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The sweltering heat must have finally gotten to him; that was Eddie's first thought when he heard that voice, as familiar as an aching scar, come from who he first thought was a stranger standing before the memorial. The soldier's eyes narrowed with suspicion as he regarded the one-eyed man, changed by forces beyond his comprehension. Fists clenched at his sides, knuckles straining against their bandages, [break][break]

“I know why I'm fightin',” Eddie asserted, folding his arms across his chest, “I'm fightin' ta keep fuckers like you from turnin' this whole goddamn region into an icebox, or a crater, or fuckin' Kanto.” [break][break]

Though, when he stopped to think about it, the one-eyed man's motivations were something of a mystery to him. It was so easy to assume he was just entirely evil, because what else would you call a man who had frozen over Dewford for his own ambitions? Who had participated in the takeover of Petalburg on the side of Rocket? [break][break]

But then Eddie recalled that fateful encounter with Regice, and how this man had fought alongside them, and how Navy had cradled the admin's body with the care owed to a fallen brother. That recollection was enough to ease away some of the soldier's own furious tension, enough to make way for some new stroke of curiosity, [break][break]

“I figure Navy's got his reasons. Guy's seen plenty'a shit in these parts.” [break][break]

Shit that, in reality, Eddie only understood in theory. Though, when it came to larger and graver threats, there was one that immediately came to mind when one of those little floating eyes blipped into view behind the admin. Another confusing wrinkle to this whole mess; the Visionary had been kind to Eddie in their first meeting, so how could she keep to such sordid company? [break][break]

But with the admin's final inquiry, the soldier was brought back to the reality of the situation. No, he was in the presence of the enemy; best not to let his guard down, [break][break]

“None'a yer fuckin' business,” Eddie spat, though to the diligent observer, one might see his gaze momentarily shift towards the mist-shrouded mountains and the thick forest of conifers that made up the heart of the island. [break][break]

Sure, it might have been Zacian's realm, but Eddie often felt those familiar orange eyes watching him from the forest's edge, studying him, observing with cautious appraisal. He idly wondered if that piercing gaze was trained on the both of them in that very moment.

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Eddie scowled as he bit back the usual reflexive response. Terrakion wasn't his, exactly, in more ways than one. The legend itself was ephemeral, a thing that transcended flesh-and-blood men like him. So too did the legacy of its previous partner, and that looming shadow of greatness felt far too large for Eddie to find his way out of in this moment. That wasn't baggage worth unpacking with the admin, though; Eddie doubted that the man would understand, even if his current allegiances made such a discussion almost impossible to approach in the first place. [break][break]

But perhaps Howard understood more than Eddie gave him credit for. The soldier blinked with some disbelief at the admins observations of the sheriff, [break][break]

“Those are good'a reasons ta fight as any, ain't they?” [break][break]

It was plain and simple, wasn't it? Apparently not, when Eddie heard the other man laugh. That scowl started to form again as Eddie considered the question; how could he put this in a way that the other man would understand when it felt as though they were worlds apart? [break][break]

The soldier moved a hand to scrub at his stubbled chin in contemplation, and sighed, [break][break]

“You ain't givin' the Pokemon enough credit.” [break][break]

Which, in his eyes, fit a man whose two greatest weapons were more automaton than living creature, but what of the valiant Aerodactyl he had fought alongside against Regice? Eddie paused, his eyes momentarily drifting from Howard to the monument, before he continued, [break][break]

“Justice is bigger than us,” Eddie began, “It's bigger'n the League, or Rocket. Bigger'n us or Pokemon.” [break][break]

Now it was starting to come together, little puzzle pieces forming a bigger picture, [break][break]

“It's rightin' whats wrong, fixin' whats broken, protectin' those that can't protect themselves. Terrakion understands that; it's somethin' owed ta everyone, ain't it? Human, Pokemon – ” [break][break]

And even those otherworldly Megalopolans. Eddie felt momentarily chilled when he recalled those huddled masses on their home-world when the prison ship had crashed there. They were owed something better, too, he had realized, which is why he had stayed his hand when others struck. He still vaguely wondered if that decision would one day come to haunt him.

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He wanted to grouse at the other man, spit back a scathing 'The hell do you know about justice?', but the words stayed lodged in Eddie's throat. When Team Rocket loses? The soldier gaped at the admin for a brief moment as the gravity of his words sunk in. [break][break]

Was this guy playing some sort of long con? Trying to destroy the organization from the inside out? No, that couldn't have been right – if that was the case, how could have he put so many people in harm's way to achieve that end? Even if Admin Fox was pursuing his own sort of justice, was it really just if innocent lives were lost in its pursuit? [break][break]

Eddie had to understand. This man was either ambitious beyond belief or a walking cautionary tale, [break][break]

“No,” Eddie admitted simply, “I didn't think it needed much explainin' – you were just tryin' ta juice up Regice, weren'tcha?” [break][break]

And bit off a little more than he could chew, the soldier presumed. Textbook hubris, right there.

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Kill a god? Eternatus? That... thing slumbering in the Ultra Deep Sea? The stakes were higher than Eddie initially fathomed, but it did little to settle the anger that had begun to roil angrily in his gut. The admin may have had his reasons for empowering Regice, to bring down an unfathomable god, but there was still something about the circumstances that grated ceaselessly upon the soldier's nerves, [break][break]

“Yer so full of shit,” Eddie laughed mirthlessly. He grit his teeth so hard he could almost feel the molars start to crack, [break][break]

“First of all, you expect me ta believe yer tryin' ta use that power fer some grand purpose? Ta save the goddamn world?” [break][break]

The soldier leered at the man, [break][break]

“Even if that's true, how many people're gonna have ta die before you take down Eternatus? How many goddamn corpses are you gonna hafta climb over to reach that fuckin' end of yers?” [break][break]

Eddie's voice rose, angry and passionate, a furious near-shout of righteous indignation. He huffed like an angry bull and pointed an accusatory finger at the admin, [break][break]

“And don't you fuckin' dare put that on Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki ! She was right there with us tryin' ta clean up your goddamn mess! She was right there tryin' ta stop you and yer fucked up pals from Rocket from turnin' Petalburg inta a goddamn crater!” [break][break]

He suddenly took a few steps towards the admin, adrenaline coursing through his veins, [break][break]

“You really tryin' ta tell me that she's the reason you killed nineteen innocent fuckin' people?”

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“Yer a liar!” [break][break]

This was a ploy of some kind, it had to be. This – this snake was trying to poison Eddie against his allies, he was sure of it. How could Tsubaki be the sort of person the admin claimed she was? Sure, maybe she had some gnarly tricks up her sleeve, but wasn't that just what she had to do to square up with Admin Fox and his tin soldiers? [break][break]

The soldier's rage abated temporarily, though, when he recalled just how otherworldly the young gym leader had become on the battlefield of Petalburg. It was an act of unholy communion, becoming one with the Nihilego. She had become something inhuman in that moment, but maybe that means justified the ends of fighting Rocket? [break][break]

But something about the thought made Eddie feel ill, made his face pale for a moment. Means and ends, yet again. His brow furrowed, agitated, [break][break]

“She just – she just did what she had ta. Besides, the hell're we supposed ta do when you fuckers're sending gods and monsters after us?” [break][break]

And besides, what kind of psychopath would describe a living, breathing, thinking person as defective? Tsubaki wasn't some sort of robot or computer program or futuristic being from beyond the reaches of time and space – she was a complicated person, probably, but to label her with a term reserved for the inorganic was demeaning in a way that Eddie couldn't readily articulate, [break][break]

“'Sides, she's usin' powers like that ta keep other people safe,” the soldier asserted, “Instead'a usin' it ta serve a pack'a goons who're tryin' ta burn the whole damn region to the ground.” [break][break]

But, shit, wasn't that akin to what Howard himself claimed to be doing? Using terrible powers for some greater good? [break][break]

No, no, that wasn't right. This was an 'apples and oranges' sort of situation; comparing Tsubaki and Howard to one another was unfair... wasn't it?

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More lies, it had to be. It was so much easier to get angry about the shit the admin was spewing than it was to examine those assertions critically. Eddie was torn, torn between wanting to throttle the guy just to get him to stop spouting words that made his heart hurt, and the deep, sinking dread at the realization that he didn't know jack shit about Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki. One thing was for certain, though, [break][break]

“'Yeah. Yeah, I fuckin' do.” [break][break]

Because he knew something about the young gym leader that Howard didn't, [break][break]

“'Cause for all'a yer talk about her hatin' this and hatin' that, yer dead fuckin' wrong. Sure, I don't know nothin' about her trip down ta the Ultra Deep Sea, but I know she cares about doin' the right thing.” [break][break]

She cared about about justice, about using your strength, your power, to fight for the right reasons. She had told him as much in their return to the island town, and Eddie had no reason not to believe her wholeheartedly, [break][break]

“And that's good enough for me.” [break][break]

His loyalty was, perhaps, too easily won, but it was a way of living that had yet to steer Eddie wrong. Besides, he was more convinced than ever that it was a far better approach than whatever the admin was taking if he held such little regard for the people he fought alongside now. Maybe Howard would see the error of his ways if fate ever brought the two men back to the same side of the battlefield.

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An averted eye, a shift in tone; Eddie found himself stunned by that subtle shift in the admin's demeanor. It was... unfathomable, the thought that Howard, this man Eddie had been staunchly convinced was an enemy, could be touched by what he had to say. The realization awed and haunted and humbled the soldier all at once. Maybe his fervent devotion to slaying that dreaded wyrm was far more real than Eddie had initially given him credit for, [break][break]

“Then I can promise ya two things.” [break][break]

But Eddie could never forget what this man had done to Dewford, what he had abetted in Petalburg. The soldier's fury may have cooled, but his conviction had not, [break][break]

“Number one, I don't give two shits about 'fate', so I'm gonna be right there ta stop you the next time yer golems show up at our doorstep. I ain't gonna let you hurt anyone else on my watch.” [break][break]

And Eddie still didn't think he could forgive him for the lives lost in all of this mess, but there was so much more to all of this than the petty squabbles of man. He hadn't yet witnessed the horrors of Eternatus itself, but Eddie was keenly aware of how vast and seemingly insurmountable similar villains could be, [break][break]

“And number two, when that day comes, when we're fightin' by Navy's side against that thing, I...” [break][break]

And God, he almost couldn't believe he was about to say this, but it was somehow both the hardest and the easiest thing in the world, [break][break]

“I'll be right there with ya. No back stabbin', no cheap shots, no nothin'.” Eddie nodded, almost as if to convince himself of that thought, “You can hold me to that.” [break][break]

Because taking a potshot at the guy when they were facing reality-ending calamity wasn't justice, it was shooting themselves in the foot. It wouldn't bring back those nineteen names on the memorial stone, or anyone lost in Petalburg, or whoever else would fall in the admin's pursuit of that god-killing end. Maybe Eddie could slap some cuffs on the guy and ship him off to whatever trial or tribunal the League's top brass had waiting for him after they killed a god, but they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

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