It took Howard a few seconds to realize who this was.

"Oh, I remember you! You're the guy I beat at the tournament!" Some scars never truly healed, especially when battling was involved. If Howard had been beaten by someone at his own skill level, he would've retired. Permanently. Forever. Until the mountains were eroded away and the oceans dried up. "How've you been?"

It was delightfully refreshing to not have to play politics for once. Noel wasn't a member of Rocket as far as Howard knew, so the admin could talk like Noel wasn't trying to gut him with a spoon.

Judging from their history, that was still on the table. When the subject turned to Serizawa, Howard's face turned to despair.

"I don't know!" Howard wailed as he pointed at Serizawa. The pupa hadn't moved an inch since Noel's appearance. "We were crossing the road, and he just decided to stop! He won't move an inch!"

"Tar."

Noel had lost to these two?

---

Noel Parker

Somehow, against all odds, Howard managed to look even more sheepish.

"Well, I'm glad you asked, see..." His voice made it clear that he was not glad that Noel asked. However, due to social customs, it was expected that Howard give a valid reason as to why he was disrupting Dewford's thriving streets with Serizawa's unfathomably heavy form. "I left it behind! I wanted this to be a friendship building exercise!"

He beamed at Noel with such radiant pride that the deputy's loss burned even brighter. How could someone with such a powerful Pokemon be so utterly incompetent?

It was truly a mystery...

"Pupitar's carapace is made of a highly durable rock called..." As Noel tried to lift Pupitar, he was greeted to a speech about geology, Pupitar stone composition, and Larvitar soil diets. Despite being utterly incapable of properly raising a Pokémon, Howard was a pro when it came to monologuing about them.

"Tar." Serizawa added as Noel tried to lift him.

"...and that's why Pupitars weigh over four hundred po-"

Suddenly, a scream filled the air. Nearby, a woman and her child were caressed and scooped up by a horde of Nihilego. Their glass-like bodies made it difficult for anyone to see them coming, yet come they did. Without Dewford's sheriff to cull the hordes of Ultra Beasts, Dewford was left undefended.

"GET AWAY! STOP! HEEEEEELP!"

"Guh! Hey!" Howard recognized the Nihilego immediately. He reached for his belt to produce Regice, before stopping. "Shit...!"

He didn't have it. The golem was on Howard's desk at home.

---

Noel Parker

"You tell me. I haven't seen the sheriff in weeks."

Being a member of the Elite Four was busy work, but Dewford's Gym Leader was busy far more often than he wasn't, and that meant he was hardly in the town. A small part of Howard understood why Navy was gone. It was a terrible thing to lose a friend, especially when that friend was Hoenn's Top Champion.

Still, Noel was a solid substitute, seeing how he dealt with that Nihilego without breaking a sweat.

"That's crazy! You're super strong!" Howard's eye grew massive as he stared at the deflating corpse of the Ultra Beast, his fear of Scream Tails momentarily forgotten. "Why didn't you use that thing at the tournament?"

It all came back to Vital City.

More Nihilegos began to descend, and Howard nervously swallowed. Noel was strong, but there had to be... what? Twenty Nihilegos here? That was a lot for Dewford's sheriff on a good day, and he was one of the strongest trainers that Howard knew. Meanwhile, Serizawa sat dormant, still refusing to budge.

"This is bad. You can't stick around either. We can't deal with this many." Howard turned to Noel. Somewhere deep in his heart, Howard suspected that this man would rather die than retreat. That was just the type of deputy that Navy liked to hire. "I'm not leaving you! We'll fight together."

"Tar." Serizawa agreed as the Nihilego descended. As their tentacles outstretched, the Pupitar lunged forward with a massive bang, shattering three Nihilegos like glass as it blasted forth. Serizawa didn't break a sweat as it landed next to Noel's foot. "Tar."

---

Noel Parker

What kind of person would Noel Parker be if he ran away?

"You'd be an alive one!" Howard shouted at him as his Pupitar continued to shoot around the battlefield like a rocket. As it shattered the bodies of Nihilegos like glass, a path forward opened up. "Wait for me!"

Thus the duo went into the breach. Without his Pokeballs, the admin was forced to leave Serizawa behind. The Pupitar elected to follow for once, though, ejecting gas so that it could lunge forward at a remarkable pace. As they reached the town square, several Nihilegos followed and began harassing Dewford's citizens.

To live on this island was to accept strife as the only reward.

"Alright, I'll take one side, you can take the other. We'll reconvene on the other side of the plaza!" Howard snapped his fingers as they ran. Noel had his whole team with him, but Howard had Serizawa, one of the strongest Pupitars in existence. He would never lose.

Never.

"Alright, let's g-" Howard shuddered as a tentacle slid over his shoulder with a texture similar to glass "go...?"

The archaeologist felt the ground disappear beneath him as he was dragged up into the sky. He shuddered as he felt the familiar sting of the alien tentacle. There was a brief flash of pain.

Then the screaming began.

---

Noel Parker