Anyone else in this position would have felt positively ridiculous. Not Cap. He reveled in it. He delighted in the sheer pageantry of it all. He'd always thought, deep in his soul, that he was born for the big screen. The lights! The stage! The costume!

Okay, well there weren't any professional lights. And this wasn't a stage, per se, so much as it was the sound guy's front yard. And his costume was definitely borrowed from another production that didn't quite fit the theme here. Regardless!

Cap put his hands dramatically on his hips as the rain poured down on his face. He squared his chest and tilted his chin up at Kyle, grimacing to show he was filled with determination. He realized in this moment he hadn't actually met Kyle properly. This made the scenes strange to perform; Cap was used to being close friends with his fellow actors. Or, at least, he was close friends with that guy he made a short movie with in middle school. You know, fellow actors.

"You'll never win, Doctor Villainous," he said, trying not to cringe at the name. "You may have destroyed the city—" They were going to add that in post, right? "You may have taken my trusty sidekick to your secret lair. You may have discovered my weakness is copper. But you can never defeat hope."

The Manectric flew gracefully through the air, right towards a hidden fall pad just on the other side of Caprice. Cap took a knee and raised a pointed finger at the Pokemon, paused, and "fired". He imagined a bolt of cosmic light shooting from his fingertip, the a freeze frame on the back lit silhouette of the Manectric as the beam pierced its body. Cap held the pose for a beat before he slowly stood, leveling his finger at the villain. He pinned him with a steely gaze.

"With hope we can do anything," he said quietly, conviction coloring his voice. "Doctor Villainous, it's never too late to change. Please, let me help you." Slowly, so the cameras could zoom in on it, he rotated his hand from a threatening point to a palm outstretched. An offering of peace. The well-timed olive branch. And Cap waited with bated breath for the inevitable, stunning betrayal to which he would be justly horrified.

Cap can't help but be impressed by the Manectric. There's no way any of his own Pokemon would have reacted with such fluidity and subtlety. As the Pokemon landed and flopped to its side, laying still, Cap redirected his attention to Kyle. Or, rather, Doctor Villainous. He was suddenly stuck by what a terrible name that was for a villain. Especially one who was supposed to have a moment of redemption. Were his friends supposed to keep calling him Doctor Villainous if he turned good? Who the hell would believe something like that?

"Well... everyone... can change," Cap fumbled. His mind was suddenly blank. He floundered for a moment, gritting his teeth up at Kyle with an apologetic look. Finally, after a moment of awkward silence he whispered "Fuck." Cap straightened and leaned to look at the crew. "Line!" He could see the frustration on the face of... well, to call them a director was giving them too much credit. They pinched their nose before stepping forward.

"You should have memorized this!" Cap gave them a look that was more bearing his teeth than grinning. "Everyone can change," the director called out in monotone. "It only takes one moment to be a hero. Whatever you've done before doesn't matter. Not when you truly accept hope and change. We can be heroes together." Ah, right. That made much more sense. The line was too dumb for anyone to remember. Cap grimaced, but squared up and delivered the lines as intended. Mostly.

Cap blinked when the villain answered. He had to admit he didn't know the script well⁠—his own flub on the lines proved that—but he was pretty damn sure that the villain wasn't supposed to just... go along with it that way. It didn't take long for realization to dawn on him, though, as Kyle turned his attention to the director. It was all Cap could do to stifle a laugh. The director, for their part, looked as if they'd been hitstun; gaping like a landed Magikarp and blinking stupidly at Kyle.

"You know what I like?" Cap said at Kyle's gesture. "A good old fashioned redemption. Hero and villain walking arm-in-arm into the sunset. Try this on for size, let me know what you think." He squared his shoulders, glancing over to make sure the cameras were still rolling. He met the villain's eyes and reached out his hand again, this time sincerity written across his face. "There isn't a magical cure-all. There's no one trick that will make you into a good person and erase the crimes you've committed and the hurt you've caused. But people? All of us have the same super power: we're adaptable. We're the most adaptable damn things on the planet. We can change. That's a miracle! It's hard work, and you have to do it every day. But standing here on the other side, I can tell you: it's worth it. And I promise you won't be alone."

The moment the director called "cut", Cap's face split into a wide grin. Giggling, he held onto Kyle's hand for a moment longer than necessary. He gave his costar a pat on the shoulder, winking.

"Man, I love improv. You killed it! Way to make me really feel for Doctor Villainous." Cap rolled his shoulders and stretched as the film crew begrudgingly began to pack up their equipment. The director, judging by the look on their face, was seriously considering having to cancel all future filming projects. But Cap hardly seemed to notice; he was practically glowing. Much like everyday interactions, he considered a successful shoot an act of teamwork.

"Hey, wanna go to the premier with me?" Sure, the likelihood of a premier of any kind—even one in the director's back yard—was excruciatingly low. But Cap felt like it was rude not to ask.