He notes the Yamper following along Genny and smiles before patting himself down. But he's always got at least one poketreat on stand by. "Here big guy." he said placing it on the ground for the electric type to eat before turning his attention back to Genny. He pats the stack of watercolor pads and pint set, as well as the handful of brushes he'd managed to procure. He then uncapped a coupe of already pre filled water cups between them.

"That you did." he said with a small nod. He'd spoken with her very seriously some time ago. She'd been shaken after the island business in RESURFACE TREASURES. He'd advised her the best he could. With the experience he'd gained from watching dozens of others grapple with their faith. In themselves, in their cause. He'd even been a victim to it, for a while. Maybe he still was, bitter and jaded and angrily fighting for a cause.

But Genny's not like that, he doesn't think. Genny has time to keep what's left of her intact.

"Avatars? Y'wanna talk about work?" he asked, distracted as he was busy penciling in a sketch of the fountain in front of them. He cleared his throat before continuing. "I know they're both blessing and burden." he began smiling fading instead into a thin line as he thought of Hoenn's WILDCARDS. His pencil moved quickly, pale grey marks being left fluidly on the page. "I know they're...mmm. They're good to have on our side." he added.

"And I know they have an ultimate cost, with a limit we don't see."

---

Genevieve Cromwell | mission prompt: remote recovery | 6th anni prompt - wildcard

Paxton spares a glance at the poor dog, but said nothing. He'd long since given up trying to convince girls to feel better. All he could do was stay with them while they weathered through their own storms. His expression doesn't shift when he catches her tired smile and he waits for her to open up. He doesn't rush her, more pale grey lines appearing on his thick pad of paper. Cold press, the only type he bothered using for watercolor in HOENN.

He misses the sudden dissonance Genny felt with herself, eyes down at his paper. But at her words he let out a confused snort. "Huh?" it stops his work, making tired, teal eyes focus on Genny's own nervous ones. Was she sweating? Her knuckles are paper white but she's not holding onto anything. "What are you talking about?" he asked, waiting for her to explain.

---

Genevieve Cromwell | mission prompt: remote recovery | 6th anni prompt - hoenn 

Paxton doesn't seem moved by Lucky, until he offers another treat to the disabled puppy. Genny only seems to worsen. Now that he looks at her again, her skin is sweaty and her face is pale. Her pupils sort of change and he blinks before slowly putting a hand on her shoulder, careful to startle her.

He grips her firmly, pressing her down to the bench as he tried to ground her in this reality, not her own. Finally, she seems to settled back down and turn to him. But she doesn't look at him. She looks kind of like a little kid who knows she's done something wrong. He finds it familiar, but doesn't press further letting her talk.

She reminds him of a conversation they'd had last year. A similar experience had left her shaken, and she'd sought his advice. And then decided to take someone else's he supposed. He figured he wouldn't see her again in the battlefield, was a little proud when he did. Now? He wished he'd sought her out and checked on her. Maybe then she would've avoided Sootopolis.

"Genny, one soldier doesn't win the fight. It's the unit as a whole working in conjunction and support with each other that wins fights." That's strategy, strength in numbers, experience. Something Genny could never understand. Ranger weren't disciplined like that. all she knew was unbeatable CHAMPIONS. Never a warfront. 

She continues, asking him a strange question and this time he frowns again. "What are you talking about?" He tries to peek under her bangs, comically ducking down to try and catch her eyes. "You can't say that to me when I killed Calyrex with a piece of metal shot out of a tub, fired by burning exploding black powder." he said, indignantly but still managing to laugh. "Which my predecessors, invented, and I reap the benefits of centuries later." he added.

"Don't say that to Ollie though. The man nearly died twice, and only one of those was while defending from Necrozma." he said. "What's really going on, Genny?" he asked, smile flattening out. It wasn't just about the avatars.

---

Genevieve Cromwell | mission prompt: remote recovery | 6th anni prompt - champion

He looks over the pokeball, not realizing dahlia goode had chosen to lend her the Tapu. And in some part, the Tapu had to approve right? After all, it had fought by her side if briefly. But Genny keeps talkin, and Paxton waits for her to stop and catch her breath.

He blinks, staring down at the redhead as she tied herself in knots. He began to comfort her before his jaw set a little. What was she saying? "Genny, you aren't doing anything. No one person is more valuable than the other in this fight. Not commander, or vanguard. Avatar or officer." his eyebrows furrow as he tenses away form the girl. "You can't be this arrogant going into combat. That kind of thinking gets people killed." He knew he could count at least a dozen of people that would recklessly kill themselves trying to save Genny from dying should she try to shoulder the world's burden on her own.

Parts of this conversation feel familiar. Where all he can do is talk, but nothing actually gets through to her. Only what she wanted to hear, picking and choosing whatever suited her desperate need to keep fighting. To be useful. He couldn't say he didn't sympathize though. War was so much bigger than any one person. It had almost swallowed him whole before. Even so, he sees the red flags as they sprout. This is heroic, this is martyrdom. "Navy didn't mean develop a hero complex to cope with loss. He didn't mean use it to rationalize your recklessness."

He takes a deep breath. Was ollie morales aware of this? He'd give him a call regardless. "Genevieve Cromwell ." He doesn't touch her. Doesn't smile. A stoic frown just barely hiding the simmering worry and disappointment he felt. She'd only gotten worse since their last talk. He had to stop her from hurting herself. "Have we ever discussed SAPPHIRE?" Genny is not his. She is not his soldier. She is not his charge. He can't do anything but watch and advise, no matter how dark a path he watched her walk. Even when she didn't have the heart for it.

---

Genevieve Cromwell | mission prompt: remote recovery

Paxton meets Genny's glare not with his own, but with pity. Her attitude struck cords in him of the past. The feeling of cold dog tags sticky with blood makes its way to the surface. He sees the path, a phantom pain he could never be rid of. For a moment she's not Genny, she's a dead man. A soldier just as old as him, maybe a little bit older with blank eyes.

"If it gets you past R̵̢̨̧̬̗̙̝̳̥̱̯̪̘̼̮̣̜̪̹͙̮̙̩̲̗̤̯̬̈̉͌͗̉̄͆͒͐͛̿̃̍̐̈̈́͐̌̎̕̕͘͘͝͠͠ͅĘ̸̨̢͇̯̥̖̙̺̙͙͋͆̌̎͘Ḑ̶̦͎̮̠̫͓̙̪̖̮̞̰̻̦̗̲̻̠͖̰̞̺̻͚̮̯̾̓̿́͛̐̍́̄͆̈́̿̄̇̚͝ͅA̴̡̡̩̬̤̙̹̤̟͌̌̓͜Ċ̶̩̰͓̤͚̺̝̝͕̺͖͖̣̮̬̪̟̪͇̣͑́̿̀̊̃̕͠T̴̢̨̧̘̩̪̙̮͚͓̟̼̟̩̲̻͙͈̠͖̣̲̰̏̈́́̈̋͘͜͜ͅȨ̵̡̤̯̣̫͍̪͔̊̾̃́̉́̋̓̂̾̌̓̓̒̃͆̋̅͐̃̀̔̌̚͘͝͠͠D̴̨̨̰͔͓̘̝̠̘̮̮̝̱̳͇̙͇̟͕͓͍̠̮͕̀͐̀̐͋̀͒̈́̎̈̂̓̑̉̐̃͗̋͊̚͘͜, it's worth it right?"

Time is a circle and Paxton, as long as he continued his work with the League, was trapped in the same cycle. He blinked, and it’s just Genny, desperate and trying to cope with understanding forces beyond her comprehension. He makes a mental note. Dilutes this moment into phrases and soon-to-be written observations. He'd have to trust ollie morales to deal with it. He had his own burdens to carry. This was the Head Ranger's.

"That's the thing- It won't. That's just in the movies." It's never really a lynchpin moment. Not like this. Not when their opponents were ancient sea whales and creatures that commanded the weather. "Look at yourself. You're not even confident enough to respect Tapu Bulu or Commissioner dahlia goode 's decision to entrust him with you. Over one perceived loss?" his expression hardened. "You survive. We gained a foothold. Kyogre stopped flooding Lillycove, Mossdeep, and Evergrande." It wasn't his ideal outcome, but the alternative? "You're a Ranger. Not a martyr. Believing that much diminishes the efforts of every single person in the League that moves to respond to a crisis." He lets her off there, disappointed in her short sightedness.

"Dying doesn't get to be how you cope with your shortcomings. It’s not the blaze of glory everyone will remember you fondly for. It's a coward's way out." The memory of his own eviscerated body pieces before him surfaced. Palkia’s destructive power, and how close he had been to going to the Border himself. Without fanfare, he’d died. And without fanfare, he’d lived.

Paxton closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, sighing through his nose. "But I shouldn't be the one telling you this." He's not equipped to handle the mental swings of a young woman pushed to the brink of eternity by powers beyond her comprehension. "PROJECT SAPPHIRE is a research program meant to help our current scientists study the effects of Avatarships on humans as well as study Legends as a whole. A majority of it is done through volunteer efforts. Those volunteers get access to mechanics training like dynamax, terastalization etc. They're also offered a chance for mentorship under our different leads." he goes through the typical spiel.

"Most importantly, we're having a huge push of the League's mental wellness resources. Support groups, art therapy, dog piles..." he trails off. "I think you should take advantage of it, and visit one of the therapists on staff. You already know one of our leads, Head Ranger ollie morales . Or, if you'd be more comfortable, Ranger Captain annalise henderson ." he said.

"Genevieve Cromwell , I highly recommend you seek help, and take time off." he said, voice firm as if he were discussing business with someone in his department. “I can’t mentor the dead. And I don’t think this is a conflict we win by putting bodies through a meat grinder.”

---

Genevieve Cromwell | mission prompt: remote recovery

"Do better." If he noticed Genny shrinking away from him, he didn't care. He doesn't alter his words. Paxton has been more than kind with his words and with his time. She apologizes but he doesn't quite accept it. "Keep on this path, no rest, no sense- and you'll deteriorate into a burden on your colleagues, and a name on a memorial." it's harsh, but it's also a logistical reality. He looks at her injuries and can't imagine training on a bum leg. Or running into a Sootopolis part two. He pulls out a business card. On it highlighted, is the number for SAPPHIRE's wellness services. He slides it into her hands with ease. He understood hope. He understood how Eva Morales could weaponize it to bring out the best in people. But he'd also seen hope turn into heroism, and then into recklessness. The dead get put out of their misery, and they leave behind a sea of grief.

His attention shifted to the Yamper that accompanies her. He didn't recall this pokemon. How coincidental it also couldn't walk. Was this the doctor's way of cheering her up? "Where'd you get this scamp?" he asked, his final act of kindness and changing the topic. Paxton doesn't get up. If Genny wants to leave, he won't keep her here. Half a sketch on his notepad is good enough to build and paint from.

---

Genevieve Cromwell | mission prompt: remote recovery