Another day, another careless researcher descending into the earth's maw with little care for their own safety. If Rocket had worker's compensation, they would've been bankrupted in weeks. That was how many good people this crater chewed up and spit out.

"The crater is an anomaly, just like everything else in this region. It came out of nowhere, and the biome it created does not make logical sense. Something like this could not have formed without us catching wind of it. It just... appeared."

It was frustrating how many things could be described like that. Still, it was remarkably exciting. Howard would enjoy it more if it wasn't related to the Tera Crystal phenomenon. It made this place dangerous. It meant that they were underprepared.

"You're trying to justify the impossible. Call it a paradox."

It was worse than that. If Howard knew what Elisabeth or Jayden knew, he would've made a beeline for the depths of the crater to lay siege to the Ting-Lu that threatened to sunder the old world and remake it anew.

"You're lucky. This place used to be even more dangerous."

---

NIKOLA SAMSA

they tap on one of the crystal formations. "it is an anomaly, of course. but all that means is that its internal logic and structure is different from what we would normally expect. nothing in this universe is truly random. it may not make sense, it may seem random, but that merely means we have not yet deciphered its unique logic." all this to say nikola is not going to give up on analyzing their findings in this place. it's far too fascinating to do so.

speaking of danger... there's an animalistic cry, in the distance but getting closer. "that's not a call i recognize," nikola comments. "it's likely a paradox pokemon." they stick a hand in the pocket of their jacket, looking to the direction the cry came from. they seem to be anticipating its arrival, their eyes sharp and focused, a slight grin on their face. "now let's see... who exactly are you...?" nothing like field research to remind you of why you do the job in the first place. they actually seem to be having fun, rather than letting the possibility of conflict chase them off.

[ howard slayte ]

It was an interesting perspective. In a world without Tera Crystals, he would've agreed with them. The universe did follow logic, but the logic of Tera Crystals was impossible to comprehend. They simply did whatever was required of them at whatever given time to ensure that Howard's life was infinitely more miserable than it had to be.

If there was a consistent line of logic to these crystals, that was it.

"Fuuuuuuuuck." The admin paled slightly, cocking his head in recognition of the sound. He had spent much of the early year ripping this place apart and mining resources for Rocket. He was intimately familiar with most Paradox Pokémon. It was best to know their enemy, after all. "That's a Walking Wake. Lucky us."

If, by lucky, he meant 'absolutely fucking not'.

He hated combat. He was poor at it, and had to rely on titans to do the heavy lifting for him. Yet there was a contempt for Walking Wake that went deep into his soul. One had taken his Aerodactyl's eye, after all.

"Stand back, I need to get ready." He kicked the ground. "Hey, wake up!"

The ground remained silent.

---

NIKOLA SAMSA

nikola can't help but roll their eyes a little at his expression. they do as he says, standing some distance from him, but then they pull something out of their jacket pocket. "i'm not just some idiot who's never been in a real fight," they comment acerbically. much of their training had been done with Josh Devlin himself, before they regained their lost memories and vanished on him out of nowhere. but even before that, when they were much younger... they'd wanted to be an adventurer, or a ranger of some sort. that dream faded when they came to realize the world could be needlessly cruel, but they continued to study and research, some tiny flicker of hope remaining deep in their crusted-over heart.

"walking wake... that's water and dragon, right?" they can hear the stomping of the creature as it gets closer. they back up so they're standing between two crystal formations, then further still. from there, they release their shiinotic, just as the walking wake shows itself.

"HEY! OVER HERE!"

fascinating. it looks so similar to suicune, yet is clearly a divergent evolution of some kind. where did you come from, walking wake? you're not like my typhlosion. you're something else entirely. the beast's nostrils flare, eyes locking onto nikola. it charges them. it was so tempting to try out my new toy for this, but... playing a support role and not wounding my admin's ego is probably the safer route.

"...stun spore." their shiinotic releases a massive cloud of spores. thanks to their location, with the crystal formations blocking off the wild pokemon's left and right side, it has nowhere to go but forward. all it can do is run face-first into the paralyzing agent, nikola jumping away as its legs lock up underneath it and send it tumbling down.

"you ready yet over there?" they call to howard. "it'll be back up soon!"

[ howard slayte ]

Nikola does well. Better than Howard would've anyway. He was not enlisted for combat, but for academia. Yet when it became clear that he had a mind for business, they locked him in an office to manage ledgers and spreadsheets.

There was not a moment where battling had become an imperative part of his resume. Petalburg had fallen to his hand, but even that had been supported by Ulysses Monroe, Kanto, and a swarm of talented Rockets from Hoenn that had pushed the League back to Oldale. The League was on the backfoot. They could not hold it forever.

Area Zero would be theirs, soon.

"Gimme a bit. It should-" The ground began to shake and rumble as a braille pattern appeared under the Walking Wake's stunned form. Even when paralyzed, it knew what was coming.

⠗⠕⠥⠎⠊⠝⠛

The ground erupted as a golem the size of a mountain sent the Walking Wake flying into the heavens. Large stone fists the size of vehicles scraped together as Regirock emerged in Area Zero.

It had hunted here before. It had finally returned home.

---

NIKOLA SAMSA

Nikola was saved by the fact that Regirock was not Dynamaxed. If it was, Area Zero would not live to see tomorrow. It'd be a crater forged entirely from glass. Regirock had leveled Petalburg with its presence. When in genuine combat, it could do far worse.

⠙⠑⠎⠞⠗⠕⠽ ⠏⠁⠗⠁⠙⠕⠭. The pattern flashed with the intensity of seven cruel suns, threatening to blind the scientist. ⠗⠑⠍⠕⠧⠑ ⠁⠝⠕⠍⠁⠇⠽.

"I've got it. We're good! It won't disobey my commands."

The Walking Wake disappeared in a Dynamax Cannon that turned the Paradox into a glimmering mist. The golem had been waging war on anomalies since the dawn of time, where it had first fought Eternatus as it flew over Hoenn after razing Galar to the ground. Mechanical forms were eternal, and flesh decayed, even flesh formed by Tera Crystals.

The blast continued, and a distant swath of the crater was engulfed in a distant explosion. Yet the laser did not stop.

To destroy an anomaly, Area Zero had to disappear. The Dynamax Cannon slowly swerved, before Nikola and their Shiinotic ended up in its path.

"Hm. Wait, Regirock! Waitwaitwaitwaitwait...!"

The attack intensified.

---

NIKOLA SAMSA

Not again. He can't do this again so soon after Petalburg. He had just caught the damn thing, and it was already doing what it did best: annihilation with extreme predjucice.

For a horrible moment, Howard thought of Absinthe Blackwood and her claim that Regirock had no future beyond that of violence and despair. A natural reaction, given the destruction of Petalburg and the past that had left her cool and apathetic to a world that had abandoned her and people like her.

His thoughts return to Area Zero.

"Can't! I don't have its Pokeball!" A stupid mistake. He silently kicked himself for it, and vowed to never leave headquarters without it. "It's in Petalburg, in case it decides to rampage in the city."

That had happened, but not in Petalburg. Instead, it was a hundred miles away. Destroying Area Zero was prudent, but it'd also likely kill Howard and Nikola while sinking Oldale into the earth. Not ideal, so Howard unclipped a Pokeball from his belt as Regirock swung a fist.

"Gonna need your help with this, old one."

He threw it, and the world froze.

---

NIKOLA SAMSA

"Maybe? It can't hurt to try!"

Howard said as frost crept over his limbs. He shivered slightly, his hat flapping in the wind as the two titans clashed. Regirock's Hammer Arm was met with Regice's Superpower, which caused the ground to shake as two living mountains threatened to crack the world around them.

They were perfectly matched, as they were designed to be. With the power displayed, Howard could believe they were meant to chain down and fell Eternatus.

"Besides," he says as he took Nikola's hand gratefully and were hoisted up onto their Arcanine. "This can't keep happening. Gotta stop it here, before it becomes a habit."

Their Arcanine was very soft and fluffy.

"Hop to it, wonder brain."

---

NIKOLA SAMSA

As instructed, he held onto his hat. Not that it would do him much good, given they were about to go on an insane ride that would probably get them killed. At least his hat would be firmly placed on his head before they got crushed by a boulder or fell to their deaths.

Lucky them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" Nikola and their Arcanine sent the admin on an insane trip that reminded him of Josh Devlin. It had been a while since he had actually practiced riding a Pokémon, but occasionally the skill had its moments of usage, like this. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

However, as the Gym Leader was oft to say, he needed practice. His nerves? Terrible.

They made it above the golem's face, though. A cliff alcove that allowed them to survey the stalled battle between ice and stone. Any blast fired by Regirock was intercepted, and vice versa.

"Alright, thanks for the ride." The admin wormed off of the saddle, before dry heaving. "If I die, Regice should keep you safe. It's been a pleasure, Nikola!"

With a cheery, nervous salute, the admin jumped from the cliff towards the Regirock below.

---

NIKOLA SAMSA