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POSTED ON Feb 4, 2024 21:52:19 GMT

Xenon Antheil likes this

"You've gotta be kidding me. This is absurd! We've been dealing with attacks all week!"

The Dyna Tree that erupted in Sootopolis had dubious origins. Originally, it had bloomed from a petal that had been passed around when Rocket's upper command had met within the Cave of Origin. Grigori Sokolov had told him about the meeting, and each time he recounted it, the more Howard suspected that Rocket's leadership was more and more unhinged every day.

Howard's Ursaluna, Doug, crushed a Pinsir under its foot. It then blasted a Blood Moon at a nearby Scizor, which was atomized in the blast. Letting out a huff, Howard watched as the attacking bug-types dispersed.

Admittedly, he understood their reasoning. The Dyna Tree bore delicious fruit, too tasty to resist. If Howard was a bug whose entire purpose in life was eating green things, he probably would've wanted to take a bite too.

Alas.

"Alba!" Howard turned to the grunt. "How're you holding up?"

Alba had drafted Howard's Route 119 Incident Report from paper to computer, which had been a great help. Howard wasn't particularly good at working with computers, so it was nice to have someone who knew the difference between a .doc and a .docx file.

Whenever he asked Xenon Antheil , she laughed at him.

"How's the tree holding up?"

Alba Evovae

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Feb 6, 2024 1:05:50 GMT

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Mistilteinn

“I'll bet you a hundred PD this won't be the last attack of the week, either.” What a tree it was! A great pastel thing that stretches out of Sootopolis’ crater, fit to burst with ripe, juicy fruit. Somewhere beneath its boughs, the memory of a king listens closely to the tapestry of tales Team Rocket weaves for it. It was a hotbed of activity, for good reason; maybe they should have considered themselves lucky that it was just Pokémon they were dealing with right now.[break][break]

Howard Slayte was a good boss. He was down-to-earth, like the fossils and relics he prized so highly, with little of the menace that often hung over some of the other higher-ups.[break][break]

Howard Slayte was a good boss, but the group that bound them together was rotten to the core.[break][break]

“All good over here.” Whimsicott’s Spotlight falls on an unfortunate Kricketune, and the surrounding Bug-type pile on each other in a frenzy. It takes a moment to admire its handiwork, before it turns back to gaze wistfully at the Dyna Fruit hanging above them. “The tree’s looking fine too, as far as I can tell.”

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NOTES

• Mission: Protect the Dyna Tree

[break][break]howard slayte

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Whimsicott ♀ | Prankster | Giga Drain, Leech Seed, Moonblast, Spotlight, Stun Spore, Switcheroo

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POSTED ON Feb 6, 2024 6:59:07 GMT

mint frost and BARNABY FINCH like this

"No deal. I spent most of my check on this model of ancient Unova." Howard's eye sparkled as he prepared to talk about his most recent absurd purchase, as it often tended to. "I'm got about seventy PD to last me until the end of the month."

It was awe-inspiring that Rocket didn't thrash him for his obscene spending habits. The only thing keeping him from getting a talking-to from his superiors was an insane talent to rake in cash. If it weren't for the fact that he had salvaged the remnants of Remiel's smuggling network and expanded it into something greater, Rocket would've been hemorrhaging PD like the Dyna Tree hemorrhaged fruits.

The remaining drips of juice from one of the Dyna Fruit fell to the ground, remnants from the feast that the Galarian Birds had recently devoured. BARNABY FINCH would get his wish, and mint frost's energy reader had finally done something useful.

Hopefully they were on the chase, before the League got them first.

"It's producing fruit remarkably fast." Howard grunted as he looked over at the tree. Doug wandered over and began sniffing at its base, before raising its leg to do its business. Howard rolled his eye at it before turning to Alba. "I still can't believe that there's a tree here. What caused it to bloom, I wonder?"

The Rocket Admin flicked to Alba. The researcher poked his head into whatever interested him at the time, so he likely had a better idea than Howard.

"Any ideas?"

Alba Evovae

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Feb 23, 2024 2:18:17 GMT

jayden cross likes this

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Mistilteinn

“I’ll also accept an IOU,” Alba replied with his boundless generosity. His eyes flickered back and forth between his surroundings and Howard. It was the only part of him that seemed to be alert; the rest of him looked like he was just enjoying a casual talk.[break][break]

“…You’d enjoy digging around in the Relic Castle though, if you don’t mind a little sand.” Well, a lot of sand. The only reason he wasn’t still finding grains in everything he owned was because he’d moved far away from that old life of his.[break][break]

In the distance were faint chirps and chitters; the sounds of Pokémon torn between a hunger for the fruit and a wariness of the pair that stood in their way.[break][break]

“The current theory going around seems to be that Dynergy’s responsible. It’s probably been feeding off the Power Spot ever since we constructed it, like… well, like a plant. When it reached capacity, it burst. If that’s the case, I think it was just a matter of time, not because of one event or anything. But Dynergy doesn’t answer every question.”[break][break]

Somewhere nearby, a forgotten king was being gifted a story. The words were just out of earshot, because to suffer eavesdroppers would be to share its meal.[break][break]

“Calyrex is from a dream, so how did it get here? Was it waiting inside that petal?” If they stopped feeding it stories, would it fade away once more?

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NOTES

• Mission: Protect the Dyna Tree

[break][break]howard slayte

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POSTED ON Feb 23, 2024 7:22:55 GMT

oscar clayton and Tempest Quinn like this

"I still wouldn't bet on it." Howard huffed and shook his head once, a jerk of the chin that sent his hat slightly askew. "For the simple fact that I agree with you, Alba. This won't be the last attack, unless you can think of a way to make insects instinct."

Knowing Alba, he'd find a way. He heard that oscar clayton had crafted a cannister of insect repellant from gasoline, dish soap, and shaving cream recently. If there was one thing Rocket excelled at, it was pushing the boundaries of knowledge beyond what was possible.

The weight of morality was ephemeral, and had no place in Rocket.

When the term 'Relic Castle' flew from Alba's lips, Howard perked up. He could talk about Unova and its Desert Resort for hours, if not for their current objective. His eye flicked to the insects buzzing about, and he whistled to Doug, then pointed at the Bug-types. With a roar, a Blood Moon erupted from a crimson orb above the Ursaluna's head.

Torn bug bits fell from the sky like the snow.

"Interesting theory. I'd best keep Regice away from it, lest the tree sap it dry for sustenance. I'd rather not get demoted for losing such a valuable asset." He joked with a smile, before looking up at the tree. Dreams. Dreams had power. "Were you in the dream of Galar? What was it like?"

Howard hadn't dreamed the same dream that Alba had, many months ago.

Alba Evovae

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POSTED ON Apr 4, 2024 19:31:36 GMT

jayden cross and Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki like this

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Mistilteinn

“Aromatisse could whip something up, maybe…” Alba rubbed his nose at the thought of that particular Pokémon. An anonymous gift (Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki) that had appeared on his doorstep one day, and had threatened to burn out the nosehairs of anything within 10 metres… Breaking it in had been a unique challenge, given that he’d had to order in a full-face gas mask to stand being near it for long enough.[break][break]

…There was still work to be done if he didn’t want to lose his sense of smell, though. [break][break]

But the conversation turned to a new topic, one tied to the far-stretching roots of the colossal tree they watched over.[break][break]

“Yeah, I was there. It’s a little hard to cover twenty years quickly, so excuse me if I skip out some details…” Alba had spent half his life in that dream, or it had at least felt that way. How could he cover all the oak rings he had grown in that time? No, Admin Fox would only want the bigger picture, the things that would be useful for the glory of Rocket.[break][break]

Because the only way to speak of tree rings was to take a bonesaw to your soul.[break][break]

“Have you ever seen Eternatus’ poison? It’s like sludge. Nothing’s perfectly safe from it; if you’re not careful, it gets into your mind, makes you see things, makes you forget. It was everywhere, when we first arrived. Seeping into the land, clogging up the heart of the king, just over there,” he says, pointing across to the other side of the trunk.[break][break]

“We’d been thrown into the middle of a war between the Black Knight and the Skeleton: Necrozma and Eternatus. Looking back, I think it had been feeding off the stories we told — the stories we lived — even then.”

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NOTES

• Mission: Protect the Dyna Tree

[break][break]howard slayte

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The Galarian

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POSTED ON Apr 6, 2024 19:31:01 GMT

Alba Evovae likes this

"Stories have power." They were the only thing that persisted after death. Modern historical analysis had once been built on the remnants of stories spoken for dozens of generations. Most tales were just that, stories meant to regale the youth with whispering memories of what once was.

But for a Pokémon to draw power from them... that is inexcusable."

Not because of the twenty years of joy that had been stripped away. No, it was because if Alba was correct, Calyrex was taking away their only boon. Mankind had written those stories. The divine didn't need them, because there was no story for them to tell.

To steal such a thing from mankind was arrogance, and it was terrifying. What did a god need from a man?

That meant that Calyrex was either a tyrant to be toppled or a tool for humanity, and that was all that a king would ever be.

"I'm familiar with Dynergy." Too familiar. He supped upon it whenever Regice was damaged. Regice was a fine chalice to hold the energy source, but it was a fragile one. A chipped wine glass could not hold liquid, and whenever Regice cracked, Howard found himself bathing in the breath of God.

Abhorrent. Terrifying. Beautiful. Evil.

"What caused the dream, then? A ploy by Calyrex?"

Alba Evovae

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Apr 23, 2024 22:59:43 GMT

jayden cross likes this

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Mistilteinn

What an interesting man Howard Slayte was.[break][break]

“Inexcusable…” Alba laughed at that, a sound devoid of mirth. “Yeah, we can call it that.” Their thoughts and feeling deviated, but they reached a similar conclusion in the end. A dead king of a dead kingdom… What right did a shambling corpse like that have to return from the grave?[break][break]

“A ploy? I don't know. Bear with me while I try and cover all of this…”[break][break]

“On Route 120, there was a battle between two forces. A pair of dog Pokémon — one wielding a sword, one wielding a shield — and two of the Ruinous Treasures. Admin jayden cross’s patron, and some Pokémon carrying a bowl, to be exact. The Treasures used some kind of power, which reacted with the weapons, pulling us into the dream.[break][break]

“Could it be a ploy? The Calyrex of hundreds of years ago, placing its trust in its vassals to pull it out of the memories lingering in Necrozma steel… It would make quite the story.” But his expression dulled, as if throwing away that fantasy without a second thought.[break][break]

“No, I don’t think so. I think our High King is just something that desperately wants to live; the stars happened to align, and it clung to that as hard as it could.” It was so fragile when its statue shattered. So full of blind fury and fear when its lifeline was severed.[break][break]

“Selfish bastard,” Alba muttered under his breath, without a single shred of irony.

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NOTES

• Mission: Protect the Dyna Tree

[break][break]howard slayte

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