It was Priam's path to stardom, shining bright as the grunt made his ascent on the coattails of his mark. Howard, meanwhile, was perfectly willing to dangle off of Priam's leg as he ascended.

Hell, maybe he'd let go when Priam reached the apex of his ascent.

"It's news. I don't know if it's good or bad." Howard scratched his chin slightly. He was used to keeping his mask on in his dream world, but Priam was a safe bet for Howard to rely on. Plus he was buff, which made him a good ally to have on Howard's side when they were throwing hands with the Megalopolans. "Dynamax isn't good."

Whenever Dynamax was involved, things got messy fast. It was a power, and like most powers was capable of being used for good or evil, but the source of Dynamax was a giant dragon that wanted to kill everyone.

It made the implications of Dynamax being within the prison very terrifying.

"It's a tool for us to use, but we have no way to use it. Our Pokemon are gone!" Flashes of Doug echoed in Howard's mind. His eye twitched. "Maybe it's Eternatus itself? Oh, or maybe a Power Spot."

Spitballing theories until one of them suited Howard's opinion was a cornerstone of archaeology.

---

priam conrad

When Priam mentioned the scene on the television, the air became tense and strained. Frozen. Glasslike. A single movement would shatter the atmosphere and pelt the two with glass, cutting into their skin and letting blood soak the floor.

"Don't mention the television. Ever." Howard's voice was a whisper. A gentle but firm reminder of the disparity between their ranks. Even if the hierarchy of Rocket had broken down, the admin would cling to the vestiges of authority that it offered him. "Clear?"

The shadow passed as quickly as it appeared. The tension between the two melted as Howard considered Priam's question.

Dynamax was still a double edged sword. Eternatus did not discriminate between the individuals who leeched on its power. It would help them and it would hurt them, with no in-between. That made it unreliable, but it was also their only option.

"I saw them hauling Dynite Ore in with the rest of the boxes on my floor. The League figured out how to build Power Spots. It's not unreasonable to assume that the Megalopolans figured out the process for themselves. We'd still need our bands and all that, forget the cages."

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priam conrad

Even if the admin was a gear in a greater machine, a gear still had teeth. A completely smooth gear was of no use to anyone.

"If it's a real Power Spot stolen from Eternatus itself, we're completely and royally fucked." An Authentic Power Spot could only be ripped from one of the five ruins pertaining to each of the Legendary Giants, or from Eternatus's womb. If the Megalopolans had access to the Ultra Deep Sea, then Navy had failed.

That implication was sobering.

"If it's authentic, then the Megalopolans can use it as well. It's not worth the risk. Not yet."

If things got dire enough, the situation could change. The idea of having to rely on Eternatus at all made the admin's stomach churn. People had been burned by fire before.

"Are you volunteering, Priam?" The admin seemed amused, though his face flickered with an unknown expression as he thought of Grigori Sokolov.

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priam conrad

Guzzlord. A devourer from another world that would never be sated. History had wept upon the day that a Guzzlord had fallen upon Mossdeep and crushed Victini under the weight of its earthshaking weight. The scars of that day had still not healed, and no tears had been shed for the legendary defender.

He doubted Priam cared about that. It was years old at this point, and time dulled even the greatest of atrocities until they were nothing more than numbers and words.

Death got stale, after a spell.

"Don't be a martyr, Priam. Rocket still needs you, and I promised you that we'd explore ruins together." Howard turned away. "Let me know if the mark burns again."

That mark was awfully handy, the admin was beginning to realize.

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priam conrad