There was a saying once uttered by Melody's predecessor, according to the annals of history. The true wording of the saying was known only to two living, for the ghost of Kyle Lopez could utter no words and tell no tales. Yet the saying known to the masses of Hoenn went as follows:

"I'm the smartest. Matias is the strongest. But you, Melly? You have the most spirit."

And she showed it. Grunts fell by her mere presence, betrayed by discarded objects and rubble and the memories of the slain. Song was her sword, music was her shield, and the baton was her conduit into turning reality into fantasy. She could, quite literally, turn dreams into reality.

"Champion?"

Laughter rang out over the battlefield, tinting her music with ominous hues. Massive sparks of red energy erupted from Route 102, filling the air with the familiar stench of Dynergy. A titan swelled up in the distance, augmented by the Power Spot that emerged on the route.

"Who're you to warn us of anything, Melody of the Elite Four? We don't take orders from Kyle's bench warmer." The grunts laughed, cheering as Regice towered behind them. A Max Snowfall descended from the heavens, freezing the route in ice. Laughter died on frozen lips. "Tsk."

A man in armor stepped forward, shoes crunching on ice and snow. He looked up, Melody's flying platform reflecting in his helmet.

"I missed. Dynamax is a sledgehammer, not a scalpel."

---

Melody Miro

"Of course I'm gonna make excuses. You want a good fight? I'll call up the God General or Underboss Quinn." He put a hand on his hip, cape flapping slightly as he raised an eyebrow from beneath his helmet. "I'm just..."

He shrugged halfheartedly, surrounded by frozen bodies of those still living. Their features had been buried in several inches of ice, turning them into vague silhouettes rather than detailed sculptures.

"...not that strong."

But hey, that was why he didn't need to fight. That was what Dynamax was for. It was the great equalizer. Enveloped in Eternatus's power, even an ant could challenge kings, and even Rocket Admins could fight the Top Champion. Meloetta danced across the battlefield, changing form to the tune of a long-lost song.

"You know Regidrago?" Yet what got Howard's attention was something else. He stepped forward at her claim, engrossed. "You've seen it? How? Where? Land Hoenn hasn't been seen in years."

Ice flew towards him. Much of it shattered on his armor or his Sygna Suit, while a few choice pieces cut at his shoulders and armpits and knees. Blood welled. He hissed in pain. Her words had excited him, and thus he had gotten greedy. That wouldn't happen again. Especially if she did it twice.

Arceus above, he hated avatars. Above, Regice's pattern flashed as it Locked On to Meloetta.

"Answer the question."

---

Melody Miro

As Melody's Marowak crashed against the frozen giant, it found itself halted by a magenta barrier of pure Dynergy. Slowly, a latticework of cracks formed through the barrier, before a segment shattered and rained whispers of Eternatus's leavings across the battlefield.

"Tsk. I told you, I'm not strong. Even if you're just a member of the Elite Four playing as the matriarch of the League. You'll never be Dahlia, and you'll never be Kyle. Luckily, I don't have to compete with you." He snapped his fingers at the massive giant. "It does."

Its seven dots ignited with red energy as it let out a sound. It wasn't a biological cry. It sounded more like a glacier the size of a mountain crashing down into the ocean. It drowned the route in its roar, before firing off a Max Thunder towards the Marowak.

A lance of lightning split the sky as it descended.

"If you don't tell me what you did to Regidrago, this world is fucked, Melody!" He shouted over the dirge of thunder. "I'm attempting to prevent ruin!"

---

Melody Miro

Lightningrod. Annoying. He kicked himself for that error and filed it away for later. That mistake would not occur again. Supercharging that Marowak had been a mistake, but it was one that he could easily rectify until that Meloetta returned to the battlefield.

"That's unfortunate for you, then." Another barrier cracked as Regice reeled back, though the admin didn't seem upset. Dynamax was a reliable bulwark, capable of bridging the gap between Melody's years of training and natural talent and Howard's mediocrity. "Because I want him. But if I'm stuck with you, I'll take what I can get."

The music was loud and annoying, but he could not doubt its quality. If Melody excelled at anything, it was the art of song. She had been carved for the role from the moment she had been named 'Melody'.

Yet it was time for that song to end. The music had ended, the track was over, and it was time for the orchestra to leave the stage in a graceful bow.

"Alright, Regice." He snapped his fingers, and within the golem's Clear Body, a bright red orb grew in intensity as Dynergy accumulated in the golem's heart. A flash of a skeletal dragon appeared in the facets of the ice as the machine relied on divine power. "READY?"

Regice followed him because it knew of no other option. The two were related, after all.

"FIRE."

A Dynamax Cannon blasted forth, incinerating the route and turning it to glass as it rushed towards Melody and her Marowak.

---

Melody Miro

Of course she had a fucking sword. Everyone had a sword, now. Except Howard. He never got a sword, because despite jayden cross's insistence that he actually practice on the battlefield, the admin found it to be a waste of time. Moments like this made him wish he stayed behind his desk.

Alas.

Maybe Melody had a few tricks up her sleeve. Hadn't she used her powers in Sootopolis? The admin made a note to go harass his colleagues to get a heads up on what Melody could do. That, and invest in earplugs. He'd definitely need those.

"Mega Evolution? Am I supposed to be afraid of something as paltry as Mega Evolution? Come on! Dynamax something! Fight me on even footing!" Howard goaded her, snickering even as he leaned on a frozen statue for support. There was no grace to this battle, no matter how Melody danced. She could perform a fine pirouette, but that would not stop him. "Or do you plan to let me rip out what you know about Regidrago that easily?"

He tried to use the powers in his Sygna Suit. Unfortunately, they sparked and stuttered, for the admin didn't have the partnered Pokémon with him.

"What the...?" He sucked, instinctively, letting Melody skewer his shoulder. Above, Regice revved up another Max Thunder, knowing that Melody would have to break several more barriers to end this fight. "Fuck..."

Blood turned white ice and snow a dark red. The admin staggered to his feet, his hand clenched around a large chunk of ice.

"I'm not used to rapiers." Howard admitted. "I'm more used to Navy's Ascalon."

---

Melody Miro

The words rang in the air for a pregnant moment, causing the battle to cease beyond the howling of the wind and clatter of ice against the frozen earth below. Howard stared at Melody, puzzled by her order.

Was she telling Regice to kill itself?

"Why would it listen to you? It doesn't matter how many orders you give it, Regice is mine. It is mine, Melody. No avatar power is going to force it to oppose its own programming." Howard shook his head once as she Protected herself. "It's-"

Yet the admin suddenly experienced something. A tugging. A pull. His eye twitched as it remembered a distant memory of a world that nobody had seen in years. Thick jungles and luscious trees and people unique and distinct from this Hoenn.

"What is this?" Howard muttered as memories flashed through his mind, before he impulsively looked up at the Regice towering above. It too was remembering orders long since forgotten. No, not forgotten, but simply belonging to a different vessel.

⠕⠗⠙⠑⠗ ⠗⠑⠉⠑⠊⠧⠑⠙

⠏⠁⠗⠎⠊⠝⠛ ⠕⠗⠙⠑⠗

⠏⠁⠗⠎⠑⠙

Regidrago Regice's pattern flickered a deep magenta.

⠙⠑⠞⠕⠝⠁⠞⠊⠝⠛

Cracks of light emerged from the golem's body as the Wishing Star within prepared to go critical. A Max Move version of Explosion would punch through Melody's protect, as all moves from Dynamaxed Pokemon tended to do, but it would likely end with Howard turning into ash in the process.

Instinctively, the admin produced his Pokeball and returned Regice to its container, before it leveled all of Route 102 in a massive explosion. Furious, he turned to Melody.

"What was that...?" He muttered, before snarling in frustration. Putting his fingers to his mouth, the admin produced a shrill whistle that echoed for miles. "Smart, Melody! Smart! That was something only you can do. Navy wouldn't have tried that. Matias would've tried to punch his way through. Pretty impressive!"

He smiled as, behind Melody, the earth erupted, and a colossal stone fist caused a Rock Slide to rain down from the sky.

---

Melody Miro

He watches her heal, and thinks of Bryan. The Rocket Beast's preferred trick was to employ Heal Block against such threats. Unfortunately, the admin lacked the foresight to bring a Pokémon like that. The Lifebringer already had loved to deny people the luxury he himself held.

Yet thoughts of the captive Rocket Beast were tossed aside for the time being, lest they throw the archaeologist off his game.

"My name? Hm. I'm just one of your many fans, Melody. I love your albums." He allowed himself a moment of complacency by indulging in the childish nature of appealing to a pop sensation. He was her fan. He didn't want to fight her, and yet he had to. It was the only future allowed to him. "Fox."

Remiel Calcifet cast a long shadow, long and cold and dark and heavier than the crown that would one day rest upon his head.

"I'm not all that strong, really. The other three admins are better trainers. Stronger. Smarter. Faster. But I appreciate the compliment."

From the folds in his armor came a large chunk of crystal. The Z-Crystal flashed, larger than several comparable crystals. Yet the golem it corresponded to was far larger than an ordinary Pokémon. It would need the boost. Howard weighed it in his palm as he regarded Melody.

"How did Kyle die?" The helmet flashed. "Really."

---

Melody Miro