Howard hated this place.

No, that wasn't true. He actually appreciated Rusturf Tunnel as both a feat of engineering, commitment, and convenience. He hated the Tera Crystals that polluted the depths of the caves more than anything. He and Shred had almost died in a cave-in together. Such an experience had involved a mallet, a phone with a game of Flappy Pidgey, and a Baltoy.

Good times. Things were simpler back then.

"Paradox Pokémon emerge from human consciousness." Howard adjusted his hat as the two trekked through the cave. Howard took a knee and began to inspect several crystals. "I've discussed this with several scientists. And they just... flew off?"

Howard had a substantial amount of experience with gems and geology. You didn't unearth fossils without running into rare stones, but Tera Crystals were volatile, dangerous, and unreliable. Flying back in a spaceship made from them didn't improve his opinions, much. At best, the creations made by crystals just vanished. At worst, they turned people near them into Pidgeys.

"Did everyone in the cave know that the Galarian Birds existed?"

---

BARNABY FINCH

"The book." Howard said simply. As one of Team Rocket's foremost polyglots, he was aware of the book, but its contents were a mystery to him. He longed to give it a read and see if he could gleam any information from it, but Team Rocket's upper brass kept it under as much lock and key as Declan's morning coffee.

Barnaby was correct, naturally. The book and the Tera Crystals were all part of a greater pile of anomalies that were piling up around Hoenn. Few people in Team Rocket seemed to actually care about the dangers, besides the crystals potentially blowing up the submarine because someone looked at one funny.

Was he the only one even remotely worried about these? Barnaby wanted to harness their power, but Team Rocket couldn't even keep the breakroom stocked with sugar packets. Maintaining an alien power to a degree of safety was something that interested Howard much more. Especially given their interference with Fortree.

This too was the cycle of humanity. Procrastinate on a problem, then focus as soon as it became impossible to overcome. A tale as old as time.

"I'm surprised they haven't banished yet. It might be wise to create a map of everywhere they're seen, even if it's almost impossible. See if they're following a pattern." Howard scratched his chin thoughtfully. "If one of them looked at you and then flew off, is that what you're chasing?"

Maybe it was challenging the admin. 'Find me', before flying off?

---

BARNABY FINCH

"Yes, yes. Boss Walsh wants them found. We're always looking for assets to secure our own position. It's military strategy. He's a smart man." Howard agreed with Barnaby. While in the presence of an Admin, he couldn't go around and loosely flap his lips and complain about his job. There was an image to uphold.

"But is that all? You've put a lot of work into this. A lot of thought." Howard scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Feel free to send me the data at your leisure. I'm not particularly good at data analysis, but I do know Hoenn."

It was unlikely that the archaeologist would find anything. Barnaby was clever and meticulous. If he was sending Howard the information, it was likely because there was little to find. Or he was desperate. Or both.

Nonetheless, Howard appreciated the gesture.

"The Tera Crystals are worrisome. We should be excising them with the intention to control their growth. They're like a cancer." That was a common way of describing them. They were tumors spreading across Hoenn, upending civilians, people, and Pokémon. Especially with Fortree City now being close to infected due to the Route 119 incident. "The more they spread, the harder it will be to control it. We need those birds. They might be the key."

Or not. Who even knew anymore.

"Culling those crystals would improve our public perception greatly. We seriously have no way of easily excising them?"

---

BARNABY FINCH

"A core?" Howard asked, bemused. He hadn't considered this.

What if Barnaby was right? Normal gemstones weren't organisms, and they didn't have a 'core' that caused the rest of the interior structure to collapse. Instead, they were atomically arranged, differentiating each gemstone from one another. Tera Crystals could follow that philosophy. They could not. Knowledge was lacking.

"I suppose it's possible. Dialga is the source of time, Palkia, space. Those are fundamental mechanics of our world. Why not Tera Crystals as well?"

If it even existed, they'd have to find it fast. Before Hoenn looked like the inside of Howard's mom's jewelry store. The archaeologist shuddered thoughtfully, before continuing.

"Maybe the crystals are a Pokémon." Howard laughed, before waving a hand. "Just kidding. We must find those birds, pronto! Posthaste! Hoenn depends on it. We still live here, after all. What's the point of winning our war with the League if we're going to reign as kings and queens of magic rocks and nothing else?"

Despite everything, Howard did worry over the people.

---

BARNABY FINCH

"It's possible. I don't think so?" Howard shrugged. He wasn't a technical researcher. He was a field researcher who was at his best when he was studying in the field. Once research shifted into energy readings and technical jargon, his understanding began to waver. "It's not unreasonable. There's so many different ways to test Tera Crystals. It wouldn't shock me if there was a test that we missed."

If these crystals could bend reality, was it possible for them to create an energy reading that became what the observer expected to see? It warranted research, all based on an offshoot joke and question.

Meh. Howard would still take the credit for that. Abra Nobel invented dynamite on accident, after all. Unlike him, Howard didn't intend to regret his discovery.

"I wish you success in finding the birds. If you ever need my aid, let me know." Howard adjusted his cowboy hat with a wry smile. He didn't hate the admin personally. He disliked Team Rocket's upper brass on principle. There was a reason he had stayed away for as long as he had. "They would make fine assets for Rocket."

With a grunt, Howard inspected a crystal and sighed.

"I don't think we'll find much here. Let's return and regroup. I know an excellent waffle place in Rustboro."

---

BARNABY FINCH