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After experiencing the extraterrestrial horrors of the Megalopolan prison ship, Eddie realized that he was woefully unprepared for some of the more bizarre and harrowing oddities that Hoenn might throw at him. He could handle some of the more mundane stuff, sure, with his basic training and stubborn tenacity, but how was he supposed to handle some of the really weird stuff that went down around these parts? It wasn't like he could just run through some kind of simulation to prepare himself for what might come his way... [break][break]

Except that it turned out he could. Eddie had never given the RKS simulation much consideration before, but now he realized that it could serve as the perfect training ground to handle whatever new crisis popped up in the region next. And better still, Eddie realized that he had a familiar face accompanying him when he phased in to their first scenario, [break][break]

“Whaddya think, Shalin?” Eddie asked with a shrug, completely ignoring the fact that the white-haired woman was standing right in front of them, “A name like Hexenhurkle-” [break][break]

The woman suddenly scowled. Eddie swallowed hard, [break][break]

“Hexenfurkle? Hexenzurkle? Hexenzirkel! Arceus almighty, ain't that a mouthful. Anyways, a name like that sounds real culty, dontcha think?” [break][break]

Eddie paused and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, [break][break]

“But I don't make a habit of just attackin' folks fer no reason, ya know?” [break][break]

He leaned in, his face peeling into wolfish grin. It's not like any of this was real, anyway; why not have a little fun while they were at it? [break][break]

“Maybe we oughta try some'a the Flavor-Aide.”

[attr="class","bottom"]action: join the hexenzirkel[break]
Shalin Nariya[break]

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Eddie, worthy of Shalin's trust? The thought warmed his heart, and he grinned happily back at the Ranger Captain even as the figures rose from the table, [break][break]

“I dunno about expertise, but lemme tell ya-” [break][break]

Had the figures always been that close? Had the voices always been that loud? Eddie felt himself tense with a new rush of fear. [break][break]

W̴e̸ ̸w̷i̵l̴l̸ ̷h̷i̷d̶e̷ ̸y̷o̸u̶. [break][break]

W̴e̵ ̴w̵i̶l̶l̶ ̴w̷o̸r̵k̴ ̵i̴n̵ ̴t̸h̷e̸ ̶d̸a̴r̵k̵ ̷t̴o̸ ̵p̶r̷e̶s̸e̸r̵v̸e̶ ̷a̴l̴l̸ ̷t̴h̶i̴n̵g̴s̸. [break][break]

The figures circled around them, all wide arms and too-wide smiles full of glimmering white teeth. Eddie swept an arm out and took a step back, trying to shield Shalin behind him, [break][break]

“Okay, so, uhhhh, maybe drinkin' the Flavor-Aide was a bad idea after all.” [break][break]

Huh, who would've thought?

[attr="class","bottom"]on to the next one![break]
Shalin Nariya [break]

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Their transition to the next part of the simulation came not a moment too soon. Eddie sighed, shoulders slackening with relief when he realized he was no longer being swarmed by a bunch of cult-y freaks, [break][break]

“Man, what a bunch'a weirdos,” he chuckled breathlessly. “I, uh, should probably defer to you for the next one, huh?” [break][break]

Unfortunately, the 'next one' also happened to involve a costumed weirdo. Even through the hustle and bustle of Mauville, the glint of a shining coin tossed into the air caught Eddie's eye. He moved toward it, shuffling to the robed man in an almost transfixed state, until Eddie suddenly remembered himself, [break][break]

“Okay, yeah, no, you deal with this one, Shalin,” Eddie insisted, wiping his eyes like he had just woken up from a long nap, “I'll back you up, whichever one what you pick.”

[attr="class","bottom"]deferring to shalin![break]
Shalin Nariya [break]

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If he was going to be honest, Eddie didn't think that the Ranger Captain had a violent bone in her body. He was quickly proven incorrect in his assumption as she donned her suit and assaulted the man, [break][break]

“Holy shit!” he cried with momentary fear and surprise as the Venusaur's vine collided with the man. [break][break]

Though he had promised to go with whatever the younger woman had chosen, it proved to be kind of unnecessary as this Father Winter guy was battered. Maybe he should step in to try and do something? After all, the guy wasn't putting up much of a fight; it was kinda nauseating to watch the spectacle, all told. Especially when the man, now sprawled on the cold streets of Mauville, began to split in half like he had been vertically bisected, [break][break]

“Sweet fuckin' Arceus, Shalin, the hell did you do to him?!”

[attr="class","bottom"]peeping the horror![break]
Shalin Nariya [break]

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Avatar killer? Eddie realized that he lacked the appropriate context to really understand what had driven Shalin to such blood lust. He watched with horrified awe as the Ranger Captain rocked violently on the precipice of the cracking whip. [break][break]

Even as the violent thrashing stopped and Shalin sat haggard on the Venusaur's vine, Eddie felt some trepidation in addressing her. He shoved that little bit of fear down as best as he could with a sigh; Eddie was sure that the younger woman had her reasons, [break][break]

“Hey, no worries,” he replied in a cautious attempt at being reassuring, “But, uh, that explains some things.” [break][break]

Vengeance wasn't exactly his style, at least not when presented with his enemy in such a helpless state, but he could empathize with the desire to reap righteous retribution. These folks must have been pretty deserving of it to have earned this otherwise kind woman's ire, [break][break]

“Can you tell me a little bit more about 'em?” [break][break]

It'd be good to know his enemy, though Eddie suddenly realized that he might be touching on a real sore spot, [break][break]

“Only if yer comfortable with it, of course.”

[attr="class","bottom"]on to the next one![break]
Shalin Nariya [break]