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And suffice it did! The MAREANIE scurried back into the water as expected, having thoroughly learned its lesson. Don't mess with others much bigger than yourself.[break][break]

Unfortunately, there was another Pokémon nearby that hadn't gotten this memo, either. A bold MORPEKO scurried out of the brush upon hearing the commotion. It was a cute little thing and, initially, not something Barnaby was going to waste his time on.[break][break]

That was, until, it changed into its HANGRY FORM and started running at NIDOQUEEN with its AURA WHEEL.[break][break]

"Shit. Of course it– ugh, Earth Power again, love."

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Luckily not. The MONFERNO was simply curious about the battle noises that had echoed through the cave. Seeing Barnaby and not another chimp attempting to steal his territory, it simple huffed, warning the man to keep to himself within the Fiery Path.[break][break]

Fair enough. Barnaby continued on his way, venturing what he assumed was deeper into the cavern. Or perhaps not, as pockets of light streamed in from holes at the top of the stone tunnel. It gave off enough illumination for him to see... a TORCHIC in the gloom?[break][break]

A lost chick separated from its brood? It seemed desperate for some sort of company or protection, that much was obvious, as it straightened and waddled over to him, chirping incessantly.[break][break]

"Alright, I suppose you can tag along." Barnaby cooed, offering his hand to the little bird.

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And need her he did. From a nearby pond, obscured in the shadows of a waning sun, a MAREANIE waddled toward them. It was upset by... something, though Barnaby couldn't fathom what. Perhaps they'd simply encroached on its territory.[break][break]

"Take care of it. One Earth Power should suffice." The NIDOQUEEN huffed in response, thumping its chest with curled fists before unleashing her attack.[break][break]

True to Barnaby's estimation, the EARTH POWER was more than enough to scare the wild Pokémon back into the water.

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The VILEPLUME withered into the darkness, but left a nasty calling card because of its EFFECT SPORE ability. Bellona whimpered and scratched at her mild acid burns, showing signs of being POISONED. [break][break]

Double shit.[break][break]

"Come here, love. I have an antidote on hand for that." Barnaby wouldn't venture out into the field without these types of appropriate precautions. The HOUNDOOM approached, sidling up so that her owner could apply the cure to heal her POISONED condition. After that was done, he returned her to her Luxury Ball so that she could rest.[break][break]

It was too bad he didn't get a second's rest, as a wild MONFERNO suddenly appeared, the flames from its tail causing flickering shadows to bloom on the cave walls. Would this Pokémon be aggressive too?

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Before he could get too far in, Barnaby ended up tripping on something in the darkness of the cave. Luckily he caught himself before falling completely on his ass. [break][break]

Looking back, a grumbling cry alerted him that it wasn't just a rock that had been in the way — but a VILEPLUME that hand hunkered down in the soil. The thing looked pretty pissed, too, as it unearthed itself.[break][break]

Shit.[break][break]

Barnaby released Bellona to help protect from what he suspected would soon be– ah, yep, it spewed ACID everywhere. The HOUNDOOM took the attack like a champ, shaking the excess liquid off before lunging forward to bite down on the VILEPLUME with a FIRE FANG.

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He'd mused over what to do on this rare day off for quite some time. [break][break]

At first Barnaby had leaned toward something indoors, like going to the National Museum of Natural History in Slateport City, but that seemed a little stale. Even the Oceanic Museum didn't entice him, despite knowing it would be nice and cool amongst the myriad tanks and exhibits.[break][break]

No, for whatever reason, he wanted to do something outdoors-ish, but not out in the heat. A little training within the cavernous Fiery Path fit the bill!

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The summer sun was a killer and BARNABY FINCH wasn't in the business of frying his skin beneath it. His mornings were typically hectic, and the afternoons were an obvious no to avoid the heat, so his trips to the Safari Zone had been done in the evenings as of late.[break][break]

Today, he walked with his NIDOQUEEN.[break][break]

This particular specimen was a garish green and pink amalgamation – truly a terrible combination. At least she was easy to spot, though, as she waddled ahead to munch some fruits off of a nearby tree branch. [break][break]

"Stay close, love. I may need you." She turned her head, munching happily, and nodded in ascent; the juice of some red berry dribbled down her chin as she did so.[break][break]

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Admin Bee wasted no time in assessing his surroundings as soon as his feet touched ground in Motostoke. [break][break]

The toxic sludge, the train, the peasants. The station overflowing like a poisoned chalice. He took note of how many rallied to defend against poisonous hands that emerged from the sludge, like Elisabeth Fiorelli, Isaac Merlo, Caleb Harcourt, and Kyrenai Black, while others bolstered protections, like Aurelie Lefevre and ana fell.[break][break]

He found it a partially useless endeavor. A temporary solution but not a permanent fix for the underlying cause.[break][break]

BARNABY FINCH relayed an order over comms to any ROCKETs who were still able to receive the transmission: "We need to stop the train. It's spewing poison all across the city." And that poison would just lead to more toxic hands engulfing people. [break][break]

It needed to be halted — and Barnaby wasn't exactly delicate in his approach.[break][break]

Releasing his Shadow STEELIX, he instructed the gargantuan serpent to release a FLASH CANNON at the elevated track, with the intention to collapse it so that the train would inevitably fall to the earth.[break][break]

There might be some residual damage to property near to track, but that was a risk he was more than willing to take. It had probably all been ruined by the poison, anyway. [break][break]

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• hidden identity (masked)[break]
• call sign: bee[break]
• motostoke gang[break]
• releases shadow STEELIX[break]
• FLASH CANNON to elevated track/stop train (divert waves of poison sludge away from peasants/city)

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She calls him by one of his names and it ignites his want all over again.[break][break]

Barnaby Finch – gregarious talk show host and journalist – was a persona created for just this sort of dalliance. Wheedling into the lives of noteworthy LEAGUE personnel, gaining their trust, integrating in a way that most couldn't. He'd done it so many times it was hard the keep count. [break][break]

Yet francie myrtle was different from the rest. Perhaps it was her looks, or her charms, or the earnest way in which she took him in with those golden doe eyes.[break][break]

"Is that so? I've been slacking, then." He teased lowly, mirroring her playful cadence. Evocative of the tone of their encounter, Kalosian music played softly in the background.[break][break]

"Let me remedy that..." As she unbuttoned his shirt, he'd lean down, giving her enough space to continue her work but closing the distance between them so that there was no doubt what his intentions were.[break][break]

Peeking beneath his now half-undone shirt was the toned body of a celebrity, made that way through years of grueling ROCKET training. If she looked closely, she might notice faint scars along his arms, his abdomen, his chest. And if she were to ask about them, he'd explain them away with talk of brash and youthful exploits from his adolescence. Lies, of course.[break][break]

"Keep going." Barnaby whispered into her lips, referring to her hands undoing the rest of his buttons.[break][break]

It was an order. She had no options now. [break][break]

If she was obedient, he'd reward her with the kiss she'd been waiting for — a deep convergence, starting soft and then swelling to something more passionate.

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[break]
[break]



My bird.[break][break]

Here he didn't have to play a part. The flamboyant trappings of Barnaby Finch could be cast aside, the professional façade of Admin Bee forgotten.[break][break]

He could be himself with her, here, in the downpour. Or... an approximation of it. Truthfully, it had become harder and harder to distinguish Barnaby L'oiseau from the rest as his time and experiences in Hoenn deepened. But Elisabeth Fiorelli reminded him of someone below the layers.[break][break]

"Mon fleur..." He'd whisper into her lips after their kiss subsided. In the seconds that they'd shared intertwined, his hands had pulled her close – one gripping her waist, the other locked in her water-soaked curls.[break][break]

When he looked down at Elisa, at the obvious longing in her emerald eyes, Barnaby knew what she wanted. Finally. And he was going to savor every last moment of her surrender.[break][break]

"You'll catch a cold out here," He spoke softly, as if she really were a delicate plumeria flower meant to be cherished. "Let's go inside."[break][break]

Blinking away stray drops of rain, he swept her up into his arms and carried her through the open threshold of the cottage, letting the weathered door creak closed behind them. There was no hesitance in the way he moved through her home: past the kitchen, across the living room, and up the stairs into her small bedroom.

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