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Lt. Surge didn’t often take shortcuts, unless he was in a hurry - some sketchy, and often unpleasant sort of people liked to loiter in back alleys and along easier routes, even in the towns and cities Gym Leaders were active and trying to help the community in. He’d completely forgotten why he had chosen this particular route to hit the local convenience store as soon as he made a turn and came face to face with the man headed the opposite way, but he knew exactly who it was the instant he saw him. It was impossible to mistake the way the way he walked with such purpose, and the impeccable posture. This man… he kept his distance on principle alone, because he found him so infuriating, and could almost never keep his temper in check when he was around.

The blond’s expression of surprise hardened into a frown as Giovanni spoke, setting his nerves on edge. “Giovanni. Funny, heard you split the region a while back.” His blue eyes flicked to the suitcase in the man’s hand, and the other as he tucked it into his pocket. Hands concealed in coats, pockets, bags, and anywhere decent-sized like that made the Lieutenant nervous - there could easily be a sharp knife, a pistol, or similarly sized but highly effective weapon in that hand’s grasp when it reappeared. “Glad to see that was just a rumor. You should visit some of your former colleagues, you know. For old time’s sake.” Lt. Surge knew he was flirting with disaster in this, but he couldn’t seem to contain his displeasure at encountering Giovanni unexpectedly.

“So, where are you headed? Off on some sort of vacation? Or just going to vanish again?” He wanted to snub Giovanni, to openly mock him, and to call him out - the rumors of his links to Team Rocket when Giovanni had not started off as widespread gossip, but when they had reared their head to become less secretly whispered, the blond Gym Leader had silently paid attention to it. And from what he observed, well... he wasn’t a gossip, but he did try to keep aware of things going on regarding his fellow Gym Leaders. But then it occurred to him, even if Giovanni wasn’t armed... he might have Pokémon to battle with, and all Lt. Surge had on him was his Voltorb.

Lt. Surge wasn’t going to let his facade of being tough waver, but he knew this could go bad pretty quick, if he wasn’t careful. He’d have to really consider if it was worth it to hassle Giovanni for whatever reason, but also wanted to voice his displeasure. He had some strong opinions about the former Gym Leader for Viridian City, and he wanted to express them, but...

Ground Wire || Giovanni + Lt. Surge

          Giovanni checked his watch for what must’ve been the tenth time in half as many minutes. The gesture made him grit his teeth, frustrated by his own impatience. Realizing he’d been doing nothing but watching the minutes tick by was the last straw—Giovanni stood and bent to grab his suitcase by the handle on its side.

         There was no point in waiting around in the city when he could be waiting on board the Sinnoh-bound ship. The vessel would not be departing for another two hours, but there was no harm in being on it well before it left the harbor. At least then he would not have the added stress of having to worry over everyone who so much as glanced in his direction.

         Not that he was very obviously himself, of course. His ‘disguise’ was nothing spectacular, but it served its purpose. In the cold weather of a Kanto winter, a thick black coat and hat hardly stood out among the other, similarly-dressed citizens. He’d left his hair un-styled, too. It was not a look he was fond of, with his hair falling distractingly into his face, but it was a successful enough obfuscation.

         As he left the cafe he’d been waiting in, Giovanni adjusted his gray knit scarf to fall over the bottom half of his face—another concealment of his identity. The timing and weather was part of why he was in the region at all, given how much easier it was to hide one’s identity when hats, scarves, and bulky jackets were the norm for the season.

         The other reason for his chancy visit to the region was far more compelling, however.

         In five years, Giovanni had done more training than he ever had at any other point in his life. He had a new team of Pokémon, new strengths, next to nothing to lose, and everything to gain from his plans. The time he’d lost after his failure would not go to waste; the return of Team Rocket would be gradual, an insidious infiltration that would be undetectable until the moment it became unstoppable. This was his plan. He had not traveled to Kanto, the source of all his troubles, for mere sentimentality, after all.

         The thought of the progress he’d made on his trip compelled him through the streets of Vermilion City towards the harbor. He’d never spent much time in Vermilion, but he knew it well enough to navigate; there was a shorter route to his destination that involved some paths between buildings. They were narrow—wide enough for two people two walk shoulder-to-shoulder—but would keep him out of the open until he arrived at the shore.

         He could see the water and was nearly through the path when someone stepped in front of the view. A tall man with blond hair that made Giovanni halt in his tracks, stunned and infuriated by the sight. He might’ve laughed, if the situation wasn’t so utterly terrible. Who but Lieutenant Surge? Who else would cross his path? Could nothing ever be easy?

         The man was looking directly at him. There would be no sense in pretending they didn’t both know exactly who they were looking at, even if it took the Lieutenant a moment to truly believe his eyes.

         With the ever-familiar feeling of the situation unraveling out of control before his eyes, Giovanni lifted his free hand to pull his scarf down and address the Vermilion leader. “Ah, Lieutenant,” he said, his hand returning to rest in his pocket. “Isn’t this an… unexpected surprise.” To put it lightly.

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

{ Because I am a silly person with too much time on their hands, and I went “I wonder...”, I’ve given the ol’ Thread Tracker a fresh coat of paint, so to speak, with pretty little thunderbolts! Have a look-see here, and let me know if anything needs to be fixed (or added) to it! }

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

From a Dare

trailblazingcatalyst submitted:

Now, don’t get her wrong, she didn’t hate Surge. He was one of the most interesting Gym Leaders to her, anyways. After going to the store and getting the cookies, she got to work. Skye couldn’t recall just how many hours were spent toiling over this… “present.” But it was not something she would ever do, never again… Mint flavored cream in the middle, they were her favorite… As she bit into an untainted one, she sighed, frowning deeply. She couldn’t just… Hand these over. That would be… EVIL…

But alas, she had to. Sadly.

So when her feet set foot in Kanto, she took a deep breath. Probably the last she would ever take. As she went up to the Gym Leader’s home (as pointed out by locals), she set the cookies down on his doorstep. Okay, now… knock… She knocked on the door loudly and made a run for it, running out of sight of Surge’s house and running into the forest. She was so ashamed.

The poor Oreo’s smelled a little too minty now.

The loud knock made the lieutenant jump; He had been fighting a losing battle against the urge to have a nap. However, the sudden sharp noise had jerked him awake like a Growlithe hitting the end of it’s leash unexpectedly. Who could it be? Surge wasn’t expecting company, and didn’t feel up to entertaining an impromptu visitor. But he got up off the sofa anyway, and went to the door. “Maybe it isn’t a visitor at all,” He thought. “Maybe someone just wants to sell me something.” With that in mind, he unlocked the door and opened it, to see who was there. Much to the man’s surprise, however, no one was waiting at the door. “Hello?” Surge asked of the empty air, half expecting someone or something to jump out at him. But nothing happened.

With a shrug, Lt. Surge started to shut his front door again, but then something caught his attention.

A package had been left on his doorstep - a plain white box with a red bow stuck to it. Clearly, he had an admirer… Or a devious enemy. Carefully picking up the box, he gave it a once-over, inspecting the mystery gift as rigorously as he could without opening it or possibly agitating the contents. It wasn’t smoking, ticking, or moving… So he decided it was safe enough to bring inside with him. Glancing over at the sofa, he spotted Raichu, still sprawled out and sound asleep on the sofa. The Electric type was twisted up like a Poké-pretzel, back end and feet ‘right side’ up, head and forelimbs the other way over, so that Raichu’s face was pointed towards the ceiling. The sleeping Pokémon’s bicolored, lightning bolt-tipped tail flopped lazily once, causing Lt. Surge to smile. He turned his attention back to the box - the mystery was still unsolved, after all.

Setting the box down on the coffee table in front of the sofa, Surge broke the tape keeping the box from popping open accidentally. A pleasant, but surprisingly strong mint odor wafted out of the white cardboard confines, and he saw the box’s inside was full of sandwich-style cookies. “Ohh, wow…” he muttered, bright blue eyes glittering with excitement. “Definitely must be an admirer, then! Don’t mind if I do!” He said delightedly, his enthusiasm causing Raichu to open a sleepy eye curiously, just in time to see his Trainer, the Vermillion City Gym Leader, pop one of the cookies into his mouth and chew enthusiastically.

As if someone had hit a ‘pause’ button on a DVD, Lieutenant Surge paused, eyes going wide. His tastebuds had been assaulted with flavors that should not have been in such cookies. Abruptly, he scrambled to his feet, rushing to his bathroom to hack up the absolutely foul perversion of a cookie he’d tried to eat. He turned the sink on, catching water in a cupped hand and rinsing his mouth out, spitting repeatedly and making gagging sounds. It was clearly someone who hated him! Who else would dare to taint cookies with toothpaste?!

Back out in the living room, though, Raichu had popped up when Surge bolted, and was curiously sniffing the box’s contents, having jumped on the coffee table shortly after the man had left. The Electric-type’s tail swished as Raichu sat down, thinking… And then stuck his face right in the box and started eating the toothpaste-tainted cookies! Apparently, they smelled appetizing to the Pokémon, and Surge came back out of the bathroom just in time to see Raichu finishing the box off.

“Raichu, NO!”

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♡ Food!

Surge loves food. The only reason he isn’t the size of a Snorlax is because he exercises so much - though his level of physical activity probably contributes to his appetite.His favorite way to make food? Barbecuing! Because it’s the only way he can prepare something that Raichu can’t easily screw up by being Raichu that is impossible even for Lt. Surge to ruin. It’s so intrinsically simple to make food over an open flame, it’s how he usually cooks; so, simple dishes tend to be what he’s best at doing. However, he fully appreciates things that are more complicated to prepare, and would never turn away a free meal.By far, Lt. Surge’s favorite kind of foods are things that are savory and satisfying, but that doesn’t mean he turns his mode up at sweets.

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Dress my muse!

Send in 🎀  and a description of an outfit and my muse has to wear it all day!

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Send me ♡ + a word, and I’ll write a headcanon.

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⚐ terrified

Send a symbol for one thing or situation that makes my muse…

⚐  Terrified

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the blond Lieutenant can be scared witless by ghosts, and Ghost-type Pokémon. As a soldier, he learned to deal with his problems physically, not mentally, and anything that couldn’t be tackled head-on required a retreat. Ghosts, curses, things that go bump in the night, and things straight out of a horror movie about monsters… those are the sort of things that turn this big guy into a screaming schoolgirl. He can’t actually stand horror movies, either - they make him a jumpy bundle of nerves afterwards. A jumpy Surge is a bad Surge - things and people suffer from his movie-induced paranoia.

When it comes to things that are ‘not of this world’, Lt. Surge takes one look at it… and bravely runs away. But he’d never call it running away. He’s merely ‘enacting a strategic regroup’ at a distant location.

 Behind a locked door.

And not coming back.

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♐

Send a symbol for one thing or situation that makes my muse…

♐  Awestruck

Nature was one of those things; one of those special exceptions, a changing constant that always put the Lieutenant’s mind at ease. A fresh perspective had been in order, so now he was here with his Pokémon, enjoying the sights and sounds of a nature park. It was an absolutely picturesque day; bright blue sky, sunny and pleasantly warm, but just a touch on the cool side - a day that absolutely exemplified the energy of rebirth and life associated with spring. Pokémon were allowed to roam freely when accompanied by their trainers here, so Surge let them out to enjoy the environment with him. Voltorb and Raichu both blinked at the bright lighting for a moment, before adjusting and looking over to the tall blond who was their trainer. “Just a bit of R&R, guys,” Lt. Surge said with a small smile.

Voltorb began immediately rolling about quietly, examining this and that, eventually finding a patch of daisies to poke about in and enjoy, seeming to take a liking to the flowers that matched it’s hue - at least partially, that is. Raichu, in the opposite, stuck close to Surge, but every new sound, smell, breeze and change was a cause for the electric mouse to look, stop, calculate, analyze. Finding a nice spot in the meadow-like clearing they were in, the man spread out a greenish-grey blanket of a mildly coarse material - more like a tablecloth with a poorly chosen color than a blanket really - and sat down, dropping the bag he’d brought it in beside him. “Come on, buddy, it’s alright.” Surge said to Raichu, who immediately settled down next to Surge’s ankles once his trainer had sat down. At his words, Raichu seemed to relax slightly, and eventually dozed off, using the man’s leg as an impromptu pillow.

Voltorb had returned and settled in too for a nap, and the former military man was debating a nap himself, when a drop of moisture on his hand caught his attention. He looked for the source, glancing around - and another caught him on the nose. Pushing his sunglasses down so his blue eyes could glance up at the similarly-hued sky, Lt. Surge looked in slight confusion. The sky was still blue and the sun was out - a picturesque day. But more and more drops of moisture fell, and soon enough, it was obvious what was happening; it was raining. Raichu and Voltorb roused from their naps - rain was not always a favorite of electric types, as it could make it harder to control their electricity at times - and glanced skyward too, the confusion quite obvious on their faces.

But the steady, gentle rainfall continued, and the sky remained stubbornly blue. Nature was full of surprises, and Surge had been rendered speechless by this natural phenomenon he and his Pokemon were lucky enough to be witness to. It filled him with a sense of childlike wonder and tranquility; exactly what he’d been hoping to find here, and then some.

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

headcanon meme ღ * :(

ღ- Sexuality?

Lt. Surge has, oddly enough, never been directly asked what his sexual orientation is. It’s always been assumed he’s heterosexual, and considering he enlisted at eighteen, he really didn’t have any time or place to truly contemplate how he feels about people, and what gets him going.

However, if he ever did have the question of his sexuality come up, Surge would find the answers he had… weren’t answers at all. He has more questions than answers, actually. Sooner or later, they’ll have to be addressed. Particularly if he tries to date anyone. He’s not as much a ‘straight arrow’ as people think (himself included), and he’ll probably find so long as he’s dominant, the partner doesn’t matter as much as once thought.

⋆- Your muse’s future dream and why

Though he knows it’s not a likely thing, our favorite Lieutenant dreams of a world one day where war is but a distant memory - where the horrors are cautionary tales, and peace, love, and a friendly Pokémon battle are all that matters. Were he not a Gym Leader, he’d probably seek to become a public speaker of some variety to explain how horrible wars are, or a first responder to natural disasters and emergencies.

A little closer to home and more realistically, Surge dreams of a day where he never has another flashback or episode of complete detachment from reality, trapped back in the waking nightmare of the worst parts of the war.

☹- Something that makes your muse sad/upset

He may be a Gym Leader whose life now revolves around Pokémon battles, but Lt. Surge does actually have a compassionate side regarding the creatures. When Raichu was still a Pikachu, the Pokémon was assigned to the Lieutenant, and he trained not only the electric rodent, but himself, into an efficient tactician and fighter. However, the bond is not just one of a ‘trainer’ and ‘pokémon’ - Surge and Raichu are fast friends, brothers in arms, and share an unspoken connection that few human-to-human or pokémon-to-pokémon friendships have.

That being said, the Lieutenant is greatly saddened by the thought that there could ever be trainers who see their pokémon as simply tools, or a means to an end. They are much, much more than that - ironic, coming from a man who was assigned a pokémon, and told to treat this new partner as simply a tool, and “not to get attached”, simply because there was no guarantee either of them would be around for very much longer…

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

Bring up my muse's past. Mess them up. Devastate them. Hit them with feels. Nothing is off limits.

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Send a symbol for one thing or situation that makes my muse...

Anyone is free to add more!

❀ giddy ✈ nostalgic ✄ irritated ⚡ anxious ☾ relaxed ♚ envious ♡ infatuated ✘ enraged ⚐ terrified ☁ disappointed ☣ disgusted ☕ exhilarated ☼ laugh ⚕ terrified ⚛ hostile ★ grateful ⚠ distrustful ☔ cry ⚜ motivated ♐ awestruck

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

❣- What calms your muse down?

❣- What calms your muse down?

Assuming Lt. Surge ever gets so riled up about something, it’s all-encompassing and sends him into a blind rage, the best thing anyone could do in that case would be to either leave him alone so he can work off his anger physically, or to knock him out. He takes great pains to never let himself get that angry… but Surge is only human, and certain things can really push his buttons. He can become a danger not just to others, but to himself if he gets so mad he loses complete awareness of his situation; but it’d take someone purposefully trying to aggravate him, left unchecked, for the Lieutenant to ever get to that state.

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

❣- What calms your muse down?

❣- What calms your muse down?

When Surge is upset about something he always tries to approach the problem head-on and solve it, so that he’s no longer upset about the thing in question. It’s hard to be upset at something that’s handled, after all. In the event that fails, though (because not every problem can be handled in such a way), he will exercise to distract himself. If his body is being physically exerted in some way, he can just put his mind on ‘autopilot’, in a sense, and it lets him forget why he’s upset in the first place.

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

✺&‽

✺- Something your muse finds pretty

Aside from liking sunsets, Lt. Surge finds natural beauty in general to be quite soothing. Distant landscapes of untouched forests, seen from remote mountaintops; winter snow-scapes without human landmarks; wide, sprawling deserts, and calm oceans - these are all things he really likes. Though not one for meditating, Surge finds such pristine, natural places to be very calming.

‽- Something your muse has problem in understanding

Fine art, particularly cubism and impressionism, are concepts that he just doesn’t ‘get’. Surge also is inclined to want to touch any art exhibit that isn’t a painting and isn’t behind glass or a rope or some other barricade, to try and get a better understanding of it. You definitely don’t take this Lieutenant anywhere that has unspoken etiquette that’s just supposed to be ‘obvious’ or ‘instinctual’ - he’s not exactly a master at picking up subtle social cues.

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

‽- Something your muse has problem in understanding ☺- Something that makes your muse happy 'v'

‽- Something your muse has problem in understanding

It’s well-known Surge has a hard time with being fashionable… but one of his other issues is with tricky financial transactions, such as credit, interest rates, and percentages. He’s never been very quick when it comes to more complicated mathematical equations, and higher algebra is a mystery for him. He claims it “makes his head hurt”, but in reality, it’s just not at all logical to him. Why would you need to calculate the slope of a hill, to know how fast a cart will roll down it, when you can just put a wall of sandbags at the bottom to catch it? Lt. Surge sees the world a bit more simply… and prefers to handle his transactions in cash.

☺- Something that makes your muse happy

Raichu is by far one of Lt. Surge’s main joys in life. The electric mouse Pokémon has been with him since before the war, and he does everything he can to make the smaller, fuzzier ‘soldier’ happy, and lets Raichu get away with a lot that a more disciplined trainer would quirk an eyebrow at. They both went through a lot, and Surge feels it’s his responsibility to make sure Raichu’s life since then is the best life a Gym leader’s Pokémon can have.

[thelightningamerican-blog1]

✺, ✆, ☹, #, ☮

✺- Something your muse finds pretty

Lt. Surge would never express this under normal circumstances, but he really likes sunsets. They turn the sky all kinds of pretty colors, making him think of peaceful days in the past, as well as make him wonder/hope for what the future will hold.

✆- What your muse’s phone gallery is filled with?

Mostly, slightly low-rez photos of Raichu. But sometimes, Surge takes pictures of things that catch his eye or he wants to remember. He really needs a better quality camera, but he won’t invest in one - he worries it’ll get destroyed by a very ‘helpful’ Raichu his own clumsiness.

☹- Something that makes your muse sad/upset

Lt. Surge doesn’t like talk of war. Anyone mentioning that a nation, government, or organization is planning to, or considering militarization or police-state type activity upsets him. Some might consider this ironic, considering Surge’s past as a soldier, but in his own words, he’s “seen more than enough of what war does” to both the people and Pokémon involved - and wants no part of it again.

♯- Something that gets your muse angry

One of the things that irks Surge as a Gym Leader is when he sees a trainer with real potential, or the ability to become great, who isn’t actually putting in the effort. He feels that he knows potential when he sees it, and anyone who isn’t giving it their all when they challenge him gets under his skin. He takes it as an insult.

☮- How much your muse worries about appearance?

When it comes to how he looks, aside from basic grooming (such as, not showing up to a date sweaty and gross from a workout), Lt. Surge cares very little for appearances in general. He’s more the sort who would completely avoid a formal event, rather than humor someone by wearing a nice tuxedo and being incredibly uncomfortable and out of his element. He keeps his hair short, and his clothes simple but durable, and claims it ‘suits his life’.