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POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 6:17:23 GMT

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[attr="class","gunstest6body howard"]

[attr="class","iconimg"]

There were an infinite number of worlds within the Tera Crystals. They were realities dressed in impossibility, yet that contradiction, that paradox, was what gave them value. They were tumors that blighted the world of the living. In an ideal world, the world would be scourged of both. [break][break]

For now, Eternatus would fall first. Tera Crystals could wait until later.[break][break]

"Good work, Zaria!" Howard didn't know how she accomplished that she had done. Terastalization only came for Pokémon, but there was little time to complain. This story had its own rules, which it used to suit its narrative of knights slaying monsters. "Ready, aim..."[break][break]

Hammerlocke's trebuchets took aim.[break][break]

"FIRE!" [break][break]

Stones flew through the air. [break][break]

Howard could give an entire lecture on the inaccuracy of siege weapons. Their value came from their ability to hit large, still targets. Dynamax accounted for both of those things. Stonjourner was not Regice. It could not move as the Legendary Giant could. It was a sitting duck. [break][break]

The stone giant screamed as boulders struck the Dynergy Barriers. Quickly, it began to shrink. A stone fell towards Crystal. Quick mental arithmetic told Howard that she would be crushed. [break][break]

He rode and smacked her steed with the flat end of his halberd. The stallion screeched, and the two rode out of the way of the oncoming stone fall.

Michael Navidson [break][break]

NOTES

- March forward, squire.

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MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Navy

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E4; Gym Leader

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 6:31:43 GMT

jayden cross likes this

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MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

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howard slayte

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ROUSE THYSELF, RIDER.

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“You trained your dragon well, Navidson.” jayden cross was standing, but he was in no shape to fight. Neither Navy nor the cursed warrior knew how long the battle had raged for. Behind them, Hammerlocke’s forces slowly, surely, broke against the powers off the darkness. Navy thought, not for the first time, how strange it was that so few people could make such a difference.[break][break]
“Looks like he’s about to kill your guy.”[break][break]
And it was true. Vortigern raged against Chien-Pao. They writhed on the ground together. Vortigern roused the rage which kept him alive in the wild. The hateful beast broke his blade off in the dragon’s back, at last piercing his heart.[break][break]
“He interrupted a good fight.” Said the Dark Knight. “So he’ll have to figure it out on his own.”[break][break]
Which he didn’t. Vortigern tore Chien-Pao’s throat out in his death throes. The last of his Pokemon companions spent the candle of his life in this fight. Roland, Hattori, and Vortigern were all dead. His dragon went limp.[break][break]
Until it sprang to life again. Navy took a step back, feeling the same fear he felt when he first tamed the dragon. Jayden, who was beyond fearing dragons, stood in place. His eyes looked up at Vortigern, his blade raised to strike again.[break][break]
“Vortigern, stop!” He did not know where he found the will to say the words, or why Vortigern obeyed. Yet obey it did. Vortigern stopped, stock still. Light left his eyes, and the beast truly died.[break][break]
“Zaria’s going to be mad at you.” Crystal observed.[break][break]
“Why did you stop him, Navidson?” Jayden, shaking and missing an arm, turned and raised his sword to Navy. “I’m your enemy, and I’m going to kill you.”[break][break]
“Maybe one day. Maybe in Hoenn. But not here. There’s something I think I have to say to you, the real you. But for you? I just want to say…” He closed his eyes, somehow knowing a strike wouldn’t come.[break][break]
“Sorry you got cast as the bad guy, Cross. You deserve better than that.”[break][break]
“Do I?” Jayden asked. He fell, and he died. In the east, the skies cleared. Only the Void remained. Two more crystals slid from the foes. One of ice, one of draconic fire. Navy picked them up, and turned to see the army behind him crumble.[break][break]
They’d won.

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Admin Fox

He/Him

May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

Rocket Admin

5'9 height

The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.

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POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 7:01:57 GMT

jayden cross, Aurelie Lefevre, and 1 more like this

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[attr="class","gunstest6body howard"]

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The dead died again. [break][break]

Once, Howard had told Aurelie Lefevre that all things in existence died twice. The first was the death of the body, and the second was the death of the memory.[break][break]

Maybe he was wrong. There was a third death at play here. These soldiers had died at the Island Cave, seizing Regice for Howard's sake in the name of Team Rocket. They had been revived as nameless soldiers, their original purposes forgotten in the face of bolstering Jayden's army with the slain.[break][break]

The third death was when they died again. The flesh had failed. The memory had faded. The bones had crumbled to dust.[break][break]

Nobody would remember these soldiers for what they had once been. Not even Navy. [break][break]

Howard would. That was his duty. [break][break]

As Jayden fell, he reached out for someone. Maybe fern delaney, the one who loved him, or perhaps Chu-e Choi, who had spurred him. Jayden had built so many bonds with Rocket at the core of his being, and this construct remembered none of them. [break][break]

This had never been jayden cross.[break][break]

Perhaps that was for the best. [break][break]

As Howard trudged through the field of dust and bones on his Rapidash, he found Zaria's armor glimmering in the sun, which now shined high in the sky. They had been fighting for hours. He raised his hand to her in greeting. [break][break]

"Not a bad trick. You'll have to teach me that one." Howard looked around for Crystal, before seeing her in the distance, already closing in on Navy. The admin and the knight followed her towards Jayden's final resting place on a field of painted ash and snow. "Navy, we did it! We wo-" [break][break]

He stopped when he saw Vortigern's corpse. [break][break]

"Oh."

Michael Navidson [break][break]

NOTES

- March forward, squire.

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MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Teddie

Navy

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

E4; Gym Leader

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 7:23:25 GMT

jayden cross likes this

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[attr="class","Navypog3-1"]

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MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

[attr="class","Navypog3-tagged"]
howard slayte

[attr="class","Navypog3-subtitle"]
ROUSE THYSELF, RIDER.

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“Just four of us left.” He looked to Crystal. Navy tried to hide the fear in his eyes, but he saw by her expression he did a poor job.

[break][break]

“I won’t die in Wyndon, father.” She spoke with certainty. That steeled his heart, but they had business yet to finish between now and then. As far as he knew, there was another lord to fight.

[break][break]

“We have work to do, and we have to get ready to venture on to Spikemuth.”

[break][break]

The business that followed was much the same as what preceded it. The dead were gathered. Old bones of the Einherjar and fresh corpses were placed on massive bonfires. The smoke rose high, dark and putrid and carrying the smell of burning flesh. People sang Navy’s praises.

[break][break]

jayden cross and his patron were given places of honor. They, too, burned. Vortigern’s body was buried. The scales refused to burn.

[break][break]

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Zaria asked. He knew what spurred the question. Jayden did not die to a final blow.

[break][break]

“There are times when you have to know when you shouldn’t swing your sword. You got mad at me before for being indecisive. I made a decision, Cyan. You don’t have to like it, but I was willing to live with the consequences.”

[break][break]

“Hmm. The Fairy King told me something like that, a long time ago.” She looked at Howard, off doing a good Squire’s work.

[break][break]

“He would have died anyway, and your black dragon is headstrong. I — one day, I hope I get to work with them again, and meet this Shuwen of yours.”

[break][break]

“I’m sure you will.”

[break][break]

Later, as they were rewarded with another feast, Navy turned his attention to another matter of strategy.

[break][break]

“How do you think we’ll find the Void, once we get to Spikemuth?”

[break][break]

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Admin Fox

He/Him

May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

Rocket Admin

5'9 height

The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.

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POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 8:02:20 GMT

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[attr="class","gunstest6body howard"]

[attr="class","iconimg"]

Hammerlocke feasted them again. This time, it felt earned. [break][break]

Beating Jayden had been exhausting in a way that Penelope and Elisabeth hadn't been. Those two had tired the soul with schemes and plans, and had flayed Navy until his heart was bare to look upon, black and beating. Jayden had been a test of arms, and though he was strong, Navy had been stronger.[break][break]

If it had truly been the Cursed, there would've been more passion to their battle. Jayden might have actually won.[break][break]

But Eternatus had raised the body from the ether and forgot to instill it with a beating heart. The dead had no grasp on the blinding light of the living.[break][break]

A god could never understand that. [break][break]

"It was a good fight. Vortigern's death wasn't in vain. I suspect he went out as he wanted to." Howard frowned as he swirled his mead. "Huh." [break][break]

He quaffed the mead again. [break][break]

"This isn't too bad, actually. Do people in Hammerlocke spice their mead with berries?" Howard scrunched up his face as he thought about it. "They don't."[break][break]

Why, then, did the drink of warriors dance on his tongue? [break][break]

As Navy spoke about the Void, Howard's voice became a tight line. He blinked once, before his eye began to widen in realization.[break][break]

He had forgotten about the Void.[break][break]

"Shit. I forgot...!" Howard scrambled to his feet and sprinted out of the hall. "DOUG!"[break][break]

He ran through the castle in a haze, silently pleading and praying that he wasn't going to bear witness to something abhorrent as he reached the stables where their Pokémon had been held. There had once been a spot for Vortigern, Navy's ace in the hole, but there had also been another for Doug.[break][break]

The stable door creaked open, and Howard fell to his knees.[break][break]

"No..." His eye filled with tears. "It was real. It was real." [break][break]

As if sleeping, Doug curled up on a bed of straw with his mismatched eyes closed. When Howard reached out to touch him, his hand recoiled. [break][break]

He was cold.

Michael Navidson [break][break]

NOTES

- March forward, squire.

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MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Teddie

Navy

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

E4; Gym Leader

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 8:52:15 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Navypog3"]

[attr="class","Navypog3-big-img"]

[attr="class","Navypog3-1"]

[attr="class","Navypog3-title"]
MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

[attr="class","Navypog3-tagged"]
howard slayte

[attr="class","Navypog3-subtitle"]
ROUSE THYSELF, RIDER.

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“Howard?” The word was followed by a breakneck run. Neither Crystal or Zaria stood up. Their eyes told all, that they knew what Howard would soon find in the stable. [break][break]

Navy was fond of Doug. They looted a convenience store during a crisis together. There was something scrappy about the beast that reminded him of better times, younger days before the world went mad. They rarely got to spend time together in the waking world, and somehow Navy thought they wouldn’t find that time - not with war coming. [break][break]

Doug gazed into the Void. It gazed also. The darkness did not, in the end win. Good prevailed. There was a victory there. Navy put a hand on Howard’s shoulder, pulling him into a hug. [break][break]

“Sorry, man. Real sorry.” He let go, and was about to leave Howard to his grief before he spied two crystals in the bear’s claws. Picking them up, he saw two worlds. One was MATIAS SILPH’s world, a world where the land never ended. He swore he saw a dragon lumbering across the ground, but he couldn’t be sure. In the other, he saw the world where Zev Harcourt won, where all light was devoured. It was a cold world, dark. That world, Navy quietly vowed, would never come to be. [break][break]

“Take all the time you need. I’m here if you wanna talk.” He did not ask about the Void again. [break][break]

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Magnetic

Admin Fox

He/Him

May 9th

Rustboro City

Bisexual

Archaeologist

Rocket Admin

5'9 height

The future will tempt you, the present will indulge you, but the past will shackle you.

awards

2,258 posts

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TAG WITH @magnetic

POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 9:05:26 GMT

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","topimage"]

[attr="class","gunstest6body howard"]

[attr="class","iconimg"]

What was there to say? [break][break]

Doug had died in a way that nobody but his trainer and Zaria could possibly comprehend. A peaceful passing in his sleep was a fair way to go, but that wasn't how the Bloodmoon Ursaluna had passed. He was a victim of ruin, and that cancerous rot had turned a peaceful dream into a nightmare.[break][break]

Howard had little to tell Navy when Hattori had perished. Even less when Roland had died. What had Vortigern earned from him? A few sentences of an obituary? Even if Howard remembered them all, he had expressed little of that to Navy. The sheriff's concern was more than he deserved. [break][break]

But it was all he had. [break][break]

He began to talk. [break][break]

"The Void is dead. I killed him with Doug and Zaria's help." As he spoke, it still felt fictional. Yet the cold stiffness of the corpse ensured that such a memory would not vanish. "I dreamed of him." [break][break]

There was no need to elaborate on that front. Both Navy and Howard knew the power of dreams, given where they were now. [break][break]

"Ting-Lu was a hard foe to beat. You weren't there. I think that was the point. It was trying to break me at my lowest, and his chosen candidate was wily." His voice was monotone. "It was me, so it makes sense."[break][break]

Even saying it sounded absurd. It sounded like madness, but as the words left his lips, they sounded right. Even what followed sounded absolutely correct, even as they bordered on madness. It was a fine line between being the Craven and the Squire.[break][break]

"There's a world where I'm Ting-Lu's avatar, somewhere. There's a world where I cause Ruination." [break][break]

He looked up.[break][break]

"It's a world where you don't exist."

Michael Navidson [break][break]

NOTES

- March forward, squire.

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played by

Teddie

Navy

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

E4; Gym Leader

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

3,584 posts

DOLLARS

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 11:13:22 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","Navypog3"]

[attr="class","Navypog3-big-img"]

[attr="class","Navypog3-1"]

[attr="class","Navypog3-title"]
MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

[attr="class","Navypog3-tagged"]
howard slayte

[attr="class","Navypog3-subtitle"]
ROUSE THYSELF, RIDER.

[attr="class","Navypog3-pkmn"]

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“Sounds like Dark Triad bullshit.” He wondered how callous the words sounded as they passed his lips. When it became clear Howard wanted to talk, Navy sat down in the straw. Until the very last word, Navy listened. Only when Howard spoke of that other world, and his own nonexistence, did he say anything.[break][break]
“Gabe was into new movies. They suck. A lot of them follow trends. This whole thing about other worlds is one of them. People get so caught up in that. Think it’s a good fantasy, you know? Somewhere out there, I’m an interesting guy. Somewhere, things are alright. Things could be worse.”[break][break]
Doug sat motionless, a peaceful corpse. When Navy next spoke, his eyes were on the bear. Doug, and Doug alone, made such notions worth discussing in any real length.[break][break]
“If it wasn’t for him, it wouldn’t matter. I’m damn sorry that world killed him. I don’t care ‘bout other worlds, Howard. There’s a world out there where I’m married to the girl of my dreams. I make seven figures. Don’t have to work a day in my life. What’s that do for me? There’s a world out there where I could’ve joined Rocket. Sounds like there’s a world where you destroyed it.”[break][break]
And again, he looks to Howard.[break][break]
“But it’s not here, man. We’re here, and we’re trying our best. In this world, right here, right now, you’re a guy who could say no to Ting-Lu. That makes you mighty in ways Penny and Ms. Fiorelli can never be. I want you to remember that, even when this dream ends. Even when we're enemies.”[break][break]

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POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 22:39:28 GMT

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[attr="class","gunstest6body howard"]

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The answer was intriguing. It was an anomaly made better with the fact that it was a line of thought that Howard held for himself, though the direction his logic took was different from Navy's.[break][break]

There was a grunt of agreement, barely loud enough for Navy to hear.[break][break]

"The worlds beyond our own don't matter for the context of our own stories. We should cherish what we have and what we can save. This world..." His hands made a broad gesture. "...is what we can see. What we can touch. It has its own story that began long before we were born and will end long after we're gone." [break][break]

Assuming that the Origin Point that Naomi Sato had told him about didn't come to pass. [break][break]

He would not let that happen. Humanity would not let that happen. They would not fall to something so paltry. [break][break]

"Isn't life hard enough, without an infinite amount?" Still, there was a flaw. "But those worlds are bleeding into our own. They're becoming real. The only reason this world lacks a Craven is because the opportunity failed to present itself." [break][break]

His voice cracked. [break][break]

"In the end, you mattered, Navy."[break][break]

It was the highest honor he could bestow onto the sheriff of Dewford. It was the only thing he could offer the Pale Rider to justify his wanderings of a poisoned Galar that wanted him dead.[break][break]

"These few months have been something special." [break][break]

It felt shameful to admit. [break][break]

"I fucked up in Dewford, man. I fucked it all up."

Michael Navidson [break][break]

NOTES

- March forward, squire.

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Sheriff

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In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 23:10:02 GMT

Elisabeth Fiorelli, declan walsh, and 1 more like this

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MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

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howard slayte

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ROUSE THYSELF, RIDER.

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It felt like a weight was lifted when Howard said but two words. ‘You mattered’. It relaxes him as he moves to leave, but it is Howard’s last statement that fully makes him turn. It could be a hard thing, admitting when one made a mistake.[break][break]
“Then why’d you do it, Howard?”[break][break]
It seemed a simple question, and one he thought he knew the answer to. Four knives were at his throat. declan walsh, THEO BECKETT, Elisabeth Fiorelli, and Cillian Quinn. Four knives, telling him to do his duty as a Rocket. Navy wasn’t blameless. He invited the devil into his home, supposing that Howard’s good intentions would outweigh Rocket’s greed.[break][break]
If it hadn’t been Howard, it would have been someone else. It could have been a frontal assault, backed by Lugia, Wo-Chien, and Darkrai. As dark as this day was for Dewford, it could have been darker.[break][break]
None of that was voiced, none of it breathed into existence. Not before Howard spoke for himself. Zaria told him that he had to respect Howard’s decisions. For better or worse, he committed to Rocket’s cause. He declared himself Navy’s enemy, and there would come a day when the debt he accrued against Dewford was due.

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Sheriff

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In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Jun 18, 2024 23:34:01 GMT

howard slayte likes this

Somewhere far away, overlooking a battlefield and funeral pyres, two women sat watching the smoke. Blue skies had returned, and they sat in silence for a while. Their companions went to mourn, and to discuss what was and what would follow. These two knew what was coming. They were bound by that knowledge.[break]
"Tell father goodbye for me." Crystal said, not looking to Zaria.[break]
"Tell him yourself." Was her abrupt retort.[break]
"I can't, Hero." She said in a voice thick with grief. "The part of me that is his daughter won't be able to see it through. Not if I do that. All that would come from those words is stagnation."[break]
"Hmm." Zaria learned wisdom from the Fairy King long ago, that sometimes the best thing to say was nothing at all.[break]
"Your memories, they've mostly come back, yes?"[break]
"Yes." A pause followed the words. "I feel real." She finally said. "With every crystal, with every battle. I remember much."[break]
"Then I say, in this moment of calm, from one who should have no voice to another, I hope you found peace after your victory."[break]
"There is no true peace." She said, feeling at once like a much older woman. "Those who knew the trenches, and the roads, and the stench of dying men will carry that with them forever."[break]
"Being a warrior sounds hard."[break]
"It is a duty." She stressed. "And others knew peace. That is what matters. I went to my rest, and a story grew of one who would return in the darkest day, in blackest night."[break]
"And that day will soon come."[break]
"Yes." Zaria stood. "Those under the red R will rally to war. They and the fractured kingdom of Hoenn will fight, and greater threats will circle them both like Seviper."[break]
"Such is mankind's nature, and the nature of those who dwell among unknowable stars." Crystal, too, stood up. She turned to Zaria, who stood taller, and looked up at the knight. "Will you make me a vow, Ser Knight?"[break]
"What is it?"[break]
"Stay with him." The part of Her that would forever be Michael the Warrior's daughter begged. "Until the end. Until the credits stop rolling and the lights turn back on."[break]
"That, I can do." With a bow of her head, Zaria swore her oath. "So long as he has the resolve to serve the realm of man, I will stay by his side." What went unspoken was this: he will serve, until he dies. That is the truth of Michael Navidson.[break]
"Then take this, Hero." She pressed a shining purple shard into Zaria's hand, turned, and disappeared into the sun. They would meet again soon.[break]
When Zaria looked into the crystal, she saw what the world would be, should her enemy win.

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POSTED ON Jun 19, 2024 3:36:25 GMT

Hideo Kino and Naomi Sato like this

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Silence. [break][break]

Then, an answer.[break][break]

"I lost faith in you." The words dripped with disappointment and shame, reeking of the same elements that Ting-Lu had found desirable in Howard Slayte. "I couldn't understand your heart." [break][break]

Perhaps after months of traveling, Howard should have been able to understand the sheriff in a way that made his actions make sense. After seeing the claims thrown against him by Penelope and Elisabeth, many of them became clear. Navy's heart was a mess, but there was a clarity there. [break][break]

Yet it had faltered by having faith in the admin. [break][break]

"When Kyle died, you shut down. I didn't see you for a month. You left me to shoulder the burden of Dewford alone, and left me to help your daughter alone." The real one, not the one that wore Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki 's face and pretended it was her. "You left her in charge of the gym when she wasn't ready, when she still harbored doubts." [break][break]

They fought for the future on behalf of the children of the region, like Eris Halla and Hideo Kino and those who innocence had no reason to be marred. They were meant to prepare the next generation, but things had gone awry. [break][break]

"Perhaps I never had faith in her at all."[break][break]

That too was beginning to slip away.[break][break]

"The Visionary's plan will not succeed. She will not be able to foster an alliance between opposing sides in preparation for the real war." [break][break]

Far away, Naomi Sato was expressing her faith in Howard, unbeknownst to him. The fact that he could not reciprocate that feeling was his biggest betrayal. [break][break]

"I wanted to prepare Regice for the war with Eternatus, but it's become another one of its puppets." Howard blinked once, then laughed. "I should have just asked you for a Wishing Star."

Michael Navidson [break][break]

NOTES

- March forward, squire.

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Sheriff

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An observer of eons cannot feel the warmth of another.

POSTED ON Jun 19, 2024 4:23:40 GMT

[nospaces]

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MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

MORE HUMAN[break]THAN HUMAN

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howard slayte

[attr="class","Navypog3-subtitle"]
ROUSE THYSELF, RIDER.

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“My best friend died, man.” He spoke with heat, angered that he once more had to defend himself. “Melody’s top champ. Silph’s on paid vacation after he did it. Council’s stretched thin, Livy breathing down my neck, that peach and his cronies running around the region. What was I supposed to do? I took this job ‘cause I want my government to be better, and that means I had to step up.” And he did, until it burned him out so bad that he ended up on death’s door in a Sootopolis hospital.[break][break]
“You could’ve just asked. It wouldn’t do much good in the end. Regice would still try n’ destroy Dewford.” He sighed, rubbing at his temples. Arguing will not avail them, and he does not relish the thought of the Visionary failing.[break][break]
“I have to believe, man. I’ve got to.” Even if Naomi Sato and him will both inevitably face the music for their conspiracy. “I-”[break][break]
“Lord Rider?” A reluctant voice, rich with the accent of middle Galar, called out. A white-haired engineer stepped in, interrupting their conversation. The man was covered with soot, ash, and grease. “The train is ready. I’ll conduct the train to Wyndon meself whenever you n’ your Squire are ready to go.”[break][break]
“Howard. We’re going home. I’m gonna find Zaria and Crystal. We’ll meet you on the train platform.”

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POSTED ON Jun 19, 2024 4:47:14 GMT

Yuina Higashi likes this

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Of course Penelope was breathing down his neck. It seemed that she caused both of them a great deal of misery. [break][break]

The answer was not acceptable, but... [break][break]

"I see." The admin stood and faced the Pale Rider. "Rocket failed me. The League failed you." [break][break]

They both had a reason to be angry at the world. Yet that rage would only bring wanton pain and misery to the world that the two struggled to keep safe. A moment of weakness was all it took for everything to come crashing down around them. They had barely faltered for a moment, and yet...[break][break]

...that was all Eternatus had needed to break them. [break][break]

"I'll catch up with you. I need to bury Doug." [break][break]

The squire's companion was not as famed as the Pale Rider's three retainers and staunch allies, but Doug deserved a funeral nonetheless. Traveling across space and time warranted something as simple as a burial, something his original trainer hadn't gotten. [break][break]

This time, it would be given. [break][break]

In a quiet corner of Hammerlocke was a cemetery, meant to honor the fallen who had waged war against the Skeleton Gigantic and the Black Knight. How mortals had danced in such a duel of gods, nobody knew. That did not stop the two deities from crushing life like bugs in their world-shattering waltz.[break][break]

The ground was cold. Hard. Frozen from Jayden's siege on Hammerlocke. The shovel felt like lead in his hands. The admin pressed on, digging into the cold dirt. [break][break]

It took him all day. That was fine. What sort of archaeologist couldn't dig a few holes? [break][break]

The bear was gently placed in the pit, and dirt had Doug disappear from mortal eyes. Ting-Lu had killed the Ursaluna with the power of ruin and with the might of the earth at its back. Yet as Howard buried his Pokémon, it did not feel like Ting-Lu's victory. [break][break]

Hundreds of miles away, Shirley's grave rose as a monolith to a primordial era where strength ruled. [break][break]

Now it had a partner, and the spirits of his Aerodactyl and Ursaluna could descend to the world below. [break][break]

"I should have given you to Yuina Higashi, Doug. Even if this is a dream, even if it's not real..." Howard clenched a dirt-stained fist. "You'd have been safer in her hands." [break][break]

Even if it was a dream, who was to say that this world wasn't real? [break][break]

"Ah." Howard wiped his eye. "It's raining." [break][break]

Yet the tears did not fall from his functioning eye, but from the one that could not weep. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to find Navy and the train. [break][break]

One last ride, and this would be over.

Michael Navidson [break][break]

NOTES

- March forward, squire.

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E4; Gym Leader

Sheriff

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In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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