[attr="class","samjermain"]Calpurnia wished to bring Arceus himself under heel. To overthrow the goat’s silly, illogical world with something befitting humanity. A place where Pokemon were not necessities but silly little tchotchkes people humored. No longer would humans be left to watch animals control the elements. That power would be in their hands. In her hands. Right where it always belonged.

Kelpie stared down at her little companion with his spiked hair and bug eyes. The little ruffian was decisively troll-like. He reminded her in many ways of those silly dolls her sister played with the gemstone belly buttons and stupidly large ears. What an unsightly little man. She did wish the higher-ups would let her pick the bellhops for these silly forays. Then, perhaps, she would get someone worth looking at.

A potential father to the brood she so wished to grow. Instead, she kept getting stuck with silly little whiny boys. As he spoke, Calpurnia greeted him with an airy, humoring smile. It was the kind given to a child showing you a crayon drawing. “We believe doing so would be beneficial, yes.” Oh, dear, what happened to this man’s consonants? Had they gotten lost in that void he called a brain? “I am more interested in their queen however.” A Vespiquen that could not only command these bees but drive them to war—something far outside their pacifistic nature—was an interesting quandary indeed.

The ability to make humans into mindless worker bees appealed a lot. And, if properly amplified, might even prove useful to unlocking the secrets of avatars. But this grunt did not need to know that. “But you can do what you wish with the proletariat. They are of no worth to me.” After all, it was not Combee that Kelpie wished to control.

“Ah, how unfortunate.” Kelpie purred at the boy as they neared the hive. “You really should admire them. They are quite engineering little pests.” Her Purrugly—known for his size and generally sour demeanor—drew to a stop. He idly licked a paw as he stared at the white hull of the hive. “It seems all the silly things are sleeping.”

She shooed Kouji forward as if he was a toddler about to go on stage. “Be a dear and wake them up.”

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[attr="class","samjermain"]“Hm.” Calpurnia’s eyes lifted to the hive. Going after the Combee would be a fruitless endeavor, one that only served to incense the queen. “I’m a busy woman, love. I do not have the luxury of wasting time.” A thing this man likely did in spades. His subtle jab was brushed aside like an errant mosquito.

One did not need to lead to matter. It was often just as effective to be the woman behind the curtain. A few well-placed whispers could be just as useful as any throne.

Calpurnia stared at the hive as Kouji spoke. "Of course." With a sigh, she and Purrseus backed another yard or tow back. This man's eloquence gave her little confidence in his aim. "Your chivalry is appreciated."

She had little issue letting her so-called knight take the hit.

As the British dragon took the field, Calpurnia felt her nose wrinkle. Those things always struck her as hideous. All jagged edges, sharp fangs, and empty skulls. As he called out his attack, she slipped a pair of designer glasses onto her nose—hoping to protect herself from debris.

The tree erupted in a hail of splinters, honey sloughing to the ground like sap.

"Brutish but effective." She grabbed a PokeBall from her own belt. "Allow us." With a nod, the Purugly took center stage. His multi-colored eyes glowed purple as he unleashed a Hypnosis upon the exposed hive. The gentle waving of his tail served as a pendulum, temporarily breaking the pests from the grasp of their queen.

And, moments later, the bees began dropping, ironically, like flies.

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[attr="class","samjermain"]The woman turned to Kouji with a brow raised. A secretive little smile crawled across her face—equal parts secretive and serpentine. “I know plenty about getting blood pumping, love.” Perhaps her husband would show him if he came back. Her lips perked up at their edges. “But I also prefer to work smarter.” Slightly irritated by his lack of gratitude, she hoped a Combee would lodge a stinger in his face.

Unfortunately—as always—Purrseus’s attacks were quite effective. The order to use Rock Slide was met with a sigh. “Kouji, darling, I am not certain they want them crushed.” It would contaminate the samples, after all! All this grass, dirt, and stone in one place would make it hard to dissect the problem.

As the queen pushed its way free of the debris, the woman’s lips perked up slightly. An almost hungry look rose in her eyes. “Vespiquen achieve total domination of their hive. But these ones seem to change their very hearts. We could use something like that, hm?” A bit of mental influence would go much quicker than all of this warfare and political maneuvering.

She watched as the Bug Buzz sent the lizard flying backward. “Are you big strong boys okay?” She asked. Her voice tinged with just a hint of mocking. At Kouji’s reassertion, the scientist laughs. “Well, judging by her expression, love, the feeling is mutual.” Calpurnia tossed a lab ball at one of the downed Combee.

She’d let Kouji play with mama bee. It seemed he needed the practice.

[attr="class","samjer","samjertag"]Kouji Matsubara

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