Howard hated his life.

That wasn't new, wait. Howard hated his current circumstances. Yeah, that was far better. He hated his life, his circumstances, and the circumstances of this poor backwater town. There had been a war here, once. A war that threatened to shake the foundations of reality within this quaint little town.

He wondered if the local Gym Leader felt any responsibility for what was going on. If so, he pitied Hideo Kino and his responsibilities. To be so young and to oversee your town's infection was a heavy weight to bear.

"Yes, report to Viper that I'm fine. I'll need no further reinforcements." Howard murmured Elisabeth Fiorelli's old code name into his communicator. Rocket's chain of command would respect his request, and cramming a dozen Rockets together during an active infection was the height of folly. "I've taken precautions."

A thin layer of Safeguard, Light Screen, and Reflect glimmered around him like a thrice-bound shield. He had learned an important lesson from Route 119 that his fellow colleagues had not. It had taught him to have a healthy respect for this contagion.

Hopefully Michael Navidson took his advice on it.

Splatter. Howard's small blade cut through Toxic Chains like a hot knife through butter. Jayden had taught him... to a passable degree. He was no master swordsman, nor could he compete with Jayden himself, or Gwyar, or anyone else who had actively studied the field. He could sever a Toxic Chain though, no problem.

Shred Zeppelin had done it, after all.

The admin stopped at the man in front of him staggering forward. Normally, Howard would've simply turned the other way. It was no good for him to stand around another admin, especially when he was undisguised, especially when the other person was rambling about mochi.

"Jayden." The word is soft. "You're infected too, huh?"

A small voice inside him uttered a single word: good. The rest of his body ached, though. This was no way to go. Infected and poisoned and dying from the inside out. Rocket was vile, nobody had heeded his warning about the Toxic Chain. One of the admins had gotten themselves infected. Death would be ideal.

But Jayden Cross did not deserve this.

"It's Howard. Admin Fox."

---

jayden cross

Long ago, in that cave, he had ran from Eris Halla and her suffering. The Toxic Chain had caused her to dance to the whims of an unknown puppeteer.

He would not repeat that. Not today.

A few people who had the Toxic Chain had forgotten what happened afterwards, until it had been excised. To not remember, to not know was the greatest sin imaginable. It was a fate that Howard would not wish onto anyone, even someone as violent as Jayden. He cocked his head as the admin questioned him.

Did he think that Howard was someone else? There was only one other Fox, and he was long gone.

"No."

The voice was cool. It was harsh. It did not care. There is no need to lie to a madman. Even the biggest charlatan of all needed a moment to take off the mask.

"We're colleagues. Associates. Rockets. Admins. We're a hundred things and more. We're a thousand things and less, but there is one thing you and I will never be."

The vision of Remiel Calcifet flickered over Howard's visage.

"Friends."

---

jayden cross

"No. You were loyal to an idea, Jayden. You've always been loyal to an idea. To a dream that you've been dreaming for years."

His leg trembled as Jayden unleashed the powers of Avatarship onto him. In rapid succession, he had experienced the raw power of several Avatars. The Alchemist, the Coveted, the Cursed, the Scorned. Each of them had the power to destroy him, and each had the raw authority to make him turn tail and run.

He wanted to run. This was no fight he could flee from, even if he wanted to.

"It's time to wake up." The small saber at his belt was ornamental, more of an artifact than an actual weapon. He had started using it when Jayden had began to spar with him. "Let's dance, you and I."

He slammed the butt of the blade into Jayden's chest to knock him back, before readying his blade.

"I hate you. I always hated you."

Rage bubbled up. The wave of cold and rage and scorn hit him like a storm wall. Immediately, Howard's clothes began to frost over in ice. Behind him, Regice appeared as a cold sentinel of the coming duel. Various corrupted townsfolk were frozen in place, preserved in a sheet of ice.

---

jayden cross