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POSTED ON Jun 18, 2023 15:13:21 GMT

Due to being triple-booked for so many challengers coming by for the badge, he had little time to go out to Rustboro and visit his friend.

(Who, surprisingly, was not the Galarian ambassador anymore. Had he gotten tired of handling diplomatic relations? Or was it because of the news that Galar had been supposedly ‘blighted’ he’d stepped down to handle more personal business? He would never know.)

So, hinging on the hope of something that his friend was free, he sent a message, with a little invitation of tea and macarons to catch up.

Yes, it had to be macarons.

And besides, the last time they actually talked was back in the hot springs… that was so long ago.

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POSTED ON Aug 20, 2023 9:16:07 GMT

Perhaps Alexei Ivanov might have expected Remiel to arrive at the teahouse in something more... formal.

After all, more often than not, it seemed the crown prince preferred to dress that way. How fitting for a teahouse. Instead, the gym leader may notice two telling things: firstly, Remiel had thrown on some comfortable casual clothing without even bothering to iron it. And, secondly, that EARL GREY the SHINY SINISTEA was nowhere to be seen.

In place of his usual partner Pokémon was HILDEBERT the POLTEAGEIST. This was the butler that typically resided in the CALCIFET ESTATE, and Alexei would know that after having visited plenty of times. To see it out in public beside its master was a rare sight indeed.

From across the room, the hostess points Remiel in the right direction before the royal maneuvers his way between the multitude of tea tables and chairs. Once he reaches Alexei, he extends a hand in greeting. "It's been a while, old friend. How have you been?" He inquires, pulling back to take his seat thereafter.

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POSTED ON Aug 22, 2023 20:39:46 GMT

He knew, that always, Remiel would show up in nothing but the best, most formal and accepted attire ‘befitting one of his station’. But they weren’t here today to talk about any princely duties, oh no no no.

Fact of the matter was that his eyebrows had already gone up the moment he saw what his friend was wearing—clearly there was something amiss. Him, in casual wear? Looking all wrinkled and crumpled and borderline—

Okay there was something definitely wrong. As to what exactly he had no idea but he would eventually find out.

“Where’s Earl Grey?” he began, his eyebrows still in their surprised position; having to fight down a sudden shiver of the ‘heebie jeebies’ attacking him at the most inopportune time.

(Why was this particular Pokémon line a Ghost-type?!)

“Also, you look absolutely exhausted. What’s been keeping you up lately?”

For he was afraid there was something wrong in the other’s routine.

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POSTED ON Sept 9, 2023 7:41:22 GMT

He hadn't heard the news. Of course, he hadn't. The attack at the GALARIAN EMBASSY had only happened fairly recently, after all. Remiel had made it a point to draw upon all his resources to subdue reports of it as well. After all, if the terrorists managed to terrorize both the people of Hoenn and Galar, then, essentially, they won.

"Earl Grey... is in a bad way." He solemnly states, eyes downcast on the table between them. "We were attacked by Team Rocket mercenaries a few days ago."

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POSTED ON Oct 15, 2023 18:12:36 GMT

At the mention of ‘Team Rocket’, his eyes went wide.

“Are—is that why Earl Grey isn’t with you?” he confirmed, hoping his suspicions weren’t true. Why were Team Rocket a bane, a curse upon the land—was nowhere really safe?

“How about you? Are you hurt or anything? Did… did they coerce you to do something specific or anything in general?”

His mind immediately went to his friend’s line of work. Never mind if the other was a member of the Galarian royal family, still…

He knew his friend’s work as an ambassador was vital between Hoenn – Galar relations, so there was that.

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POSTED ON Nov 4, 2023 10:11:25 GMT

The former ADMIN is a little alarmed by Alexei's last question. Did he really think he could be wrapped up to do the bidding of TEAM ROCKET again so easily? Rather than explore the reasoning behind it any further, however, the prince simply resigns to shaking his head.

"No, of course not. Despite the assassination attempt, I only received a few minor cuts and bruises. But Earl Grey... I'm waiting to hear whether he can be put back together again." He sighs, pausing as the waitress brings them their tea. Once she leaves and he has his teacup in hand, however, Remiel continues. "In the meantime, I've decided to resign as GALARIAN AMBASSADOR."

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POSTED ON Nov 4, 2023 12:11:20 GMT

“Don’t tell me they—” he trailed off, bread stick halfway to his mouth when the worst scenarios flashed in his mind’s eyes.

“They did not do what I think they did, did they?” he continued in the same low voice as he looked around furtively. One could never be too careful these days, because the walls have ears and all that.

It didn’t take long until…

“…wait, why did you leave? Is this because of those uh… succession lines? Something like that?” he ventured quietly, wondering what the reason was.

Unless, of course, it had something to do with Team Rocket again…

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POSTED ON Dec 4, 2023 11:55:41 GMT

Thomas Benoit likes this

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Admittedly, Remiel has no idea what Alexei might be hinting at. In the face of an old friend, that fact is evident across his expression. He's not quite sure at all how the news had managed to elude his friend. In their quest to vilify Team Rocket as much as they could, the League had printed this headline across many newspapers and online articles:[BREAK][BREAK]

"There was an attack at the GALARIAN EMBASSY. They were targeting me."

[break]
To call it terrorism wasn't exactly accurate, he supposed. The only one those hired hands had been seeking to terrorize was him, after all. It was only thanks to the efforts of the vigilante Thomas Benoit that he'd managed to come out of it alive.[break][break]

"The succession has nothing to do with ambassadorship. Just another ribbon to pin on the collar. I stepped down because I didn't want to endanger my fellow countrymen by being there any longer... I stepped down because I need to atone for my sins, Alexei."[break][break]

The prince takes a deep breath then sighs, shifting his gaze away for the time being; ashamed.[break][break]

"For being an ADMIN of Team Rocket."

[break]

[attr="class","remy-lb-bannerbottom"]TEA & REVELATIONS ♔

Alexei Ivanov

[break][break]

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POSTED ON Dec 4, 2023 19:01:55 GMT

The attack on the Galarian Embassy he was familiar with, at least (because who knew what a small world it was; Remy knew Tom, and he was also long-time friends with the former Elite Four member).

(And he was also privy to the dark shit the other did, but not as much as his other friend who knew way too much about what Thomas Benoit had done in the shadows.)

“I thought there was something called conflict of interest when it came to royalty things like that?” he hummed as he finally took a bite from the cold breadstick he was holding. Still tasted good, either way.

And then…

And then, the world receded.

It felt like he was up in space; everything literally shrank down to a pinhole in his tunnel of vision; everything suddenly became too loud and too crowded around him before a belated realization set in as he blinked a few times.

“That… that would explain a few things, then,” he said at last.

But then—there was something else that was bothering him. About how a certain common friend that they had, too…

“Tell me,” he continued once he’d managed to find his voice again.

“Was Miss Isra Nightingale part of Team Rocket, too?”

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POSTED ON Dec 6, 2023 10:19:59 GMT

[nospaces]

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There was no conflict of interest between the royalty and the ambassadorship when your job was just to foster good relationships with other regions on behalf of your country and look after its citizens in other parts of the world. Both positions seemed to complement each other. It was why he had recommended Elise Calcifet to take on the role next. A royalty or government left unchecked could do terrible things. She kept a pulse on both.[break][break]

But, alas, there are more pressing things on his mind right now.

[break]

Solemn blue eyes look up to gauge his close friend's reaction. Had he figured it out on his own? Would Isra Nightingale want him to confirm what Alexei might already know? He supposed it didn't matter now. After all this time, she was likely dead.[break][break]

"Yes. She had been."

[break]

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POSTED ON Dec 9, 2023 20:37:37 GMT

The moment he confirmed his suspicion, there were… there were a thousand emotions running through his mind all at once, in varying degrees of panic and intensity.

First it was disbelief, then shock, which then gradually edged towards denial—it was like he was going through four of the five stages of grief all at once in that infinitesimal little moment.

“She was with you all this time, eh?” was what he finally managed to say once he’d found his voice at last.

He wondered just how much he’d revealed to her—and now that his friend had revealed the big thing, he also belatedly realized—how much of him did Team Rocket know about, at this point in time?

(This was barring the few times that he’d been in actual battle with Team Rocket; see: Littleroot before the meteor came crashing down.)

After grabbing a few more breadsticks and spinning them around and biting off the edge of one, he stared at the other.

“Were you still with… with them, on their side, when the meteor almost dunked everyone living here?”

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POSTED ON Dec 16, 2023 10:25:44 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","remy-lb"]

[attr="class","remy-lb-pkmn"]

[attr="class","remy-lb-pkmn-2"]

[attr="class","remy-lb-bannertop"]

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Ashamed, Remiel looks away. "She was... up until she disappeared." He answers. Why had she gone? Had he done something wrong? Was he not worth the goodbye? These questions still plagued his mind during the late nights. The dark nights. The nights he found himself wandering aimlessly through the countryside streets of VERDANTURF TOWN.[break][break]

After seeing that Alexei was still apparently in the mood to eat, however, the royal dares to look back up at his friend. "No," He replies. "Well, technically, yes... but I was working against them at that point. They just didn't know it."[break][break]

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POSTED ON Dec 17, 2023 20:40:24 GMT

The disappearance of Miss Isra Nightingale.

Both of them were familiar with it, however neither had found enough clues as to piece together what had happened to her during that stretch of time.

(Was it safe to presume that she was already dead, all things considered; along with the extended amount of time that had passed since then?)

Was he really this much of a forgiving person to let things slide?

(The most recent instance was of him letting his partner Guillermo Marceliño’s sordid past just go past him; while the other man had expected him to lash out and make him leave, Alex wasn’t that kind of person…)

“Thank you… thank you for being honest with me.”

Even if there was still a little nibble of betrayal that hung between the two of them, this would be just as much to take in; to comprehend, to digest—and to understand.

“Humor me, then—why did you cast you lot with them in the first place? Was there… were there promises made to you, of the world being free under… under their control? I’ve seen some of the propaganda, you know.”

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POSTED ON Dec 18, 2023 19:27:55 GMT

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","remy-lb-pkmn"]

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Remiel had expected the worst. He had known Alexei for years. He even considered him to be one of his closest friends. But it seemed he hadn't known him well enough to gauge his forgiveness's extent accurately. Their friendship had never been tested like this before. Or perhaps the former ADMIN was imprinting his feelings upon the other without realizing it.[break][break]

Though he appreciates the gesture, there is little Remiel can say in response to being thanked. Frankly, he didn't think he deserved it. He'd lied to his friend for so long, after all. Though perhaps not directly, he'd acted against him by acting against the LEAGUE.[break][break]

"When I came to Hoenn, I was driven by a desire to carve my place out in this world by my own hand— to remake it into a fairer and freer society." He explains, eyes drifting away as he recalls his beginnings in the region. "I had a lot to prove to my mother, my country, my people... I was more than just the spoiled brat they believed me to be. And you have to understand: TEAM ROCKET is not well known in GALAR. While we may have heard of their misdeeds in the news, I compared it to the propaganda spread about me on those same channels. So, gullible as I was to think so, to me they seemed like misinterpreted revolutionaries."[break][break]

He sighs, dipping his chin once more as he closes his eyes. At least the wafting aroma of the tea is there to help soothe his emotions. "When I was offered membership, it came with an eager smile and promises of change, support, and resources in this new world. When I would see or hear things that went against my moral beliefs, I justified it in one way or another. There are good people in Rocket, Alexei. It's much easier to turn a blind eye when it comes to your friends... isn't it?"[break][break]

He was sure the GYM LEADER might have had his suspicions of the Rocket avatar known as THE GALARIAN. ADMIN FOX had been notorious.[break]

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POSTED ON Jan 21, 2024 20:09:35 GMT

What with information being available depending on which level of access was allowed to them, he… to be honest he knew about some of the avatars that were on the side of the League—one of his friends being one of their number.

“You were led down a dark path, it seems,” he managed to say after the exchange.

“But to be fair, you’re not from around here, so that would be a reason why you joined them initially.”

He could only sigh at the mention of good people being trapped in Team Rocket’s ranks.

“How many do you know of? That are looking for a way out?” he ventured further, taking a bite from the food in front of him, to give himself time to think.

“Are they able to make a run for it?”