He drifts from place to place with reckless abandon. Navy is but a puppet on a string, bound to the whims of this place until it releases him or he dies. There is nothing else that he can do. He is no learned man of science with some deeper understanding of this place. He is but a warrior masquerading as a detective. Landing upon the rocky soil of the cave, he stumbles up, kicking his feet in the dirt, still reeling from the loss of a beloved friend…[break][break]
And he is hit by power. There is a fancy name for whatever attack just hit him. The monks of the world might say he had been hit by sheer fighting spirit. Navy, not a particularly romantic man when under fire, calls it exactly what it is: pain.[break][break]
It says something about him that he doesn’t crumple. Dumb kids from Slateport all tend to have the same damn problem: they don’t know when to quit. It feels like some of his ribs are busted from that hit. There’s probably deeper damage done, thanks to the spiritual nature of the attack, but he doesn’t know anything about that.[break][break]
All he knows is that there’s someone close by who’s under attack. Navy throws out a pokeball. Out comes a machine where once there was a creature of flesh and blood. In the days that follow, scientists on both sides will name this creature Iron Valiant.[break][break]
Navy simply calls him Roland. In his hand is a sharp pink blade, double-headed. In the middle is a handle. An impossible weapon. Something no warrior could wield in live combat.[break][break]
Yet his movements are flawless. His form perfect. The chrome knight makes his way to the girl that’s under threat from the Flareon. He raises his blade and strikes back at the creature. He initiates a spirit break trying to push the fire Pokemon back.[break][break]
“You’ll have to do better than that.” Navy says before coughing up blood all over the cave floor. Anyone can look at him and tell he’s hanging on by a single thread. The scarcest movement could cut it and send him into the darkness of the next life. Yet his nature compels him to fight and defend, and so he obeys without question.[break][break]
“C’mon, kid. These guys look important.” He smiles at the girl he’s never met. A gambler’s smile. “Let’s bloody Rocket’s nose.”

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+ Cillian Quinn Julia Davis Tempest Quinn

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

There is, at once, a bond formed between the ranger and the detective. An understanding that they’re both too stubborn to back down from conflict.[break][break]
Navy turns from her to the battle, accepting that they’ll have to work together if they want to survive. Looking at the two Pokemon these two Rockets are throwing at them, he understands those are the terms of this engagement. Survival. The Lucario and Flareon are both mighty. It makes Navy think back to the whispered stories told in the shadows of the world about the Rockets.[break][break]
Not the grunts, no. The grunts are nobodies. They fall in drove. The real Rockets. The movers and shakers. Those that have helped shape the future of the organization with their intellect and might. Navy understands at last what his brother saw, the might that can bring nations to their knees.[break][break]
Yet still, he can’t back down. He’s not the sort of man to expose his back to anyone. He’d rather take a hyper beam to the face than a slash to the back. Navidson boys really are idiots.[break][break]
And still, as the Iron Valiant that has deigned to serve him takes the brunt of two attacks, Navy smiles. He’s just as unaware of this Pokemon’s capabilities as his foes. He saved Navy’s life in his last battle and he’s still willing and ready to fight.[break][break]
“With guys like these two, you gotta be aggressive.” Navy doesn’t turn to look at the ranger, nor does he many any attempt to lower his volume. He wants them to hear. “These two are big dogs. Admins, beasts, who knows. But these are some of the best Rocket has.”[break][break]
Roland, the Iron Valiant, seems to take more damage from the copied move. He’s charging by the time the burst of pink energy takes him in the back. He’s charging forward, towards the Lucario. Navy finds it eerie how silent his new Pokemon is. The old Roland, his Gallade, was quiet by nature. Stoic. It’s like this new machine does not even possess the capacity to speak.[break][break]
He’s equally silent when energy gathers in his hands and fires at the Lucario’s blast. A Moonblast. The two blasts of energy clash with one another.[break][break]
Navy feels like he’s in one of those shows his brother watched. The world’s swimming. He wants to fall. But he’s too dumb to take to a knee when there’s a fight right in front of him.[break][break]
“If you can, keep the Flareon off of Roland.” He implores the girl.


[break][break]

+ Cillian Quinn Tempest Quinn Julia Davis

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

“You’re such an idiot, Navy.” It’s a memory from a long time ago. Ages, before the Rockets decided to make it their mission in life to disrupt his. Another back alley fight didn’t go his way. Another scrap leads to him getting knocked down. Gabe doesn’t get hurt. That’s all that matters. Gabriel Navidson sends to his older brother’s wounds and helps him up.[break][break]
“If I get to pick, I’d rather be tough than smart.” Navy admits, making his brother huff.[break][break]
“You know, you’re supposed to be a detective. Detectives are supposed to be smart!”[break][break]
Navy laughs.[break][break]
“Guess I’m a better big brother than I am a detective. They didn’t lay a hand on you, now did they?”[break][break]
The younger brother sighs and keeps bandaging Navy.[break][break]
In the present, things are looking dire. He’s contemplating their offer to just kick it and run. There’s no shame. It’s not like someone’s going to hold running away here against him. No one except this young ranger will even know he kicked tail and ran.[break][break]
But he would know. Him and his stupid pride. Him and his unrelenting desire to never be hit in the back. He’ll charge forward into hell before backing into heaven.[break][break]
It seems Roland shares that drive. The machine twirls his blade, preparing for a clash with the Kabutops. A fossil of ancient times and a machine from the far future clash in the present…or they would, were it not for the creature’s feint.[break][break]
“That’s a mighty nice offer you’re givin’ me, Rocket.” He speaks to both of them as if they are one singular entity. From a certain point of view, they are. When two people are in love, it’s hard to see where one ends and the other begins.[break][break]
“But I think I’m gonna have to pass. Runnin’ away just ain’t in my nature. Roland, give ‘em hell.” His voice doesn’t betray the fear he feels as he looks at the blonde. He’s been blessed by one of the gods. Which one, he can’t say. But he’s outmatched. That’s the bottom line. It’s the same lesson Gabe learned in Sootopolis. There’s a vast difference between battling someone in an arena and battling them on a battlefield.[break][break]
The chivalrous machine glances back at his trainer and then at the Pokemon that has left him badly poisoned. It understands that it’s injured – not irreparably so, but Roland is suffering structural damage that will take time to repair.[break][break]
Like his trainer, Roland understands. The name of the game is to bloody the noses of their foes before they’re taken out. Cold logic spurs it to ignore the creature right in front of it, diving past him. He reaches out another hand. It’s a repetition, but it just might be enough to take that Lucario down.[break][break]
“Defend that monkey, Roland.”[break][break]
Another blast of moonlight fires from the machine’s hand, cascading towards the Lucario mid-charge.[break][break]
“Keep up the pressure and we might just take that thing down!”



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+ Cillian Quinn Tempest Quinn Julia Davis

[attr="class","pokeclass"]