trip him up but Apollo switches to running in on all-fours and punches him in the face again. The Scolipede is taken out by Vespiquen and Golurk hits the Machoke with a DynamicPunch, confusing it and causing it to punch itself in the face, then toss itself with Seismic Toss and knock itself out.

Cobra begins his attempts at retreating by calling back his Abomasnow and running for his Scolipede, only for Apollo to grab him by the backpack and for Grass Knot to trip him again. By sheer luck he manages to recover and call back his Scolipede, but Apollo just grabs him by the backpack again and he has the Pawniard cut it off, only for him to trip on yet another Grass Knot and faceplanting once he tries to run again. He recalls his Machoke just in time for his Pawniard to go down and brings out his Arbok, who scatters Apollo's team with Hyper Beam. Apollo resumes chasing him and manages to grab him by the feet. Golurk reaches down to try and pick Cobra up, but the Arbok distracts Golurk with a Gunk Shot and poisons it, giving Cobra a chance to escape Apollo's grip and run. Cobra recalls his Pawniard and sends out his Skarmory again, apparently planning on making his escape on it.

Fearow returns from behind the camera with a Heat Wave on the Arbok, joining Sawsbuck, Combee, and Vespiquen in knocking it out. Skarmory blocks the path with Spikes and Cobra makes a beeline for it, taking a brief intermission to, you guessed it, trip over another Grass Knot. He managed to cling to the Skarmory instead of faceplanting again, hanging on for dear life as he flies over his Arbok to recall it and then flies off like that. Apollo's fliers follow him for a bit and launch a few ineffective attacks at Skarmory while trying not to hit Cobra, but they don't do much and Cobra seats himself properly on Skarmory's back. And then Combee comes in with Sweet Scent and regurgitates the last of his proto-honey on Cobra's face before flying off. Then Apollo's entire team unloads on Skarmory and sends him into a tailspin with Cobra screaming and hanging on for dear life as they fly into the distance. Those with good hearing will hear a very faint crash in the distance.

As Apollo's team begins to regroup for healing and all level up at once, the camera shakes and a paw covers the lens. There's a glimpse of Apollo's Furret, the source of those Grass Knots that Cobra fell victim to, and then the feed ends.

Apollo: 1. Cobra: 0.

Responses will be ICly delayed until Apollo's finished making sure his team is healed up.]

Comments

[Video forever on his end]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[The PokéGear is the last thing on Apollo's mind while he tends to his team. Dammit Golurk, why didn't you say you were so low on hp? When Furret brings it to his attention he's surprised to discover that the entire battle was recorded, but isn't concerned about it.

When he appears, he's pressing a chewed-up mass of leaves to the cut on his forehead with one bruised hand. He's still pretty pissed.]

Fearow looked for where he crashed and he's gone. He'll probably need to heal up before he can do anything.

[Fear? What fear?]

[Audio forever on her end]

[soggypastry]

[Huh. Guy looks angry for someone who just won a fight, but she figures it was the fight being with Cobra that does that. He has that effect on people.]

Probably. But that doesn't mean it'll take him long. Don't give him a stationary target to hit.

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[Cobra has that effect on people. Might be reduced a bit now that everyone has seen him get honey all over his face, trip over blades of grass, and scream as he goes spinning off into the distance after being beaten by a 13-year-old.]

He's not going to sneak up on me, even if he ever stops being so loud, and we can beat him if he shows up again.

[There's no smugness here, there's just a statement of facts. And why wouldn't he have complete confidence? Cobra had three level 100s, all of which except Skarmory fainted, and Apollo maxed out at 58.]

[soggypastry]

[Oh, it's definitely diminished more than a little for Lightning, though she's still too paranoid to assume he's not a threat anymore.]

That's if he decides to fight you. Dropping something that's using Self-Destruct on your head is his style, and there's no way to fight that.

[She's not questioning his capabilities for beating Cobra in a fight, considering what she just saw, but knowing what the Commander is capable of gives her perspective. She's just trying to pass on a warning.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

["Self-Destruct"? He's never heard of that move before... Wait, "destruct" is like "destroy", right? And to do it on yourself... Is that a move that makes the user faint!? That bastard!]

That sounds like something that bastard would do, making a Pokémon hurt itself to hurt someone else instead of doing the work himself.

[He's not too worried about himself since he's next to impossible to sneak up on, but think of the poor Pokémon!]

[soggypastry]

Something like that. He talks big, but I've never seen him actually do any of the work himself. Seems that he prefers to have others do things for him.

[Still no reason to take him lightly. If he comes after Apollo, or anyone else, and succeeds at taking them out? Think of the Pokemon then. With no one left to defend the ones that can't fight...it wouldn't end well.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

Yeah, he never tried to fight himself until I grabbed his feet, and all he did then was try to get away. He's got the Pokémon with him thinking that they have to do whatever he tells them. They don't even know that they could do anything else.

[It's obvious that that last part is what's annoying him the most.]

[soggypastry]

I wouldn't get upset about that, if I were you. Some people never change and your energy is better spent in other things.

[It's most definitely obvious, and she can understand it. Hopefully he doesn't charge off to try and "convince" Cobra to change his ways, though.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

I can't just do nothing if I might be able to stop Pokémon from being hurt and treated like that! I have to watch animals suffer because of humans back home. If I can do something to stop it I have to!

[That was him trying to "convince" Cobra to change his ways. A diplomat Apollo is not.]

[soggypastry]

And what do you think you'll be able to do? Losing one fight isn't going to make him stop, and he's not the kind of person you can convince to see reason. Do you really think getting angry and yelling will make him change his mind?

[She can see that diplomacy isn't his style. She can hear it, too. Sheesh. Not everything is so simple.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[He's never had to do any deep thinking before coming here, and sadly one of his flaws is his failure to try and understand things on a deeper level.]

I... [He pauses. How will he get Cobra to change? Yelling at him Telling him that he was wrong hadn't worked, and if he didn't change from this, then what?]

There has to be something I can do!

[It's obvious just from his voice that he knows she's right.]

[soggypastry]

Not this time. [She sighs. She knows his type, and having to shoot down the idealistic ones isn't something she enjoys, even if she doesn't know them.] Sometimes there's nothing you can do, and the faster you accept that, the faster you can move onto things that you can do.

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

I can't just let him keep doing the stuff he does! He's attacked a building with Pokémon still inside it and poisoned the Slowpoke Well! Who knows what he'll do next! Even if I can't just kill him to stop him here, maybe I can trap him in some kind of cage where he won't hurt anyone!

[soggypastry]

And how do you intend to do that? [her tone is sharp now, any trace of sympathy or understanding long gone.] How do you intend to keep him in that cage if you can trap him in the first place? You need more than a half thought out idea to make a plan, you know.

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

I... [She's right again, and he knows it. Long-term planning isn't a strength of his either.]

I... I don't know. But there has to be some way to stop him! I can't be the only person who doesn't like what he's doing! Maybe if enough people get together and hunt him down and watch the cage all the time it'll work! He doesn't seem that strong... [There's nothing he can do to stop Cobra and Pokémon could be being hurt right now and there's nothing he can do to stop it and if he can't stop Pokémon from getting hurt then who will and... He's starting to panic. He doesn't handle being helpless very well.]

[soggypastry]

[There's a moment of delay before she replies. Can't be the only person, huh? He's got no idea, but she can't tell him that. Not without knowing for sure where he stands.]

And if all those people disappear? Or if he convinces them that he's right and you're all wrong? That it's just a big misunderstanding? [snort. she doesn't believe that for a second, but the chances are there. He has to know that before doing something half-cocked and reckless.]

A cage isn't going to work. Someone would just end up breaking him out and there would be casualties in the process. Is it really worth that?

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[That moment isn't long enough for him to calm himself down much. Returning and immediately telling him more things that could go wrong and poking holes in his arguments doesn't help either, even if it's for the best.]

Then I'll still do whatever I can on my own, just like back home! Even if I can't stop everyone from getting hurt I'll still protect as many as I can!

If a cage won't work I'll try something else! It's bad enough when humans hurt animals just because they don't know any better, but he knows he's hurting them and doesn't care! Any humans who're like that have to be stopped!

[soggypastry]

[If he'd think his plans and arguments through, she wouldn't return to poke holes in them. Guy needs to settle and think.]

What, so you'll protect everyone? Things don't work that way. Not around here. [no matter how much they try. It sucks, really, but...]

If you really want to stop him, you need a plan. A working plan and people who could help you with it. He's got numbers behind him and you know he'll play dirty. You have to beat him at his own game to have a chance of making him stop.

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[He thinks! Just... not about complicated things like this...

He sags a bit.]

...I know. Even if I don't have to watch out for guns here I still won't be able to protect everyone. I still want to do as much as I can, even if it's like the times back home when all I can do is give a quick death so they won't suffer anymore.

Numbers? I thought everyone could only have six Pokémon with them at a time?

[soggypastry]

[Oh, good. He's starting to calm down. Maybe now he'll start thinking about more than just the simple here and now, because all this raging doesn't solve a thing.]

That is the limit, but I meant human numbers. People who stand behind him and his plans. There's more of them than you'd think, and their numbers are getting stronger. [A pause, then:] Have you heard of Team Rocket?

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[The simple here and now is kind of his thing. He thinks far enough ahead to decide what to do when winter comes, but that's about it.]

I've seen a couple people who seem to be like him on the Gear, but they haven't talked as much as he has. I'm not surprised that there are more.

[Because he's still suspicious of other humans. Cobra's just the most visible example of what he hates about humans.]

Aren't they humans who steal from other humans?

[What does that have to do with anything? Who cares if humans are being mean to other humans? It's the Pokémon that everyone should be worried about!]

[soggypastry]

[Clearly hasn't been in society that long, then. Man, the things he has to learn.]

There's a lot more. He's just the most vocal of the bunch. [a sigh.] Team Rocket steals from humans, yes, but they also hurt humans. They steal Pokemon from trainers that care for them, and we have no idea what happens to those Pokemon. For all we know, they're being used in experiments or not being cared for at all.

[That's what it has to do with anything. Her lack of intel may just make things harder to understand, really, but that's all she knows.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[He's only been near civilization since he came here, so yes, not that he wants much to do with it. It's confusing. Why do people keep wanting him to put on shoes when he comes inside? And what kind of plant does this "bread" stuff come from?]

They take Pokémon!? [What was that about calming down?] Those bastards! They're probably making them suffer somewhere! [Pulling the camera a bit closer to his face.] How many of them are there? Do you have any idea where they're hiding?

[soggypastry]

[...fal'Cie, talking with this guy is worse than dealing with Snow. She sighs again, rubbing the bridge of her nose since he can't see her doing it.]

I don't know. All I know is there's a lot of them, they play dirty, and Cobra is a member of their ranks along with people worse than he is. You pick a fight with them and your team isn't coming out unscathed.

[Well, she knows a little more than that, like who another couple people in that Team are and what else they've done, but that's for a time when he's not flooding the camera with his eyes.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[Hey, c'mon, he's just a kid. And what's wrong with those wonderful golden eyes of his? They're the eyes of an angel you know. Or at least the reincarnation of one.

In any case, he calms down a bit once he realizes that she doesn't have much more information for him and returns the camera to a reasonable distance from his face.]

The Pokémon with him were pretty strong. The ones with me had a hard time. They're going to need to get stronger if the other people in Team Rocket have Pokémon with them who are as strong as the ones with Cobra.

...Maybe everyone wanting to challenge some of the gyms was a good thing after all...