"Look, man. Didn't you literally build Zapdos's house?" Howard scoffed as he drank his third Dr. Perky. "You're unofficially more prestigious than me."

Having Zapdos under your wing, even if temporarily, put Oscar on a higher level in the Admin's eyes. Howard didn't feel as powerful as his colleagues. It felt like he was simply keeping the seat warm until someone more adept came along. Nonetheless, Howard was Admin, so he had to maintain some sense of authority. If he wanted to encourage cooperation, he'd need to start somewhere. Why not with Deer Guy?

"He won't say no. The fact that he's even coming shows that he'll hear us out." Or Bryan had noticed that the request had come, in part, from the newest Admin. Even if Deer Guy went back to the sub and started telling people, it hardly mattered. The grunts had been spreading rumors about all of the upper brass for years, now. It wasn't anything new.

"If it makes you feel better, we won't be leaving empty handed. We'll be leaving with the receipt." Howard said helpfully as he checked his watch. "He should be here soon..."

---

bryan delarosa oscar clayton

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Oscar appreciated Howard's encouragement, even cracking a smile at his receipt gaffe. Yet Oscar's anxiety was hard to ward off. Oscar was usually pretty good at this personable shit but Bryan was--different. He was like cold steel, absorbing Oscar's warm whimsy and expelling a chilling intimidation. It was like being friends with a loaded gun and not knowing if the gun will get bored with you and go off mid-sentence. This request? It might be too much nonsense for Bryan to tolerate.

Oscar ran out of time to be anxious though, as Bryan would soon arrive. Oscar closed his notebook, standing up to greet Bryan with an open-arm gesture. "Bryan! Hey man, you look great! Thanks for comin'!" Bryan's recollection of the tinkaton incident caused Oscar to chuckle nervously, "That was a hell of a night! I still have nightmares--HA!"

Oscar sat down as Bryan fumbled recognizing Howard; Oscar had a hard time telling if it was a power move or if Bryan was just being absent minded. "Ah yeah, Howard this is Beast Delarosa. Bryan, meet Admin Howard." Howard could take it from there.

howard slayte bryan delarosa

"Beast Delarosa, it's a pleasure." As Bryan approached, Boward underwent a silent transformation before the grunt. His casual disposition vanished in exchange for a professional. The mask flipped on. Boward became a mirror of Bryan Delarosa.

This was his defense mechanism against those of equal rank, his defense against those who actually deserved to be at this level of Team Rocket.

"Thank you for meeting us here." Boward nodded his head respectfully. "I'm Howard, Admin Slayte, the Galarian." Boward's callsign was the same as Remiel's, alternatively known as Admin Fox. Something many of Team Rocket's older heads of staff would recognize. He had never wanted the callsign, but it was a piece of ironic humor. Walsh had quite the sense of humor.

"Oscar and I are running a joint experiment in Ultra Desert." Boward smiled faintly, putting his hand on Oscar's shoulder. "We've been discussing a terraforming of Ultra Desert. Interested?"

---

bryan delarosa oscar clayton

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Everyone got real serious real quick, and Oscar was a little taken aback. Bryan was no surprise, he was always serious. Howard though, Oscar could not believe how easily he shifted into a professional persona. It was impressive actually, and Oscar's dazzled shock would briefly delay his own shift as his turn came to speak.

Oscar cleared his throat as he tried to focus, shaking his head to throw off his daze as he laced his fingers and leaned forward. "We're trying to establish a permanent research center within ultra space, and believe it or not the Ultra Dessert is the ideal location to do so. This is due to one fact alone that puts the desert above all other ultra space realms: top soil. It is our understanding that beneath the desert's sand is an enormous amount of hidden soil that would be ideal for farming. If we can establish a food source, we have an actual chance to claim the desert for Rocket."

Oscar leaned back, scratching his chin as he revealed the catch. "Of course the soil is not enough. We will need a particular resource to help the food grow healthy and strong--at least for the first few generations. What we need from you is um--" Oscar paused before looking to Howard, hoping he could put their request in a more--digestible light.

bryan delarosa howard slayte

"Mulch." Boward nodded, before frowning and shrugging. "Or your expertise. Or the Pokémon of Life. Mostly, we want you."

It was an irony in Boward's opinion that a Rocket Beast would maintain control of Xerneas, but Boward had realized that many of these entities did not view this battle between Rocket and League as anything more than a minor spat between mortals. A god did not need to care about the politics of humanity, merely find someone that it considered eligible.

This was the true nature of Legendary Pokémon, those that bore witness to history.

"Before I was an Admin, I was a geologist and archaeologist. I'm still both of those things, but it's harder to find time to follow such passions."

Truer words had never been spoken. There was likely a mountain of paperwork on Boward's desk that required his immediate attention, despite the fact that he had cleared his desk of work hours ago. It made doing things that he actually enjoyed very difficult.

"We'll extract what we can, haul what we can, and develop what we can. Whatever else we need, I will haul. I've been doing soil checks in Fallarbor. What do you say?" Boward paused again, before continuing gently. "This could bear excellent fruit moving forward. Farming in another dimension. Imagine it!"

---

oscar clayton bryan delarosa

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"Eh?" Howard blinked at Bryan incomprehensibly, before turning to Oscar. "EHHHHHHHHHHH?"

"You didn't mention this!" Howard hissed at Oscar under his breath.

That was the main reason they had wanted Bryan's help! The Rocket Beast was bonded with the Pokémon of Life, and apparently had a mountain of Blue Mulch that he sat on, according to all the rumors from the grunts. If Bryan didn't have any, then... then...!

Relax. Howard thought quietly. Compose yourself.

Even if Bryan didn't have any magic mulch, he was still a large asset to this project. If they could convince him, it'd be far easier to get public approval from Rocket to continue their revitalization project. People respected Beast Delarosa. Oscar Clayton was famous as well, but an acting Rocket Beast would go a long way.

"Lead screening and soil purification. I'm a geologist. At least, sometimes. I'll work on a more efficient way to purify the soil. Oscar's the engineer." Howard said, shrugging. "It's ambitious, but it's a victory for Rocket if we succeed. The League is struggling to keep itself together. Public support is crumbling. If Rocket can not only sustain Sootopolis, but provide through other dimensions?"

Howard clapped his hands together, leaning forward.

"Don't you think they'll look at us with more favor, for what we can provide over the League?"

---

oscar clayton bryan delarosa

Uh oh, seems there was a miscommunication with his adventure partner. Oscar chuckled nervously as Howard hissed, and he would stay silent as Howard tried to convince Bryan that there was no danger beyond the inherent nature of Ultra Space. Oscar had indeed known that Bryan had no more Blue Mulch, what he had proposed was--different. He could not blame Howard for getting mixed up, what Oscar wanted to ask for was ludicrous. Even for him.

When Howard finished Oscar would take the chance to tap in. "I have taken great measures to ensure the long-term survivability of anyone that resides within the research center. The ore created from steel pokemon is resilient to the effects of Ultra Space, so that is what we will use to build our base of operations. The base should be sufficient to allow long-term researchers to rest and recuperate, but we will also keep a rotating crew that shall never spend more than a week in Ultra Space in one sitting. The same suits that were worn on the Menteno shall suffice for field work. As for the mulch..."

Oscar breathed deeply, it was time. "I'll take the blame for the misunderstanding. What we require is very similar but much more intimate. I believe that Blue Fertilizer will be able to help plants grow within the harsh environment of the Ultra Desert. Especially with Howard being able to bring up the top soil hiding under the sand. We will just need a steady supply of fertilizer to ensure a healthy upbringing for the vegetation--from Xerneas."

@howard bryan delarosa

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"People love to live. It's just easier when they love us as well." Howard shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. He didn't know what to think of Bryan Delarosa. This was his first meeting with the Rocket Beast, and the only vibe that Howard was getting is that this was a man with a hair-length trigger.

Farmers did not transition to gangs, and they did not transition to Rocket Beast. Anyone with the position was capable of vast violence. If Howard demeaned him he'd end up as a red smear on the floor for Oscar to scrape off with a squeegee.

"With that in mind, it's easier if Sootopolis loves us, y'know?" Howard said, turning his speak more causal. "Better to be loved than feared. At least that way, we're not getting stabbed by our loving people, yeah?"

Xerneas really was the lynchpin in all of this. Besides it, Bryan was muscle. Someone with actual experience in agriculture would be nice, given that Howard could only learn so much from books and video guides. He suspected that Oscar was similar. The man was learned and intelligent, but practice made perfect.

Fortunately, that made Bryan perfect.

"I'm glad you're in. Is Xerneas going to atomize me if I don't worship it properly? I was reading this book about rituals..."

---

oscar clayton bryan delarosa

When Bryan agreed to their proposal, Oscar let out the breath he had been holding in. He was so scared that they had lost him at the manure bit, but luckily Bryan was more than understanding. Howard seemed thankful as well, though Oscar winced when he brought up worshiping Xerneas. Oscar chuckled nervously as he tried to take over, "I uh, think Xerneas would prefer not to be worshiped. We should just do the best we can with the gift he provides us."

Oscar nodded respectfully toward Bryan. "We appreciate your help Bryan. Without you this project would be one thousand times harder. I look forward to sharing the fruits of our labor." Oscar pointed at Bryan with both of his forefingers and winked. "Literally!" Oscar laughed at his own joke before picking up the cafe menu that he had been ignoring this whole time.

"Anyway, do you want anything while you're here? My treat of course."

howard slayte bryan delarosa