"You think I can afford hot nurses? I can barely afford rent."

It's a sad truth as the archaeologist tied off a round of bandages. A deep drag of the cigarette followed, and a plume of smoke wafted into the air. They had medical staff on site whenever drilling was being done, but unfortunately for the massive Alolan, the nurses were gone and only Howard remained.

Truly, Hunu was suffering.

"I brought you because you're an unstoppable force. You're a wall. I don't need a sledgehammer that breaks my fingers as I swing it, and I certainly didn't bring you to bash rangers into the dirt." He poured disinfectant into an open wound, washing it clean of dirt and grime. "You're meant for better things. I didn't hire you to kill rangers."

A heavy sigh.

"You're here to kill giants."

---

Tangaroa Emzar

Another deep breath of annoyance.

"I am, and you're a mercenary. We all make poor financial decisions every once in a while. There's an Alolan relic that I bought from a private collector recently. Ate most of my salary." It was a remarkable piece, carved from wood and stone and ivory. It would've been a shame to let it stay in the hands of someone who did not appreciate it. "When you kill someone, their brothers and sons and fathers enlist. You kill one enemy and create three."

The cycle of violence did not end for as long as the hammer was wielded without a care for the lives they crushed. Team Rocket would kill people, Howard accepted that, but Hunu would not kill under the admin's gaze.

Or he would face worse threats than a few measly rangers. Howard's throat constricted as he regarded Hunu.

"We are not giants. We are men and it is our right as human beings to rule this world. Hunu, listen to me." He tied up another wound, sighing as he did so. The admin glared up at Hunu with the gleam of a teacher. "You must crush our enemies without a care, but when they grovel before you and beg for mercy, you must lift them up. Otherwise the League will never surrender."

They would not surrender either way, but that was hardly the point.

"Understand?"

---

Tangaroa Emzar

It's a nice piece. I'll show it to you sometime."

Having Hunu in his office or private collection seemed like a recipe for disaster. He'd have to put away all the real pieces, lest the Alolan break them with his careless strength. A replica could shatter. The genuine article? Certainly not. Rather than muse on Hunu destroying everything in his office, the archaeologist simply rubbed his temples.

This was why he hated mercenaries.

"This is an age of gods, yes. Yet it will, when this is all over, be one of humanity. We will barter with the divine, we will test their loyalties, but in the end, they will save our world." Howard sighed again, anger flooding into his voice. "If they don't, they weren't gods at all."

He looked up at the Alolan.

"Alola has its own protectors, doesn't it? Tell me about them."

---

Tangaroa Emzar

The Guardian Deities were hardly guardians. He had learned that from the moment that he saw Elisabeth Fiorelli with Tapu Fini. It did not matter how skewed the union was. The only thing they shared was a two-faced nature and a capacity for subterfuge.

How else could Elisabeth have risen so high?

Were Alola's guardians truly reliable? The more the admin thought about it, the deeper his frown grew. Lele had seemed carefree with John Sullivan, but he wasn't sure if that was simply the young man's spirit rubbing off on a protector deity or simply Lele's true nature.

Regice had tried to kill Howard and it had leveled Dewford, but it had served him well upon its defeat and its malfunctioning was his fault.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The sound of Regice crushing Dewford beneath its feet rang in Howard's ears.

As for fern delaney's Tapu Koko... What an annoying menace. Remembering the dark creature, the admin blinked once.

"There are more beyond the veil, hidden in Ultra Space."

---

Tangaroa Emzar

Alolan history dictated that the four guardians were fickle, but would ultimately do the right thing when the world demanded their might.

Were the texts wrong? Howard had never been intimate with Alola, nor did he particularly care for the regions beyond an academic interest. They were a part of the world, and that part of the world deserved to be studied. Yet Alolan tickets were expensive, and Howard had struggled to accumulate the funds to visit.

"Down." He raised an eyebrow. "And you're wrong about the ones from other worlds. They're different."

He said it with absolute confidence, even if he didn't know that they were spawn of Necrozma, an attempt at creation by a god too fickle to understand the nuances of life.

"We scan the bottom, then we get out."

---

Tangaroa Emzar