That higher concentration of minerals was precisely why he brought his Aggron with him this time. It would be able to devour them if they decided to go hunting for anything particularly of value. Still a lot had happened, and Amor rubbed his head. Ever since the battle over that mirage island it had been often giving him headaches. A chuckle left his lips at Howard asking him how he dealt with it all, and he shrugged.

"Do you know how many companies I manage, or am on the board for across the regions? The little tech company I started here in hoenn was just for fun. I don't know if I'm ever not drowning in work, the trick is to find trustworthy people that can handle all the day to day stuff for you honestly. When you move into a higher ranking position, you are innundated so much more that your time becomes more valuable." It was the one thing that there was never enough of. "Sometimes managing that time is knowing how to offload work into the hands of someone else just as capable of you. Otherwise you're going to be miserable. Oh, and sleep. Always make sure you get rest otherwise you're performance will drop drastically." He said with a chuckle to him.

"That's at least how I do it. I have a team of people I trust to manage things the way I want them managed even when I'm not around. It takes some time, but you'll get there, and then it's easy." Amor said or maybe this wasn't what Howard wanted to hear. Hopefully the advice helped him somewhat, but who knows.

"Speaking of work I don't' think I properly congratulated you on your promotion either. So consider this my belated congratulations Mr. Slayte. Hopefully your newfound success doesn't hamper you more than help you." He said with an easy smile to the man as he just marveled at the area. "If I'm not mistaken I believe that this is where the meteor containing Deoxys first appeared....How time flies...."

howard slayte

It was reasonable until Amor mentioned a healthy sleep schedule.

"I see. I'll have to start taking in resumes, I assume." Howard sighed as Amor looked around Meteor Falls. "And I'll have to start doing... job interviews. Dreadful."

Howard loathed most job interviews. His time as a freelance archaeologist had instilled in him a deep fear of being at the whims of one's financial mercy. You could only get burned by poor interviews only so many times, after all. On top of that, unpaid internships from years past whispered in his mind like a dark plague.

The idea of doing that to another person was... daunting.

"How do you know who to hire? What if I hire someone mediocre?"

Yet who was Howard to judge? Amor was a trillionaire, Howard was a thousandaire. If the person who ran a legal multi-company empire said it worked for him, then maybe it'd work for the person running an illegal multi-company empire.

"Thank you. It's a very high honor." Howard's voice was casual, but it was stiff. "I'll do my best to ensure that I pull my own weight. Congratulations on your Deoxys, as well. It's a huge honor."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Howard's footsteps stopped as he turned to look at Amor.

"Did you bring it?"

---

Amor Rose

"Yeah it is dreadful, and you won't know who to hire. You've never really been in this kind of position before have you? So yeah you're going to screw up big time. People will lie on their resumes, some will seem unqualified but be exactly who you're looking for, and some will seem qualified, and be the absolute worst." Amor was speaking from experience. "You won't have a clue at first, but after a while you will start to get the hang of things. Practice makes perfect, and soon you will be able to look at someone, and see their potential at just a glance." He explained to the man with a nod.

"I mean look at you for example. You were so well hidden within the ranks of Rocket, but I still managed to find you, and now here you are as an Admin." Another gentle laugh. "If I can have this eye for talent, so can you, but it won't happen over night of course." He explained to his colleague.

Then came the inevitable question of whether he had brought his new legendary. Truth be told Amor didn't go very far without it in tow, it was always with him, and Draco now. Amor thought maybe he could build a bond with it to see what could potentially happen. Of course he still didn't understand why it had been given to him, but for now it was another tool in his kit of things that he could use, so he would use it.

"I did....I'm not sure if it likes me or not, but it hasn't tried to eat me yet, so I will consider that a win." he expressed, and then he let out a low whistle as both his Dragonite, and Deoxys descended from the sky, and landed behind him. The alienesque creature exerting it's Pressure that was suffocating to all save for the one who commanded it. That didn't mean Amor didn't feel it, but he turned to quirk a brow at the creature. "Play nice." Came the stern command, and the Pressure lessened immediately.

"It listens at the very least." Though how much of a victory was that?

howard slayte

"I hardly worked closely with Rocket until early this year. I've been here for a while, but I was always off exploring and making money. Commanding grunts? I can't help but suspect someone promoted me just to strike me down for a failure." Howard looked onward. "Guess I'll have to learn from my colleagues, and make no mistakes."

Easy to say. Hard to do. If Amor Rose was the reason that Howard had come into the spotlight, and was the reason behind Howard's promotion... Well, Howard didn't know whether he'd hate the Head Scientist or not. Howard did not want this position. He was not loyal. All it did was entrench him deeper into the organization.

He thought back to ■■■, and shuddered. Hell, Rocket's greatest warriors weren't even loyal. Maybe he was right at home.

"I'll try. Maybe it'll be enjoyable." He hoped.

What was less enjoyable was the Pressure put on him by Amor's Deoxys. The alien seemed odd. Alien. Naturally, that was what it was. Nonetheless, it bothered Howard. He didn't know the long and bloody history that the alien held. He was unaware that it had belonged to two previous men, and he was unaware of what it could do.

It simply bothered him because it was not from this world.

Howard relaxed as its Pressure lessened greatly.

"Only because you hold the whip. Who knows when it last tasted fresh air." Howard warned, adjusting his hat. "Treat it well. Earn its trust. It's a valuable asset, and I have no doubt that it holds even greater power."

---

Amor Rose

"If you were goint to be a failure I wouldn't have invested in you. You're an admin now, you should have a bit more confidence even if faux." He said with with an easy smile as he rubbed his temple. A small headache nagging at him for a moment before vanishing. "You and me are actually more similar than you may think." He stated to howard slayte with a chuckle as he looked over the falls curiously again.

"I was so standoffish towards most of Rocket when I joined I was only really loyal to oscar clayton . Then he left, and I was left floundering. It isn't often that I have the rug pulled out under from me, but it was briefly. All that really matters is how we adapt Mr. Slayte. Adapt, and overcome, so that no one can pull that rug out from under you." It was a sucky lesson to learn, but it was one that he needed to learn regardless at the time. Now Amor's plans were more concrete, and he had proof of it's existence in his Nebula Operatives. A name they had all come up with, and he had somewhat begrudgingly accepted after sleeping on it.

"That's what I'm going to try to do....I find it a bit ironic...." He laughed a bit. "Want to hear a funny story? When I first came to Hoenn so many years ago, I learned of a meteor that had crashed right here. I heard that a strange creature came out of it, and used Psychic type powers before flying off. I was so desperate to find it, I hired a hacker to get me information from the League Database, attempted to work with one of their scientists, and fund his research." It had all amounted to nothing of course. "And I failed miserably, it wasn't until Elinor Anderson appeared that the League attempted to keep any of their promises to me, but by then it was to late." And now she was gone, just like everyone else that he had respected.

"And here I am....Three years later with the creature that first piqued my interest at my side, and I can't help but wonder. Why?" He sighed as he rubbed his temple again. "Life has a horrid sense of humor." He said with another sigh, and a wry smile.

howard slayte

"Because you were deemed worthy by those who stand above you."

It was a frustrating thing to be given power and responsibility, not because of your own deeds, but because you were chosen by someone above you. From what Howard had gleaned from his position, and through digging into personnel files, the Deoxys that Amor now held had been bumped around several times. It had been given to Decker, then to Kaname, then to Amor.

What was Declan trying to achieve with this Pokémon? What was its purpose? It was an entity from the stars, an external value for the Hoenn region. Yet unlike so many extradimensional entities, it did not wage war against Hoenn. Was that because it was searching for something, or was that because it lost the ability to?

That was something for Amor to discover. Howard was personally glad that they didn't have another Eternatus or Necrozma to deal with.

Necrozma... Howard froze up instantly. Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about him. Out of sight, out of mind. He wasn't here. It was just him and Amor. Yet it still felt like the shadows were lengthening.

"I do like Clayton. He's reliable." Howard confessed, attempting to distract himself. "Species adapt constantly. Pokémon have different forms depending on the region they're in. Humans aren't so different. You're right, of course. Humans must adapt and change too."

The shadows kept lengthening. Howard kept his eye on the Deoxys.

"You'll use it well. Nebula will use it well."

---

Amor Rose

Use it? Was it possible to use it properly? It wasn't something he felt that could be used in the proper sense. Still though....He looked at it, and then back to the archeologist that he now called comrade. Was he truly worthy? That was the question that silently ate away at him, why was this given to him? Was it because he was just sitting in the right spot at the right time, or did @walsh actually think he could pull out it's potential? Ever since he had gotten it, he had no true idea.....What did it mean to be worthy?

"I am not worried if I can use it battle properly...." he let the words trail off. "There are many variables to consider is all, it after all use to belong to another Rocket Higher Up. If it still holds some resentment towards them, well I suppose if you find me drooling in a coma then you'll know I pissed it off I guess...." He let out a faux smile, and just sighed a bit. There were merits to having the creature now, Amor was well aware of it's impressive regenerative capabilities. The curious part of him wanted to study it, and perhaps find some answers for his own personal reasons.

"Oscar is one of the good ones in my opinion....Well I suppose as good as any Rocket can be.." A chuckle leaving his lips. "How are things going with your new partner? I have heard rumors that you stuck in a freezer? I do hope that isn't true." Teal colored eyes gaze over at the other man with a tilt of his head. "It would seem that we both got something tossed into our laps that we didn't necessarily ask for....But that isn't always a bad thing." At least that is what he hoped for.

howard slayte

"The rumors are true. I, Howard Slayte, owner of a Pokemon built with the sole purpose of defending our region, have stuffed Regice into a freezer next to several shelves of frozen food. Unceremoniously, I might add."

Despite that, he tapped his belt and produced a Pokeball. It seemed perfectly ordinary, despite an odd sheen. On closer inspection, it appeared to be covered in a thin veil of ice and frost. The Pokeball seemed to sap the warmth out of the very air, and it caused Howard's breath to frost. Despite that and a minor case of the shivers, he didn't seem to react.

"I need to invest in a good coat, though. Kalosian, maybe." Howard confessed, tossing the ball containing Regice into the air. It had to be Regice, no other Pokémon besides Kyurem could produce such a chill.

"It's a valuable artifact, I must admit. It's made from ice that hasn't been seen on this planet for thousands of years. Beyond that... I don't know. I'll study it, see if we can use it to locate Regidrago, and go from there."

Yes, Regice was an artifact. A rare and valuable artifact. Deoxys was an alien, the dregs of Killian and Kaname's folly. Yet if anyone could unlock its secrets, it would be Amor Rose. Few in Rocket could match his deep pockets and keen intellect.

"Ah, you'll be fine. If you end up in a coma, you'll have the best health insurance in the region."

What did it mean to be worthy? What was the purpose of being chosen? How did one define worth, with so many different definitions existing? What made the Devourer different from the Harbinger?

"Have you looked over that report from the Regice Ruins? Regidrago's shrine is supposedly somewhere within the Meteor Falls mountain range." Howard smiled thoughtfully. "Do you think we can maybe call it back to Hoenn? It was sworn to defend it, after all."

---

Amor Rose

Amor nodded at his question on the report.

"Ever since the topic of reports at Disseminate...." Amor frowned, and made an annoyed 'tch' noise in his throat. "I make sure I read everything that comes up, and commit it to memory. Besides your reports are always a joy to read. As for calling it back to Hoenn...." Amor frowned a bit as he stared up at the sky. "I would like to think that we can get it back somehow. Though every time I make any amount of progress it feels as if I get pushed down a flight of stairs." A gentle laugh from his lips.

"The Legends of olde I don't pretend to understand their goals if I'm being honest. I can only guess, I just know that this universe we inhabit is an outlier in every sense of the word. To much power has coalesced, and gathered in one spot. It's why we're such a beacon to the Dark Triad, and other threats." He frowned a bit thinking of Sea Hoenn, and how their world had been potentially doomed due to the actions of the League.

It was a sacrifice but was it a necessary one? Amor didn't know. Day by day he began to find himself thinking that if Rocket controlled Hoenn it couldn't be worse than what the League was already doing.

"All we can do is fight back, and survive at the end of it all." He just smiled as Erebus looked over the walking Ice Golem with curiosity not seeming bothered by the cold. Perhaps the vacuum of space was colder? Though the alien didn't encroach to far before floating back over to it's current trainer.

"The question being how many of us will be left when the dust settles." Amor saw a road that just simply lead to ruin. Where the Dark Triad, and everyone from this universe fought for survival, and it only lead to death, and the end. How many survivors would there be at the end of it all....

howard slayte

"That's not our problem."

The words he uttered were cruel and heartless beyond compare. They were the words often uttered by rulers when faced with the deaths of many. They were such easy words to say, falling from the lips of League and Rocket alike. It was easy to pass off the ashes of the past onto those who would inherit the charred arcadia that Hoenn would become.

That did not stop it from being heartless.

Yet the tone was sorrowful. The words were heartless, but Howard uttered them with heartfelt sadness and sorrow. He said them because they needed to be said, not because he wanted to brush the future aside.

"We caused this problem, and we will clean it up. That is our duty. I'm not... aware of this multiverse. The reports come across my desk, but..." Howard gestured vaguely, before letting his arms slump to his side. "How can we as individuals comprehend an infinite amount of lives? It is impossible."

As he turned to look at Amor, his expression weary and bloodshot. He had only been admin for a short while, but cracks were already beginning to show. What had been excitement when this conversation had started had curdled quickly.

Howard Slayte was tired.

"All we can do is fight these impossible odds and win. After that, we leave what's left for the next generation. We leave them with more knowledge than before."

His eye crinkled slightly as he smiled slightly, before looking up towards the top of Meteor Falls. The stars were beautiful, even if they had long since fallen to the earth below.

"That's all we can do."

---

Amor Rose

"Well no use in dwelling on that depressing topic for now. We'll simply have to cross that bridge when we get there. Besides maybe it won't be as horrible as we're all imagining." He said to his companion with a little laugh, and he just kept his gaze fixed upwards.

None of them knew, and that was the worst part of it all. The not knowing....Amor hated the unknown because there wasn't a clean way to solve it. You just had to blindly charge forward, making sacrifices all the while, and that was something he hated doing if he was being honest. To just throw away resources, and people until you could learn to overcome whatever challenge awaited you. Amor could make that call if he had to, but he didn't enjoy being forced into that position.

"Well perhaps we'll have to go exploring those ruins then, maybe there will be a clue that will help us retrieve my Titan. With Kyogre currently rampaging away from the League, they are weaker than they were by a large margin. Having lost their greatest advantage over us. If we are to press it we should strike while the iron is hot." He said with a small smile, remembering his time in that other Galar. "The question is where we strike. Do we strike at the League, or our real enemy." He tapped his cheek thoughtfully, and shrugged starting to make his way away from the admin.

"We should go get some dinner, there is a great place in Lilycove if you want to join me, but I also know how inundated you are with paperwork, so I won't begrudge you if you can't." A pleasant smile on his lips towards the other man.

howard slayte

"We'll strike at the League, just like we always do. Our organization hasn't changed since the days of Kanto."

It was the constant warring with the League that had brought this iteration of Hoenn to utter collapse, but what was there to be done? History was a wheel, and Rocket would constantly batter its fists against the League until a clear victor emerged. If that destroyed the ground beneath their feat, who cared?

The glory of Rocket was infinite and unending.

"But when the time comes, we will unify and we will win." Howard scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Like during the Three Days War, like during Meteno. When we need to survive, we will."

He gave Amor an even glance. "I believe in humanity."

Silence. After a moment, Howard laughed and shrugged. The mask went back on, and the man who mocked circumstance returned to the forefront. The archaeologist was back, and the man who dared to dream had been wiped away.

"Or maybe not! As for dinner... hm. I'll borrow one of BARNABY FINCH's Cutiefly with my answer. I need to get situated." The promise was vague, but he had quite a busy day ahead. "Let's head back. I can't wait to see my new paycheck!"

---

Amor Rose