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The upheaval and aftermath of PRIMEVAL had lit the fire under Hoenn's ass. Annalise pushing for training was one of the few positives. Everything else was…well rough. The Champion MIA, the one held responsible still in his position. There'd been some change in MATIAS SILPH ’ mental state but no telling if it could slip at any time. Especially with the only person able to stabilize him missing. [break][break]


Annalise is a small break from those thoughts. She’d checked in on him soon after the events at Mt. Chimney and asked for a sparring session. He’d already been planning an outing to the desert after he left the hospital, so he simply brought her along with him. Standing in the shadow of a mesa, Joules beeped excitedly, having done a small lap around the immediate vicinity before settling back next to their trainer. No danger at the moment. [break][break]


“We should be good here to set up for our break later.” he said, leaning his belongings against the rock wall. “One v one right?” he added as Joules floated, magnets spinning eagerly while Paxton set aside some potions for the aftermath of their bout.

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Seeing his comrades improved his mood, rather than dampened it. Terrible circumstances not withstanding, they had a way to communicate thhroughout all this. And through that they could exchange ifnormation. The megalopolans were the same it seemed, able to communicate through the dreamm, though long having given up escaping. He fears for the day he became like them. For now, Paxton keeps his options open. He's a rat in a maze, and he will find the Big Cheese. [break][break]

When they're all ushered out for morning again, they're all subjected to the strange humiliation. Paxton felt his body yanked forward and his mouth opening against his control. He shook, trying to fight the urge, trying to retake power over himself but couldn't. Panic set in as he watched the easily silly display of strength from his fellow ward mates. At some point, Paxton does what he does best and lets the cheers and even his own voice fade to static. The steady chant of it all beginning not become white noise, eyes blanking out. Until the chain strangles him for his mind's own attempts to escape and he's brought back to the horrible reality that he can do nothing but repeat and laugh. [break][break]

He zones in on the strange orange boulder, but can't really quite place where it'd come from. Had something like that been anywhere in Hoenn? Maybe the desert? He can't recall. The humiliation ends and they are allowed to work. Out of curiosity, and finding it the only stimulating thing near him, Paxton makes for the ORANGE BOULDER trying to figure out anything about it. He wasn't an expert at geology, but maybe he could figure out what the orange thing was made of. After all, they were possibly underground or nearby Area Zero with all these tera crystals about. Maybe he'd remember something form his excursions. [break][break]

Soon enough it's meal time, and soon enough he falls asleep again. Truly, the only rest they received even if it was uncomfortable. He felt his sense of self being chipped away at. His mind and body acclimating to the horrors and becoming pliant as they recoiled form any kind of suffering. They needed to escape. There's still work to be done. So he made his rounds, moving quickly to try to find as many people as he could, exchanging what he knew and trying to write it all down. In the dream, he still has a pocketbook of detaisl and conversations they have. Hoepfully, he'd remember it all in the waking world. [break][break]

He finds PENELOPE LIVY at some point, trying to pick a spot to meet up and exchange information. Or, well mostly, he just wants to check up on her. He'd seen her briefly in the feeding bowl, and now in the dream. He wasn't sure how well she was doing, but he was willing to offer comfort, if any at all. He hadn't seen ollie morales or Gunner Graves , and he was starting to think they'd been spared the sentence. [break][break]

Next he moves close to the tower to look over Azelf. Like the reports form Dawn of the Darkest Day, the blue pixie was still injured, the red jewel jagged and uneven from what he could see. He tries to get closer to see if he can wake it up. He wonders, offhand, if it's presence was a reason why it was so hard for the Megalopolans to keep some control of themselves. If it wasn't just the torture the wardens inflicted, but perhaps a combination of the strange mochi and the Azelf's domain of will power somehow. Why else would they want it, if not for that? [break][break]

At one point during the weekly visits to Azelf, he's met with priam conrad . They seem a little eccentric, but overall alright in these conditions. [break][break]

"You're...mark is pulsing and it's pulsed before around...?"[break][break]

"All kinds of weird things. Giant Celesteela, seal stone in Ultra Deep Sea-" [break][break]

"And it's suddenly pulsing again...right now?" [break][break]

He'd never really heard of something like that, but everything's possible in Hoenn at this point. It doesn't cross his mind that Priam is lying. What would be the point. He can even look at it. Diligently, he takes his notes. As he does he explains what he thinks is happeing to them to Priam, along with some detiasl from the Weakling ward. [break][break]

"I think we're deep undergroudn inside Area Zero. If they need this many bodies to mine tera crystals, their mining operation can't be to ofar off. And if that's the case, your mark might be pulsing against Regirock's dynergy signature. Maybe it's getting closer. Monitor it. I'll try to find you later on." he said offering a thumbs up as he closed the notebook, and gave the mark one last glance. [break][break]

When he wakes form these sessions he casts glances at PETRA MONROE , to see how she was faring with her injuries. [break][break]



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The creature makes it out of the bushes with ease. Paxton and his partner share a look as they curl up, dirtied, around the fire. "Streenstrup I think-" but the Octopus is moving, blasting the stranger with water and dousing off most of whatever had it had rolled in. His Octillery looked ready to wring out the stranger but Paxton raised a hand to let her settle down. [break][break]

"Hey, you ok?" He asked, squinting as the flicker of flames and the lack of mud gave them a better picture of what they were dealing with. A kid? Definitely young but...how much? "You lost, kid?" he asked before beginning to rifle through his belongings for a spare towel or blanket. So much for relaxation away from civilization. It seemed like humanity had managed to find him regardless of his desire to be alone.

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Paxton is relived when they're all herded away, but he does turn when he hears the chains move and the gorging of mochi begin. He wonders if after too long they'll all become like that. He spies his cellmate, PETRA MONROE , and moves to help her back up and out. Despite the shivering, he pushes through it as they all shamble back to their cells in new clothes. The slight peach scent is nice but surreal in this situation. He eats what he's served, having no other choice when it came to conserving his strength. "You c an have the cot." he said, gentle words muffle by the mask as he helped lead the injured back to the small bed. [break][break]

"I'm pretty good at taking naps on the toilet." he added as he stood up. He waits for Petra to be sure to do her business and he does the same before sighing and attempting to find a comfortable spot on the floor. [break][break]

His sleep comes slowly but it thankfully comes. He awakens in the neon city, on a bench. The open skies and neon lights are a jarring change, but at least he's not masked nor chained. He stands, finds himself rather lucid in this dream, and begins to explore. It's not long before he finds the city's population. Megalopolans walk unchained but also don't attack. He finds Joules, and feels immense relief. He doesn't know the state of his partner or the rest of his team, but seeing Joules even like this is some positive of the dream. [break][break]

When he finds annalise henderson , and illeana reyes meeting with Greyson Connors and THEO BECKETT , he feels the gravity of the dream sort of change. After gathering what he could he begins to find others wandering about trying to spread the information of his ward and pulling at details from the other wards. He seeks out PENELOPE LIVY , having chanced a glance at her in the feeding bowl. She was worse for wear then, hopefully this place doesn't fully break her.

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"Got it. I'll keep that in mind." Paxton said, nodding at the pair before glancing over at THEO BECKETT. He gives pause, eyes narrowing and hackles rising. Greyson moves to confront the Underboss, but Annalise steps forward. [break][break]

His eyes immediately narrow at Annalise before movement catches his eye. "Thank you for your intel. I need to check in on PENELOPE LIVY, if I can find her." He turns away to go find the Councilwoman. "I'm not here to fight Rocket. Just gather intel." But he doesn't care if anybody listens, already moving away quickly.

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"I'll add it to new security testing." he said, making a quick mental note to send over the decision and a drafted plan to their security department. "The very same. Our beloved pop idol, Melody Miro ." he said, lifting his glass in mock toast before downing the rest of the brown liquor in his glass. He sets it down next to Freya's before carefully lifting the bottle once more and filling hers and his respectively. [break][break]

"Without a finalized plan there was no need to inform the gym leaders this far out from execution." he leaned back in his chair giving Freya a moment. “I understand illeana reyes was working on it recently, but discussing it outside of AQUA this far out from execution could become a leak just like METENO. Please pass on our department’s reminder of the risks he puts our personnel under.” Being that this happened under her watch, it justifiably fell to Freya to deal with. Least they wanted Penelope to have to explain the importance of keeping quiet. [break][break]

He let out a sharp laugh. "But Councilwoman Morningstar, pencil pushing is part of your job now." he said lightly as he patted the heavily annotated report in his lap. He clinks his glass against hers but doesn't sip, letting her take a moment before he moves onto the next subject. [break][break]

"Speaking of understanding duties, I need to bring up one of your own direct subordinates. As you know, my work as PENELOPE LIVY 's deputy director makes me a direct reflection of her. Gunner Graves 's position in the HBIC makes him a representative of Penelope as well." he began as he gave Freya the wind up before the pitch. "Your own subordinate Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki , is a direct reflection of yourself. In a matter of minutes, she showcased her immaturity. I'm not impressed with her first formal appearance as Dewford's gym leader, much less a councilwoman's assistant." [break][break]

He frowns as he turns pages of her report, sticky notes assisting him as he skimmed over the report. "While her status as gym leader being revealed late is not her fault, her outbursts towards her new colleagues and superiors was detrimental to the spirit of your meeting. It’s especially embarrassing to read about when our youngest, Hideo Kino , was leagues above when it came down to his own professionalism and maneuvering his Uxie announcement.” He raised an eyebrow at Freya. The rest is left unsaid. He expected better from someone Freya had placed as their assistant. He couldn’t convince her to speak to the girl, but he also wanted to bring it up before Tsubaki put her foot in her mount in front of his own Councilwoman, or even dahlia goode . An arrogance he wouldn’t hesitate to correct, were it to happen again. He may not always agree with the actions of those above him, but he had enough sense to not make it everyone else’s problem. Clearly, Freya hadn’t passed that on to her protégé.

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Annalise looks confused to see him, but Paxton has been bothering and shaking people out of their dream stupor for a bit now. He'd trekked through the neon city searching and spreading his info on their ward, on the off chance this was real. After all, people remembered lucid dreams? [break][break]

"...That was the reward?? Looking through a mask?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He then looked towards Greyson. "I thought I saw you in there. Or.. heard you?" he said quickly to the E4. "Don't worry about it. Everything about this is meant to break you down so you work without defiance." he said. [break][break]

"Agreed, but knowing what the other wards are seeing is crucial." he added. He wouldn't plan their prison break just yet. "Learning what we can and staying healthy is our top priority. Minimizing the suffering." [break][break]

"You saw that thing in RKS? I barely got to see it's face before it kicked someone over." He turned to Annalise and then illeana reyes. "IF this is all...lucid, I was right about the megalopolans. When the wardens use them to speak they seem completely possessed. I don't think there's enough of them to sustain whatever work they're doing so they needed us."[break][break]

The professor speaks up and he turns to her. "It's either too strong to completely take over like the aliens, or its humiliation. Like us, they're trying to break it's spirit."

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