a personal message without any memes or explicit pictures of someone's dick is uncharacteristic of kim cole-essam . by now, fernando's unfazed by the sight of another man's phallus, attributing it to one of kim's favorite memes: tyrano dick. the lack of personality behind the message is one of the few reasons that fernando entertains the request. kim's timing is impeccable. despite being on two very different sides of the spectrum, one, a man who's ambition encompasses his entirety, and the other a loose canon flowing through events as they unfold, they fit nicely. the string of hoenn's mishaps draw them together, stringing them along as they survive the supernatural events thrust upon them.

fernando enters the bar with a set of expecting but cautious eyes. the bouncer recognizes him by face and allows the councilman entry, after checking his identification, of course. fernando isn't one to publicly skirt around rules but the invisible pokemon that follow after him aren't lavished proudly. he keeps them around whenever he drinks, self aware of his own issues and the bad habit that may one day spell his undoing.

"cole."

fernando flanks him on the left, taking his own seat as he stares ahead, straight into one of the televisions behind the barkeep with tonight's news.

"i'll have the same. thanks."

he's unfamiliar with the drink but if it's good enough for cole then it's good enough for silph.

"peculiar?"

fernando has no idea where kim's leading with this but the fact that he hasn't opened with something to derail the mood is sufficient enough. passively, fernando eyes his own drink, noting the lack of presentation but finding the lack of delicacy comforting. no matter how flourished it may appear, the only thing that matters is the taste and content. pragmatism at its finest.

and that's when they get to the meat of their meeting. fernando takes a taste of his cocktail before settling it back down. it's not the taste he's used to but it prove adequate, surprisingly sweet with a flavor that betrays the expected bitterness that comes from most of fernando's drinks. it's almost fitting how their choice in drink paralleled their perceived outlook on life. the only exception is that here, solemn in the comfort of alcohol, bravado is lost between purposeful silence.

"i don't. i drink. i plan. i prepare."

fernando scowls, eyes intent on burying themselves in whatever irrelevant story the television plays out.

"the dessert ruins worried me. i wrote it off as a one off and considered it lucky we found it in an isolated temple instead of in the middle of a city."

he sighs, turning to face kim, a pained expression of concern strewn across a stiff face that hides the burdens of a region behind a steeled exterior.

"and now we have the navel tower, another super natural event that's occurred too close to the previous one for me to simply write off. that's not even considering the winter ball and articuno, wherever it may be."

that's the only event he's been able to control, having a personal hand in the avatar and its fate. the legends may be immortal but the mortals behind them rarely are. that's the only constant, the only thing that keeps him sane.

"that's what i used to do, kim."

there's a faint semblance of weakness in that statement. the navel tower raid is still fresh in his mind and the uncanny ho-oh is a blight he cannot forget.

"now it's not enough."

weakness is momentary and fernando steels himself with a curled up fist.

"i miss the days when the worst thing we had to fear were humans. some regular, normal pokemon and their trainers."

he turns away again and returns his attention to the television.

"i'm going to end rocket. the minute i see the chance, i'm going to end it all or die trying. i can't keep this up for much longer."

it's not a light promise nor one he will fail to keep. he only makes the claim because he's already assured he can carry out exactly what he said he would. between the jirachi tag held in his custody and the under bosses secretly conspiring against rocket itself, there's little worry fernando has to have about failing. it's the other things that scare him.

"because i have to."

what footage of mossdeep that have plays on the television and fernando's enraptured by. watching Bailey Cooper get knocked on her ass on repeat is one of the few headlines they have. seeing someone of cooper's caliber struggling for her life is something that spells a disaster for them all.

"no more that's not nice. no more you're too extreme. no more you can only have three pokemon on you at a time because that's a bad look, kim."

fernando watches bailey run away from the camera for one last time before the street camera turns to static.

"if— when i see the chance, i will end it all. it's success or fail. and i won't let up until i literally die. that's my ultimatum."

he pauses.

"it'll happen because i'll make it happen."

this time he takes a gulp instead of a taste.

"and if i don't—well, that's why we have you and freya morningstar . she may be a crazy dragon lady but you'll be fine. dahlia goode 's back too."